10 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2011 NEWS


Maersk UK cadets hit the heights in new Outward Bound training


ASixty-two cadets in this year’s Maersk Crewing intake are rising to new training challenges —


including scaling peaks in the Lake District as part of an intensive induction programme. Run by the Outward Bound Trust, the special three-


day residential training programme enabled senior staff to get to know the potential strengths and weaknesses of each individual, as well as introducing cadets to each other.


During the programme — held at The Trust’s Eskdale


Centre — the cadets learnt about AP Moller-Maersk’s core values through theoretical and practical training combined with real challenges in outdoor wilderness environments. On the final day, the cadets went on an overnight


camping expedition where they learnt survival skills, basic navigation, teamwork and leadership. Graeme Thomson, from Maersk Crewing, commented: ‘Bringing together an eclectic group of talent into the


US court gives green light to cabin checks P


A US court has ruled that authorities have almost unchecked powers to search the cabins of crew members


on ships visiting the country’s ports. The ruling came in the case of a Peruvian shipmaster who is facing up to 20 years in prison after child pornography was discov- ered on his computer during inspections onboard his ship earlier this year. Senior US District Judge Charles Butler rejected a defence request to drop the charges on the grounds that the search of Captain Victor Manuel Manta-Carillo’s cabin violated the 4th Amendment rights against unreason- able search and seizure.


Citing a similar appeal court case, he ruled


that the inspection was conducted as a US bor- der check — which gives customs agents ‘full power and authority’ to enter and search ‘any ship or vessel, in which they shall have reason to suspect any goods, wares or merchandise subject to duty shall be concealed’. The judge also rejected the defence request to rule out the evidence against the captain because investigators had not read out his ‘Miranda’ warning of his legal rights as a crim- inal suspect, agreeing with prosecutors that the master was not a suspect at the time. The court heard that a US Customs &


Border Protection officer who was conducting a routine inspection of the general cargoship Pera after it had arrived from Port-au-Prince,


Master fined over funeral grounding FA passenger vessel master has The court heard that he had been fined £2,000 and ordered


to pay £1,000 costs after running aground during a service to scatter ashes at sea. Anthony Wilkinson, master of the


vessel Solent Scene, admitted two offences brought under safety and officer certification legislation when he appeared before Bournemouth magistrates last month.


stopped the vessel to allow the funeral party to scatter the ashes off the coast of Dorset. He then left the wheelhouse and went to the after end of the top deck to check the progress of the ceremony. The Solent Scene ran aground and


an attempt to get off the rocks using the vessel’s engines failed. The 37 passengers and crew had to be


evacuated by the Poole lifeboat and the Solent Scene was towed off the rocks and into Poole. Subsequent investigation showed that Mr Wilkinson’s Boat Master’s Licence was not valid for the area in which the Solent Scene was operating, and that he had failed to comply with company instructions by sailing so close to the shore. Maritime & Coastguard Agency


area operation manager Richard Pellew commented: ‘This case provides a salutary lesson to all seafarers in that being distracted from monitoring the vessel’s safety can lead to a distress situation. It also sends a reminder to all operators of small passenger vessels to ensure that their masters and crew are properly qualified for the areas in which they operate.’


Box losses revised


FThe number of containers lost


than 10 times less than previously feared, a new study claims. Research published by the World


Shipping Council last month suggests that only 350 boxes are washed overboard in an average year and just 675 are lost in a ‘catastrophic’ year. The figures are based on a survey


of operators representing more than 70% of global container shipping capacity and the WSC says the results show actual losses are a ‘very small fraction’ of the containers carried each year.


overboard at sea may be more


challenging learning environment provided by The Outward Bound Trust has proven to be a great success. ‘This is just the start of the sponsored training for our


new cadets and I am convinced the skills, strengths and motivation the cadets have experienced during this induction programme will have a long-lasting and positive effect on each individual.’ Marc Oakley, head of the Eskdale centre, added: ‘The


course we created for Maersk Crewing was designed to rapidly improve the personal effectiveness of the cadets through experiential learning in the stunning yet challenging outdoor environment we have here. The intensive three-day programme enabled Maersk to see the true working potential of every cadet.’ The Outward Bound Trust is no stranger to maritime


training, as it was originally set up in 1941 by Lawrence Holt, chairman of the Blue Funnel Line, and the educationalist Kurt Hahn as a survival school for merchant seamen.


Judge in porn case upholds ‘border’ search powers onboard visiting ships


Haiti, found a disc containing bestiality in the master’s cabin.


Questioned by the agent, Capt Manta-Car- illo admitted that he had child pornography on a laptop computer and an external hard drive. He told authorities that he had down- loaded the material over the internet, and a forensic examination of the computer and hard drive revealed about 160 pictures of child pornography.


The court found Capt Manta-Carillo guilty of transporting and possessing child pornography. He faces up to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography and between five years and 20 years for transporting child pornography, and will be sentenced in December.


Pictured above at the event to re-launch the work-based learning degree programme for seafarers are, left to right: David Williams, director of business development, Institute for Work Based Learning, Middlesex University; seafarer graduate John McLoughlin; and Marine Society director Brian Thomas


Work-based degree scheme relaunched by Marine Society CThe Marine Society and the


Institute for Work Based


Learning (IWBL) at Middlesex University have relaunched their partnership programmes to help seafarers gain a degree in short order and at little cost. The programmes allow academic


credit for seafarers’ professional qualifications, skills and competencies and can be completed without the need to even step ashore. At a reception hosted by The Marine Society last month, shipping industry representatives heard that more than 500 maritime professionals have already gained graduate qualifications through the work-based learning route. Marine Society director Brian


Thomas told the event that work- based learning provides two attractive pathways to graduate status, each offering an opportunity to gain academic equivalency for seafarers’ vocational qualifications and accrued competencies. An HND or FD can be topped up


to a Bachelors degree with honours or, for seafarers holding a Class 1 CoC, there’s a pathway to get a


Masters degree. Either route is achievable in under a year, but typically takes around 15 months. Both routes are seafarer-friendly


—meaning that they don’t require attendance at a college, they’re fully tutor-supported, and internet access is not a precondition.


Mr Thomas said the Marine Society can provide scholarships and interest-free loans, as well as reading materials and study resources. The next opportunity to start a


work-based learning degree is this October, and applications need to be submitted to the Marine Society by the end of August. Check the website www.marine-society.org/wbl for the latest information. ‘It is important that seafarers


contact the Marine Society in first instance, otherwise they risk losing out on our assistance programme — including an offer of a scholarship!’ Mr Thomas stresses. Star turn of the evening was a


passionate address by John McLoughlin, a seafarer who had gone through the process and transformed his career prospects — see page 23.


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