97 Not Out & Planning "Value For Next Century – Action For Future" – Says K-Line

'K' Line Ship Management (KLSM) recently held the first chapter of their Annual Seminar, a two-day event, to interact with their valued assets – The Seafarers. The seminar was held at the city's posh Waterstones Hotel on July 12 and 13. The company's top management from Tokyo & Singapore was present, to interact with their Seafarers, to clear their doubts, to appreciate their hard work, and to collect their feedback.

After the customary Introductions, Welcome Address, and Safety Instructions, the opening speech was delivered by the KLSM President, Capt. T. Saito.

He was appreciative of the good work done by the Indian Seafarers on board the fleet vessels, specially the Energy Vessels, which has contributed to overall improvement in KPI's. Capt. Saito also spoke about the ongoing economic climate, and planned expansion in coming years. He stressed on the need for Safety Culture, and targets of ZERO Accidents & Injuries – which he said are achievable with continuous improvement. Capt. Saito requested every one to be interactive, and share their thoughts and viewpoints – to continue and gain momentum towards targets.

Capt. Eiji Kadono, Senior Management Executive Officer ( Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha ), then addressed the delegates. He expressed satisfaction that KLSM managed fleet has not faced any serious incidents, and spoke about the events affecting the Global Economic Climate.

With K-Line Group preparing for 100th Birthday in 2019, the business strategy and structural reforms are ongoing which are known as "Value For Next Century – Action For Future". Capt. Kadono stressed on the fundamental principle – Safety & Fairness – regardless of business situation.

The post-tea session began with a presentation from Dr. Santosh Bhatia, on the Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) and its significance. The "Fitness" for Seafarer being one of the primary requirements, and Shipping Industry becoming more are more concerned for the health / fitness of it's staff, he stressed on the need for maintaining the healthy range. The quality & quantity of food intake, exercises for people in overweight category, and methods to remove stubborn fat from the body – were all contained in his presentation.

The Nautical Advisor to Government Of India, Capt L. K. Panda, then addressed the gathering.

He was visibly happy to be amongst the Seafarers, and shared his vast experience on the matters concerning Seafaring. Capt L. K. Panda advised the Seafarers, about having the correct attitude towards their profession, which he said was of utmost importance for completing the voyages in safe and efficient manner.

With the deadline date of change over to STCW 2010 not very far now, Capt M. C. Yadav, Director FOSMA, spoke about the challenges being encountered in respect of implementation of this convention, as well as MLC 2006, in India.

He pointed out that the Administrators, Shipping Companies, Training Institutes, Manning Agents, and of course the Seafarers, are all impacted due to changing regulatory regime, and the Shipping Industry must understand that these changes are the need of the hour, and for achieving better safety, and better working conditions for all stakeholders.

The Lunch was taken, where everyone was seen engrossed in discussions concerning the topics thrown open in the morning session. The delegates were separated in two groups after the Lunch. The Deck Group was addressed by Capt. P. M. Bhaumik and Capt. P. Vashisht ( QSHE ), with topics on Reflective Learning, and ECDIS implementation case study, emphasizing on the need for a change in attitude to attain Zero Error, and never fall into a false comfort of "It Will Never Happen To Me" mindset, which actually causes one to lower his guard and eventually allowing accidents to happen. This was followed by Capt P. Rajakumar ( MSI ) who spoke about the case studies related to Cargo Incidents.

The Engine Group was addressed by Ch-Eng Mr. Deepak Seth ( Fleet Manager ), with reflective learning session titled "Is It The Equipment That Really Fails ?"

Ch-Eng Mr I. Ogawara ( Director ) then presented the Case Study & Workshop on Machinery Incident Investigation,

followed by Ch-Eng Mr. H. Yamauchi ( Chief Technical Suptd )who spoke about the Machinery Case Studies, the incident investigation, and had a workshop session as well. Evening was a cocktail dinner, which was glittering event enjoyed by everyone with their families.

Day Two started with the lively Table Top Exercise, dealing with an emergency situation. The delegates were assigned into three "Ships" and the mock communication with office, and other stakeholders including Media, were performed. This demonstrated as to how the events actually happen, should there be an emergency situation, and the Exercise proved to be very interactive with the teams working out ways to handle the emergency scenario. Capt. P. N. Bhaumik followed the exercise with a Media Workshop, with special focus on the new age social media and immediate connectivity to the rest of the world.

Capt. I A. Juvale ( AGM ) then took the stage, with a presentation on Injury Prevention. He discussed several case studies, and followed them with a workshop. The atmosphere at the Lunch was, as if the exercises and workshops from the morning session had spilled over the Lunch, as the discussions were almost never ending. That was quite understandable, as Capt Juvale followed up with another workshop post Lunch, the topic being Hazard Identification & KYT.

Capt. Bhaumik then discussed the latest KLSM Management Review, the result and legislation for SIRE and TMSA audits. He elaborated on the status with recent SIRE and TMSA audits, pointed out the opportunities for improvement, and reflected on how these can contribute to overall improvements in Safety Culture, and be a win-win for all.

What made the seminar unique was the opportunity given to seafarers to share their on-board experiences. Capt. Rakesh Rai and Chief Engineer Dilip V. Chanchan took the podium, and shared their valuable experiences with the delegates.

After the Open Forum, Ch-Eng Mr. N. Watanabe ( MHRG, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha ), and Capt. S. Fukuda ( MD, KLSM Singapore ), addressed the audience before the day concluded with a presentation of Awards and Certificates by President Capt. Saito and Ch-Eng Mr. I. Ogawara.

The closing address was delivered by Capt. Koji Higashijima ( CEO / MD KLSM India ). He extended his gratitude to every one for the successful completion of yet another KLSM Seminar, this one being numbered 16 (a), indicating 16th year of Seminars in India.