Every year we have a corporate get-together. The last annual get-together was arranged at Sirdalen up in the mountains in Norway in the winter. It is a popular resort for those who like to ski.
Returning back from the resort I was putting up at Airport Hotel at Stavanger, the cultural capital of Norway.
I had the morning free as my flight back to India was in the evening. In December strong chilly winds blow across the city. It took some resolve to step out of the cozy confines of the grand hotel. I was suitably donned in overcoat, gloves and cap and walked across the road to the bus stop on the busy highway.
There were two stops. I tried to guess which one was for the bus to the harbour front. There wasn’t anybody around whom I could ask.
After ten minutes I gave up trying to make sense of the time table in Norse language. I saw an approaching cyclist pedaling up the special lane earmarked for them. I smiled hopefully at him,
“Hi!”
“Hi”, he replied amiably.
Generally cyclists are good-natured. I guess it has to do with the good health. Cycling up and down the hilly roads keeps them pleasantly fit.
”I am looking for a bus to the harbour-front.”
He parked his cycle and checked the time-table.
“There is one after 15 minutes,” he said helpfully.
It turned out he was a Spanish student and had been to India to see the famed Khajuraho sculptures.
“In Madhyaa”, he said referring to Madhya Pradesh.
Presently he was working in the hotel to fund his higher studies.
The cyclist left. Meanwhile I saw a slim, tall and distinguished looking gentleman coming out of the hotel. He was pulling a trolley-bag behind him.
He came up to the bus-stop and smiled at me pleasantly. I remembered seeing him the evening before in a dance-party at the hotel.
“From which country?”
“India.”
When he heard I was coming back from Sirdalen he looked at me closely. Sirdalen in December is for hard core winter-sport lovers.
“May I inquire from which field you are? Medicine, Engineering or IT?”
“I am a hydrographer. Now working for a digital charting company.” I said.
'Well', I thought to myself. I should return the compliment to him. So I asked,
“What about you?”
“I am a milkman,” he said with a small self-deprecating laugh.
“Every morning I take my van out to deliver milk cans in the neighbourhood.”
Wow!
Images of our north Indian rustic doodhwala flashed through my mind. Every morning the guy hollers Doodh (Milk!) and gives a long press on the door-bell. Try as I might I couldn’t picturize our rustic gwala (milkman), wrapped in a Kambal (coarse blanket), swaying gently to the music and twirling on the dance floor with his beau.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Corporate Social Responsibility in Shipping
The first time I came across the term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in shipping was a year back when my son, a media student, had to submit a project as a pre-requisite to qualify for higher studies. He came to me for advice. As usual we were short of time and I had to think of something quickly.
At that time (and even now) shipping industry was hit by piracy. There were dreadful stories detailing the plight of hijacked seafarers. As a community, merchant seamen are not taught to deal with aggressive situations. They have to simply run a ship and not handle weapons. No agency or government is backing them to fight the criminals. They are there to earn their bread. Fighting is the last thing they want to do. After all injuries can only limit their earning capacity.
Today’s mariners have a tough time dealing with piracy, terrorist threats, being put behind bars in alien countries. They are after all soft targets. Therefore, in my opinion any voluntary action taken by shipping industry to help the affected seamen should qualify as CSR in shipping. Especially if the action is taken purely to alleviate the misery of fellow human beings.
That is what I told my son. He took my interpretation in full faith. After all Baba knows best. And so his project took off.
He went around and met the contacts I had given. I nodded my appreciation as he took various interviews and wrote the reports. He was able to submit the project just in time.
He spoke about piracy and the jungle out there at sea. The International Ship and Port Facility Safety (ISPS) Code developed as a response to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers. The role a shipping company had assumed to protect the private port they were developing against the terrorist threat. It was a voluntary act undertaken by the company so that their port is projected as a safe haven for ships to anchor or berth.
“Doing our little bit.” The captain of the port explained.
The project was accepted and my son made the cut to pursue his higher studies.
A few weeks back I strolled into a Finnish stall at the SMM exhibition in Mumbai. Browsing through Maritime Finland’s Navigator Yearbook I came across this article “CSR in Shipping.”
Wow! I thought to myself. I know all about this subject. That is, till I started reading the article. I couldn’t find any mention about piracy/terrorism/ criminalization of seafarers. The article talked about sustainable development in shipping. The measures taken on three different levels – Planet, Profit and People. According to this theory true sustainable development in business is not only about financial profitability but also environmental quality and social equity.
The article talked about using clean fuels to reduce carbon footprint. The different challenges included risk management from oil spills, emission control through fuel oil quality and engine design, waste management and safety at sea. In other words the stress was upon the protection of the environment.
I was looking at CSR in shipping from a totally different angle.
Referring to the textbook definition, it says CSR is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of the society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with the legislation.
It includes organisations which voluntarily take steps to improve the quality of life for their employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.
I guess the definition is broad enough to include supporting a hapless wife of a seafarer held for ransom by the pirates or jailed in an alien country for doing his job as best as he could.
One must remember that shipping is a complicated international business. It is common to have a Greek ship-owner chartered by a Dutch company to carry Saudi cargo to Japan. The vessel agents could be located in India and the crew is a mix of Philipinos and Bangladeshi nationals.
When Somali pirates hijack this ship the families are totally clueless whom to approach for help. In such a situation any action taken by a shipping company to mitigate the problems of the seafarer’s family is laudable.
Lately the internet has added another vocal body called the Yahoo merchant navy group whose members include anybody to do with shipping. They organize rallies, write letters to the government and generally act as an overseer whose views and opinions carry a lot of weight in the maritime industry.
The world was quite different when I was sailing seven years back. The salaries have shot up but so have the dangers. And the means to fight these dangers.
At that time (and even now) shipping industry was hit by piracy. There were dreadful stories detailing the plight of hijacked seafarers. As a community, merchant seamen are not taught to deal with aggressive situations. They have to simply run a ship and not handle weapons. No agency or government is backing them to fight the criminals. They are there to earn their bread. Fighting is the last thing they want to do. After all injuries can only limit their earning capacity.
Today’s mariners have a tough time dealing with piracy, terrorist threats, being put behind bars in alien countries. They are after all soft targets. Therefore, in my opinion any voluntary action taken by shipping industry to help the affected seamen should qualify as CSR in shipping. Especially if the action is taken purely to alleviate the misery of fellow human beings.
That is what I told my son. He took my interpretation in full faith. After all Baba knows best. And so his project took off.
He went around and met the contacts I had given. I nodded my appreciation as he took various interviews and wrote the reports. He was able to submit the project just in time.
He spoke about piracy and the jungle out there at sea. The International Ship and Port Facility Safety (ISPS) Code developed as a response to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers. The role a shipping company had assumed to protect the private port they were developing against the terrorist threat. It was a voluntary act undertaken by the company so that their port is projected as a safe haven for ships to anchor or berth.
“Doing our little bit.” The captain of the port explained.
The project was accepted and my son made the cut to pursue his higher studies.
A few weeks back I strolled into a Finnish stall at the SMM exhibition in Mumbai. Browsing through Maritime Finland’s Navigator Yearbook I came across this article “CSR in Shipping.”
Wow! I thought to myself. I know all about this subject. That is, till I started reading the article. I couldn’t find any mention about piracy/terrorism/ criminalization of seafarers. The article talked about sustainable development in shipping. The measures taken on three different levels – Planet, Profit and People. According to this theory true sustainable development in business is not only about financial profitability but also environmental quality and social equity.
The article talked about using clean fuels to reduce carbon footprint. The different challenges included risk management from oil spills, emission control through fuel oil quality and engine design, waste management and safety at sea. In other words the stress was upon the protection of the environment.
I was looking at CSR in shipping from a totally different angle.
Referring to the textbook definition, it says CSR is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of the society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with the legislation.
It includes organisations which voluntarily take steps to improve the quality of life for their employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.
I guess the definition is broad enough to include supporting a hapless wife of a seafarer held for ransom by the pirates or jailed in an alien country for doing his job as best as he could.
One must remember that shipping is a complicated international business. It is common to have a Greek ship-owner chartered by a Dutch company to carry Saudi cargo to Japan. The vessel agents could be located in India and the crew is a mix of Philipinos and Bangladeshi nationals.
When Somali pirates hijack this ship the families are totally clueless whom to approach for help. In such a situation any action taken by a shipping company to mitigate the problems of the seafarer’s family is laudable.
Lately the internet has added another vocal body called the Yahoo merchant navy group whose members include anybody to do with shipping. They organize rallies, write letters to the government and generally act as an overseer whose views and opinions carry a lot of weight in the maritime industry.
The world was quite different when I was sailing seven years back. The salaries have shot up but so have the dangers. And the means to fight these dangers.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tackling Piracy
November is a dangerous month in the busy shipping lanes passing through Gulf of Aden (GOA).
Just after the monsoons fish is plentiful in the Indian Ocean. Trawlers and fishing vessels from the far-east and Europe converge off the East Coast of Africa in great numbers. It is the time when Somali pirates attack. The pirates are actually fishermen who are unable to protect the exploitation of their fish-rich waters from poachers.
Last year on 26 November terrorists attacked the Taj hotel at Mumbai. It became a defining date in terrorism - now referred to as 26/11. Just two days later the tanker MT Biscaglia owned by a company in Singapore was hijacked from the GOA. It escaped the media attention due to the Taj attack.
This story is about Biscaglia as narrated by the vessel superintendent.
There were 25 Indians and 2 Bangladeshis on board. The ship also carried three security guards who were ex-RN commandos.
The vessel carried a cargo of palm oil from Indonesia. Due to its load the freeboard (height of the deck from the water surface) was reduced to 3.7 meters. Her speed was a mere 10 knots.
On board the commandos carried non-lethal anti-piracy equipment called Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). LRAD emits a high-pitch sound which bursts the ear-drums of a person on whom it is directed. The manufacturers claimed an effective range of 300 meters. The ship was escorted by a warship in a convoy. On that day she was supposedly the best prepared against piracy. However that day she became the only vessel to be hijacked from scores of other vessels plying in the area. It was the 97th incident of piracy in 2008.
On the 28th morning a skiff suddenly appeared about 4 miles away on the starboard bow. The LRAD was installed and operated. It didn’t have much effect. Probably the pirates had inserted ear-buds. Within no time the skiff with a superior speed of 20 knots came to the opposite bow and fired an RPG. The LRAD which weighs 20 Kg is not easily portable and could not be brought on the opposite bow. The vessel was doing a zig-zag course. It actually slowed down the speed and the vessel became a sitting duck. The pirates were able to put up a ladder easily and climb on board. From the deck they rushed towards the bridge firing from the machine guns.
In a trice they went up to the bridge, broke open the port hole to enter the bridge and into the mess decks. The crew was mustered, head count was taken and the vessel was successfully taken over. The skiff having achieved its objective left the scene leaving the two pirates behind.
The three commandos who were not reflected in the crew list were hiding on top of the bridge deck. They remained undetected. Later when a German navy helicopter appeared on the scene all three of them jumped overboard and were picked up by the chopper. They managed to escape leaving the crew to fend for themselves. The conduct of the security guards was criticized. According to the crew they were roaming around in rubber slippers and Bermuda shorts. They looked as if they were on a pleasure cruise.
The efficacy of the LRAD and the commandos were questioned after the incident. One can simply put ear buds to nullify the effect of LRAD. After this incident the shipping company stopped taking security guards
Once the distress message reached the owners and the ship’s agents the human drama started. It was the first hijacking incident for the agents at Mumbai. They were totally unprepared to handle the deluge of panic calls. Everybody wanted information – friends, relatives, well wishers, apart from the normal parties like the charterers, ship-owner, maritime administrator and various other authorities.
For the next two months till the vessel was released a 24 x 7 helpline was created to deal with the enquiries pouring in different lingos – English, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil. The main problem for the agents was to control the panic of the relatives, such as an old mother or an expecting wife. It didn’t help that the incident had occurred just after the 26/11 Mumbai attack. The affected relatives were on tenter-hooks.
Meanwhile the hijacked vessel proceeded towards a small village in Somalia. After some days of steaming she reached her destination. She anchored very close to the coast. The pirates received a hero’s welcome in there own stronghold. Now there were more of them on board. The negotiations for ransom started soon after.
Throughout the negotiations the crew remained on the ship. Within the constraints they were surprisingly well looked after. They were allowed to move around to go to the toilets and have their meals. When the food on board finished the pirates brought live goats. They earmarked a place to slaughter them. The staple food thereafter was mutton and rice.
The Master and a few others from the crew were Muslims. A factor which helped in the well-being of the crew during the negotiations as the pirates were also Muslims. At regular periods the Master was permitted to speak to the world at large. His replies to all queries were always in English and the same:
“We are safe and fine. Food is running out. Please pay the ransom fast.”
The pirates called themselves businessmen. They looked after the crew as guests. They are fishermen, not terrorists. At least not yet, but they might change in the future if they are continued to be hounded by the rest of the world and their fishing livelihood is not addressed.
The ransom was delivered in hard cash inside water proof bags through their own network. The money was counted in a closed room. Once that was satisfactorily completed, the pirates told the master
“You are free to go to the next port. Nobody will harm you. Remember it is only till the next port whichever one you choose. In case if someone does attack, please call up this number.”
The pirates disappeared immediately thereafter.
The ship sailed north towards Salalah, Oman. After a few days the Master gathered sufficient courage to call the agents and gave them the message. “We are safe.”
Some lessons learnt by the ship-agents from this incident.
The pirates operate from mother vessels which carry the skiff aboard or tow it behind. The key to a successful hijack is the control of the crew.
Barricade all doors and port holes. Put iron bars on the port holes. The pirates will need to cut the bars to enter the bridge or the mess deck. Put wire rolls all around the bridge and access points. The aim is to delay the access to the bridge.
Meanwhile the crew must have a citadel stocked with enough water, dry provisions and walkie-talkies including spare batteries. The engines should be shut down. The pirates cannot run a ship. They cannot start an engine. They are not seafarers merely fishermen now calling themselves businessmen.
If the pirates are unable to capture the crew or move the ship towards their stronghold in Somalia they will simply abandon the vessel. They are scared to remain in open waters for long.
Earlier the pirates used to attack only in the morning. Not any more. Prem Divya, a VLCC carrying oil from Sudan to Singapore was attacked on the night of 09th Feb 2009. This was the first attack in the night, indicating their frustration or boldness depending on how you interpret it. With a loaded cargo its freeboard was just 3 meters. She was the last ship in the convoy. The Master of Divya complained that she did not detect the naval escort neither on the Radar nor on the AIS. Apparently it was a British stealth warship which doesn’t paint on the Radar. Moreover it had kept the transmission of her AIS off.
When Prem Divya was attacked she cried out for help. The warship came alive on the radio. She gave Divya a direction to steer. The frigate just ten miles away swung towards the tanker.
The Master, a good chap according to her superintendent was able to put all the ship’s reserve power and kept the pirate boat at bay. Fortunately the pirates didn’t fire an RPG or else the tanker would have been history.
Prem Divya survived. The Royal Navy caught the boat. They couldn’t find any guns. Probably jettisoned overboard. But the ship had video taped them, which helped in positive identification.
It’s a jungle out there. Who is bad or who is good depends on whose perspective you are looking from.
Advice from the vessel Maersk Alabama who successfully overcame an attempted piracy even after the pirates were on board:
- Have a well fortified location with food and water supply.
- Kill all the lights. The pirates are reluctant to enter inside a dark ship.
- Leave the alarms going, the noise helps to cover movements in the
house
- Flashlights and radios are very handy, as well as the sound-powered phone.
Just after the monsoons fish is plentiful in the Indian Ocean. Trawlers and fishing vessels from the far-east and Europe converge off the East Coast of Africa in great numbers. It is the time when Somali pirates attack. The pirates are actually fishermen who are unable to protect the exploitation of their fish-rich waters from poachers.
Last year on 26 November terrorists attacked the Taj hotel at Mumbai. It became a defining date in terrorism - now referred to as 26/11. Just two days later the tanker MT Biscaglia owned by a company in Singapore was hijacked from the GOA. It escaped the media attention due to the Taj attack.
This story is about Biscaglia as narrated by the vessel superintendent.
There were 25 Indians and 2 Bangladeshis on board. The ship also carried three security guards who were ex-RN commandos.
The vessel carried a cargo of palm oil from Indonesia. Due to its load the freeboard (height of the deck from the water surface) was reduced to 3.7 meters. Her speed was a mere 10 knots.
On board the commandos carried non-lethal anti-piracy equipment called Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). LRAD emits a high-pitch sound which bursts the ear-drums of a person on whom it is directed. The manufacturers claimed an effective range of 300 meters. The ship was escorted by a warship in a convoy. On that day she was supposedly the best prepared against piracy. However that day she became the only vessel to be hijacked from scores of other vessels plying in the area. It was the 97th incident of piracy in 2008.
On the 28th morning a skiff suddenly appeared about 4 miles away on the starboard bow. The LRAD was installed and operated. It didn’t have much effect. Probably the pirates had inserted ear-buds. Within no time the skiff with a superior speed of 20 knots came to the opposite bow and fired an RPG. The LRAD which weighs 20 Kg is not easily portable and could not be brought on the opposite bow. The vessel was doing a zig-zag course. It actually slowed down the speed and the vessel became a sitting duck. The pirates were able to put up a ladder easily and climb on board. From the deck they rushed towards the bridge firing from the machine guns.
In a trice they went up to the bridge, broke open the port hole to enter the bridge and into the mess decks. The crew was mustered, head count was taken and the vessel was successfully taken over. The skiff having achieved its objective left the scene leaving the two pirates behind.
The three commandos who were not reflected in the crew list were hiding on top of the bridge deck. They remained undetected. Later when a German navy helicopter appeared on the scene all three of them jumped overboard and were picked up by the chopper. They managed to escape leaving the crew to fend for themselves. The conduct of the security guards was criticized. According to the crew they were roaming around in rubber slippers and Bermuda shorts. They looked as if they were on a pleasure cruise.
The efficacy of the LRAD and the commandos were questioned after the incident. One can simply put ear buds to nullify the effect of LRAD. After this incident the shipping company stopped taking security guards
Once the distress message reached the owners and the ship’s agents the human drama started. It was the first hijacking incident for the agents at Mumbai. They were totally unprepared to handle the deluge of panic calls. Everybody wanted information – friends, relatives, well wishers, apart from the normal parties like the charterers, ship-owner, maritime administrator and various other authorities.
For the next two months till the vessel was released a 24 x 7 helpline was created to deal with the enquiries pouring in different lingos – English, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil. The main problem for the agents was to control the panic of the relatives, such as an old mother or an expecting wife. It didn’t help that the incident had occurred just after the 26/11 Mumbai attack. The affected relatives were on tenter-hooks.
Meanwhile the hijacked vessel proceeded towards a small village in Somalia. After some days of steaming she reached her destination. She anchored very close to the coast. The pirates received a hero’s welcome in there own stronghold. Now there were more of them on board. The negotiations for ransom started soon after.
Throughout the negotiations the crew remained on the ship. Within the constraints they were surprisingly well looked after. They were allowed to move around to go to the toilets and have their meals. When the food on board finished the pirates brought live goats. They earmarked a place to slaughter them. The staple food thereafter was mutton and rice.
The Master and a few others from the crew were Muslims. A factor which helped in the well-being of the crew during the negotiations as the pirates were also Muslims. At regular periods the Master was permitted to speak to the world at large. His replies to all queries were always in English and the same:
“We are safe and fine. Food is running out. Please pay the ransom fast.”
The pirates called themselves businessmen. They looked after the crew as guests. They are fishermen, not terrorists. At least not yet, but they might change in the future if they are continued to be hounded by the rest of the world and their fishing livelihood is not addressed.
The ransom was delivered in hard cash inside water proof bags through their own network. The money was counted in a closed room. Once that was satisfactorily completed, the pirates told the master
“You are free to go to the next port. Nobody will harm you. Remember it is only till the next port whichever one you choose. In case if someone does attack, please call up this number.”
The pirates disappeared immediately thereafter.
The ship sailed north towards Salalah, Oman. After a few days the Master gathered sufficient courage to call the agents and gave them the message. “We are safe.”
Some lessons learnt by the ship-agents from this incident.
The pirates operate from mother vessels which carry the skiff aboard or tow it behind. The key to a successful hijack is the control of the crew.
Barricade all doors and port holes. Put iron bars on the port holes. The pirates will need to cut the bars to enter the bridge or the mess deck. Put wire rolls all around the bridge and access points. The aim is to delay the access to the bridge.
Meanwhile the crew must have a citadel stocked with enough water, dry provisions and walkie-talkies including spare batteries. The engines should be shut down. The pirates cannot run a ship. They cannot start an engine. They are not seafarers merely fishermen now calling themselves businessmen.
If the pirates are unable to capture the crew or move the ship towards their stronghold in Somalia they will simply abandon the vessel. They are scared to remain in open waters for long.
Earlier the pirates used to attack only in the morning. Not any more. Prem Divya, a VLCC carrying oil from Sudan to Singapore was attacked on the night of 09th Feb 2009. This was the first attack in the night, indicating their frustration or boldness depending on how you interpret it. With a loaded cargo its freeboard was just 3 meters. She was the last ship in the convoy. The Master of Divya complained that she did not detect the naval escort neither on the Radar nor on the AIS. Apparently it was a British stealth warship which doesn’t paint on the Radar. Moreover it had kept the transmission of her AIS off.
When Prem Divya was attacked she cried out for help. The warship came alive on the radio. She gave Divya a direction to steer. The frigate just ten miles away swung towards the tanker.
The Master, a good chap according to her superintendent was able to put all the ship’s reserve power and kept the pirate boat at bay. Fortunately the pirates didn’t fire an RPG or else the tanker would have been history.
Prem Divya survived. The Royal Navy caught the boat. They couldn’t find any guns. Probably jettisoned overboard. But the ship had video taped them, which helped in positive identification.
It’s a jungle out there. Who is bad or who is good depends on whose perspective you are looking from.
Advice from the vessel Maersk Alabama who successfully overcame an attempted piracy even after the pirates were on board:
- Have a well fortified location with food and water supply.
- Kill all the lights. The pirates are reluctant to enter inside a dark ship.
- Leave the alarms going, the noise helps to cover movements in the
house
- Flashlights and radios are very handy, as well as the sound-powered phone.
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