Prior to using a fixed fire system, especially CO2, always have a full muster! Why? This Navy video shows the inside view of what happens when this deadly gas is released.

How about when a 75lbs bottle explodes:

Why not to use CO2 on a Class D fire:

Some facts from the EPA: [Continue Reading →]

On May 1, Chinese fishing vessels closed in on and maneuvered near the USNS Victorious in international waters in the Yellow Sea, Pentagon officials said Monday. The Victorious is one of the five ocean surveillance ships that are part of the 25 ships in Military Sealift Command’s Special Mission Ships Program.

The vessel was conducting routine operations 170 miles off the coast of China when two Chinese fishing vessels approached within 30 yards of the Victorious.  The Victorious took defensive measures as the vessels got close. The Victorious crew sounded the ship’s danger alarms and manned fire hoses. They sprayed water at the Chinese vessels, but did not hit them, officials said.

The Victorious requested the assistance of a nearby Chinese government vessel, at which time the fishing vessels departed.  The incident is strikingly similar to the March 8 incident where five Chinese vessels surrounded the USNS Impeccable as it was conducting operations 80 nautical miles off Hainan Island. There have been other incidents where Chinese vessels operated in an unsafe manner around U.S. ocean surveillance ships.

Given the simlarities between the two incidents, let’s recap with a similar post to what we did with the USNS Impeccable back in March. [Continue Reading →]

Why did the Chinese Navy harass the USNS Impeccable? gCaptain has been recieving a number of emails, Tweets and forum questions about this incident so I put together a short video walking you though details on the USNS Impeccable, the US Navy’s anti-submarine initiatives in the Pacific and the reasons why China does not want acoustic patrols in the region.

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Your thoughts?

Yesterday, five Chinese vessels “shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity” to the U.S. Navy ocean surveillance ship, USNS Impeccable, as it conducted routine operations in international waters in the South China Sea. According to reports, two of the Chinese vessels closed to within 50 feet (15 meters) of the USNS Impeccable, waving Chinese flags and telling the U.S. ship to leave the area. The Impeccable sprayed its fire hoses at one of the boats in order to protect itself. It is also being reported that one of the crew of one of the Chinese vessels stripped to their underwear and continued closing within 25 feet.

USNS Impeccable FAQ

[Continue Reading →]

Photo via Navy.mil

According to AFP, the US Navy has nabbed 7 suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden.  The Marshall Islands flagged ship, Polaris, sent a distress signal to report an attempted boarding of their vessel by suspected pirates.

The guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf responded, intercepting a small skiff with seven men matching the descriptions given by the Polaris crew.

The suspected pirates are being held on board the Vella Gulf until they transfer to the USNS Lewis and Clark, a civilian ship usually used to haul cargo and ammunition that has been repurposed to serve as a temporary holding center for suspected pirates.

The capture marks the first time that suspected pirates have been caught by a vessel from the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151), a multinational task force that conducts and focuses on counter-piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.  The USS Vella Gulf has been the flagship vessel of CTF 151 since February 4.

UPDATE:

The Navy Times tells us of the new “Pirate Brig”… an MSC ship.

The suspected pirates will likely stay aboard the Vella Gulf until sometime Thursday, when they’ll be transferred to a new temporary brig aboard the Military Sealift Command supply ship USNS Lewis and Clark. One of the Lewis and Clark’s cargo holds has been outfitted with foam pallets and portable toilets to serve as a holding area for as many as 26 people. A detachment of Marines aboard the ship serves as guards.

Generally speaking, Mondays are our biggest days here at gCaptain.com in terms of visitors to the site.  I know I spend enough time sitting in front of a computer during the week that the last thing I want to be doing on my time off is surfing around the web, so I tend to wait until Monday to get up to speed on all my favorite sites.

This Monday was particularly good for us, but rather than thinking that everyone was just so excited to get their gCaptain fix when back in front of their computers, we had to investigate.

Turns out that the Wall Street Journal did an article titled “The Mega Containers Invade.”  It points to the fact that despite the current credit crisis that is sinking its teeth into the shipping industry, especially for container shippers, companies with the means are still building a record number of giant vessels that might very well knock the smaller players out of the game.

So how was this good for gCaptain?  Well it gave mention to the recently delivered 13,800 TEU, MSC Daniela.  And if you put the keywords “msc daniela” into google, gCaptain ranks number 1.  So, to repay the favor for the 1,000 or so hits we received, here is a snippet of the article with a link back to the WSJ: [Continue Reading →]

The above image is one section of a new poster titled “The Ships of Military Sealift Command”. You can download the full poster in pdf format HERE.

Image Source: Containership-Info

The MSC Daniela was built by Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy industries Co. Ltd in South Korea and delivered to Mediterranean Shipping Company in December 2009.

In terms of TEU capacity, she is the largest container ship ever built and able to accomodate up to 14,000 twenty-foot-equivalent containers.  At an overall length of 366 meters, she is just slightly under the 397 meter Emma Maersk but able to carry more cargo due to technological advancements in ship design.  Additionally, the vessel is the biggest container ship ever classed by Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a classification society based in the city of Hamburg, Germany.

The MSC Daniela is extraordinary not only in terms of size, but also in its design aspects.  To meet requirements for bridge visibility on the large containership, the Daniela’s design separates the engine room and the deckhouse. The latter’s position in the forward part of the ship permits an increase in container capacity and a reduction in ballast water. [Continue Reading →]

The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command has recently chartered the M/V Beluga Skysails for over a month long voyage transporting Air Force and Army cargo from Europe to the U.S.  This is the first time the U.S. Navy is using a vessel with the sky sails technology.

The 400 ft. M/V Beluga Skysails is the world’s first cargo ship that uses sky sails technology; a new wind propulsion system with a huge towing kite that provides additional thrust for the ship at sea – a sustainable solution for reducing fuel consumption, costs and emissions.  It is estimated that a sky sail can reduce fuel consumption by 20 to 30 percent, or roughly $1,600 per day.

When asked of MSC’s choice for choosing the M/V Beluga Skysails: “MSC values innovation that leads to cost savings,” said Navy Capt. Nick Holman, commander of Sealift Logistics Command Europe, MSC’s area command for Europe and Africa. “We are proud to be collaborating with innovators in the commercial maritime world to provide our customers with efficient and quality service.” [Continue Reading →]

In reaction to what appeared to be an attempted hijacking, a security team aboard United States Naval Vessel John Lenthall was forced to fire warning shots at two small boats that were pursuing the vessel off the coast of Somalia.  U.S Naval Forces Central Command tells us:

Despite defensive measures to deter the vessels from approaching John Lenthall, small boats continued to approach the ship. The rounds impacted the water approximately 50 yards from the closest boat and resulted in both small boats ending their pursuit. All shots were accounted for as they entered the water.

“This incident is clear proof that all mariners must remain vigilant,” said Captain Steve Kelley, the commander responsible for all Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships in the region. “I am extremely pleased with the actions taken by the ship’s master and ultimately by the security personnel aboard. They initially used defensive measures and when those weren’t enough the security personnel took action to defend the ship.”

While it is unclear if personnel on the boats were intent on attacking the 41,000-ton ship, it is clear they were not following the international rules of the road observed by mariners around the globe. More importantly, the location of the incident, the types of boats involved (small open skiffs), and the maneuvering they undertook was consistent with reports from previous attacks on merchant vessels in the region. [Continue Reading →]