December 2015 Master Mariner
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DEC 2015 NATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE COMPANY OF MASTER MARINERS OF AUSTRALIA www.mastermariners.org.au n Coastal shipping bill defeated n Waking up to fatigue on the bridge n Do you know your safe haven? n The other tragedy of Titanic proportions Fremantle Ports supports the Company of Master Mariners of Australia EDITORIAL From the Federal Master Refusing to leave home. By December MV Portland was still in a stand-off in her namesake port, after being scheduled to depart mid-November. n 26 November the Australian Sen- refused to sail the ship to Singapore where is intended for all members to have some ate voted down the Turnbull gov- their jobs would be given to foreign seafar- relaxing reading during the holiday season. O ernment’s deregulation plans for ers expected to be paid $150 a week. Now that I’ve mentioned those important Australian shipping. Their employer Alcoa has exploited words, I would like to wish all our readers The Shipping Legislation Amendment a loophole whereby the company has a safe and happy Christmas and a healthy, Bill 2015 was defeated by 31 to 28. been granted a temporary licence to use prosperous and happy New Year. n If passed it would have allowed foreign a foreign vessel even though there are ships paying third world wages unrestricted Australian ships & seafarers available to access to Australian domestic trade. service the trade, as they have done for the I believe that the vote sent a strong mes- last 50 years. Of note is the report by ITF sage that Australian jobs and industries are inspectors that a similar ship with Burmese most important to policy makers. crew have not been paid since September. The Senate rightly decided that The ship Strategic Alliance, owned by Australian shipping is vital in terms of jobs US interests, registered in Singapore with and value to the national economy. Our an entire crew from the Philippines, cur- crews are highly trained and have a strong rently in Australian waters, was intended record in protecting our pristine coastline. to replace the Portland. If the government Although we can breathe a sigh of relief intended to replace all the bus and truck – for the moment – there is still a lot of drivers with foreigners there would an out- work to do. cry from the public, but with seafarers, it’s Spare a thought for those aboard the MV out of sight out of mind. Portland currently anchored in Portland You’ll probably notice this edition has a harbour. The 19 crew on board have bit more historical content than usual. This Cover Photo: Editor: Joanna Carson publication are not necessarily the The P&O cruise fleet meets in Sydney E [email protected] opinions of the Company of Master harbour, November 25, 2015. The P 0468 388866 Mariners of Australia. Please direct photo shoot marked the occasion of the any correspondence regarding naming of two new Pacific liners, the This publication relies on content to the editor. Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden. contributions and all efforts are made to ensure fairness and Contact: Hon Federal Secretary: Photos - Cover and inset left. accuracy. However CMMA cannot Capt Frank Kaleveld. James Morgan guarantee articles do not contain E [email protected] errors, mis-statements or omissions. PO Box 474 Opinions expressed in this Fremantle WA 6959 PAGE 2 FEDERAL NEWS Care to Feel 400 Years Old? Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation Adventure Leeuwin Ocean ADVERTISE As readers of the last edition of the Master Mariner will know, The STS IN MASTER Leeuwin II is a 3-masted Barquentine with more than 810sqm of sail and an MARINER overall length of 55m. The original Leeuwin Galleon was a Dutch ship that discovered and Readers will notice mapped some of the southwest corner that The Master of Australia in March 1622. She was Mariner has grown only the seventh European ship to by four pages. The sight the continent, just six years after aim is for this to be a permanent A special trip being planned for the Leeuwin II the first recorded European landfall by is designed to make you feel 400 years old. Dirk Hartog. change, and is Cape Leeuwin, the most south-west- made possible CMMA members are being invited erly point of the Australian mainland thanks to the support of our new to take their place in history, by mark- was also given the historic Dutch name advertisers. ing a significant Australian anniversary by English Navigator and Cartographer There is still a limited number of in a very special way. Captain Matthew Flinders in December advertising spaces available at extremely The STS Leeuwin II is offering an 18 01. affordable rates. Significant discounts exclusive opportunity to join a histori- Participants aged over 18 who are are available for CMMA members. cal voyage along the WA coastline to interested in joining this exclusive commemorate the 400th anniversary Leeuwin voyage can receive more infor- Advertising revenue will be used to of the first Dutch contact with Western mation, or register their interest, by increase the number of magazines Australia made by Dutch sailor and sending the Leeuwin Foundation an printed and circulated within the explorer Dirk Hartog. email. [email protected]. Please industry. On October 25 1616, Dirk Hartog list your name and date of birth. n If you are interested in advertising, made landfall with his ship the please contact the editor on Eendracht at the landmark soon [email protected] to request to be known as Dirk Hartog Island, a rate card. in Western Australia’s iconic Shark Bay area. As part of the anniversary celebra- tions next year, the STS Leeuwin II will offer history and sailing enthusiasts the unique opportunity to sail in his steps, experiencing a taste of life aboard a traditional 1850s style vessel. Sailing enthusiasts of all ages are invited to join the voyage, which will depart from Fremantle on the October 14 and arrive in Shark Bay on the Don Taylor braving the climb up to the Crows Nest. October 21. CMMA Stalwart’s Contribution Celebrated Alebeek is also the immediate past Federal Registrar. Capt Reza Vind, Branch Master of WA, thought it appropriate to recognise Capt van Alebeek’s services to the Branch as well as the Federal Court. The lunch was held at the Harbour Master Restaurant in Fremantle, and attended by Court mem- bers (l – r) Mark Small (Branch Treasurer), Wim van Alebeek (Guest of Honour), n November the WA branch held a lunch Stuart Davey (Registrar), Steve Harris in honour of Capt Wim van Alebeek, a (IPBM), Reza Vind (Branch Master) and I long-term member and former Branch Paddy Eveleigh (Acting Secretary). Also in Master of that court. The event is marked attendance was Federal Secretary Frank in the Federal pages because Capt van Kaleveld. n PAGE 3 FEATURES saw the case differently, worried because Coastal Shipping Still Sailing DP World’s proposed Burnie port expan- sion had been lobbed into the debate like a grenade, through suggestions that if the bill Around in Circles did not go ahead, commercial opportunities would destruct. Meanwhile despite their union celebrat- ing, the crew of the Portland faced defeat, when Work Safe ruled their strike unpro- tected and ordered them to sail. They didn’t, and nothing changed. Since November 26, the same factions of the shipping industry have once again come out and duly lined up on the predict- able side of the debate. For or against, their reactions are the same as they were when the amendment bill was being draft- ed, and the original bill before that. Simplistic as it is to say, the business- focussed interests are largely on one side and the seafaring workforce, and their sup- port organisations, on the other. Inevitably, in an industry where over the course of their career many seafarers find themselves in a management role, there is a lot of inner conflict, and an appreciation of where the other side is coming from. What there isn’t, is closure. Defeating the bill means going back to something that certainly hasn’t increased, or even The Hon Warren Truss’s attempt to sort out Australian Coastal Shipping has sunk. maintained, the number of ships on the Australian register – especially with hen the Deputy Prime Minister Portland past due to sail over the horizon. took to the podium to deliver the The result won’t stem the flow of indus- W keynote speech at November’s try suggestions on where to go next. It Lloyds List Australian Shipping Awards, he won’t stop CMMA members around the was in a celebratory mood. country from lining up on one side of the “To continue in the spirit of celebration, debate or the other. but tempered with the reality of the situation And despite the maritime unions declar- the industry finds itself in, I want to empha- ing a win, it probably won’t stop the crew sise the Coalition Government’s commit- of the Portland from losing their jobs, ment to working together with Australia’s even though they did manage to outlast maritime industry to foster strong and safe the Shipping Legislation Amendment Bill growth of shipping in Australia, because it (2015) for a short while at least. is in both our interests,” the Hon Warren A curiously defeatist comment made by Truss, who is also the Infrastructure and Truss during his keynote speech shows the Transport Minister, said. extent to which everyone is sailing around His topic, and one on which he spoke in circles. with much conviction, was the Shipping “I have heard concerns that the Bill will Legislation Amendment Bill 2015, which lead to loss of seafarer jobs.