Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 305
NEW TECHNIQUES FOR
AN EVOLVING MARKET
Adapting ships, adopting technology, and
keeping an eye on a fluctuating market.
YEOMAN BURN and YEOMAN BROOK were the first EO ships to be equipped
with the GMDSS Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Its purpose is
further to improve maritime safety with safety at sea being the main object
(e.g., broadcasting and receiving topical information, locating vessels in distress,
search and rescue operations, etc.). The system rests on several pillars, including
but not limited to the (re)allocation of radio frequencies, sophisticated equipment
on board and ashore, manning of ships and training and certification of seafarers.
International regulations require deck officers including masters to obtain
certificates of proficiency at operating GMDSS equipment. The various national
shipping administrations have meanwhile published their own regulations
dealing with the subject. To cite one example, Liberia, as stipulated in the
‘Minimum Safe Manning Certificate’, requires no fewer than two deck officers
on board Liberian ships to hold a Liberian certificate called ‘General Operator
GMDSS’. The said licences are being issued separately and cannot be obtained
by having, for example, the Licence of Competence endorsed. Filipino nationals
must obtain their national ‘General Operator’s Certificate GMDSS’ prior to
applying for the Liberian version. German, Indian and Russian deck officers are
required to hold a valid unrestricted general radiotelephony certificate.
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