Chairman’s Report, Spring 2014: Don Cockrill

Pilots and social responsibility This year sees the 500th anniversary of the Royal Charter of Trinity House, something which had a profound effect on maritime safety in the UK and ultimately globally, influencing
as it did standards of navigation, pilotage and other regulations.
Whilst the penalties for transgressions of pilotage are today less draconian than they were in the 16th century (summary execution was proscribed for certain misdemeanours!) the onerous responsibilities of UK pilots today are no less and indeed are far more complex through the burdens
of additional legislation.
A pilot’s primary role in protecting the interests of our nation, along with the (complex) legal position of being the ship-owner’s servant where matters of navigation are concerned, results in responsibilities not to be taken lightly. One of the consequences of this is
the demand through various legislation for a pilot to report any observed or learned incidences of substandard navigational operations on board and outwith, hull and equipment deficiencies, suspected pollution, concerns over potential health threats on board, unsafe working practices, potential border security implications, and of course defective pilot ladders. The list is not comprehensive and the matter is not one of choice but of obligation. Failure to report such matters is an offence and may lead to prosecution or at the very least put a pilot in a very questionable position if something of which he/she had knowledge but failed to report was subsequently found to be a contributory factor in any accident inquiry. Incident reporting & CHIRP For many years the UKMPA has contributed to the Maritime Board of CHIRP by ensuring wherever possible a Section Committee member attends meetings. Peter Lightfoot currently holds that brief. Statutory reports are made to the MCA and/or MAIB either via a Harbour Master or directly as is appropriate. However, often reports are filed and nothing more is heard by the reporter. Some ports have a well-structured and efficient reporting system, including a closed-loop feedback policy that informs the reporter of process and result of filed reports. Most do not. Additionally, despite attempts to encourage port authorities to publish accident and incident statistics regularly, many are reluctant to do so, apparently seeing commercial implications should the statistics be misinterpreted by ship operators, etc. For pilots there is no centralised facility to publicly lodge deficiency, malpractice and near miss reports, only those statutory facilities provided by the MCA and MAIB. This is where CHIRP can help. In addition to filing statutory reports to the MCA /MAIB, pilots are encouraged to pass on this information, perhaps in an abridged form to CHIRP. The organisation would also be pleased
to receive information on incidents of a lesser nature but which cause concern to pilots. Reports may be filed via the online form at http://bit.ly/1jEN3qU or via the CHIRP Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/1jENhhV Exchange students Student exchanges between families have been a feature of teenage life and school for decades. A number
of European pilotage authorities
have members who engage in
this potentially rewarding practice.
I recently received an email from France seeking possible participation in an exchange with UK students. If you are interested to learn more please contact jph.casanova@ffpm.fr or ericmauduit2@free.fr. Charity voyage – Miss Isle By virtue of necessity, pilots are healthy, fit and physically able seafarers. In general, seafaring requires these virtues of all professional mariners. Leisure seafaring makes no such regulatory demands, yet the challenges and dangers of going to sea place some basic requirements on all who do so – or do they? In July last year, 16 year old Natasha Lambert, who suffers from Athertoid Cerebral Palsy and has no limb control, sailed single handed from Boulogne to Dover. This year she will be voyaging from Cowes to Wales via Poole, Weymouth, Exmouth, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Plymouth, Fowey, Falmouth, Newlyn, Padstow, Illfracombe and Swansea to raise funds for a number of charities. UKMPA members in or near the stop-over ports along the route may wish to assist in raising the profile of her challenge locally, perhaps help raise additional funds or offer other assistance as requested on her web site. The UKMPA will be assisting in whatever way we can in raising the profile of this extraordinary and inspirational voyage. Full details of the project can
be found at www.missisle.com As I write, the sun is shining, the winds have eased, daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses and other
signs of Spring are in abundance. Hopefully the persistent atrocious challenging weather of the last
couple of months is firmly behind us. That demands though that we do not relax our attention to detail in performing our professional duties and most of all in looking after our own personal safety whilst boarding and landing. A colleague advised me some time ago that the first item on his personal MPX check list is “Remember the Family”.
Food for thought.

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