" Despite the recent coverage of the hijacking and subsequent ransom bid of the MV Sirius Star, piracy is nothing new. Pirates have always roamed the seas seeking gain from innocent ships on free passage across the oceans of the world. The Hollywood portrayal of swashbuckling individuals is a far cry from today's world of heavily armed, economically destitute people working from the coasts of third world countries. Seafarers have always had to cope with thieves whilst their ships were anchored off or alongside many ports of the world. THE VIEW FROM... Captain Ian Mathison, Director – Marine and Safety The advent of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code has done much to enhance security considerations on board ships today. A Ship Security Plan assesses the risks that could be encountered in current trading areas but this has very little value when dealing with armed pirates. It raises the crew's awareness of the threat, and therefore the risk, but cannot protect them from bullets or grenades. Those on land now realise there is a real issue with piracy in the 21st century. Subsequently, we have seen proposals surface to KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN... Until recently, MN trainee deck and engineering officers had the option of two academic routes – HND/ NVQ for entrants with GCSEs and the Foundation Science Degree for those with 120 UCAS points. introduce ' sea marshals', akin to the measures airlines have taken to combat the threat of terrorists on board. There has been much discussion about arming crews to retaliate against pirates. However, we are a long way from a universal consensus on this issue. Seamen are not trained to use firearms and the likelihood is that when desperate pirates board a ship that has attempted to protect itself with small arms fire, the stakes may be raised to a possibly fatal point. If violence is used against ships it should be countered by those The Navigator | Issue 01 | March/ April 2009 Barry Hughes, finance director at Bibby Ship Management, is advising ship owners not to take huge risks by failing to insure their vessels adequately in a bid to cut costs. Hughes says ship owners facing increasing financial pressures as a result of the global credit crisis are exploring increasingly risky ways to cut their baseline. He says: " We are seeing declining charter rates in many sectors while vessel operating costs, particularly in respect of crew wages, continue to rise and consequently owners are being forced to review their financial planning. " Insurance costs are rising and perhaps the most significant trend is the continuing rise in P& I premiums following substantial increases in claims costs for all the major Clubs. EU requirements to maintain increased solvency margins have exacerbated this." CUTBACKS ON VESSEL INSURANCE NOT THE ANSWER Major changes are due to be made to the HND route for GCSE entrants. For deck personnel there will now be five phases instead of seven and a National Certificate of Further Education ( NcFE) awarded after completion of an extended Phase 1. The HNC will be awarded at the end of the third year, with an option for further HND study to provide full academic knowledge for chief mates. For engineers the NcFE will also be awarded after Phase 1, with an option to take an HNC including second engineer exemptions. At the end of the third year a similar option for further HND study at with chief engineer academic exemptions will exist. It is hoped the new routes will introduce some flexibility to suit trainees' and their sponsoring companies' specific needs and cut the attrition rate of trainees leaving the programme. Longer sea phases will give trainees additional exposure to the practical side of their seafaring career and give sponsors more time to place their trainees in training berths. trained in such matters - the Navies of the world. We have seen relatively few casualties in this recent spate of piracy and we would do well to remember the families of seamen held to ransom, before we consider adding more weaponry to an already volatile situation." " While some premium savings potentially could be made by reducing levels of cover, such as Hull & Machinery ( provided any mortgage holder permits this), or increasing deductibles, anything beyond that would be a false economy. " Vessel owners should ensure that they have adequate insurance cover in place to protect vessels, crew and third parties, as the potential financial consequences massively outweigh any premium savings to be made." Hughes added that all Bibby Ship Management clients carry adequate cover, but there may be a tendency for some shipowners to view insurance as a disposable cost. He concluded: " Taking too short term a view of cost management is a foolhardy move and one which could have disastrous long term consequences. Insurance is business critical and should always be treated as such." However, the new timetabling suggests new trainee deck officers will emerge only two months before their engineering counterparts, potentially leading to an initial bottleneck for berth space until it settles into the new, natural rhythm. How the varied programmes will dovetail into the industry has yet to be proven. Further to these regulatory changes please contact Adrian Ashley at aashley@ we. bibbyshipmanagement. com " The potential financial consequences massively outweigh any premium savings to be made." Adrian Ashley, training development manager, guides you through the upcoming regulatory changes that will affect ship management.

Bibby Ship Management Western Europe Isle of Man Services: • Crew Management Services • Training and Development • Employment & Payroll Services • Marine & Business Travel • Industrial Relations • Flag State Management • Yacht Management Services Bibby Ship Management UK Liverpool Service: • Technical Management Bibby Ship Management Eastern Europe Eastern Europe Services: • Crew Management Services • Training and Development Bibby Ship Management India Mumbai Services: • Technical Management • Crew Management Services • Training and Development • Employment & Payroll Services Bibby Ship Management Singapore Singapore Services: • Technical Management • Crew Management Services • Training and Development • Employment & Payroll Services Bibby Ship Management Philippines Manila Services: • Crew Management Services Dates for the Diary See Bibby Ship Management at the following events: Competition Win an iPod Shuffle Win a fabulous iPod Shuffle by entering The Navigator's competition. Simply fill out the questions below and post or email your answers to Bibby Ship Management for your chance to win the miniature version of Apple's design classic, the Shuffle. The winner will receive a 1GB version of the portable, wearable, music player in silver. The winner will be chosen by random out of all correct entries received by 1st June 2009 and will be informed by email the following week. Post entries to: iPod Competition, Bibby Ship Management, 105 Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 5JQ, UK or email answers to enquiries@ bibbyshipmanagement. com with the subject line " iPod Comp". SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT Bibby Ship Management Group Limited 105 Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 5JQ T: + 44 ( 0) 151 708 8000 F: + 44 ( 0) 151 794 1000 For contact details of all our global offices please visit www. bibbyshipmanagement. com or email us at enquiries@ bibbyshipmanagement. com April 21st Opening of new Ukraine DP Training Centre, Sebastopol, Ukraine 21st- 23rd Sea Asia, Singapore May 25th- 29th IAPH, Genoa, Italy June 9th- 12th Nor- Shipping, Oslo, Norway July 30th- 1st European Shortsea Congress, Liverpool, UK Questions 1. How many offices does Bibby Ship Management have? a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 2. What is the name of the Swedish marine expert joining us? Answer: Your details: Name: Address: Company: Email address: Tick the box if, in future, you wish to receive copies of the Navigator directly. Our Global Range of Services SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT SHIP MANAGEMENT