The NAMSGlobal eNews

NAMSGlobal eNews
Greg Weeter, NAMS-CMS, Editor
editor@namsglobal.org

NAMSGlobal National Office
Evie Hobbs
office@namsglobal.org

William C. Hansen, President
Richard L. Frenzel, Vice-President
Edward L. Shearer, Secretary
James A. Neville, Treasurer

Disclaimer, Copyright Statement & Submissions Policy

President's Message

NAMS Applicants, New Members

Upcoming Educational Events

RX For Secure Warehouses

Inherent Vice Reviewed

Vessel Tracking

English - language of the sea?

Ageing ships set to face more inspections in Europe

Useful Links

Book Review

President’s Message

This will be my final Presidents Message for NAMS. To each and all of you it has been a pleasure to serve you and this organization. During this period, the organization underwent many changes and I believe that we are a better organization today. During the 48^th Annual National Conference, I will be turning over the gavel to Dick Frenzel. Dick was instrumental in providing support and advice during the last 2-years and I am sure that he proves himself during his tenure. It is truly my pleasure to support him as he takes command. I am inviting all to attend the Charleston Conference, as Janet Peck and the Education Committee have done an outstanding job in obtaining relevant topics and speakers. This will be a great meeting.

As I just stated, NAMS is holding its 48^th Annual National Marine Conference East April 25^th -27^th in Charleston, S.C. Please pass the invitation to any and all non-NAMS surveyors and other marine professionals. Remember, this conference provides members one of the best opportunities to obtain continuing education. I strongly encourage all members to contact and invite their friends in the industry, and non-NAMSGlobal members this conference.

The next conference will be held in San Francisco in August. Plans are already made for the venue. More information concerning this conference will be passed at the Charleston meeting. The San Francisco Region is looking, while the Hull and Machinery and Yacht and Small Craft disciplines are well established, Lorne Gould and Joseph Rodgers are still looking for speakers on the cargo side of the business. If you know of anyone…….

I look forward to seeing all at the upcoming conference.

Thank you,

William C Hansen, NAMS-CMS, National President

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NAMS Applicants, New Members, Changes In Status & Committee Assignments

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Upcoming educational Events

April 25 – 27, 2010, Charleston, South Carolina

NAMSGlobal 48th Annual National Marine Conference East. Conference theme: In Pursuit of Excellence. Conference Chair, Janet Peck, NAMS-CMS. Location: The Embassy Suites Historic Charleston, 337 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403. Room rate $179.00 plus taxes per night for a 2-Room Suite. Further details are available at http://www.namsglobal.org/events/ and a copy of the latest conference program is attached to this message. For hotel reservations phone 843.723.6900.

April 28 and 29, 2010, London, UK

ACI’s 4th Maritime Risk Management Conference in London, UK will address the most relevant risk management and safety issues currently faced by the maritime industry and examine how the industry is managing those risks to maintain onboard safety standards and drive profitability.

For information or to register simply contact:

Marisa Magtultol Telephone: +44 (0)20 7981 2503 Email: mmagtultol@acieu.ne

May, 17-19, 2010, Baltimore, Maryland

The 2010 Clean Atlantic conference. The three-day conference will focus on environmental and wildlife issues, and a significant portion of the panel discussions will be focused on the upcoming Salvage & Firefighting regulations. More information will be posted at the website: http://www.cleanatlantic.org

May 19-20, 2010

Tampa Bay Mariner’s Club Marine Industry Seminar

Topics include: Marine Investigations & Fraud, How to Make (or Lose) Millions in the Marine Insurance Business, The Unauthorized Export of Boats and What You Need to Know About Yachts as Ocean Cargo. For details and application go to www.tbmcinc.org and click on Forms & Downloads.

September 5 – 7, 2010, San Francisco, California

NAMSGlobal 42nd Annual National Marine Conference West: Conference Chair, Lorne Gould, and NAMS-CMS. Location: Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf, 250 Beach Street,. 94133. Room rate $149.00 plus taxes per night. For direct hotel reservations phone 415.392.6700 or Central Reservations 877.497.1212. In order to receive the special group rates, you will need to identify the group and dates of the events, and make your room reservation by Wednesday, August 6, 2010.

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RX for Secure Warehouses

The stunning theft of up to $75 million worth of pharmaceuticals from an Eli Lilly warehouse this month has other companies wondering: Could it happen to us? Most cargo thefts are from trucks or containers in transit. Warehouse burglaries accounted for only 36 of the thefts FreightWatch reported last year. Some security consultants say this has made many companies complacent about warehouse risks. If you were to poll 1,000 companies that hadn’t read about the Eli Lilly break-in and asked them if their company was adequately protected, probably 90 to 95 percent of the respondents would say yes. If we were to do a vulnerability and risk assessment of their facilities, those numbers probably would be reversed. Criminal rings that pull off multimillion-dollar thefts like the one at Lilly’s warehouse are professionals, security consultants say. Gangs often spend months casing warehouses. They follow trucks, note routines of guards and other personnel, and try to plant accomplices as employees so they can provide details useful to thieves. Prevention requires layered security systems that start with careful hiring, require adherence to procedures and include customized detection and alarm technology with backup systems, experts say. (The Journal of Commerce, 3/29/2010.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin.

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Inherent Vice Reviewed

The latest Trade and Transport Bulletin issued by the firm of DLA Phillips Fox and penned by Andrew Tulloch reviews the defence of inherent vice by insurers in the light of the decision the English Court of Appeal reversing the judge of first instance in a judgment handed down on 17 December 2009 in Global Process Systems Inc & Anor v Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Berhad ([2009] EWHC 367 (Comm).

The case concerned the loss at sea off South Africa of three of four legs of a jack-up oil rig which was being towed from Texas to Malaysia. It was agreed that the loss occurred because of fatigue cracking caused by repeated bending of the legs whilst being towed on a barge through the sea. The barge’s owners claimed under the policy of insurance, maintaining that the loss of the rig was accidental and within the terms of the ‘all risks’ cover. The insurer maintained that the cause was ‘inherent vice’ in the legs of the rigs. The insurer also maintained that the loss was an inevitable consequence of the voyage and that accordingly it was not liable for the loss. The insurance policy incorporated the Institute of Cargo Clauses (A) 1/1/82 under which there is no cover for ‘loss, damage or expense caused by inherent vice or nature of the subject matter insured".

Tullock concludes the decision supports a narrowing of the availability of the inherent vice defence for underwriters. In addition, it would seem that if underwriters are to rely on an inherent vice defence in the future they will have to produce expert evidence on actual and usual weather conditions encountered on a particular voyage. However in this difficult area of law the decision is still one that is not easily analysed or applied to other fact situations.

Read the note in full at:- http://www.dlaphillipsfox.com/content/upload/files/T&T_Bulletin_DPF2017_17.03.10_U.pdf

Courtesy Maritime Advocate Online a weekly digest of news and views on the maritime industries, with particular reference to dispute resolution. To contact the editor Bevis Marks, send an e-mail to: editor@avoarchive.com

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Vessel Tracking

When shuttle astronauts flew to the International Space Station last year, they attached an Automatic Identification System antenna to the Columbus laboratory so the European Space Agency could begin testing a pair of AIS receivers for use in tracking global maritime traffic from space. AIS was developed for collision avoidance and vessel-traffic management in busy ports and along coastal shipping routes. A boat’s AIS transponder sends out a continuous stream of messages giving such information as the boat’s position, course, speed, heading and identity.

By regulation of the International Maritime Organization, some 60,000 to 80,000 international vessels must carry AIS – mainly ships over 300 gross tons, passenger vessels and, in the United States, commercial vessels over 65 feet and many of the higher-powered towing vessels over 26 feet. It’s a good way for people who have stuff on ships to know where the ships are on a real-time basis. For instance, an oil company can route and schedule its tankers for off-loading based on where they are and how many ships are lined up at the docks – information it can get from AIS. The Coast Guard uses satellite-based AIS to look for water-borne terrorists and other involved in criminal activity. The bad guys aren’t going to be broadcasting on AIS. But if someone is supposed to be broadcasting on AIS and they’re not, there’s a very high probability they’re engaged in illicit activity.

AIS can be used to enforce anti-piracy rules for ships traversing the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, track down a ship responsible for an oil spill, locate a ship in distress, find the tanker that ran over a sailboat or see a ship that is drifting dangerously at anchor. AIS along with reports form ships’ Long Range Identification and Tracking systems, which send their position and identification every six hours via satellite gave a variety of intelligence sources to get a picture of what’s going on in and around U.S. waters. The General Accounting Office released a report that said satellite AIS duplicates information that will be available as more LRIT systems come online, but the difference between receiving a continuous stream of real-time information about ships and information every six hours is huge. (Soundings, 4/2010.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin.

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English - language of the sea?

English should be enforced as the common language for all communications between ships and shore in European Union waters, Euro-MPs say. A European Parliament response to a proposed new EU directive on ship-shore reporting argues that the use of a single language would benefit maritime transport, reducing confusion and cutting administrative delays.

Presenting the report, Belgian MEP Dirk Sterckx said shipping should follow the aviation industry and the IMO's SOLAS Convention by requiring the universal use of English as the working language at sea. At present, he said, national language requirements can often prove to be an obstacle to the development of the European coastal shipping network.

The MEPs also called for a common EU regulatory framework for granting pilotage exemption certificates. 'Member states too often use protectionist arguments to justify their decisions on the granting of pilotage exemption certificates,' their report argued. 'This distorts the internal market and is therefore unacceptable.'

The European Parliament says the directive should ensure that member states apply 'common conditions which are relevant, transparent and proportional' when determining PEC applications. Courtesy Maritime Advocate Online a weekly digest of news and views on the maritime industries, with particular reference to dispute resolution. To contact the editor Bevis Marks, send an e-mail to: editor@avoarchive.com

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Ageing ships set to face more inspections in Europe

Masters of older and 'high-risk' vessels face an increased chance of being inspected in European ports from next January. New port state control rules taking effect from 1 January 2011 will target passenger vessels and oil, gas and chemical tankers older than 12 years for expanded checks.

The operator, agent or master of such vessels will be obliged to inform national maritime authorities at least 72 hours before a ship's ETA, or before it leaves the previous port or anchorage if the voyage is expected to take less than 72 hours. The Paris Memorandum of Understanding has also amended its port state control rules to ensure that a ship's flag state, its classification society and its operator's inspection record will be taken into account in determining its risk profile.

The new rules have been drawn up in a move to provide incentives for quality operators with less-frequent inspections, while making life harder for substandard operators. (With thanks to the NAUTILUS Telegraph) Courtesy FLASHLIGHT, a free monthly e-newsletter circulated to more than 5,000 people involved in marine surveying around the world. It is circulated to anybody who wishes to receive a copy. It is a collation of articles relevant to our profession taken from various publications together with contributions from readers. Letters, opinions and articles relating to our profession are welcomed for the newsletter. info@kiwimarine.net

California Marine Highway – A $30 million federal grand under the stimulus package signed last year by President Obama will provide the kick-start for a new California marine Highway that will move container cargo by barge between the Ports of West Sacramento, Oakland and Stockton. The container barge service, which expected to start before the end of 2010, would move consumer goods and local agriculture products. The service will be marketed as an alternative to rail and truck transport. (Marine Log, 3/2010.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin.

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Useful Links

Jim McCrory, NAMS-CMS of Miami Florida sends us the link to “Inspect and Protect: A Cathodic Protection Learning Game”. The introduction states “The Johnson Center for Simulation at Pine Technical College in Minnesota, a virtual reality and serious game development center, has created a learning game for the DoD OSD Corrosion Prevention and Control program focused on teaching the basics of Cathodic Protection (CP) …… the primary audience for the CP Learning Game is DoD personnel and their contractors, the subject matter is also applicable to anyone with an interest in corrosion control.” The Inspect and Protect game is accessible via the Internet. Any user with a Web connection and an up-to-date browser can navigate to the host site and play the game.

The Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology (an education affiliate of the American Boat & Yacht Council) is running a four-part series of articles by Rob Mazza regarding cores in vessels constructed of frp. Part 3, which has just been published in the March 2010 issue, discusses proper core installation and the ramification of improper installation. http://www.westlawn.edu/news/index.asp#Newsletter We also note that the link gives access to a wealth of technical references and educational opportunities.

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Book Review

“A Riverman’s Lexicon, In Lehmans’ Terms” by Capt. Charles F. Lehman. Capt. Lehman has recently published this extensive collection of marine terminology from the point of view of the Western Rivers of the United States.

The introduction reads in part “Rivermen of the Mississippi River and its tributaries speak a unique and beguiling language melded of Elizabethan sailor talk, practical carpentry and the barnyard. It grew naturally in a state of induced isolation, where a riverman could throw a lump of coal from boat to shore, but could not go there. Despite its humble origins, the language of the rivers is an exact argot. The words, phrases and syntax are perfectly clear to those who use it, for very often a clear understanding between pilothouse and deck is vital.”

Did you know that on the Western Rivers a yawl is a small, open boat, 14’ to 16’ long, propelled by oars or small outboard engine? Or that a verge is the aftermost mast on a steamboat? Or that a wicket, a horse and a needle can dam a river?

This 500-plus page hardcover tome can be ordered direct from the author for $29.95 plus $5 shipping and handling: Capt. Charles F. Lehman, P O Box 803 Crestwood, KY 40014 or via email Cflehman@aol.com.

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Disclaimer

1. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and / or other content providers published in the National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc. (NAMS aka NAMSGlobal) eNews do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of this Association or its officers and directors, or the official policies of the Association.

Copyright Statement

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Submissions Policy

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5. Unsolicited submissions will not be considered for publishing and will not be returned.

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