THE The magazine of thePILOT United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association Editor: John Clandillon-Baker FNI SUMMER 2013 No. 313 In this issue: London International Shipping Week 125th UKMPA Conference Michael Joyce - Torpedoed WWII Make weather data work for you Sailing barge match race MPX Survey MAIB report CSL Thames T&TC Report UKMPA News Chairman’s CSL THAMES “any Deck Officer”? John Clandillon-Baker Diary date: DAY 2 Report Will feature a variety of Don following extracts from the MAIB The 125th UKMPA top level expert technical report into the grounding also Cockrill highlight issues over ECDIS use conference presentations to inform and training. delegates of the latest To be held in London At 0820 on 9 August 2011, CSL developments affecting Thames completed loading a cargo on the HQS Wellington our dynamic profession. of 28,962 tonnes of aggregates 25th & 26th September As always, this is the at Glensanda for discharge at opportunity to meet up with Wilhelmshaven. A pilot boarded and, at 0840, the vessel departed. You will be reading this with only a Unless you’ve been on another old friends, colleagues and ac- In addition to the pilot, the bridge few weeks to go before the 125th planet during the last year you’ll all be DAY 1 quaintances and to meet new was manned by the master, third UKMPA members’ conference. fully aware that the marine Navigation colleagues from around the UK officer and a helmsman. The vessel’s The morning will consist of If you have not yet booked your Bill (2) (MNB) received Royal assent deepest draught was 10.63 metres. closed private sessions for and further afield. delegate place, you are strongly on the 29th April and will pass into At 0848, the pilot disembarked and urged to do so. As will be seen law on 1st October. Consequently, UKMPA members with the the master set the engine to full from the programme on the in the UK, from that date “any open session in the afternoon For full details, visit the ahead. Visibility was good with a website www.ukmpa2013. deck officer” will able to apply for a dedicated to National, conference website: moderate west-north-west breeze. co.uk there is a full and varied Pilotage Exemption Certificate (PEC). European and International www.ukmpa2013.co.uk programme including a Whilst the Bill was passing through At 0935, CSL Thames entered regulatory and political issues presentation by Rt.Hon, Stephen the legislative process, the UKMPA the Sound of Mull. To assist with Please note that this is an Hammond MP – Shipping Minister. raised many professionally sound navigation during the transit, the arguments against deregulating the master used two radars and an Evening: on-going site with additional September is a busy month for existing PEC requirements which ECDIS. The ECDIS was set with A Conference Dinner will information being posted the UKMPA, with other significant were generally dismissed by spurious the following safety parameters: events that I and other Section be hosted by our Honorary nearer the date. Members arguments such as that the existing a safety contour of 10 metres; a Committee members will be President, Lord Tony Berkeley should therefore check requirements prevented junior cross-track deviation limit of 0.2 attending. I have been called to within the House of Lords. it regularly. officers from what obtaining what mile either side of the planned track; give oral evidence to the Transport was considered by the Bill’s sponsors and an anti-grounding warning Select Committee’s inquiry into to be an important additional zone that covered an arc 1º either the UK Maritime Strategy. At the “qualification” to their career side of the vessel’s track out to a IMO I will be attending the 59th progression! One major argument distance equivalent to 10 minutes Navigation Safety Committee put forward by the UKMPA was that steaming. The alarm on the ECDIS meeting for a few days followed junior officers lacked the experience should therefore have activated if by the IMPA executive meeting, and skills required to handle a vessel CSL Thames deviated more than all in the same week! Editorial in pilotage waters. 0.2 miles from her planned track, Additionally, the UKMPA will be or the anti-grounding warning zone An incident where such inexperience Following on from Jonathon Pearce’s operational limits for manoeuvring. as MPX (Master Pilot Exchange). It is attending the London International crossed a safety contour or other was highlighted occurred in August DUKC ® feature in the Spring issue, A consequence of both these factors equally important that the MPX isn’t Shipping Week conference and user-defined danger. 2011 in the Sound of Mull when the on page 6 retired Southampton pilot, is that the relationship between the limited to a tick box exchange at also the dinner to ensure that the bulk carrier CSL Thames with an At 1006, with CSL Thames on a Nigel Allen, details how use of live Master and pilot is now as important the commencement of the pilotage importance of Pilots as part of the LOA of 175m and a draft of 10.6m heading of 290º(T) at a speed of Hydrographic and Meteorological as the actual ship handling element act and pilots should ensure that shipping logistics chain is went aground after the 3rd Mate 12 knots, the master instructed the data is now an essential element of of pilotage. I recall many years ago a dialogue and interaction with the not overlooked. on watch, altered course to avoid a helmsman to engage the autopilot everyday port operations. As Nigel when the concept of providing the bridge team is on-going throughout October 1st will see the changes to yacht which he (erroneously) thought and then handed the con to the aptly points out, over the past twenty Master with a formal passage plan the passage, especially if there are PEC eligibility contained within the was on a collision course with the third officer, who stood facing the years the ships have got bigger was being introduced, an old pilot any changes to the original plan. Marine Navigation Act 2013 come vessel which resulted in the vessel starboard radar display, with the and bigger but the ports and their tapped his head and told me “Sonny, On pages 8-10, Dr Katherine Devitt into effect. We will be meeting with grounding on a rocky outcrop. At ECDIS display to his right (see access generally haven’t which has that’s the only passage plan that I has written an article highlighting the ports Associations and the the time, although the Master was photo overleaf). resulted in pilots having to adapt need and that’s where it’s staying”. the MPX based on a comprehensive MCA in mid September to draft the on the bridge, he was busy on the their skills, not just in learning how At the time that attitude was not At 1010, the third officer interpreted survey of both Pilots and Masters necessary additions to the PMSC bridge computer which all pilots to handle these larger vessels, but uncommon but no pilot can now from the ECDIS display that CSL and all pilots should take note of Guide to Good Practice. know is normal following departure also in making critical decisions afford to undertake any passage Thames was about 1 mile from the the findings. from a berth and was also listening with respect to additional tugs or without preparing a plan and I look forward to seeing many of next planned waypoint; he also to music on a portable Hi-Fi where aborting arrivals and departures discussing it with the Master during John Clandillon-Baker you at conference. Meanwhile, estimated that a sailing vessel he he’d pumped up the volume! The when conditions approach the safe what is now commonly referred to [email protected] stay safe and “Happy landings”. could see on the starboard bow 2 3 The Pilot The Pilot Summer 2013 Summer 2013 would be ahead of CSL Thames equipment’s safety features in order With respect to this grounding’s On a more general note, following regardless of any alarm function when she was steady on her new to make best use of them. relevance to the PEC deregulation reading this report I wasn’t alone in yet for the 15 minutes prior to the course. Intending to leave the sailing issue the report made the following considering that some important grounding no one looked at it? With respect to this latter point vessel to port, he decided to turn observations regarding the bridge elements had been overlooked by of passage monitoring the report The report states that the 3’O was early and, by adjusting the autopilot, team management on the vessel the MAIB and the status of the observes: looking out of the window and initiated a slow alteration of course to (my emphasis in bold): Sound of Mull, seemingly currently The third officer was unaware that using the radar. A rocky coastline starboard towards the next planned considered to be “open waters” is CSL Thames was heading into During the period leading up to the looming up ahead at 12 kts would course of 314º (T).At 1014 as CSL one area that, in my opinion, should danger. He had last looked at the grounding, the third officer remained normally invoke some sense of Thames’s heading was passing have been investigated. ECDIS display immediately before confident that he was in control concern (although given the actions 308º(T), the third officer acquired on initiating CSL Thames’s turn to of the navigational situation, and The Sound represents a boundary of Captain Schettino perhaps this no the radar an automatic identification primary means of navigation, thus starboard at 1010.