The Oceania research ship will not go out. The captain does not have sufficient qualifications

A crew member of the position of Captain Oceania does not have appropriate qualifications – said the Maritime Office in Gdynia after the periodic inspection of this research and scientific ship. In April, the unit did not leave the waterfront in the new port of Gdańsk, at which it moor.

The Bandera State Inspectorate in Gdynia carried out in April, at the request of the shipowner, the Oceanian ship's periodic inspection to confirm the validity of the security card. As reported by Agnieszka Robakowska, assistant to the director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia, the control of crew documents showed that she did not have sufficient qualifications so that the ship could go out into the sea.

– The shipowner's representative was informed about this fact. It was also found that the security card does not take into account the changes introduced by the ordinance in matters of qualification and training of members of commercial yachts crews and the conditions for obtaining them of 7 March 2018. Therefore, the card was canceled and issued a new, current security card, taking into account changes from 2018 – she said.

She explained that the security card is issued for 5 years and its validity is confirmed every year.

Prof. Jan Marcin Węsławski, director of the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) reported that in the security card “there was a provision on the increase in captain qualifications, higher than the previous (and higher than on analogous ships Pogoria or Zaruski)”.

He added that none of the existing captains who sailed in Oceania had such, because – as he said – “they did not have to”.

He emphasized that “we are now employing a captain like from an aircraft carrier” and assured that they already have such a candidate. He added that he intends to talk to the Maritime Office in Gdynia about “the reasons for such treatment of our ship”.

Maritime Office in Gdynia: The captain does not have the required diploma

Magdalena Kierzkowska, spokeswoman for the Gdynia Maritime Office, said that during the periodic inspection, carried out at the request of the shipowner, together with the shipowner's representative, the need to update the security card and adapt its provisions to applicable regulations was determined.

She added that, taking into account the characteristics of a sports and research ship with a gross capacity of 370 GT, which is Oceania, in accordance with applicable regulations, the updated security card has a diploma of a yacht captain on yachts with gross capacity (GT) to 500 units.

– Checking the qualifying documents of the current crew, located on the ship (the shipowner informed about the current reorganization of the crew and new closings) it was found that a crew member, including the position of captain of the unit, did not have the above -mentioned, required diploma (up to 500 GT). This does not exclude, however, the possibility of this person to take the position of a watch officer, which is also indicated by the security card – said Kierzkowska.

She noted that the updated security card, as in the previous one, also includes a list of alternative qualifications for crew members (in accordance with Article 68 of the Maritime Safety Act), in which also the captain's diploma on ships Gross (GT) from 500 to 3000 authorizes the position of captain of the Oceania unit, provided that the training in the basic sailing knowledge is completed (due to the additional drive in the form of sails).

– When analyzing the composition of the crew during the inspection on the Oceania ship, it can be stated that only the position of the captain of the unit should be filled with a person with appropriate qualifications, in accordance with the regulation on the qualifications and training of crew members – added the representative of the office.

Director of the Oceanology Institute: Oceania does not apply to these provisions

Prof. Węsławski said that Oceania is not a commercial yacht, but it is registered as a “sports and scientific yacht” and not conducts business activitytherefore the rules – to which the office refers to commercial yachts – does not apply to it.

– This is a very important distinction, because we have been staying away from commercial, business and paid services for years. We only operate from a ministerial subsidy for learning – and therefore we could swim according to the regulations for such strange units – the head of the Institute noted.

He added that Captain Maciej Nadiński, who is one of the most experienced polar captains in Poland and who has several cruises behind the ocean on Spitsbergen, “suddenly cannot be a captain”.

Prof. Węsławski said that the crew with a supply is recruited and ready for a cruise. However, the ship is mooring at the new port of Gdańsk.

– Until mid -May, a series of short Baltic cruises was planned, which can be flexibly modified. From mid -May we have to start ocean cruises, where we implement international scientific cooperation – he added.

Problems of the Oceania ship

Oceania is a sailing ship belonging to the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, built in 1985 at the Gdańsk Shipyard. And the Lord is the largest Polish institute that studies the problems of physics, chemistry, biology and ecology of the sea. The ship's range is unlimited and the autonomy is 30 days. The unit undertook, among others Research expeditions in the Arctic and numerous Baltic cruises.

At the end of January this year. The ship's employees received notice. Director of the Institute prof. Jan Marcin Węsławski in a letter sent to trade unions of employees and the Polish Academy of Sciences indicated that the termination concerns 13 employees, and the reason for the dismissal is “changing the organization of the employer's employment structure, resulting in the liquidation of positions”. He stated that the liquidation of positions results from “the need to make changes in the scope of conducting financial management, as well as limiting expenditure, including by reducing employment in the workplace.”

See also: “Oceania” has another problem

The Institute offered dismissed employees for B2B contracts – sole proprietorships.

Prof. Węsławski pointed out that “employees who would be subject to termination of the employment contract provided work on the scientific and research ship S/y Oceania, which is maintained from the ministry subsidies-subsidies for maintaining scientific and research equipment.”

He wrote that the Institute requested over PLN 30 million, including a budget for remuneration in the amount of PLN 12 million for a period of 3 years, but – as he pointed out in the letter – By decision of the Ministry of Science, PLN 24 million was granted“He emphasized that with this subsidy the ship, which until now was in the sea 180-200 days, will be 110 days.

“Taking radical actions by the employer, aimed at reducing costs by changing the employment policy, and consequently terminating the employment contract is necessary and justified” – wrote the head of the Institute to trade unions.

Oceania in April, because of The absence of the crew did not flow into any of the three planned cruises. The first of them was to take place from 1 to 9 April, the second was scheduled between 11 and 14 April, the third was to take place between 22 and 30 April. According to the schedule, the next cruise is to start on May 6.

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