Friday, July 7, 2000 ITF and IMEC negotiate new pay scale for seafarers Negotiators for the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) and IMEC (International Maritime Employers Committee) have agreed the text of a model collective bargaining agreement. The agreement includes wage scales that provide for staged increases to the monthly AB benchmark wage. The benchmark is currently $1,200. The agreement provides for a rise to $1,400 over four years, starting with an increase to $1,250 on January 1,2001. ITF's Fair Practices Committee meets July 19 to consider the agreement. IMEC says itsprocess of consulting its members will have been completed before that date. U.K. continues to detain OBO for ISM deficiencies Britain is continuing to hold a Liberian flag OBO detained on June 30 when unloading jet fuel at the Petroplus Terminal, Milford Haven. Britain's Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) detained the 105,116 dwt, 1976-built M.T. Cerda for two deficiencies related to the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. The vessel is classed with Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) and has ISM certification issued by Det Norske Veritas (DnV). As of yesterday, the ship had three major non-conformities raised against its ISM Safety Management Certificate. It had completed discharge and the cargo tanks were fully inerted. The MCA says that port state control inspection revealed 26 hardware deficiencies which highlighted poor maintenance of the ship and its equipment. A poor fire and abandon ship emergency drill showed a lack of emergency preparedness. Following the detention, two RINA Surveyors and two DnV (ISM) auditors attended the vessel. The MCA says some hardware deficiencies have now been rectified while the remainder had to be rectified before the next port. After witnessing a third engine room fire drill, 5 days after detention, MCA Surveyor Elgan Lloyd said: "There are still fundamental flaws in the command and control of the emergency parties, as evidenced by lack of co-ordination of the fire teams, firemen entering the engine room alone, and other persons entering without protective clothing and support equipment. As a result, the vessel remains detained at the berth until such time as these flaws can be rectified." News Index  Marine Log Home page

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