Maritime Carol

Due to the speed of a fire, random fire drills are essential. Crew must know what to do & fire appliances must be on standby at all times.. Don't get talked out of doing fire training because you all 'know what to do'... Use training exercises to check equipment and have drills when least expected. And the Law says: (4) The master of a ship must ensure that all fire appliances are— (a) in good working order; and (b) ready for immediate use; before the ship commences a voyage, and at all times during the voyage. Rule 40A Maritime Rules.

Not long before its all on again... Here's seven simple steps to becoming a Charter Boat Owner/Operator: 1. Talk to a MNZ recognised marine Surveyor BEFORE you build or buy ANY boat - from NZ or overseas.    Not all boats can easily go into survey. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/safety/safety-management-systems/recognised-surveyors/ 2. Don't quit your day job just yet, becoming a qualified skipper takes time. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/certification/masters-and-deck/SRL.asp 3. MNZ compliance is thorough and you'll need to get into the Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) This entails creating a good Maritime Transport Operator Plan with Maintenance Plan, Spare Parts list, completing a Fit & Proper Person form and applying to MNZ.  It can take a while. http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/safety/safety-management-systems/MOSS/ 4. PR/Marketing is next - Use Facebook, blog, as well as a website to tell everyone about it. 5. Get t...

SEAHAWK returning to her berth.... If there's an empty berth at the bottom of the ramp at Westhaven's Z Pier its a sure sign that SEAHAWK is out catching fish.  Wait around for a bit and you may see her return with a load of fishos on board, & chilly bins full of fresh fish.  (Weather dependent of course) So successful is this fishing charter business, that their customers keeping on coming back for more. Fishing skippers Lenny and Danny are such passionate fishermen, that their customers can't fail to catch fish. Over the past three years we've worked together & created a Maritime Transport Operator Plan that works. Owner/operator Rex ensures everything is up to date and makes sure its kept that way. Knowing that an MNZ audit was coming up, we completed an internal review and received a 99.9% pass at the audit.   www.seahawk.co.nz.