The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131029
L E T TERS CONTINUED… industries. What else does shipping do? It supports commerce. Anything else? It provides a service industry for future projects in our EEZ. Would they be important? Yes, because the offshore oil industry moves the world. And yes because aquaculture, increasingly, is feeding the world. Do we invest in research to sustainably exploit our EEZ? Probably not enough. Do we protect our shipping industry? No. It has given way to trucking internally and externally to free enterprise that operates on an uneven playing field. The last generation of qualified seafarers in any numbers, of which I am one, is mostly working overseas. And in my case for a shipping company from a socialist state. Norway. They have provided for their maritime future. We have not. appropriate, incorporated into the final document and the changes will be phased in over a period to allow operators to familiarise themselves with the system. With regard to the submissions around MNZ's systems being "archaic and paper-based," we are introducing on-line services across the board which will streamline processes for industry. However, these systems are expensive to implement and require up-front payment. MNZ is conscious of working with, not against or at odds with, the maritime sector. In no way do we seek to make life more difficult or more expensive than it needs to be. We welcome constructive and factually based input from the sector and as recent projects have shown, are in no way averse to changing our approach. Vince Scully, Master Mariner, Norway Lindsay Sturt, Deputy Director, Maritime New Zealand MNZ NOT AT ODDS MOSS MOVES INTO SETTLED WATERS In response to Margaret Wind. The article you wrote regarding Maritime New Zealand funding is incorrect and unhelpful on many levels. The changes address a fundamental misalignment between the functions MNZ provides and the revenue sources which fund these services, including some that haven't been adjusted for 13 years. Ultimately, these changes will mean MNZ receives less revenue from industry levies, and more from direct charges – the "user pays" system you espouse in your piece. Industry may feel some of the charges are unfair. However, as you point out, industry had the opportunity to feed into the proposals. These comments were taken on board and, where Contrary to the negative tone of the last issue's editorial (Professional Skipper March/April page 2) over Maritime New Zealand's decision to allow more time for MOSS implementation, I can assure you that there will be significant benefits in doing so. The new timetable of having the rules signed off by the middle of this year, and providing 12 months for MNZ to work with industry to implement it, has to be good for all concerned and indeed has been welcomed in most quarters. MNZ's fees have yet to be finalised, but industry will get to have a say when we consult on them later this year. We are of course endeavouring to keep fees to a minimum, but at the end of the day the cost of supporting a safe, secure and clean maritime environment fall to those who benefit from it. Lindsay Sturt, Deputy Director, Maritime New Zealand Lindsay, I note your last point and must ask that given the domestic commercial fleet is less than 3000 vessels of which 80 percent are less than 15m. When will we see these costs applied to the half a million strong leisure marine fleet who are already reaping the lion's share of the benefits you point out and are demanding more while contributing to a growing death toll. Have I missed something here? Ed… PARTNERS EXPOSED MARINE CRANES VIPS78 VIP.S78 & Truck Loader Cranes, for all applications Custom marinised to suit New Zealand conditions. Spare parts for all cranes. ALLCRANE Sales & Services Ltd Auckland,NZ ph:0800 ALLCRANE (0800 255 27263) sales@allcrane.co.nz - www.allcrane.co.nz Dear Sir I have just read a comment in your last letters by R Lea Clough who appears to be a bit of a prolific scribe in your magazine. The bit I, and, might I suggest, others may have missed is the responsibilities we all place on our wives or partners as directors in an owner/operator fishing or charter business when things go wrong. This is a poignant case in the Easy Rider loss, where Gloria's partner would have failed the fit and proper person test and as such Gloria was the director and owner but may not have had much say in the day-to-day operations. Whether she knew as part of the whanau what was going on or not is a moot point, she was still the owner, meaning she was exposed immediately something went wrong. How many more of us have placed our women in the same situation, and just how exposed do we leave them when it is we who do something stupid at sea when we make that disastrous mistake? Maybe this is something your magazine lawyers might like to comment on. Barry Woods, Tauranga 6 Professional Skipper May/June 2013