by Barista Uno | Sep 24, 2010 | Piracy and Security
The final tally: 930,604 signatures from all over. They came in 12 cardboard boxes and were handed over on 23rd September, World Maritime Day, to IMO Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos at the UN agency’s headquarters in London. It’s not clear what the IMO will do next with the End Piracy Now petition, an initiative of some 14 seafarers’ unions, shipping associations and allied industry groups. A more important question: what impact will the petition have on the whole Somali piracy problem? (more…)
by Barista Uno | Sep 23, 2010 | Announcements and Events
Today is World Maritime Day. IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos’ message reads in part: In selecting the “Year of the Seafarer” theme, our intention was also to use it as an excellent opportunity to reassure those who labour at the “sharp end” of the industry – the seafarers themselves – that those of us who work in other areas of the maritime community, and yet whose actions have a direct bearing on seafarers’ everyday lives, understand the extreme pressures they face and approach our tasks with genuine interest and concern for them and their families. We hope so. We definitely hope so. ~Barista Uno
by Barista Uno | Aug 20, 2010 | Manning and Training
We’ve had some doubts on the matter, and they were reinforced yesterday. A young man who’s due to join a cruise ship complained to us about he and others being required by their agency to undergo medical exams twice a year – one at the Department of Health and another at a private clinic. We’ve heard similar gripes before from the cruise ship hotel personnel deployed by the same large and well-respected manning agency. In Manila, where money is deified by rich and poor alike, some things just do not change. (more…)
by Barista Uno | Jun 20, 2010 | Latest Post
One of our minor pastimes is hunting for quotations from individuals who figure in the maritime news. Generally speaking, politicians are more quotable than maritime personalities as they tend to be outgoing types with the gift of gab. But the maritime world can cough up some verbal gems of its own. The following are samples from our collection of quotes with annotations to make your day: (more…)
