Chairman’s Report 10/11

January 9th, 2012 by JCB
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Throughout the summer months, regardless of the fine weather, the UKMPA Executive members have been busy as ever on a number of fronts including (but not limited to) attending a variety of meetings namely: 

–MCA VTS policy Steering Group (Martin Chatterton)

-CHIRP (Peter Lightfoot),

-EU Projects Funding Seminar (Nick Lee [T&TC])

In September I attended the MCA UKSON 90. At the latter meeting it was a pleasure to be thanked by the MCA for our contribution to the Port State Control defect reporting regulations consultation (see article at the end of this report. ed) which will effectively extend existing legislation to include our Deep Sea pilot colleagues. The implications of this are obvious and we have argued for some time that a robust and strictly confidential MCA reporting system is essential to protect the interests of the DSPs.  This we have achieved.

I also attended the launch of Trinity House’s “2025 and beyond” strategy (http://bit.ly/o6w7FL) which will have a direct impact on UK port and coastal pilotage in the years ahead.

We have a busy Autumn schedule ahead covering a number of seminars which have implications for UK pilotage – details of these are available on the UKMPA web site.  We need to have a good presence at these events, as often much is said about pilotage by those who in truth actually know very little about it. Additionally of course there will be the usual round of meetings at the various MCA forums we participate in as well as the EMPA e-navigation group and our own T&TC meetings.

As well as dealing with UKMPA matters, work has been progressing well (lead by John Pearn) on arrangements for the IMPA 2012 conference we are hosting next September (http://www.impa2012.org). As has been explained before, this is very much the UKMPA nationally as hosts and you are all asked to consider putting the dates in your diaries either to come and help with the daily arrangements (contact John) or simply attend what will certainly be a memorable international event. Registration should be live by the time that you read this.  Specific details for UKMPA members to register will be promulgated in due course.

Those of you in the PNPF will be aware that Richard Williamson (Boston) has retired and he was presented with a fine decanter on behalf of all UKMPA members for the huge amount of work he has done during his many years of involvement with the PNPF. (See pages 6&7)

Effective communications is the core of any successful modern organisation and our Association is no exception. Almost all of our contact with members is via email and the UKMPA web site (and of course this journal). We aim to keep the web site as up to date as possible with news items, publication of events, vacancies etc.  As an additional facility a Linkedin group (http://linkd.in/p1q8Zh) has been formed which you are invited to join.

In 1986, Harry Hignett (Manchester) wrote a history of the UK Pilots’ Association, copies of which (although long out of print) are available sometimes via Amazon etc.  I have recently been in contact with Harry (now retired)  and he has agreed (with the sanction of Section committee) to update the book. Covering the period post 1986 to date, it will hopefully be ready for publication by summer 2012.

I recently had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to attend the Nautilus International Conference in Rotterdam. Joe Wilson did a lot of valuable work in forging a relationship with Nautilus and attendance at this conference has confirmed to me that there is mutually much to be gained from the development of the relationship between our two organisations, notwithstanding our position within UNITE. A copy of my report on this conference can be found on the UKMPA web site under “conferences”. Of particular note is the imminent publication on the Dft web site of all UK shipping related legislation under review as part of the UK Government Red Tape Challenge programme and the awarding by Nautilus of the Victoria Drummond award to Rachel, wife of UKMPA member Neil Dunn (Southampton), herself an Admiralty Pilot at Portsmouth (See page 15).

You will all recently have received details of the IMPA bridge manning survey. This is part of a factual statistical data gathering exercise essential to illustrate to regulators and others the true status  of the nature of modern bridge operations.  Please do take the time to complete a form for every pilotage act you undertake until the end of November. Ultimately it is for all our benefits, individually and collectively. Details are available in Circular 14/2011, on the UKMPA and IMPA web sites.

Finally, as the nights draw in and the weather begins to deteriorate, stay safe!

*******

The UKMPA Submission To The MCA Defect Reporting Consultation

– A truly confidential and anonymous reporting process – by SMS and email – needs to be established. This in order to protect the identity of the reporting pilot from the client. In the event that the pilot’s client was to discover that it was the Deep Sea Pilot who had reported a defect which resulted in a Port State Control inspection and subsequent action against the ship, then it is probable that the Deep Sea Pilot’s  services would never be re-contracted.

MCA response: The MCA recognises that an unintended consequence of extending the reporting obligations to Deep Sea Pilots, whose use is voluntary, is the risk that it could prejudice use of their services and as a result safety of navigation. In practice, MCA will treat pilot reports with a similar regard for confidentiality as given to crew complaints, although this is not a legal requirement under Article 23 or under the regulations (since they follow the Directive). The MSN section 15 sets out means of reporting, including direct MCA email addresses. It also advises that prompt notification is more important than format. For the future, the European Commission may issue a Regulation setting out how reports should be made, but at present this is still under negotiation.