The following excerpt is from a letter published this month by officers’ union Nautilus in its Telegraph newspaper and signed by “old seaman”:
“After four hours on watch when the vessel is going alongside, the chief officer has to do cargo operations. He can still be working after 21 hours. His responsibility covers hospital, deck work, crew rest hours, testing all equipment on deck, tank inspection, pre-arrival test, alcohol test, cargo operations and navigation watch.
