Page 6: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2014)

6 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MAY 2014

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Subscription Information in U.S.: One full year (12 issues) $84.00; two years (24 issues) $125.00 Rest of the World: One full year (12 issues) $110.00; two years $190.00 including postage and handling.

Email: [email protected] www.marinelink.com t: (212) 477-6700 f: (212) 254-6271

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, 850 Montauk Hwy., #867, Bayport, NY 11705. Maritime Reporter is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports Inc. Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offi ces.

ISSN-0025-3448

USPS-016-750

No. 5 Vol. 76

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News (ISSN # 0025-3448) is published monthly by Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. Mailed at Periodicals Postage Rates at New York, NY 10199 and additional mailing offi ces.

Postmaster send notifi cation (Form 3579) regarding undeliverable magazines to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, 850 Montauk Hwy., #867, Bayport, NY 11705.

Publishers are not responsible for the safekeeping or return of editorial material. © 2014 Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Check out our Websites: www.marinelink.com / www.maritimeprofessional.com / www.maritimepropulsion.com www.maritimejobs.com / www.marinetechnologynews.com / www.maritimeequipment.com www.marineelectronics.com / www.yachtingjournal.com / www.maritimetoday.com 118 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 477-6700; fax: (212) 254-6271

Founder: John J. O’Malley 1905 - 1980 Charles P. O’Malley 1928 - 2000

Download our App iPhone & Android [email protected]

W ith today’s 24/7/365 news cycle, anyone with an internet connection and a device can log-in and receive news from virtu- ally anywhere around the world as it happens. This comes with advantages and disad- vantages, as today the world seems a much smaller, much more ‘informed’ place, but at the same time it is important to remember that erroneous informa- tion fl ows as freely and fast as correct information.

As an example, today the grim details of the sinking and tremendous loss of life aboard the

South Korean ferry are well-known, and the name “Sewol” will live in infamy in the maritime history books. At press time the recovery of dead continues, despite initial news reports from the scene that pro- claimed “All South Korean Students and Teachers

Rescued.”

While there have been far bigger wrecks with many more dead, this one struck a nerve in that of the 476 passengers and crew onboard, 339 were children and teachers on a high school outing for what was planned as a routine sailing from the Port of Incheon to the southern island of Jeju. It will take months if not years before the fi nal chapter on Se- wol is written, and perhaps the tale will never fully be told. But in the immediate aftermath, more than 300 remain missing and are presumed dead, a dis- graced South Korean Prime Minister has resigned,

Captain Lee Joon-seok and many of his crew are in jail, and there are more questions than answers.

There are many disturbing facts about this case, starting fi rst and foremost with the number and age profi le of the souls lost; the actions of the captain and certain crew which suggests their actions con- tributed mightily to the loss of life; the accusations from the president of Korea that essentially accused the captain of “murder” ... the list goes on.

With early focus and outrage set squarely on the captain and crew, we focus here on the role of the maritime training and education community in help- ing to mitigate the risk of future maritime casual- ties.

While the investigation is still fresh and we cer- tainly have drawn no conclusions, we reached out to several maritime training and education experts for their insights.

You can read the full story starting on page 26, but as we report here, and have done some many times before: training and education is only as valu- able as the mariner chooses to employ skills learned onboard a ship; technology is helpful, but not the sole answer; and situational awareness of ship, crew and surroundings is key … distilled perfectly by

Jeff Cowan as he simply advises: “Look out the window.”

This month is also a continuation of Maritime

Reporter’s 75th Anniversary, and I’m happy to say that Patricia Keefe has delivered once again with an insightful profi le of Elmer A. Sperry, inven- tor and innovator, widely regarded as the Father of

Modern Navigational Technology. Read her report starting on page 32 and see if you agree that Sperry deserves this lofty title.

EDITORIAL

GREG TRAUTHWEIN, EDITOR & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER SewolSewol ...

Many Question, Few Answers

MR #5 (1-9).indd 6 5/2/2014 11:09:59 AM