Wavelength #32

W

Volume 4, Issue 32, March 2009

avelength The CENTROFIN Newsletter

National Transportation Safety Board

In this issue pg 4

Marine Accident Report

BODIES of Knowledge

Allision of Containership M/V “X-X” With the Delta Tower of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge San Francisco, California November 7, 2007 NTSB/MAR-09/01

pg 6

This is a synopsis from the Safety Board's report and does not include the Board's rationale for the conclusions, probable cause, and safety recommendations. Safety Board staff is currently making final revisions to the report from which the attached conclusions and safety recommendations have been extracted. The final report and pertinent safety recommendation letters will be distributed to recommendation recipients as soon as possible. The attached information is subject to further review and editing.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On Wednesday, November 7, 2007, about 0830 Pacific standard time, “Y” registered, 901-foot-long container ship M/V “X-X” alluded with the fender-system at the base of the Delta tower of the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge. The ship was outbound from berth 56 in the Port of Oakland, California, and was destined for Busan, South Korea. Contact with the bridge tower created a 212-footlong by 10-foot-high by 8-foot-deep gash in the forward port side of the ship and breached the Nos. 3 and 4 port fuel tanks and the No. 2 port ballast tank. As a result of the breached fuel tanks, about 53,500 gallons of fuel oil were released into San Francisco Bay. No injuries or fatalities resulted from the accident, but the fuel spill contaminated about 26 miles of shoreline, killed more than 2,500 birds of about 50 species, temporarily closed a fishery on the bay, and delayed the start of the crab-fishing season.

Antarctica & The Environment (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia)

TO THE MASTER: Please circulate copies of this Bulletin to the CREW.

To reach our Seafarers

Humour in the Office

Total monetary damages were estimated to be $1.24 million for the ship, $1.5 million for the bridge, and more than $70 million for environmental cleanup.

pg 8-9

The following safety issues were identified during this accident investigation:

Safety First !!

Medical oversight of the vessel pilot; Medical oversight of mariners in general; Guidance for vessel traffic service operators in exercising authority to manage traffic; Procedures for improving the assessment of oil spills in California waters; and Training and oversight of the vessel crew.

As a result of its investigation of this accident, the Safety Board makes safety recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard, the American Pilots' Association, and vessel Managers.

pg 10

Observation skills pg 12

Antarctica & The Environment pg 14

CONCLUSIONS The following were neither causal nor contributory to the accident: wind and current; the vessel propulsion and steering systems; the bridge navigation systems; bridge team response to orders; vessel harbour traffic; navigation aids, including the RACON at the centre of the DeltaEcho span; maintenance of a proper lookout; pilot training and experience; and vessel traffic service equipment and operational capability

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.4 million km² (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, which averages at least 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) in thickness. <----------------------------------------------------Adelie Penguin chicks in Antarctica, with MS Explorer and an iceberg in the background. The image was taken in January 1999. MS Explorer sank on 23 November 2007, after hitting an iceberg in Antarctica.

Rationale for a Good Night's Rest

cont'd on pg 2 On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.

Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.

There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside at the various research stations scattered across the continent throughout the year. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae.

cont'd on pg 12

from pg 1

National Transportation Safety Board

N Transpo Safety The California Department of Transportation's assessment of damage to the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge following the allusion was timely and appropriate.

The California Department of Transportation's decision to allow the bridge to remain open to traffic after the allision was appropriate.

In this accident, the bridge tower fender-system worked as intended to protect the pier structure and to limit damage to the striking vessel to the area above the waterline.

The pilot's order for hard port rudder at the time of the allusion was appropriate and possibly limited the damage to the vessel and the bridge fender-system.

Although the pilot had been diagnosed with sleep apnoea, he was being treated for the condition, and there was no evidence that he was sleepdeprived at the time of the accident.

As evidenced by his prescription history and duty schedule, the pilot was most likely taking a number of medications, the types and dosages of which would be expected to degrade cognitive performance, and these effects were present while the pilot was performing piloting duties, including on the day of the accident.

The vessel pilot, at the time of the allision, experienced reduced cognitive function that affected his ability to interpret data and that degraded his ability to safely pilot the ship under the prevailing conditions, as evidenced by a number of navigational errors that he committed.

The pilot and the master of the vessel failed to engage in a comprehensive master/pilot information exchange before the ship departed the dock and failed to establish and maintain effective communication during the accident voyage, with the result that they were unable to effectively carry out their respective navigation and command responsibilities.

The master did not implement several procedures found in the company safety management system related to safe vessel operations, which placed the vessel, the crew, and the environment at risk.

The interactions between the pilot and the master on the day of the allision were likely influenced by a disparity in experience between the pilot and the master in navigating the San Francisco Bay and by cultural differences that made the master reluctant to assert authority over the pilot.

Because the vessel crew was not drug tested, no conclusive evidence exists as to whether or not crew use of illegal drugs played a role in the accident.

Vessel Traffic Service San Francisco personnel, in the minutes before the allision, provided the pilot with incorrect navigational information that may have confused him about the vessel's heading.

Vessel traffic service communications that identify the vessel, not only the pilot, would enhance the ability of vessel masters and crew to monitor and comprehend vessel traffic service communications.

Although Vessel Traffic Service San Francisco personnel should have provided the pilot and the master with unambiguous information about the vessel's proximity to the Delta tower, the Safety Board could not determine whether such information, had it been provided, would have prevented the allision.

The lack of U.S. Coast Guard guidance on the use of vessel traffic service authority limited the ability of Vessel Traffic Service San Francisco personnel to exercise their authority to control or direct vessel movement to minimize risk.

Even though the pilot's personal physician, who prescribed the majority of medications to the pilot, was aware of the pilot's occupation and his medical history, including his documented history of alcohol dependence, he continued to inappropriately prescribe medications that, either individually or in concert, had a high likelihood of adversely affecting the pilot's job performance.

Although the pilot did not disclose to the physician who conducted his January 2007 medical evaluation all of his medical conditions or medication use, as he was required to do, the physician exercised poor medical oversight on behalf of the California Board of Pilot Commissioners by finding the pilot fit for duty despite having collected sufficient information regarding his multiple medical conditions and medications to call into question his ability to perform his piloting duties safely.

Although the pilot did not disclose to the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Board of Pilot Commissioners all of his medical conditions or medication use, as he was required to do, the information he did provide should have been sufficient to prompt the Coast Guard, at a minimum, to conduct additional review of the pilot's fitness for duty. The U.S. Coast Guard, which had the ultimate responsibility for determining the pilot's medical qualification for retaining his merchant mariner's license, should not have allowed the pilot to continue his duties because the pilot was not medically fit. The U.S. Coast Guard's system of medical oversight of mariners continues to be deficient in that it lacks a requirement for mariners to report changes in their medical status between medical evaluations.

Because the vessel was crewed with mariners who were new to the vessel, who had not worked together previously, who for the most part were new to the company, and who were insufficiently trained in vessel operations and company safety procedures, Ship-Managers placed the vessel and crew at risk when the vessel got under way in South Korea. Providing a safety management system manual to the vessel crew only in English and not also in the vessel's working language limited the crewmembers' ability to review and follow the SMS. Ship-Managers had not successfully instilled in the master and crew the importance of following all company safety management system procedures.

- pg 3 -

National ortation y Board The failure of the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response to quickly quantify and relay an accurate estimate of the quantity of oil spilled to the Unified Command did not affect the overall on-water recovery effort in this accident.

The Federal on-scene coordinator failed to aggressively use the resources available to him to obtain timely and accurate information about the extent of the spill in order to fulfil his responsibilities.

Effective communication regarding response activities was established and maintained between the oil spill response organizations, the qualified individual, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Unified Command on the day of the accident.

The designated oil spill response organizations' level of response to the vessel fuel oil spill was timely and effective.

A mechanism for the collection and regular communication among pilot oversight organisations of pilot-related performance data and information regarding pilot oversight and best practices would enhance the ability of those organizations to effectively oversee pilots.

Recently implemented international regulations with regard to the protection of fuel oil tanks on non-tank vessels will, over time, reduce the likelihood of oil spills in mishaps such as occurred with the “X-X”.

PROBABLE CAUSE The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the allision of the vessel with the San FranciscoOakland Bay Bridge was the failure to safely navigate the vessel in restricted visibility as a result of (1) the pilot's degraded cognitive performance from his use of impairing prescription medications, (2) the absence of a comprehensive pre-departure master/pilot exchange and a lack of effective communication between the pilot and the master during the accident voyage, and (3) the master's ineffective oversight of the pilot's performance and the vessel's progress. - Contributing to the accident was Ship-Managers' failure to properly train and prepare crew members prior to the accident voyage, and their failure to adequately ensure that the crew understood and complied with the safety management system; and the U.S. Coast Guard's failure to provide adequate medical oversight of the pilot in view of the medical and medication information that the pilot had reported to the Coast Guard.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS New Recommendations As a result of this accident investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following safety recommendations: To the U.S. Coast Guard: Propose to the International Maritime Organization that it include a segment on cultural and language differences and their possible influence on mariner performance in its bridge resource management curricula. (M-09-XX)

Revise your vessel traffic service policies to ensure that vessel traffic service communications identify the vessel, not only the pilot, when vessels operate in pilotage waters. (M-09-XX)

Provide Coast Guard-wide guidance to vessel traffic service personnel that clearly defines expectations for the use of existing authority to direct or control vessel movement when such action is justified in the interest of safety. (M-09-XX)

Require mariners to report to the Coast Guard, in a timely manner, any substantive changes in their medical status or medication use that occur between required medical evaluations. (M-09-XX)

Supersedes M-05-05 Establish a mechanism through which representatives of pilot oversight organizations collect and regularly communicate pilot performance data and information regarding pilot oversight and best practices. (M-09-XX)

To Ship-Managers: When assigning a new crew to a vessel, ensure that all crewmembers are thoroughly familiar with vessel operations and company safety procedures before the vessel departs the port. (M09-XX) Provide safety management system manuals that are in the working language of a vessel's crew. (M-09-XX)

To the American Pilots' Association: Inform your members of the circumstances of this accident, remind them that a pilot card is only a supplement to a verbal master/pilot exchange, and encourage your pilots to include vessel masters and/or the officer in charge of the navigational watch in all discussions and decisions regarding vessel navigation in pilotage waters. (M-09-XX)

Previously Issued Recommendations Reclassified in This Report To the U.S. Coast Guard:

M-05-04 Revise regulation 46 CFR 10.709 to require that the results of all physical examinations be reported to the Coast Guard, and provide guidance to mariners, employers, and mariner medical examiners on the specific actions required to comply with these regulations. Safety Recommendation M-05-04, previously classified “OpenAcceptable Response,” is reclassified “ClosedAcceptable Alternate Action” in the “Coast Guard Medical Oversight of Mariners” section of this report.

M-05-05 In formal consultation with experts in the field of occupational medicine, review your medical oversight process and take actions to address, at a minimum, the lack of tracking of performed examinations; the potential for inconsistent interpretations and evaluations between medical practitioners; deficiencies in the system of storing medical data; the absence of requirements for mariners or others to report changes in medical condition between examinations; and the limited ability of the Coast Guard to review medical evaluations made by personal health care providers.

BODIES of Knowledge O

ur bodies are incredibly complex machines. Every second of every day we are powered by beating hearts, and carried around by intricate skeletons.

Pipes, organs, hormones and brain cells keep us eating, breathing, growing and thinking. And yet few of us ever get to see the amazing mechanisms hidden beneath our own skin.

For thousands of years the inner workings of the body have provoked fascination, confusion, amazement and even disgust.

Different cultures, at various points in history, have looked and studied the body, have translated ideas into texts and pictures and have explored all sorts of bodily 'curiosities'.

c.500: The first recorded medical dissection of a human body is by the ancient Greek philosopher and medical theorist Alcmaeon of Croton who is credited with identifying the Eustachian tubes (auditory canals). He also classifies the brain as the seat of intellectual activity. c.400: Hippocrates founds the Asclepiades, a school of medicine. He is the author of the medical oath of ethics and the earliest medical scientist who has a significant amount of work which exhibits an understanding of the musculoskeletal structure and human organs. c.384-322: The philosopher Aristotle distinguishes between arteries and veins. He relies on teaching anatomy through “paradigms, schemata and diagrams” as well as animal dissection rather than the use of human cadavers. c.280: During the Ptolemaic era, cadaver dissection is allowed at the anatomy school in Alexandria on the coast of northern Africa. Herophilius of Chalcedon, a Greek physician and early “Father of Anatomy,” studies the nervous system, reproductive organs, and blood vessels. His work was complemented by Erasistratus of Chios, the leader of the school who revealed more about the cardiovascular system.

History of Milestones

Anatomy

-

BCE 1600-1550: Two ancient Egyptian papyri distinguish organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, kidney, uterus, and bladder as well as blood vessels. No doubt the practice of mummification left the Egyptians intimately familiar with some aspects of human anatomy.

CE 30: The Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus publishes On Medicine (De re medicina), a collection of Greek medical writings featuring anatomy and surgeries.

162: The Greek scientist Galen moves to Rome and becomes a physician at the imperial court. He gained valuable experience as the attending physician at a gladiator

school and was known for his brain and eye surgeries. His works form the basis of medical knowledge through 13 centuries, due in large part to the ban on cadaver dissection in medieval Europe.

1489: Leonardo da Vinci begins creating a series of over 700 anatomical drawings. Although often relying on assumptions based on animal anatomy, da Vinci dissected dozens of cadavers to learn more about the inner workings of the human body.

1522-1523: Jacopo Berengario da Carpi publishes Isagogae breves per lucide ac uberrime in Anatomiam humani corporis, the first detailed anatomic description of the human body in a series of illustrations.

1543: Andreas Vesalius' On the Workings of the Human Body (De humani corporis fabrica) features elaborate and accurate drawings of the dissected human body. This tome marks the beginning of modern anatomy and emphasizes the importance of dissection.

1562: Gabriele Fallopio describes the anatomy of several reproductive organs, in particular the uterine tubes today commonly called the “Fallopian” tubes.

1628: William Harvey writes The Anatomical Function of the Movement of the Heart and Blood in Animals (Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus) in which he correctly explains the circulatory system.

- pg 5 -

1632: The painting Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, by Rembrandt, demonstrates the intimate connection between artists and anatomists as well as the atmosphere of public curiosity surrounding anatomy lessons in the 17th century.

1661: The microscope begins to play a key role in the study of anatomy after Marcello Malpighi, the “Father of Microscopic Anatomy”, uses it to discover capillaries.

1664: Thomas Willis gives the first complete description of the anatomy of the brain.

1718: The German surgeon Lorenz Heister publishes a treatise on surgery that becomes the standard text on the subject.

1752: Rene de Reaumur shows the role of gastric juices in digestion.

1771: The founder of pathologic anatomy, Giovanni Battista Morgagni, dies. He was known for his extensive and meticulous autopsies. In this same year, William Hewson details his research on blood coagulation.

1774: London's leading obstetrician, William Hunter, publishes a definitive work on the reproductive system.

1832: As the interest in anatomy grows, England passes the Anatomy Act to offer an adequate and legitimate supply of bodies and prevent body-snatching, graverobbing, and murdering as means of providing anatomists with cadavers.

1855: Claude Bernard describes what become known as hormones: special substances liberated by organs into the tissue fluids which assist in maintaining the constancy of the internal environment.

1858: Henry Gray's Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical is first published. It soon becomes the foremost anatomical reference text and its descendant is still widely used today.

1887: The National Institutes of Health is established in the USA. 1891: Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer proposes the neuron theory of the nervous system. He uses the term “neuron” to describe the nervous cells, or basic structural unit of the nervous system. He uses the term “neuron” to describe the nervous cells, or basic structural unit of the nervous system.

1953: James Watson and Francis Crick discover the molecular structure of DNA. 1967: Although his patient would die less than three weeks after the procedure, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard's heart transplant procedure is considered the world's first successful one.

1972: Raymond Damadian demonstrates an MRI of the whole body. In the same year, British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield and South African physicist Allan Cormack invent the technique known as Computer Assisted Tomography, or the CAT scan.

1986: Work on the Visible Human Project begins with the goal of creating complete, anatomically detailed, 3-D representations of the normal male and female body.

2003: The Human Genome Project is successful in identifying the approximately 20,00025,000 genes in human DNA and in determining the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that comprise it.

Amazing Heart Facts > > >

1895: Wilhelm Roentgen demonstrates his new invention, the x-ray, on his wife's left hand at his lab in Wurzburg, Germany.

> >

1897: Sir Charles Sherrington coins the term “synapse” to describe functional contact between nerve cells.

1921: John Newport Langley gives a detailed description of the structure and function of the involuntary (autonomic) nervous system.

1952: Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on magnetic resonance phenomenon, leading to the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI.

Your heart is about the same size as your fist.

An average adult body contains about five quarts of blood.

All the blood vessels in the body joined end to end would stretch 62,000 miles or two and a half time around the earth.

The heart circulates the body's blood supply about 1,000 times each day.

The heart pumps the equivalent of 5,000 to 6,000 quarts of blood each day.

Did You Know? zA human being loses an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day. zA cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph. zEvery time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie. zA foetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months. zA sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph. zEvery person has a unique tongue print. zAccording to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.

cont'd on pg 7

1833: Jan Evangelista Purkinje discovers sweat glands. He would later discover the neurons in the cortex of the cerebellum and conducting fibres in the heart. He is also credited with the first system of classifying fingerprints and use of the word “protoplasm.”

1839: Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden accurately explain the cell theory, stating that the cell is the general unit of all life.

Humour in the Office Compliments BOW WAVE

Defining some business terms:-

—ability The virtue you are forced to use if your boss has no daughter —adminisphere

—blamestorming A method of collectively finding one to blame for a mistake no one is willing to confess to.

Often occurs in the form of a meeting of colleagues at work, gathered to decide who is to blame for a problem

—clone 1. An exact duplicate; "Our product is a clone of their product" 2. A shoddy, spurious copy; "Their product is a clone of our product" —committee

The levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made

—boss Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early

—comprehension

—advertising

—cell phone

Something that one has to get in order to get it

The art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need

An electronic device for oneto-one communication and one-to-many irritation

—all new Not compatible with earlier versions.

—circular reasoning See reasoning, circular

—compromise The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece

—civil servant

—computer expert

Someone who isn't civil and doesn't serve

Someone who has not read the instructions, but who will nevertheless feel qualified to install a program and, when it does not function correctly, pronounce it incompatible with the operating system.

—ambiguity The lack of clarity in speech, or something like that —applicating The act of submitting applications

—argument An exchange of words between people with diametrically opposed views, all of whom know that they are right

—class action A stylish deed —clicklexia A disorder often suffered by novice computer users in which they have a tendency to double-click on items which only require one click, often resulting in two items opening instead of just one

An entity that keeps minutes and loses hours

—computer An electronic time-saving device that is commonly used for time-wasting activities

—cooperate Used of oneself, to enter into a constructive collaboration with another person. Used of someone else, to do exactly as one is told —corporation An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility —design What you later regret not doing.

—dictionary The only place where success comes before work.

—DIY Damage-It-Yourself —egosurfing Typing your own name into google to see who's talking about you.

—experience 1. The ability to repeat one's mistakes with ever increasing confidence.

2. What you get when you don't get what you want.

How do you pay a pirate's ransom?

By Robyn Hunter BBC News

Pirates in Somalia are making a fortune by hijacking ships and demanding ransoms to set them and their crews free - one official estimates the total this year to be around $150m.

There are conflicting reports about how much they want for the Saudi oil tanker they seized last month, the Sirius Star, and its cargo of two million barrels of oil, but how do you negotiate and deliver a pirate ransom in the 21st Century? “ The owner hires people to take the money... for the handover of the big bags of cash. Same like the movies. ” Fahid Hassan, Harardhere From what can be gleaned - how the negotiations run their course and how the ransoms are paid - what goes on would be worthy of a Hollywood action movie script.

"No matter what process is taken, they always go through a middleman," advises BBC Somali service analyst Said Musa. "And trust is at the heart of everything."

Fahid Hassan, who has experience of the negotiations, says that after boarding the ship, the first step for the pirates is to make contact with its owners.

"All the important documents are there on the ship, so the pirates can know easily all the information they need," he says.

"The talks are by telephone, mostly satellite phone but sometimes even SMS/text messages are sent. The pirates do not negotiate themselves. They hire someone and often this person is a relative; someone they can trust."

"For the Sirius Star, there are two negotiators. Sometimes they are on the ship, sometimes they are in town. The negotiator must work and work and work to get the money, which is a very difficult job. It is very difficult to please the owner and please the pirates," he adds.

"But once the money is delivered the

- pg 7 —instruction manual An explanation of how to use something written in a way that is easily understood only by the author

—jury —FAQ

Twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer

Frequently Avoided Questions. A company's attempt to answer commonly asked questions such as, "How do I get technical support?"

—life insurance term (coined by the greatest marketer of all time) for a plan that keeps you poor all your life so you can die rich

—feature A hardware limitation, as described by a marketing representative.

—management consultant Someone who tells you how to improve doing something that he or she can't do at all

—flow chart A graphic representation of a bowl of spaghetti.

—freelance To collect unemployment

—hardware The parts of a computer which can be kicked —inbox A catch basin for everything you don't want to deal with, but are afraid to throw away —initiative Deliberately disobeying a destructive order from your manager and being right in the long run

—management The art of getting other people to do the work —marketing The art of selling a product that doesn't cost much to produce in such a way that people will take out a small loan to own it —meeting An assembly of people coming together to decide what person or department not represented in the room must solve a problem

—innumeracy An ineptitude for mathematics which results in the fear of all sums

negotiator gets a share, the same as a pirate. Everyone on the ship gets an equal share."

Mr Hassan says that in the past, the ransom was delivered by money transfer, but that now owners hire a third party to hand over the money directly.

"They come onto the ship or the pirates get onto their boat for the handover of the bags of cash," he says.

"The men who bring the money then go; they leave the ship to let the pirates count and check. Some of the pirates have counting machines and also machines to detect fake notes."

Security firms Roger Middleton, a Horn of Africa specialist at the Chatham House, says the ship-owners hire professionals, from specialist negotiators to private security firms, to transfer the ransoms.

"They are mostly ex-SAS and British or Australian. A lot are also South African," he says.

Not much more is known for certain, however, as it is an unwritten rule among members of such firms that there are no kiss-and-tell stories.

Understandably, those involved are also aware of the needs of their clients and the strict demand for secrecy with people's lives being at stake.

However, Mr Middleton says that such operations cost about $1m, not including the ransom.

"The professional negotiators, acting on behalf of the ship owners and the lawyers for ensuring that the shipping companies are not putting themselves in any dubious positions were handsomely rewarded," he explains.

Regarding what goes on behind closed doors, be it the negotiations and the legal and insurance matters as a result of these hijackings, Mr Middleton says it would be fair to say that, "most of it happens in London," he adds.

cont'd on pg 10

BODIES of Knowledge from pg 5

ΞAfter spending hours working at a

computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink. ΞAn average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime. ΞA fingernail or toenail takes about 6 months to grow from base to tip. ΞAn average human scalp has 100,000 hairs. ΞIt takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. ΞBabies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood we have only 206 in our bodies. ΞBeards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime. ΞBy age sixty, most people have lost half of their taste buds. By the time you turn 70, your heart will have beat some two-and-a-half billion times (figuring on an average of 70 beats per minute.) ΞEach square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels. ΞEvery human spent about half an hour as a single cell. ΞEvery square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it. ΞFingernails grow faster than toenails. ΞHumans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

Amazing Lung Facts

Ξ At rest, a person breathes about 14 to

16 times per minute. After exercise it could increase to over 60 times per minute. New babies at rest breathe between 40 and 50 times per minute.

By age five it decreases to around 25 times per minute. Ξ The total surface area of the alveoli (tiny air sacs in the lungs) is the size of a tennis court. Ξ The lungs are the only organ in the body that can float on water. Ξ The lungs produce a detergent-like substance which reduces the surface tension of the fluid lining, allowing air in.

Our body is a walking, living work of ART. Never take it for granted. Ed

Safety First !!

Message from the DPA: In this edition I wish to address an issue that is indirectly related to safety, however is in itself very important. As you are all aware, the world economy and along with it the shipping industry are currently facing great financial challenges. Years of growth and prosperity have been succeeded by a recession, of which the magnitude was not predicted and the end is as yet uncertain. In these times we wish to emphasise to our seafarers that: 1. Our commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards remains in top priority. No excuse is acceptable for cutting corners or for lapses in safety or environment protection.

An Environmentally Friendly ship is an Efficient ship.

2. Our seafarers must remain extremely alert and vigilant in all circumstances. Everyone can contribute to avoiding an unsafe practice, from the most junior deck hand right up to the Master. Everyone must contribute in these challenging times, and the seafarers' duty is to continuously improve their performance. A Safe ship is an Efficient ship.

3. The company well positioned for sailing through the present market situation. It is our wish to keep in close coordination with our seafarers in order to assist them in the execution of their duties. A Well Organised ship is an Efficient ship.

We trust that you will all meet up to our expectations and wish you safe seas.

Anthony Lambros / Q&S Manager DPA I welcome your comments, suggestions or feedback on the contents of this column (Safety First!) at q&s@centrofin.gr

The most effective way of avoiding oil spills is by having well trained personnel who are constantly vigilant while handling all cargo, bunkers and ballast in order to always keep oil within the planned containment space.

However, for any unforeseen reason if this basic precaution is not effective, then the ship is the next most effective container.

This is only effective when all openings are properly plugged:

nScupper

plugs should always be in place, effectively plugged and sealed. nForm D-29 Ship / Shore checklist must be accurately completed. nNever use defective scupper plugs which have lost their sealing capabilities. nCarry out thorough inspection and maintenance of scupper plugs, pipes and drain valves.

Health Issue: Understanding and Treating Medical Shock Source:

Chevron Shipping Safety Bulletin April09

Major causes of shock include heart attack, uncontrolled internal or external bleeding, dehydration, severe infection, burns, anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), persistent vomiting and diarrhea - all possible scenarios that can occur when maritime crews are at sea and far from shoreside medical care.

Shock symptoms vary and can present in a variety of forms, almost always associated with low blood pressure: > Faster than normal breathing > Cool, moist, pale skin > Dusky lips or nail beds > A rapid, weak or difficult-to-locate pulse > Dizziness/ lightheadedness or episodes of passing out or fainting > Generalized weakness > Anxiety, agitation or confusion > Altered level of consciousness If a crewmember is experiencing any of the above symptoms, he may be suffering from one of five types of shock. Understanding the different categories of shock and knowing how to provide initial first aid treatment can be critical to save a life.

Septic shock is caused by a body-wide, toxic infection that travels via the bloodstream, affecting one or more body systems. Septic shock can occur when an infection is not treated properly or early enough, leading to the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia).

Cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart muscle is too weak to properly pump the blood through the body, leading to dangerously low blood pressure. Individuals with heart conditions and the elderly are more susceptible.

Often, the cause is a heart attack, where enough heart muscle is injured to cause the "pump" to be less efficient.

Neurogenic shock occurs after injury to the spinal cord. Electrical conduction from the brain to the body is disrupted, causing malfunction with the regulatory functions of the body, and may include the respiratory, cardiac, circulatory, digestive, and neurological systems. Maritime crewmembers are often at greater risk of spinal cord injuries, given potential falls on slippery deck surfaces that can lead to a direct head strike and spinal compression. Even an electrical shock strong enough to throw a person some distance can cause trauma to the spine.

Hypovolemic shock is caused by fluid loss, either through persistent vomiting and diarrhea, or by uncontrolled bleeding from trauma.

During long voyages, it's not an uncommon occurrence for crew to be struck with the stomach flu or food poisoning, which can result in severe dehydration associated with vomiting or diarrhea. Traumatic injuries such as lacerations can result in uncontrolled bleeding, and crew who use blood thinners have an increased risk due to an altered clotting factor.

Anaphylactic shock is an abnormal, exacerbated response to the introduction of an allergen to the body, most often by injection or ingestion. The body, if sensitive to the substance, reacts by causing dilatation of the blood vessels and a consequent drop in blood pressure. Typically, this type of shock is accompanied by local or generalized swelling that can quickly become life threatening involving the skin, face, gastrointestinal tract

and also the upper or lower airways (larynx, bronchi).

Allergic reactions can occur when crew are exposed to solvents and cleaning products used onboard, as well as from contact with jelly fish and other marine life. The allergy-sensitive food list varies widely, and a first time occurrence can come as a surprise and worsen rapidly. Any food eaten for the first time should be monitored for possible allergic reaction.

Being able to identify possible shock and making an early call to a medical advisory service very well may save a life. A solid understanding of first aid is also critical.

Simple first aid includes the following steps when shock is suspected: - Protecting the airway and the spinal cord, laying the patient flat to preserve central or "core" circulation to the vital organs - Applying direct pressure to a bleeding site in order to lessen blood loss caused by trauma - Providing supportive and comforting measures - Keeping the person quiet and calm until further treatment can take place Working with a land-based emergency doctor trained in remote diagnosis, you may also be asked to attempt a blood pressure reading, obtain a pulse and breathing rate, administer oxygen or give oral/ intravenous fluids as appropriate.

Your observations and a description of how the person looks to you in an objective fashion will help the doctor make basic decisions regarding the first line treatment, using the medical equipment available onboard your vessel.

- pg 9 -

HOW TO AVOID POLLUTION FROM IMPROPERLY SEALED DECK SCUPPERS

nMake sure there is no corrosion within

the scupper piping which could result in loss of sealing capabilities. nAlways conduct tests of the tightness of the scuppers plugs prior arrival in port. nMake sure that scupper plugs opened for drainage of rain water, are properly replaced. nDouble check scuppers are effectively plugged or actually ensuring that the ship shore checklist is accurately completed. nCompany's procedures & international legislation regarding this subject must be followed at all times. nPersonnel checking the scuppers are properly sealed must have the necessary training and competence to carry out the specific task on board. (source: IMT Safety Alert Bulletin 03/2008)

OUR OWN TRACK RECORD How do we measure up?

Safety Bulletin 09-02

It is a widely acknowledged fact that most incidents are directly or indirectly attributed to the human element. We firmly believe that continuous training and re-deployment will enable the seafarers to perform their duties in a safer way. One of the measures of the quality of service that our seafarers are offering is the retention rate. This figure has been constantly on the rise over the past few years (even with the introduction of new nationalities) and in the past year it has risen to over 90%, i.e. on average 9 out of 10 seafarers on board have served before with company vessels.

Case Study: “ Not Too Much Astern” Vessel: Tanker applicable to all vessels Source: MAIB Safety Digest 1/2009 I. Details of incident and course of events An Aframax tanker was approaching a port in the UK at night, timed to arrive off the berth during the high water slack period, and intending to turn and berth facing seawards.

This was the usual approach for this size of vessel.

On the bridge were the master, second officer, helmsman, the sea pilot and a berthing pilot who had arrived with two tugs.

The tugs were made fast in a “push-pull” configuration, one on the starboard shoulder and one forward of the accommodation on the starboard side. Following the tanker into port was a container ship heading for a berth further upstream. The container ship would pass the tanker as she was turning to berth.

The pilots of both vessels had agreed that the container ship would pass once the tanker had turned “nearly all the way round”.

The berthing pilot began the manoeuvre to turn the tanker using a combination of engine, helm and tug movements. This included the order for the forward tug to lay back parallel to the ship's side, having the twin effects of slowing the tanker and assisting the swing to starboard. The berthing pilot positioned himself on the port bridge wing, from where he had good sight of a buoy marking the edge of the channel astern of the vessel. Once the turn had started, he could not see the container ship from this position, nor could he see the bridge instrumentation. The tanker's position in the channel also meant that there were few visual clues available to the pilot to

indicate the vessel's direction and rate of movement.

As the turn continued, the tanker slowed, stopped, and then started to gather sternway under the combined effects of her engines and the forward tug's actions. This reduced the available space for the container ship to pass astern of the tanker while still remaining in the channel, and resulted in a clearing distance of 15 metres.

II. Lessons learned 1. The tanker was equipped with ground stabilised radar, log and GPS, all of which indicated that she was making sternway.

However, because the berthing pilot had positioned himself on the port bridge wing, he was unable to monitor the instrumentation.

sternway, or to give updates on the position and movements of the container ship. The master had positioned himself on the starboard side of the bridge, from where he could see the container ship, but he could not see the pilot. He was therefore not in a position to effectively monitor, or question, his actions.

3. As the incident occurred close to the time of high water, there was sufficient depth of water available for the container ship to pass outside the main channel. The pilot of the container ship could have altered the vessel's course to pass the channel marker buoys on the “wrong side”, thereby increasing the passing distance with the tanker. This is a manoeuvre that is discussed during pilot training, but it was not carried out on this occasion.

He was therefore estimating the vessel's movement by eye, a particularly difficult task at night with few visual clues. The master, OOW and sea pilot were all in the wheelhouse, and were in a position to advise the berthing pilot of the vessel's movement and of the proximity of the container ship. Yet they failed to do so.

4. The VHF radio conversations between the pilots of the two vessels lacked formality, and relied on task familiarity to correctly interpret intentions. The agreement for the container ship to pass while the tanker was still turning, took insufficient account of where in the channel the tanker would be at the time of passing, or how much room the container ship would require to pass safely.

2. Part of the bridge team's job is to monitor the actions of the pilot and, where doubt exists, confirm with him his intentions. The team should also provide support to the pilot as appropriate. Equally, the pilot should be proactive in requiring support from the vessel's bridge team. Once the turn had started, the bridge team failed to alert the pilot to the fact that the ship was gaining

5. The port in question operated a Traffic Organisation Service and recognised that large laden tankers transiting through it increased the dangers within the port.

However, no specific requirements were promulgated for other vessels to remain clear while the turn.

People and Places

Observation skills Three persons wanted to become detectives, so they went to the police station to see what they needed to do to apply.

The chief told them that he needed to test them first before considering them. He said he would show them a mug-shot of someone for thirty seconds, then ask each one for a description.

After showing the photo to the first person, he covered it, then asked him/her how she would recognize the suspect. "Easy," she replied. "He only has one eye."

The chief was stunned. "He only has one eye because it is a profile shot! Think about it!"

He repeated the procedure for the second person and again asked how he would recognize him.

"He only has one ear," was his answer.

"What is the matter with you people?!? It is a profile shot! You are seeing him from the side!" He repeated the procedure for the third person, then said, "How would you recognize the suspect? Now think before you give me a stupid answer."

After viewing the photo, she thought for a minute, then said, "He's wearing contact lenses."

This took the chief by surprise. He looked real hard at the picture and couldn't tell if the suspect had contacts or not, so he went into the database and looked at the particulars of him. Sure enough, when the mug-shot was taken, he was wearing contact lenses!

Mission to Seafarers Secretary General Bill Christianson will retire at the end of June this year. Canon Christianson is the 14th leader of the international maritime missionary society that cares for seafarers since the post was formalised in 1856.

Canon Christianson's work with The Mission to Seafarers spans forty-two years.

His various port roles with the organisation include chaplain's

assistant, chaplain, and senior chaplain. In 1993, Canon Christianson moved to central office to become ministry secretary and was appointed Secretary General of the society in 2001.

Canon Christianson says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Mission to Seafarers has undergone significant change since being

founded in 1856 and now operates in 230 ports around the world.

Seafarers are still the most important people within the shipping industry and their welfare will remain at the heart of our work as the society develops its ministry for those who work at sea.â&#x20AC;?

:)

HUMOUR Reflections on father time

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Now that I'm 'older' but refuse to grow up, here's what I've discovered: 1. I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

2. My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.

3. I finally got my head together, now my body is falling apart.

4. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded.

5. If all is not lost, where is it?

6. It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

7. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.

8. If God wanted me to touch my toes, He'd have put them on my knees.

9. It's not hard to meet expenses, they're everywhere.

He went back to her and asked, "how could you tell he was wearing contact lenses? Nobody else here in this precinct saw that!"

10.These days I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter...I go somewhere to get something and then...wonder what I'm hereafter

"Well," she said, "he can't wear regular glasses with only one eye and one ear, now, can he?"

(Compliments 'The Maritime Advocate OnLine)

How do you pay a pirate's ransom?

Gavin Simmonds, head of international affairs at the British Chamber of Shipping, agrees this assumption is "highly likely" as London is the centre of the global maritime industry.

"It seems perfectly plausible that the actual facilitation of ransom money is being done by London-based insurers," he says.

However, Mr Simmonds says he has also heard rumours that some exchanges have taken place in Dubai.

Bags of cash The pirates ask that the ransom is all in used dollar bills -

from pg 7

normally $50 or $100 notes according to those with experience of such negotiations.

Kenyan sailor Athman Said Mangore, who was held captive for more than 120 days by Somali pirates, says they are known to make many demands and put in place a number of restrictions.

"They sometimes say they want $208,000 exactly in $100 bills only," he says.

"I don't know why they make those demands. They usually also don't like dollar bills that were printed in 2000 or the years before. If it was printed in 1999, they say: 'This is not fit

to be used in our shop'," he adds.

Once the ship's owners have sourced cash, a private security firm takes over.

They then hire a tug boat, often from the Kenyan port of Mombasa, which they take further north up the coast towards Somali waters.

The security personnel then board the boat with the bags of cash and enough weaponry to keep it safe.

When the ransom has been paid, the pirates are left to count the money and are allowed to leave the vessel freely.

"The navies in the Somali waters of course must have a pretty good idea of what goes on, as they have spy drones

and they are watching the hijacked vessels," Mr Middleton says.

"Whether there's any coordination between the ransom payers and the navies is unknown."

The BBC's Joseph Odhiambo in Mombasa says that on at least two prior occasions the ransom money was delivered to the hijacked vessels via air-drops.

He also says that other payments were flown from Wilson Airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, into Somalia on cargo planes transporting the stimulant, khat.

No-one knows how long it will be until the Sirius Star is set free, but it is fair to say the ransom negotiations will be both complicated and delicate,

- pg 11 Character Continuous Development FTake into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk FWhen you loose, don't loose the lesson…

FFollow the three R's: Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Responsibility for all your Actions FRemember that Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck FLearn the Rules so you know how to break them properly FDon't let a little dispute injure a great relationship FWhen you realise you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it FSpend some time alone every day FOpen your arms to change, but don't give up your values FRemember that silence is sometimes the best answer FLive a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you will be able to enjoy it a second time FA loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life FIn disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past FShare your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality FBe gentle with the Earth FOnce a year, go some place you have never been before FRemember the best relationship is one which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other FJudge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it FApproach love and cooking with reckless abandon

with its cargo believed to be worth $100m.

And the families of its 25 crew members, who are being held hostage, will be hoping that the pirates stay true to their word that they have no intention of harming them.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/africa/7752813.stm "The Sirius Star was finally released on 9th January 2009 after a ransom of US$3 million was paid. After the money was parachuted in the pirates left the vessel and all 25 crew unharmed.

However, one pirate boat carrying eight pirates capsized on its way to shore due to rough weather, and five of the occupants drowned. It seems that in the end crime doesn't pay off"

(DMU) P.R. China This editor was invited to teach and lecture at DMU's Navigation College from February to July 2009. Here is a brief description of it.

Education. Through continual development, DMU has been at the forefront of similar universities both in broadening the scope and in enhancing the level of its programs.

Dalian Maritime University (DMU) is one of the largest and best maritime universities and is the only key maritime institution under the Ministry of Communications, People's Republic of China. DMU enjoys a high reputation internationally as an excellent center of maritime education and training as recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The great results DMU has achieved and the reputation DMU enjoys both at home and abroad are highly valued by the leaders of China. On August 22nd and October 20th in 1993, the Chinese Government leaders, former President Jiang Zemin, Vice President Zeng Qinhong, Premier Wen Jiabao, and Vice Premier Li Lanqing, respectively, inspected DMU. Former President Jiang wrote a few

The long history of the University can be traced back to 1909, when the Nanyang Institute in Shanghai established a Shipping Management Section. Chinese higher maritime education went through many difficult periods and was not well developed before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

words of encouragement for DMU:”Be steadfast, rigorous, industrious, and pioneering in order to build the University into one of the preeminent maritime universities in the world”.

In 1997, DMU began the National Project 211, a plan to build one hundred national-level universities in China.

DMU was created in 1953 through the amalgamation of three merchant marine institutions: Shanghai Nautical College, the Northeast Navigation College and Fujian Navigation School. At that time its name was Dalian Marine College, and it was the only maritime college in China. In 1960, DMU was designated a national key institution of higher education. Later in 1983, the Asia-Pacific Region Maritime Training Center was established at DMU by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the IMO and in 1985 a branch of the World Maritime University (WMU) was established.

DMU is located in southwestern Dalian, which is a famous coastal city in northeastern China with a population of six million. The University covers an area of one million square meters with almost half a million square meters occupied by buildings. The University owns the buildings for maritime sciences that contain fully functional equipment and facilities. There are additional buildings for maritime training and research, survival training, swimming pool, planetarium and libraries. DMU has a training dock and over 40 laboratories for teaching, training and research that also include a full mission shiphandling simulator and an engine room simulator. DMU also owns and operates an ocean-going training vessel of over 10,000 deadweight tonnage.

With the approval of the Ministry of Education in 1994, the University's name was changed to the present one. In 1998, the University was awarded the ISO9001 Certificate of Quality Assurance accredited by the Norwegian Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and the China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA); it became the first maritime university in China to have the ISO9001 Certificate. In 2004, the University successfully passed the quality assessment of undergraduate teaching by the Ministry of

A suburb of Dalian is the famous port of Lushun. A strategic location for many past and heroic battles between the neighbouring countries (Sino-Japanese & Rusian Japanese forces). In 1860 a visiting British warship dropped anchor here and later the RN named the bay ' Port Arthur'. For more information please visit website http://english.dlmu.edu.cn/

Antarctica & The Environment from pg 1

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia) The name Antarctica is the Romanised version of the Greek compound word ανταρκτική (antarktiké), feminine of ανταρκτικός (antarktikos), meaning "opposite to the north".

Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. However, the continent remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolation.

The first formal use of the name "Antarctica" as a continental name in the 1890s is attributed to the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by twelve countries; to date, forty-six countries have signed the treaty. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists of many nationalities and with different research interests.

discovered Ross Island (both of which were named for him). He sailed along a huge wall of ice that was later named the Ross Ice Shelf (also named for him). Mount Erebus and Mount Terror are named after two ships from his expedition: HMS Erebus and Terror. Mercator Cooper landed in Eastern Antarctica on 26 January 1853.

During the Nimrod Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1907, parties led by T. W. Edgeworth David became the first to climb Mount Erebus and to reach the South Magnetic Pole. Douglas Mawson, who assumed the leadership of the Magnetic Pole party on their perilous return, went on to lead several expeditions until retiring in 1931. In addition, Shackleton himself and three other members of his expedition made several firsts in December 1908 February 1909: they were the first humans to traverse the Ross Ice

History Belief in the existence of a Terra Australisa vast continent in the far south of the globe to "balance" the northern lands of Europe, Asia and North Africa had existed since the times of Ptolemy (1st century AD), who suggested the idea to preserve the symmetry of all known landmasses in the world. Depictions of a large southern landmass were common in maps such as the early 16th century Turkish Piri Reis map. Even in the late 17th century, after explorers had found that South America and Australia were not part of the fabled "Antarctica", geographers believed that the continent was much larger than its actual size.

European maps continued to show this hypothetical land until Captain James Cook's ships, HMS Resolution and Adventure, crossed the Antarctic Circle on 17 January 1773, in December 1773 and again in January 1774. Cook in fact came within about 75 miles (121 km) of the Antarctic coast before retreating in the face of field ice in January 1773. The first confirmed sighting of Antarctica can be narrowed down to the crews of ships captained by three individuals.

According to various organizations (the National Science Foundation, NASA, the University of California, San Diego, and other sources), ships captained by three men sighted Antarctica in 1820: Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (a captain in the Russian Imperial Navy), Edward Bransfield (a captain in the Royal Navy), and Nathaniel Palmer (an American sealer out of Stonington, Connecticut). Von Bellingshausen saw Antarctica on 27 January 1820, three days before Bransfield sighted land, and ten months before Palmer did so in November 1820. On that day the two-ship expedition led by Von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev reached a point within 32 kilometres (20 mi) of the Antarctic mainland and saw ice fields there. The first documented landing on mainland Antarctica was by the American sealer John Davis in Western Antarctica on 7 February 1821, although some historians dispute this claim.

In December 1839, as part of the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842 conducted by the United States Navy (sometimes called the "Ex. Ex.", or "the Wilkes Expedition"), an expedition sailed from Sydney, Australia, into the Antarctic Ocean, as it was then known, and reported the discovery "of an Antarctic continent west of the Balleny Islands". That part of Antarctica was later named "Wilkes Land", a name it maintains to this day.

In 1841, explorer James Clark Ross passed through what is now known as the Ross Sea and

Nimrod Expedition South Pole Party (left to right): Wild, Shackleton, Marshall and Adams

Shelf, the first to traverse the Transantarctic Mountain Range (via the Beardmore Glacier), and the first to set foot on the South Polar Plateau. On 14 December 1911, an expedition led by Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen from the ship Fram became the first to reach the geographic South Pole, using a route from the Bay of Whales and up the Glacier. One month later, the ill-fated Scott Expedition reached the pole.

Richard Evelyn Byrd led several voyages to the Antarctic by plane in the 1930s and 1940s. He is credited with implementing mechanized land transport on the continent and conducting extensive geological and biological research. However, it was not until 31 October 1956 that anyone set foot on the South Pole again; on that day a U.S. Navy group led by Rear Admiral George J. Dufek successfully landed an aircraft there.

The first person to sail single-handed to Antarctica was the New Zealander David Henry Lewis, in a 10-meter steel sloop Ice Bird.

Antarctica without its ice sheet

- pg 13-

Geography (Size comparison Europe-Antarctica) Centred asymmetrically around the South Pole and largely south of the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica is the southernmost continent and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean; alternatively, it may be considered to be surrounded by the southern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, or by the southern waters of the World Ocean. It covers more than 14 million km² (5.4 million sq mi), making it the fifthlargest continent, about 1.3 times as large as Europe. The coastline measures 17,968 kilometres (11,160 mi) and is mostly characterized by ice formations, as the following table shows: Coastal types around Antarctica (Drewry, 1983) Type Ice shelf (floating ice front) Ice walls (resting on ground) Ice stream/outlet glacier (ice front or ice wall) Rock Total

West Antarctica is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The sheet has been of recent concern because of the real, if small, possibility of its collapse. If the sheet were to break down, ocean levels would rise by several metres in a relatively geologically short period of time, perhaps a matter of centuries.

Several Antarctic ice streams, which account for about 10% of the ice sheet, flow to one of the many Antarctic ice shelves.

East Antarctica lies on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains and comprising Coats Land, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Mac Robertson Land, Wilkes Land and Victoria Land. All but a small portion of this region lies within the Eastern Hemisphere. East Antarctica is largely covered by the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica at 4,892 metres (16,050 ft), is located in the Ellsworth Mountains. Antarctica contains many other mountains, both on the main continent and the surrounding islands. Although Antarctica is home to many volcanoes, only Mount Erebus is known to be active.

Frequency 44% 38% 13% 5% 100%

Antarctica is divided in two by the Transantarctic Mountains close to the neck between the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. The portion west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called Western Antarctica and the remainder Eastern Antarctica, because they roughly correspond to the Western and Eastern Hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian.

About 98% of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, a sheet of ice averaging at least 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) thick. The continent has about 90% of the world's ice (and thereby about 70% of the world's fresh water). If all of this ice were melted, sea levels would rise about 60 metres (200 ft). In most of the interior of the continent, precipitation is very low, down to 20 millimetres (0.8 in) per year; in a few "blue ice" areas precipitation is lower than mass loss by sublimation and so the local mass balance is negative. In the dry valleys the same effect occurs over a rock base, leading to a desiccated landscape.

Located on Ross Island, Erebus is the southernmost active volcano. There is another famous volcano called Deception Island, which is famous for its giant eruption in 1970. Minor eruptions are frequent and lava flow has been observed in recent years.

Other dormant volcanoes may potentially be active. In 2004, an underwater volcano was found in the Antarctic Peninsula by American and Canadian researchers. Recent evidence shows this unnamed volcano may be active.

Antarctica is home to more than 70 lakes that lie at the base of the continental ice sheet. Lake Vostok, discovered beneath Russia's Vostok Station in 1996, is the largest of these subglacial lakes. It was once believed that the lake had been sealed off for 500,000 to one million years but a recent survey suggests that, every so often, there are large flows of water from one lake to another. There is some evidence, in the form of ice cores drilled to about 400 metres (1,300 ft) above the water line, that Vostok's waters may

contain microbial life. The frozen surface of the lake shares similarities with Jupiter's moon Europa. If life is discovered in Lake Vostok, this would strengthen the argument for the possibility of life on Europa. On 7 February 2008, a NASA team embarked on a mission to Lake Untersee, searching for extremophiles in its highly-alkaline waters. If found, these resilient creatures could further bolster the argument for extraterrestrial life in extremely cold, methane-rich environments.

Climate Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The coldest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983. For comparison, this is 11 °C colder than subliming dry ice. Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation; the South Pole itself receives less than 10 centimetres (4 in) per year, on average. Temperatures reach a minimum of between −80 °C and −90 °C (−112 °F and −130 °F) in the interior in winter and reach a maximum of between 5 °C and 15 °C (41 °F and 59 °F) near the coast in summer. Sunburn is often a health issue as the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light falling on it. Eastern Antarctica is colder than its western counterpart because of its higher elevation.

Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent, leaving the centre cold and dry. Despite the lack of precipitation over the central portion of the continent, ice there lasts for extended time periods. Heavy snowfalls are not uncommon on the coastal portion of the continent, where snowfalls of up to 1.22 meters (48 in) in 48 hours have been recorded.

At the edge of the continent, strong katabatic winds off the polar plateau often blow at storm force. In the interior, however, wind speeds are typically moderate. During summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface during clear days at the South Pole than at the equator because of the 24 hours of sunlight each day at the Pole. There is some speculation that Antarctica is warming, from human CO2 emissions, but this has not been proved, yet.

Antarctica is colder than the Arctic for two reasons. First, much of the continent is more than 3 kilometres (2 mi) above sea level, and temperature decreases with elevation. Second, the Arctic Ocean covers the north polar zone: the

ocean's relative warmth is transferred through the icepack and prevents temperatures in the Arctic regions from reaching the extremes typical of the land surface of Antarctica.

Given the latitude, long periods of constant darkness or constant sunlight create climates unfamiliar to human beings in much of the rest of the world. The aurora australis, commonly known as the southern lights, is a glow observed in the night sky near the South Pole created by the plasma-full solar winds that pass by the Earth. Another unique spectacle is diamond dust, a groundlevel cloud composed of tiny ice crystals. It generally forms under otherwise clear or nearly clear skies, so people sometimes also refer to it as clear-sky precipitation. A sun dog, a frequent atmospheric optical phenomenon, is a bright "spot" beside the true sun.

Population Antarctica has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent manned research stations throughout the continent. The number of people conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent and its nearby islands varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 5,000 in the summer. Many of the stations are staffed year-round, the over-wintering personnel typically arriving from their home countries for a one-year assignment.

An Orthodox church opened in 2004 at the Russian Bellingshausen Station is also manned year-round by one or two priests, which are similarly rotated every year.

The first child born in the southern polar region was Norwegian girl Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen, born in Grytviken on 8 October 1913, and her birth was registered by the resident British Magistrate of South Georgia.

Rationale for a Good Night's Rest And find out if naps get a thumbs-up or down Most experts insist that we regularise our sleep. They point to evidence that our circadian rhythm--the natural ebb and flow of energy levels throughout the day--thrives on consistency. The more predictable our sleep schedule, the better our bodies work, they say. But even those who argue this most strongly admit that, while it helps to keep a regular sleepwake schedule, it may not be the complete answer. Even if insomniacs keep regular sleep patterns, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll sleep well or long enough. Napping is an issue on which experts are divided.

If one needs a nap, one should take a nap, with a few caveats. For some, even a few minutes have restorative effects. However, one should try not to do it in the evening. Expert advise leaving at least 3 hours between a nap and bedtime, but this is one of those rules where one has to find one's own way. For some, any evening nap, even 5 or 6 hours before one's bedtime, cuts into their night time sleep.

Always be careful about trying anything new the night before a day when you need a clear head, in case it backfires and keeps you awake. And it never hurts to make your doctor's office a first step, especially if your inability to sleep comes on suddenly; sleeplessness can be a side effect of some medications or a sign of illness. Listen to what your body tells you.

Become a close observer of your sleep and the things that affect it-negatively and positively--and you'll likely chart your own path to the Land of Nod.

Why you should surrender to your pillow 1. It maintains a strong immune system. Sleep deprivation compromises immune function and makes you more vulnerable to disease.

2. It slows aging. Too little sleep elevates levels of stress hormones and lowers levels of growth hormone, necessary for cell repair. In one study, young, healthy sleep-deprived subjects had the hormonal profiles of much older people.

3. It prevents diabetes. Sleeplessness increases insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

4. It keeps you slim. When you are sleep deprived, you have more of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin in your blood and less appetitecurbing leptin, a combo that leaves you longing for junk food.

5. It helps maintain a sharp memory. Even one sleepless night impairs concentration and memory and can affect job performance.

6. It can make you happier. Insomniacs face a higher risk of depression, alcoholism, and suicide.

Should Insomniacs Stay in Bed? Find out what the experts think "If you can't sleep, get out of bed and do something else"--we hear this all the time. Experts are quite divided on this point: Some say yes, some no. A series of studies done in the 1990s by National Institutes of Health found that levels of melatonin and prolactin, a tranquillity promoting hormone, are both elevated when subjects doze. Sometimes you may drift off to sleep, and even if it's a wakeful kind of sleep, it's better than nothing. If you wake up in the middle of the night and your mind is agitated, it is probably a good idea to get out of bed. But when people wake up and are at peace with it, it's fine to stay in bed. Occasional wakefulness is a normal part of the sleep cycle."

Don't Drink & Dream (when on leave ashore) Will a glass disrupt your dreams?

Alcohol is probably the substance used most often for sleep, reports a study in Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, one of the most authoritative texts on the subject. (It is also a major ingredient in many over-the-counter cold medications.) However, when you fall asleep under the influence, both the quantity and the quality of your sleep are adversely affected. Even small to moderate intakes of alcohol can suppress melatonin (a hormone that helps regulate sleep), interfere with restorative N-REM cycles, and prevent dreaming.

Coffee Confessions Find out if you should skip the java jolt Caffeine boosts alertness, activates stress hormones, and elevates heart rate and blood pressure--none of which are very helpful when you're trying to get shut-eye. Some people are more sensitive than other to caffeine's effects, and one's sensitivity may be hereditary. Even if you have never had a problem with coffee, you may develop one over time; age-related changes in body composition can affect the speed at which caffeine is metabolised.

If you are sensitive to caffeine, take note that its half-life--the time required by your body to break down half of it--can be as long as 7 hours. In other words, if you were to have your last cup of coffee at 1 pm, a quarter of the caffeine it contained could still remain in your system as late as 3 am. In women, estrogens may delay caffeine metabolism even further. Between ovulation and menstruation, you take about 25% longer to eliminate it, and if you are on birth control pills, you take about twice the normal time.

(Newer, low-estrogens pills may have less of an impact.)

Try tea. It has about half the caffeine content of coffee and contains an asyet-unnamed substance that may help calm the stress system, according to a 2007 study published in Psychopharmacology. If black tea is too strong than turn to green, which has about one-third the caffeine content of black. Thus if you find life with decaf coffee just too bleak, there are options.

Make Shut-Eye a Breeze Keep it cool for deeper slumber Most sleep researchers advise keeping your bedroom cool, but not cold-the National Sleep Foundation recommends between 54 and 75°F (12 & 23 C). This is because a cool room makes it easier for your core body temperature to drop, which must occur for you to fall asleep. (Body temp reaches its lowest point about 4 hours after you nod off.) However, the thermostat is only part of the story: Proper air circulation and blankets that are not too heavy--a big problem in hotel rooms--can also facilitate a drop in body temperature. A series of fascinating studies done in the past decade, found an inverse relation between warm feet and cool body temp: When your feet and hands are warm, the blood vessels dilate, allowing heat to escape and body temperature to fall, initiating sleep.

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Conversely, when hands and feet are cold, the vessels constrict, retaining heat, which may keep you awake.

Wearing light socks makes it easier to resist the temptation to pile on too many blankets in the winter. A hot bath seems an odd way of cooling down, but it works for some; afterward, body temperature falls off rapidly, "guiding the brain into sleep mode". Some recommend going directly from bath to bed, while other experts recommend waiting up to 45 minutes. Because temperature decline signals the body that it's time for sleep, turning on an electric blanket for 10 to 15 minutes and then turning it off may have the same effect.

Load up on Carbs Can bread boost deep-sleep serotonin?

It's true that carbohydrates boost the availability of the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan in the blood, which in turn boosts serotonin. But don't assume that a big plate of pasta will put you to sleep; in fact, as a general rule, anything that raises body temperature, including the consumption of calories, wrecks sleep. If one has any digestive problems eating before bedtime is just asking for trouble.

Evening Exercise Tips When to turn off the treadmill Exercise, of course, raises core body temperature, which is why we are advised to skip it in the evening. However, no studies actually show that evening exercise is bad for sleep--in fact, some studies suggest that it may help.

Some insomniacs tell that any evening exercise disrupts their sleep; some say that even daytime activity has a negative effect; some, can swim or take long walks within an hour or two of bedtime.

You need to find what works for you.

Develop A Sleep Ritual Discover a habit that helps you unwind Experts advise us to find relaxing activities in the evening to prepare us for slumber. "It should be something you do every night to signal to the body that it's time to unwind," One may need a buffer zone between the day and sleep.

Experts recommend a "Power Down Hour": 20 minutes of doing things you have to finish, 20 minutes for personal hygiene, and 20 minutes for "relaxation"--however you define it.

Avoid big meals within 5 hours of bedtime, and especially anything that's highly seasoned.

(Spices raise body temperature.) But also try not to go to bed hungry--that, too, can interfere with one's sleep.

Linguistics Semantics is the study of meaning in communication. The word is derived from the Greek word σημαντικός (semantikos), "significant", from σημαίνω (semaino), "to signify, to indicate" and that from σήμα (sema), "sign, mark, token". In linguistics, it is the study of interpretation of signs as used by agents or communities within particular circumstances and contexts. It has related meanings in several other fields.

Semanticists differ on what constitutes meaning in an expression. For example, in the sentence, "John loves a bagel", the word bagel may refer to the object itself, which is its literal meaning or denotation, but it may also refer to many other figurative associations, such as how it meets John's hunger, etc., which may be its connotation.

Traditionally, the formal semantic view

restricts semantics to its literal meaning, and relegates all figurative associations to pragmatics, but many find this distinction difficult to defend. The degree to which a theorist subscribes to the literal-figurative distinction decreases as one moves from the formal semantic, semiotic, pragmatic, to the cognitive semantic traditions.

The word semantic in its modern sense is considered to have first appeared in French as sémantique in Michel Bréal's 1897 book, Essai de sémantique'. In International Scientific Vocabulary semantics is also called semasiology. The discipline of Semantics is distinct from Alfred Korzybski's General Semantics, which is a system for looking at the semantic reactions of the whole human organism in its environment to some event, symbolic or otherwise.

ζManifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires ζNations become what they produce ζArguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing ζFashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months ζ It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on ζGenius is born--not paid ζI happen to feel that the degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes he/she can bring to bear on the same topic. ζCleanliness and order are not matters of instinct; they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them ζDon't reserve your best behaviour for special occasions. You can't have two sets of manners, two social codes - one for those you admire and want to impress, another for those whom you consider unimportant. You must be the same to all people ζComplaining is good for you as long as you're not complaining to the person you're complaining about ζForgive many things in others; nothing in yourself ζNothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet (Albert Einstein, 1879 - 1955) ζThe incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it ζIt is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way

OCIMF TMSA Guidelines :

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ELEMENT 8. Incident Investigation and Analysis AIM. Comprehensive procedures are prepared and maintained for incident management

Establishing Procedures

Incidents and Analysis Ship operators should establish and maintain procedures for consistently reporting, investigating, analysing and documenting safety and environmental incidents and breaches of regulations. The procedures should include provision for reporting significant near misses.

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The Articles written and the Views expressed in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of CENTROFIN and/or its members.

Queries to: wavelength@centrofin.gr Disclaimer. The contents provided herewith are for general information purposes only; not intended to replace or otherwise contradict the detailed instructions/procedures issued by the owners/managers, flag etc.

Editor: Cmdr Nicholas A. ILIOPOULOS - Master Mariner - Human Resources Tel. +30.6944.941 333. Email: ilioship@yahoo.com.sg Comments. This editor welcomes readers' responses to all articles & Editorials.

Design-Production: www.paradox.com.gr Tel.+30.210.6560 574

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Use effective investigation, reporting and follow-up methods to learn from significant near misses and incidents, and thus prevent recurrence.

One of the fundamental principles of safety management is that all incidents and accidents are preventable. Therefore, it is important to ensure that, if there is an incident or accident, the causes are thoroughly investigated and measu8res are taken to prevent a recurrence. Element 8 establishes the systems and procedures required to achieve this.

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The procedures should: ~Provide for the timely investigation of an incident or accident ~Identify the people responsible for reporting an incident, authorising and conducting the investigation, and initiating subsequent corrective actions ~Include guidance on the classification of all incidents in line with OCIMF marine injury reporting guidelines ~Provide incident investigation training to staff with this responsibility ~Ensure that the root causes and factors contributing to an incident or accident are identified, and that steps are taken to reduce the risk of a recurrence ~Include provision for determining the actions needed to reduce the risk of related incidents ~Ensure that incident and accident investigation findings are retained and periodically analysed to determine where improvements to management systems, standards, procedures or practices are required ~Specify methods for determining whether liaison is needed with industry groups (such as classification societies or equipment manufacturers) to avoid similar incidents on other ships ~Ensure that lessons learnt from an incident or near-miss investigation are shared among the fleet and used to facilitate improvements in safety and environmental performance