KENYA SEAFARERS AND STCW

 KENYA SEAFARERS

Kenya Seafarers are comprised of 3,280 skilled and experienced maritime staff.

The Seafarers consist of Shipmasters, Deck and Engineer Officers, Electrical and Electro-Technical Officers, Divers, Fish Workers, Deck and Engine room Ratings and off-shore gas/oil rig staff.

Owing to the lack of a National Merchant Fleet and STCW Certificates, only 20% are currently employed aboard Coastal and Foreign Ocean-going vessels.

Majority of the Merchant Navy and Engineer Officers are Britain, Egypt and South Africa trained.

With the assistance of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), 48 Kenyan Seafarers underwent a six week STCW training in South Africa at the UNICORN Tankers Training School and Dar-esssalam maritime Institute while 900 under took STCW training at Bandari College, Kenya.

Due to the absence of legally established manning agencies for Seafarers in Kenya, there is no proper replacement and recruitment of Seafarers in the Country. All replacements and recruitment of Seafarers in Kenya are carried out in close shop system, which is contrary to government directive on recruitment of seamen.

The Government directive of recruitment of Seafarers states that all recruitment of Seafarers are subject to Government control under the Office of the Merchant Shipping Superintendent.

We know that work is the best route out of poverty. But we cannot legislate employment in and poverty out. It is long and complex process requiring all elements of society to work together.

Therefore, there’s a need to harness the unique power of the office of the Merchant Shipping Superintendent, Ship Owners and Seafarers Union of Kenya to a concerted efforts in creating employment to Kenyan Merchant Mariners.

EXPANSION OF KENYA PORTS

CONSTRATION OF BERTH 19 READY TO BEGIN.





EQUIPMENT for the construction of the eagerly awaited berth No. 19 has been mobilized to the site following its arrival this week.
The construction of the new berth similar to berth 16 – 18 will involve rein-forcement of the yard, reclamation of the sea and placement of strong con-crete blocks. The 5 ha yard will also have an administration block.
The project to extend berth 18 by 160 meters to complement berth 16-18 will be carried out by a Chinese firm in 18 Months. On completion the container terminal will have a total quay length of 760 meters and accommodate three medium sized vessels.
According to Eng Dan Amadi, the Authority expects to receive an additional capacity of 200,000 TEUs per annum once the project is completed.

Speaking during an investment conference for the coast region in a paper titled Port Services and Opportunities in Coastal Region, KPA managing director Mr James Mulewa, said studies are being carried out to set up such ports from Lunga Lunga in the South Coast to Lamu.

He added that the new investment will help ease congestion at the Mombasa Port, whose berths have been used beyond limit.

“This is part of the plans we have that also include the development of a second terminal, a gas terminal and full automation of port operations. Others are the Dongo Kundu bypass and a cruise terminal to enhance trade.

“Besides the port infrastructure that includes opening a second container terminal through Dongo Kundu connecting Mombasa with the South Coast and the second port in Lamu, there are other potentials for cruise ship facilities, water sports and fish landing sites,” he said, adding that the authority had over 400 acres of land in Kilifi suitable for a major conference and sporting facility, which provides an opportunity for investment under the Public Private Partnership.

In the near future, the Mombasa Port and the second one coming up in Lamu will play an important role in the trade in the East African Community and beyond.

“The investment that will come to the coast with the regional integration are way beyond what tourism and the international airport have brought. Consider all those goods going to be handled at the two ports for industries in the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda among others



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Intense lobbying could delay construction of Mombasa terminal

 

Transport Weekly reports that intense lobbying over award of tenders at the Mombasa port in Kenya is threatening to delay construction of the second container terminal which is funded by the Japanese government.
According to officials at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), some individuals who are connected to the firms that tendered for the job have been accused of lobbying for award of the multi-million dollar tender, even as the process awaits completion by the Japan Ports Consultants Limited (JPC).
The Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) said it was concerned about the manner of cancellation of some government tender processes, which ended up costing concerned parties millions of shillings besides scaring away investors.
The award of the tender is expected to be announced soon since the winner should start the job by next month, according to KPA. The project involves construction of two container handling berths and a smaller berth for pilots boats, mooring boats and tug boats for KPA.

DREDGING THE MOMBASA CHANNEL AND ANCHORAGE

The Trailing Suction Hoper (TSHD) in action

One of the dredging machines(m.v Volvox Delta) is already at the port from Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors of Netherlands,The dredging of the port channel and widening of the turning basin has begun.
Come the end of this project in the next 18 Months the port of Mombasa will comfortably handle bigger vessels.
The first dredger “Trailing Suction Hoper” (TSHD) is on site removing soft silt from the sea bottom .According to the Contractors the dredger operates like a floating vacuum cleaner, sucks deep water and pumps up materials from the sea bed.The dredging process will be round the clock and will have a cycle of 21 days with one day break for bunkering and supply of food and water and the first break was on 30.06.2011 thursday.
The second dredger, “Cutter Suction” is expected in September and will dredge the entrance to the habour. “This dredger is equipped with a cutting device to increase the dislodging force and will remove combination of sand and hard coral from the sea.
The waste material from this exercise will be used in the construction of the second container terminal.
The port is to be dredged to a depth of 15 meters and a width of 300 meters while the anchorage basin is to be 10 to 11m deep, 375m wide and a length of 1500m.the turning basin is to have a depth of 15m and a width of 500m upon completion.

M.V DANIA the artificial reef

East Africa’s latest ‘artificial’ reef, set in the watery heart of the Mombasa Marine Park, barely 1.5km off the Kenyan port city, has been in place now for more than 4 years.

The artificial reef has its origins in the deliberate sinking-on 27th October 2002- of a 77 meter decommissioned livestock carrier, the MV Dania, at a pre-designated site 50 meters beyond the naturally occurring reef off Mombasa’s Bamburi Beach.

The scuttling operation of the ship wreck, when eventually it went ahead, was the culminating act of ten months of painstaking planning and preparation in Mombasa.

The MV Dania was built at Norway’s Hatlo Verksted shipyard in 1965 as a general cargo vessel. She was then registered in Honduras, Central America, as the MV Rodriguez. In 1985, she started plying the trade routes between Eastern Africa and the Arabian Gulf. And finally, in 1993, she was converted into a specialized livestock carrier for the ferrying of cattle to and from Mozambique, South Africa, Mombasa and Mauritius.

On being decommissioned in 2001, due to low livestock traffic, MV Dania was to have been retired to India. The Owner of Buccaneer Diving IN Mombasa- Bruce, operating out of the nearby Voyager and White sands Hotels had other ideas. Buccaneer is Mombasa’s only IDC-PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)-accredited five-star Instructors Development Centre.

The el Niño rains had wrecked havoc on the natural coral gardens in Mombasa which were previously a divers paradise. Conservation efforts have now resorted to the development of artificial reefs using wrecks of various kinds, and also to add flavor and diversity to the diving fraternity.

The coral communities that have developed on the ship wreck overtime are as productive and diverse as ecosystems that you find in other healthy naturally occurring coral reefs. Having an alternative artificial wreck reef off Mombasa will help divert the human pressure away from the fragile remaining natural reefs, while at the same time providing added tourist attraction into the wreck divers’ bargain.

On the D-day, the vessel was towed out to sea for the last time from her moorings at Comarco Marine Base at Ganjoni, Mombasa. Two hours later Capt. Bahero maneuvered her into a scuttling position in the Mombasa Marine Park. The crew began pumping water into her bowels, which sank lower and lower in the water until- through the rows of pre-cut holes in her flanks-she began to take in water by herself. Her stern was the last to dip beneath the waves, squeezing out the last remaining pockets of trapped air in a dramatic final exhalation.

On sinking of the diving wreck, divers set in place prominent ‘danger’ buoy, flanked by other ‘cautionary buoys positioned afore and aft of the ship wreck. These buoys provide a clear warning to approaching shipping, while also facilitating tie-up moorings for parties of Mombasa’s diving visitors.

The divers have since mapped out a number of recommended dive routes on and around the ship wreck. These have been color coded according to the respective levels of difficulty they involve, so as to reflect the varying degrees of diving skill required.

Quite apart from its attraction as a premier new wreck diving site in Mombasa, the ship wreck of the MV Dania is already serving, as a very useful underwater laboratory for a number of the Kenya Wildlife Service research projects and divers teaching programmes.

The Kenya Seafarers Union held their elections to select new leaders over the weekend. Jackson Ambila Odhiambo, a retired major in the Kenyan navy, was elected secretary general, Athman Ngoma as chairman and Jacob Pashu Mvoi treasurer.

Ambila said there was a need to have candidates who have a background in maritime operations. "Most of the officials in the current office are not familiar with the maritime operations. This time we want to create a change. We want leaders who will understand the problems our seafarers face," said Ambila.
There was a large turnout at the elections which took place at Sacred Heart School, Mombasa. According to Union laws elections should be held after five years but the current office had served for more than 10. Some 181 union members voted, with 177 for the winning side.

Among the seamen who participated in the elections were the group of 43 seafarers who were held captive for more than 5 months by Somali pirates demanding ransom.
Joseck Nambule, one of the hostages who was released and now elected deputy secretary general, expressed disappointment in the government for failing to care for its citizens. "I'll try to reinstate our rights so that we are not neglected," said Nambule.
Salim Chiguruguru, one of the hostages who was released in 2007 and now working with Kenya Ports Authority, join other seafarers. to turn the coin of the old seafarers union .

Golden Wave RELESED

he Golden Wave (right) was attacked on 9 October 2010 and was in the hands of pirates for 123 days



A South Korean fishing trawler hijacked in October has arrived in the Kenyan port of Mombasa after its release last week by Somali pirates.

Family and friends of the 39 Kenyan, two South Korean and two Chinese sailors aboard welcomed them.

The FV Golden Wave - also known as Keummi 305 - was escorted into the port by a Finnish warship.

After disembarking, trawler captain Kim Dae-keunm told the news networks that no ransom was paid for their release.

Somalia has had no functioning central government since 1991, allowing piracy to flourish off its coast.

Some of the crew members told our reporter that their trawler was used by the pirates as a mother ship to attack other vessels

M.V ASPHALT VENTURE BACK HOME

After spending seven months in captivity, eight sailors of the MV Asphalt Venture returned to India on Saturday night. However, seven crew members still remain in captivity after Somali pirates double-crossed the ship owners even after the payment of a ransom.

"While it is wonderful to be here and to be reunited with our families, we remain deeply concerned that seven of our colleagues and friends remain in the hands of the criminal gangs," Ramesh Singh, Captain of the MV Asphalt Venture, said in a statement.

The asphalt/bitumen tanker was hijacked by pirates on its way to South Africa from Kenya, southeast of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania on September 28, 2010. Although these sailors were released two weeks ago, they deferred their return, hoping the rest of the crew would be released.

Despite being paid a multi-million dollar ransom (it's not clear what the final settlement was) for 15 men, the pirates at the last minute had refused to release seven Indian hostages. They said they won't change their minds unless India releases 100 Somalian pirates captured by the navy in recent months

OCTOBER 2014. RELEASE OF THE REMAINING CREW.

MV Asphalt Venture/Panama:

Seven Indian Seafarers who have been held hostage since their ship, the MV Asphalt Venture, was hijacked in the Somali Basin on 28 September 2010 have been released and are safe in Kenya.

The 1991-built, Panamanian flagged , 3884 dwt., general cargo ship “MV Asphalt Venture”, with a crew of 15 was hijacked by Somali pirates on 28 September 2010. In April 2011 the vessel with 8 of her crew was released while the remaining 7 Indian seafarers were detained ashore.

Following lengthy negotiations, the release of these men was arranged after a modest payment was made to cover the logistical and transport costs of the group holding the men.

Preparations are now being made for their return to India in the next few days. Their families have been informed.

Last July a Pirate leader is said to have been seriously injured while one gunman is said to have died during a heavy exchange of gun fire amongst gunmen holding captive seven Indian crew members of the Panama flagged MT ASPHALT VENTURE.

Reports filtering Mombasa mid-last July indicated that fighting erupted amongst pirates holding captive the crew members soon after ransom money amounting to US$ 500,000 was delivered to the gunmen to secure safe release of the hostages.

Initially the Pirates holding captive the seven former crew members of the MT ASPHALT VENTURE were demanding US1 million to release the hostages.

The hostages were held captive in a remote village known as FAA some 20 kilometers from Harardheere.
They were kept hostage by a pirate group under the leadership of Fathi Gacamey.

The Panama flagged MT ASPHALT VENTURE, a 1991 built asphalt/bitumen tanker was hijacked by Somali pirates on September 28th 2010 off Dar es Salaam while under way from Mombasa to Durban Natal, South Africa.

She was released on April 15, 2012 following a ransom payment amounting to US$ 3.5milion.

Despite the owners’ concluding a dialogue with the pirates for the full release of 15 crew and vessel and payment of the ransom, the vessel was released but 6 officers and 1 rating were taken off the tanker and made to accompany the pirates ashore.

Media reports suggested that pirates in Harardheere have taken the decision not to honor the agreement made but to prolong the hostage ordeal of the 7 seafarers in retaliation for the arrest of Somali pirates by the Indian Navy.

There are about 105 suspected Somali pirates arrested by Indian navy undergoing trial in the courts of law of India.

30 seafarers and fishers are still held hostage by Somali pirates, some for more than four and a half years and the others for more than two and half years.