PB 1

Industry newsNairobi wreck removal convention ➲ p.7

Company newsFacilitation training ➲ p.11

FocusThe SIRE programme ➲ p.14

making wavesThe Newsletter of Almi Tankers

Issue 14

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Editor: Dimitris Psilos, Communications Development Officer & Strategy Management DirectorCover: The deck of the Almi Spirit. Photo by Brendo Caayon, Pumpman of the Almi Spirit.Back: An additional lookout posted on the bridge wing of the Almi Odyssey in South Sabine. Photo by Captain Igor Perlain.Printed on recycled paper

Almi Tankers S.A.

Almi Tankers was founded in 2009 and has its head office based in Egaleo, Athens. The company initial-ly took over the management of two LR2 vessels, the Almi Spirit in 2009 and the Almi Star in 2010.

The Almi Spirit is a 105,000 dwt HHI tanker, built in 2007. She is a fully coated Aframax tanker, classed un-der DNV and has held a Safety Man-agement Certificate issued by Lloyd's Register since 2009. The Almi Star is a 115,000 dwt, DSME-built fully coat-ed Aframax tanker and is classed un-der Lloyds Register. Both vessels fly the Liberian flag and were previously operated by Teekay.

Soon after the company’s creation, Almi Tankers confirmed its plans for fleet expansion. Between 2011 and early 2014, it has taken delivery of the Almi Horizon, the Almi Galaxy, the Almi Globe, the Almi Sky, the Almi Sun, the Almi Explorer, the Almi Odyssey, the Almi Navigator and the Almi Voyager, nine 158,000 dwt Suezmax tankers, as well as the Hy-

dra Voyager and Hercules Voyager, two 320,000 dwt VLCCs which have been long-term chartered, all DSME newbuildings designed with the lat-est regulations and industry require-ments in mind.

A tanker management company needs to be totally trusted to deliver a reliable service that is safe, environ-mentally responsible and punctual. This is why Almi Tankers has adopted the value of operational integrity as its guiding principle. Operational in-tegrity means reliability, responsibil-ity and trustworthiness. It is an ethos that is expected of all members of the team at all levels.

Since June 2010, Almi Tankers has been certified for compliance with the OHSAS 18001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards, which mark out companies dedicated to excellence in relation to health and safety, the environment and quality.

In 2011, Almi Tankers also gained recognition according to the Inves-tors in People standard, which dem-

onstrates commitment to growth and to improving business performance through the development and recog-nition of people at all levels. This rec-ognition was renewed in June 2014, after a follow-up assessment by IIP International.

Our VisionOur vision is to be the preferred partner of Oil Majors and traders for their marine transportation requirements based on our excellent operational record, and therefore ensure the profitability of our fleet and our long-term sustainability.

Our Mission We focus on working with Oil Majors and reputable, credit-worthy traders who control cargoes, co-operate according to our risk management standards, and recognise and appreciate our superior service and vessel quality.

We achieve this by offering top quality, reliable, cost-effective, safe and efficient services to our customers and stakeholders, through:

• Employing a family of qualified, motivated and competent people, both ashore and aboard, investing in their training and lifelong development. We will recognise and reward high-performers and people who adhere to our values.

• Running and maintaining our vessels to the highest operational and safety standards by continuously improving our management system and applying shipping industry best practices.

• Acting as responsible global citizens by working towards the elimination of incidents and accidents in order to protect life, the environment and property.

• Designing the elements of our success and sharing our collective knowledge and experience, encouraging innovation at all levels.

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Organisational news

With regards to our PEOPLE PILLAR, we aim to:

• Maintain and constantly improve our inclusive, positive, safe and healthy work environment that we feel proud of. After all:

¤ It reflects our core values and it attracts, engages and develops capable and committed people who work as one team.

¤ It fosters trust, open dialogue and collaboration.

• Demonstrate our investment in our people by recognising and rewarding their work and commit-ment based on their performance and their adherence to our values and policies.

• Support our people in their lifelong development in order to acquire the knowledge, behavioural, leadership and management skills and achieve high performance standards. In addition:

¤ Our team leaders and departmental heads aboard and ashore, will lead by example, motivate and em-power their teams to be at their best on daily challenges encountered.

¤ We will all communicate effectively and learn from each other.

Company Objectives for 2015 and beyond

With regards to our INTERNAL PROCESSES PILLAR, we aim to:

• Designourmanagementsystem,processesandproceduresthrough:

¤ Dialogueandparticipation;

¤ Translating new ideas and industry standards into our active system, through the application of integra-tivethinking;

¤ Developing and sharing tools of knowledge management and industry best practices, to grow into a learning and agile organisation.

¤ The common denominators for this process: effectively managing risk, emergency preparedness and response, and above all, operational integrity.

• Maintain a management system that aims towards safety, health, quality and environmental excel-lence in vessel and head office operations, always in compliance with local and international regula-tions. In addition, we will:

¤ Ensure our integrated management system is user friendly, innovative and adaptive, to achieve effective-nessandfunctionality;

¤ Improve our operational performance based on the enhanced implementation of the adopted world class frameworks and the potential integration of new ones.

• Regularly measure, evaluate and continually improve our management system and company strat-egy, adopting a growth mindset towards excellence by involving every member of the team ashore and on board, taking into account our performance, as well as external factors such as industry and market trends.

With regards to our CHARTERER SATISFACTION PILLAR, we aim to:

• Enhance our brand recognition and appreciation based on our commitment to operational integrity.

• Add value and offer a competitive advantage to our charterers by exceeding their expectations and providing outstanding services through industry-best ship management practices.

• Create, maintain and expand partnerships and relationships based on transparency, trust and close co-operation.

With regards to our FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY & SHIPOWNER SATISFACTION PILLAR, we aim to:

• Provide outstanding, cost-effective ship management services to our shipowners remaining committed to our core value of operational integrity.

• Deliver strong financial performance by enhancing profitability levels through budget optimisation and revenue maximisation.

• Enhance our brand recognition and ensure stakeholder satisfaction by adhering to our values.

• Enable effective decision making by ensuring proper and timely access to information.

• Remain agile and open to new challenges.

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Introductions

I was born in Bulacan in the Philip-pines, where I grew up with 3 brothers and a sister. We were lucky because we were given the chance to finish our chosen endeavours, all thanks to our parents’ hard work and motivation that led us to where we are now.

I graduated from the Philippine Mari-time Institute, taking up maritime transportation. It took a long time for me to practice the skills and knowl-edge that I obtained in school, be-cause I had to sustain my family’s needs as we were facing a sudden financial crisis. I worked in many dif-ferent types of jobs, including sales, manpower services, Gold & Silver handicraft and as a musician in the

rhythm section of a perform-ing band.

It’s an odd thing that my first working experience on board a vessel was as part of a band playing on board local ferries. It was exciting because the nature of the work was also my hobby. But even though I was a lead guitarist in a band that played in bars, hotels and at sea, I still wanted something more stable and I wanted to be back on track. So I de-cided to quit the band and explore sea going opportuni-ties.

It is because of God’s will and the help of my cousin, that I was accepted and started my first international vessel assignment on board an oil tanker as Messman.

I didn’t expect that work on board a ship would be such a tough job that requires hard work, skills, knowledge and the patience to understand peo-ple on board. On board my first vessel I had the misfortune to experience a fire on board, which led to the vessel grounding and finally sinking in Suez, Egypt. Thank God we managed to survive. It was the most unpleasant experience I’ve ever encountered on board a vessel, but it doesn’t change the fact that I still want to continue working at sea despite of all that can happen.

The year 2010 came and I luckily be-came a part of the Almi team. With the

help of Almi Tankers and our manning agency Michaelmar Phils. Inc., new doors of opportunity opened for me to help me fulfil what I started. Since then my career here has become a great accomplishment, through the help of my fellow Crew and Officers. I put the worst experiences on board ships behind me and they have now become a true Safety-based Working Environment as described in the Almi Tankers mission and vision. Being with the Almi team is surely reward-ing, as it helps seafarers like me build a better career.

I am currently an Able Bodied Sea-man and continuously gaining more knowledge and skills. It is proven that a truly positive attitude, and always being nice and considerate to others are a big help towards success on board, and Almi Tankers provides us with all the necessary trainings and safety guidelines that people on board are familiar with. And as we all know, life on board a vessel is a lonesome profession because our family and loved ones are thousands of miles away, but through the help of free in-ternet and satellite calls provided by the company, we feel that our family is at reach anytime. We also have a rec-reation area to relax in when off duty and a gym for health and fitness.

Whenever I’m on vacation my fam-ily comes first. We enjoy bonding by spending time at home and outdoors. During some extra time I still play music with my musician friends back home.

Thanks so much Almi Tankers...

Ariel Castillo - Able Seaman, Almi Navigator

I was born in 1992 in Bjelovar, a small city in Croatia. From an early age, I became interested in all things related to ships and the sea. I graduated Mar-itime Highschool, and subsequently I graduated from the Faculty of Mari-time Studies in Rijeka. At the end of my studies I was given the oportunity to start my career at Almi Tankers.

I first came on board the Almi Globe in Sri Lanka. This is my first time on board, and I am very excited. At this moment I have been on board for over a month, and every day I acquire new experiences both in my work and with people. I am surrounded by great col-

leagues, who are willing to share their knowledge, experience and skills. I am the first seaman in my family, and they are all proud of me. Free internet acess provides me with the oportunity to be closer to my familiy. When I am free of my duties, besides using the internet, I enjoy playing basketball and ping-pong.

I love this job, I am very happy to be a part of this company, and I cer-tainly want to be a part of Almi Tank-ers in the future. I would like to send my greetings to all crew members on board Almi Tankers vessels!

Ivan Dekalic - Deck Cadet, Almi Globe

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Introductions

As a teenager, I was raised with my

grandfather’s tales in which sailing

experiences from around the world

would be described to me. At the

same time, I lived in the beautiful is-

land of Corfu, where I was privileged

enough to grow up near the coast.

Having finished high school, I de-

cided to follow my family’s tradition

and become a seafarer by studying

in the Merchant Marine Academy of

Aspropyrgos, situated just outside

Athens.

After six months of studying ashore, I

worked on board a container ship for

another six months.

Upon my return back to the Academy

to study for another year, I got the op-

portunity to join Almi Tankers.

From the first moment, it was clear

that Almi was standing out from the

traditional mindset of the average

Greek shipping company. Everything,

from Almi’s friendly first approach, its

culture, values and commitment to

crew members, up to the new fleet

and the Investors in People stand-

ard would seem out of this world,

especially during these harsh years

of fierce competitiveness across the

shipping industry.

Indeed, my first impressions would

prove to be just a glimpse of what was

- but also is still - laying ahead.

Last August, I joined the Almi Voyager

where another schooling experience

actually started for me. Every day

was another opportunity, where pro-

fessionals shared knowledge, experi-

ences and their time in a friendly and

co-operative environment of a ship.

Undoubtedly, those five months on

board turned out to be very fruitful, full

of excitement and thrill.

Iason Aimilios Stremfors Fasilis - Deck Cadet, Almi Voyager

Hello everyone!

My name is Sasa Sinobad, and I am

22 years old. I am a Deck Cadet on

board the Almi Navigator. I was born

and grew up in Knin, a small town in

Croatia, 54km from the sea.

Ever since I was a litlle boy, I was

interested in anything dynamic, spe-

cial, different than every regular job

back home. The idea about the sea

first came to me in elementary school.

It all started that way. And finally I

gained the relevant knowledge and a

diploma from the Maritime University

in Rijeka, Croatia.

During my last year in college I heard

about Almi Tankers and that they were

coming to Rijeka, to visit my Univer-

sity, and look for new people to em-

ploy. I signed on and a few days after

the interview I got a confirmation letter

saying that I was employed - and so

my seaman's career started!

I embarked for the first time in the mid-

dle of August last year and I can say

that I’m more than satisfied with eve-

rything, from the crew and accomoda-

tions, to the ship herself. I believe that

everything will continue just fine.

During my free time I enjoy summer

sports, especially swimming. I also

love spending time with a good book.

Thats all from me for now. Greetings

from the Almi Navigator!

Sasa Sinobad - Deck Cadet, Almi Navigator

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Industry news

German car manufacturer Audi has reportedly invented a carbon-neutral diesel fuel, made solely from water, carbon dioxide and renewable energy sources. And the crystal clear 'e-diesel' is already being used to power the Audi A8 owned by the country’s Federal Minister of Education and Research, Johanna Wanka.

The creation of the fuel is a huge step forward for sustainable transport, but the fact that it’s being backed by an automotive giant is even more exciting. Audi has now set up a pilot plant in Dresden, Germany, operated by clean tech company Sunfire, which will pump out 160 litres of the synthetic diesel every day in the coming months.

Their base product, which they’re calling 'blue crude' is created using a three-step process. The first step involves harvesting renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and hydropower. They then use this energy to split water into oxygen and pure hydrogen, using a process

known as reversible electrolysis.

This hydrogen is then mixed with carbon monoxide (CO), which is created from carbon dioxide (CO

2)

that’s been harvested from the atmosphere. The two react at high temperatures and under pressure, resulting in the production of the long-chain hydrocarbon compounds that make up the blue crude.

Once it's been refined, the resulting e-diesel can be mixed in with our current diesel fuel, or used on its own to power cars in a more sustainable way.

Sunfire analyses have shown that the synthetic fuel is not only more environmentally friendly, but also has superior combustion when compared to fossil fuels. The overall energy efficiency of the e-diesel is 70 percent, they report.

"The engine runs quieter and fewer pollutants are being created," said Sunfire Chief Technology Officer Christian von Olshausen in a press

release.

Of course, with the initial factory only pumping out around 160 litres each day, the fuel isn’t going to have a huge impact on the market just yet. But Audi and Sunfire now want to build a bigger factory, and anticipate that once production is scaled up, the e-diesel will sell to the public for between 1 and 1.50 Euros per litre, dependent on the cost of renewable electricity.

With traditional diesel currently on the market for upwards of 1.50 Euros per litre in Germany, this would make the fuel extremely competitive, and perfectly positioned to make sustainable travel accessible to everyone. "If we get the first sales order, we will be ready to commercialise our technology", said von Olshausen.

Just imagine being able to tear around the countryside in an Audi sportscar, and not having to feel guilty for all the CO

2 emissions you're producing. We

can't wait.

Source: www.sciencealert.com, Apr 2015

Audi has successfully made diesel fuel from carbon dioxide and water

6 7

Industry news

The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks entered into force in April 2015. The Convention places strict liability on owners for locating, marking and removing wrecks deemed to be a hazard and makes State certification of insurance, or other form of financial security for such liability, compulsory for ships of 300 gt and above. It also provides States Parties with a right of direct action against insurers.

The Convention fills a gap in the existing international legal framework by providing a set of uniform international rules for the prompt and effective removal of wrecks located in a country’s exclusive economic zone or equivalent 200 nautical miles zone. The Convention also contains a clause that enables States Parties to “opt in” to apply certain provisions to their territory, including the territorial sea.

The Convention provides a legal basis for States Parties to remove, or have removed, wrecks that pose a danger or impediment to navigation or that may be expected to result in major harmful consequences to the marine environment, or damage to the coastline or related interests of one or more States. The Convention also applies to a ship that is about, or may reasonably be expected, to sink or to strand, where effective measures to assist the ship or any property in

danger are not already being taken.

Provisions in the Convention include:

• a duty on the ship’s Master or operator to report to the “Affected State” a maritime casualty resulting in a wreck and a duty on the Affected State to warn mariners and the States concerned of the nature and location of the wreck, as well as a duty on the Affected State that all practicable steps are taken to locate the wreck

• criteria for determining the hazard posed by wrecks, including depth of water above the wreck, proximity of shipping routes, traffic density and frequency, type of traffic and vulnerability of port facilities. Environmental criteria such as damage likely to result from the release into the marine environment of cargo or oil are also included

• measures to facilitate the removal of wrecks, including rights and obligations to remove hazardous wrecks, which set out when the shipowner is responsible for removing the wreck and when the Affected State may intervene

• liability of the owner for the costs of locating, marking and removing wrecks - the

registered shipowner is required to maintain compulsory insurance or other financial security to cover liability under the convention

• settlement of disputes.

The Convention was adopted by a five-day International Conference at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), Kenya, in 2007.

The States Parties to the treaty as at 14 April 2015 are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bulgaria, Congo, Cook Islands, Denmark, Germany, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Liberia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Nigeria, Palau, and the UK.

Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention enters into force

Source: www.imo.org

8 9

Industry news

Science and technology company Leidos has announced that its pro-totype maritime autonomy system has completed its first self-guided voyage.

The prototype, developed as part of the US Defense Advanced Re-search Projects Agency (DARPA) Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) pro-gramme, made the journey between Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi,

controlled only by the autonomy sys-tem.

The project had previously reported 42 successful days of at-sea demon-stration with the technology, as well as approximately 26,000 simulation runs, but this is the first time that a fully self-guided voyage has been completed.

The maritime autonomy system was installed on a 42-foot work boat that served as a surrogate vessel to test

sensor, manoeuvring, and mission functions of a prototype ACTUV ves-sel. ACTUV aims to develop an inde-pendently deployed, unmanned na-val vessel that would operate under sparse remote supervisory control and safely follow the COLREGS.

Using a navigational chart of the area loaded into its memory and in-puts from its commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) radars, Leidos says that the surrogate vessel successfully sailed the 35 nautical miles within the in-shore environment of the Gulf Intra-coastal Waterway.

During its voyage the maritime au-tonomy system avoided all obstacles, buoys, land, shoal water, and other vessels in the area – all without any pre-planned waypoints or human in-tervention, the company says.

While Leidos notes that it will continue to use the surrogate vessel to test AC-TUV software and sensors, the com-pany is also continuing construction of Sea Hunter, the first ACTUV prototype vessel, in Clackamas, Oregon.

Sea Hunter is scheduled to launch in late Autumn 2015 and begin testing in the Columbia River shortly thereafter.

Unmanned vessel completes first self-guided voyage

Source: Digital Ship

This Commemorative Suez Canal Stamp Has One Glaring Error

The Egyptian postal service had the best intentions when issuing a series of stamps to commemorate the Suez Canal and its multi-billion expansion project, only there was one glaring er-ror: the stamp showed a picture of the rival Panama Canal (for those of you who don’t know, Suez Canal has no locks).

According to local media reports, the Egyptian postal service is aware of the mistake and is taking actions to correct it.

Egypt recently announced plans to build a new Suez Canal alongside the existing 145-year-old historic water-way aimed at expanding trade along

the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia. The Suez Canal is a

vital source of revenue for the country, earning about $5 billion a year.

Source: gCaptain

8 9

Industry news

Source: maritime-executive.org

Scientists have developed a new

method for revealing how sea lev-

els might rise around the world

throughout the 21st century to ad-

dress the controversial topic of

whether the rate of sea level rise is

currently increasing.

The international team of researchers,

led by the University of Southampton

and including scientists from the Na-

tional Oceanography Centre, the Uni-

versity of Western Australia, the Uni-

versity of South Florida, the Australian

National University and the University

of Seigen in Germany, analyzed data

from 10 long-term sea level monitor-

ing stations located around the world.

They looked into the future to identify

the timing at which sea level accel-

erations might first be recognized in a

significant manner.

Lead author Dr Ivan Haigh, Lecturer

in Coastal Oceanography at the Uni-

versity of Southampton, says: “Our

results show that by 2020 to 2030, we

could have some statistical certainty

of what the sea level rise situation will

look like for the end of the century.

That means we’ll know what to expect

and have 70 years to plan. In a sub-

ject that has so much uncertainty, this

gives us the gift of long-term planning.

“As cities, including London, continue

to plan for long-term solutions to sea

level rise, we will be in a position to

better predict the long-term situation

for the UK capital and other coastal

areas across the planet. Scientists

should continue to update the analy-

sis every 5 to 10 years, creating more

certainty in long-term planning — and

helping develop solutions for a chang-

ing planet.”

The study found that the most impor-

tant approach to the earliest possible

detection of a significant sea level

acceleration lies in improved under-

standing (and subsequent removal)

of inter-annual (occurring between

years, or from one year to the next) to

multi-decadal (involving multiple de-

cades) variability in sea level records.

“The measured sea levels reflect a

variety of processes operating at dif-

ferent time scales,” says co-author Dr

Francisco Calafat, from the National

Oceanography Centre. He adds,

“One of the main difficulties in detect-

ing sea level accelerations is the pres-

ence of decadal and multi-decadal

variations. For example, processes

associated with the North Atlantic

Oscillation have a strong influence

on the sea levels around the UK over

multi-decadal periods. Such process-

es introduce a large amount of ‘noise’

into the record, masking any underly-

ing acceleration in the rate of rise. Our

study shows, that by adequately un-

derstanding these processes and re-

moving their influence, we can detect

accelerations much earlier.”

Co-author Professor Eelco Rohling,

from the Australian National Univer-

sity and formerly of the University of

Southampton, adds: “By developing

a novel method that realistically ap-

proximates future sea level rise, we

have been able to add new insight to

the debate and show that there is sub-

stantial evidence for a significant re-

cent acceleration in the sea level rise

on a global and regional level. How-

ever, due to the large ‘noise’ signals

at some local coastal sites, it won’t be

until later this decade or early next de-

cade before the accelerations in sea

level are detected at these individual

tide gauge sites.”

New Method for Measuring Sea Level Rise

10 11

Company news

1 December 2014 !

202 Lambeth Road London, SE1 7LQ

Telephone: 020 7928 1351 Fax: 020 7401 2817

www.nautinst.org ALMI TANKERS S.A. 3 Kifisos Avenue, Egaleo 122 42 Greece !Attn: Nikolaos Chrysomallis, DPA !

Letter of Appreciation Dear Nikolaos, !On my personal behave and that of The Nautical Institute, we would like to extend our thanks for your contributions to the Mariners’ Alerting and incident Reporting Scheme (MARS) in 2014. !Founded in 1992, MARS is the industry’s leading international confidential incident reporting scheme designed to disseminate ‘lessons learned’ to the commercial maritime industry. !MARS reports are disseminated by the Nautical Institute world-wide, via the Internet, the Institute’s professional journal Seaways, LR Fairplay’s ‘Safety at Sea International’ and regional publications in languages other than English. !These valuable contributions will be used by other professionals in the global maritime industry to improve operational, environmental and commercial safety, and to achieve continuing professional development. !Your participation in MARS is evidence of your commitment to the highest ideals of quality management and social responsibility, as sought through schemes such as the ISO Standards, the ISM Code, and the Tanker Management Self-Assessment (TMSA) initiative. !We welcome your continued support for MARS in 2015. !Yours faithfully,

Paul D. Drouin, MM AFNI Editor - MARS mars@nautinst.org

The Nautical Institute has been serving maritime professionals since 1971 and is the recipient of the Plimsoll Award (2010) for outstanding contribution by an organisation to safety in the maritime industry. !The Nautical Institute, a registered Charity Number 1002462 VAT Number 547 9635 93, is registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee Number 2570030

Nautical Institute appreciation letter

10 11

Company news

Facilitation training by Kommunikationslotsen

12 13

Company news

A very interesting 4-day facilitation seminar took place in March 2015 in our head office premises in Athens. The course was delivered by “Kom-munikationslotsen”, a process facili-tating consultancy based in Germany. They offer facilitation and visual fa-cilitation consultancy, coaching and training services. In Europe, they are considered pioneers in both facilita-tion and visual facilitation.

A group of 25 people, - including our colleagues Srdjana Uhac from Zorovic Maritime Services and Mr. David Nichol, Risk Assessor, Thomas Miller P&I - learned how they can help the company, their department, their teams become more facilitative. The use of facilitation methods help people effectively wel-come and join different per-spectives, experiences and knowledge in order to learn from each other.

The objectives of this seminar included some very important goals such as:

• To improve the ability to communicate, by in-creasing our awareness through diversity of per-spectives and providing a common basis of trust and collaboration.

• To deal with change effectively.

• To conduct more effective and meaningful meetings.

• To understand the power of ask-ing questions.

• Participatory problem-solving.

• To explore the importance of fa-cilitative leadership.

However, it is true that “pictures are worth a thousand words!” Therefore have a look at the article photos and some really interesting comments that some participants shared, by answer-ing the following questions:

1. What did you learn during our 4-day facilitation methods course?

2. What is your most important take-away from the course?

3. Has this 4-day facilitation methods course been useful in your professional or even in your personal life? In what way?

A good number of new and interesting tools were presented to us during this workshop. The “victory cycle” was my favourite. I realised that I have been implementing it in my personal life for years. It now has a name, struc-ture and a place in my professional life as well! I also enjoyed the “set-ting of agreements”. It seems very useful in participating in healthy dis-cussions with concrete results and not crossing certain boundaries that could be harmful in many ways! Un-officially we have started using it with

my teammates. I also appreciated the time I shared with my colleagues in the circle, as it was a great enabler for getting to know and understand each other. In all, it was a worthy in-vestment of time and effort with much valuable insight.MIP

Before the course, I could not imagine how many useful things and methods I would learn from the instructors. All methods described were amazing. I attended the course with people I work closely with, so we had the chance to discuss a few things related to our department and discover ways to improve communication, as some methods can be used extensively and will be good tools for our job!

Spend a few minutes of your time to find out more about the “victory cycle”, which in my opinion was one of the most enjoyable methods shared!

PVK

We learned methods that create conditions for effective dialogue and change, inviting many different per-spectives. It was very interesting to experience how people interact, co-create and learn, when facilitation methods are being used. I very much liked tools such as the “victory cycle”, the “setting of agreements” at the start of a meeting and the “circle work”. I really enjoyed it! EGS

Almi’s Facilitative leaders in action!By Elpiniki Stylogianni, HR Manager

12 13

Company news

The way the conversation was initi-ated in the beginning of the seminar was extremely interesting: we were invited by the facilitators to “praise“ our colleagues. This created a very joyful environment, a great way to commence a week of discussions and exchange of ideas. ANF

I found the method of dynamic facili-tation, by helping people find creative and practical approaches to unsolv-able problems, very interesting.

The dynamic facilitation process in-cludes:

• Listening

• Taking all sides

• Trust in the process

• The ability to give others room

• Self-knowledge

• Appreciating attitude

I also liked appreciative inquiry, with its focus on success, good issues and positive thinking.

The role of the facilitator in a meeting is to give everyone the opportunity to speak, keep the scope of the agenda and monitor the energy of the group.

Focusing on positive thinking, trying to be more optimistic and be open to changes and different points of view.MSA

Facilitators are not experts on the subject matter. They are however, ex-perts in taking advantage of the facili-tation tools which may assist the oth-

ers reach a conclusion. You need the contribution of all your team members and the assistance of a maestro (the facilitator) to reach the optimum solu-tion in any important issue.

It provides tools and methods to break down complicated problems and find meaningful solutions.VGI

We learned methods that promote structured and constructive dialogue between different experts, allowing harvesting of several ideas.

By using facilitation methods there are more chances to succeed in the implementation of a new idea, since participants are recreating and im-proving the idea with their point of view and feedback, therefore subse-quently they are keen to support it. These methods proved to be useful by developing communication skills both on a professional and a personal level. Effective communication safe-guards good results and improves hu-man relationships while building trust. NDC

I learned that there are many different ways to get the feedback you need from your colleagues. The active par-ticipation of people involved in a semi-nar, forum or meeting depends on the facilitator’s techniques. A successful meeting is one where the presenta-tion bullets are written by the partici-pants’ involvement.

I have been in seminars where at the end of the course you feel that you learned something, that you got the

knowledge you needed and that your objectives were successfully met. On the other hand, after this course the feeling was totally different.

I had moved from all 4 rooms in the apartment you see in the photo during the course, especially the denial and the confusion rooms, but I was sur-prised at how this course changed my way of thinking in day to day activities and taught me methods that I can use to facilitate the company’s needs.

I believe that the key point that led me to accept these methods and re-consider the value of facilitation was when I saw our CEO using facilitation during our internal HSQE meeting. I improved my communication tech-niques and this also assists me in de-livering ship and shore presentations.LAK

I learned how to set up guide lines in my daily work and personal life issues.

The methods we learned helped me deal with problem solving issues.

It was a great opportunity to stretch our thinking as a team, towards meaningful ideas and improve our effec-tiveness as a team!!!!NIT

14 15

One of the most significant safety initiatives introduced by OCIMF is the Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE). This programme was origi-nally launched in 1993 to specifically address concerns about sub-standard shipping. The SIRE programme is a unique tanker risk assessment tool of value to charterers, ship operators, terminal operators and government bodies concerned with ship safety.

The SIRE system is a very large data-base of up-to-date information about tankers and barges. Essentially, SIRE has focused tanker industry aware-ness on the importance of meeting satisfactory tanker quality and ship safety standards. Since its introduc-tion, the SIRE programme has re-ceived industry-wide acceptance and participation by both OCIMF mem-bers, programme recipients and by ship operators. The inclusion of barg-es and small vessels into the SIRE programme started in late 2004.

Participation in the original pro-gramme, as either an inspecting OCIMF member or a programme recipient, was strictly voluntary and each programme recipient deter-mined independently how to evaluate the information contained in the re-ports received from OCIMF.

Under the SIRE programme, the op-erator of any ship that is the subject of a report was given a copy of that report and the opportunity to submit written comments relating to the re-port, to both the inspecting OCIMF member and to OCIMF.

Report recipients accessed the SIRE System Index by computer and this permitted the index to be viewed or downloaded. Programme recipients could order reports and any match-ing operator comments from the SIRE system. Reports and comments were transmitted by fax to the programme

recipients' pre-registered facsimile numbers on request.

Since its introduction, more than 180,000 inspection reports have been submitted to SIRE. Currently there are over 22,500 reports on over 8000 vessels for inspections that have been conducted in the last 12 months. On average, programme recipients ac-cess the SIRE database at a rate of more than 8000 reports per month.

The SIRE programme requires a uni-form inspection protocol that is predi-cated by the following:

• Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ)

• Barges Inspection Questionnaire (BIQ)

• Uniform SIRE Inspection Report

• Vessels Particulars Questionnaire (VPQ)

• Barge Particulars Questionnaire (BPQ)

• SIRE Enhanced Report Manager (WebSERM)

Vessel Inspection Question-naire (VIQ)

The inspection questionnaires used in this programme contain a series of questions related to safety and pollu-tion prevention applicable to the type of vessel that is inspected. These questions are consecutively num-bered and are logically grouped into separate chapters.

Each chapter contains a series of questions to be answered by the in-spector. Questions may be accompa-nied by guidance, namely:

1. Guidance notes to inspectors

2. Reference source(s) citing regulation(s) or industry guide-lines pertaining to questions and

3. An indicator to identify issues when an inspector comment is mandatory.

The 3rd Edition revisions to the SIRE Vessel Inspection Questionnaires and their accompanying Inspection Re-ports introduced significant changes to the scope and presentation of the programme.

These were:

1. The inspection of oil tankers (to-gether with combination carriers and shuttle tankers), chemical carriers and gas carriers. Under the revised programme, these vessels are categorised by size.

2. The inspection of barges carrying petroleum products, chemicals, or gas, or vessels used in the carriage of packaged petroleum products or gas or road tankers carrying the same commodities, and also towing vessels that are utilised in the handling of barges carrying the above listed prod-ucts. Collectively, in the VIQ doc-uments, the inspection question-

Focus

14 15

Focus

Sources: www.ocimf.org

naires that are used are referred to as “Vessel Inspection Ques-tionnaires” (“VIQs”)

3. The key question and sub-ques-tion concept used in the 1st and 2nd Editions of the VIQ was dis-continued in the 3rd and sub-sequent editions and replaced

(except in a few cases) with indi-vidual questions. As in the case of previous editions, however, the “Yes” “No”, “Not Seen” or “Not Ap-plicable” responses are utilised.

The questionaire consists of the fol-lowing chapters:

• Chapter 1. General Information

• Chapter 2. Certification and Doc-umentation

• Chapter 3. Crew Management

• Chapter 4. Navigation

• Chapter 5. Safety Management

• Chapter 6. Pollution Prevention

• Chapter 7. Structural Condition

• Chapter 8. Petroleum

• Chapter 8. Chemicals

• Chapter 8. LPG

• Chapter 8. LNG

• Chapter 9. Mooring

• Chapter 10. Communications

• Chapter 11. Engine and Steering Compartments

• Chapter 12. General Appearance and Condition

• Chapter 13. Ice Operations

These have been established to make the programme more uniform and user friendly and to provide a level of transparency unique in the marine transportation industry.

SIRE has established itself as a major source of technical and operational information to prospective charter-ers and other programme users. Its increasing use corresponds with oil industry efforts to better ascertain whether vessels are well managed and maintained. OCIMF is in no doubt that better informed vetting decisions are leading to improvements in the quality of ships, accelerating its con-tinuing drive for safer ships and clean-er seas.

Inspection reports are maintained on the index for a period of 12 months from the date of receipt and are main-tained on the database for 2 years. SIRE access is available, at a nomi-

nal cost, to OCIMF members, bulk oil terminal operators, port authori-ties, canal authorities, oil, power, in-dustrial or oil trader companies which charter tankers/barges as a normal part of their business. It is also avail-able, free of charge, to Governmental bodies which supervise safety and/or pollution prevention in respect of oil

tankers/barges (e.g. port state control authorities, MOUs, etc).

The report

The responses recorded in the Ves-sel Inspection Questionnaires (the In-spection Element) serve as the basis for development of the second ele-ment of the Vessel Inspection Proce-dure (the Report Element) distributed under the programme. The inspec-tor’s completed VIQ must be reviewed by the submitting company prior to processing in the SIRE system and transmission to the vessel operator.

The processed VIQ is automatically converted into a report after the sub-mitting company has processed it in the SIRE System. The report does not replicate the pages of the Vessel In-spection Questionnaire but is distrib-uted in abbreviated form. It consists of a conversion of the inspector VIQ re-sponses into a uniform report format.

16 17

Fleet news

Elephant killing device on board the Almi Odyssey

As the Almi Odyssey was heading closer to the shore in West Africa, flies started appearing on the bridge. The Master asked his bridge offic-

ers to look around the stores for a fly swatter, however there was none to be found. Two days later the below pictured hand-made piece of equip-

ment appeared on the bridge.

An amazing apparatus that can actu-ally kill elephants...but unfortunately not flies!

Almi Globe celebrates 1000 days without LTIBy Marina Kagiannaki, Fleet Assistant

MT ALMI GLOBE LTI COUNTER

At sea, 11.02.2015

1

After the milestone reached by the Almi Horizon, that reached 1000 days without LTI last September, another vessel that completed this achievement recently was the Almi Globe.

We congratulate both vessels and their crew members for their efforts and contribution in this important achievement, which is directly linked to our core value of operational integrity.

LTI (Lost Time Injury), is defined as an occurrence that results in time lost from work of one day/shift or more, per-manent disability, or even fatality.

The key for achieving no LTIs is the safety culture our com-pany is committed to following.

Having and promoting such a safety culture, along with harmonious co-operation and excellent teamwork between people on board our vessels and people in the office, result in a larger contribution towards achieving our company’s mission and vision.

The next vessels coming up to this milestone are the Almi Sky and the Almi Sun.

Congratulations to all of our vessels for their continuous efforts in promoting our safety culture and the days without LTIs they have accumulated up to this point.

Hopefully, another 1000 days without LTI will be reached!

VESSEL   LTI  COUNTER  

ALMI  SPIRIT   401  ALMI  STAR   653  

ALMI  HORIZON   1140  ALMI  GALAXY   422  

ALMI  GLOBE   1003  ALMI  SKY   855  

ALMI  SUN   738  ALMI  EXPLORER   721  

ALMI  ODYSSEY   465  ALMI  NAVIGATOR   613  

ALMI  VOYAGER   399    

16 17

Fleet news

US Cost Guard appreciation letter

18 19

Good / Bad practices

Crane emergency instructions post

Good housekeeping

Marking of wire slings Marking of rope tails

Bad housekeeping

Spool piece cover protection

18 19

Continuous improvement

Injury in owner’s cabinSituation• A terminal's Marine Manager was resting inside

the owner’s cabin when the telephone rang.

• In his effort to pick up the phone while no light was on in the cabin, he tried to walk across the dark room in order to answer the "wake up call" he himself had requested.

• He sustained an injury (a cut and bruise at the bridge of his nose) after tripping over the cabin table.

• First aid was administered by the ship's staff.

• The injured person disembarked at the earliest convenience and soon after was transferred to a shore medical facility for further evaluation where nothing further was diagnosed.

Root causes• Inadequate lighting. The lights were in good order

but no light was left on, including the light above the bed.

• Inadequate engineering. A large distance as well as numerous obstructions between the telephone and the bed.

Lessons learnt• It is difficult to control the reaction of personnel to a

telephone call or an alarm. Through proper design and using current technology, we can safeguard and reduce slipping or tripping hazards caused by peoples' reactions to a wakeup call or something unexpected.

Food poisoningSituation

• A few hours after lunch (soup with red snapper fish) numerous crew members started experienc-ing diarrhea.

• In the days that followed, they were experiencing symptoms such as headache, muscle pain and burning sensations on their tongue.

• Our medical consultants were immediately con-sulted and medication was provided.

• Two days later, the affected crew members were substituted.

• Off signers were sent for medical examinations and it was verified that they all suffered from the Ciguatera illness (a foodborne toxic illness caused by eating certain reef fish. It does not relate to the preparation of the meal as cooking does not re-move this toxin).

Root causes

• Fish toxin – CIGUATERA (impossible to be de-tected by the cook).

Lessons learnt

• Suspicious symptoms must be immediately brought to the attention of our medical advisors.

• Proper hygiene regarding defrosting food and handling expired products shall be in place and supervised by the appropriate officers and the Master.

20 21

Well-being

Stressful working postures and lifting of heavy loads can effect your health. Here you can find a list of stressful working postures, their health risks and ways to prevent damage.

What are stressful working postures?

• Back or neck bent forward.

• Turning or twisting the back and neck.

• Bending backwards or neck tilted back, such as when working and looking at something above eye-height.

• Lifting and straining the shoulders is tough on the muscles in the neck and shoulders.

• Postures in which you work with the arms and hands held away from the body - both in front of and to the side of the body.

• Twisting the forearm/wrist.

• Wrists bent backwards or using the wrist in extreme positions.

• Standing with the body weight unevenly balanced on the pelvis and legs. This increases the strain on the pelvic region and the leg that is taking the weight of the body.

• Sitting with the weight of the body unevenly balanced. This puts uneven strain on the back.

• Kneeling and crouching stress the knee joints and restrict circulation in the legs.

• Working lying down in cramped spaces.

Stressful working postures on board

Stressful working postures often occur while doing the following jobs:

• Loading and discharging with cranes

• Fixing lashings on deck

• Repair and maintenance work, particularly in the engine room

• Using heavy lifting gear

• Taking in stores

• Restocking stores

Working in the galley

• Particularly when it is the same person who carries out the same tasks often and over a long period:

• Serving/waiting

• Cleaning

• Making up bunks

• Working at tills

• Counter sales

• Working at computer terminals - in the control room, on the bridge and doing administrative work.

Health risks

• Soreness, pains, stiffness and fatigue in muscles and joints.

• Tingling in the fingers and changes in sensitivity making fingers, feet and legs feel different.

• Pains, soreness and swelling due to irritation (inflammation) around the tendons.

• Damage such as tennis elbow and inflammation of the tendons. This can last several weeks and may end up as a chronic condition. These conditions may occur again and again if you continue to put strain on the body.

Normally, the body sends warning signals before more long-term, chronic damage occurs. So be aware of pain, soreness, tense muscles and stiff joints. These symptoms often disappear if you stop stressing the body. On the other hand, ignoring the body's warning signals means a real risk of problems developing in the long term.

Prevention• Plan work so that the same muscles are not

constantly put under strain. The most important factor is to be able to change position when the body reacts to the strain with soreness or pain.

• Design workplaces to avoid tough working positions.

• When working on big jobs with tough working positions, organize routines so that there are enough crew to work in rotation or ensure there are enough breaks. The body can put up with a lot in varied positions but it will send out signals if it suffers stress that it wants to have removed or changed. It is important to take these signals seriously and to ensure individuals can vary their work if they become aware of signs of stress.

Stressful working postures

Source: www.seahealth.dk

20 21

Well-being

Make heavy lifting easier

Source: www.seahealth.dkSource: www.seahealth.dk

22 23

Maritime history

While the final outcome of most wars is generally decided on land, occa-sionally a sea battle can have a pro-found impact on history as well. Here are ten candidates for the most impor-tant naval battles in history.10. Battle of the Chesapeake, 1781Though a comparatively small battle as far as these things go (24 French ships against 19 British ships), the battle proved important in that it sin-gularly made Washington’s victory at Yorktown in October 1781 possible. Not really much more than a skirmish that left a handful of ships damaged and about 500 men on both sides dead and wounded, the French fleet successfully forced Admiral Thom-as Graves to abandon the bay to the French, thereby leaving Gen-eral Cornwallis, then holed up in Yorktown, Virginia, on his own. With supplies lim-ited, escape impossi-ble, and a combined American and French Army steadily advanc-ing, Cornwallis had no choice but to sur-render and the rest is, as they say, history. Had the British carried the day, it is likely Cornwallis would have been evacuated from the peninsula and lived to fight another day and the fate of the colonialist’s rebellion might have been up in the air. As it was, the defeat at Yorktown convinced the Brit-ish to give up on America and con-centrate their resources elsewhere, thus ending the six year long war and creating a new country in the process.9. Santiago de Cuba, 1898In one of the first clashes between all-metal warships in history, a Spanish fleet of warships was demolished by a similar-sized fleet of American war-ships off the port of Santiago de Cuba when it tried to escape the port and make a run for the open sea. Led by Spanish admiral Cervera, the decrepit Spanish ships proved to be no match for the American fleet under the joint command of Admirals Schley and Sampson, the result being the loss or capture of all six of ships (four armored cruisers and two destroyers) and the death of 323 men (compared to a single fatality borne by the Americans). So what makes this such an important battle? Like the Battle of Tsushima, this battle had major repercussions on the bal-ance of power in the world. Not only did it force Spain to capitu-

late, thus bringing an end to the brief Spanish-American War, but it finished Spain as a world power and, with the acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, made America a colo-nial empire practically overnight.8. Hampton Roads, Virginia, 1862Actually, there were two small battles fought over a twenty-four hour pe-riod, both of which involved the same ship and together would change na-val warfare forever. The first of these was fought between the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Virginia and a fleet

of wooden Union warships that was blockading the port of Norfolk, Virginia (then in Confederate hands). This first battle effectively spelled the begin-ning of the end of wooden-hulled war-ships when the Virginia quickly sunk the warships Cumberland and Con-gress and badly damaged a third ship before retiring - which she accom-plished largely unscathed thanks to her slopping, ironclad hull design. The next day’s battle, however, was not so successful. Intending on finishing off the remaining blockaders the next morning, the Virginia was surprised to be met by the Union’s own version of an ironclad - the all steel Monitor - and the first battle between all-metal war-ships in history was underway. Using her revolutionary rotating turret, the Monitor, though mounted with just a pair of cannons to the Confederate warship’s 12 guns, easily matched the Virginia’s rate of fire (which, in be-ing fixed, could only be fired when the ship was pointed directly at the Union

ironclad). The result of the three-hour brawl ended in a draw, with neither ship possessing enough firepower to deliver a deathblow, and the combat-ant’s retired, never to fight again. While historians still argue who actually won the battle, it is generally conceded that in preventing the Virginia from breaking the Union blockade, it was at least a strategic victory for the North, who were able to continue blockad-ing the southern ports throughout the balance of the war. Even more impor-tant, however, was that the two ves-sel’s revolutionary use of iron was to

forever transform the nature of naval war-fare, which from then on would be fought between ships built of iron and driven by steam rather than of wood and sail.7. Tsushima Straights, 1905In what could only be declared as one of the most lop-sided victo-ries in naval warfare, a Russian fleet of nearly a dozen battleships and seventeen small-er vessels was deci-mated by a Japanese

fleet off the southern coast of Korea. Under the command of the legend-ary Admiral Togo, over the course of two days the Japanese managed to sink no fewer than 21 of the 28 ships of the Czar’s once mighty fleet and capture seven more - all without the loss of a single capital ship. The bat-tle was such a humiliating debacle for Imperial Russia that it forced an end to the year-long war between the two countries on terms favorable to Japan and may have heralded the beginning of the end for the Czar’s reign. The downside for Japan was that it gave the Japanese military such a sense of superiority that it would ultimately encourage the start of its own Asian empire, resulting in a protracted war with China thirty years later and, ul-timately, a disastrous war with the United States.6. Trafalgar, 1805In one of the most famous engage-ments in British naval history, a Brit-ish fleet of 33 ships under the legend-

ary Lord Horatio Nelson, took on a larger, combined Spanish and French fleet off the southwest coast of Spain and routed it, cap-turing half of the Franco-Spanish fleet without losing a single ship of its own. The battle was such a serious setback for Napoleon that he was unable to maintain a seri-

Top 10 Naval Battles That Were Game-Changers

22 23

Maritime history

ous threat of invading England, ensur-ing that the balance of the Napoleonic Wars - which would rage for another ten years - would be fought entirely on continental European soil. The battle also immortalized Lord Nelson, who died of wounds received during the battle, making him a legend in Eng-land and in the annals of naval his-tory, not only for his personal bravery, but for his daring in taking on a supe-rior force using unconventional tactics and proving victorious.5. Lepanto, 1571In a battle that was to have major re-percussions on Europe for centuries to come, the up-until-then unstop-pable Ottoman Navy was positively routed by a coalition of war-ships sailing under the banner of the Holy Roman Empire near the Greek port city of Corinth. Despite the fact that both fleets were of comparable size, the Holy Coali-tion somehow man-aged to sink or cap-ture no fewer than 187 Ottoman ships, kill, wound, or capture over 20,000 Turks, and free some 10,000 Christian slaves that the Turks had been using as oars-men, while losing themselves only 17 vessels. The battle was the first loss the Ottoman Empire had incurred in centuries, it destroyed its air of invinci-bility and invigorated Europe’s resolve at stopping the Turkish westward ex-pansion into Europe, preventing Eu-rope from being overrun by the forces of the Ottomans. 4. Battle of Midway, 1942This was the engagement that won the war in the Pacific for the United States by so decisively defeating the Japanese Navy that it was forced to go on the defensive and end its plans for further territorial conquest. The interesting thing about this battle is that even though it involved scores of ships on both sides, neither fleet ever spotted the other. In fact, all the fight-ing was done from the air, with the American and Japanese carrier pilots taking turns trying to send each other to the bottom. In the end, it was Japan who came off the worst: not only did it fail to conquer the strategic island of Midway, but in a fifteen-minute span of time, it lost three of its four big aircraft carriers along with most of its best pilots, end-ing its dreams of finally defeating the American fleet once and for all. This was also one of the few World War II battles in which the

Americans were outnumbered, with Admiral Nimitz commanding a fleet of just three carriers to Japan’s four. The sinking of four of Japan’s irreplacea-ble carriers was also a sort of payback for Pearl Harbor as all four carriers Ja-pan lost had participated in the attack on December 7th, making it doubly satisfying for a nation still reeling from the disaster of losing the Philippines two months earlier.3. Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945When war broke out in Europe in September of 1939, Germany’s sur-face navy was no match for the im-mense Royal Navy so Hitler decided to utilize the same tactic Germany

had used that came perilously close to winning the First World War: block-ading Britain with its fleet of U-boats. Knowing that denying Britain the im-ports it needed to keep its economy afloat would bring it to its knees, the strategy at first appeared to be work-ing as German U-boats sank British merchant ships faster than they could be built. Once America entered the fray, however, and could bring her immense industrial strength to bear, things began to go sour for the Ger-mans. Despite sinking huge numbers of American ships, by 1943 American industrial capability, combined with improved anti-submarine weapons and tactics, began to take their toll on the German navy so that by 1944, U-boat losses were so bad that Ger-many was no longer able to take the fight to the Allies, thereby assuring the ultimate victory in Europe. Before Hitler’s U-boats were finally tamed, however, they had sunk over 3,000 ships and 14 million tons of shipping

- accounting for 70% of all Allied sea losses. The cost for the Germans had been catastrophic, with the loss of nearly 800 submarines and 28,000 men - 75% of all submarine sailors in its entire navy! Had it worked, how-ever, Germany might have won the entire war by starving England into submission, much as American sub-marines successfully did to Japan by sending her merchant fleet to the bot-tom, which cut off the import of oil and raw materials.2. Actium, 31 BCIn an epic battle worthy of Hollywood, the combined fleets of star-crossed lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra had

their heads handed to them when they met a Roman fleet of nearly 300 galleys near the city of Actium, Greece and were routed. The battle was not only to determine who would rule Rome, but set the course of history for the next six cen-turies, making it one of the most important fleet actions in histo-ry. Alas, as everyone knows, Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet was routed, leaving them without a country and

making them fugitives. Not ones to go down with the ship, however, they escaped to safety (abandoning their own fleet in the process), a move which convinced the bulk of Antony’s remaining army to desert and ended in him ultimately committing suicide alongside Cleopatra. The victory also solidified Octavian’s hold on power and ultimately resulted in him becom-ing the first Emperor of Rome, effec-tively ending the Roman Republic and establishing the Roman Empire in its place.1. Salamis, September, 480 BCIn a battle that seems almost more mythological than real, a fleet of Greek warships under the venerable Greek commander Eurybiades, took on a Persian fleet at least twice its size in the narrow straights between the Greek mainland and the island of Salamis and beat it soundly. Losing as much as half of its fleet, the battle so badly devastated the Persians that the Persian king, Xerxes, was forced

to give up on his quest to conquer Greece. What made the battle the most important one in history was that in forcing the Persians to give up their quest of captur-ing Greece, the battle potentially saved Greek culture and, by ex-tension, western civilization in the process.

Sources: Danelek, www.toptenz.net

24 25

We are Almi Tankers

CEOCapt. Stylianos Dimouleas

ON DUTY

ALMI SPIRIT ALMI STAR ALMI HORIZON ALMI GALAXY ALMI GLOBEMASTERS Volodymyr Smirnov Sergiy Onuchyn Goran Djurcic Zoran Zuzic Robertino Rancic

CHIEF OFFICERS Michael Mauro Alba Yevgen Samonenko Ante Loncar Damir Stanisic Marko Ostric

Andriy Bespalov

SECOND OFFICERS Kevin Monayao Anton Antonov Josip Rogic Renante Siray Peter Baylon

Eril Binas Jonasser Bersamina Jeffrey Rull Benjamin Penales Jose Rafael Muncada

THIRD OFFICERS Andrii Bordovskyi Ronie Ronquillo Randy Cabanero Marin Kraljic

CHIEF ENGINEERS Grygorii Lupach Georgios Roussos Miljenko Dundovic Slavko Vasiljevic Boris Ropac

Mario Brkic

SECOND ENGINEERS Volodymyr Kalyushko Alexandrino Evasco Igor Gudelj Kemal Dzajovic Branko Rosandic

THIRD ENGINEERS Guiniguin Alodos Vyacheslav Vereynov Evenicer Baja Josip Mijatov Elpidio Curameng

FOURTH ENGINEERS Marvi Villacarlos Herbert Sampilingan Egon Paskvan Neven Rakic Goran Kovacevic

ELECTRICIANS Fernando Quilaton Stanislav Zagorodnyi Ante Viduka Allen Ian Mendoza Marko Bicanic

PUMPMEN Artemio Nunez Phillip Morales Saturnino Costales Jr Zaldy Zamora Graciano Nito Tiu

BOSUNS John Cedric Roldan Ariel Alfonso Danilo Galino Erwin Villegas Wenceslao Despi

ABLE SEAMEN Jomar Uson John Kevin Nacionales Mik-Hail Rafallo Cosme Calunia Jr Gilbert Domingo

Rolan Edward Dequito Rizal Selibio Rey Cagas Aquilino Lago III Edison Cabrera

Benjamin Ferrer April Santos Alberto Valeroso Mark Salas Jefferson Quilang

Nomeriano Julian Nilo Buenaflor

Arnold Tabinga

ORDINARY SEAMEN Jovie Tabla Reynan San Luis Nino Alvin Alviar John Erwin Tulaylay Daniel Ilag-Ilag

Kent Salutin Noel Paira Vincent Velante Peter Paul Goboy

Mike Jefferson Binas Jill Ramos Hubert Mozo

FITTERS Gerardo Ducon Joseph Salipande

OILERS Christian Harry Sanidad Aldren Calderon Jojo Villanda Joshua Vista Joel Lesigues

WIPERS Ronix Ian Sacmar Jason John Ral Giezon Bacalla Antonio Zafra Jr Leopoldo Cartajenas Jr

CHIEF COOKS Romulo Villaran Joseph Victoria Gynrie Malunes Dante Mendoza Aldrin Rabon

COOK ASSISTANTS Arnold Sanchez Mark Joseph Drona Florante Macaraeg Jr Nilo Alfon Reycard Castro

MESSMEN Kenneth David Erniecris Hain Jan Valentine Alba Felix Centeno Benedict Escuro

JUNIORTHIRD OFFICERS Nicanor Gonzales Jr Romulo Owen Corporal III

JUNIOR FOURTH ENGINEERS Zadrick Dulnuan

DECK CADETS Gianni Valcich

ENGINE CADETS Getachew Gebreyesus Kabba David Rudan

Luel Kifle Mengesha

ELECTRICIAN CADETS Tamrat Teferi

24 25

We are Almi Tankers

ON DUTY

We are always looking to further expand our seafaring team. Seafarers who share our values and commitment to safety and environmental excellence, are encouraged to submit their CV through our website

(www.almitankers.gr), or apply via our selected manning agents: Michaelmar Philippines Inc. (crew@michaelmar.com.ph), Univis Ltd in Ukraine (office@univis.uptel.net) and Zorovic Maritime in Croatia

(recruiting@zorovic.hr). Seafarers are also welcome to invite friends and family to apply.

ALMI SUN ALMI SKY ALMI NAVIGATOR ALMI ODYSSEY ALMI EXPLORER ALMI VOYAGERMASTERS Toni Dunatov Miljenko Konjevoda Igor Juretic Damir Segic Vanja Fike Sinisa Pavic

CHIEF OFFICERS Stipe Skific Dino Vlakic Radenko Klic Luka Reic Pablo Bilosnic Zvonimir Lukezic

SECOND OFFICERS Roko Milos Hrvoje Brkljaca Henry Yamongan Jerome Lupo Fernando Palallos Marko Jurisic

Alex Angeles Mato Bezjak Danilo Pepito Jr

David Alcantara

THIRD OFFICERS Ivo Prce Drazen Vukonic Jim Jamero Chicky Agustin Ramil Yap

Hrvoje Zivkovic Nino Korolija Winston Valenzona

CHIEF ENGINEERS Robert Gon Damir Skorjanec Bozidar Soric Miroslav Jovetic Teo Klaric Vlado Djurovic

SECOND ENGINEERS Gordan Blazevic Dejan Vukovic Ivica Grubelic Mersad Gerina Bozo Diklic Mladen Simic

THIRD ENGINEERS Dani Simin Bernardino Naoe Alen Vrdoljak Dalibor Barac Vojin Jovetic Ancelso Cuteron

Mladen Maletic

FOURTH ENGINEERS Boris Franceskovic Jaksa Pavkovic Charles Ian Detoyato Veselin Zdravkovic Javed Florin

ELECTRICIANS Boris Sapina Danijel Aljinovic Ivan Vulinovic Zvonimir Nimac Marko Kanazir Marlon Rogutic

PUMPMEN Rayson Ebron Brendo Caayon Joseph Candava Richard Trillana Nelson Lumanglas Rey Viray

BOSUNS Harold Padios Nelson Orboc Rodel Cabanlong Rommel Guerrero Allan Fuentebella Romualdo Molina

ABLE SEAMEN Jessie Rey Alquitran Arnold Rosal Herminio Elizaga Noel Lagrosas Michael Angelo Ordista Fernando Mendoza Jr

Veto Joseph Talam Jimmy Pena Eduard Tanglao Alvin Tabaldo Mark Anthony Soriano Bobby Torres

Zarex Denver Caluya Cesar Quilal-Lan Jr Phillip Villaluz Mamerto Calnea Edwin Flores John Morfe

ORDINARY SEAMEN Riczen Onting Bryan Robles Sherwin Sotto Mark Jhones Pelonio Roel Pelera Lover Solo Selicia

Yancy Irvin Ballon Faustino Tangan III Philip Vincent Astrologo Michael John Cabanero Querobin Red Jr Ernest Reyan Amada

Joefit Pendejito George Tabaque III Venancio Besas III Dante Mendoza Jr Junile Bullecer Ranny Quitoriano

FITTERS Ruel Hernandez Rosaoro Estrella

OILERS Neus Ken Dolloso Jonatan Bautista Ritche Escalante Billy Batchitsa Arnold Medrano Joseph Sales

WIPERS Andre Kharl Luglug Ruel Palabrica Jr Levan Canoy Juvy Macuja Jimsey Dimaano Renato Bruzola Jr

CHIEF COOKS Arthur Calonia Dionisio Tolentino III Anchito Luis Ordanel Luciano Garcia Jerry Evangelista Rolando Franco

COOK ASSISTANTS John April Sison Dennis Zamora Rogelio Pasamonte Solo Soliman Cyrus Pasia Jeffrey Dela Cruz

MESSMEN Julius Ceazar Santos Denny Nepomuceno Mark Lloyd Binas Teo Monayao Heggie-Boy Valdez Solomon Ramos

JUNIORTHIRD OFFICERS Chris Lloyd Vinluan Silvestre Tamayao Jr

JUNIOR FOURTH ENGINEERS Percival Cruz Justine Darren Rayray

DECK CADETS Kenan Kolar Ivan Dekalic Sasa Sinobad

ENGINE CADETS Silvano Juricic Matko Bacac Roko Krmpotic Lovro Gregov

ELECTRICIAN CADETS Marko Cebara

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We are Almi Tankers

MASTERS Igor Vagner, Mykhaylo Kabanov, Josip Franicevic, Tihomir Guzobad, Bojan Huljev, Safet Jasaraj Mulic, Miroslav Novakovic, Igor Perlain, Bisim Spahic, Joso Zrilic, Sabahet JasarajCHIEF ENGINEERS Vitaliy Gulyevych, Mykhaylo Kvasha, Valerii Musulevskyi, Niksa Becic , Edi Blaslov, Durica Ivanovic, Ivan Kapetanovic, Ante Kopajtic, Nikola Markovic, Marijan Masina, Zeljko Odorcic, Slaven StrmeljCHIEF OFFICERS Roman Maksymov, Valentyn Sukhov , Zeljan Bozikovic, Boris Ceranic, Entoni Franko, Mauro Knapic, Sasa Majstorovic, Enio Ra-dovic, Dalibor Rogosic, Ivica Rudic, Hrvoje Svorinic, Oleg TasevSECOND OFFICERS Rafael Cacayurin, Oriel Jaralba, Jonathan Jubilan, Edgardo Lomboy, Edwin Melquiades, Christopher Pasia, Ronilo Sotto, Jay Suaring, Pablo Velante, Sergiy Khlyebnikov, Maksym Shvannikov, Ivan Dodig, Nikola Fabijanic, Sinisa Jovanovic, Danijel Mauhar, Domagoj Saric, Dario ZubcicSECOND ENGINEERS Valeriy Ivashchenko, Kostyantyn Paladiy, Ne-nad Bajic, Divo Fereda, Ivan Gojsalic, Danijel Jordan, Mirko Markovic, Zoran Mijalic, Sinisa Nikolic, Igor Pavlic, Marko ValjinTHIRD OFFICERS Levi Nissi Larosa, Laurel Macalinao, Jason Narvaez, Achilles Omega, Raynold Patpat, Neil PizarrasTHIRD ENGINEERS Levi Nissi Larosa, Laurel Macalinao, Jason Narvaez, Achilles Omega, Raynold Patpat, Neil Pizarras , Dmytro Perchuk

FOURTH ENGINEERS Henry Cirujales, Ronald Fernando, Eduardo Galenzoga, Marvin Lago, Ivan Karaul, Karlo Pahlic, Sanjin Sustic, Mate Tikulin, Vedran VinceticELECTRICIANS Joseph Francis Nufable, Oleksii Goriunov, Sergiy Tilipalov, Marko Gacic, Karlo Jakov-ljev, Dubravko Kustic, Damir Magas, Kristijan Manenica, Eduard Mrak, Marin Rada, Robert UkalovicPUMPMEN Gaspar Alfon, Rodolfo Baldomar Jr, Audie De Gala, Reyan Goboy, Jesus Icawat, Pedro Pablo Marpuri, Alexander Golovin, Viktor IvashechkinBOSUNS Julius Clavecillas, Rico Delos Santos, Loreto Malate Jr, Ramil Malipot, Jay Allan Mariquit, Erwin TampusABLE SEAMEN Joe Marie Abaygar, Edwin Benitez, Genesis Besana, Jose Jr Carreon, Ariel Castillo, Joseph Cayunda, Elpidio Bonito Concepcion, Francis De Leon, Hector Deano, Ronnie Dela Pena, Rogie Fuentebella, Ariel Gumanit, Rodolfo Hernandez Jr, Reynaldo Menor, Wil-liam Parangue, Vincent Rulona, Jim Saclao, Alfregrace TormisORDINARY SEAMEN Albert Aboy, Jonathan Bajo, Leandert Cebal-los, Keith Bismark Corpuz, Reynard Dalapo, Jonathan Despi, Michel Domingo, Andreo Duenas, Alexis Foster, Jay-R Jance, Jeffrey Juachon, Elmer Miranda Jr, Jomar Rojo, Archie Romero, Alcher Rosal, Anthony Sison Jr, Joey Tampos, Edmar Tampus, Jomer Valencia

FITTERS Deomer Duron, Jorge Ecaldre, Rey Genova-tin, Felix Herrera III, Danilo ZafeOILERS Aries Rey Bastian, Buenaventura Jr Carolino, Jay Larion, Julio Cesar Natan, Allan Pestano, Jupiter Pormon, Oscar Sumalpong JrWIPERS Christian Balanon, John Paul Christian Bon-tia, Randy Destura, Romel Dodong, Kristo-pher John Gabriel, Christian Jay’R Molina, Mark TualaCHIEF COOKS Aurilio Dela Cruz, Rolan Jay Dequito, Erwin La Torre, Rene Manuel, Arnaldo Ofiaza, Jomar San Esteban, Vladyslav Braslavets, Viktor Muzyka, Maksym VasylievCOOK ASSISTANTS Arthur Principe, James Saturno, Jonesery SepeDECK CADETS Ivan Lovric, Dejan Pavkov, Dalibor Rogosic, Milan ValenticcENGINE CADETS Mario Kamauli, Filip Kukoc, Paulo Polic, David SegotaELECTRICIAN CADETS Igor Sapiga, Arkadii BriukhanovMESSMEN Miguel Abuluyan Jr, Mat Eslava, Paul Andrew Ferrer, Michael Philip Garcia, Marlon Gomez, Ian Behn Habana, Raniel Jaralba, William Minasalvas, Arjay Monayao, Laurence Palal-los, Philip Jonelle Penales

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ACCOUNTING MANAGERManya AloumaniMARINE SUPERINTENDENTCapt. Nestor AndrianosLEGAL COUNSELGrigorios AndroutsopoulosIMS OFFICERAnastasia BratiPOST FIXTURE ANALYSTEleni BratsiakouPMS CO-ORDINATOR & TRAINEE SUPERINTENDENT ENGINEERRamin ChaliliDPACapt. Nikos ChrysomallisFLEET ASSISTANT & DA OFFICERMaria EfimovaOPERATIONS MANAGER & CSOCapt. Angelos FiloiliasSPARES HANDLERAndreas FotineasTICKET CO-ORDINATORChristos GalitisSUPERINTENDENT ENGINEERManos GarofalakisJUNIOR PURCHASING OFFICERKlearhos GregoriadisFLEET ASSISTANTNasir JavedFLEET ASSISTANTMarina KagiannakiCLAIMS & INSURANCE MANAGERTonia KallonaASSISTANT ACCOUNTANTAntonis Karalekas

OPERATOR Capt. Dimos KarkantzosCREW OFFICERPanagiota KoliaASST. SUPERINTENDENT ENGINEERMaria-Angeliki KoliarakiHR OFFICERDanae KoukoulommatiASSISTANT DPACapt. Leonis KoutsoukosCREW OFFICERMaria TsitsirigkouACCOUNTANTKelly MaroudiCHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICERMichalis MoschonasFLEET ASSISTANTChristina NakouSUPERINTENDENT ENGINEERStamatis NerakisASSISTANT ACCOUNTANTCharalambos NezerisIT OFFICERMarios NtagiakasHSQE & VETTING MANAGER George OusantzopoulosBPMU OFFICERThanassis PagonisCREW & TRAINING CO-ORDINATORAntonis PanagiotounakosACCOUNTANTPavlos PananoudakisIN-HOUSE CHARTERING BROKERManos Papadopoulos

ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANTKaterina PliameriMARINE & HSQE OFFICERMaria PolydorouCOMMS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER & STRATEGY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR Dimitris PsilosINTERNAL CONTROLLERElena SkripkaASSISTANT ACCOUNTANTDimitra SouferiFLEET ASSISTANTNancy StavrouHR MANAGERElpiniki StylogianniSUPERINTENDENT ENGINEERNikos TheodorakisPURCHASING MANAGERTheodoros TheodorakopoulosCREW MANAGERAris TriantosFLEET ASSISTANT & ALT. CSO Marialina TsalagiorgouNAV / COMM & AUTOMATION MANAGERFanis ValvisFLEET ASSISTANTAngela Vasileiou

PURCHASING OFFICERMakis VentourisSPARES COORDINATORVergos VergidisIT MANAGERTheofilos VetsikasMARINE MANAGERCapt. Iosif Voutsinos

26 27

Other important information

Intermediate ToughEasy

Last issue's solution: ACROSS 3. Five, 5. Many, 6. BBQ, 8. Flu, 10. Egaleo, 13. Salamis, 15. Aris, 16. Ransom, 19. Oil, 20. Twitter, 23. Theofilos, 25. Brazil, 26. Team, 27. LeaveDOWN 1. Nine, 2. Zarga, 4. Ebola, 7. ISO, 9. USA, 11. Good, 12. Leakage, 14. Investors, 17. Mouth, 18. Somalia, 21. Injury, 22. Xerxes, 24. Piracy

28 PB