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UK Ship Register E-Zine – Flagging-Up
Welcome to the thirteenth edition of Flagging-Up; the UK Ship Register’s quarterly e-newsletter.
Issue # 13 – Summer 2010
Covered in this issue are:
- UK Fleet Statistics
- New Chief Executive for Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- New Shipping Minister - Mike Penning MP
- RSS working hours
- Rio Tinto Shipping Visit
- Revision of Ship Captain’s Medical Guide and Medical Stores Guidance
- Obtaining Radio Medical Advice
- National Insurance Information Reminder
- Newsletter Contacts
UK Fleet Statistics
During the last quarter 14 ships joined the UK Ship Register (UKSR) with a combined gross tonnage of 156,975 GT. Of these new registrations 12 were new builds, whilst the remainder transferred in from other flags.
These new registrations include one container ship; one general cargo ship; one oil/chemical tanker; four standby safety/offshore vessels and seven vessels of other types.
Companies registering ships with the UKSR in the last three months include CPO Tankers, Meridian Marine, CMA Ships, North Star Shipping and Serco Denholm Marine Services.
The average age of vessels flagging-in during the last quarter was two years whilst the average age of vessels leaving the register was 22.
As at the end of July 2010 the UK Ship Register stands at 1,537 ships with a gross tonnage of 17,019,635.
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New Chief Executive for Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Sir Alan Massey has joined the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as our new Chief Executive. Sir Alan joined the Agency following a long naval career, spending the last two years as the Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Home Command, bringing with him extensive leadership experience and knowledge of the maritime sector. Commenting on his appointment, Sir Alan said: “I have joined an organisation with a proud tradition and hard-won reputation for excellence. To be given the chance to lead such a renowned organisation and – especially – the dedicated and highly professional people who make it tick, is a tremendous honour." |  |
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New Shipping Minister - Mike Penning MP
The Prime Minister announced the appointment of Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport with responsibility for shipping. Mr Penning’s responsibilities include:
He reports to report Phillip Hammond as Secretary of State. Theresa Villiers and Norman Baker complete the team. Further information can be found on the DfT website. |  |
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Registry of Shipping & Seaman Revised Working Hours
In response to Government targets to reduce energy consumption, the decision has been taken to reduce MCA Cardiff's hours (Marine Office and Registry of Shipping & Seaman) to 7:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday.
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Rio Tinto Shipping Visit
The UK Ship Register has once again demonstrated that while we have high standards it is not onerous to build ships to the UK Flag. We are keen to work with companies wishing to build to the UK Flag at all stages of the build process to ensure a smooth building and registration.
This was highlighted in a meeting held on 18 May between Rio Tinto Shipping, Namura Shipbuilding and the MCA.
Rio Tinto has ordered three very large ore carriers (VLOC’s) for the UK Flag. As a result, Namura proposed that they come to the UK to meet with Lloyd’s Register and the MCA to cover the process and any technical issues related to the Flag State and Classification Society.
This pre-project meeting proved to be very useful as it allowed all the relevant parties to establish the procedures and requirements before getting under way. MCA representatives for a range of policy areas were present in order to discuss a number of subjects, which amongst others included: crew accommodation, fire fighting and plan approval procedures. The meeting was chaired by Capt Roger Towner, Registrar General of Shipping & Seaman.
Rio Tinto currently has five bulk carriers registered with the UKSR with a combined gross tonnage of 269,940. These ships joined the UK Flag after a similar meeting took place in Southampton in February 2005.
This was very much appreciated by Namura as it cleared a lot of the presumed hurdles of building to the UK Flag, highlighted our flexibility and showed that we no longer have gold plating or excess regulations.
If you require any information regarding building ships to the UK Flag then please contact us at the following e-mail address: ukshipregister@mcga.gov.uk
Representatives from Rio Tinto, Namura Shipyard, Lloyd's Register, Keel Marine and the MCA meet in Spring Place.
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Revision of Ship Captain’s Medical Guide (SCMG) and Medical Stores Guidance (MSN 1768)
The MCA is looking into revising the Ship Captain’s Medical Guide which can be found here. The current guide was published in 1999. The MCA are currently working to identify the revisions needed to MSN 1768 - Guide and the medical stores requirements for UK ships. Views have been invited from the Chamber of Shipping, industry and social partners as well as other key stakeholders. If you have comments on these proposals we would be pleased to receive them. Please email Ruth on seafarer.s&h@mcga.gov.uk |  |
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Obtaining Radio Medical Advice
If seeking Radio Medical Advice it’s important to always contact the Coastguard for a swift and failsafe response. This also follows the guidance given in MGN 225.
Providers of Radio Medical Advice have advised the MCA that they are receiving a number of urgent calls for advice directly, in addition the Medical Administration Team at MCA headquarters in Southampton have also received calls requesting advice.
Failing to follow the guidance in MGN 225 will lead to delays in receiving medical advice.
Please ensure that you don’t lose valuable time in a medical emergency - call the Coastguard.
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National Insurance Information Reminder
Following on from previous notifications, information regarding National Insurance (NI) contributions can be found on the UK Ship Register website here.
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Newsletter Contacts
If you would like to amend your contact details or add or remove any colleagues from the newsletter distribution list then please contact Daniel Tong.