Teesta Spirit – Search and Rescue – Operations

What you read below is a first person account by Capt. Vijay Rana who led his team on Teesta Spirit to rescue 114 human lives. He shared this with some of us. And I sought his permission to post it on my blog. The entire article is written by Capt. Rana. I took the liberty to change font to Cambria Size 12 at 18 pts line spacing :-)

Sometimes circumstances may place you in  situations which will test your all  resolve and leave permanent impressions on your life .

Kindly read below  narration to experience our story .

After completion of cargo discharging , Teesta Spirit sailed out of  Zawia , Libya at 10:30 LT on the 28^th July 2014 for Tuzla , Turkey .

Vessel received INM-C message from MRCC Rome and a VHF call from Vessel “AssoTrenta” , advising us to urgently contact MRCC Rome. Soon after , At 1700 LT  / 28^th July 2014 , I telephoned MRCC Rome . The call was forwarded to Italian Coastguard . It was informed that our vessel was the closest to the position of  a overloaded boat  in immediate danger of sinking with about 117 persons onboard . Vessel was instructed to proceed to  position 33 36 N /013 14 E  and rescue the distressed persons at sea .

Vessel altered her course and increased her speed to Max safe RPM ; toward the probable position of  persons in distress. I announced on the PA system and instructed crew members to proceed to main deck area and start  preparations to  receive the persons .Also SSO  was advised to implement security measures as per level 2 .

At 1706 hrs I informed TTS and TML about the start of deviation to save life at sea  . Also Agents at Zawia were contacted  as the vessel was still in the Libyan Waters . There was no immediate response from Libyan Coastguard  or the Agents.

At 1736 Hrs Lt I made First Alert notification . For security reasons  , we first passed   close to the boat to determine if the people were actually distressed persons at sea  and do not pose  any prima facie  security risk to the Ship.

In the meantime ChOff - Makarov and ChEng – Kostrya  confirmed back to the bridge that the Engine room and accommodation is fortified and only access from outside now restricted to A Deck Stbd side.

The boat was very much overloaded and men , women , teenagers were seen waving for help . Ship’s whistle was sounded to indicate to distressed persons that they have been spotted  and will be rescued shortly . Vessel was maneuvered close to the boat and lee was created  for the boarding . Weather was slight condition , however  there was long swell .

The ship’s starboard side accommodation ladder was prepared  with additional ‘safety wire’ to take load , just incase many people try to board at once.

By 1823 LT the Boat was alongside moored with two gant line fwd and aft..

Stbd side Manifold area was cordoned off  and a lookout  made responsible to watch from the heightened catwalk so that none of the rescued people leave the cordoned area.

ChCook  was instructed to prepare rice and Soup for more than 100 persons , and arrange juice biscuits and drinking water at Manifold area.

2AE Somil and Deck cadet – John were made incharge of tagging each rescued person and then making the List with name , age , sex and nationality .

Using Ship’s PA system ,I  Announced to the occupant of the rubber boat  to let the Ladies and Children  board first . In situations of  Distress all the civility is lost , and all powerful survivors  started to push each other and fight with each other . ChOff  stood his ground and made very clear to them that they have to behave and be orderly . Bosun – Blancaflor  , was made incharge of  security checking persons and checking  their belongings for knife , weapons , lighters , tools etc.

After some minutes the normalcy was restored in the distressed crowd and people started climbing the Gangway one by one . All male were body frisked by ship’s crew and all females were told to body frisk each other . No weapons were found , Their belongings were just some old clothes.2Off – Marcin was  taking care of sick / exhausted people .

At 1916 Hrs LT in position 33 43.7 N /013 14.2 E , the transfer of distressed persons was completed . Total  114 persons rescued ; 89 Male and 25  female . There was no child however some appeared to be  teenagers. All were given water and biscuits to boost up there energy levels . 2Off reported that few of the Pregnant ladies have just collapsed on deck due to exhaustion . All Pregnant Ladies (5) were encouraged to have fruit juice  , sip by sip and slowly their health was improving . Derelict’s position was passed to MRCC Rome  .

At 1934 hrs LT vessel was instructed to proceed full speed to Capo Passero , Sicily  .I requested Italian coastguard if the pregnant ladies and sick persons can be off landed at Malta , as it was the closest land and on the way to Capo Passero .Never got back any reply and appeared only Italy will accept these people.

Capt Raffaele  (TTS) and  Mr. Tan were also giving feedback and had already started contacting  PandI  and Insurance .

The dinner was served to the rescued persons , in the meantime ChOff instructed everyone about the basic Tanker safety . Two rescued men who could speak  English were made leaders of the group.

At 1957 Hrs LT , Italian coastguard instructed vessel to proceed to Brindisi , Italy . I informed MRCC Rome that Brindisi was one day  more  further away than Capo Passero , and we prefer to off land  these people as soon as possible . However Italian Interior Ministry had already decided that all rescued persons would be received at the port of Brindisi and Coastguard did not had any say in this .

All the rescued persons were assembled near the 1Ws cargo tank , this location was sheltered due to raised foc’sle and could  always be monitored  from the Bridge .Blankets , Bedsheets  and pillows were provided to all  the sick and needy persons .Near the Anchor hawse pipe a safe and temporary arrangement was made as for responding to the calls of nature.

By now  there were three sick persons requiring medications .CIRM was contacted for medical advise . Mr. Alberto Di Mare , an Italian national sailing as  technician from Sea Service & consulting s.r.l  was God send to us . He was utilized many times whenever language difficulties were experienced  in communicating with certain Italian authorities . CIRM  medical advise was implemented .

I informed MRCC that vessel does not have approach charts of Brindisi  and that is why the pilot should come with the charts . JHA was completed and discussed with the Bridge Team .

29^th July was mostly uneventful day . Regular medication was being administered  to sick people . In general everyone of them were looking more healthy and happy . For basic Hygiene , it was decided that arrangements be made for at least one bath for each of rescued persons who wanted to clean themselves . For privacy , temporary Bathrooms  with curtains were constructed below the  Manifold Shower / Eye wash station , Port side for men and Stbd side for Women .Taking the opportunity ,barring some all refreshed themselves .

Morning of 30^th July . It all appeared in control  , sick persons had almost recovered  , medication was being administered as per CIRM advice .

Then I overheard on the Walkie Talkie that the  deck duty person reporting to the Bridge that  a woman has collapsed on deck and  her friends are saying that she is having heart attack ! I rushed to the Bridge , emergency PA announcement was made and O2 resuscitator , Medical jump kit  and defibrillator was at site in no time .  We were able to support her , the medical vitals were on the edge but the collapsed lady was slowly responding positively.

Vessel was about 50 nm from the Brindisi port  however the closest port on Italian coast was  Otranto , about 18 nm away . I contacted  Italian MRCC  and CIRM , to arrange for medical evacuation by Helicopter  . Coastguard came back that they do not have Helicopter in vicinity and  rescue will be effected by the Coastguard SAR patrol boat .

 In ballast Condition Teesta Spirit is fond of dancing and only those who have sailed on this vessel  can explain how bad it is . Some joke that Teesta Spirit will roll even in swimming pool !

The weather  in present location was  beaufort scale six and there was moderate sea and swell .Now there were  real safety concern about off loading the sick person who is half unconscious on to a small patrol boat , so at  first I resisted  and told coastguard that I will proceed  to Brindisi . Just at this time 3^rd Off – Ronell  reported back to me that another lady has collapsed and having difficulty in breathing , with very rapid pulse .

At this time I called up Otranto Coastguard  to send SAR patrol boat with the doctor and we started proceeding full speed towards the  safe location outside the port .There was a lot of  coastal shipping traffic ,We broadcasted on the VHF to all the ships in vicinity to keep clear of  us as vessel was engaged in saving life . All vessel kept giving us the way and we proceeded straight towards Otranto.

I instructed 3Off Kurt  to check if we had chart for this port , he reported back that there were none ! Then I Asked him to quickly refer to the Pilot  Book  and to find out the safe direction of approach  .

In the mean time this patient stopped breathing two times for almost a minute , but we continued  with forced artificial respiration with medical oxygen . Thank God , we were able to revive her both times .

Bosun on instruction  prepared the Stbd accommodation ladder 1 mtr above the water level.

I  instructed Mr. Alberto to  contact Otranto  Harbour Master  and inform that the Vessels max draft as 9 mtrs  and to give us ‘Remote Pilotage’ guidance from VTS . Also requested the Patrol boat to come as far as possible as own vessel will not cross the 50 mtr  depth contours as after this the depths reduce  very fast. I requested the Doctor to board the ship as the patients were not in good condition .

At  1115 hrs LT  vessel first sighted the SAR patrol boat , own vessel  was swung  hard to port to create lee on the Stbd side , Speed was progressively  reduced to zero .

And  a MIRACLE happened  , Teesta which is really notorious for rolling , remained  rock steady ! NO rolling  even with Beaufort six seas and moderate swell pounding her on the whole portside .I watched this and crossed my fingers .

 At 1132 hrs LT ,  Dr.ssa Paola Baldaccini and Inf. Fino Daniele of 118 of hospital Card.Panico di Tricase (LE) , boarded the vessel . They  stabilized all the critical patients for the voyage of another 3 hours to Brindisi .At 1415 hrs the Medical team safely  debarked  and yes, Teesta was still absolutely rock steady.

At 1715 hrs Lt Brindisi pilot boarded  us with required Approach and Harbour charts .At 1830 hrs LT  vessel was all made fast to a lay up berth . There were more than 50 cars / Vehicles and some 200  officials/ paramedics  waiting to receive the rescued persons .

By 2030 hrs LT  all the rescued  persons debarked . Italian police interviewed Me , Bosun and ChOff  . They took the copies of Deck Log Book  and Manoeuvering Record Book . Also all the photos of rescue operations were copied by the Italian Police .

At 2354 hrs LT  we sailed out of Brindisi  for Tuzla Turkey for Dry Docking.

 After thoughts :

============

 We rescued 111 Somalians (Other 3 were Ghanian), saved their life , treated them properly with respect and dignity. I wish the same treatment is given to the captured seafarers who are held in Somalia .If this incident changes minds of even some Somalians , we will achieve something more on, 'Save Our Seafarer' Campaign .

In public memory some disasters are more highlighted by media and Master is very easily branded as 'Captain Coward ' etc , I am referring to the incident of passenger ship Costa  Concordia .

The saving of life at sea by  various  Masters should  also be equally highlighted by the mainstream media , to change perception of public ,that  mostly there are ' Captain Saviour ' at sea .

Also in some Shipping forum with Governments we should discuss about the efficiency in rescue  situation. We had Malta / Augusta (Capo Passero) closer to us for landing these people , but the ship was finally instructed to proceed to Brindisi .

Concerns are that:

-Delay in off landing may cause medical issues with the rescued persons .

-Extra burden on crew and depleting resources in conjunction with the

Security risks

-Extra expense on the owner for bunkers and lost time.

Pumpman- Mr. Manuel had recently lost his mother .Funeral was on hold , awaiting his arrival .The SAR operations have delayed him by more than two days .He tells me that he still felt peace in his heart as he was part of the effort in saving so many lives and his mother's soul would be happy about this .

Last but not least , I thank God that no lives were lost during this rescue operation and the whole ship staff supported me well in their respective assigned duties.

This incident has touched many lives and  leaves a happy and permanent impression on my mind and soul .This will  definitely be one of the favorite stories that my 4 year daughter Bhakti  , would like to hear before going to bed !

As I complete  this article , Teesta Spirit is back to her old ways … Yes dancing rock and roll … may be she is happy to save so many lives at sea or maybe  she is happy that she is finally going to get new paint makeup at Dry Dock !

Thanks for reading.

Capt. Vijay Rana

Maritime Education and Training Summit 1 August 2013 - Crowne Plaza, Kochi

The Seminar had important speakers deliver speeches over 3 sessions spread over the entire day. It began just before 10 O’clock and went well past the scheduled closing time of 17:30. This report is a gist of what was spoken over the entire day culled over from notes taken during the sessions.

 A. Inaugural Session : DELIVERING SEAFARING AS A PROFESSION OF CHOICE
Speakers
• Shri K Babu, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Ports & Excise, Govt. of Kerala
• Shri K Mohandas, (IAS Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Govt. of India
• Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan AVSM, VSM, Commandant, Indian Naval Academy
• Jb. Abdulgani Y Serang, General Secretary, NUSI
• Prof G Raghuram, Professor IIM Ahmedabad & Former Vice-Chancellor, IMU

The Honourable Ministers’ inaugural speech spoke of logistic sector being a key driver of growth and the coastal shipping being an emergent sector. He spoke of why it was important to move goods over waterways. He said the government was targeting 40% of trade to be carried over waterways by 2020. However there was no light thrown on how this was going to be done. He would have been more comfortable speaking in Malayalam.
Shri K Mohandas gave a very well informed presentation which he began by remembering Shri C P Srivastava, Former IMO Secretary General.

1. He in jest said that since we Indians always compare ourselves with China, we can take solace in the fact that they like us aren’t among the 43 nations that have ratified the MLC. 
2. He said it is safer to sail these days (discounting Piracy incidents) since shipping is a lot more regulated and monitored these days. 
3. He claimed that seafaring may not be a profession of choice for most, but it is a very strong foundation for a second career and seafarers he came across on shore have all been very good professionals. 
4. He wanted the current generation of seafarers to be patient as even though ships may have gone from 3000TEU to 18000 TEU, the manning does not increase in the same proportion and so there may be a long waiting period before one gets to join a ship after leave. 
5. India is a supplier of human capital for the world and in such a scenario, the 6-7% that of seafarers that Indians currently are a proportion of the world seafarers is not adequate. The government had planned to increase that share to 9% by 2020 in their Maritime Agenda. 
6. Although not as high as in other sectors, there are fraudulent maritime institutes too. The people are gullible and with the promise of easy employability with decent remuneration makes them easy prey to such fraudulent institutes. 
7. There are many fly by night recruitment agencies that needs to be pulled up by the administration to restore faith in the profession. 
8.  DGS is not capable of handling maritime education and so we need a body like the MCI, AICTE or UGC.
9. There is a need to impart value training to the seafarers. He sighted the example of a Master who was showing off his skills and ran his ship aground( reference to Costa Concordia *). 

The highlight of the day was the very effective and erudite presentation by Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan AVSM, VSM, Commandant, Indian Naval Academy. With his command over the language and effective style of delivery he made a case for language and humanities in the syllabus. He urged everyone to revisit the basics.
He said that the quality of officer was a problem not just in the Merchant navy or navy but across all sectors. He felt it was fundamentally wrong to avoid humanities and focus on science. He said we have “de-romanticised”the merchant navy ( and navy)and so we (institutes) produce mechanics.
He believes that for developing concepts we need a strong base in Humanities , history and language. For translating such concepts to reality we need the sciences.
He felt it imperative to define what the institute was producing. He talked of his dilemma where the INA he heads produces BTechs who are officers or Officers who are BTechs. He felt the need to clearly define in words the end product desired.
He defined an Officer as “An intellectually, physically, emotionally and behaviourally exemplary, courageous and inspirational leader, imbued with a fine sense of pride, honour and integrity, possessing strong articulation and clear and evident expertise and refinement in multiple domains and deeply committed to the service of his country and the wellbeing of his subordinates”.
He felt training institutes must handle the Role of language in their curriculum. That language is a means of communication, according to him is a myth. Language is an expression of thought, he says. He lamented the fact that Lexicons don’t exist. We don’t use nouns anymore. He illustrated this with an example where an officer gets what he wants without using any nouns - “अरे तुम, नही तुम। हा तुम.वो देना। वो नही ,वो. हा वो”
Romanticism is extinct, he feels, because trainers lack knowledge of language.
He defined Ethic as “ what I do institutionally aligns with what I do individually” If in an organization there is difference between what they purport to do and what they do, that organization breeds unethical people. People are nowadays concerned only about how to man their ships and not in what manner they man

Jb. Abdulgani Serang began his speech by recollecting his collection with Kerala. His great grandfather who founded the NUSI was from Kerala , he said.
He reminded all the speaker not to talk just of seamen because there are many women seafarers who were joining the merchant navy.
He said merchant navy is a profession of passion and was for the bravehearts. He felt people were not aware of merchant navy as a profession as it was not publicized enough. Seafaring for most is not the first choice profession. Whatever little news is there of the merchant navy is negative- piracy, oil pollution etc., He recalled the sacrifices of Indian Merchant men in the World Wars I and II.
He quoted Mr. DT Joseph who said India Lacked a Maritime Constituency and Mr,. Mitropoluous who said that Half the world would starve and the other half would freeze if ships were to stop.
He compared India with Philippines where the president makes it a point to recognize shipping companies. The president in person presents the awards to the best ship recruitment company. There are large hoardings in Philippines that talk of merchant navy.
He was sure everyone would agree that seamen from Lakshadweep were the best. He felt that was because they lived to become a seafarer. They couldn’t progress because they didn’t know English. He talked of how there are many skilled fitters and pumpmen who don’t get an Indian CDC because they don’t know English. They end up getting Seaman book from another country and are gainfully employed. He felt there was something wrong with the system.

Prof G Raghuram delivered the theme address. He felt Seafaring has to become a career of choice.
1. The current state of the economy did not give many opportunities for employement.
2. He asked if Indians were outpricing themselves.
3. He also thought there was not enough publicity and awareness of Merchant navy as a career. Times where when joining Dufferin and DMET was like joining a public school and the products were of a different standards.
4. The course content has to be made contemporary and has to include good humanities. He lamented that we are very technical and wanted to rekindle the romance of the profession.
5. He questioned if we were looking at producing cadets who should hit the deck running or do we want officers who will develop out of the box thinking.
6. He felt we need to choose the right people. Most people he felt stumbled into this career. Entrance standards and requirements must be revisited.
7. He felt institutes should be rated by an independent agency like the IIMs are.
8. He wanted institutes to form an Association so that they can set standards and self-regulate.
9. He wanted the industry to promote continuous research.

 B. SessionI : Policy, curriculum and training framework for a well developed MET system Moderator : Capt S Bhardwaj, Professor Emeritus & Former Vice-Chancellor, AMET University

Speakers
• Prof G Raghuram, Professor IIM Ahmedabad & Former Vice-Chancellor, IMU
• Capt S Bhardwaj, Professor Emeritus & Former Vice-Chancellor, AMET University
• Capt Rajesh Tandon, Managing Director, V Ships India
• Capt K N Deboo, Director & Principal, Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre
• Ms. Gouri Gupta, Lead – Programme Development and Strategy, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

SessionI began with a sales pitch by R Balachandran, CMD, SB Global for National Skill Development Council.
Capt Suresh Bharadwaj started the discussions by talking of the inspection of Training institues by Classifiation Societies. He called upon Dr. Simon to throw light on the developments since he had attended the meeting.
Dr. Simon spoke of the Over regulation of the training institutes was now recognized. So instead of 3 regimes inspecting a training institute, from now on there will be only one. This will be a Recognised Organisation approved by the DGS. The 3 regimes will now form part of the Comprehensive Inspection Programme. There were concerns about domain expertise for the inspectors. He also talked about grading institutions. An institution with 90 or more points maybe graded A+. Such an institution will have fewer surprise inspections and will find it easier to seek approval of courses or increase intake of students.

Capt Debboo felt that MET was overly regulated but CIP was a move in the right direction. For institutes to self regulate, there needs to be more maturity. He felt though the CIP is good, it has been thrust upon the industry without adequate discussion with the stakeholders. He suggested something on the lines of UK MTNB
Capt Rajesh Tandon felt everything is good but felt that it may not be sustained. There has to be a sustained effort to keep updated. He asked Mr Mohandas what happened to the McKinsey report that he had initiated during his tenure as Secretary. He felt it maybe gathering dust and not relevant now in the changed market scenario.
Ms. Gauri Gupta talked of the efforts of their organization in developing skills for employment.

C. SessionII : Strengthening and enriching maritime careers at sea and ashore Session Moderator : Prof (Dr) K A Simon, Director, Kunjali Marakkar School of Marine Engineering, CUSAT Speakers
• Shri K Mohandas, (IAS Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Govt. of India
• Prof G Raghuram, Professor IIM Ahmedabad & Former Vice-Chancellor, IMU
• Capt Inderveer Solanki, VP (Academics & Research), Applied Research International
• Dr P G Sunil Kumar, Technical Director, Aries Marine & Engineering Services & AIMRI
• Ms Radhika Rani G, Maritime Writer
The session began by remembering Dr. C P Srivastava. Dr Simon felt that there was a call for reduction in training time since Engines are assumed to be failsafe. Dr. Simon felt that the western notion that Training is more important than Education is incorrect. He felt attitudes are developed as a result of education and attitudes are more important than aptitudes. He also felt the need for a body on the lines of AICTE. Maybe AICME with different boards under it looking at different aspects of Maritime Education.
Shri K Mohandas, IAS felt that DGS is not fully equipped to handle education and training as they are already over burdended. He also did not feel it is a good idea to give it to the IRS as they are also not equipped to inspect institutions. He felt AICME maybe a good idea but reminded that many past head of AICTE had been charged with fraudulent activities.

Prof Raghuram again reiterated what he spoke of in the earlier sessions.

Capt Saggi in the audience reminded everyone that the Indian COC was the only ceritificate that was accepted by all administrations the world over. He said that India had built up a human resource over time and all the shipping related offices in the worlds shipping centres are manned by Indians, be it Hong kong, Singapore, Dubai or London.
 He felt that there are a lot of verticals in Shipping and they need to be integrated for an holistic understanding of the industry. Also there will be more understanding between departments on the ships and also between ship and shore.
  Capt Solanki spoke of the role of the simulator beyond just training. He felt it can be used for assessment as it is already being done for second mates in Nederland. He talked of an instance where pilots on the simulator for Hazira pilotage could not berth the ship in the channel. The feedback from the simulator exercise led to the widening of the channel. He felt seafarers are put in silos the moment they join as cadets. He felt instead of starting new institutes and universities, there should be provision in existing universities to start courses for merchant Navy. This way the merchant navy cadets and officers will not remain in a Silo and will be in touch with the world. They would learn of opportunities outside merchant navy. The current Vice Chancellor of AMET university from the audience felt that Faculty from the merchant navy are not equipped to teach and are paid a lot more than they deserve. He felt academicians should be involved in teaching cadets.
This was countered by Capt. Solanki who felt that experience gained at sea cannot be substituted. Speaking of Careers ashore the moderator called upon senior members in the audience to recall their experiences. Most spoke of the wonderful opportunities in Law and Insurance and Arbirtration and Average Adjusting.
Capt Dinesh Gautama of the NMIS cautioned everyone in looking upto such options as careers. He said it would be easier to look at freight forwarding or agency or pilotage and the like.

The moderator invited the cadets in the audience to speak. After hearing them speak, Prof Raghuram wondered if everything was so rosy then why have this discussion. He cautioned everyone against patting each others back and to wake up to reality.
There were discussions on the utility and effectiveness of the IMU. Some speakers called for the implementation of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers set up to study the issue. They had recommended setting up of individual universities in different parts of the Country. Instead the government set up on University in Chennai with campuses in different locations.

Session-III: Understanding the new generation Seafarers to manage and retain them effectively Session Moderator : Dr Jose Paul, Former Chairman Mormugoa Port Trust
Speakers
• Jb. Abdulgani Y Serang, General Secretary, NUSI
• Capt Ram Ramchandran, Managing Director, Red Eagle Shipping Agencies Pvt Ltd
• Capt Dinesh Gautama, Advisor, Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping & President Navkar Corporation Ltd
• Capt. Jose K Thomas, Director, Expedo Marine Services India (P) Ltd.,
• Capt C D Joseph, Managing Director, BSM (India) Pvt Ltd
• Mr Chirag Bahri, Regional Director, South Asia, Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme

The session began with the moderator wondering why- if we had the best certificates in the world- are we only 5% of the worlds Merchant Marine officers Indian? This session had speakers trying to define Gen Y seafarers, their needs and how to manage them. Most speakers felt that the new generation was Family centric, achievement oriented, Team oriented, attention craving and tech savvy. They felt it would no longer be able to ignore the requests from officers who want to be home for apparently small events like their child’s birthday. Offices will have to work around this.
Capt Joseph said that they don’t aim for 100% retention as this would mean a lot of their assets that were trained would have to leave the company as they would not get promoted. He felt that the new generation of seafarers wanted a career path and would like to know where they would be in a few years time. They would like to know how to get to a position ashore. He also cautioned the cadets against expecting adventure and fun at sea. Life at sea, he reminded them was hard.
Jb. Serang lamented the fact that our examination system was difficult and people too a long time to clear it. He wondered why these candidates cleared their exams easily when they went to other countries. He wanted a relook into our system. There was a small debate on whether life at sea is more stressful or less stressful these days. He spoke of the new generation as those who don't greeting with an "Hi!"and putting arm across his shoulder.
The last speaker of the day was Mr Chirag Bahri. He spoke of the need to assure seafarers of the companys support in case of a pirate attack. He spoke of the need to sensitise families to the issue. He spoke of the various training programmes given by Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP)

The Summit was organised by Mr. Wilson Rajan and Sudheer Nambiar of Kerala Sea and Trade

My name is not Captain Abhijith

I had just done one contract as a Master when I had to revalidate my license. A few among us were revalidating their license for the third time. There was one master who was revalidating it for the fourth time.

When we were given our certificates after completion of the course, one among us commented on our names not being prefixed with "Captain " ; And all but 2 among us were active sailing Masters. But the names below the two signatures on the certificate were prefixed so. And one among them had definitely not gone to sea for atleast a decade and more.

And then I heard another Master who I sailed under tell someone very categorically that his name be prefixed. Many among us may feel a hollow inside when someone calls us by our name.

I see names so prefixed even before names of those who may never have been in command.  I always wonder if it is correct to do so. Ethically. Technically. Or in any other way. Can someone help me here.

I always thought Captain was a rank i held while in command,but my name still remained what my parents gave me.

Am I getting it all wrong? Taking up a shore position may require me to attach the prefix. Will it be right to do so?

If I had been your Captain, and you happen to meet me while I am not in command, please remember my name is just Abhijith.

Internet onboard will make ships safer.

The pirates, not the johnny depp kind. Not the kind who made Capt. Flints crew. Not at all the romantic kind who made it to innumerable works of literature. But the kind who make news. Obscure news! News that few read. News of hijackings, ransoms, keel hauling, mock deaths, starvation, snipers and off late even rape.

And all these news , for the few who read will still have a romantic and fantastic feel to it. These pirates operate over an area that stretches wide between two continents. And this area also happens to be a busy shipping route. And they strike fear in sailors who are simply trying to earn their bread. And the fear in the minds of their dear ones will only be allayed when they return home.

These pirates have made ordinary seaman paranoid. Few companies who employ them have taken any confidence building measures to allay fears. But most have agreed to their masters keeping their ships close to the coasts of countries where there is an active naval presence. It may not be possible to specify an exact distance for ships of a particular size to keep. And so Masters use their discretion keeping their safety in mind. And now here security too.

Some of us fear that keeping close to the coast would mean having to negotiate the innumerable fishing boats. I love fish. I love the beaches near where I live. And I dread the day when the hull of a large ship carrying pollutants breaches when they are sailing close to the coast trying to stay safe from pirates. And what if a fishing boat is hit.

A news item in Mathrubhumi ( a  vernacular daily 20120713)talks of the fishermen getting increasingly worried about colliding with a merchant ship. They speak of seeing even more ships than they did.

In addition to safety and security, some of us have another consideration. This to me is a dangerous one - Mobile signal. This brings ships even closer to the coast. On most days you have smooth seas, clear visibility and no boats. But how long can one ride his luck. If all ships had easy and cheap communication, then no one would want to take the risk. Especially so when you have just seen your loved ones on Skype. And talked to your hearts content. Till all companies come up with communication solutions, you will always have among us those who want to chat and talk and update everytime we get close to a coast. And also try to get closer to coast than it may be safe.

If only  companies and the industry came up with shipboard communication solution that allows hassle free and cheap any time communications like the seafarer were on land, there is going to be decisions made which may not entirely based on considerations of safety.

Someday someone will realise the cost benefits of installing better communication systems onboard. The 20minutes of free phone calls and cheap WiFi access in some fleets make great sense to me. They were ahead of their time. It can't be long before everyone else follows the lead.

(Views here are entirely the authors. It doesn't reflect on anyones' decisions or actions)

Master: Draft copy: Put in your comments if you read this

There once was a time when the Captain of a Ship inspired awe. He was someone who had so much powers that once the his ship cast off the jetty, he was He. God. There was not much the owner of the ship or the cargo could do but trust Him to get the ship home. He sometimes was part owner too. His crew were no better than slaves unless He was the benevolent sort. If he didn't like your face, he could make you walk the plank! Well He could. He may not because he needed you to scrub his quarters clean.

He ran the ship the way He wanted. Everyone else just got round to accepting it.

And now, I wonder if he has not become a Slave. A mechanical robot signing away on redundant weather messages and irrelevant Navtex messages.

( the text progression:
1. Show how powerful the captain was. How skilled he was. A man maanger. The final word.
Used to be part owner.
Now he has become powerless. He has lost his skills of management. He cannot or need not make decisions)

We don't want to live in fear.

While I was sailing, the CSO had asked us for our views on armed guards. And I had developed a rationale not in favour of armed guards.

I was concerned because of
1. the risks inherent in these arms by just placing them on-board.
2. The risk of the pirates using even more dangerous weapons in response, leading to
increased risk of crew injury or death.
3. How trained are these guards? How can my company who would employ them vet them?
4. How will I as someone with no training in use of such weaponry authorise the use of these arms. And if it doesn't need my authorisation, then will that amount to ceding command to someone else?
5. If there is a fatality following the use of these arms, how am I going to show that there was an imminent threat that precipitates the use of such proportionately dangerous arms. Or is there no need to show such threats? In which case can't I go on a shooting spree?
6. Where do I as the Master stand in what could be alleged to be a cold blooded brutal murder? What if I were implicated and the world puts its arms up and disowns me?

This was a view I held for a while during which I had replied to the CSO's query. But very soon, my views changed. It started with a conversation with another sailing Master. And then the many times my heart skipped a beat when a fishing boat came towards you only added to my anxiety. Once somewhere east of the Rondo Island, the CE wanted the engine stopped for repairs, and as I slowed down I had a boat start its engines and head towards me. And I had my heart in my mouth. I increased speed again. Very soon I realised that they were harmless fishing boats. But how do I know. And I was no where close to a country called Somalia.

And we had no citadel.

And then I started slowly thinking how would it be if I had armed guards. They could fire warning shots. They could puncture the boat. They could potentially save us.

I fully understand why no organization including the IMO is committing to armed guards.(IMO has urged states to facilitate the passage of ships with armed guards- # Egypt#) But I think they too should understand why we feel safer with them on-board. We don't want to be keel hauled. We don't want to be hanging by our feet with our heads under the sea. We don't want bullet holes in our body. We don't want to be sodomized. We don't want to live in fear.

My vote is for armed guards. Please don't say no if we ask for armed guards.

When we were cadets..........

Most of us who have been sailing for a while to be now wearing three if not four stipes bemoan the quality of officers and cadets that we come across. It would not be wrong to assume that we have resigned ourselves to the quality and our helplessness at not being able to do anything about it. We talk about the time when cadets had to spend not less than 24 months at sea. Those cadets it appears were more malleable and willing to be subject to what may now be termed extreme. But I also remember my Mates and Masters saying how easy a time I was having. How much more better the training was in Rajendra and also in Dufferin. How much more tougher it was. masts to climb .boats to row.

it will not be long before these very juniors who now we are not happy with will turn out with 3 or 4 stripes on their shoulders and repeat what all seniors seem to tell the juniors." during our time......"

For the present state we squarely blame the system that turns out graduates who come onboard after having learnt law and business in the last year. And they would have forgotten what azimuth is and how to compute an error. I feel there is a mis match in what the industry is demanding and what the institutes are supplying. On a personal level I feel that the students refresh basics so they are better prepared for sea. Preferably even add a semester or two that is spent at sea.

The institutes do well to build knowledge. And when these cadets come onboard they add to their knowledge- not always in the traditional manner; but by watching, learning from peers and superiors and from experience. And then they ( should) develop the skills by applying this knowledge to what they do- Practically. By doing this they reinforce the theory learnt earlier and consolidate all that they learnt. With time they become what we may term as good officers.

But what i feel is much more than the knowledge and the skill which can be developed structurally; it is the attitude that is the most important. A few of the officers who I would term have good attitudes take more than a few attempts to clear their exams. The ones who clear their exams in their first attempt may not necessarily be who I want onboard.

For me someone with a good attitude will be better motivated, will be more creative and receptive to knowledge- and not just in a mechanical manner. They will be more willing to accept responsibility rather than resort to " this was always the way it has been" or some such other excuses.

Knowledge and skills can be assessed and structurally improved.What do we do. If only institutes could churn out cadets with an A+ in attitude.

For now all I think we-everyone who can be an influence on the young impressionable mind- can do is set an example. The teachers in the institute, the recruiters, the staff in the office and then all of us onboard who want them to make us a cup of coffee!