Fakes, Lies and Fraudulent Seatime
As it gets harder to find seatime, and with people increasingly unwilling to do what it actually takes to get it, faking certificates and indeed experience is a becoming a serious issue. An issue that has unfortunately been brought to the fore in the world of Dynamic Positioning (DP).
An article in the Spring edition of 6degrees form the International Dynamic Positioning Operators Association (IDPOA), looks at the fakes breaking the system and discusses cases of trainees ‘flogging’ their logs and even old hands getting a little creative with their time accountancy.
The Nautical Institute recently reported a number of cases of brazen DP fraud with trainees claiming faked time, with forged signatures and spurious seatime. IDPOA has learnt of other cases, not yet reported, of the mythical DP logbooks which spend more time at sea than their owners.
Action is being taken in the reported cases however there is much to be done to ensure that the professional community close ranks against these practices. Steven Jones, Executive Director of IDPOA said “As the currency of the DP certificate gains increasing market values, there is a danger of such problems growing further and we all need to work closely to ensure that it is clear that such conduct amounts to fraud, and is not acceptable”.
IDPOA wisely pointed out that DPO’s who gain their certificates without the requisite seatime pose a real danger to the safety of life at sea and the environment, as well as degrading the reputation of the DP profession and certification.
Very interesting.