NAV 45/13
ANNEX
Comments by Chile
Chile's Maritime Administration has reviewed the draft "Standard Marine Communication Phrases", and considers them a useful supplementary tool for communication, reflecting the activity involved in an appropriate fashion, and extremely practical for use in the mobile maritime service.
The draft has been distributed to Chilean merchant ships to be used in navigation and in port duties and manoeuvres, and to other maritime bodies, and has received positive assessment. Some ships have said that they are keeping it for consultation on the bridge because of its helpfulness.
It is suggested that on page 12, paragraphs 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3, the form of pronunciation established by articles 39 and 40 of the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union should be included.
Comments by Croatia
The English language departments in MET (Maritime Education and Training) institutions in Croatia received the first official copy of IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCPs 1997) at the IMLA (International Maritime Lecturers Association) WOME (Workshop on Maritime English) Workshop held in June 1997. The copy was disseminated to other colleagues in the English language departments throughout Croatia.
SMCP 1997, which is a continuation and an upgrading on SMNV 1977 and the amended version in 1985, has therefore been made familiar to all MET establishments in Croatia, in particular the nautical colleges in Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik, as well as a number of nautical schools in secondary school education. Parts of SMCP, particularly those that differ from SMNV or those that have been added (e.g. passenger communication) have been taught and practised with the students in addition to regular study and testing of communications required under SMNV in the above MET establishments.
SMNV 1985 has been translated into Croatian and a publication with the English and Croatian texts running parallel was published by the major educational publishing company in 1987. The translation of SMCP is now under way.
Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications has recommended SMCPs to MET institutions for insertion in the syllabus and teaching programmes. Thus, SMCP has been included in the syllabuses for the courses and exams to obtain certificates under STCW Convention, as amended.
Since SMCP is primarily a handbook of a reference character, the Republic of Croatia considers that there is an urgent need for the elaboration of an internationally acceptable course book which should take into consideration the differences of SMCP language standards and the forms of language used in real spoken and written maritime communications. Preferably, this course book could be an extended or improved version of Seaspeak (it was fully recognised as an aid to maritime communication as well as a valuable aid in teaching in nautical establishments during the twentieth session of STW Sub-Committee), taking into account modern requirements in English language teaching (ELT) and in the teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), especially to non-native speakers of English.
