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Company cleared of charges THE COUGAR LINE has been cleared of alleged breaches of the Marine Mammals Act in a reserved decision released in late December. The Department of Conservation had alleged that Cougar Line vessels breached their permit on two occasions by significantly deviating to enable passengers to watch and photograph marine mammals. One case involved dolphins, the other orcas. Judge Carrie Wainwright ruled DoC's permitting regime was unlawful and unclear and applied unfairly to different companies. The wording of the permit was too ambiguous to be enforceable, including what constituted "a significant deviation". "A route by sea is not like a road, from which deviations can be easily discerned," she said. She applauded DoC's "conservationist motivation approach" but said their regime was "too much pragmatism and not enough law. "Another way will need to be found to deal with a very challenging set of circumstances in the Marlborough Sounds … where marine mammals are the subject of too much enthusiastic interest in their wellbeing." The director of The Cougar Line, Jill Evans, said it was unfair her company had been singled out. The company intends applying to have its costs reimbursed, Evans said. "We also think DoC should apologise to us for the three years of stress they unnecessarily have put us under." BILLIONS OF BLISTERING BARNACLES! LIKE YOUNGSTERS TO a nightclub, immature barnacles, mussels and other sea creatures looking for a place to settle are attracted to the underwater sounds generated by vessels, says NIWA. The scientists recorded the noise generated by a range of vessels – including log transport, container and cruise ships - and then played it to mussel larvae in a controlled environment at the Leigh Marine Laboratory. The larvae were at a pre-settlement stage, so they were swimming in the water, looking for something to latch on to. Another group of larvae was kept in silent tanks. The larvae exposed to the high-intensity vessel sound settled and metamorphosed within a few hours – significantly quicker than those in the silent tanks, said one of the scientists, Serena Wilkens. This was within the time-frame the larvae would be exposed to the noise from a generator in port. Marine fouling increases hull drag and allows organisms to invade new environments. The sale of special anti-fouling paints and coatings has become a huge industry. "About two-thirds of all of our marine-invasive species have come in as bio-fouling on vessels, so that's a big problem, Dr Wilkens said. Researchers hope to find ways of reducing the underwater noise produced by ships, such as dampening or eliminating sound production, or switching to shore-based electricity supply while berthed. March/April 2012 Professional Skipper 41 MASTER Applications are invited from exceptional candidates for a senior role as a Master with New Zealand's leading ISO9001:2008 certified marine contractor which has offices in Wellington, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Dubai. This role is on a variety of our vessels and projects. The successful applicant for this primarily sea-going position will be able to demonstrate high levels of skill across all marine activities and ability to ensure our high HSE & QA standards are complied with. The person appointed will also be expected to assist the Marine Operations Manager and CEO with shore side and marine responsibilities, to present professionally in all aspects of the role, and to quickly show the potential to integrate into and become a part of our existing management team while retaining sea-going responsibilities. This is a full time Wellington-based role and relocation expenses will be assisted with. Excellent conditions and salary will apply, with flexibility offered. Minimum requirements: NZOM endorsed with valid sea going licence and relevant ancillary certificates, valid passport, medical cert and Seaman's Book, five years command experience on vessels 20–50m, no criminal convictions, computer literacy. Start negotiable during the next 60 days. Please submit CV's and requests for a job description in writing to the Marine Operations Manager: chris.douglas@seaworks.co.nz www.seaworks.co.nz CRANE SALES & SERVICE One-stop-shop for crane sales, service and parts • Leading European manufacturer of marine • Fixed, telescopic & articulated booms available cranes • Manufactured to Lloyds standard on request • Japan's No.1 loader and mini crawler crane • Largest range of straight boom loader cranes 10301 VIP.S79 VIP.S85