eSea 14 - Food

eSeaM A R I T I M E / O I L & G A S / W I N D / C R A N E · N O . 14 / 2 0 1 3

food

EM AGA ZINE FROM M A ERSK TR A INING

Don’t blame the cook >Eat meet and leave >

Triple E = 3M’s >Brazil’s oil and gender revolution >Funny Tummy

So what is the MLC 2006 all about? >Food for Thought >Blade Runners >

Playing the name game >

The Story of Ngoc

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Don’t blame the cook The MLC 2006 provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for the world's 1.2 million plus seafarers. One of the areas open to dramatic change is in the galley. >

Triple E = 3M’sImagine having to organize a menu for more than a handful of friends, say 22, and say half of them can’t turn up at the same time to eat. >

Eat meet and leaveSome people read tea cups to tell the future, Thomas Bo Rasmussen can read the present in plates. >

Food for ThoughtThere are many ships you would have been unhappy to be on, an immigrant ship to America or Australia, or a slaver from Africa. Here’s what you might expect on four separate voyages. >

Funny Tummy‘You must try this, it’s a local delicacy’ - the most terrifying words in travel. From the host there is a sense of pride, from the guest the anxiety of putting something totally foreign into their mouth. >

Playing the name gameIn business the importance of the right name can never be under-stressed. The change in profile can be enormous. >

The Story of NgocHe remembers as a 13 year-old the long gangway, 25, maybe 30 steps. Looking down was an impressive man in a crisp white shirt. There and then the young boy made a promise to himself, ‘one day I’ll be like that.’ >

Brazil’s oil and gender revolutionThey used to sing, ‘there’s an awful lot of coffee in Brazil’ – today they might want to change the lyrics to ‘there’s an awful lot of oil off Brazil.’. >

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Some people live to eat, all people eat to live. Regardless of where food falls in your personal list of needs and pleasures, it is the major driving force, not just of life, but how we live it. With the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, MLC 2006, companies are being forced to revisit many places on board, but in particular the galley. That’s why this eSea has a distinct food flavour.

There is proper scientific backing for the saying ‘you are what you eat,’ but we tend to know and feel it ourselves. The consequences of a night out, or a heavy lunch can be directly reflected in immediate performance and mood. The Full Monty meal might be OK if you are a librarian or politician, where lacking some lustre post lunch might have little or no effect on safety, but to someone on board a vessel or a rig, other people’s safety can be dependent on what you have just eaten, or not.

Not having anything to eat was a potential turning point in the life of Ngoc Nguyen – 32 years ago he sat in a boat in the South China Sea, without food and little fuel, he was two days from hell, his abandoned home in Vietnam, and an unachievable 18 from safety in the Philippines. He tells us his incredible story; it is one which makes you feel good about life and thankful for what we have.

editorial

Richard [email protected]

Hamburgefintsiv 4

It’s been a long time in coming,

seven years, but August 20

marked the arrival of the

latest version of the Maritime

Labour Convention. Some

call it the Seafarers’ Charter,

because the MLC 2006 provides

comprehensive rights and

protection at work for the world's

1.2 million plus seafarers, every

one of them. It features a wide-

ranging list of key improvements

and one of the areas open to

dramatic change is in the galley.

Don’t blame the cook

5Don’t blame the cook

It hasn’t come a moment too soon

according to independent food

hygiene expert Annelise Ømand

who sees the value to everyone

with the new regulations, but

remains anxious that this

opportunity might be missed.

‘There are so many levels to

this convention, but the core is

in training. You cannot expect

wholesome nourishing food on a

regular basis if, as is the case on

vessels with less than ten crew,

the cook is an untrained ship’s

assistant, on call at any moment

to do other duties,’ says Annelise.

‘On the other hand with bigger

crews and a trained chef, it is

increasingly difficult to keep

everyone happy with a multi-

national crew demanding multi-

national dishes.’

The programme was set in

2006 but needed countries

responsible for more than 33%

of the world’s shipping tonnage

to agree to it before it became

IMO – International Maritime

Organisation - law precisely one

year later. Annelise has lived

with shipboard food hygiene

and nutrition for even longer

than that. She studied for her

bachelor’s degree in health and

nutrition by joining the crews

of two of A2Sea’s vessels to gain

first-hand experience of what is

needed to keep crews fit, healthy

and importantly happy.

Some of the research she

uncovered surprised the

body behind the convention,

the International Labour

Organization, ‘because no one

had ever investigated the galley

properly.’ That lead her to be

a driving force behind Project

Neptune an initiative by the

Danish body, Seahealth, to

introduce certification at galley

level. Annelise’s involvement is

not just as a project manager,

she’s active right down the

chopping board and has been

conducting classes, ‘It is amazing

to see how they react to basic

lessons like the need for hygienic

processes in preparing food. But

they also quickly gain a sense of

pride in preparing meals that are

a stage up from instant food.’

CAN'T BOIL AN EGGPart of the problem is the breadth

in educational standards – if the

rating feels uncomfortable with

English they are unlikely to feel

confident when working with

a recipe. ‘How can they cook

nutritious if they don’t know what

to do, some can’t boil an egg.’

There are many factors in

deciding what the quality of food

is like on board. Some companies

set a daily allowance of around

$5 a head but one guideline puts

the minimum at $8.50 per day.

Annelise says ‘This is ok but again

it depends on what people are on

board and what they are prepared

to eat, it also depends where in

the world they are. I’ve heard

reports of ships having to ditch

basics like vegetables and rice

because the good deal on paper

wasn’t so in quality and just days

from port they were rotten.’

MLC 2006 is a huge jump forward

in terms of marking what is

acceptable and needed, but

Annelise thinks there are equally

With bigger crews and a trained chef, it is increasingly difficult to keep everyone happy with a multi-national crew demanding multi-national dishes.’

Annelise looks at the bigger picture

6Don’t blame the cook

strong factors which will drive

change forward. ‘When I was on

the A2Sea vessels the food was

very good, as it is with cruise

ships, they share the common

issue that the customer is also on

board and that insures that the

food plays an important role in

everyday life.’

She also thinks that other

external elements will in the

future play a role in change. One

insurance claim for an injury or

hygiene-triggered sickness will

cause a review of standards.

Annelise points out that it’s not

just about food and hygiene, the

whole picture is a very complex

one. You have got to bring in

elements like what role culture

plays. It is the Master who runs

the vessel and this can go right

down to his own personal taste

preferences. The first survey she

did revealed that ‘if the master

doesn’t like, we don’t get.’

So imagine a Filipino chef from

the Pampanga region just north of

Manila. For him his favourite dish

is Sisig, (yes it is pronounced sea

sick) - fried and sizzled chopped

bits of pig’s head and liver, usually

seasoned with calamansi and

chili peppers and sometimes

topped with an egg. Now that

would go down a treat with the

Scottish chief engineer and the

vegetarian Indian third officer.

Companies and vessels have

clearly defined policies on

smoking and drinking and

Annelise hopes that a similar

up front approach will be made

towards health. In the past

many companies have taken

the easy ticket by saying that

health is a personal thing, but one

recent development may change

that. The American Medical

Association in June officially

declared obesity a disease –

companies in the States may

therefore be forced to intervene

where someone’s health could

be an issue in an emergency

situation and a resultant

insurance claim by third parties.

It is very much a point in time

where we have to wait and see

just what happens.

It’s a decision that sits

uncomfortably with Annelise

‘Well . . I absolutely don’t agree

that obesity is a disease – maybe

for some, but not most of the

population. It is too easy to decide

that obesity is a disease. I think

that we all have a responsibility

for our own lifestyle and health.

But on board ships the possibility

to make a healthier choice is in

the hands of the ship-owner.’

The maritime industry often

looks to the sky for inspiration

and guidance. Airlines generally

operate to a chart with a height/

weight ratio for cabin crew with

most even unwilling to hire

anyone with a visible tattoo. Now

is that second restriction a call

too far for seafarers?

Companies and vessels have clearly defined policies on smoking and drinking and Annelise hopes that a similar up front approach will be made towards health.

The American Medical Association in June officially declared obesity a disease For a shortened view of what

MLC 2006 is all about, turn to page 19

What is the single most terrifying question in travel? Read it on page 18

Hamburgefintsiv 7

Some people read tea cups to tell

the future, Thomas Bo Rasmussen

can read the present in plates.

‘I can look at the lunch plate before

I see the person and pretty well

tell you what they do for a living

and their age group,’ he says.

It comes from years of keeping

participants happy and, equally

important, awake when on

courses at Maersk Training in

Svendborg where Thomas is head

chef.

‘We don’t fill them up with

carbohydrates such as potatoes

and heavy meat dishes at lunch

since these impact on your energy

and concentration levels in the

afternoon. For the evening meal

we bow to those who want the

full works, but I notice that the

younger people still tend to eat

light, perhaps because they want

to do homework or exercise later.’

Traditional seafarers and oilmen

he has noticed not only have a

difference in what they eat but in

how they eat it. ‘They come from

Eat meet and leave

7

Eat meet and leave

an environment where eating

is often just part of the work

pattern, they have a half hour off

and they will spend it at the table;

the younger participants, like

those from office backgrounds

here on career development, eat

lighter and quicker and then rush

out to catch up on emails,’ he says.

ROLL ROLE REVERSALIn the evening however the

process reverses with the

management trainees continuing

to dine light but taking their time

to be social, they eat leaf and meet,

whereas the older participants,

those on oil and gas or maritime

courses, eat meat and leave.

It’s long been a soft company

policy at Maersk Training to

provide catering of the highest

standard. An army marches on

its stomach but in a training

establishment it is the mind

that matters and having full

concentration on the learning

process is vital and one that also

cannot be distracted by grumbles

about food.

There are highly potential

grumbles in terms of multi-

cultural expectation. A hot

curry to a Dane and a hot curry

to an Indian are very different

experiences. ‘Fortunately

Scandinavian, particularly

Danish, cooking is riding a

worldwide high at the moment

and visitors are swept along by

this wave,’ says Thomas.

And there’s not just international

tastes that the team in the

DeLight restaurant have to

appease, there are religious

restrictions which means that

Thomas is in constant contact

with the course administrators to

see if there are any special dietary

needs coming round the corner.

‘I can’t remember the last problem

we had with a guest – now the staff

they’re different,’ he says with a

smile and a knife in his hand.

8

DeLight head chef Thomas Bo Rasmussen

Hamburgefintsiv 9

Imagine having to organize a

menu for more than a handful of

friends, say 22, and say half of

them can’t turn up at the same

time to eat, that they mostly have

different culinary desires and that

you have to repeat the successful

formula with a new recipe three

times a day... for a month.

Whilst the world’s maritime

media turned its attention on

Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller as she

made her maiden way from China

to Poland, we thought we should

go a little deeper and ask a few

questions of the performance of

the most important room on the

whole gigantic vessel. The bridge?

The engine room? No, no, the

mess.

Triple E = 3M’sMany Mouthwatering Meals – that’s the recipe on Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller

Today it is chicken says

chief cook Gil Quanico

10Triple E = 3M’s

Captain Jes Meinertz may be

the respected Master of the

first Triple E, but Gil G. Quanico,

the vessel’s chief cook, is the

man who pulls the whole crew

together three times a day. He

doesn’t underestimate the role of

the ship’s cook and believes that

the industry owes it to all that

they are trained up to the highest

of standards. These standards

are pushed to the limit by the

pressures of having to ‘shop’ in

different world marketplaces and

yet please disparate culinary

cultures and expectations.

We put a question and answer

session to chef Gil:

1. Q: How international is the crew?A: Multi-national, as of now

our crew consists of eight

nationalities.

2. Q: Does the make-up of the crew affect the daily diet on board?A: Yes sometimes, we have to

accept that we from the galley

cannot provide all the needs of

every crew. To please more than

30 persons on board is quite tough

for one cook alone.

3. Q: With such a long voyage does victualing and the menu reflect where in the world you are?A: Yes indeed in Asia it is very

challenging to get good potatoes

this is the reason why the

European crew adjust themselves

and learned to eat rice. And not

only potatoes, Danish delicacies

are also hard to buy in Asia.

4. Q: Who determines the menu and style of food, the master or the chef?A: Most of the time it's the chief

cook who decides the menu. But

of course every crew member is

always welcome to come up with

their wish or good ideas.

5. Q: Is there any way in which food on board vessels globally can be improved?A: As with the MLC regulations

I suggest all cooks should have

more advanced training.

6. Q: With a watch/shift pattern does the food match it, as with avoiding the normal breakfast, lunch, dinner routine?A: It's always the breakfast

that the duty personnel has

skipped or missed. But I think it

is acceptable with those who are

on 12:00 to 4:00 watch because

galley personnel start 5:30 in the

morning and breakfast is serve at

7:30 am which is their rest time.

7. Q: What is a typical day's menu?A: Danish, European, Asian

variations of meats, poultry, fish,

vegetables and fruit.

8. Q: Do you see the mess as a focal point of the vessel and if so how important is it in keeping everyone happy?A: Yes the mess/galley area

always has the attention of every

single crew member. A small

department that serves all on

board the ship. I believe whatever

they get from the mess will reflect

on their performance. So the

cook must have the best on the

table every meal time to please

everybody.

The spotlight has been on the world’s largest ship, for something completely different visit page 26

Hamburgefintsiv 11

The Story of Ngoc

He remembers as a 13 year-old the long gangway, 25, maybe 30 steps. Half way up to a new world he stopped and looked up towards the top. Looking down was an impressive man in a crisp white shirt. There and then the young boy made a promise to himself, ‘one day I’ll be like that.’ Today he is one step from the top, one step from being a captain of a Maersk vessel.

11

12The Story of Ngoc

It was all in the mind, the play

acting, but for Chief Officer Ngoc

Nguyen there was a reality and

sting to the situation that none

of his fellow course participants

could even imagine touching.

On day two of a Maersk Training

Surviving Piracy and Armed

Robbery course, SPAR, he’d been

asked to conceal himself in the

room and to block off his mind to

what was going on around him in

order to recover from the ordeal of

a piracy situation. Hiding behind

a chair, huddled against the wall,

he was being coached back to

normality, but somewhere deep

inside he was in his own world

– getting flashbacks of a story of

human survival, determination

and good luck for which the term

remarkable is merely adequate.

If Ngoc’s story were a Hollywood

script you’d say they’d overdone

it. This is his story.

DATELINE: APRIL, 1981 LOCATION: ON A BEACH IN SOUTHERN VIETNAMGathered together by his war-

widowed mother were 65

people, many of them relatives

including his younger brother

and two younger sisters. Ngoc

was thirteen. They were about

to become part of one of the

most desperate human exoduses

in history, the Vietnamese

boat people. His father was a

paratrooper, missing in action

and after over eight years

presumed dead. This association

to the lost cause was enough to

threaten the whole family so

Ngoc’s mother had organised

the secret escape for friends and

relations.

Meeting on a beach, their silent

and secret departure was

disrupted by the arrival of a

government patrol boat. They had

two choices. To abandon their last

chance of freedom and run back

inland or to leave the precious

few belongings they’d brought

with them and quickly set off out

to sea. They chose the latter only

to be pursued by the patrol boat.

With overcrowded jails, the most

likely outcome on capture was a

quick noisy death. They would be

just another anonymous statistic

in a war. Luckily, after about

a quarter of an hour for some

unknown reason the faster patrol

boat backed off, perhaps thinking

they’d loot the abandoned

possessions, perhaps thinking

nature would save them bullets.

And it nearly did. For two days,

without food and water, without

a chart but with a compass, they

chugged toward the Philippines.

The boat’s skipper stopped in a

calm sea and whilst Ngoc and

his brother swam around it, the

adults discussed the futility of

their situation. Without food and

with insufficient fuel they would

never reach their goal. Then

there was a noise in the distance

and the swimmers were quickly

hauled back on board. Had the

patrol boat returned to search its

quarry? It got bigger and bigger,

too big to be a patrol boat, and

slowly after 30 minutes they

could see its light blue colour in

the haze of the morning sun.

They waved and waved and she

slipped by at about half a nautical

mile. They could only think

they hadn’t been seen or they’d

been ignored. The mood on the

overcrowded little craft capsized

into despair and then righted

itself as after half an hour the

huge vessel slowly began to turn.

Ngoc and the other young people

Luckily, after about a quarter of an hour for some unknown reason the faster patrol boat backed off, perhaps thinking they’d loot the abandoned possessions, perhaps thinking nature would save them bullets.

were told to lie down and be still

and not look up until told to do so.

It seemed forever but he

could hear strange voices and

noises and the next thing he

remembered was looking up a

long gangway which towered

above him. He climbed onto the

bottom step and remembers to

this day stopping half way up

and looking towards the bridge.

There, smartly dressed, stood the

captain and the chief officer.

‘At that moment I still remember

fresh in my mind, just a young

boy’s dream but that one day if I

have the opportunity I want to go

to sea, to be an officer or captain

on board a big ship like this,’ he

recalls.

The vessel was Arnold Maersk,

the captain Jørgen Orla Hansen.

He was the reason the ship

had passed by. He’d got up

early and was taking a walk on

the starboard side when the

officers on the bridge had seen

the stricken craft, port side. A

political situation, the bridge crew

needed his decision and when he

was contacted the A class ship

immediately made its slow 180

degree turn. It was not the first

nor the last time any Maersk ship

had found itself in this situation,

indeed the Arnold had already

welcomed refugees on board on

more than one occasion and Clara

Maersk famously once saved over

6000 Vietnamese on one trip.

The Story of Ngoc

The moment of rescue, Ngoc is lying

somewhere towards the bow of

the vessel waiting to walk up the

gangway to safety.

Captain Hansen and his first officer pictured minutes after they’d spotted

the refugees and the Arnold Maersk with a new look stern ‘garage’ which

wasn’t there during the rescue but was part of the vessel when Ngoc

joined it as a cadet

The Story of Ngoc

Relieved at being saved the

refugees took the only item of

value from their small boat, the

compass, and presented it to the

captain as a priceless thank you.

The chief engineer was detailed

to drill a hole in the wooden boat

because, abandoned, it would

have been a danger to shipping.

As it sank into the South China

Sea Arnold Maersk continued

its route to Hong Kong where

Ngoc and the others were put

into a former army camp before

being accepted as refugees by the

Danish government.

Six months later the family ended

up in northern Jutland where a

journalist heard about this brave

women who brought her four

children and 60 others to safety.

Down in Svendborg, ‘a shipowner

whose vessels were red not blue,’

says Ngoc, thought the story

‘remarkable’ and invited the

family to come and visit. ‘He was

like a godfather to us and to me in

particular,’ says Ngoc.

Ngoc told him of the promise, made

on the gangway, and after he left

school he found himself as a cadet

at the naval college in Svendborg.

In a series of remarkable

coincidences, his first vessel was

the very same Arnold Maersk

that had saved his life eight years

earlier. But no Captain Hansen.

THE MEETINGThe clock moved on and Ngoc

completed his nautical education

at SIMAC in Svendborg, his by now

adopted town. As a third officer

he was assigned Matilda Maersk

as his first vessel. His first voyage

was to be the captain’s last, but the

name seemed familiar.

‘Sir, I believe we have sailed

before,’ he told the captain. ‘In

1981 you picked up a boatload

of Vietnamese refugees, I was

one of them.’ Captain Hansen

smiled and replied saying that he

remembered the day, and added

that he had something of his.

Today the compass which took

them from the shores of Vietnam

in 1981 is one of the most

treasured items in the Svendborg

villa home that Ngoc shares with

his wife Kim Anh and their two

young sons, fourteen-year-old

Jimmi and nine-year-old Kevin.

The remarkable story has only

one chapter to go to be complete.

Part of the reason Ngoc was

attending the Bridge Resource

Management and SPAR courses

was to be ready to make that

final step to the very top of the

gangway – as the captain on a

Maersk vessel.

Ngoc and Kim Anh with the compass which has played a big part in the

story of their lives

Hamburgefintsiv 15

Ten years ago if you’d asked the

average Brazilian in the street

‘what would he rather have, five

new soccer stadiums or one new

oil field?’ the answer would have

been the former in this football

mad country. Today, even on

the eve of the next World Cup

which Brazil is hosting, oil would

probably be the answer. Football

was always a dream route out

of poverty, but there’s a growing

realisation that if properly

managed oil can be for the greater

community, not just eleven men in

yellow shirts.*

Already oil is contributing five

times more to the GNP than it did

when Brazil were sent crashing by

France from the 2006 competition.

Today they produced two million

barrels a day, by 2020 they expect

to produce five million. It is easy

to calculate that at that rate the

contribution to the Gross National

Product will far exceed any other

traditional factor.

Brazil’s oil and gender revolutionThey used to sing, ‘there’s an awful lot of coffee in Brazil’ – today they might want to change the lyrics to ‘there’s an awful lot of oil off Brazil.’ In fact there is so much that it is seen as one of the leading exploration hot spots and for the whole country it represents a huge acceptance of a new life, one full of opportunities.

15

16Brazil’s oil and gender revolution

The growth and potential has

highlighted a need for skilled

people and Maersk Training has

responded with the opening of its

seventh global centre in Rio de

Janeiro in July.

“The centre will train people

to put safety first, saving lives,

preventing potential oil spills,

increasing efficiency and ensuring

that Brazil as a nation has the

necessary skilled workforce to

fulfil its ambition of becoming

one of the biggest oil producers

in the world,” says Hans Dürke

Bloch-Kjær, managing director for

Maersk Training in Brazil. “We go

beyond just training people, we

screen for the right candidates

and provide behavioural courses

as well as technical that change

the way people think. It doesn’t

matter if you find someone with

the skills of a Formula One driver

if he or she doesn’t instinctively

put safety first,” he adds.

Formula One is another Brazilian

passion, but like soccer, it is a

male dominated sport whilst

Brazil as a country is much more

gender liberated, with women

having a much more high profile

role in society. It is something

which Maersk Training in Brazil,

is already benefiting from. The

first generation of female officers

are now being ready to share

their sea going experience and

expertise.

COURT REVERSALBrazil has two navy officer

training schools, CIABA (Belém, in

the state of Pará) and CIAGA (Rio).

The first female officer graduated

in 1997 – actually what happened

was that a woman passed the

test to enter CIABA, but the

school wouldn’t let her in because

she was a woman. She took the

school to court for discrimination

and won. So from 1998 CIAGA

included both men and women

in their classes. Two of the Rio-

based instruction team have been

through the Brazilian navy’s

training programme and have

worked in the offshore sector.

Keila Torres graduated from

CIAGA in 1999 – the second ever

Guests get a guided tour of the new

simulator complex whilst the flag-

decorated cakes are definitely for real

17Brazil’s oil and gender revolution

mixed-gender navy officer class

in Rio and Renata Cortês Gomes

graduated in 2004.

Renata, in particular, is an

example of the new generation

of South Atlantic mariners.

She never thought of the sea

as a career but ten years ago

her father convinced her that

there would be need for skilled

seafarers and in that need a

future. Still uncertain but happy

to listen to her father she applied

for a place in the naval college and

got it, and has never regretted a

moment.

Both Renata and Keila agree on

the reason why there are so many

female instructors in Brazil. They

point out it’s easier and more

convenient to work onshore,

especially when you want to have

a family life and therefore not

having to plan for embarkations

or re-organizing life if there is a

delay on return.

At Maersk Training they use

the most up-to-date simulators

offering technical courses such as

Dynamic Positioning, Drilling and

Anchor Handling. The technical

installations include a Kongsberg

Full Mission DP Bridge Simulator

integrated with the Anchor

Handling simulator in accordance

with the Nautical Institute (NI)

class A type with 10 different

vessel/unit models.

“A large number of accidents or

near-misses are ultimately caused

by experienced workers who

develop bad habits over time or

become overconfident in their

skills to the point that they skip

procedural steps or cross safety

limits. Maersk Training promotes

the continual training of workers

at all experience levels to

minimise accidents by continually

and constantly emphasising the

need for safety and constant care

in all actions,” says Bloch-Kjær.

“Our simulators create the most

realistic and life-like situations

possible during day-to-day

operations.”

As part of this, Maersk Training

puts an emphasis on small

class sizes as well as individual

attention given during technical

courses to ensure they develop

the right safety skills. Maersk

Training in Brazil also offers On-

Board Language Training (OBLT).

This programme teaches English

to Brazilian offshore workers on

board vessels and platforms as

well as offering instruction in

Portuguese to foreign workers

operating in Brazilian waters.

*The cost of establishing a new oil

field is about that of five Olympic

sized stadiums

It’s full steam ahead in a stable location for instructor Renata Cortĕs Gomes

‘You must try this, it’s a local

delicacy’ - the most terrifying

words in travel. From the host

there is a sense of pride, from

the guest the anxiety of putting

something totally foreign into

their mouth and digesting it with

an appreciative smile. Then comes

the tricky bit, you have to say

how much you enjoyed it without

triggering the five secondary most

terrifying words in travel – ‘you

must try some more.’

We’ve trawled around seven of

Maersk Training’s centres asking

them for a local dish, one of

which they are either proud of or

believe is unique. Can you match

them up? That’s half the trick the

other half is to put them in the

appropriate order they should be

eaten. Are there any where you

might want a second helping?

The dishes come from Newcastle

in England, Esbjerg in Denmark,

Aberdeen in Scotland, Chennai

in India, Svendborg in Denmark,

Stavanger in Norway and Rio in

Brazil. Answers on page 20.

• Maniçoba

• Haggis

• Kheer

• Bakskuld

• Brunsviger

• Panaculty

• Smalahove

Funny TummyThe eight most terrifying words in travel

18

19

Think of the shipping industry

as a nation with 1.2 million

people - a nation which covers

more than three quarters of

the earth’s surface with around

69,000 ‘floating towns’ which

carry the flags of 185 states.

These countries, as land borne

entities, have different laws,

values and environmental

situations and solutions

pertaining to their individual

status. The International Labour

Organisation, a specialist agency

of the United Nations, is like a

parliament, bringing together,

on this occasion, the shipping

industry to lay down laws and

guidelines for the common good of

the citizens, the seafarers.

And how does it work? The

MLC, 2006 is an international

legal instrument and does not,

therefore, apply directly to

shipowners, ships or seafarers.

Instead like all international

law, it relies on implementation

by countries through their

national laws or other measures.

The national law or other

measures would then apply

to shipowners, seafarers and

ships. The MLC, 2006 sets out the

minimum standards that must

be implemented by all countries

that ratify it. As well as updating

all previous conventions it

greatly modifies or introduces

the following areas for setting

universal minimal standards.

The latest update covers:

• Conditions of employment

• Accommodation

• Recreational facilities

• Food and catering

• Health protection

• Medical care

• Welfare and social protection

issues

It is the food and catering one

which has triggered much of the

thought process for this eSea.

The convention was held in 2006

but it came into force only a year

after the member states ratifying

it passed the required one third

of all registered tonnage. That

was on 20 August. As it stands

today 46% of the member states of

ILO have ratified the agreement,

but they represent nearly 76.2%

of all tonnage. Those yet to, or

refusing to, ratify include, the

USA, India, Ukraine, China, Brazil,

South Korea – they are not alone

there are another 136 signatories

missing. For these flagged states

all vessels over 500 gross tons

have to comply with the new

standards.

The convention covers a vast area

of conditions from construction

of vessels to repatriation to

compensation, from working

hours to access to shore-based

welfare facilities to on board

complaint procedures and of

course Title 3 which deals with

catering. The food section covers

quality, nutritional value and

quantity, stating that it must be

free to the seafarer and take into

account cultural desires and

religious differences. Above all

anyone working in the galley has

to be properly trained to respect

these provisions.

For the full Convention please

click on:

So what is the MLC 2006 all about?

20

Funny Tummy – answers

Brunsviger,

a morning treat from Svendborg, Denmark

All the calories you

need for a month in

a single slice of this

sugar and butter cake

that you only get on

the island of Funen

Bakskuld,

a typical western Danish starter or main course in Esbjerg, Denmark

Delicious if you like

smoked and salted

plaice or dabs on local

dark rye bread with

a Danish specialty

sauce, remoulade, and

citron, so west coast

. . . except for the

lemon.

Haggis,

an essential part of Scottish culture

A mixture of blood

and oats in a sheep’s

stomach, you

either love it, which

probably means you

are Scottish, or not,

which means you

think McDonalds is

the only clan food.

Maniçoba,

a Brazilian meal which takes more planning than a well operation!

The complete

opposite to fast food.

It takes a week to

take the toxins out of

the poisonous leaves

and for the farm

load of meat to cook.

Just about every bit

of a pig is included

as well as a cow’s

stomach. Not for the

faint hearted but in

some parts of Brazil a

festival would not be

complete without it.

Smalahove,

a Norwegian delicacy that might just stay there

This is a beauty and

makes haggis seem

positively vegetarian.

It means narrow

head which is what

the Norwegians

think sheep have,

so they cut off the

head, burn off the

wool, salt it and boil

for three hours, with

or without brain. It’s

then served with

mashed potatoes.

Once a dish for

the poor it is now

considered a delicacy

– Yum yum is not a

Norwegian word.

Panaculty,

an economic dish with many names and one purpose around Newcastle

There are many

regional variations in

name and recipe, but

traditionally it is a

Monday night dinner,

taking the leftovers

from the Sunday meat

roast and making a

pie or pan dish by

adding potatoes,

onion and sometimes

cheese. Life can be

hard up there in the

north east of England

– hard but tasty.

Kheer,

a sweet taste of India

A sweet pudding it

is made by boiling

rice or broken wheat

with milk and sugar

and flavouring with

cardamom, raisins,

saffron, cashew

nuts, pistachios or

almonds. Often is it

served with a main

course or as a stand-

alone dessert, but

best avoided if you

have a nut allergy.

21

SLAVE SHIP: ANGOLA TO RIO DE JANEIRO – ABOUT 50 DAYSThe Portuguese were the first to

transport slaves from Africa to

the Americas on mass in the 17th

Century. Conditions improved

over the extensive period of this

trade due to the slow realisation

that the human cargo only had

a value if sellable on arrival. The

Dutch fed the slaves three times

a day, the French dished out an

unattractive stew every day

and the English introduced the

concept of fast food; it was poorly

cooked and wrapped in small flat

tubes, so no change there then.

There were rules, often ignored

by uncaring captains, about

the amount of food each slave

should have, but by the 18th

Century with bigger ships and

shorter journey times of about

30 days saw better survival

rates. The policy seemed to be

make them hungry and weak

for the first part of the journey

with rations improving before

arrival at destination. Slaves

were often exercised to tone

muscles towards the end of

a voyage. Indeed the Danish

ship Fredensborg on occasions

reported a higher percentage of

deaths amongst the crew, due

largely to disease.

Due to their cruel cargo the later

versions of slave ships looked

different to other vessels – they

had funnels, not to extract smoke,

but to give some minor ventilation

below decks.

Food for ThoughtWhat you might expect to eat on four very different voyagesThere’s a wonderful moment in the classic Danish movie Martha from the Sixties, where the crew of the totally un-kept ship sits down in the galley to a classic Scandinavian lunch – the captain scans the table crammed with delicacies and then with an anxious questioning voice says, ‘there’s no Brottsjoe herring?’

There are many ships he would have been a lot unhappier on, an immigrant ship to America or Australia, or a slaver from Africa. Here’s what you might expect on four separate voyages.

22Food for Thought

EMIGRANT VESSEL: OSLO TO NEW YORK - UP TO 70 DAYSBy 1870 things had got a little

organised, although the food

was still pretty awful. Had the

emigrant caught a ship twenty

years earlier they would have

been expected to do their own

cooking with their own food

which they stored in personal

huge chests. The problem was

that with 300 on board and

a communal kitchen which

measured only four by five

metres, you had to fight for a place

at the cooker – the cooker being

an area of sand on which you

made your own fire. Assuming

that no one had stolen your

supplies beforehand, you could

cook until the smoke from the

fires drove you back on deck.

Refreshed you often returned to

find your fire hijacked and food

spilt.

On voyages in the late 19th

century the seafarers cooked

for those with cabins and only

the 3rd class steerage had to

fend for themselves. This is the

recommend list in the 1870’s for

one adult for the recommended

ten week voyage period from Oslo

to New York.

• 32 kg hard bread (or the

equivalent in soft bread or

flatbread)

• 3.5 kg butter

• 11 kg beef

• 4.5 kg pork

• 1 small keg of herring

• 1 large keg potatoes

• 10 kg rye and barley flour

• ½ bushel dried peas

• ½ bushel pearl barley

• 1.4 kg coffee

• 1.4 kg sugar

• 1 kg syrup

• Quantities of salt, pepper,

vinegar and onions

There were entrepreneurs even

way back then – some fishing

vessels held off the Banks of

Newfoundland with fresh water

and fish to sell at inflated prices to

often desperate passengers.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTED EMIGRANTS: BRISTOL TO MELBOURNE – 120 DAYSThe SS Great Britain the first iron

passenger ship failed as a luxury

transatlantic liner so in 1850

she was converted to transport

subsidised emigrants to Australia.

Food wasn’t the only contentious

issue on board. There were

reports of liaisons between the

women passengers and sailors,

so much so that the husbands

became violent and the only way

the captain could control it was to

lock the wives away.

As meat went off easily on these

long voyages, large numbers of

live animals were carried for food,

giving the ship the appearance

of Noah's Ark rather than an

emigrant ship. On one voyage in

1859, the ship carried 133 live

sheep, 38 pigs, 2 bullocks, 1 cow,

420 fowl, 300 ducks, 400 geese

and 30 turkeys. Passenger diaries

record the ship as smelling and

sounding like a barnyard! Egg

stealing was rife.

23Food for Thought

TRANSATLANTIC LINER: SOUTHAMPTON TO NEW YORK – 6 DAYSThis is the menu a first class

passenger would have sat down

to on the night of 14th April 1912.

A first class ticket for that journey

would have cost $2,400 in today’s

money, good value considering

that a first class flight London-

New York will set you back at

least $9,000.

The upside of paying $9,000 is that

you would be there in a matter

of hours, whilst many of those

who enjoyed the ‘Punch romaine’

never reached their destination.

This was the last meal served on

the Titanic.

Hamburgefintsiv 24Regular eSea readers might recall

the story a couple of issues ago

when we went to the historic

centre of the industry, a small

windmill in central Jutland, the

workplace of one Poul la Cour,

who we dubbed ‘the father of the

wind industry’. The industry as

we generally perceive it is a new

one, the gigantic blades so crisp

and modern. However, those in the

industry know that for many of the

turbines the time has come for care

and servicing beyond the routine.

This need heralds the call for a

new skill and a new workforce and

Maersk Training in Newcastle,

along with industry partner

Consuta Training, has set up the

first Blade Repair and Inspection

course. The four day course, which

is approved by Germanischer Lloyd

(GL), is designed to provide trainees

with the underpinning knowledge

and skills required to undertake

basic inspection, preventative

maintenance and repairs to wind

turbine blades. As it is a new skill

it is expected that trainees will be

drawn from a very wide section of

society, from those who have been

out of work to those who simply

want a new challenge.

Although a subject often shrouded

in mystery and industrial secrecy,

around 90% of wind turbine

blades are manufactured using the

same resin infusion process and

almost all blades are inspected and

repaired the same way. This course

recognises these facts and has been

developed in direct response to the

needs of the industry. It is suitable

not only for people already working

in wind turbine operation and

maintenance but also people who

might be looking for a new career

opportunity

The managing director of

Maersk Training in Newcastle,

Stuart Cameron, said, ‘With

an increasing number of wind

turbines approaching the end of

their warranty there is an acute

shortage of technicians outside

of the major original equipment

manufacturers with the required

skills to undertake inspection and

competently repair wind turbine

blades.’

The first course scheduled to

run from 9-12 September at the

Newcastle centre.

Blade Runners

25

Red sails in the sunset, not

quite, give it a couple of hours.

A beautiful day, for sailors, not

quite, give it a fresher breeze.

These fantastic sailing ships

are taking part in the annual

Round Funen Sail. Just looking

at them it is easy to image what

the view from the roof of Maersk

Training’s Svendborg centre

would have been some 478 years

ago. Somewhere out there the

Hanseatic fleet from Lűbeck

(containing a large number

of captured Danish vessels)

took on a combined Swedish,

Prussian and the remainder of

the Danish fleet of somewhere in

the region of 30 vessels. Can you

help, do you know any details,

like a precise location for the

Battle of Svendborgsund fought

somewhere out there on or about

16 April 1535?

Battle of Svendborg

What’s in a name?A little history here: We asked

a couple of colleagues about

the geographical location

of the training centre at

Rantzausminde, and they

admitted that they’d read

recently that minde meant ‘in

memory of,’ but who or what

Rantzaus was they knew not.

Strangely Maersk Training’s

headquarters location marks

one of the most important

turning points in Danish

history. The often tranquil

waters that lie in front of the

building in Svendborg were

in April 1535 the venue for a

naval battle which determined

the religious fate of the entire

country and who should rule

it. Six days earlier just up

the road outside the town of

Assens, Johan Rantzau had

lead combined forces in a fierce

and bloody victory against the

army of Catholic-supporting

northern Germans. Less than

a week later in the Battle of

Svendborgsund the rival navies

brought things to a conclusion

and the subsequent victory

at sea allowed Rantzau to

capture a besieged Copenhagen

and place Christian III on the

Danish throne. In doing so

it established the Lutheran

Church as the state church.

Today Svendborgsund is

marked by Christiansminde in

the east and Rantzausminde in

the west.

* for more about the

importance of names

see page 28

26

Whilst everyone was looking at

the world’s largest ship as she

made her way to Europe for the

first time, the smallest boat with a

seven-pointed white star recently

slipped quietly into the Svendborg

harbour and scarcely turned a

head.

At around two metres Hr Møller

is about .5% the size of a Triple

E. Based in its home port of

Vindeby on Tåsinge, just south of

Svendborg, we thank the eagle-

eyed reader who spotted the

moored vessel.

MMM =Mr MøllerMoors

27eSea library To go back in time and access articles from

previous issues, simply click on the photo of the edition.

The numbers in front of the articles is the the eSea issue.

For direct access click on the article title

eSea 1 Instructors’ back to sea programme - Sea Time Reduction announced - Vetting for Supply - New Deepwater Horizons open up

eSea 2New Towmasters’ course gets full simulation treatment - Deepwater course piloted - Wind industry - Drill instructor gets back to the well head

eSea 3MOSAIC II announced - Offshore wind, the new challenges - West African pilots use simulator to deal with the ‘big boys’ - CraneSIM in Vietnam - Piracy through the ages

eSea 4MT launches new website - Chinese in big safety push - Rig crane put in a box - Safety and People Skills build platform emergency course - how to communicate across cultures

eSea 5Maersk Training pennant raised in Dubai - Platform crews pilot Emergency Response course - How to be best in Vetting class - Danger of computer over reliance

eSea 6MOSAIC II, the ground is broken - Rig participants up to elbows in some very special mud - Semi-sub crew learns anchor handling - West African pilots start payback

eSea 7Chinese Container crews look to safety - Rig crane simulator tested - Esbjerg’s new facilities - MOSAIC II update - DP sea-time reduction - Coffee Break with Bent Nielsen

eSea 8Titanic Edition looking back at 100 years of increased safety and improved training - the lifeboat revolution - man overboard - spreading knowledge - tomorrow’s seafarers

eLibrary

eSea 9$15million Phone call - Wrappers off MOSAIC II - 5 Year drilling package - Tomorrow’s leaders today - Family comes too - Learning in luxury - Danish Olympians teambuild

eSea 10Breaking the ice, a new route in navigation - crane simulation arrives - Newcastle’s drop in course for the high life - the silent disease, loneliness - Chinese catch safety bug

To go back in time and access articles from previous issues, simply click on the photo of the edition or use the QR code.









eLibrary












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eLibrary




eSeaM A R I T I M E /O I L & G A S/ W I N D/C R A N E · JA N UA RY 2013

macondo – a lesson unlearnt? the worlds most advanced offshore simulation complex >�

the most socially isolated person on planet earth? >

training to avoid skyfall >

captaining a floating town >

combating stress with underwater rugby >

11










eLibrary












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eSea 1

eSea 10

eSea 9

eSea 12

eSea 13

eSea 11

eSea 8

eSea 7

eSea 6

eSea 5

eSea 4

eSea 3

eSea 2

MARITIME

1 DP Sea Time Reduction

7 DP Sea Time Reduction

1 Vetting for supply

2 Towmaster course

3 West African pilots’ eye-opener

6 West Africans payback time

10 Ice breaking through world short-cut

11 Captaining a hotel

12 Bridge and engine room in sync

12 A new look at mooring

O&G

5 Rig crew responds to an emergency

6 Semi-sub crew handling anchors

9 The $15million phone call

11 Macondo – a lesson unlearnt?

6 Mud course

12 North Sea, experts look to bright future

WIND POWER

3 Wind industry – new challenges

12 The father of wind power

12 A2Sea’s new windcarrier

12 Olsen team get specific training

13 Training at heights for lady

with no vertigo

CRANE

3 CraneSim in Vietnam

4 Rig crane in a box

7 Rig crane simulator tested

13 APMT’s management improvement

programme

SAFETY

4 Container industry in big safety push

7 Chinese container crews show huge

progress

MISCELLANEOUS

3 Piracy through the ages

5 Training in Dubai

8 Titanic edition looks at progress since

1912

9 Choosing tomorrow’s leaders

9 Turning a course into a family holiday

10 Loneliness, the problem of isolation

11 Underwater rugby, combating stress

13 The global social media revolution

13 Piracy and the cross - the roll today of the

seamen’s missioneSeaM A R I T I M E / O I L & G A S / W I N D / C R A N E · N O . 1 2 / 2 0 1 3

wind powerWindmills - never ending or beginning >�Poul la Cour. Father of Wind Power >Olsen band crack safe operation >The Floating Table >Bridge and Engine in Sync >Door Knobs to Safety >The North Sea Glory Story > 12


28

The naming of the world’s largest

ship, the princely name of the

King of England come circa 2075

and the re-launch of a successful

company under a totally different

brand name – they’ve all

dominated a corner of the media

over the past month or so, with

much of the focus on the names

themselves.

People tend to grow into the name

they were given by their doting

parents. I’m not sure if Mr and

Mrs Pipe have ever been forgiven

by their son Duane, but he’s up

there on Facebook.

In business the importance of

the right name can never be

under-stressed. The change in

profile can be enormous, just

ask Altria. Never heard of them?

A decade ago the tobacco giant

Philip Morris opted for it as a new

name. Did you miss the change?

Or are you one of those who say

‘‘‘I love you Philip Morris”, I want

a Snickers bar and some Opal

Fruits .’

This thought process was

triggered by the announcement

that the company which allowed

you to electronically deliver large

computer file, YouSendIt, was re-

launching itself as Hightail. Their

customer reaction has been a tad

negative. After all many argue

that the old name SaidItAll and

the new one, according to one

observer, sounds a bit like a cheap

Australian wine. To compound

matters the change came just as

a rival appeared. Its name and

purpose are united – WeTransfer.

So why do it? The answer

probably lies in the fact YouSendIt

has been operating for ten years

now and most of the original staff

have moved on and they have a

new CEO. How long he remains

largely depends on his Hightail

decision. He argues Conway’s

Law – the belief that a company

can be hampered by holding on

too tightly to its original founding

reason and name since it has

greatly diversified.

Maybe he’s never had a proper

letter. In 2001, in an effort to

compete with mail companies

with brand-like names such as

FedEx and UPS, Britain's post

office made the risky marketing

decision to change its name

from the hallowed Royal Mail

— in daily use since 1635 — to

the made-up Consignia. Fifteen

months in the postal wilderness

was ended when the company

had a record loss of £1.1 billion

and changed back – the all-time

version of ‘return to sender.’ The

name change cost £1.5 million

and the CEO his job.

Then there’s the Andersen

Consulting decision to change

to Accenture – voted by Time

magazine as the worst rebranding

in corporate history – at a cool

Playing the name game

Poopdeck 14

Hamburgefintsiv 29

$100 million maybe they should

have consulted someone else.

But what does it matter if the

baby Prince was called George

or Gavin? Actually quite a lot,

even although people grow into

their names, there are not many

Igor’s or Adolf’s around today

and in commercial terms an

inappropriate name can hamper

international sales. The Iranian

word for snow which they use

on their best-selling washing

powder is enough to make others

throw up – Barf. Then there’s

the Polish candy bar Fart and

the Norwegian beer you’d rather

point at than say to an unfriendly

barman, Aass Øl.

When you come to naming boats

it is very important to get it right,

unlike the Hong Kong flagged

vessel in a series named after the

planets. It was all going so well

until they passed Titan Jupiter

and landed on Titan Uranus.

There’s a nice symmetry about the

first of the new Triple E vessels,

Mærsk McKinney Møller has

a name that is fitting for many

reasons, not least that her maiden

voyage began just days after the

centenary of the birth of Mærsk

McKinney Møller.

Maersk is one of those special

names that triggers a reaction

in many, if not most people. It’s

a triumph of mind marketing,

though with some people you

are not quite sure what message

they’ve taken on board. I was on

an EasyJet recently and had to get

my wallet out to eat. Awkwardly

it was in my company back pack

stored in the overhead bin. The

steward was . . was rather light

on his feet and very helpful.

‘Which one?’ he asked opening

the bin.

‘The one with the white star . . .’

‘Oh, Maersk, I didn’t know they

make bags as well.’

Not that it would happen, but the wrong placement of the letters in

Maersk Training could produce . . . Renaming at risk

Poopdeck 14

Hamburgefintsiv 30

ContactEditorial issues and suggestions:Richard Lightbody - [email protected]

Wind Turbine Blade Inspection and Repair and Inspection Ccourse: Claire Small, Bookings Co-ordinator, +44 (0)191 296 6895 or email [email protected]

Names and emails of those able and eager to help with specific enquiries arising out of this issue

Sales enquiries Aberdeen (UK): [email protected]

Sales enquiries Brazil:[email protected]

Sales enquiries Esbjerg (DK): [email protected]

Sales enquiries India:[email protected]

Sales enquiries Middle East:[email protected]

Sales enquiries Newcastle (UK):[email protected]

Sales enquiries Norway: [email protected]

Sales enquiries Svendborg (DK):[email protected]

Or visit our website www.maersktraining.com

Documents

eSea 14 - Food