DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2008 – 237newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/pdf/2008/237-10-09-2008.pdf · Semi-heavy submarines to protect Iran waters ... The Chamber

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2008 – 237

Distribution : daily 4750 copies worldwide Page 1 9/9/2008

Number 237 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Wednesday 10-09-2008 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites.

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CONTENTS EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

• MISC ATTACKS PRESS COVERAGE • Pirates attack Norwegian ship • Norwegian shipping company bullish on RP • Vietnamese Border Guard rescues foreign drifters • UK OWNERS SLAM WINDFARM DECISION • Singaporean, Chinese and Thai ships thwart pirate attacks off Somalia's coast • Yemeni Coast Guard rescues Saudi Arabian cargo ship from pirates • Hari Raya High Alert • Shipping company wants to avoid costly trial • Captain Sentenced • Penlee Lifeboat coxwain to stand down • URAN DEPARTS WITH UR 161 FROM HAMBURG • Militants kill sailor, hijack oil vessel • Ransom Demand • Oceanic Container Lines call off toxic cargo search • Cruise Liner Spills Oil into Helsinki Harbour • Mystery warship destroys pirate vessel • New Carissa ship soon will disappear completely

CASUALTY REPORTING • Partial Sinking

NAVY NEWS • Coast Guard Suspends Search For Helicopter Pilot • German naval officer outlines bilateral aid • Chinese spy ship spotted off Taiwan • Visitors banned from Navy ship over health and safety • Chilean vessel in Indian waters on peace mission • Russia loans $250 mn for Gorshkov work • Semi-heavy submarines to protect Iran waters • Carrier Theodore Roosevelt set to deploy today from Norfolk • Israel launches search for new naval helicopter

SHIPYARD NEWS • Aker Solutions takes full control of Aker Marine Contractors • SembMarine techniques help deliver rigs faster • Jiangsu Jinling wins order for six bulk vessels • Van Oord orders innovative self-propelled cutter suction dredger with IHC Merwede • SKorea wins half of world's shipbuilding orders

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES • Cosco met schepen van 13.092 teu op Schelde • Van Oord and Boskalis sign contract to reinforce Delfland coast and create nature reserve • Hiring of ASD tug: PQA sets aside Board decision • GENERATOR PROBLEMS DELAY THE PENTALINA • Greatship and DOF form Joint Venture • India: Inspections of vessels • Rosneft’s first Arctic tanker • Deepening of the Elbe channel "to be reconsidered" • Korea Line joins CPI tanker pool • Sealink to focus on charter business • New high-speed ferry for Thailand



• EVERGREEN LINE LAUNCHES JAPAN – TAIWAN - PHILIPPINE SERVICE (JTP) • HAMBURG SÜD LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN- AUSTRALASIA SERVICE • Port congestion hits business • Latvian Shipping Company takes delivery of new tanker built in Croatia • Maersk Tankers order 4 VLCCs • Seaspan Takes Delivery of New Containership • Grand China reopens SYMS's Japan routes

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS MISC ATTACKS PRESS COVERAGE

MALAYSIAN shipping company MISC has criticised the press coverage of the hijacking of two of its tankers, the Bunga Melati Dua and the Bunga Melati 5. Specifically MISC has denied media reports based on a reported phone call from a crew member on one of the vessels that the crew were running out of food. A MISC statement says: “We refer to the article in the New Straits Times of 8 September 2008. The crew list of MT Bunga Melati Dua and MT Bunga Melati 5 published in the newspaper is incorrect. MISC did not release the crew listing. The publication of the crew list has caused severe distress to the families of the crew members.” MISC president and CEO Dato’ Shamsul Azhar Abbas says: “MISC would like to reiterate that the family members have expressed their concern over the speculative and adverse reports by the media and both MISC and the families request that the media refrain from such speculative and adverse reporting. MISC would like to highlight that the safety of our crew is our utmost priority and we are doing all we can to secure their safe return as early as possible. We would like to once again plead with the media to be more sensitive with its reporting so as not to jeopardize the lives of our crew by speculating, sensationalising or inaccurate reporting. We also appeal to the media to be sensitive to the families of the affected crew.” According to the MISC statement, negotiations with the hijackers of both vessels are ongoing and all crew onboard the two vessels are “safe and are in relatively good condition”. It says: “There is ample supply of food on board the vessels Source : Maritime Global Net

Pirates attack Norwegian ship A Norwegian tanker owned by shipping tycoon John Fredriksen has become the latest target of pirates who tried to hijack it in the Gulf of Aden. The tanker Front Voyager was sailing through the gulf Saturday morning when alert crew spotted a speed boat closing in on the vessel.

The pirates on board the speedboat, believed to be from Somalia, came up alongside the large tanker and attempted to board while firing between 10 and 15 shots, according to reports from the scene. "Fortunately no one (on board the vessel) was hit," said Dag Christoffersen of V Ships Norway, which manages the vessel. The crew of the Front Voyager, trained to fend off pirates, contacted

the Danish naval vessel Absalon stationed in the area to fight a wave of piracy in the gulf. The Danish ship sent an



armed helicopter to the Front Voyager while the tanker's crew used water canons to keep the pirates from scrambling up the sides of the ship. "These water canons are very powerful," Christoffersen told Aftenposten.no. The helicopter arrived, the pirates were eventually captured and taken to an American battleship also stationed nearby. Christoffersen praised the crew of the Norwegian-owned vessel, comprised of around 25 Russian officers and Filipino seafarers. The vessel continued sailing to Singapore after the drama subsided. The Gulf of Aden, along with the Straits of Malacca, has become a site of frequent pirate attacks, with 24 reported just between April and June. Saturday's attack on the Front Voyager was the fourth in three days, according to Jesper Lynge of the Danish navy. Source : Aftenposten.no

Norwegian shipping company bullish on RP Norwegian shipping conglomerate Odfjell SE has poured in a huge investment for its nine-story center in Manila to signify its long-term commitment to the Philippines. “We are committed to continuously employ Filipino seafarers,” said Jan Arthur Hammer, president and chief operating officer of Odjfell Tankers AS.

Hammer said despite the high crude prices that forced the company to raise its freight rates, Odfjell was expected to sustain the growth of its operations and continue employing more Filipinos. The BOW MAASSLOT Photo : Piet Sinke © Captain Kjell Arne Johansen, the owner’s representative in Odfjell Philippines, said the company was

banking on its long-standing relationship with Filipino seafarers to ensure its steady growth. “Odfjell will continue to exclusively deploy Filipinos to work alongside Northwestern European seafarers on board its vessels,” Johansen said. The shipping giant, named after the family that established it in the early 1900s, hopes to add two new vessels every year. Each vessel employs 20 to 25 crew members. Johansen declined to identify the investment made by the company for the new building. Odfjell, which operates 94 ships, is a global leader in the transportation of bulk liquids, such as chemicals, petroleum products, acids, alcohols, vegetable oils, animal fats and others. Crew management of 51 of the company’s 94 vessels is handled by Odfjell Philippines Inc. Of these vessels, 21 have full Filipino complement. Located along Leon Guinto Street in Malate, Manila, the new building, called Atlantis Beacon Tower, now serves as the administrative center for recruitment and hiring, crew processing and dispatch, crew allotment, and crew competence and career management, said Odfjell Philippines president and chief operating officer Lourdes Halog. Source : Manila Standard

Vietnamese Border Guard rescues foreign drifters

The Vietnamese Border Guard has rescued 58 people left drifting in a ship off the coast of southern Ba Ria- Vung Tau Province. The people on board were all foreigners, including 37 people from Myanmar and 18 Cambodians. Two Vietnamese fishing vessels discovered a small ship drifting along last Wednesday. The ship was in a bad condition and did not have a number plate, and the people on board were tired and without food.



The Vietnamese Border Guard completed the rescue mission on Saturday September 6. The Border Guard said the foreigners are now working with the police and relevant agencies to return to their countries of origin. Source : Baird Online

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UK OWNERS SLAM WINDFARM DECISION THE UK Chamber of Shipping has reacted with dismay to a gobernmant decision to allow the building of an offshore windfarm off the North West Coast of England. The Chamber says: “The UK Shipping Industry is extremely disappointed that the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has given consent to the development of the West of Duddon Sands Wind Farm site in Morecambe Bay without properly taking into account either the safety of seafarers and passengers or the environmental costs of forcing ships to detour around the site.” The Chamber notes that the wind farm will “sit right across the normal shipping route from Heysham to Douglas (the life-line route to the Isle of Man) and the bad weather route to Northern Ireland for other ferry services”. It adds: “While the consent requires the developer to negotiate compensation with shipping companies affected, it appears that the very real safety and shipping concerns have been overridden. This may mean that in addition to the detrimental effect on shipping services, the environmental benefits of the wind farm will be negated by the extra fuel used (and thereby the CO2 emissions) by ships having to detour. “ At this stage, the Chamber says, it is not possible to quantify the level of compensation that will be demanded, but ships will be diverted every day of the year whether or not the wind farm is operational. It points out that diverting ships around the site will also add to passage times, thereby adding additional crew duty time and reduced port turnaround times, which may also result in the “loss of port slots and the consequent inability to move essential goods”. “Most importantly,” the Chamber complains, “the proposed wind farm will present an additional hazard to ships navigating in the east Morecambe Bay area. It will seriously restrict ships’ sea room particularly in bad weather and may lead to berths being blocked by ships unable to sail. This will affect ships sailing both to the Isle of Man and to Northern Ireland – as a result of bad weather routes not being available – and could cause major disruption. The Chamber believes that sufficient weight was not given to these concerns when the consent was determined. Source : Maritime Global Net

Have a look for the demo given by the Hoek van Holland KNRM lifeboat JEANINE PARQUI during the WORLD HARBOUR DAYS 2008 in Rotterdam at :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiAC-AW_zto&eurl=http://knrmhvh.onderkoeling.nl/000-home-page.htm



Singaporean, Chinese and Thai ships thwart pirate attacks off Somalia's coast

Pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked three vessels off Somalia's coast but failed to hijack them because of quick action by crew members, a maritime official said Monday. A Chinese cargo ship, a Singaporean liquefied gas carrier and a Thai bulk carrier managed to thwart the pirates in the Gulf of Aden by increasing speed and taking evasive maneuvers, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau. Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991, is the world's top piracy hotspot. The latest incidents bring to 44 the number of attacks off its coast this year. Most occurred in the Gulf of Aden, Choong said. "Early detection allowed all three ships to report to IMB and take quick action to escape," said Choong, who heads the IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. He said the situation was still grave despite increased patrols by warships from a multinational coalition in the area. The Chinese-owned ship, sailing under the flag of the Caribbean island state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was passing through the gulf Friday when crew noticed a blue tug identified by the IMB as a suspected pirate vessel, Choong said. The crew raised the alarm after a speed boat from the tug headed toward the ship, he said. Four pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons started firing, but the ship escaped after it increased speed and the crew threw objects at the pirates during the chase, he said. On Saturday, six pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attempted to ambush a Singaporean tanker in the gulf, Choong said. The tanker increased speed and changed course, leaving the attacking boat rolling heavily and four pirates fell into the sea, he said. The pirates later resumed chase and the ship captain contacted the IMB, which sought help from the coalition naval force, he said. The pirates gave up their chase before a coalition warship could reach the scene, he said. The next day, pirates in two speed boats chased a Thai bulk carrier but it also managed to evade the pirates and headed toward Yemen's coast, Choong said. Nobody on board the ships was injured in the incidents. The attacks came after pirates hijacked an Egyptian cargo ship and a French sailboat last Wednesday. Ten vessels have been seized in the region since July 20. The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year. The surge in pirate attacks has prompted the U.S. Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor in the gulf patrolled by the international coalition of warships. Source : Startribune.com

The TAMA STAR seen anchored of La Spezia Photo : Bertus de Groot – VOPAK ©



Yemeni Coast Guard rescues Saudi Arabian cargo ship from pirates

The Yemeni Coast Guard Saturday rescued a Saudi Arabian cargo ship from Somali pirates in the southern part of the Red Sea. The attack was carried out by three Somali pirate boats, Arab News newspaper reported, citing a statement by Yemeni authorities. “On receiving an SOS from the Saudi ship ’Mumina’ at 3pm Saturday, coast guard boats rushed to a location 43 nautical miles off Raas Qaawa in the Gulf of Aden and found the ship surrounded by three Somali pirate boats. “At the sight of the coast guard boats, the pirates fled,” said Shojauddin Al-Mahdi, who is Yemeni Coast Guard’s head of marine operations. He said the ship was later accompanied to the Shaqra region of Shabwa province from where it continued its journey to Bahrain. A number of ships, including two Malaysian vessels belonging to MISC Bhd, have been hijacked in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden. The two ships with 65 Malaysian and 15 Filipino crew members on board were hijacked on Aug 19 and 29. Source : New Straits Times

Hari Raya High Alert Maritime personnel patrolling the waters off the Malaysian coast have been directed to be more alert during the upcoming Hari Raya holidays and festive period. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general Admiral Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish said this was because there was a tendency for illegal activities to increase during this period due to the lull in patrolling by authorities. “To prevent this from happening, we have asked all our personnel to remain on high alert. Unscrupulous gangs may take advantage of this time to either smuggle in goods or persons. “During this Hari Raya, we have put 1,275 maritime personnel on duty but we will increase the number of our ships patrolling our coasts and waters. “At present, we have two to three ships patrolling our coasts at one time. We will put in another ship,” he told reporters after receiving Hari Raya goodies from Bakti at his office here on Tuesday. Mohd Amdan said his personnel had also been asked to keep an eye out for illegals, particularly Indonesians, who were trying to return home to celebrate Hari Raya. “We want to ensure that they leave for home via the right process and with the right documentation. Many of them could have come into our country illegally before,” he pointed out. Source : ShipTalk

Shipping company wants to avoid costly trial



The operating company that managed the container ship that leaked 200 metric tonnes (mt) of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay last November has offered to plead no contest to criminal charges of negligence and falsifying documents. Fleet Management Ltd., who managed the Cosco Busan, has said it wants to resolve the criminal case, avoid a costly trial, and steer clear of creating evidence that could be unfairly used against it in several civil cases, according to a report in Mercury News. The company has offered to accept convictions for six felony charges and two misdemeanours, but claimed the November 7 accident was largely the fault of others. A hearing on whether to allow the company to plead no contest will be held on September 22. The company could be fined as much as $1.5 million if US District Judge Susan Illston accepts the no-contest plea. But the criminal charges could not be used to establish its responsibility for civil damages, which could be much higher, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Fleet Management is scheduled to go on trial on November 17 on eight criminal charges. The company faces six counts of making false statements and obstructing justice for allegedly preparing false transit documents after the accident. Fleet Management and John Cota who was piloting the Cosco Busan when it struck the bridge are also facing charges of negligently polluting the bay and killing migratory birds. Cota is due to be tried at the same time on two of the charges. An oil spill response bill, triggered by the Cosco Busan incident, was passed in August that reduces the emergency response time in San Francisco Bay from six to no more than two hours. Source: Sustainable Shipping

Captain Sentenced A ship captain had been sentenced to five years jail in the final trial for causing a maritime collision that killed 15, a local Chinese court said on Tuesday (09 Sept) Wang Yongguo, captain of the "Jinyuanyou 9" cargo ship belonging to the China Ocean Aviation Group Inc., was accused of negligence and misjudgment, according to the No.2 Intermediate People's Court of Shanghai. The ship left the estuary of the Yangtze River at about 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 30 this year, but Wang failed to detect "Jintaishun", another vessel anchored nearby. The court said he made a series of errors when trying to avoid the collision, in which 15 of the 17 crew of "Jintaishun" died and another was missing. No casualties were reported on "Jinyuanyou 9". Wang later surrendered to the police and was sentenced five years in jail in his first trial, a ruling upheld at this the final trial. Source : ShipTalk

Penlee Lifeboat coxwain to stand down ONE of Penlee RNLI Lifeboat's best known and longest-serving officers is to step down at the end of this month. Neil Brockman attended his first lifeboat 'shout' in 1979, aged just 17, on board the Watson Class 'Solomon Browne' alongside his father Nigel. When the Solomon Browne was lost in 1981 he was among the first to volunteer for the new lifeboat despite losing his father in the disaster. He served as a volunteer on the Arun Class Mabel Alice and was appointed coxswain in

1992 at the young age of 28, a post he has held ever since. In 1994 he was awarded the RNLI's bronze medal for the rescue of the crabber Julian Paul in hurricane force winds. Now 44, Neil says he has 'worn a pager for nearly 30 years' and is ready for a change. His new command is the 80-feet Terramar, working for Marine Offshore Solutions as a tender for wind-farms off the coasts of the British Isles. Simon Pryce, RNLI Divisional Inspector in the South West, says Neil has shown incredible devotion to the charity and appreciates that he feels the need to experience new challenges. "Neil's 28 years are a superb illustration of devotion to duty, both as a volunteer and as a member of RNLI staff," he said. "But it is totally understandable that he should wish to seek new challenges while he's still young enough to enjoy the experience. "We all wish him good fortune in



his new role and look forward to seeing him around the coast as we know he will always keep in touch with the RNLI." Source : Cornwall.co.uk

URAN DEPARTS WITH UR 161 FROM HAMBURG

On Monday, August 18th, and Wednesday, August 20th the specialists of Schleif Transport GmbH, Bremen again have loaded 2 Container Gantry Cranes at Eurogate Terminal Hamburg on seagoing barge. The 2 Cranes, built 1976 + 1982, weighing 730 ton each have been towed by tug Uran (55 ton BP) on 100 x 37 x 7 m barge “UR 161” to Riga / Latvia. The convoy left Hamburg on August 22nd and took his way via Skagen to Riga. Subsequent to this voyage the convoy will pick up 2 container gantry cranes at Gothenborg with destination Yuzhny, Ukraine. Schleif Transport GmbH is specialized in worldwide „door-to-door“ transport solutions, particularly the shipment of heavy loads and all kinds of unusual and abnormal cargoes, for example industrial plants, building machinery and cranes and is known as a leader in this market. : www.schleif-transport.de

Militants kill sailor, hijack oil vessel Militants in the Niger Delta on Sunday killed one sailor and kidnapped another when they hijacked a vessel belonging to the Nigerian unit of Italian oil company, Agip, a military spokesman said. Spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, told the AFP that “the vessel, Fulmar Lamnaco, was attacked at Sambriero River off Bonny in Rivers State.” Lt. Col. Musa added that “one crew member was killed while another was taken hostage.” He, however, could not disclose the names or nationalities of the victims. According to Musa, no group claimed responsibility for the attack which is the latest to rock the volatile region in recent months.



Agip is a global subsidiary of Italy’s energy group, Eni. In the past three years, the Niger Delta region has seen numerous kidnappings targeting foreign companies by armed groups who say they are fighting for a greater share of the oil wealth for the region’s inhabitants. On Saturday, unidentified gunmen kidnapped a community leader from his home in Kalaibiama-Opobo also in Rivers State and his whereabouts are still unknown. On August 2, gunmen seized two French men from a bar in Onne near Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, but they were released on Friday. Source : tribune.com

Ransom Demand Somali pirates who hijacked an Egyptian ship last week have demanded a ransom payment for the vessel and its 25 crew members, and Egypt is optimistic the crisis will end soon, Egypt's state news agency said on Monday (08 Sept). Somali gunmen hijacked the boat as it plied the increasingly dangerous Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen. The ship is the latest taken in a series of such hijackings in a major global sea artery used by nearly 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez Canal. "The hijackers asked for a monetary amount to free the ship," state news agency MENA quoted Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed Rizq as saying. "There are continuous and heavy contacts to settle this problem in the shortest time possible," he added. He did not say how much money the pirates had asked for. Somali gunmen are holding more than 10 ships for ransom at Eyl, a lawless former fishing outpost now used by gangs. One of those ships, an Iranian chemical carrier called Iran Deyanat, fetched a $200,000 payment from its owners, but was not released as expected on Monday, a regional maritime group said. "It was supposed to be released, but now they are saying the $200,000 was for facilitation only. They want more money for the ransom," said Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenyan-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme. He said the pirates were angry because when they opened the cargo of the Iranian ship, several Somalis died, while others lost hair and suffered skin burns. "It must have been a very dangerous chemical," he said, without identifying the substance. Hijackings have become commonplace off Somalia, especially in waters next to the semi-autonomous Puntland region. Pirates often treat hostages well in the expectation of a ransom. The owner of the Egyptian vessel was in contact with the crew and said they were in a good condition, MENA reported. It said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had asked the Egyptian ambassador to Somalia, on leave in Cairo, to return immediately to take part in "efforts to end the crisis". Two French nationals were also seized in a yacht last week, while a $2 million ransom has been agreed for the release of an Iranian ship carrying 28 crew members. Somali regional officials say hefty ransoms paid out by ship owners are fuelling an explosion of piracy, while some countries are using force to recover stolen ships and captive sailors. Source : ShipTalk



Oceanic Container Lines call off toxic cargo search

DESPITE a sweep off the coast of Culasi since the vessel, MV Ocean Papa sunk due to rough weather conditions on June 21 near Mararison Island, the search is now off for fear of risking lives in further dives, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. OCL president and CEO Jose Go Jr., letter to the publication said: 'The divers have informed us that with what tremendous efforts they have exerted, it is now virtually impossible for them to find the missing container.' The vessel had been on route to Iloilo City from Manila when storms hit it and resulted in the loss of two crewmembers deaths, including ship Captain Carlo Kho. Two remain missing with 24 crewmembers rescued. Only one of the 61 containers carrying the toxic substance toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) used in manufacturing synthetic leather, coated fabrics, paints and adhesives was found. Despite the chemical being toxic and creating severe irritation to skins and eyes when airbourne, experts believe that the depth it has sunk 'will not adversely affect marine life' or pose a threat to the release of vapours in the atmosphere due to its 250-kg steel containers, cited Mr Go on a chemical engineer's report. The search will continue in areas not covered said the Coast Guard of Western Visayas Commodore William Mela, reported the Daily Inquiry.

Cruise Liner Spills Oil into Helsinki Harbour German m/s Europa spewed waste oil, hitting both the ground and sea, at the Katajanokka terminal on Sunday. The accident occurred when a hose channelling bilge water to a container tank came undone. As a result, waste oil erupted from the unfastened hose at high pressure, causing oil to land both on the asphalt as well as in the sea. The ship was docked at the time of the accident. Between 50 and 60 litres of oil gushed from the ship, ten litres of which shot into the sea, estimates Petri Strandberg of the Erottaja Rescue Station. The m/s Europa departed for St. Petersburg on Sunday afternoon, however, half an hour behind schedule due to clean-up work. Source : yle.fi

Mystery warship destroys pirate vessel An unidentified warship off pirate-ridden Somali waters captured 14 pirates and destroyed their boat, a minister of the northern Puntland region said on Sunday. Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, fisheries minister for the semi-autonomous region said the pirate vessel met a warship "that we think could be American" and all the pirates on board were captured and their boat destroyed. However, the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said there was no American involvement in the operation. Yusuf said local authorities were "still investigating the identity of the warship". Two French nationals were seized in their yacht in the perilous waters on Tuesday and the French navy has said it is ready to try to free them, although their safety came first. The two captives were safe in a hill village 750km east of Bosasso, Puntland's capital, a man who said he was the pirates' servant told Reuters on Sunday. "The French tourists, whose boat was also hijacked, are now held inside the hilly areas of Habo village. They are safe and healthy," Abdinur Farah told Reuters from the deck of a seized Iranian ship.



He said the Iranian ship with 28 crew members including two Russians, two Pakistanis and a Syrian would soon be freed once the $2-million ransom agreed upon was paid. "The bargaining about the ransom is over and pirates are just waiting for the money," he said. "Puntland requested the pirates two weeks ago to hand over this Iranian ship, saying that it is carrying weapons to Eritrea. I have seen food and other odd items on the ship but I do not know what is hidden underneath." Source : iol.co.za

Above seen the Gusto Engineering Pelican class Drillship Aban Abraham sailing away from Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore to High Seas on 4th Sep 2008, 15:00 hrs for Conducting the Various tests during the Sea trials for a 14 to 18 day scheduled programme, The 152 mtr long ABAN ABRAHAM is built as the PELERIN during 1976 at the IHC

Gusto yard in Schiedam (The Netherlands) under yard number 949 and was renamed in PEREGRINE III during 1996 under which name she operated until April 2006 when she was sold to Aban Abraham Private Ltd and renamed ABAN

ABRAHAM, maximum operating water depth is 4700 ft and a maximum drilling depth of 19.350 ft Photo : Philippe Wintgens - Master Drillship Aban – Abraham ©

New Carissa ship soon will disappear completely

Ugly as it was, you could once deduce that the rusted hull of the New Carissa was a ship: wrecked, battered and covered in barnacles, but a ship, all the same. Today, the notorious boat is a shadow of a shadow of its former self, not only ugly but unrecognizable, little more than a blob of maroon metal, dwarfed by the mass of its annihilator, the Karlissa B, and clearly not far from its eternal exit. Crews with Florida-based Titan Salvage have hacked away 850 tons of rusted steel since they began working on the beached wood chip freighter earlier this summer, and the Carissa is now a few weeks away from disappearing altogether, save for a few scraps that have broken off and become buried in the sand this summer and since the ship first ran aground in 1999.



Last week, Titan had run out of space on its barges to store the scrap metal it had been piling on the deck, but good weather earlier this week allowed the company to bring in a floating barge to haul that junk away, said David Parrot, the salvor’s managing director. The weather forecast for the next few days is for gale force winds, but Titan has hooked chains to the remaining piece of the ship — the engine room — and has pulled it high enough to allow welders to continue to cut it apart without being blasted by heavy surf. By Sunday or Monday, Parrot estimates, the 260-ton main engine will be removed, leaving only what’s left of the ship’s starboard side. There are two options for removing the last section of the Carissa, Parrot said — yank it completely out of the water and position a floating barge underneath it, which would require no further cutting and allow Titan to drive off with the last piece of the ship; or keep pulling it higher and higher and continuing to slice away at it, a slower but easier task. The decision depends on how the starboard side behaves once the engine is off of it, and what it looks like as it comes out of the water. Pulling this chunk high enough to maneuver a barge beneath it would require jacking up the Karlissa A another 20 feet or so. The whole concept is dangerous. "The way it would be inclined to lean, that part of the wreck would go down the deck of the barge and push it away from the Karlissa A’s legs, meaning the bulk of the wreck would end up falling between the barge and the KA," Parrot said. "Unless we can rig it real cleverly, we’ll probably just carry on as we go." Either way, Parrot said, the ship will soon be gone.

CASUALTY REPORTING Partial Sinking

Spain's Interior Ministry says a ship carrying 1,000 tons of fuel has partially sunk in the northeastern port of Tarragona. A ministry official in Tarragona says an undetermined amount of fuel leaked from the 120-foot (36-meter) vessel after its stern went down early Tuesday (09 Sept) while it was docked. The official told The Associated Press that crews have set up floating booms to contain the spill. He characterized it as minor. The ship is not a tanker. It supplies other vessels at the port with fuel. The official says it was carrying 750 tons of fuel oil and 260 tons of diesel. He spoke on condition of anonymity because department rules do not permit publication of his name. Source : ShipTalk

NAVY NEWS Coast Guard Suspends Search For

Helicopter Pilot The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing pilot of a helicopter that crashed in waters off the airport Thursday night. The announcement comes three days after the crash, when the Coast Guard and Fire Department launched an around-the-clock search effort for the missing crewmember after the HH-65 Dolphin went down five miles south of the Honolulu airport. The massive effort included 91 searches covering 3,000 square miles -- roughly five times the size of O'ahu. But the crewmember has not been found. "It's with a heavy heart that I announce my intention, pending further developments to suspend the search for the missing crewmember," said Adm. Manson Brown. The Coast Guard identified the missing crewmember as Cmdr. Thomas Nelson, of Staten Island, N.Y. He is married with two children. Nelson is one of four crew members training onboard the chopper. It had just completed a routine search-and-rescue drill.



Fire rescue crews recovered the other three crew members the night of the crash. They were pronounced dead the Queens Medical Center. The Coast Guard earlier identified them as co-pilot Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, P.O. 1st Class David Skimin and P.O. 2nd Class Joshua Nichols. Search crews recovered the helicopter's fuselage and other debris, including the data and voice recorder. Just before the crash, the crew had reported problems with the line that lowers the rescue basket. It is not known if that malfunction caused the crash. Two Coast Guard teams will investigate the cause of the crash. The Coast Guard plans a memorial service to honor the lost men. Source : KITV.Com

FGS ZOBEL AND PUMA VISITING BREST

The German FPMB’s P 6125 Zobel and P 6122 Puma seen at Brest to take bunkers, both patrol boats are enroute Cadiz to participate in some exercise.

Photo : Jacques Carney ©

German naval officer outlines bilateral aid "We want to enable the Lebanese Navy to carry out the necessary control tasks at [its maritime] borders on its own," German Navy Commander Clemens Jorek told The Daily Star in an interview concerning bilateral cooperation between the two countries' miitaries. The stated aim of the German assistance is to train and improve the logistical capacity of the Lebanese Navy. Germany already has three vessels in EUROMARFOR which carries out border control operations in the Mediterranean as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL's (UNIFIL) Maritime Task Force (MTF). The deployment of EUROMARFOR assets comes under UN Security Council Rsolution 1701, which brought a cessation of hostilities in



the 2006 summer war between Lebanon and Israel. Its objective is to prevent arms smuggling. Several thousand ships have been interrogated, including some that were boarded for inspection, since the war ended. The bilateral German-Lebanese cooperation, distinct form the German naval contingent in UNIFIL's MTF, was also established at the end of 2006 and supports the Lebanese Navy through direct training and financial assistance. The donations have included three coastal patrol ships and economic aid to reconstruct six coastal radar stations that were destroyed by Israeli attacks in 2006. The donated ships, the Amchit, the Naqoura and the Tabarja, have carried out police and border control missions on German rivers and borders in the Baltic Sea, before they were transferred to Lebanon. "The cooperation is very close. A team of Lebanese Navy officers came to Germany in ahead of the transfer. We discussed the needs and how they could be met best. We do not think that it is our task to tell the Lebanese what is

best for them," Jorek said. The three ships, formerly the Bremen 2, the Bremen 9 and the Bergen, are not armed due to the German policy of not delivering weapons to conflict areas. The six rebuilt costal radar stations, located between Tripoli and Tyre, monitor maritime traffic. "Their task is strictly civilian and any military use is impossible," Jorek emphasized, referring to claims that Hizbullah used Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) facilities to carry out a missile attack against an Israeli warship during the 2006 war, which caused several casualties and heavy damage. "They are comparable with the control tower at an airport;

they coordinate the traffic and avoid accidents," he added. The German training involves a comprehensive introduction to the newly received vessels which are based at the LAF's Beirut Naval Base. "The Lebanese Navy knows about its shortcomings and is grateful for our support," Jorek said. Basic skills like firefighting and emergency operations in case of a leak are also included in the training program, along with more advanced programs like boarding ships and searching cargo. "We continued the training program even after we handed over the command of" the MTF said Jorek. "The Lebanese command asked us to do so. They appreciate the fast and uncomplicated way we work." "[In] the medium term we anticipate that the LAF will be able to support EUROMARFOR. Our long-term goal is that EUROMARFOR can hand over all its tasks [to the Lebanese Navy]; but there is no set timetable for that," he added. German material donations have amounted to $4.9 million over the last two years. Source : dailystar.com.lb

www.tos.nl TOS Rotterdam (+31)10 – 436 62 93 E-Mail [email protected]



Chinese spy ship spotted off Taiwan A Chinese spy vessel was detected cruising off Taiwan as the island's military prepares for its biggest annual exercise, officials said Tuesday. Dong Fang Hong 2, a Chinese surveillance ship believed to be collecting data on Taiwan's military, was spotted on September 2 northeast of the island in international waters, Apple Daily said, citing an unnamed coastguard source. It said the Taiwanese Navy sent two frigates to track the Chinese ship to the Bashi Channel. Taiwan's defence ministry confirmed the report. "I believe it has something to do with collecting (our) military data," Chief of General Staff Huo Shou-yeh told reporters. It comes ahead of a five-day exercise starting September 22 involving more than 20,000 troops and reservists simulating an invasion by China. The spy ship episode was used by the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party to attack China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou. "This is another warning signal to Ma. Beijing will by no means reciprocate despite Ma's repeated conciliatory steps," DPP legislator Tsai Huang-lang said. But Lin Yu-fang of the ruling Kuomintang played down the significance of the event, saying he believed that Taiwan's military has also tried to collect information on China's forces. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased since Ma was elected in March on a platform to boost the economy and improve ties with China. The Taipei government has agreed not to deploy long-range missiles capable of hitting Shanghai, the China Times reported earlier this month, although it has started rolling out shorter-range cruise missiles. The two sides resumed dialogue in June and a month later launched regular direct flights for the first time in nearly six decades. The Ma administration has also allowed more Chinese tourists to visit the island and relaxed controls on China-bound investments, issues which had been shunned by the former pro-independence government.

Visitors banned from Navy ship over health and safety

The Navy's elite fighting force were banned from giving visitors a lift on a landing craft during a military fair because of health and safety fears. Jobsworths said the Royal Marines' ships lacked certificate MGN 280 which allows small commercial vessels to carry people. The commandos instead scrabbled to charter a fishing vessel and a speed boat to take enthusiasts to see RFA Mounts Bay, anchored off the coast. While life belts were compulsory aboard the Navy craft, they were optional for the trips aboard the hurriedly hired commercial craft. 'It just strikes me as a triumph of bur-eaucracy over common sense,' said Charlie Hobson, chief executive of the Royal Marines Association. 'It is a great shame the public didn't have the fun of riding in a landing craft.' The bizarre wrangle happened during a four-day military fair in Bournemouth. Supply ship RFA Mounts Bay moored off the coast and its officers off-ered the public a free, two-hour tour of the 176m (577ft) ship. A landing craft crewed by three Royal Marines was then used several times to help visitors make the short hop to the ship before the Maritime and Coastguard Agency weighed in. A two-hour delay followed as the Navy sought replacements with the appropr-iate paperwork. The landing craft, called LCVP, are cap-able of quickly depositing 35 men or two light trucks into a war zone and were used during the 2003 Iraq invasion. 'Vessels operated by the Ministry of Defence are designed to meet operational needs,' said an MCA spokesman. But arrangements for certain types of military vessel to gain certification are being considered in a programme with the MoD, he added. Source : Metro.co.uk



Chilean vessel in Indian waters on peace mission

The Chilean Naval vessel, BE Esmeralda, considered a relic of Augusto Pinochet's repressive regime, sailed into Indian waters here on a peace mission. This is the first visit of the Esmeralda, the world's second largest 'sail ship,' to India. The ship has touched the Indian waters on a mission of peace. “We are here to spread the message of friendship”, said the Commanding Officer of the vessel, Captain Victor Zanelli Suffo. The ship is considered a relic of the Chilean dictator Pinochet's repressive regime of the 1970s when it was used allegedly for torturing political opponents. The ship with a 325-member crew, of which 146 are trainees, arrived here after a 21-day voyage from Alexandria in Egypt, as part of its 45,000 km world training cruise. She will leave for South Africa on September 9. The vessel was ideal for training of cadets as it requires a coordinated effort to operate, he said and hoped that the INS Tarangini, India's sail training vessel will also berth at Chile. In a rare gesture, Chilean Ambassador Mr Alfonso Silva and Captain Suffo laid a wreath at the war memorial at the Naval base this morning. The ship, built in 1953, carries crew of other friendly navies. Source : thehindubusinessline

Russia loans $250 mn for Gorshkov work The Russian government has loaned $250 million to the Sevmash shipyard to ensure that rebuilding work on aircraft carrier Gorshkov - to be operational as INS Vikramaditya under the Indian Navy - continues without any interruption.Although the Russian government has demanded an additional $1.2 billion from India for the 45,000 tonne Gorshkov, it extended the credit to the shipyard - where the vessel has been lying for 12 years - as an interim measure till an agreement with India is finalised, according to a report in the coming issue of the India Strategic defence magazine. The Russian government has also asked the yard to ensure that there were adequate personnel to continue work on the ship, which has been disrupted for several reasons, including lack of funds, wear and tear of assets, and a shortage of trained personnel, many of whom had left to join other companies. Sevmash, located in arctic Russia, has now recruited workers and engineers from across Russia and at the same time abandoned some other projects, including a floating nuclear plant, to ensure that the work on the much-delayed Gorshkov project does not suffer any more. The main hull work on the vessel is already done, and new equipment is being installed while the interior re-planning is under way. Indian officials continue to be posted at the generally wintry yard to monitor the work and to make sure that it is in accordance with the Naval Staff Requirements, or specifications drawn up by the Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. Work would continue in full swing till November when the cold sets in, but the effort would be to maintain the pace. Contracted for acquisition in 2004 at a cost of $750 million, inclusive of the refit and 16 Mig 29K shipboard aircraft, Gorshkov should have been delivered in 2008, but will now be ready only in 2011 for sea trials. Ka-28 ASW and Ka-31electronic surveillance helicopters and onboard sensors are part of the package. The Russians are delivering the Mig 29Ks from 2009, however, and Indian pilots would start training on them, initially in Russia and later in India. It takes roughly five years to train a pilot from the beginning and as these aircraft would be available well in time, this would give the naval pilots ample opportunity to be fully operational on them and be ready from Day One when the aircraft carrier comes under the Indian flag.



The vessel is also being designed to connect with other aircraft with Indian forces, and the onboard electronics package has accordingly been worked out in that configuration. The exact weapons package, including the capability to fire the Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missiles, will be finalised some time later though. Notably, the sea trials will take one year, and in 2012 end or 2013, Gorshkov will really be operational as INS Vikramaditya under the Indian Navy flag. The Russian demand for more money is beyond the original contract, but the Indian government has agreed in principle to pay more as a gesture of goodwill towards an old and reliable friend. But how much, that is still being worked out. The India Strategic report says that the final payment could be in accordance with how the Russians have itemised the additional expenditure they are demanding. Moscow has said the additional demand was made as the Sevmesh shipyard had miscalculated the costs in refurbishing the ship. The Gorshkov project is also seen by many as a test of Sevmash’s ability to build aircraft carriers, and its success will be of key importance in deciding whether the shipyard will be chosen to build advanced carriers for Russia. The project is important not only to maintain good relations with the Indian Navy but is also an exercise in reality checks now as Moscow has decided to build six large aircraft carriers for the Russian Navy in a resurgence of what was once the Soviet naval might. The ship is named after the famous architect of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War, Admiral Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov, who was also instrumental in giving missiles to the Indian Navy, as also a nuclear submarine - INS Chakra - albeit for training purposes. The Indian Navy has sanction for two more aircraft carriers, one of which is under construction at the Cochin shipyard. The decision for the third vessel is yet to be finalised. Source : thaindian.com

Semi-heavy submarines to protect Iran waters

Iran is upgrading its naval fleet with a new generation of domestically-built submarines in an attempt to defend its territorial waters. Iran's Chief Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said Saturday that the semi-heavy Qaa'em submarine is equipped with torpedoes and naval mines. According to Rear Adm. Sayyari, the smart long-range Qaa'em submarine is also capable of carrying out both 'defensive and offensive operations'. The announcement of the new addition to the Iranian naval fleet comes shortly after reports that a large armada of US and European warships has been

deployed to the Persian Gulf in an unprecedented build-up. Shortly after the release of the report in August, Iran warned that its naval forces are monitoring all movements in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian commander said Saturday that Iran is the only regional country capable of developing such sophisticated technology, adding that the Islamic Republic is fully prepared to defend its territorial waters with its self-sufficient military. Washington and its allies demand Tehran halt its uranium enrichment program despite the country being entitlement to the peaceful application of nuclear technology under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel, an ally of the US, has long threatened to launch military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities should the country continue its enrichment activities.



Tehran, however, says it is determined to assert its nuclear rights. It has declared that it will not give in to Western pressures and that diplomacy is the only means acceptable in resolving the nuclear dispute. Source : presstv.ir

Carrier Theodore Roosevelt set to deploy today from Norfolk

The carrier Theodore Roosevelt is scheduled to leave Norfolk today and head toward the Mediterranean. The carrier and its strike group will go where they are needed in support of maritime security, the Navy said. The strike group will be joined by the Norfolk-based guided-missile cruiser Monterey and guided-missile destroyers Mason and Nitze, according to the Navy. The fast combat support ship Supply from New Jersey, guided-missile destroyer The Sullivans from Florida and attack submarine Springfield from Connecticut also are part of the group, according to the Navy. Carrier Air Wing Eight, also part of the strike group, includes strike fighter squadrons, VFA-15, VFA-31, VFA-87, VFA-213 along with tactical electronics warfare squadron VAQ-141, carrier airborne early warning squadron VAW-124 and helicopter anti-submarine squadron HS-3, the release says. Source : hamptonroads.com

Israel launches search for new naval helicopter

The Israeli air force has begun an initial selection process aimed at replacing the Eurocopter AS565MA (Atalef) helicopters operated from the Israeli navy's missile boats. The current type's crew consists of two air force pilots and a navy officer who operates the aircraft's sensors and is in contact with combat vessels and other aircraft operating in the area. In some cases this includes Israel Aerospace Industries Seascan maritime patrol aircraft also operated jointly by air force and navy personnel to extend the helicopter's surveillance envelope. Israel requires a more capable replacement for the AS565MA due to the harsh maritime environment and an expansion to the operational capabilities of the navy's Saar-5 missile boats. "In the future we will put rotorcraft UAVs [unmanned air vehicles] on our missile boats, but in the coming years we will need a replacement [helicopter]," says a senior air force source. Source : flightglobal.com

SHIPYARD NEWS Aker Solutions takes full control of Aker

Marine Contractors Aker Solutions has acquired an additional 30 per cent share in Aker Marine Contractors from Taubåtkompaniet, and Taubåtkompaniet's remaining 10 per cent share in Aker Marine Contractors has been acquired by Aker Capital AS. Following these transactions, Aker Solutions holds 90 per cent of the shares in Aker Marine Contractors, while Aker Capital AS holds 10 per cent. Aker Solutions ASA expects to acquire the remaining 10 per cent of the shares held by Aker Capital AS when formalities related to waivers from the participants in Aker Solutions' bank syndicate are in place. "This acquisition reflects our long term strategy to expand our foothold and further strengthen our position across the value chain of marine operations and oilfield services", said Mads Andersen, executive vice president of Aker Solutions.



The transactions value Taubåtkompaniet's previous shareholding in Aker Marine Contractors at NKr 740 million. Aker Marine Contractors also has entered into a five-year charter with options with Taubåtkompaniet for the vessel BOA Deep C. Aker Marine Contractors has had full marketing control of BOA Deep C since 2004 and since its introduction the vessel has seen almost full utilization. Source : Offshore Shipping Online

The ARGONAUT I seen in dry-dock in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) Photo : Crew ARGONAUT I ©

SembMarine techniques help deliver rigs faster

Completed on time, semi-submersible rig West Taurus is ready to drill on location The Friede and Goldman's ExD Millennium Class design semi-submersible drilling rig West Taurus, which was named on Saturday, was built using Jurong Shipyard's proprietary transverse skidding methodology in combination with the load-out and mating-in-dock technique. The latter technique, in which the upper and lower hulls were constructed simultaneously and subsequently skidded and mated in the drydock, when used together with its transverse skidding method, enabled Jurong Shipyard to build and assemble the rig in close succession with its sister rig West Sirius which was delivered in March. These pioneering techniques accelerated the delivery time for the semi-submersibles by four months, enabling the yard to deliver more than two semis a year. 'We are delighted with the on-time completion of West Taurus and more importantly she is ready to drill on location. This again proves Jurong Shipyard's ability to deliver above our expectations following the successful handover of West Sirius in March earlier this year,' said Seadrill Ltd president and CEO Alf Thorkildsen. 'We commend the Jurong Shipyard team for their professionalism, dedication and commitment in achieving this remarkable milestone. West



Taurus will be an invaluable addition to our existing rig fleet and we are confident the yard will continue to deliver excellent results on the other two rigs we have entrusted them.' After installation and commissioning of thrusters and sea trials following the launch, West Taurus is scheduled for delivery in November when it will begin a six-year charter with Petrobras at one of the offshore fields in Brazil. Petrobras has also awarded similar charter contracts to three other semi-submersible rigs under construction in Jurong Shipyard, including Seadrill's third rig unit. In addition, Seadrill's West Sirius, which is now operating in the Gulf of Mexico, had its contract extended by Devon Energy from four to six years. The sixth-generation deepwater semi is the second of four Seadrill has on order with SembMarine. The third and fourth rig units are currently under construction in the yard with deliveries scheduled in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Built to Friede and Goldman's ExD Millennium Class design, West Taurus is engineered for deep-drilling capabilities of up to 37,500 feet in dynamic positioning mode in ultra-deep waters of up to 10,000 feet. Designed with an operational displacement of 43,400 tonnes at 17m draft and 46,750 tonnes at 20m draft, it has 18,000 square feet of usable deck space, and is able to carry a variable deck load of up to 8,000 tonnes.

Jiangsu Jinling wins order for six bulk vessels China's Jiangsu Jinling Ship has recently won orders for six 92,500DWT bulk vessels from Tianjin-based Centrans Ocean Shipping Logistics. The shipyard declined to disclose the exact ship price, but said the cost of each vessel was close to RMB400 million (USD58.4 million). The ships will be delivered in 2011.

Van Oord orders innovative self-propelled cutter suction dredger with IHC Merwede

Van Oord commissioned the construction of a large self-propelled cutter suction dredger by IHC Merwede. The new vessel will be one of the largest cutter suction dredgers in the world. The vessel will be built at IHC Dredgers in Kinderdijk and delivery is scheduled for the autumn of 2011. With a total installed power of some 24,000kW, the vessel is equipped with two on-board dredge pumps and one submerged dredge pump on the cutter ladder. The maximum dredging depth is 28 metres. Its

length over all is approximately 130 metres and its beam is 27.8 metres. The accommodation can house 44 people. Innovative design The cutter suction dredger is characterised by its high level of reliability and its robust construction. In addition to state-of-the-art components and materials, a large number of innovative and sustainable systems are also used: • New-generation hydraulic flexible spud carriage to increase workability • IHC Cutter Special pumps for excellent suction power and efficient mixture transport • Flexibly designed engines and a flexibly designed deck house to provide comfort in the accommodation and wheelhouse



• Environmentally friendly systems and accreditations, including the "green passport" The vessel complies in all respects with the latest, more stringent regulations on emissions. IHC Merwede is also building a new, very large trailing suction hopper dredger for Van Oord: the 32,000m³ VOX DUBAI. The vessel is due to be launched in 2009.

SKorea wins half of world's shipbuilding orders

South Korean yards won half of the world's shipbuilding orders in the first half of this year, strengthening the country's dominance in the industry, the government said Tuesday. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the shipbuilding industry said yards secured orders for 12.40 million compensated gross tons, or 50.6 percent of the world total. It said overall global demand fell sharply compared to 2007 but the proportion of orders won by local companies increased. In 2007 South Korea secured 38.9 percent of all orders placed against 37.3 percent for its main rival China. In the first half China's share dipped to 34.3 percent. Local experts quoted by Yonhap news agency said many shipping companies that wanted to place orders with Korean yards had turned to China in the past, because of huge backlogs here. They had started to return to Korea with the general drop in order volume. Shipbuilding is one of the country's top five export industries with the total value of overseas sales reaching 27.68 billion dollars last year. It has been the world's top shipbuilder since 2003 and is home to the world's five largest yards, led by Hyundai Heavy Industries.

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES

REDWISE MARITME SERVICES B.V.Amersfoortseweg 12-E

3751 LK Bunschoten-Spakenburg The Netherlands

Phone : +31 (0) 33 42 17 860 (24 hr) Fax : +31 (0) 33 42 17 879 - [email protected]

www.redwise.com

Greatship and DOF form Joint Venture Greatship (India) Limited in India and DOF Subsea in Norway have announced the signing of a joint venture agreement. The joint venture, to be named Greatship DOF Subsea Private Limited will focus on subsea project opportunities in the Indian subcontinent. Steve Brown, CEO of DOF Subsea, said: “DOF Subsea is delighted to form this key joint venture with Greatship. Together with Greatship we are committed to building a substantial player in the offshore subsea projects market.”



Ravi Sheth, managing direcrtor of Greatship (India) Limited, said: "We are excited about Greatship’s joint venture with the world’s leading subsea project company. We are very bullish on the prospects of offshore oilfield development off the East Coast of India and we expect the JV to be a leading player in the subsea construction domain.” Source : Offshore Shipping Online

GENERATOR PROBLEMS DELAY THE PENTALINA

Pentland Ferries' new catamaran, which is en route to Orkney, lost power, while steaming through the Indian Ocean on her 10,000-mile journey. The vessel's two generators and main engine suffered problems as the original fuel lines had been fitted at the wrong height, owner Andrew Banks revealed this week. The costly error by the Philippines' shipbuilder, has meant the catamaran has been stuck at the port of Salalah, Oman, for the past two weeks. Once the problem with the fuel lines is rectified, the Pentalina will head through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, through the Bay of Biscay and, weather permitting, the west coast of Scotland.

TEMARO is expanding! Due to our growing activities we are proud to announce that on the 29th of August, after 43 years been

settled on Hoogstraat 22 at Rotterdam, TEMARO is moved to Business centre Plesmanplein at the Waalhaven district. See below our new company details (all other details remain the same).

Hans Scheffer- Managing director

Albert Plesmanweg 105A, 3088 GC Rotterdam.

TEMARO B.V. - P.O. Box 55118, 3008 EC Rotterdam. Tel. + 31 (0)10 4330500, telefax + 31 (0)10 4128941. E-mail: [email protected].

Internet: www.temaro.com



Cosco met schepen van 13.092 teu op Schelde

De voorzitter van de Chinese rederij Cosco, Wei Jiafu, heeft in Antwerpen bevestigd dat hij vanaf eind 2010 recordschepen met een capaciteit van ruim 13.000 teu de Westerschelde wil laten opvaren. Wei Jiafu werd in Antwerpen ontvangen door de Antwerpse havenschepen Marc Van Peel en provinciegouverneur Cathy Berx. Wei Jiafu bezocht Antwerpen voor de eerste keer als radio-officier van een Chinees vrachtschip in 1967. Anno 2008 is Cosco via de Hongkongse terminaldochter Cosco Pacific voor 20 procent eigenaar van de containerterminal Antwerp Gateway aan het Deurganckdok. China Ocean Shipping Company zoals Cosco voluit heet, is al sedert 1948 klant van de Antwerpse haven. Cosco is ook de eerste rederij die schepen met een capaciteit van meer dan 5.000 teu naar de Scheldehaven stuurde. Ook nu zijn de 10.062 teu grote schepen uit Cosco's North China Express Service (voorlopig) de grootste die Antwerpen direct aanlopen. Deze dienst loopt in Europa achtereenvolgens Rotterdam, Hamburg en Antwerpen aan. De acht nieuwe 13.092 teu grote containerschepen die Cosco vanaf eind 2010 tussen het Verre Oosten en Noord Europa zal inzetten, worden door Hyundai Heavy Industries gebouwd. Ze werden besteld door het Canadese Seaspan Container Lines op basis van een lange termijncharter aan de Chinese rederij. Bron : Nieuwsblad Transport

Van Oord and Boskalis sign contract to reinforce Delfland coast and create

nature reserve Dutch dredging and marine contractors Van Oord and Boskalis have formed the 'Delfland Coast Consortium' to undertake a project involving the reinforcement of Delfland's coastal defences and the creation of a nature reserve along the Delfland coast. The consortium signed the contract in the Zeetoren in Hoek van Holland on September 2nd. The client is the Directorate-General for Water Management, which is also acting on behalf of the Water Board for Delfland. The dredging companies are expected to start pumping the sand for the nature reserve between Hoek van Holland and ’s-Gravenzande in mid-November. The new dunes and beach that this creates are expected to be completed at the beginning of March 2009. The consortium will then start reinforcing the coast between ’s-Gravenzande and the harbour at Scheveningen by constructing new dunes and widening the beach in an operation that is due to continue until 2011. This method of ‘building with nature’ was recommended by the Delta Commission in its advisory report ‘Working Together with Water’, which it presented to the Dutch government on September 3rd. Said Van oord: "This method of operation has significant added value for society. The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has commissioned the creation of the nature reserve to compensate for the anticipated detrimental effects arising from the use of Maasvlakte 2, the new area of Rotterdam port on which construction has just started." “We are already starting to compensate for the loss of nature. By the time that Maasvlakte 2 is in full operation the area will have evolved into a humid dune valley with valuable flora and fauna, which will ensure that on balance no nature is lost”, said Richard van Breukelen, who signed the contract on behalf of the Directorate-General.



Deputy director Eppe Nieuwenhuis, who attended the contract signing for the Water Board of Delfland, stressed the importance of safety. “On completion of the work the coast between Hoek van Holland and the harbour at Scheveningen will be safeguarded for the coming 50 years. But people must also be able to relax in safety in the dunes, on the beach and in the sea during the operation." According to Johan Kloet, managing director of Van Oord Nederland, the project is in safe hands with the Delfland Coast Consortium: “In order to minimise the disruption for people in the vicinity we will work on the busiest stretches of the shore only in the autumn and winter. And we will plan the work carefully in close consultation with the relevant parties.” The Delfland Coast project office recently launched a new website www.delflandsekust.nl The website will keep people informed about the progress of the work. Members of the public can also subscribe for a digital newsletter which will be sent to them automatically by e-mail. Source : Dredging News Online

Hiring of ASD tug: PQA sets aside Board decision

The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) is all set to overrule the recommendations of its Board by hiring the long-awaited ASD tug, through an executive order of the chairman, instead of negotiated tendering. The move would not only violate the rules of Pakistan Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) that prohibit any revised documentary business after the issuance of a tender, but would also leave the newly reconstituted PQA Board as an ineffective and powerless body, sources said on Monday. They said that in its August 6 meeting the PQA Board, after witnessing non-responsive bids to PQA's unclear tendering for chartering a 45 tons bollard pull ASD tug, had decided to revise the bollard pull capacity of the tug to 40-45 tons. They said that the Board had also recommended that the three pre-qualified bidders, SMIT Terminals, Svitzer Middle East and MEW Pvt Ltd, would be asked to re-submit their financial offers for revised specification of the tug. The Board had also observed that a bidder had come up with a craft having 44 tons bollard pull capacity that was below the required tonnage, thus causing unrest among the other competitors, they added. The Board, sources said, was also told that the rates offered by some of the bidding firms were so high that they were exceeding the rent the Authority was paying for the lease of 60 tons bollard pull tug it had chartered earlier. They said the Board through a resolution had also advised the newly appointed PQA Chairman Afsar Din Talpur that it had revised the bollard pull capacity for the required ASD tug to a minimum of 40 tons. But, surprisingly, PQA cancelled a technical committee meeting, which was to come up with its recommendations on the tender on last Saturday, September 6, 2008, sources said. They claimed that a PQA official from operation department had told the committee members that the chairman (of Port Qasim) had issued an order to award the contract to one of the bidding firms, without going through the planned tendering process. Sources said that PQA could not overrule the decisions of its Board, legally Source : Imran Farooq



Stacey Foss, Iver Foss, Sandra Foss en Jeffrey Foss seen with the self discharging barge Noatak alongside in the shallow water dock Red Dog for bowloader exchange.

Photo : Robert Kuikhoven - Fednav-Red Dog ©

India: Inspections of vessels According to the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), Kochi, the inspections on vessels carried out are in accordance with the Indian Merchant Shipping Act 1958 and Rules in conformity with the relevant international rules and regulations, the objective being to curb the operation of un-seaworthy vessels posing threat to the Indian ports and coastal waters. Mr M. P. John, Principal Officer, MMD, Kochi, has clarified that any deficiencies/defects observed during the inspection are given in writing immediately to the master/owners of the vessels for rectification. The copies of such reports are also forwarded to the Director-General of Shipping, Mumbai, respective Classification Societies, Owners, Flag States, Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding (IOMOU) and International Maritime Organization (IMO). The system is so transparent that the master, owners or affected parties are free to challenge the recommendations of MMD. Besides, there is a provision for compensation to the party incurring loss if the recommendation is found to be wrong. He emphasises that there has not been any incident at Kochi where any recommendation raised by MMD on any ship, which was inspected, challenged by the affected parties; nor has there been any occasion for any recommendation going wrong. In August, MMD, inspected six ships under Port State Control and two were detained as they were found sub-standard and un-seaworthy. The authorities issuing the certificates to the ships were advised to carryout detailed inspection of these ships. It is understood that their certifying authorities have found more and more serious deficiencies during their inspections, warranting the actions taken by MMD. Source: The Hindu Business Line



Rosneft’s first Arctic tanker Russian oil major Rosneft has got its first ice-protected tanker for operations in the Barents Sea. The 30,000 ton vessel named “Arkhangelsk” will ship oil from the Timan-Pechora province to Murmansk. The vessel, which is constructed at the Spanish yard Faktorias Vulkano, will start shipping operations in October this year, a press release from Rosneft informs. The vessel is Rosneft’s first tanker for operations in the High North. The 176 meter long vessels has the capacity to ship up to 1,2 million tons of oil from terminals east in the Barents Sea to the Kola Bay. There, the oil is reloaded to the terminal tanker “Belokamenka”. Source : Barents Observer

Deepening of the Elbe channel "to be reconsidered"

Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Hamburg (WSD) [the Hamburg Water and Navigation Office], the two project developers involved, have applied to the planning authorities for a reconsideration of their revised plans for the deepening of the Elbe channel. The modified documents will be available for public inspection in districts bordering both sides of the Elbe from 7 October to 6 November 2008. Objections and position statements in relation to the proposals can be submitted up to 20 November 2008. This marks the beginning of the next important phase of the proceedings. The aim of the proposed deepening of the fairway of the Lower and Outer Elbe is to allow container ships with a maximum draught of up to 14.5m unhindered access to and from the Port of Hamburg. Planning permission was applied for as long ago as March of last year, and attracted a great deal of attention – not least because of the many objections raised. The Federal Waterways Administration Authority and the City of Hamburg looked into concerns about dike safety and ecological criticisms of the proposed deepening of the Elbe. At the same time intensive talks were carried on with authorities and associations in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein that are responsible for dike safety and natural conservation. In response to these concerns, the developers have now modified their project. The changes relate to a number of details of the execution of the fairway adaptation, for the most part having to do with the way in which the dredged materials are disposed of, for instance dredged material will no longer be piled up against the north bank of the Elbe as originally planned. Taking all the planning changes into account, moreover, studies of the ecological implications of the deepening of the channel have been supplemented or revised.



Hamburg's Senator for Economy and Labour, Axel Gedaschko, said: "From our point of view, the dialogue with all the parties concerned has minimised the conflict potential of the situation. Talks will continue into the next phase of the proceedings. This is the only way in which the application for planning permission can be brought to a positive conclusion, giving users of the port the planning security that is called for. The adaptation of the fairway is not just in Hamburg's interest – in the last resort, the whole region stands to benefit." The duration of the proceedings cannot be predicted exactly at this stage. Following reconsideration of the modified plans, public hearings will be held – probably in the first quarter of next year. Assuming that permission is then granted according to plan, dredging operations might be able to start before the end of 2009. The work is expected to take approximately 21 months. Source : dredging News Online

Korea Line joins CPI tanker pool Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. (NYSE: OSG) says that Korea Line Corporation has joined Clean Products International (CPI), a commercial pool formed in 2006 by OSG and Ultragas Group. The CPI pool is geographically focused on trading refined petroleum products in the Americas and now totals eight medium-range (MR) Handysize tankers. The relationship with Korea Line will be further expanded when two additional newbuilds are be chartered-in, one by OSG and one by Ultragas, and join the pool in the first half of 2009. The additions will bring the pool to 10 vessels. Korea Line Corporation is one of the largest specialized ship operators in Korea and is also a member of Tankers International, a commercial pool of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) in which OSG was a founding member. Members of OSG's management, including Lois Zabrocky, Senior Vice President and Head of International Product Carrier Strategic Business Unit, Noel Capellini, Vice President and CPI pool Manager and Ng Kam Hong, Managing Director, attended a signing ceremony this evening in New York. Attending from Korea Line were Messrs. Park Jae-Min, Senior Executive Vice President and Cho Yong-Tack, Vice President, Head of Gas and Oil Carriers Team. Mr. Park BH, Director of Cass Maritime Seoul Ltd, Mr. Michael Schröder, General Manager of Ultragas and other members of OSG's products commercial group also attended the ceremony. Source : MarineLog

Sealink to focus on charter business Sealink International is looking at retaining up to 40 percent of the vessels it is constructing in the next one year as

part of the company’s aim to grow its chartering business. "At the moment, 65 percent of our revenue [is] derived from shipbuilding while [the] chartering business contributes 35 percent,” said Sealink’s chief executive officer Yong Kiam Sam said. “We hope that in the future, [the] vessel-chartering business would be our main revenue contributor as the chartering rate is expected to remain high." He also said that there was a shortage of vessels such as AHTS because of the oil and gas industry boom and the development of new and marginal oilfields.

According to Edge Communications, Sealink currently has a total of the 19 vessels under construction, including four deepwater vessels, with its order book amounting to RM600 million (US$174 million). Source : Baird Online



New high-speed ferry for Thailand Australia’s Incat Crowther has signed a contract for the delivery of a design and aluminium kit with Sea Crest Marine in Thailand. This new 29-metre catamaran ferry is to be built for Lomprayah High Speed Ferries Company. This vessel will be the third Incat Crowther aluminium kit to be built by Sea Crest Marine and follows closely behind a sistership vessel already under construction for Lomprayah. Incat Crowther’s aluminium kits provide complete aluminium flat packs containing all structural aluminium for the vessels construction. All plate is pre-cut and retained within the plate by strategically placed tags allowing the plate to be transported in sheet form. All parts are individually numbered and include centerlines and waterlines for placement. All extrusions are also supplied, cut to required lengths. These aluminium packs are particularly suited to new shipyards. The new ferry will run on their main route between Chumphon, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui in The Gulf of Thailand. The new high speed catamaran ferry will be capable of carrying 380 passengers at a service speed of 27 knots fully loaded. The main cabin contains seating for 210 passengers with further seating for 75 in the vessel’s upper cabin. In addition there is a further 80 exterior seats behind the upper cabin plus the sun deck. The main propulsion machinery will consist of twin Caterpillar C32 main engines each producing 1,040kW. These will be directly coupled to ZF3050 reverse / reduction gearboxes driving five-bladed fixed pitch propellers. The vessel will be built locally at Sea Crest Marine shipyard located in Samutprakarn on the outskirts of Bangkok. Source : Baird Online

EVERGREEN LINE LAUNCHES JAPAN – TAIWAN - PHILIPPINE SERVICE (JTP)

TAIWAN-based container shipping giant Evergreen, in addition to the expansion of its transport network and providing customers with a direct link service, is about to launch a new joint service with Wan Hai on the Japan-Taiwan-Philippine route (JTP), starting mid-September. Three vessels jointly operated by Evergreen and Wan Hai will be deployed with the following port rotation: Osaka - Kobe - Shimizu - Yokohama - Tokyo – Keelung - Taichung - Hong Kong - Manila - Hong Kong - Shekou – Xiamen Evergreen says: “The JTP service will not only provide an efficient service linking key ports in Japan, Taiwan and Philippine but also complement Evergreen Line’s substantial presence in Intra-Asia shipping.” Source : Maritime Global Net

HAMBURG SÜD LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN- AUSTRALASIA SERVICE

GERMAN liner company Hamburg Süd is launching new service between the North American West Coast and Australia and New Zealand. The new service will offer three slings deploying a total of 13 container vessels and providing service coverage of the total US West Coast. The Pacific North West String (PNW) will consist of four vessels with a slot capacity of 1,700 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit). With a fixed-day fortnightly frequency it has the following port rotation: Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Long Beach, Tauranga, Sydney, Melbourne,Adelaide, Auckland, Papeete, Ensenada, Oakland. It is the trade's only direct Adelaide port call.



The Pacific Southwest String (PSW-1) will consist of six 2,500 TEU vessels. It is a fixed-day weekly service and makes direct port calls at: Oakland, Long Beach, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, Tauranga, Suva. The second Pacific Southwest String (PSW-2) will offer non-stop service from Long Beach to Sydney and from Brisbane to Long Beach. Three vessels with a capacity of 1,300 TEU each will be phased into the fixed-day fortnightly "Sydney Express" service. Source : Maritime Global Net

COSTA SERENA seen departing from Lanzarote Photo : Peter Brom ©

Port congestion hits business Many commercial ships are reportedly skipping the Jeddah Islamic Port due to extreme congestion and unload their consignments at nearby ports, causing problems to exporters and importers. They also skip the port fearing fines charged by authorities for the delay in unloading shipments. Tarek Al-Marzouki, head of the Shipping Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed that many shipping lines have diverted their routes without stopping at Jeddah. “They have been doing this because of a lack of unloading facilities and fear of fines,” he added. Marzouki said the port required radical solutions to solve the crisis, especially at this time of increasing commercial activities in the region. Khaled Boubasheet, president of Saudi Seaports Authority, recently called for an emergency meeting of port officials to discuss the crisis and find solutions. Ibrahim Al-Oqaily, head of the Customs Clearance Committee at the chamber, said he had received several complaints from traders on late arrivals of their shipments, incurring heavy losses to them. The port, one of the largest in the region, faces congestion at its container terminal as well as berths. “Port authorities should acknowledge the problem in order to solve it, instead of trading accusations,” he said. “The reasonable time for waiting at the port is four hours for a shipping line because of its commitments to other ports. They have to leave Jeddah when the time exceeds the limit,” he pointed out. Al-Oqaily warned that the crisis at the port would affect businesses in the Kingdom. “The crisis has led to the piling up of goods at the port causing huge financial losses to traders,” he added. The Customs Department would give shipments a waiting time of only 10 days to clear, irrespective of the reasons behind the delay. He said the shortage of staff at clearance companies and increase in shiploads had intensified the crisis.



Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed recently instructed the Jeddah chamber to set up a panel to give proposals to solve the problem. A senior official at an export company said the problem at the Jeddah port has been persisting since at least last month. “Higher authorities should intervene immediately to solve the problem,” the official said highlighting the enormity of the problem. He said such over-congestion is experienced at other ports in the region also as a result of a substantial increase in trade. He said at least 15 ships had skipped the port last month and eight this month. “There is a shortage of space at the container terminal and it takes a long time to get the consignments cleared, leaving goods accumulated at the port,” another official said. Source : Arab News

Latvian Shipping Company takes delivery of new tanker built in Croatia

On September 5 in the afternoon there was held the name giving and launching ceremony of the JSC “Latvijas kuģniecība” (Latvian Shipping Company – LASCO) tanker newbuilding in “3.Maj” shipyard in Croatia. President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers honoured the ceremony with his presence. It is expected that the new tanker will be delivered by the end of the year and this will be the last of the ten tankers ordered at “3.Maj” shipyard. The tanker bears the name of the birthplace of Latvian navigation – Ainaži. LASCO has invited Mrs. Iveta Erdmane, director of Ainaži Naval School Museum, to become Godmother of the ship. Being professional and truly enthusiastic person, she has contributed significantly in preserving Latvian navigation traditions and history. It is an esteemed maritime tradition that a ship's Godmother is a woman of honor and distinction, whose name will be linked with that vessel for the vessel’s entire life. It is her moral duty to acquaint the society with the ship’s crew and to encourage the enhancement of the crew’s cultural and intellectual background by maintaining contacts with its members both in person and by correspondence. The name giving and launching ceremony of the tanker newbuilding was held within the programme of President’s of Latvia and entrepreneurs’ delegation’s visit to Croatia targeted at strengthening economic cooperation between Latvia and Croatia. Implementing the tanker renewal programme LASCO has developed really successful cooperation with the Croatian shipyard “3.Maj” and has accomplished a massive investment programme: at the end of 2004 LASCO signed a loan agreement with a syndicate of the leading European banks for the amount of USD 360 million providing for financing 14 tanker newbuildings including the ten ordered from the Croatian shipyard. The bank loans represent about 70 percent of the total project value whereas the remaining 30 percent have been financed from LASCO assets. The new double-hull ice class tankers are constructed in accordance with all the European Union and international shipping safety conventions’ requirements. Their optimum parameters provide for their comprehensive employment in oil product, chemical cargo and vegoil shipments. Expanding the large tanker fleet renewal programme LASCO has secured basis for its competitiveness in the world shipping markets for the next two - three years and in the distant future. At the same time LASCO has been proceeding with the fulfillment of its strategic goal set – ensuring increase of its value and securing its place among the top ten medium range tanker owners in the world alongside with the leading position in the Northern European market. LASCO launched its tanker fleet renewal programme in 2004 according to the tanker fleet development scenario foreseen in the Group’s operations’ strategy by signing agreements with Croatian shipyard “3.Maj” for the construction of ten tanker newbuildings. In selecting the “3.Maj” offer LASCO has considered both the good cooperation experience with the shipbuilder in the past as well as the fact that ordering a series of tankers from the same shipbuilder allows for economy in construction process and their spare parts’ costs in the future.



Since July 2006 when the first tanker newbuilding “Ance” has been launched, LASCO has taken delivery of 13 tankers by now – nine out of ten ordered at “3.Maj” shipyard in Croatia and four from “Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., Ltd.” in Korea. By the end of 2008 taking delivery of the tanker “Ainaži” LASCO’s fleet would be enlarged by 14 modern vessels concluding the significant tanker fleet renewal project. In accordance with LASCO long term development plans foreseen in the Operations Strategy for the period till 2015, at the end of 2007 additional agreements have been signed with Korean shipyard “Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd” for construction of four more medium range tanker newbuildings. Source: lk.lv

The Sheerlegs "Taklift 4" seen manoeuvring in the port of Eemshaven (Groningen, Netherlands) prior to loading project cargo.

Photo : Geert Jan Reinders ©

Maersk Tankers order 4 VLCCs Maersk Tankers are pleased to announce that an agreement has been signed with STX shipbuilding company, LTD in Korea, for the delivery of 4 VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers) in 2011-2012. “We are very pleased with this order. The vessels are an important part of our strategy to grow our presence in the VLCC segment. With the order we will reach a fleet of 18 VLCCs by 2013, and this clearly demonstrates our commitment to the VLCC market,” says Kristian V. Mørch, Group Senior Vice President of A.P. Moller – Maersk. The vessels will have a waste heat recovery system installed to generate electricity from the heat in the exhaust from the main engine. In this way excess heat is put to use replacing power generation for e.g. the accommodation on the vessel, that otherwise would have been produced by fuel driven diesel generators. The expected fuel savings from use of this technology is around 5%. In addition to the waste heat recovery system the vessels will also have the latest generation of electronic diesel engines, enabling more efficient fuel consumption at varying speeds (more than 1% fuel consumption reduction). These technical upgrades are a part of the continued effort of pursuing Eco-efficiency with both economic and environmental benefits. Maersk Tankers operate one of the largest, most modern and most diversified tanker fleets in the world – in total more than 170 vessels including owned, time-chartered and partnership vessels. Our fleet of tankers is exclusively double



hulled – all meeting the latest industry standards and demands. The orderbook for Maersk Tankers now stands at 57 vessels including own and long term chartered tonnage, and with the latest order Maersk Tankers have again proved to be on the forefront when it comes to fleet renewal programmes. Source: setcorp.ru

Seaspan Takes Delivery of New Containership Seaspan Corporation announced that it has accepted delivery of the CSCL Montevideo, a 2500 TEU newbuild vessel constructed by Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The CSCL Montevideo was delivered on September 2, 2008, approximately five months ahead of the original delivery schedule, and increases the number of vessels in the Company's operating fleet to 32, with 36 remaining newbuilds to be delivered over the next three years. The CSCL Montevideo is subject to a time charter with China Shipping Container Lines (Asia) Co., Ltd. for a twelve year period. CSCL Asia is a subsidiary of China Shipping Container Lines Co., Ltd., the world's eighth largest liner company in terms of shipping capacity. Under the terms of the fixed-rate time charter, CSCL Asia is responsible for fuel costs and all cargo operating and related expenses. Gerry Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Seaspan, commented, "With the delivery of the CSCL Montevideo, Seaspan has once again expanded its operating fleet and increased the Company's earnings power. Since our initial public offering, we have increased the capacity of our contracted fleet by 244%. Our current available liquidity of $850 million will allow us to continue to execute our disciplined growth strategy and consider additional growth opportunities that meet our strict return requirements." Source: Seaspan Corporation

Grand China reopens SYMS's Japan routes Grand China Shipping (Yantai) is launching a Shanghai- Tokyo/Yokohama shuttle container service this month. The affiliate of Hainan Airlines Group took over financilally troubled Shandong Yantai International Marine Shipping (SYMS) after SYMS ceased operations in the middle of last month. Grand China Shipping entered into the Japan-China trade with a Shanghai- Nagoya/Yokkaichi loop service in late August. It has also bagged space on a Shanghai-Osaka/Kobe service by chartering space from Shanghai Hai Hua Shipping Co. (HASCO). Source : Seatrade ASsia

MOVEMENTS

The newbuilding hull STAN TUG 1907/7 arrived in tow of the CYCLOP at the Damen shipyard for outfitting Photo : Ruud Zegwaard ©

Bluewater’s FPSO UISGE GORM is expected today (September 10th) at 08:00 hrs at Maaspilot station

With destination Keppel-Verolme in the Botlek



…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..

The Roeiers 56 seen passing the Breediep enroute Hoek van Holland Photo : Piet Sinke ©

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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2008 – 237newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/pdf/2008/237-10-09-2008.pdf · Semi-heavy submarines to protect Iran waters ... The Chamber