NAUTICAL LOG

The European Commission gave a deadline of two months to Portugal to properly implement the EU Law on control of ships. If this deadline is not met the EU will take Portugal to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The EU executive instructed the Portuguese authorities to enforce the imposition of penalties for ships that do not meet the safety standards of the EU under the directive "Port State Control". The suit was opened following an inspection conducted by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) www.emsa.europa.eu/ as part of a monitoring programme to assess how the Law is being implemented in each Member State. It has concluded that Portugal is not fulfilling its obligations to impose penalties in practice as the fine was not applied to two ship offenders. The interesting point in all this to NAUTICAL LOG is that the European Maritime Safety Agency is headquartered right on the docks at: Cais do Sodre 1249-206 LISBOA Portugal Good Watch.

Photo of Subject UPDATE: According to data from INTERPOL a RED NOTICE is not an International Arrest warrant, so one has to wonder just what a BLUE NOTICE is. Perhaps this explains how 'Wats-his-name' can thumb his nose at everyone and travel around the world untouched. This is really weird and seems a quite valueless procedure. It has been announced by the Government of Japan that PAUL FRANKLIN WATSON of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been placed on the INTERPOL WANTED LIST. This means that any law enforcement agency may report him to INTERPOL www.interpol.int/ for transportation to Japan. The operator of the sunken SS-PG vessel Ady Gil, New Zealand citizen Peter Bethune, has been tried for illegal boarding at sea which is an act of piracy and is due for sentencing in early July 2010. UPDATE: Interpol it appears has two Notice levels, a BLUE Notice is for location of the subject. A RED Notice upgrades to arrest of the subject by any law enforcemen...

It is now over two months since that BP ruptured well started spewing oil into the Gulf and it continues today. NAUTICAL LOG has not written anything about it as there is more than enough opinion and misinformation out there already. However there is one aspect of the response that we are going to address and that is the responsibility of the First Responders to the Media. For more than three decades NAUTICAL LOG served as Navigation Officer, Safety Officer and Staff Officer in cruise ships based from United States and Canadian ports. During that time we trained Bridge Watchkeeping Teams, Firefighting Teams, and Evacuation Teams. As Staff Officer we were responsible to the Master and Staff Captain for ships security and investigated numerous incidents, involving both crewmembers and passengers, over the years. After we came ashore we worked two years for an oil pollution response company which is now busy in the Gulf. Then we formed our own marine consulting and training company. As ...

HNLMS Johan de Witt AFM soldiers secure pirate skiff From the "Times of Malta" www.timesofmalta.com/ comes a report of Maltese soldiers involved in an action to intercept pirates off Somalia. The soldiers are based aboard HNLMS Johan de Witt , yes indeed a Netherlands warship. According to the report the Netherlands warship fired a number of warning shots after which the skiff, believed to be a pirate vessel, stopped and the suspected pirates surrendered. The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) security team quickly secured the skiff and transferred those on board onto the HNLMS Johan de Witt. The entire operation was photographed by a German Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Now NAUTICAL LOG finds all this quite fascinating because of course the AFM has been ordered to stop the pirates operating in the Mediterranean who injured their fishermen namely the Netherlands flag state pirate vessel MS Steve Irwin. Interesting situation in a complex world. Good Watch.

UPDATE: June 24, 2010. Now NAUTICAL LOG is angry and disgusted this morning on reading the Associated Press report by Arthur Max from Agadir, Morocco. He states: "An international effort to truly limit whale hunting collapsed." Without going into all the sordid details again we would point out that in the opinion of NAUTICAL LOG the great phony of these deplorable proceedings is Australia. Quoting Mr. Max's article: "Australia, leading the hardline anti-whaling nations, hailed the outcome that preserved the ban on commercial whaling, even though it is flouted by three whaling states which claim exemptions. Australia was supported by a bloc of Latin American countries." Hardline my asterisk!! Australia is the country that in spite of having responsibility under 'Territorial Seas' international maritime laws for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary refuses to send its navy ( which is a royal pain in the australia by the by ) on fishery protection patrol d...

His Holiness Dalai Lama The Press Release folder this afternoon brought the height of hypocrisy. The Sea Shepherds leader has had the absolute audacity to criticise and lie directly to His Holiness Dalai Lama. NAUTICAL LOG is not going to quote or interpret the words of the Dalai Lama so if you wish to read what was said then visit the Sea Shepherds website and read the reply to the Dalai Lamas rebuke of Watson's violent behaviour. This person is now in our opinion quite beneath contempt in an organised society. No longer does he deserve to be in a position where he can influence young lives such as his volunteer crew. NAUTICAL LOG urges you crewmembers of the Netherlands flag state pirate vessel MS Steve Irwin to see him for what he is, an egotistical, violent person now completely lost in a violent world of his own making. You should no longer allow him to lead you on this dangerous cult like, violent, tragic path which achieves nothing other than hate and violence. Most cert...

Court of Malta UPDATE: June 23, 2010. The police are investigating the clashes which Maltese fishermen had with protesters from Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd . Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said in Parliament. A protester was injured in the Greenpeace clash and needed hospital treatment. Two Maltese fishermen were taken to hospital after the clash with Sea Shepherd . Playing out in the Mediterranean is a 'Maltese falcon' and like the original film it has eccentric criminal characters and liars all leading up to an as yet mysterious conclusion. The Fisheries Control Section of the Malta Resources Ministry explained in a statement today that tuna catches were tightly monitored. They are in line with the regulations of the International Commission for the Control of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). Prior to tuna being placed in Maltese catch pens it must be properly documented and the documentation is verified by the Maltese Authorities. In addition independent observers moni...

AFM Patrol boat P52 dealing with Greenpeace personnel attacking a fish catch cage. UPDATE: Reading the various comments in Sunday's "Times of Malta" there is quite a bit of criticism of the Fishing Companies based in Malta. However that may be, as regards the conservation of the bluefin tuna for the future the fishing is legal and under a quota. The importance of conservation, which NAUTICAL LOG strongly believes in, does not give the right to NGO's to self-appoint themselves to attack catch cages and injure fishermen. The key phrase from PM Dr. Lawrence Gonzi this morning was "no one can justify his cause through illegal means". The Greenpeace and Sea Shepherds are wrong because they are acting at sea outside the law. Under maritime law that is piracy clear and without any confusion, as such it must be punished in an organised society otherwise we will all descend into total anarchy. Grazzi - bongu. The official word has come from Malta this morning,...

It would seem not with Sea Shepherds as the Maltese Government is doubtful of the SS-PG statements veracity. The "Times of Malta" commentary this afternoon quotes The Malta Aquaculture Federation as saying that nothing could be further from the truth that Sea Shepherds were attacked by fishermen. NAUTICAL LOG quotes from the M.A.F. statement: "Following the assault by the Steve Irwin on the Cesare Rustico only two days ago, the owners requested assistance and a number of vessels went to their aid. These vessels remained close to the Cesare Rustico because of the danger of a repeat attack. They were unfortunately proven right when this morning the black shape of the Steve Irwin loomed on the horizon like a modern day pirate, accompanied by a helicopter and a number of inflatable craft obviously intent on repeating the performance of a couple of days ago. The Cesare Rustico sent out a mayday calling upon any available military vessel within the area to rush to i...

Fishermen defending their catch cage. Fishermen being harassed. Order ramming speed - I will take your photo, I will, I will !! The mighty leader ' Wats -his-name' gives his 'Order of the Day'. Reading the latest Press Releases this guy has clearly lost it totally, please EU Navies get him off the Mediterranean and the High Seas permanently before there is a tragedy. The Sea Shepherds are so desperate for attention that they asked to work with the Greenpeace vessel MS Arctic Sunrise . This was refused by her Master and the MS Arctic Sunrise manoeuvred to avoid a photo of the two vessels together. However the MS Steve Irwin is a bit faster and managed to get the shot anyway from her helicopter. So now SS-PG are harassing Greenpeace this has got to be the height of "conservation" stupidity. Not content with that piece of nonsense the MS Steve Irwin headed into Libyan territorial waters the Gulf of Sidra . Here for the second time in days they harassed the ...

Maltese Navy P23 and P32 on duty. Italian Navy frigate F 564 Lupo alongside at Valletta. French Navy frigate F710 La Fayette at Valletta. Libyan Navy frigate 212 Al Hani at Valletta. This is a small selection of various naval vessels of different countries that visit Valletta. Malta has a fleet of patrol boats that patrol the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino and are assigned fishery patrol duties. A beautiful and historic city Valletta was for decades a principal Mediterranean base of the British Royal Navy with a large naval shipyard. NAUTICAL LOG spent two months there in June/July 1976 getting a major refit. The shipyard can be seen behind the Italian frigate F564 Lupo in that photograph. One can get a dghajje across the harbour after work from St. Lawrence Landing Place Birgu or the Three Villages buses, #1 or #2 Vittoriosa, #3 Senglea and #4 Kalkara in those days. The bus trip around Grand Harbour to Valletta was fun most everybody was going for the evening promena...

Legal tuna cages under attack by SS-PG vessel MS Steve Irwin. UPDATE Friday June 18, 2010: There is a full report in "Times of Malta" this morning, see www.timesofmalta.com/ about the two injured Maltese fishermen. They were airlifted to the hospital in Malta by a Italian Military Mission helicopter. The wounds are reportedly from a grapnel and rubber bullets used by the Sea Shepherd Pirate Group. NAUTICAL LOG has just received an e-mail and an eight page Press Release from the Maltese newspaper "Times of Malta" www.timesofmalta.com/ . In a clash between fishermen and the Sea Shepherds the latter has reverted to the tactics used against the Japanese in the Southern Ocean. It is reported that a Maltese fisherman is being airlifted to hospital in Valletta this evening for treatment of an arm injured by a grapnel. In a clash with the SS-PG one of whom threw the grapnel at a tuna pen to tear it open. The fishermen entered the pen to remove the grapnel and suffer...

The SS-PG still seem to be skulking about looking for trouble, thankfully they are not finding any. The EC Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has closed the fishing season due to the quota being reached. This meant that the fisherman could not fish until the end of season date June 15, 2010. The arrangement is a proposed closing date provided the season quota has not been reached first of all. Something that actually makes sense from government for a change. Of course with the usual clash of union and management Europeche is upset and feel that, in spite of clearly understood rules, they should have been allowed to fish until the closing date of June 15, 2010. It always seems as if when Management says no Union will say yes and if Management says yes Union says no. If the two bodies would work together in mutual support much better results could be achieved. This time round the bluefin tuna have come out ahead - well sort of. NAUTICAL LOG is amused by the rhetoric from 'Wats-hi...

Is one of these the SS-PG third ship? This month has been one where two well known seafarers are in the news. One CAPT. Jacques-Yves Cousteau - le Commandant - of the Cousteau Society, the other CAPT. Paul Watson - 'Wats-his-name' - of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It might seem strange for NAUTICAL LOG to write of these together but they both actually had/have similar goals, it is their methods that are different. Le Commandant June11, 1910-June 25, 1997, loved the sea, his all white ship, was passionate, intense, driven and damnably difficult at times. He used education, the lecture circuit, the Media and effective non-violent methods to accomplish his goals. 'Wats-his-name' loves the sea, his all black ship, is passionate, intense, driven and is damnably difficult most of the time. He uses education, the lecture circuit, the Media and ineffective violent methods which do not make his points. As the RV Calypso is prepared to set sail once again as a museu...

le Commandant "To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean" John Denver . News came into NAUTICAL LOG that le Commandant's vessel is going to be sailing again. After much confusion and differences of opinion the RV Calypso is to sail in remembrance of CAPT. Jaques-Yves Cousteau on June 25, 2010. Le Commandant died on June 25, 1997 and finally the family have agreed to have his beloved Calypso sail as a museum ship. NAUTICAL LOG was fortunate to sail in the TSS Calypso a Miami based cruise ship as Safety Officer many years ago. We had the opportunity to visit the RV Calypso when she visited the Port of Miami, FL. Bon voyage et Bon Garde-Good Watch.

FPV Jean Charcot FPV Jean Charcot On checking our Press Release folder this evening we noticed two things, no USCG Releases have been forwarded to NAUTICAL LOG as requested . Not even those related to the BP oil on Florida's beaches and the Sea Shepherd vessel MS Steve Irwin continues its quiet cruise of the Mediterranean. You know NAUTICAL LOG likes them a whole lot better these days, they actually are behaving quite decently and it would seem effectively. They call it "patrolling" but it is more like skulking around looking for trouble, still the approach seems to be working. What is really patrolling is the ICCAT fishery protection vessel Jean Charcot, and she is keeping a close watch on all hands. The Greenpeace crowd found that out getting into trouble quite quickly. A group of 'activists' from the Greenpeace vessel MS Arctic Sunrise attempted to open a tuna cage (see photos above) about 22 nautical miles south of Malta. The Maltese Navy responded...

Towing Part 4 is about Issues and Points with regard to towing, since legalities will be addressed NAUTICAL LOG enters a disclaimer: THESE ARE OPINIONS ONLY AND ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE. With that out of the way lets have a look at some of these issues and points. Most involve the interaction of maritime personnel in a maritime venture namely towing. Also the involvement of the Maritime Authorities Rules and Regulations with these same personnel. In the United States these Maritime Authorities are the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB). By the U.S. Code of Law all maritime affairs are the responsibility of the Federal Government and thus the province of the Federal Court System. Looking through the various issues and points NAUTICAL LOG decided that the most important issue was confidentiality. In all the incidents, investigations and court proceedings studied this was the most important point. Without it there can be no unbiased collection ...

UPDATE: Australian Immigration Minister thinks Abby is "Well you're a stupid idiot". So what about your own Jessica mate? Just into NAUTICAL LOG is this photo of the French fishing vessel that was the first on scene of the S/Y Wild Eyes dismasting. We understand that they sent one of their boats across to transfer Abby Sunderland from her yacht to the ship. A message was sent to the Sunderland family in Thousand Oaks, CA. USA by Maritime Authorities saying that she was now safe and well. Merci Ile De La Reunion et les autres sauveteurs, avion et bateaux bon voyage tous sans exception. Bon Garde - Good Watch. At NAUTICAL LOG we would like to direct you to www.abbysunderland.com/ there is a message from someone who is definitely a seafarer and a damn fine seaman. It is no fun to lose your vessel and Abby expresses things very well indeed.

le Commandant Jaques-Yves COUSTEAU Officier 'La Royale' Naissance 100 June 11, 1910 - June 25, 1997

Word came this afternoon of two Press Releases from the Sea Shepherds, they are playing at being a 'patrol boat' in the Mediterranean. Well they came 12,000 nautical miles from Tasmania so one supposes they have to do something for the cameras. Still as you can see above they took some great photos of bluefin tuna gill net fishing and most of us do not see these. With the season nearly over the SS-PG vessel finally left Cannes, France and went down to Valletta, Malta. It is a fabulous port a favourite of NAUTICAL LOG with great boats, people, dining, teeming with history and Malti, that most interesting language - Sahha, fejn hu Steve Irwin jekk joghgbok? Well good things come to pass and she sailed to play at 'patrol boat' but under some close observation and supervision. First came the routine Med. air patrol of the French Navy which overflew them to confirm their course and report it to the patrolling EU warships. The Navies around here do not behave like the A...

Salvage seems to indicate to people a world of romance and adventure, in fact there is little if any 'romance' and often far too much 'adventure'. For the recreational boater it can be an absolute disaster with huge costs and the loss of your boat - all too easily. NAUTICAL LOG has suggested before that a membership with professional towing companies is the preferred course. By having a policy with BOAT US/VESSEL ASSIST or SEATOW the situation when one gets into trouble is that of an insurance policy activated when needed with the premiums fully paid up. Pretty much the same concept as your AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION policy for land travels and there are usually no additional charges. This membership pretty much obviates the salvage rights but not entirely so read and understand your 'Red' or 'Yellow' policy and talk with the franchise. However for the boater dealing with an 'independent' tower things can be quite different because different...

OBT: We saw this on our local news here in South Florida. It seems an 'Odd Bits Towboat' somehow. With nothing against the design per se this looks like a very strange choice of boat for offshore towing. Listed as working the San Juan Islands in the NW United States and Canada where there are pretty rough seas. Speaking as a former towmaster of large tugs in that area NAUTICAL LOG has a great sense of unease in the rig. The projecting bar aft looks very dangerous working with a single span towline or even with a bridle rig. OMG #1: the new "helicopter slip knot" using yellow line which is known to deteriorate in sunlight. Not a good choice for towline usage. OMG #2: look how that towline is leading and where that crewperson's left hand is. That looks like the same boat as in OMG #1. As NAUTICAL LOG said in Part 1. we are going to have a look at at assistance towing. In a previous Post we addressed insuring your vessel, clearly most important and bears no ha...

Now that we are into the boating season the lack of winter maintenance, spring preparation or just plain old bad luck means that on occasions things go wrong. If one cannot fix it so as to get to a safe harbour what do you do? Just like when the car breaks down, call for assistance and just like ashore the sea towing companies are waiting!! These remarks are in two parts and NAUTICAL LOG will have some general remarks in this Part and cover the 'assistance towing' industry to the recreational boats in Part 2 - and that can be fraught with problems. NAUTICAL LOG has had experience, early in my career, working for tow companies in the areas of Southeastern Alaska, and British Columbia log booms, chip barges and later log carriers, via Juan de Fuca Strait to the Columbia River entrance with rock barges and through the San Juan Islands to Seattle with railroad barges. On the New Zealand coast moving a dredger across Cook Strait and down the East coast of the South Island from Wel...

UPDATE: NAUTICAL LOG INFORMATION NOTES (NLIN) can now be found on our new Blog MARITIME STUDIES TRAINING www.maritimestudiestraining.blogspot.com/ The following M-Notices are now available at www.mcga.gov.uk/ if needed contact the M-Notice Administrator at 023-8032-9391 . MIN 384 (M) Safety Code UK Waters Passenger Ships MIN 391 (M) Vessel Traffic Services MIN 393 (M) Research Project 'Lashing at Sea' MGN 411 (M+F) Training and Certification Requirements Good Watch.