VMSL Update issue 4-05, for the August to December 2005 quarter.
This Update is intended to keep our friends informed about what's new at VMSL and in Vanuatu.
THE DEVASTATING TWINS – KATRINA AND RITA To those who were affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, you remain in our prayers and thoughts. In these trying times, we are here to assist you in anyway we can. We understand some of your offices may have been damaged or even destroyed, not to mention your homes and property. If you need temporary office space, temporary work, or if you need to defer fee payments, just ask. If you need copies of documentation that may have been damaged or destroyed, let us know – we will make them available to you at no cost.
VANUATU MARITIME SERVICES LIMITED LOSES A GOOD FRIEND Captain Joseph X. Fox, known by many of his friends as “The Grey Fox,” passed away on October 11, after battling cancer for years. Joe, a retired US Coast Guard Captain, was a long time friend, confidant, safety inspector, marine investigator, and MAIIF participant. He will be missed. Our condolences go out to his family!
EMAIL ADDRESS Effective immediately our email address is
. The old address is discontinued.
MARINE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS INTERNATIONAL FORUM (MAIIF) 14 Vanuatu hosted MAIIF 14 in Port Vila from August 29 to September 2, 2005. There were 53 delegates, representing 29 administrations, including first time participants Russia, The Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Among the agenda items was the Code for Marine Casualties, with work continuing on that by correspondence. The meeting was considered a huge success, thanks in part to our host, the Vanuatu Maritime Authority. There was even a minor earthquake to keep the participants on their toes.
The meeting was marred only by the absence due to serious illness, and subsequent death, of long time MAIIF member, Captain Fred Perkins, of Canada’s Transportation Safety Board. Fred was well respected by all his MAIIF colleagues worldwide and will be sorely missed. A “celebration of his life” took place in Ottawa on October 15, 2005.
MORE ON SEAFARER DOCUMENTATION When requesting certificates of receipt of application (CRAs), make sure the complete application -- with all training courses, endorsements, certificates, medical reports, photos, and drug and alcohol test results, etc.-- has been submitted. A CRA will not be issued until all required documentation has been provided.
Reducing risk of detention Lloyd’s Register has developed two guides entitled Maintenance Guide Checklist for Owners/Masters of Lloyd’s Register Classed Cargo Vessels and Reducing the Risk of Port State Control Detentions to help ship owners/operators achieve compliance with the requirements on safety and pollution protection and to be prepared for port state control inspections, which are increasing world-wide. The checklists identify the top 50 most common causes of ship detention. Check out www.lr.org/market_sector/marine/portstatecontrol.htm.
EPIRBs Keep up the good work! Most owners/operators are complying with the requirement to provide their EPIRB’s hexadecimal ID code when a vessel enters or leaves the registry, knowing that permanent registration will not be granted until we receive the hexadecimal code, evidencing proper encoding of the EPIRB. Additionally, deletion certificates will not be issued until the EPIRB has been properly decoded or re-encoded, if the vessel transfers to another flag. The new flag administration’s hexadecimal code must be submitted to this office.
Vanuatu’s Minister Addresses the United Nations The Minister of Foreign Affairs recently addressed the UN General Assembly about reforming the Security Council and expressed Vanuatu’s concerns about shipping nuclear wastes and radioactive material through the Pacific Island countries which have no capacity to deal with any possible mishap.
Finance Minister Chosen to Lead Small Island States Vanuatu continues in the international limelight: it was chosen to lead the world’s small island states for the next two years. This appointment took place at the IMF and World Bank meeting recently held in Barbados and Washington. The common concerns are the vulnerability of small states in times of disasters, their fragile economies, labour and immigration issues, and work opportunities in nearby large countries. The Finance Minister chaired the meeting.
Coconut Oil Benefits Scientific evidence is emerging that, contrary to past beliefs, coconut oil is not deleterious to one's health, but just the opposite. Coconut oil (not coconut water), which is cold pressed from white coconut meat, taken regularly has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of heart disease. The cholesterol that it contains is the good kind, not the type that clogs arteries. Coconut oil has been found to be full of medium chain fatty acids which destroy disease-carrying bacteria & viruses, as well as reducing arterial inflammation. Antibiotics aren’t able to do this -- at least not as well. Two tablespoons daily are recommended. This is good news for Vanuatu as we have LOTS of coconuts.
Coconut Fuel More good news for Vanuatu! Coconut oil based fuel is catching on. It works particularly well in tropical climates, but in cool conditions, the oil will solidify. To avoid solidification, up to 20% diesel or kerosene is mixed with the coconut oil. The blend can be used by diesel engines without any modification and the result is a cleaner engine with hardly any toxins in the exhaust (except from the 20% of diesel or kerosene). As Vanuatu has such a large supply of coconuts, this import substitution product has big economic as well as environmental benefits for the country. On October 1, 2005, the first coconut oil fuel pump (bowser) opened in Port Vila, with more to follow.
Chinese Investment Delegation to Vanuatu While most of the world is visiting China to assess investment potential there, China itself is looking far afield for investment opportunities. An 18-man high-level delegation, headed by the Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress of China, recently visited Vanuatu. The Vice Chairman was impressed with the potential for Chinese tourism, and suggested their people would soon be heading our way. It may be time to learn Mandarin.
China Central TV9 Is it a cultural invasion? Vanuatu now has Chinese television CCTV9, which operates 24 hours a day with English and some French programs. The quality of the transmission and the content is first class. It is a combination of the West’s Discovery Channel and BBC, with world news presented not just by English speaking Chinese, but by western anchor men and women. It is very professional, with a somewhat different slant on world news and its importance. As a great poet once said, “Competition for the hearts and minds of the masses is upon us.”
Israel, Too, to Help Vanuatu Israel has announced it will supply doctors to Vanuatu as part of an aid package, to complement the core aid to the agriculture sector. There are no details as of yet of the number of doctors who would be involved.
USA Not To Be Outdone More US Peace Corps teachers are arriving, bringing the number in Vanuatu to 92. The new additions will be teaching computer studies, science, and math. The Peace Corps has been active in Vanuatu for almost ten years, teaching and training ni-Vanuatu. It is sometimes hard to believe our one vote in the United Nations is worth so much.
WHO Not To Be Outdone Either The World Health Organization has announced a substantial increase in the WHO development budget for Vanuatu. Vanuatu has one of the highest ratios of doctors per head of population, but most are studying diseases and not providing direct medical assistance to the local population. With the increased budget, this may change. Financial Centre Association Election The 2006 Annual General Meeting saw group Executive Director, Charles Kleiman, elected again as Association Secretary and Phil Tremethick, European Bank Director and CEO, elected as Association Secretary. Congratulations to them both!
Additional gifts from China Vanuatu’s “One China Policy” continues to create benefits for the country. Small but welcome gifts such as laptop computers for use by Parliament and farm equipment are well received, but the forgiveness of Vanuatu’s foreign debt to China is a major windfall. In one stroke Vanuatu’s national debt has been greatly reduced and the country is very thankful for China’s generosity.
Saltwater Prawns Vanuatu’s first major saltwater prawn farm came on stream during the quarter, with eight tonnes of prawns for the local market. The delicacy has been added to numerous restaurant menus; raw prawns are for sale to the public at selected outlets in Port Vila; and export markets are now being explored. The breeding stock is flown in from Brunei and the grow-out done in Vanuatu. This is the sort of agri-investment which will continue to differentiate Vanuatu from its neighbouring countries.
Australian Aid Australia has made a major commitment to upgrade technical training in Vanuatu, concentrating on improving teaching skills (“teach the teacher”). The technical subjects will be directed towards those students who will not be going further academically.
New Zealand provides ratio transmitters The New Zealand government has provided replacement main wave radio transmitters in Port Vila. The existing transmitters had lived long past their “use by” dates and transmission quality had so deteriorated that reception was greatly impaired. The replacements are welcomed by all listeners.
EXHIBITIONS AND MAIIF Vanuatu will exhibit at the Offshore Technology Conference in May & the International Workboat show in December, and will participate in the Marine Accident Investigators International Forum in Panama, August 14-18, 2006.
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