Europe to Fund ‘SkillSea’ Project in Maritime Sector
The European Commission said it will co-finance the project ‘Futureproof Skills for the Maritime transport sector (SkillSea)’.The project aims to develop strategies to identify and meet the future skills needs of the maritime sector and attract greater numbers of Europeans to work in maritime industries. The four-year project will begin in January 2019.SkillSea is being launched by a Europe-wide consortium established by the industry's recognised social partners, the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and led by the Rotterdam-based STC Group.Martin Dorsman, Secretary…
Human Factor is Key to Safety
Parliament's Temporary Committee on Safety at Sea was told that the EU's response to recent maritime disasters had missed the key point - the human factor. Eduardo Chagas, of the Maritime Transport Section of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), explained that the prime causes of tanker casualties were not structural but human. Grounding and collisions accounted for almost 50% of incidents, whereas only around 11% were related to hull failure. According to Chagas, human conditions in the maritime sector should be taken more seriously, especially in EU legislation. Flags of convenience and false certificates for merchant navy officers were the issues that most needed to be tackled.
Editorial: Editor’s Note
Much of the copy on our pages is spent examining the technical and financial sides of our business — the vessels, systems and equipment, as well as the companies and individual that design, build and operate them. The human side ... the people and personalities that make the maritime industry what it is and, personally, has kept me coming back for more for the last decade, often finishes a distant third. Some events of the last few months — the death of Chris Cordeau (29) from Portland Tugboat; the collision of the Lee III and Zim Mexico III at the mouth of the Mississippi, resulting in the sinking of the OSV Lee III and the apparent death of five crew members, including the confirmed deaths of Baldemar Villarreal, Jr.
