The current situation with international law as far as it concerns the seafarer has made it in a way easier; but also more difficult. The addition of MLC 2006, which you can call the human element in the whole scheme, has brought separated rules. With the result that obscure laws and scattered regulations were brought together in one frame work. Which is really great as we can now find it, and we know if it really pertains to us or not. The other side of the coin is that now we have this frame work, there can be compliance and thus it will be audited. Resulting in extra work on the ship, and thus also for the captain.
Of course we have a system for this.
Solas, with safety at sea, pertains to all on board but once it comes to implementation on Board, it is mostly the deck department who takes the lead. This because it is most closely connected to the Captain, it has grown that way. The Staff Captain makes the drill and the inspection schedules and with it rolls all the three departments. The Masters function apart from being involved is to ensure that the standards are being met.
Marpol, has basically to do with pollution and the prevention thereof. Most of what can cause pollution comes through the engine spaces. Exhausts, grey water, black water and as recycling is part of the engineering team, the emphasis is here on the Chief Engineer. The Master keeps oversight by means of inspections and signing off on the paperwork.
SCTW: certification for all crew on board with requirements which vary from function to function. This is for 99% looked after by the Home Office. They ensure that when a crewmember comes to the ship, he/she is fully qualified to do the job assigned. The Master has to verify that the crewmember, when boarding, has indeed these qualifications.
MLC 2006. Anything to do with labor and life on board. Again the Home office has to ensure that everything is setup properly and the ships can sail accordingly. But as the crew is involved in a more human structure it is not that simple. For drills and qualifications a crew member simply has to follow the rules. Things are very black and white. With labor and life on board that is of course not always the case. Most of that work is being done by the Human Resource Officer (HRM). This is a special function which is totally focused on dealing with the work of the crew, the wellbeing of the crew, and the compliance of the company with the requirements in this area. Again the captain has to ensure compliance by means of inspections and little audits but has to rely for the day to day implementation and compliance on this officer.
Holland America introduced this function about 6 years ago, when it became clear that the crew office (who do the crew paperwork for signing on/off and port clearance) could not cope with running a complete crew welfare department. I believe all larger companies have a similar person, with titles such as the Crew Welfare Officer, Crew Welfare Chairperson, Crew Entertainment Purser etc. etc. Apart from ensuring that the crew follows all the rules, this officer ensures that all crew gets what it is entitled to; and also acts as a confidential contact person for work or private issues. As long as there is “no breaking of the rules and law” involved, there is complete confidentiality. The HRM also organizes entertainment, with barbeques, bingo, disco and outings ashore.
So there is help and support galore, for the Captain, as Master of the Vessel to do his job. But things are changing so fast, that even if all the information reaches the ship and is absorbed, it can be too much to implement and items can fall by the way side. This means that more and more traveling trainers are being employed to support the various functions on board. We have them for Purser, Housekeeping, fire fighting, damage control, lifesaving, Medical, Guest Relations, IT, Technical Topics, and then now as well for supporting the Captain, by means of me.
One item that I am currently focusing on is the implementation of MLC 2006 within the Dutch Law and how it pertains to the Master as a Law enforcement Officer. With the arrival of MLC 2006 the Dutch Government has revamped most of the articles in the Dutch Law that pertains to the ships and also of course the words and dots and comma’s in each law article. So what has been more or less standard since 1886 is now suddenly quite a bit different. Enough reason for me to be hopping around the fleet and to present a few refresher courses in relation to this.
April 14, 2014 at 6:53 pm
I am curious about a relatively insigniificant thing. In the past, as you’ve tranferred from the Veendam to the Prinsendam to the Statendam, you’ve mentioned the logistics of moving your extra uniforms that were stored onboard to save on baggage during normal leave/return flights. Now that you are a ‘man on all ships’ but without uniforms, did you leave the extra uniforms on the Statendam?
April 21, 2014 at 5:08 pm
Good morning,
yes they are still there in my steamer trunks. I might get them over to Europe eventually if this new challenge works out the way we all hope.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
April 15, 2014 at 9:15 pm
Hello Captain !
As is obvious, you are still at home working hard on your new assignment. Are you almost ready to set up a sailing schedule for your hop-on / hop-off exercise of ships ? Are we allowed to know when and where you will start with your first ship ?
April 21, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Good morning,
yes I am busy with preparing training modules that will be part of the job. In the meantime I am waiting for a special Visa that will make sure I do not violate the Jones Act. Most crew have a Visa to join and leave the ship, but I need one that makes it possible to disembark in USA ports and not go home but join another ship in another USA port. Plus being able to stay legally in the States while visiting our home office. That is in progress and will hopefully be completed soon. Then we can look at a start date, and yes, then I hope post my whole “ship-hopping” schedule.
Thank you for your patience.
Captain Albert
April 18, 2014 at 2:22 pm
Captain Albert
Must say that I really miss your daily reports from different ships all over the world. Is there any other captain in the Holland-America-group reporting like you did before?
Aren´t you longing back to the sailings?
April 21, 2014 at 5:00 pm
Good morning,
You will see posts from Captain Mercer as well while he is doing the worldcruise
I am the only on a very regular Basis. At least until recently. As you will have read I am moving my job around a little bit, but as soon as I am back at sea , hopping from ship to ship, the reporting about life on board and the ports will start again. so please bear with me. I am currently writing the training modules that I will be giving on board and waiting for my special Visa, so I do not upset the Jones Act, among other things.
Thank you for reading my blog, and hopefully I will be at it very soon again.
Best regards
Captain albert
April 24, 2014 at 6:34 pm
I so miss your everyday blogs from sea, when will you be back ??
April 25, 2014 at 5:58 am
Good morning,
thank you for reading my blog.
I hope to be back as soon as possible. I am currently waiting for approval of my special American Visa to be enable me to transfer between ships without immigration issues. The application is in process so I am sitting in the waiting room.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Best regards
Capt. Albert
April 26, 2014 at 6:18 pm
You wrote about your Visa-need, but mentioning only US ports as “hop-on/ hop-off”: will you do your “hopping” from ship to ship only in US ports? That would mean remaining on board of any particular ship for quite a while, at least for those ships, using US ports. How long will each of your courses actually be ? — What happens with ships that remain for a whole season in a particular region, i.e. Asia, Europe, South America etc. etc., or a ship like Prinsendam and her longer voyages? How does that work re. Visa needs? Is there something like a Visum that covers/ is approved world-wide, like for Merchant Marine , which often receive their next orders while at sea, unable to get to shore and fulfill the niceties there?
Also: How will it work with regard to the chain of command with an extra Captain (you) on board ? Is it in principle like when you had an extra Captain on board in the form of the Ice Captain (Antarctica) ?
How much influence do you have on your posting schedule , if any ? Can you at times have your “roving reporter” with you ?
So many questions !! :-))
May 5, 2014 at 5:47 am
Good morning,
thank you for your continued interest. Answer to Visa questions: Crew need for the USA a visa to get to the ship and to get out again, if they join and leave in an American port. This is called a C1 D1 visa. When on board they are signed on and fall under the regular clearing in/out requirements and for US port they have a piece of paper and I 95 that lets them on and of the ship, while singed on. When hopping between ports and staying behind in US ports, it is more complicated so you need a different Visa. This is called an L visa takes longer to process.
The rest of the world is most of the time easier for crew, as you as you come in and go out with the ship. Flying in and out to the ship might need a visa, but is then issued at the airport if your travel documents are in order. I wish that there was a “world wide visa” for crew it would solves a lot of problems. they are trying to do it, with a Seafarer Identity Card, but some country’s still want to apply their own – extra – rules.
I should have a sort of sailings schedule by the end of may, when al the paperwork is done. then I also hope to start blogging on a daily basis again.
Best regards
Albert