Maritime Carol

When buying a boat, here are five things you need to ask before you get on board. 1. Why is it for sale ? This can give you an idea of the price to offer. 2. Was the boat used for fishing, offshore or pleasure and in salt water or fresh water? Depending on the previous use of the boat, it may not suit your needs. If a boat has been kept in fresh water (lakes, rivers or ponds) it is best kept in that environment. 3. Has it been surveyed or safety inspected? A marine surveyor should carry out a pre-purchase inspection before you buy the boat. They are trained to find rot, hidden damage or potential problems with the boat. For a list of MNZ recognised qualified surveyors go to:   www.maritimenz.govt.nz 4. Is the maintenance up to date and are there maintenance records? By asking this question you can judge how the boat has been cared for & what her service dates are. 5. Has the boat been involved in any maritime incidents or accidents? This is also another good w...

Tucked away in Hewlett St, Whangarei, Phoenix Boats are building another alloy barge. "This one is a 23.5m transport barge for Ponui Island and its double the size of the last barge we built." says Phoenix Boats Manager Luke Seuren. Purpose designed by Richard McBride of McBride Design Ltd, the barge will be perfect for transporting trucks, tractors and animals to and from the island. "It's a good clean design with really fast hull construction, and with the best team in the country working on it, we will have it completed by July." says Luke. "At the moment the side deck plating is open to give us light while working below." Luke has been engineering and fabricating since he left school and is proud of his full workshop " with a CNC router cutter and 100 ton brake press."     His staff of three are all skilled tradesmen including Hone Kingi (left) who is two years through his alloy boat-building apprenticeship. Marin...

Assisted Compliance It appears that we like talking to Maritime NZ officials, as per MNZ website:   “ We (MNZ) have found that even where online guidance is provided the maritime industry prefers to talk to us.” Time is money and Maritime NZ are proposing to increase the fees currently charged. “There is high demand from operators and seafarers for more direct ‘one-to-one’ assistance on MOSS and SeaCert.” ‘One-to-one assistance’ is all about getting advice and assurance that we are safe at sea.  We go to sea recording our seatime, sit and pass our tickets, and continue using what we have learnt, every day, day in and day out and yet we need assistance with a Maritime Operator Safety System? “The people who benefit from this additional work (one-on-one assistance) are not only MOSS and SeaCert users, but the maritime industry as a whole, because everyone in the industry benefits from water users around them being safe.” - MNZ. Maritime NZ are requesting fe...

SOS – Save Our Surveyors The word about town is that our Surveyors need saving.., A MNZ certified marine surveyor is a rare creature.    He is the key to running a successful maritime operation.    These are the blokes that keep an eye on the state of a vessel and through their vast experience,  they see things before they are evident to us mere mortals. Surveyors rely on a vessel operator to present his/her vessel in the best possible  manner so he can complete his task with ease.     When operators are diligent about looking after their vessel, it’s an asset and not a liability. A surveyor will often work during the day and write his reports in the evenings to get the job completed.   With the new MOSS standards, survey reports are more detailed and the operator now gets an actual report that portrays their boat – good & bad. Prior to his visit an operator should have basic engine details, stab...

Are you a power driven vessel or a vessel under sail,   Making way or Under way; Constrained by your draft, or not under command?  Maybe you are engaged in fishing or restricted in your ability to manoeuvre; The power driven vessel is like a maritime transport operator who is going somewhere.  All the paperwork is under control and its happening - fast. The operator under sail is going at a slower pace, taking their time as the clock ticks on. An operator making way is ready to get going, knows they need to get it sorted but doesn't know how to...   The operator who is underway is moving along nicely, plenty of time, paperwork under control and knows whats next. If you are an operator constrained by your draught or not under command it could involve some serious thinking on your part. Well done if you are involved in fishing for advice and my condolences if you are restricted in your ability to manoeuvre. As a Give Way vessel it is ou...

Copied from Chamber's Navigation printed in 1911: 1. Adverse Weather. a) If sufficient command can be kept over a boat by the skill of those on board her, avoid or 'dodge' the sea if possible, so as not to meet it at the moment of its breaking and curling over. b) Against a head gale and heavy surf, get all possible speed on a boat on the approach of every sea which cannot be avoided. c) If more speed can be given to a boat than is sufficient to prevent her being carried back by a surf, her way may be checked on its approach, which will give her an easier passage over it. Fog - every vessel shall, in fog, mist, falling snow or heavy rainstorms, go at a moderate speed, having careful regard to the existing circumstances and conditions. 2. Anchoring/Mooring . If the port in which the vessel is berthed is tidal, attention must be paid to take in or slack out the mooring ropes to allow for rise and fall of the tide.  And so it goes on - Has much actually changed o...

Working in the Maritime industry is so much fun.   Yesterday I received a call from a vessel owner: "Can you come down to the boat and see what we need to do next? I think we have to do something in November"  "Ok, Do you know when your SSM certificate expires?"  "No idea - the SSM company will know tho."   So I took the vessels name and contacted the SSM company...   gulp...   yep a few things to get sorted. "Nobody told me anything" said the owner...  and therein lies the problem in the old SSM system. The Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS) is forcing vessel owners to take control of their own operation.  And THAT my friends is why I believe in MOSS.