From the Bridge The Newsletter of the Company of Master Mariners of Canada

www.mastermariners.ca

August 2013

The Company of Master Mariners of Canada is a professional association for those qualified to command. It was established to encourage and maintain high and honourable standards within the nautical profession, further the efficiency of the Sea Service, and uphold the status, dignity and prestige of Master Mariners.

John Alan Beesley Memorial Plaque: On June 5, 2013, Captain Bill McKechnie and I represented the Company of Master Mariners of Canada at the unveiling of a bronze plaque honouring the late Ambassador John Alan Beesley. The ceremony took place on a beautiful, sunny afternoon at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria, BC. Ambassador Beesley’s widow, Ruth Lechner Beesley, accompanied by Jon Irwin, Executive Director of the Museum, removed the United Nations Flag covering the plaque mounted on the exterior of the Museum. Approximately one hundred invited guests, representing the legal profession, diplomatic corps, public service, Royal Canadian Navy and the Company of Master Mariners of Canada attended the ceremony honouring Ambassador Beesley’s contribution to the successful implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Ambassador Beesley received many honours and awards during his illustrious career and was especially proud of his Honorary Life Membership in the Company of Master Mariners of Canada. Accompanied by his wife Ruth, he attended several of the functions of the Victoria Branch of the Vancouver Division, held in the luxurious surroundings of the Union Club. Following the unveiling ceremony, the guests attended a reception in the Museum, where refreshments were served and speeches delivered by representatives of the legal, diplomatic and marine professions. A copy of my short tribute on behalf of the Company of Master Mariners is appended to this report, together with photographs taken by Captain McKechnie. Captain Alec Provan, Vancouver Division. 11 June 2013 (For more about Ambassador John Alan Beesley see “Crossed over the bar” FTB August 2009).

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Tribute to the late Ambassador John Alan Beesley, following the unveiling of a plaque in his honour at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia on June 5, 2013: It is a privilege and honour for Captain Bill McKechnie and myself to be here today, and to address you on behalf of the Company of Master Mariners of Canada, a group of individuals qualified by Transport Canada to take command of Canadian registered vessels, other than those of the Royal Canadian Navy. Ambassador Beesley was an Honorary Life Member of the Company, hence our involvement in today’s ceremony. I first became aware of the name John Alan Beesley when I was teaching Marine Law to prospective ship’s officers at the College of Fisheries, Navigation, Marine Engineering and Electronics in St. John’s Newfoundland. This Institution was later to become part of Memorial University. At that time; the late sixties and early seventies; the Law of the Sea Conferences were in full swing and Alan Beesley’s name was prominent as Head of the Canadian delegation and Chairman of the Committee responsible for drafting the text of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into effect on 16 November 1994. This Convention established rules governing the limits of Territorial Seas, Internal Waters, Fisheries and Economic Zones and the conduct of vessels within these limits. Many years later I attended a presentation at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Pat Bay. When the time came for questions from the audience, a gentleman several rows in front of me got up to speak and introduced himself as Alan Beesley. After the presentation was over I approached him and asked if he was the Alan Beesley I had been reading about twenty years or so previously and found out that indeed he was, although by this time more or less retired. As time went by I got to know Alan quite well and we had good discussions on the Law of the Sea as it applied to my position as Victoria District Manager of the Canadian Coast Guard. This friendship eventually led to an approach by the Company of Master Mariners, inviting Alan to accept the title of Honorary Life Member of the Company. Alan graciously accepted the invitation and he and Ruth attended several of our functions at the Union Club in Victoria. Following Alan’s untimely death and the ensuing cremation, I was approached by Ruth to see if I could help to arrange for distribution of the ashes in the ocean, close to the waterfront home which Alan and Ruth had enjoyed together for many years. Captain Migs Turner volunteered to make his yacht Sea Vixen available for the occasion and the ashes of the late Ambassador John Alan Beesley were duly consigned to the waters of McNeill Bay following a brief service on board the yacht. Finally I would like to thank Ruth Beesley and the officers of the Maritime Museum for providing me with the opportunity to pay my respects to this remarkable gentleman. Captain Alec Provan, Company of Master Mariners of Canada. June 5, 2013

Commodore Jan D. Drent, RCN (Ret’d) and Capt. Alec Provan. Ruth Lechner Beesley and Jon Irwin remove the UN flag from the plaque..

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Are ships too big to save? The year is 1953, 60 years ago for ease of memory – and your 6,000-ton cargo liner has become disabled, mid-ocean, with the rudder having rather unexpectedly fallen off. You are, however, not unduly dismayed. You all turn to, lash a couple of hatch-slabs to a derrick, which is slung over the poop, with a wire to each capstan, to effect a very serviceable jury-rudder, and you’re on your way again. Until 30 years ago, oral examinations for Master’s and Mate’s Certificates would ask questions which would test your ability to respond to all sorts of terrible accidents at sea. The answers would invariably begin with the phrase “take three stout spars…” and while the scenarios they asked might have appeared unlikely, the fact was that somebody sailed a 10,000-ton cargoship half across an ocean after its engine had broken down by spreading out hatch tarpaulins as sails. Someone else had carried out stream anchors slung between two lifeboats, while another crew fashioned an effective sea anchor out of canvas and…wait for it…three stout spars. Their crafty interventions made an impact. (See exam questions and answers at end of article). Fast-forward 60 years and just imagine what you might do when an alarm rings on your 15,000-teu containership and somebody bounds into the wheelhouse to tell you the rudder has fallen off. Or if there is a horrible crash from the engine room of your 400,000-dwt-bulk carrier in the middle of the ocean and it turns out your crankshaft has sheared. Where is your ability to intervene in the same way that your energetic forebears had rushed around with ropes and canvas and winches and derricks? Sorry, not a chance. Of course, there is no comparison between then and now. Back then, your 6,000-ton cargo liner probably had a crew of 60 tough hands aboard and the ship would be well found with derricks and tackles, ropes and canvas, and plenty of stout spars. Well-trained seafarers were still able to intervene in maritime accidents and prevent them from becoming maritime emergencies. Human beings were not dwarfed by the ships they sailed in, and could successfully make a difference. Today, the scale of modern ships, along with the amazingly small numbers of seafarers aboard them makes any sort of intervention like that next to impossible. In circumstances where a ship is disabled, the Master can really only call for salvage tugs, or in particularly dire circumstances, scream for a helicopter or lifeboat. But even expert salvors have started to become concerned at their ability to provide meaningful assistance as ships continue to grow in size and crews shrink. At a recent meeting in London, Andreas Tsavliris, President of the International Salvage Union, suggested that while professional salvors don’t walk away from any sort of problem, some of the “mega-ships” now entering service were so huge that they were “beyond problem-solving” should they become casualties. In practical terms, what can you really do if an 18,000-teu containership, with laden boxes eight high on the hatches, runs disastrously aground miles from any help? Or if it catches fire, with dangerous cargo in the deck stow? What

steps can you take if a 400,000-dwt VLOC fully laden with ore is taking on water, or there is a giant cruise ship in trouble with 7,000 souls on board? These examples aren’t just fiction. They are worries that keep competent, capable salvors awake at night. Are ships simply too big? Are their crews far, far too small, rattling around in these giant floating objects, scarcely seeing each other as they rotate from work, to mealtimes, to some sort of leisure, to sleep? Years ago, when a Noel Mostert took a trip on one of the “first generation” very large crude carriers, he wrote in his famous book Supership about feeling an “unpleasant loneliness growing from this apprehension of the ship’s gloomy distances”, being aboard a “mechanical

desert” which made the people on board feel like they were inconsequential. Since then ships have got a lot bigger, crews very much smaller, but this trend is the reality of 21st century sea life. This is news we are all familiar with, and there are many welfare services available to seafarers to help them come to terms with the psychological side of these issues. But it is really quite worrying if the experts who spend their lives salvaging wrecked or disabled ships are questioning their ability to intervene, with all the powerful tugs and salvage pumps and specialist plant. We have already had containerships of relatively modest size giving salvors no end of trouble as they have tried to extricate them from groundings, fires, structural problems and the like. More than a year after she grounded, the wreck of the Costa Concordia still lies off the Italian coast as salvors struggle to cope with one of the biggest wreck removal operations ever attempted. It is not really enough to suggest that these giant ships are run by operators who move heaven and earth to keep them safe. Both history and even a small sense of reality tells us that sooner or later one of the world’s biggest ship will be in trouble, and somebody will have to sort it out. At that stage, seamanship and stout spars will be of little help. Michael Grey. “the sea”. May/June 2013 Photo: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21935099/ns/world_news-americas/t/cruise-ship-goes-down-antarctica/#.UZznAuASStg Also see “Salvage resources for giant ships”. FTB. February 2012. Page 2.

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Possible Examination Questions and Answers from Nicholls’s Seamanship and Nautical Knowledge. 20th Edition. 1953.

Heaving a vessel off when aground, no tugs or shore assistance being available: Q. If you decided to get her off, how would you do it? A. Take careful soundings to find out where the best water was and try to get her off at the next high water by using engines and ballast tanks to the best advantage. If practicable, shifting cargo might help me. Should consider the possibility of discharging some cargo to lighten her forward, but should not jettison cargo unless it became a matter of extreme urgency. Q. Suppose you could not get her off by this means, what would happen? A. I should carry out my spare bower anchor, also one of my other bower anchors if necessary, and try to heave her off with them, of course also using my engines and ballast tanks.

New Canadian LNG Terminal Becoming Real: Pacific Northwest LNG awards FEED contract, takes next step toward an LNG export terminal island on Lelu Island, near Port Edward. The front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract will see three firms working together to design the terminal and work on feasibility studies in the Port Edward area, were awarded to Bechtel, a KBR/JGC joint venture, and a Technip/Samsung Engineering/China Huanqiu joint venture, reports 'The Northern View'. The FEED and Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning bid is expected to be complete by August 2014. At the end of 2014 Pacific NorthWest LNG partners, Malaysia's national energy company, PETRONAS and Japex, plan to make the final investment decision on the project. Source: The Northern View

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Irving Oil and Trans Canada to build New Terminal at Irving Canaport in Saint John, NB: This joint-venture terminal project announcement follows TransCanada Pipeline’s confirmation to proceed with the development of the Energy East Pipeline that will transport western Canadian crude oil to Montreal, Quebec City and Saint John. The Canaport Energy East Marine Terminal will connect TransCanada's Energy East Pipeline to an ice-free, deepwater port. It will allow Canadian producers direct access to world markets for exporting Canadian oil via the world's largest crude carrying vessels, both companies said. The proposed $300 million marine terminal adds to the significant infrastructure investment Irving Oil has made in the Canaport facility over the past several decades. Irving Oil imports over 100 million bbl. of crude oil each year at Irving Canaport and has imported over 2 billion bbl. of oil during 40 years of operation. The Energy East pipeline will offer a broader supply of crude oil for Irving's 300,000-b/d Saint John refinery. The project timeline for the marine terminal, which is expected to begin with engineering and design work in 2015, will coincide with Energy East Pipeline project developments. The new Canaport Energy East Marine Terminal will be located adjacent to Irving Oil's existing import terminal and will be operated by Irving Oil. "This $300 m illion investm ent in the C anaport E nergy East terminal will create hundreds of jobs during construction, and will employ up to 50 people in long-term, high skill jobs for years to come," said Paul Browning, president and CEO, Irving Oil. August 2nd 2013 http://www.tankterminals.com/news_detail.php?id=2450 Also see http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/plans-to-build-new-irving-oil-terminal-lifts-hopes-in-saint-john-1.1393469 and http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1145487-irving-to-build-new-terminal-for-energy-east-pipeline Have you read Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”? I was persuaded to do so after I had seen a TV adaptation of the story. There was a scene in which Sir Walter Elliot, the “vainglorious spendthrift occupant of Kellynch Hall”, was obliged to let out the family estate. His lawyer told him, “An Admiral, recently retired, wants to lease the property”. On hearing this Sir Walter exclaimed, “I should have much preferred a gentleman. The Navy has its uses no doubt but I should be sorry to see any friend of mine belonging to it. It is in two parts offensive to me. The Navy is a means of

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raising persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and secondly you never see a naval man who is not shockingly knocked about, exposed to wind and weather until they are simply not fit to be seen”. I read the book to learn if those words were used. They were, plus many more. For instance, “I never saw quite so wretched an example of what a sea-faring life can do: but to a degree, I know it is the same with them all; they are all knocked about, and exposed to every climate, and every weather, till they are not fit to be seen. It is a pity they are not knocked on the head at once, before they reach Admiral Baldwin's age”. Please remember that the year was 1815. Anne, the only sensible member of the Elliot family, finally got her man, Captain Frederick Wentworth. The final sentence of the story begins, “She gloried in being a sailor’s wife”.

The U36 - Biggest Fuel Cell EV (Electric-Drive Vehicle) So Far: The German town of Plauen became the official sponsor of the U36, the second in a new class of AIP (air-independent-propulsion) non-nuclear submarines to enter the Germany Navy. At around $525 million a copy, the 57 meter-long, 1,500 ton displacement submersible warship is powered by a diesel electric generator while running on the surface and Siemens-developed SINAVY PEM fuel cell stacks running on compressed hydrogen and oxygen when submerged. As with all submarines since their practical incarnation a century ago, the U36 is an electric boat that uses a diesel-powered 'range extender' to propel it on the surface at 12 knots and an impressive 20 knots (37km/h or 22 mph) submerged. As a warship, it carries a complement of torpedoes and mines. But it's the electric drive system that sets it apart. Where the larger naval powers of the world rely on nuclear reactors to power their attack and ballistic submarines, smaller navy's, including Italy and Germany as well as the Israelis, look to this new class of fuel cell-powered submarines, which typically are manned by a crew of 28, for coastal water defense. Built at the ThyssenKrupp AG shipyards in Kiel, where many of the infamous U-boats of both World Wars were launched, the Class 212A submarines are powered underwater by compact and highly efficient (+60%) proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks that use compressed hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity. Like land-based systems in automobiles, the only by-product of the process is distilled water. Operating at 80°C, the water can be used in the submarine or pumped overboard. The 212A boats use multiple 34kW stacks, while the similar Class 214 subs being built for the navies of Portugal, Korea and Greece use twin 120 kW units. May 26th 2013. http://evworld.com/focus.cfm?cid=146

________________________________ Did you know British Columbia Makes Tons of Submarines? Atlantis Submarines, of British Columbia, actually owns more submarines than many countries – but these ones are used for tourism. The Canadian company initiated the world’s first commercial tourist submarine in the Cayman Islands in 1986. More than 10 million people have since experienced underwater adventures in their 48 and 64 passenger submarines in the Caribbean and Pacific. The subs they operate in Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, St. Martin, Cozumel, Curacao & Guam were all made in Canada. http://www.atlantissubmarines.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis_Submarines My EduVacation. A British Columbia Marine Engineering Student Blends Travel and Study Abroad: After finishing my Transport Canada Exams in fall 2012, I had the lucky opportunity to work for Algoma Central http://www.algonet.com/ in November and December as my first 4th Engineer position. I returned to Algoma after being a Cadet there a year earlier, and I am very thankful the company supports Canadian Maritime Students this way. With some money in hand and the month of January available before I’d return to my 4th Year studies at BCIT, I was able to realise what had been a wish list item – going to the UK and taking some classes and experiencing their

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Marine Education System, while visiting some maritime history landmarks such as Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. With the Warsash Maritime Academy (WMA) based in Southampton http://www.warsashacademy.co.uk/home.aspx I was able to book myself into classes that I hope will help my career prospects in the future, specialized oil and gas tanker training. Staying at a B&B that caters to the Marine community enhancing their education at Warsash worked out great in many ways. The B&B proprietors were extremely hospitable, it was cost effective and close to the campus, but also allowed me to meet many other Officers in a social setting for morning and evening meals, game of pool, and the occasional pint. Warsash Maritime Academy is part of Southampton Solent University’s

Maritime and Technology Faculty. The campus is located in the village of Warsash on the east bank of the River Hamble, overlooking Southampton Water, near the

cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. The two courses I was able to take were excellent, the attendees truly international with participants from the UK, Nigeria, India, Portugal and myself, the lone Canadian. The staff at WMA was really

friendly and accommodating and I even managed to get a tour of the recently installed $1.2+ million simulator. In a short time I was able to make some great new industry contacts through the interaction with the staff and participants at WMA, as well as people I met at the B&B.

One of the big eye-openers however was learning in greater detail about UK’s seafarer education options. Typically students entering the various academies are applying to the actual shipping companies and upon selection have their tuition paid for by their future employers, in addition to having the rotations for the sea phases organised and scheduled for them. This is a well-run situation and obviously any Canadian student looking for Junior Positions with international companies participating with a similar approach have a much tougher time to crack the fold. This does not just apply to the UK but other maritime countries in Europe and elsewhere. Coincidentally in a publication called the Telegraph, published by Nautilusint.org https://www.nautilusint.org/default.aspx in the January 2013 issue, an extensive article covered how South Africa is executing ambitious plans to become a key supplier of maritime expertise and seafarers. In the same issue another article covers how the government in Australia is aiming to boost seafarer numbers with a proposed training ship planned to operate between the mainland and Tasmania, carrying freight as well as up to 100 trainees at a time. A third article noted how the government in Denmark is investing to revive and expand its seafarer education system as well. Given all the talk about LNG ports on the Canadian West Coast, oil pipelines and exports and possibly future increases in shipping through the Northwest Passage, one has to wonder why present Canadian government sponsored/supported ship-building activities are not including the logical step of helping Canadian companies educate the future seafarers who might sail on those and other national & international vessels. In my humble experience for Canadian Deck and Engineering Officer aspirants, it’s not really the lack of academies, but the necessary Cadet positions for the required qualifying times to go along with the training, that are much harder to come by. I found these four short weeks abroad to be time well spent and can wholeheartedly recommend it to other students. Having made new contacts and understanding how things work beyond Canada was invaluable for me, especially when looking at options to secure employment after the present semester in 2013. And as a passionate dinghy and keelboat sailor, visiting Lord Nelson’s flagship, and having had lunch at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club were the icing on the cake. Sebastian Fritz Sebastian Fritz is a 4th Class Combined (Motor & Steam) Marine Engineer and 2013 Graduate of BCIT’s Marine Campus. In 2010 he was awarded the Canadian Institute of Marine Engineering Vancouver Branch scholarship for Marine Engineering Students. Western Mariner June 2013. www.westernmariner.com New BC Ferries ships will be fuelled by liquefied natural gas: BC Ferries will order three new intermediate-class vessels and intends to acquire ships that are fuelled by liquefied natural gas. The ferry service has announced that the ferries commissioner approved its application for the three new ships. It said the new vessels will replace two ships that were set to be retired in 2016 – the 48-year-old Queen of Burnaby,

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which runs between Comox and Powell River, and the 49-year-old Queen of Nanaimo, which is on the Tsawwassen to Southern Gulf Islands route. The addition of one ship is intended to increase service on the latter. Jul. 23 2013 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/new-bc-ferries-ships-will-be-fuelled-by-liquefied-natural-gas/article13383262/

Stars align for Canadian Laker fleet renewal: Canada's Great Lakes fleet is being rejuvenated with the addition of ships by three major carriers, Canada Steamship Lines (CSL), Algoma Central and Fednav. According to CSL President Rod Jones, "in 2010 the stars aligned" for Canadian owners to start their newbuilding spree, with the removal of a 25% import duty on new ships, a rise in the value of the Canadian dollar and a collapse in world shipbuilding prices. Trillium class Laker Baie St. Paul: CSL's newbuilding program includes four Trillium class self-unloading Lakers and two Laker bulkers. The first Trillium self-unloading Laker, Baie St. Paul, has been operating in the Great Lakes since December 2012. The second, Whitefish Bay, set sail from Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China, for Montreal on May 16.and the third, Thunder

Bay, sailed from Jiangyin on May 29th. (See FTB November 2012. Page 12). Algoma Central Corporation is building a series of two Equinox class gearless bulk carriers and four self-unloading Equinox bulkers at the Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries shipyard in Nantong, China. Another two Equinox gearless bulkers will be owned by the Canadian Wheat Board but will be operated and managed by Algoma. According to Rod Jones, between them CSL and rival Algoma are investing more than $500 million in as many as 18 modern ships. "These new ships are going to be greener, cleaner and more efficient than all other Lakers," he says. "We're doing this because we understand our social contract to operate depends on our ability to operate cleanly and safely." (See FTB August 2012. Page 12). FEDNAV ADDS ANOTHER SIX: P rivately held Fednav Lim ited announced that it is adding six 34,000 dw t Lakers to its newbuilding program in Japan. (See FTB August 2012. Page 12). Ordered with Sumitomo Corporation and Oshima Shipbuilding, the environmentally advanced vessels are adapted to the dimensions of the St. Lawrence Seaway and are specially equipped for navigating in ice. They will be built with

"box" holds, better suited to a variety of general cargo like steel and project cargo. "This investment highlights Fednav's commitment to the Great Lakes, and to our customers and partners in the industrial heart of North America," said Paul Pathy, Fednav President and Co-CEO, upon signing of the contract. These vessels will share the environmental characteristics of the previous six Lakers ordered at the Oshima shipyard: they will consume 28% less fuel and produce 28% less emissions than a previous series of vessels built by Oshima Shipyard for Fednav ten years ago. They will carry the DNV "CLEAN-DESIGN" and will be delivered between May and November 2015, as part of a series of 27 new ships (of which 14 are Lakers) added to Fednav's fleet since January 1, 2012. Marine Log. MAY 31, 2013

Fednav's Federal Satsuki, delivered last year by Oshima Shipbuilding http://marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4125:stars-align-for-canadian-laker-fleet-renewal&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=195

The Nautical Institute champions industry best practice: The Nautical Institute took its AGM to South Asia for the first time on 31 May and 1 June in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with its theme the challenges facing

maritime administrations. Speakers and delegates highlighted the need to devise and promote best practice to encourage development of regulation that is realistic, practical and that can be complied with readily. It was concluded that a key to achieving this is the recruitment and retention of capable maritime professionals as marine administrators and this requires competitive salary and career advancement structures to be in place. Promulgating best practice is central to The Nautical Institute’s work. The AGM heard the first report of the Executive Board of Trustees elected by Council under new governance rules introduced last year. This recorded continuing

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progress towards meeting key objectives identified by members to improve the competency of seafarers and standards of seamanship. Sharing of knowledge and the raising of professional standards were seen as benefits to the maritime industry and society in general by improving safety and protection of the marine environment. Practical steps have already been taken towards this with the launch of the free publication, “The Navigator” in association with the Royal Institute of Navigation; the creation of an online scheme for continuing professional development (CPD) for Institute members due to be launched later in June and a series of seminars to encourage the reintroduction of mentoring onboard following the publication of Mentoring at Sea – the 10 minute challenge by Captain André Le Goubin FNI. CPD Online will be launched by The Nautical Institute in June and is designed to meet the needs of individual members, allowing them to formally plan for their future maritime career at sea or ashore and establish goals to improve performance. It will enable maritime professionals to take control of their own learning and development and demonstrate their professional commitment. Mentoring was identified by the Institute’s President, Captain Sivaraman (Krish) Krishnamurthi FNI, on his election in July 2012 as “a means of raising competence and driving up professional standards, both at sea and ashore.” All members are now being encouraged to take the 10-minute mentoring challenge and, starting in 2013, all of the Institute’s 50 Branches are being encouraged to hold mentoring workshops. Looking ahead to 2014, the Command seminar series to be held throughout the year will take as its theme navigational competence. Speaking at the AGM, Captain James Robinson DSM FNI Irish Navy (Retired), immediate Past President and Chairman of the Executive Board, pointed out that the change in the Institute’s membership structure and criteria approved in 2010 was to “encourage a more inclusive meeting of minds to address the issues of today and the future” and that “many members are acknowledged experts in their fields and work for maritime administrations around the world.” Several speakers expressed the view that self-regulation based on best practice was a more constructive way forward than enforcement of a prescriptive regulatory regime. In his presidential address, Captain Krishnamurthi commended the initiatives already in place for developing and disseminating best practice and outlined his ambitions for the coming year. He called upon members to get involved in promoting the mentoring campaign for the benefit of the industry.

The Institute would continue to identify existing and emerging best industry practices, he pledged, and would establish a “sustained programme” to influence public perception of the maritime profession. Membership of the Institute was, he added, “competency value added”. The Nautical Institute is the international professional body for qualified seafarers and others with an interest in nautical matters. It provides a wide range of services to enhance the professional standing and knowledge of members who are drawn from all sectors of the maritime world. Founded in 1972, it has over 50 Branches worldwide and some 7,000 members in over 110 countries. Captain Sivaraman (Krish) Krishnamurthi FNI, President of The Nautical Institute, speaking at the Institute's 2013 AGM & Seminar in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Source: The Nautical Institute

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IMO to implement Arctic Shipping Code by 2016: Mandatory code for shipping in the polar region will govern all ‘technical requirements covering design and operations’ The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has announced that it expects a code regulating Arctic shipping to be in place by 2016. Arctic sea ice is melting rapidly, and within the next decade the effects of global warming is anticipated to transform the polar region into a seasonally navigable ocean. As a result shipping along the northern sea route is expected to grow 30-fold in just eight years and could account for as much as a quarter of cargo traffic between Europe and Asia.

“We are preparing a mandatory code for polar navigation,” said IMO secretary general Koji Sekimizu. “It will be operational in 2015 and will probably be implemented in 2016.” The announcement was made at the Oslo 2013 Maritime Summit, coordinated by the Norwegian Government and attended by Ministers and senior officials from Greece, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, United States and the European Commission. The Summit underlined the need for government and industry cooperation in order to take

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advantage of the opportunities presented by the Arctic in a way that reconciles the need for both environmental and economic sustainability. “A new code will govern all technical requirements covering design and operations,” Sekimizu told Reuters. “It will ensure the competence of seafarers ... We will ensure that unless we have trained competent seafarers on board to navigate, then that vessel cannot be allowed to navigate.” The Summit concluded by emphasising the importance of governments and ship-owners, as represented by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), co-operating to ensure that the draft IMO Polar Code is adopted and implemented as soon as possible. June 7th 2013. http://www.porttechnology.org/news/imo_to_implement_arctic_shipping_code_by_2016/ Before and after data convincing for container ship nose replacement: DNV has gathered before and after operational-performance data, which indicate that redesigning the bulbous bow of slow-steaming container ships can produce fuel savings of 5% or above. These ‘nose jobs’ can have a payback time of less than a year. Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) operates a series of 8,600 TEU container vessels that were designed and built for high speed. These vessels are actually able to operate at 27 knots. However, today the vessels are “slow steaming”, operating in the range of 15 to 18 knots. At these speeds, the existing bulb is not efficient. In order to quantify the possible savings potential, DNV carried out a comprehensive study to develop a new bulbous bow shape optimised for the expected trading conditions. A cost-benefit assessment was conducted based on the estimated savings and this created the basis for HMM to go ahead with a conversion. Based on input from DNV, Daewoo Ship Engineering Company (DSEC) carried out the structural design work. The conversion of the first vessel, the Hyundai Brave, was completed in March 2013

After the “nose job” in dry dock, onboard measurements have shown that the US$680,000 modification has reduced fuel consumption by almost 1,000 tonnes per year. The performance of the new bulb has carefully been evaluated as part of verification over about 2 months period after delivery and fuel saving in operation so far has been found to be around 5% or above. The payback period is expected to be much shorter than the 1 year originally estimated,” says Taeg-Gyu Lee executive vice president of HMM. “Close cooperation between DNV, the structural designer and the yard ensured the timely execution of the design and installation work,” says Jost Bergmann, DNV’s Business Director for Container Ships. “Improvements in fuel economy

have now been demonstrated in loaded, light and full capacity operations.” The project, starting with the initial planning phase, was completed in 14 weeks and, with pre-fabrication, the yard erection work was completed in only two weeks during the vessel’s regular docking cycle. DNV developed a series of potential bulb shapes, made to suit the new operating profile of the Hyundai Brave, that were all tested by use of computational fluid dynamics. The new bulb does not add to the vessel’s overall length and is five tonnes lighter than the original. DNV is confident that the recorded success of this project will assist other owners looking to improve the competitiveness of older vessels. “Existing ships have to compete with a new breed of efficient and flexible designs,” said Mr. Bergmann. “One result of the high design speed of many existing container ships is that the bulb is highly tuned to reach the maximum speed. The new reality for much of the existing fleet is that this affects efficiency at lower speeds. DNV’s bulb optimisation service now has hard data to demonstrate. 06.Jun.2013 http://www.seanews.com.tr/article/SHIPBUILDING/103830/DNV-Jost-Bergmann/ ECO-Ships’ Benefits Large Enough to Justify Orders beyond Expected: Germanischer Lloyd (GL) said that the trend toward building and operating so called ECO-Ships, or highly energy efficient vessels, was irreversible, given the potential cost savings for the maritime industry. The rise of the ECO-Ship has been questioned, with some suggesting that this focus on efficiency would fade if bunker prices fell. In a presentation held at the press conference Christian von Oldershausen, GL’s Chief Commercial Officer, demonstrated how ECO-ships have substantial cost advantages over existing vessels, which have been borne out in a number of container vessel optimisation projects undertaken throughout the world by GL. These advantages are found primarily at the concept design stage by targeting a vessel’s real operating profile, wider beam and increased

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capacity. Another major driver lies in design optimisation that focuses on hull lines, propulsion, onboard systems and next generation engines. “Alongside lower yard prices, bunker will be a significant driver for cost savings in new vessels,” said Mr. von Oldershausen after analysing the composition of slot costs, made up of capital, operating, port/canal and bunker costs. With fully optimized designs, savings are also stable across a whole range of operating speeds. Additionally, the new designs still generate substantial savings even setting aside the capital cost of an existing vessel. This meant that ECO container ships offer benefits large enough to justify orders beyond that expected from the tonnage balance in the market. “We believe that ECO-ships are now the norm both today and for the

future. With owners seeing the benefits from new tonnage being up to a third more efficient than average existing vessels and customers insisting on better performance, we won’t see many ships built that are not designed to minimise their fuel consumption and ecological impact,” said Mr. von Oldershausen. 05.Jun.2013,

http://www.seanews.com.tr/article/SHIPBUILDING/103825/ECO-Ships/ Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal. Project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key-shipping route: Nicaragua has awarded a Chinese company a 100-year concession to build an alternative to the Panama Canal, in a step that looks set to have profound geopolitical ramifications.

The President of the country's national assembly, Rene Nuñez, announced the $40bn project, which will reinforce Beijing's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over the key-shipping route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The name of the company and other details have yet to be released, but the opposition congressman Luis Callejas said the government planned to grant a 100-year lease to the Chinese operator. The national assembly will debate two bills on the project, including an outline for an environmental impact assessment. Nicaragua's president, Daniel Ortega, said recently that the new channel would be built through the waters of Lake Nicaragua. The new route will be a higher-capacity alternative to the 99-year-old Panama Canal, which is currently being widened at the cost of $5.2bn. Last year, the Nicaraguan government noted that the new canal should be able to allow passage for mega-container ships with a dead weight of up to 250,000 tonnes. This is more than double the size of the vessels that will be able to pass through the Panama Canal after its expansion, it said. According to a bill submitted to congress last year, Nicaragua's canal will be 22 metres deep and 286 km (178 miles) long - bigger than

Panama and Suez in all dimensions. Under the initial plans for the project, the government was expected to be the majority shareholder, with construction taking 10 years and the first ship passing through the canal within six years. It is unclear if this is still the case. Two former Colombian officials recently accused China of influencing the international court of justice to secure the territorial waters that Nicaragua needs for the project. In an op-ed piece for the magazine Semana, Noemí Sanín, a former Colombian foreign secretary, and Miguel Ceballos, a former vice-minister of justice, said a Chinese judge had settled in Nicaragua's favour on a 13-year-old dispute over 75,000 square kilometres of sea. They said this took place soon after Nicaraguan officials signed a memorandum of understanding last September with Wang Jing, the chairman of Xinwei Telecom and president of the newly established Hong Kong firm HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company, to build and operate the canal. Nicaragua has accused Colombia and Costa Rica, which has a claim on territory likely to be used by the new canal, of trying to prevent the project going ahead. 6 June 2013 • This article was amended on 7 June to clarify the location of Lake Nicaragua and to remove an incorrect reference to the proposed width of the canal. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/nicaragua-china-panama-canal

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As public affairs manager for The Mission to Seafarers (MtS), part of my job is to meet with crews in our ports around the world and find out what their needs are and how best we can support them. Part of my journey took me through the Indian Ocean on board a passenger ship. As many of you will know, an area that used to be famed for the exotic tourist destinations it contains is arguably now more famous for the threats it poses to cruises and merchant ships that pass through it. What used to be a serene, wide expanse – I have nothing around me except for the deep oceans and the wide, open skies – is now tainted by the dark cloud of piracy that looms over the Indian Ocean.

Travelling through it is a humbling experience, but also rather an intimidating one. As the ancient mariner’s prayer goes: O Lord, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small. That feeling of isolation is one experienced by many seafarers on a routine basis, but especially out here in the Indian Ocean where the threat to life and limb comes not only from Mother Nature, but also from piracy. While out on the open seas, our Captain announced that everyone on board would be required to complete a piracy response drill in the event that our ship comes under attack. As the MtS representative on board this vessel I have been privileged to be a part of the security briefings, and I have also spoken privately with the Captain and the ship’s armed security team about what it’s like to sail through these waters. For them, operating and protecting a passenger vessel brings great responsibility because they are collectively responsible for the safety of nearly 1,000 passengers and crew. The water that surrounds us is deep blue and it’s so still and quiet out here that it’s difficult to believe there are dangers beyond the horizon. The idea that something could appear out of nowhere and attack us is hard to believe, but the fact is that it can – and does happen – to merchant ships on a regular basis. I should say that there has never been a passenger ship taken hostage, but that doesn’t prevent the Captain and his crew from taking this threat, and the safety of all on board, very seriously. Despite all of this, the passengers’ mood before the drill is initially light-hearted. “I hope we do get boarded by pirates”, joked one woman this morning as I walked around the deck. “I quite fancy Johnny Depp!” At the sound of the siren the drill begins and we all traipse down to our “safe haven”. These are rooms in which we can all be locked in safely, while the Captain attempts to escape an attack by taking measures in accordance with Best Management Practice version 4, a set of guidelines and techniques published to help protect ships travelling through the area. The jovial and chatty atmosphere changes instantly to silence. People chat in hushed tones, fascinated and horrified as the seafarers bedeck the ship with razor wire and grease the walls and ladders to prevent a pirate from holding a firm grip and attempting to board the ship. The Force 4 wind rustles through the new layer of razor wire that has been laid. The metal tinkles in the breeze but it sounds more like nails running down a blackboard than a playful tune. During my time at MtS I have met Somali pirates. I’ve spoken with seafarers who have been attacked and witnessed the destruction captivity has on families and those left behind. During the drill I have mixed emotions. On the one hand I know the “theory”; the stats, the tactics and the procedures are all designed to protect us and should make us feel safe. But seeing the razor wire, the weapons and the grease being set up is really rather intimidating, a chilling reminder of the measures we have to take to keep people safe, and what could come next. These are realities that seafarers face every time they travel through the Indian Ocean. I for one am glad that it is over. Ben Bailey. Public Affairs Manager, The Mission to Seafarers. Flying Angel News. Spring 2013.

The Coronation Spithead Fleet Review of June 15, 1953: Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne occurred in February 1952; however, the Coronation Ceremony did not take place until June 2, 1953. This was soon followed by the imposing spectacle of the Spithead Naval Review on June 15th. In order to celebrate the Coronation a fleet of over 300 vessels assembled in the waters of the Solent, adjacent to the major ports of Portsmouth and Southampton. The fleet consisted of major and minor warships representing the UK, Commonwealth and a number of foreign countries including the USA and Russia. In addition there were numerous merchant vessels, fishing vessels and private yachts – all assembled in assigned rows and/or specific areas where they could be reviewed by Her Majesty and Prince Philip from the bridge of the Royal Yacht, HMS Surprise. Planning for this great event had commenced many months in advance and somewhere along the way it was decided that Gordonstoun, the school where HRH Prince Philip had received his education, should be represented at

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Spithead by an appropriate vessel. The choice of suitable candidates was severely limited as the schooner Prince Louis, the former Gordonstoun sail–training vessel, had been assigned to the Outward Bound Sea School at Burghead, leaving the ketch–rigged Salt Horse, owned by the Seamanship Master, Commander A.H. Godwin RN, as the next best choice. During the winter and spring of 1953, many Seamanship classes were devoted to the preparation of the ketch for her voyage from the Moray Firth to the English Chanel. Hull, topsides, rigging and sails were overhauled and Salt Horse was in every respect ‘shipshape and Bristol fashion’ by the time she left on her intended mission. On Saturday, May 23rd, we sailed from Hopeman Harbour for the first leg of our journey, a short trip to Inverness at the entrance to the Caledonian Canal. Mr. Danny Main, Harbour Master and Seamanship Instructor, was in charge, assisted by Mr. Stokes as Mate and a crew consisting of Gordonstoun students. With a favourable wind we made good progress until the afternoon westerlies sprang up and we resorted to the venerable diesel engine to propel us the rest of the way. This engine had its own peculiarities; in particular the direct

drive to the propeller (i.e. when the engine turned over so did the propeller). As the engine turned only in one direction we had no means of stopping or going astern without resorting to some fancy footwork by the crew, especially in the confined spaces of the canal locks and similar location. The normal procedure when approaching a berth was to stop the engine at a suitable distance from the berth and glide to a stop with the aid of a stern line secured to a convenient bollard, piling or lamp–post, occasionally assisted by an unsuspecting bystander. Unfortunately this didn’t work too well in the stop and go transit of the canal locks, as the engine could not be trusted to restart when the time came to leave the lock. By skilful manipulation of the mooring lines we were able to keep the engine ticking over -----------------------

Submitted by Captain Alec Provan, Vancouver Division. This is just the beginning of the story but there is not enough space here for the remainder.

For the whole article go to http://www.nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Spithead_Review.php. You will enjoy it, I’m sure.

Why seafarers are denied shore leave in US ports? The Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) took the pulse of seafarers' access to shore leave for the twelfth year in a row as part of its annual Seafarer Shore Leave Survey, asking port welfare workers in 30 ports across the United States to monitor arriving vessels. Results show the vast majority of recorded shore leave denials stemmed from seafarers lacking visas. Seafarers face several barriers to obtaining shore leave, mostly, according to results of SCI's Survey, involving the constraints of "red tape." While a United States Coast Guard October 2009 directive to Captains of the Port has improved seafarers' ability "to board and depart the vessel through the facility in a timely manner at no cost to the individual," other bureaucratic restrictions limit seafarers-even where seafarer welfare and labour organizations operate, from leaving vessels while in port. The United States, unlike most other countries in the world, requires foreign crewmembers to have a visa to go ashore. Foreign seafarers wishing to apply for shore leave in the United States must first obtain a D-1 crewmember visa at a US Consulate before arriving in a US port, paying a visa application fee of $160. Seafarers without visas, although often only yards away from terminal gates when they arrive in port, cannot step off their ships to access local stores, telephones or Internet connections. To gain access to areas outside of the port, many seafarers must rely on transport from local sources. Seafarer welfare organizations like SCI provide free-of-charge escorted transportation. At times, however, when either restricted by a terminal operator or when other resources are unavailable, seafarers must pay a private company to escort them through the terminal. The results of SCI's Shore Leave Survey document terminal policies that affect chaplains' or seafarers' access and other restrictions preventing shore leave. The Report also offers observations on how to alleviate some of the issues. July 18th 2013. For more information see http://seamenschurch.org/sites/default/files/sci-shore-leave-survey-2013-web.pdf http://www.safety4sea.com/page/16872/2/why-seafarers-are-denied-shore-leave-in-us-ports-

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Maersk Line Masters train for the Triple-E container ships: The Captains of Maersk Line will shortly take over responsibility for the company's new Triple-E container ships and are currently practicing manoeuvring the new ships. This is done in a simulator at Force Technology in Copenhagen.

The new Triple-E ships differ from the E-class container ships by having two propellers instead of just one. It gives the crew a number of new challenges. http://www.maritimedenmark.dk/?Id=16964 The simulation can be seen in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i40YmpJfBJU http://www.forcetechnology.com/en/Header/About+FORCE/ There is much to see about the Triple E vessels at www.worldslargestship.com

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Manning The World's Largest Ship. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Embarks on Maiden Voyage: The first Triple-E has commenced its maiden voyage in Busan, South Korea. At the helm, the crew of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller whose members have been selected among Maersk Line’s finest. A selection of highly qualified crewmembers, specifically chosen because of their background and experience, will man the largest ship in the world. The ship can accommodate 34, and in principle run with as few as 13, but in regular service approximately 22 persons will make out the crew. Understanding of roles and responsibilities on the vessel is of utmost importance to ensure smooth sailing and safety. On the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, the Captains are Jes Meinertz and Niels Vestergaard Pedersen, and the Chief

Engineers are Per Schilling Nielsen and Niels Peter Svarer. All of them were present at the naming ceremony in Korea on 14 June. ”You are among the finest in your fields, and you should be honoured by being selected to take this vessel into service,” said Maersk Line CEO in his speech on that occasion. ”May you always have fair winds and following seas.” Away from home: W orking on a ship is different from a regular nine to five job, the most obvious being the long periods spent away from home. All four testify that the hardest is that you cannot be there for special occasions, good and bad. On the other hand, modern communication has reduced the feeling of solitude significantly. Although bandwidth is limited, crewmembers these days can use email, Skype or FaceTime to be in regular contact with friends and family back home.

On another level, however, it is a job like any other job, and sometimes you hardly notice that you’re at sea,” says Per. ”We had a trip two years ago where we sailed south of Africa and were at sea for 45 days. I was never bored. There was always something to do.” It’s like any other job,” adds Jes. “There are periods with interesting tasks and periods where it’s more routine.” Breaking in a new ship:Taking a new ship to sea, how ever, is not routine. There are m any surprises and things to get used to. The crew is involved in the sea trials, but will also use the first voyages to really get the hang of how the ship performs. The Triple-E is designed for slow speeds and energy performance. But this doesn’t make it less interesting, insists Niels Peter. “It is a huge satisfaction,” he says“ when you know the enormous costs involved which are pumped through the system, if you can cut a few percent off that”. Niels adds that the Triple-E is quite different from previous

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vessels with its added weight and more box-like hull shape. “It will take some getting used to, and the Captain will need to be aware of the capabilities of the vessel,” continues Niels. They are fully confident, however, that sailing the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller will indeed be a special experience. The maiden voyage begins today. The crew is ready for the attention the vessel will receive in ports along the way, creating history with the latest record-breaking member of Maersk Line’s fleet. Follow the Triple-E maiden voyage on the Events section of www.worldslargestship.com. Read Captains of the #TripleE: Blogging from the challenge of a lifetime on MaerskLinesocial.com. July 15, 2013 http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Manning-the-worlds-largest-ship-2013-07-15/

They've done the math! Get ready for 22,000-TEUers, then 24,000-TEUers: OCEAN Shipping Consultants managing director Andrew Penfold says 22,000-TEU ships are coming in a few years and 24,000-TEUers won't be far behind, according to economies-of-scale research done with Lloyd's Register and two unidentified shipping lines. Speaking at the recent TOC Container Supply Chain conference in Rotterdam, Mr. Penfold said: "If you take the analysis up to 24,000-TEU vessels, you will see there are further cost savings to be made. If we go to 18,500-TEU size and then put another couple of bays in the ship you are pretty soon getting to 22,000 to 24,000-TEU size." Drewry's top analyst Neil Davidson agreed, reported London's Loadstar. "I think it's only a question of time before we see the next upsizing - you might even see 22,000-TEU ships as early as 2018." Said Mr. Penfold: "There is no technical reason why we cannot build 24,000-TEU ships, and if you are going to build 18,000-TEU ships, why not go to 20,000-plus TEU ships?" Researchers concluded that while an 18,000-TEU vessel is expected to incur daily costs at sea of US$197,198, a 22,000-TEU vessel would run-up $220,892 a day and a 24,000-TEU ship would incur costs of $229,693 per day. At the same time, the per slot cost plunges with an 18,000-TEU ship incurring a cost of $10.96 per TEU per day at sea; while a 22,000-TEU vessel would cost $10.04 per TEU per day at sea, and a 24,000-TEU ship comes in at $9.57 per TEU per day at sea, said the report. Said Mr. Davidson: "Dramatic upsizing is being forced on ports around the world - vessel upsizing is not just an Asia-North Europe story, it's a global story because big ships are pushed out all around the world, and that is affecting everybody." The Drewry's man added that the 18,000-TEUers would have huge implications ports around the world, not just the ports that are going to serve them. Lloyd's Register research shows that that a 24,415-TEU ship would likely have a beam of 64 metres and a length of 479 metres. Today, Maersk’s 18,000-TEUers are 399 metres long and 59 metres abeam. 05.Jul.2013. http://www.seanews.com.tr/article/OPINION/106225/ocean-shipping-consultants-22.000-teuers/

World's largest solar-powered yacht in St. John's: The world's largest solar-powered vessel docked in St. John's during its journey to gather data about the sea and climate change. The Swiss vessel MS Tûranor PlanetSolar has a total of 512 square metres of solar panels on the top of the boat, makes little noise, and has zero emissions. It is one of the strangest looking boats people here have seen, and it creates a bit of a spectacle wherever it goes. Gérard d'Aboville, captain of the vessel, said it may have startled a few people when it docked at Rabat, Morocco, in May. "When we entered the harbour, people told us that some people had been calling the police station to say that an airplane was on the water and they didn't know what to do," d'Aboville said. According to d'Aboville, the solar energy collected is stored in the pontoons on either side of the boat, each containing five tonnes of lithium-ion batteries. "As you can tell, it's a very special ship," d'Aboville said. "Most of these panels can slide out, and you discover some others under so we can double the surface." For scientist Anh Dao Le from the University of Geneva, the research trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity. "It's amazing. It's very exciting — I'm learning a lot of new things," Le said.

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Le is part of the team carrying out environmental research in the Gulf Stream. She said researchers have never had field conditions like this available to them before. "We don't have our own emission and we don't have any deflect from the data. Everything we measure comes from nature — zero comes from boat itself."

'Feat of engineering': Kevin Strowbridge, a naval engineering instructor at the Marine Institute in St. John's, said he's never seen a vessel comparable to MS Tûranor PlanetSolar. “This is an amazing vessel — it is an amazing feat of engineering. This is the future, right here," he said. "This is an absolute ground breaker right here — there's been nothing like this done in naval architecture." But Strowbridge said incorporating the engineering used in making the vessel would be an enormous venture for commercial ships. "Commercially, this would be quite challenging to implement. Most of our rural shipping — 90% of our rural shipping — is carried on the ocean and those vessels are the workhorses of the industry, and implementing something like this would be quite a

challenge," Strowbridge said. The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is equipped with a backup generator, but the sunshine has been generous for the vessel's trip so far. CBC News Aug 2, 2013 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2013/08/02/nl-solar-yacht-802.html

This day in history: August 10, 1934: In the days before air travel, people used to take a lot of cruises. And not just across the ocean - early Vancouverites often took boats for day trips up the coast. Seventy-nine years ago, the Sun's Friday travel section was packed with ads for local cruises. Union Steamships offered a day trip to Bowen Island from the company dock at the foot of Carrall Street in Gastown for 90 cents. The sail to Bowen was only an hour long, but the Saturday night cruise had a live band and dancing. It was nicknamed the Booze Cruise, because revellers would sneak in some liquid sunshine to enjoy while they plied the waves. The same company offered "scenic all-day cruises" on Sundays to Squamish and Britannia Beach aboard the SS Lady Cynthia for $1.50. For an extra buck, you could disembark at Squamish and climb aboard a Pacific Great Eastern train to Alta Lake in Whistler. "This varied excursion - combining a scenic boat trip on beautiful Howe Sound to Squamish and a spectacular rail trip from Squamish through Cheakamus Canyon to Rainbow - is certainly the most interesting outing which can be accomplished anywhere in a single day," boasted the Union Steamship ad.

Union Steamships also had the Lady Cynthia booked for a special day cruise to Savary Island and Powell River the following Tuesday. "Enjoy the tonic breezes along the 'Gulf Coast Riviera' of British Columbia, and bring along your swim suit," read the ad. The cost was $2, lunch was 50 cents, and you got to spend two hours on Savary or three and a half hours at Powell River before returning. Not to be outdone, the Canadian Pacific had steamships offering a day cruise to Victoria for $2 and to Newcastle Island for $1.35. The most enticing CP excursion was an all-day cruise to the world-renowned Jervis Inlet, "travelling 180 miles

through sheltered blue green waters bounded by rugged snow-capped peaks." It was only $2, with 50 cents for lunch and 75 cents for dinner. BY JOHN MACKIE, VANCOUVER SUN AUGUST 10, 2013 (This Day in History is a regular feature in the Vancouver Sun). http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/This+history+August+1934/8773209/story.html

Finding news items: Stories in this newsletter often begin from something appearing in the “Daily Collection of Maritime Press Clippings” put out by Piet Sinke http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/About.aspx. I “Google” the headline to find the source of the story. Then, one thing leads to another. For instance: -

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On August 5th the “Photo of the day” showed the vessel Brave Tern during the installation of a rotor for a 5MW wind turbine. I “googled” the ship’s name and discovered http://www.windcarrier.com/brave-tern. There I found that the Brave Tern and the Bold Tern are “jack-up installation vessels”. The vessels are self-elevating and self-propelled with large open deck space to facilitate various deck layouts suitable for individual operations. The vessels have 800 tonne "”wrap around the leg" offshore-rated cranes designed by Gusto MSC, as well as robust, continuous type jacking systems. In addition, each vessel has DP2-class type dynamic positioning systems and is fitted with a Voith Schneider propulsion system enabling superior and secure positioning capabilities.

I understood most of that but what is a “wrap around the leg crane”? I googled “wrap around the leg”. Wrong!!! After I had learned about a magnet that may help prevent RLS (restless leg syndrome), saw pictures of footwear that wrap around the leg, discovered “most guys find having their partner's legs wrapped around them to be a real turn on” and had been told to put either foot next to the right side of her crossed left foot and then lead her to wrap her right leg around my leg (no, you’ve got it wrong – it refers to a tango lesson), I decided to modify the search and I googled “wrap around the leg cranes”. That is where I found a very informative site: - http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/onboard-systems/deck-equipment-and-lifting-gear/wrap-around-crane-design-provides-more-lifting-options, “Locating the crane at the edge of the free deck area means that the deck area served by the crane hook is maximised,” said Mr. Schepman. “However, although positioning the crane close to the side of the jack-up gives the most effective use of the crane’s outreach, the work space is then obstructed by the legs.” Mr. Schepman said the obvious solution is to arrange the crane around one of the jack-up legs itself, with this piercing the centre of the crane. Now I understood. It is interesting to me that the Fred Olsen Line operates the ships http://www.founited.com/?nid=18397&lcid=1033. I remember Fred Olsen ships running up the West Coast of North America in a service from Northern Europe. But that was fifty years ago. I did know they have cruise ships today and it is good to see they are still around. This site shows how active they are: http://www.fredolsen.com/. More about the Brave Tern can be found at http://www.ship-technology.com/projects/brave-tern-wind-farm-installation-vessel/. Another interesting site I found, one that is dedicated to offshore wind farms is http://www.offshorewind.biz/. There is so much activity in the maritime world that I know so little about. There is much information about “wrap around the leg” too, but that does not belong here.

TANKER TRAFFIC - Finding a Balance: Captain Stephen Brown, President of the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia, appeared on Global BC Television recently in a feature put together by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). The segment hosts a healthy debate on the expanding energy sector. To view the video, visit the YouTube Channel at http://youtu.be/u33vt-GJvdk.

To all members of the Company, don’t forget to exercise your right to vote at this year’s AGM. Remember there is also an Extraordinary General Meeting. For those unable to attend the meetings, Proxy Forms are on page 31 of the AGM edition of “From the Bridge”, issued on August 1st and which can be found at http://www.mastermariners.ca/uploads/FTB-13-08AGM.pdf. I hope you have all been enjoying a good summer, and for our readers in the Southern Hemisphere that your winter has not been severe. Contributions for the next edition of “From the Bridge” will be accepted until November 15th. Kind regards, David Whitaker FNI