Posts by Chief Engineer 8 publicly visible posts • joined 26 Feb 2008
bravo, hear hear....oh no wait we can only comandeer UK flagged vessels, we can charter other flagged vessels, better get the cheque book out given the systematic dis-assembly of the UK merchant fleet over the past 30 years.
Anyway the pirates will be out in force so the 'elves and safety will say no
They support Pop3 and IMAP, so just set you Outlook / Thunderbird setting to collect mail from pop3.gmail.com (or whatever the server is) and carry on regardless, BUT I think you gain web access to your mail box should you wish.
Seem on reading just to be a change of hosting / server (never can figure out which is which) ;-)
QQQ
Being shot at, and possibly killed, is a known hazard for anyone who chooses to take up arms.
UQUQUQ
That is exactly why we (the Merchant Navy) dont want to be armed. Your argument was good up until you contadicted yourself.
You write like an Australian, in which case check your own government rules about armed vessels, even Navy vessel have to jump through hoops, getting a merchant vessel in would be even worse.
Add to this that international shipping is just that, how do you control who as the arms? Every vessel would be entitled to carry arms including those carrying people who at present most countries call terrorists, so lets make life easier for them give them the arms they require legally there isnt an administration on the planet that would alow that.
The ships you mean are PNTL Vessels, and where built with gun mounts, they only carry guns and perosnnel to use them when carrying the re-processed fuel.
We (the Merchant Navy) arent alowed to be armed, much apart from anything, it ups the ante with the pirates and on a British Flagged vessel (there are still some of us) the 'Elf and Safety / Risk Assesment would be a mare.
Remeber some of those "big ships" you all see container and tanker can carry as few as 13 (average 20) people and are leagally usually limited to 30 or so souls depending in Life Saving Appliances carried.
Some one who understands what is going on down and around Gulf Of Aden. Although 1 in 1000 is low would you want to be the 1? I dont and I know plenty who dont, I transit the area regularly and have heard attacks carried out on the radio, it is eeirie and disturbing. The Navy have enough to do without watching us, but hey we'll take all the help we can get.
The Americans want to arm Merchant Vessels, however that upsets thier plans for controlling Merchant Vessels visiting their ports.
Follow the French example they dont care if it's one of thiers they will go and get it/ them back, in fact just let the French do it.
QQQQ
The writer is a former professional seafarer, having stood bridge watches for eight years and served as navigating officer for two of those. He was also for some of those years an RYA-qualified sailing instructor.
UQUQUQUQ
So we know what qualifies the writter to tell us this is a waste of time, however he should also be very very aware that some of the mentioned disasters on bigger more regulated ships has been proven to be caused by people with fake qualification bought from the less reputable area of the world.
I happen to think it's over kill but at the end of the day the law is the law. However it would be nice to start a movement for the sensible application of laws
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
