Maritime Carol

After our Maritime Transport Operator Plans have been accepted by MNZ, the real journey begins with regular training and recording the training. Knowing how busy maritime transport operators are with keeping their business going, my clients now receive monthly training email reminders. By following this simple system, operators should have completed all required training within twelve months (as per most operator plans.) The first module was an MTOP crossword puzzle.     Crews were encouraged to go through their MTOP to find answers to the questions.   One firm was so into it, they returned the completed crossword and I sent off a Certificate of Achievement to go in their manual.  The aim is to make training fun. This month was a Safety Equipment word search with encouragement to know the location of each piece of equipment.     It's too easy to tick the box in the Ship's Log, assuming that everything is in its place and working - but is it? Next mo...

Built in 1964 this iconic Hellyer's Creek wharf is being renovated fifty years later.  With a permit from the Marine Department, Dad felled huge pines lining the foreshore, towed them to Riverhead for treatment, barged them back and started building his wharf. He's been gone nearly twenty years, and with the wharf needing structural strengthening, Moorings & Marine have been called in for the task.  With rotten timber removed, railings & gateway replaced, the old wharf is standing proud again.    Once their work is completed, Total Marine Services will replace the damaged and sunk pontoon with a new one, secure it to the structure and once again the wharf will be sturdy, compliant and safe... 

It's a cold dark night and we're steaming back to port.  It's been a great day, everything went well, satisfied passengers/fishermen/customers/full fish bins/or a job well done. Then in the wheelhouse, an alarm goes off  - suddenly everything happens. We go through the system (if there's time) then before we know it, we're preparing to abandon ship. A May Day call is made and that's us ...until someone rescues us. It's times such as this that our safety equipment must be operational.   Our life jackets must be serviced and located where they should be.   Our flares need to be current and the lifebuoy light must be ready to shine.   There's no time for that now.    But there is today... (don't just tick the box) June - is the month to check your Safety Equipment list is current and everything is operational. 

If we can change our thinking to see DEATH as the enemy  we will see our Maritime Transport Operator Plan in a different light. Death prevention can then become one of the main reasons  we created our Maritime Transport Operator Plan.  It is the reason we keep our training, records of training, maintenance and procedures up to date.    Its the reason we have our vessel surveyed, safety equipment on board  and our first aid kit/training up to date.   It's why we service our life jackets when they need to be and  why we inform Maritime NZ of specific changes to our Operator Plan. By changing our thinking to see a different enemy,  our Maritime Transport Operator Plan will shine under a different light.

  Maritime Transport Operator Plans... When a maritime transport operator applies to MNZ for a Maritime Transport Operator Certificate (MTOC) to enable him/her to legally operate a commercial vessel in NZ, they must submit a Maritime Transport Operator Plan (MTOP) with their application. The operator duly creates the plan - either by themselves or with assistance - and submits the application to Maritime NZ. MNZ then complete a desk top review and report to the operator on their findings.  Often they ask for more clarification on a couple of points or they may be happy to observe/discuss at their site visit. By now the Operator Plan has been reviewed by at least three people which ensures gaps or questions should be understood prior to the Operator Certificate being issued. This MTOP then becomes the operators manual of how they expect their business to run. When we were first ushered into MOSS, the system was confusing.  It appeared that nobody seemed to know ...

It began with sailing ships and their need for tall masts and straight spars.   Then steamers from Helensville to Dargaville via remote settlements, early bush camps and mill towns.  Today its recreational and the occasional commercial fisherman or charter vessel that churn the green grey waters of the Kaipara Harbour.   This west coast harbour is a study in contrasts.   Macrocarpa, pohutukawa, and mangroves line the shore while young kauri rickets add interest to the landscape.   Strategically placed port and starboard markers tell a story to those who know the sea.    Cemeteries, steep red roofed churches and place names tell graphic stories.   In the wheelhouse owner/operator Terry Somers shares his love of these waterways with tales of tall ships, rail-heads and sand dredging. Behind him, a small white lace curtain adds a touch of home as it moves in response to the gentle sea breeze.  Large shiny kettles crowd the gas stove i...

Forty one years ago today (2nd March 1976) Spirit of Adventure departed Marsden Wharf on her first trip to Whangarei, her new Certificate of Survey now allowing Restricted Home Trade Limits - North Cape to East Cape.       I'd arrived at 6am as ring-in cook, to be met by a trainee in the passageway by the galley.   'Are you the cook? ' she asks. 'Yes, ' I gulp, 'I guess I am.'         "What are we having for breakfast then?" she asks. I had no idea what food was even on the ship let alone what we were going to eat and when. We muddled through, sailing to Great Barrier that morning. My first tall ship voyage I must confess - I was seasick. When someone suggested mince for dinner I nearly threw up on the deck. However I was soon infected with the spirit of adventure and served as cook for many more trips. Voyage 54 was also all girls - their theme song (sung to the Wombles tune) says it all: Mr Lou Fisher donated this boat ...