So far as I can establish, e-navigation was introduced to the world by Dr Sally Basker in 2005 when she was Director of Research & Radionavigation at Trinity House. The concept received a boost when the then Shipping Minister, Dr Steven Ladyman gave it formal UK Government support in 2006. Since then, as documented within these pages, e-navigation has snowballed but where is it heading?

In 2009 e-navigation was formally adopted by the IMO and the Nautical Institute created a specialist department in order to try to ensure that the e-navigation agenda was user led. Fat chance! With the wide remit of  harmonising and integrating on board and shore technologies it was inevitable that e-navigation would become a corporate love-fest and, sure enough, conferences and seminars are taking place at far flung locations with eye watering registration fees that effectively exclude any end-user.

Three e-navigation events have recently taken place with the following cheapest fees:

-November in Seattle, $665.

-January : e-Navigation Underway : on board the Crown of Scandinavia : 670€

-November: ECDIS Revolution : £714

Whilst it’s good to note that the American Pilots are supporters of the Seattle conference it is almost guaranteed that they will be the only serving seafarers at any of these events but the big question is what’s it this achieving anyway?

Ship owners remain unfazed as they launch new ships  with traditional bridges totally unsuitable for e-navigation whilst at IMO, progress has been slowed by more and more groups jumping on the bandwagon and by debates over what the “e” might actually stand for.

As the French would say, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même”!

John Clandillon-Baker:  Editor

john@pilotmag.co.uk

One factor of these scandals, which hasn’t been explored by the mainstream media, is how totally vulnerable phone and computer systems are to hacking and how fragile the technological infrastructure underpinning our daily existence is. This quarter’s feature examines the effects of  GPS failure on ECDIS which confirms the need for an independent back-up system.

E- Loran is a system which, by building on existing proven technology, can provide a cheap and effective back-up system. To their credit the UK Government have committed resources to e-LORAN and  the UK’s General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA’s) have been at the forefront of perfecting the technology. The EU are also supporting e-LOLAN and there is now good coverage around the coasts of Europe and in the Mediterranean. Russia and parts of the Far East also have some coverage. However, the USA have decided against supporting it and during the last couple of years have shut down their LORAN stations and are dismantling them to save $20m per year! Without the US, comprehensive world coverage will be unachievable so e-LORAN faces an uncertain future.

The USA’s solution? A smart phone “app” that citizens will be required to download and keep running which will pinpoint any GPS jammers and automatically send the information to the authorities. Such an “app” can’t provide position back-up in the affected area and could easily be confused by multiple mobile jamming units. And, don’t smart phones themselves rely on GPS?

JCB : john@pilotmag.co.uk

The annual insurance renewal demand in January saw a few more  pilots deciding to withdraw from the UKMPA. What is it about our insurance that these pilots don’t understand?

Whilst it is true that the Limitation of Liability clause in the Pilotage Act means that it isn’t worth pursuing  pilots for recovery of physical damage costs to vessels or structures, these incidents, although stressful, aren’t what pilots need to fear. There have been many articles in this magazine highlighting the fact that one of the greatest risks to pilots is the trend of criminalising seafarers for any maritime incident.

For example, tankers now have double hulls to reduce the chance of pollution but ship’s bunker tanks are not so protected and are easily punctured. Pollution in the UK is a criminal offence and, as the one with the conduct of a vessel, a pilot is therefore open to criminal charges. A CHA has no obligation to support even employed pilots in such cases, indeed, they may come under extreme pressure to suspend the pilot involved. The UKMPA insurance provides legal representation cover for both these eventualities as well as for many more.

As Don Cockrill mentions in his Chairman’s report there are several reasons why legal support cases are not fully reported in this magazine but I can mention  that in the last year the cover has resulted in a suspended pilot being re-instated and there are currently other cases in progress, one of which is particularly serious.

The UKMPA insurance scheme was originally introduced because the limitation of liability clause didn’t cover many of the cases brought against pilots. None of the pilots who have benefitted from the cover ever expected to  need to make a claim but were extremely relieved that it was there when they needed it which really does beg the question as to why some pilots consider themselves to be so invincible as to consider the UKMPA insurance an inaffordable luxury!

As Don mentions in his report Joe, who you will recall had to take over the chairmanship at very short notice in 2006, has faced many challenges during the last four years but has met them all with the calm stoicism that has gained him great respect amongst both the officials and professionals with whom he has had to deal. Another considerable achievement has been  getting the considerable groundwork laid in readiness for the UKMPA hosting the 2012 IMPA Congress. All this has been achieved whilst continuing to pilot full time on the Tees.

It is often easy to forget that the Chairman and Section Committee, along with all the members who serve the sub committees are all full time working pilots who dedicate a considerable amount of their free time furthering the cause of pilots and pilotage, not just here in the UK, but also on the International fora for no financial reward. When you read this magazine you will see the wide areas of professional and legislative activities that have, over the years, served to make the pilotage    associations of the UKMPA, IMPA & EMPA rated amongst the most highly respected professional bodies in the maritime sphere.

So, as your annual subscription renewal drops onto the doormat in the limbo between Christmas and New Year, I trust that you will all take a moment to reflect the incredible value for money that your membership of this prestigious group represents and then to raise a glass to toast your representatives. And it may also do no harm to consider becoming more involved yourself!

JCB

The criminalisation of seafarers continues to cause increasing concern throughout the Industry and pilots cannot ignore this worrying trend.

As I write this the Master and Chief Mate of the Shen Neng 1, that went aground on the Barrier Reef in Australia, have been arrested and charged with causing damage to a marine park.

In Hong Kong, two pilots and two Masters have been imprisoned following a collision between the Neftegas 67 and the Yao Hai which tragically resulted in 18 deaths. This case is important because the judge ruled that the failure of both vessels to take sufficient action to avoid collision was a deliberate act stating:What they did was deliberate. It was a deliberate omission not to manoeuvre or take action until the last moment of emergency and in a panic.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne a pilot and port authority have been condemned by a judge in a case where a ship ruptured a gas pipeline when it dragged anchor in bad weather. (see page…)

The message is clear, shipping is operating in a zero tolerance environment and pilots are in the front line!

Finally though there is some good news. In Brisbane, the pilot was praised in the media for  his prompt action in avoiding disaster when the cruise liner Pacific Dawn, suffered a total systems failure at a crucial point (see page..). The suspected cause of the black out was salt water damaging a fuse! As someone has aptly observed “When technology becomes the master, we reach disaster faster”.

Take care out there.

JCB

Also in this issue I have reviewed the latest Nautical Institute publications on mooring and anchoring. Reading through the pages and looking at the mooring equipment it occurred to me that any officer from the 1880’s turning up in the Tardis would have no problem in mooring or anchoring a modern ship, the equipment is unchanged. The only question that our officer would ask is “Where are the crew?”. Here we are in 2010 with regulations that permit flag states to set the safe manning level for a VLCC at a total of 10 men? I can see our hypothetical officer dashing back to the Tardis!

As I predicted in the July issue, the operators of the Cosco Busan, Fleet Managment, have come to an agreement with the prosecutors to make an out of court settlement of a fine rather than face a court case and possible jail term.

The sum agreed of $10m still has to be approved by the judge in December but if, as seems likely, the fine is formally agreed then the settlement will enable Fleet Management to slip away quietly and avoid the glare of publicity that a court case would have generated. So, with the Master and officers of the Cosco Busan (rightly) immune from prosecution as a result of their co-operating with the NTSB investigation, the media and residents of California will be satisfied that justice has been done by putting John Cota behind bars as the criminal responsible for the oil spill.

Although I understand that there were other factors in this case that led John Cota to plead guilty to the pollution charge, was he really guilty of a criminal offence? Although I’m no lawyer, my understanding of criminality is that “the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind is also guilty”. Based on this criteria, since there is no evidence to suggest that John Cota set sail that day with the deliberate intention of causing a pollution incident to kill an endangered species he isn’t a criminal and shouldn’t be in prison!

Although the media have now moved on, satisfied that the witch hunt has successfully found the guilty party, the Cosco Busan case has already encouraged other environmental legislators to commence criminal proceedings. In Norway the Captain and Third Officer of the vessel Full City are under house arrest charged with criminal gross negligence after the vessel’s anchor flukes broke in a storm and she set onto rocks causing 300 tonnes of bunkers to leak out. Questions over this case obviously need to be answered, but a criminal prosecution? A worrying trend indeed!

“We need to send a strong message to industry that it is an inherent part of the human condition to make mistakes and pilots, like all humans, are capable of making mistakes. If, as an international maritime industry, we are to acknowledge that the criminalisation of pilots who make mistakes is acceptable, then we must be prepared to accept the potential detrimental impact this might have on international trade”.

Every day around the world, thousands of pilotage acts ensure that the world’s trade keeps moving with the minimum of delay. Many of these acts will be undertaken in challenging conditions at the limits of operational parameters. Pilots are expected to cope with such conditions but the considerable skills employed and stress endured go totally unremarked when the ship is berthed alongside and cargo operations commence! Although the Master and Officers of the Cosco Busan received immunity from prosecution by cooperating with the NTSB enquiry, the ship operators, Fleet Management are facing court proceedings later this year. They will no doubt argue that the pilot has admitted liability and walk away after paying a nominal fine. With the shipping industry’s opinion of pilots generally low, John Cota’s fate will inevitably fade rapidly from the headlines but I, for one, will be thinking of him and his family throughout his prison ordeal, especially when piloting in marginal conditions!

Finally, the major fog incident that will inevitably affect us all is the Cosco Busan. Although the NTSB has yet to publish its full report, a very worrying development is that the pilot has been charged with, and pleaded guilty to, causing pollution.