Maritime Monday 100 by Fred Fry

Welcome to this 100th edition of Maritime Monday!

You can find Maritime Monday 50 here. (Published 12 March 2007)

You can find last week’s edition here.

You can find links to all the previous editions at the bottom of this post. To stay informed all week long, be sure to check out gCaptain’s Discoverer site and vote for your favorite stories as well as add ones that you find.

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This Weeks Photos:

This weeks photos are from the website of Gdynia, Poland based Baltic Container Lines:

M/V DENEB

M/V DENEB

M/V BCL IWONA

M/V BCL IWONA

M/V BCL IZABELA

Ports Served

More photos can be found on their website here.

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This weeks Items:

Lots of blogs have covered it, simply because it is a great article. So I will just link directly to Wired Magazine‘s must-read story “High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The Race to Save the Cougar Ace“ (The story is covered at EagleSpeak, gCaptain, BitterEnd and Robin Storm to name a few) You can find the initial coverage of the accident over at CargoLaw. Also, here is the homepage of the rescue effort which includes lots of photos.

EagleSpeak has the very puzzling “Black Sea missing ship mystery” concerning the Indian owned/crewed and Panama-flagged MV REZZAK.

Also be sure to check out EagleSpeak‘s weekly series “Sunday Ship History: Freight Supply Ships” which were operated by the US Army Transport Service. If you have ever seen the movie ‘Mister Roberts’, then you know what one of these vessels looked like.

The Lone Voice covers the resignation of UK coastguard volunteer (and “Hero of the Year”) Paul Waugh after a great deal of criticism from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency after he saved the life of a 13 year old girl trapped on a cliff without the use of safety equipment as required in their regulations. More coverage at SITFU which has a photo of the cliff where the rescue took place.

AFP updates the story of the Russian cargo ship LIDIA DEMESH detained by North Korea. The vessel has been released and has returned home.

gCaptain has “USCG Tug And Towing Endosement – Proposed Changes”

The BBC covers a rescue in Australia in “Fisherman swims 10 hours to shore” He was in the water much longer than that.

Maritime Accident Casebook has “US denial of seafarers rights may deepsix IMO casualty code“

Lloyd’s List Blog has ‘a look on the brighter side of life and consider the benefits to the business of shipping of the looming economic crunch. So here you have it, six benefits of recession Guess it’s all in the spirit of looking at the bright side of life!

Robin Storm has “UK RNLI: 7834 People Rescued, but ‘too many MOB’s” Of course MOB is Man Overboard.

Oilweek covers the problem of hundreds of thousands of now-rusting bombs discarded into the waters all around Canada.

Never Sea Land thinks that the “Royal Navy sinks even lower” as it opens up to train private yacht crews. (With video)

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The US Navy NewsStand has a Burial at Sea:

080223-N-7987H-023 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 23, 2008) Flag bearers snap to attention before removing the American flag from the casket of Chief Photographer’s Mate Edgar Tiemann during a burial-at-sea ceremony aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). The ceremony included the burial of 13 honorably discharged Sailors and Marines. U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Mandy Hunsucker (Released) – Navy NewsStand

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MarEx Newsletter has Joseph Keefe (the Managing Editor of The Maritime Executive Magazine, publisher of the Newsletter) planning to go back to school to bring his license and training current with STCW 95 with a goal of doing so within a year.

If successful, I won’t be the first 49-1/2 year old, former mariner to re-qualify my credentials, but hopefully, the effort will shed significant light on what has always been a confusing and mysterious journey for many mariners – and their employers. You are invited to come along for the ride. I have no idea how long this will take, especially given that I will continue on with my duties here at MarEx concurrent with all of it. I only hope that I do not embarrass myself in the process.

This is surely a must-read for anyone who has thought about returning to sea. He will also be testing my comment at Lloyd’s List where I mention that going shoreside is pretty much a one-way trip these days.

Kiwi at Sea is off the West Coast of South America on a ship making friends with many fishermen as they seemed determined to run over every fishing line in the ocean.

Hellenic Shipping News has “Global warming opens new sea lanes for shippers”

Global warming, while threatening environmental disasters, is creating economic opportunity for shippers, makers of ocean cargo vessels and tour operators. New routes may expand access to the world’s second-biggest oil supply, deliver US wheat to Asia 30 per cent faster and increase Arctic tourism as much as 50 per cent in a decade. Ice shrinkage may enable ships to sail straight over the top of the world, cutting a 17,700 km trip to 11,265 km and saving as much as 11 days and US$800,000 in fuel and labour.

SAILORS, MARINERS & WARRIORS LEAGUE has “Death Toll In Bangladesh Boat Accident Rises To 33“

Lloyds List also covers the tragedy in Bangladesh in “Ferry deaths reveal safety flaws” One problem is that ferries running within a single country’s waters are not subject to international rules. It is these routes that produce some of the worst accidents nowadays.

CDR Salamander has “There goes your shipbuilding budget” covering Congress’s questioning of how the Department of Defense budget is split between the services and why that isn’t according to need.

MarineBuzz has “Man Over Board Search System, Wave Finder: An Overview” That’s pretty neat.

MarineBuzz also has a list of “How Global Warming Helps Shipping Industry”

International Marine Consultancy has a detailed summary about waterspouts.

Steeljaw Scribe has the latest list of US Navy ships marked for sinking or scrapping. Included in the list are a number of well-known ammunition ships.

Sea * Fever has “Sunday VOW’s (Videos of the Week)” which includes a free-fall lifeboat test.

Diving Forum Rebreather World has “American jailed for fishing in the BVI“. Hmm, they don’t show that in the tourist commercials.

All Africa has “Nigeria: Police to Arraign 84 Merchant Navy Personnel Over Secret Military Training“

English Russia has “Abandoned Frozen Ships“. Doesn’t look too bad considering how badly they treat their nuclear waste!

BitterEnd continues his coverage of the mess that is the Washington State Ferries with “WSF: A Culture Run Amok” Having a bad Monday at work? Read this post and give thanks that you don’t work there.

Yankee Sailor has “So, XO, How Was Your First Week?” as he finishes off his first week on the USS RUSSELL.

The Jurist Forum covers “Arctic Ocean Seabed Rights: The Last Great Land Grab?” which is brought to you by the Law of the Sea Convention.

The Danish Maritime Authority cover’s their Government’s proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to implement a global tax on marine bunker fuel. The taxes would then be used to purchase ‘carbon credits’ through the IMO as part of some half-assed attempt to make shipping appear greener.

Boing Boing has “TED 2008: Robert Ballard on exploring the ocean”

Helsingin Sanomat has “New models sought for icebreaking service” in its attempt to introduce competition into the provision of services.

Maritime Compass has “Mariners Museum archivist charged in theft” covering Lester Weber, who was the director of the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia until he was fired, apparently for stealing museum items and selling them on eBay.

Gizmodo wonders if all the car accidents where GPS units appear to be a contributing factor is a sign of a revolt by the machines or “On the other hand, it may just be a bunch of idiots“. Just imagine if car drivers had to go through a tenth of the training that Merchant Marine officers have to.

The U.S. Copyright Office explains how to register your hull designs.

For a change, Tugster has photos of “Winterfowl”

NewScientist has “Tuna fisheries facing a cod-like collapse” So enjoy the tuna while you can before the Japanese and Europeans eat them all.

Bellona has “Norway and UK to share £3.9 million burden of dismantling Russian November class sub” What a bunch of suckers. Anyway, I understand why they would like to pull the nuclear material out of the sub, but why take the whole thing apart? Russia is a big place, just toss them on some Russian beach like so many empty cans.

NTI provides a summary of the Soviet Russian submarine fleet. Looks like Norway and the UK will need to spend a lot more money. Russia of course understands the problem and is trying to build more subs!

Eurodam News Blog has a great summary with “Chief Officer Andre Tackles a Weighty Subject — The Anchor” Be sure to also check out Part I of the story where he visits the chain locker and the anchor windlass here.

The Pilot boat has some great photos of the general cargo ship SAFMARINE PALANCA. Those would be cargo booms.

Vindicatrix Boy has “Call for statue to World War II’s youngest victim” (Note: Posted Oct 07) about the story of 14 year old Raymond Steed who died while serving as a galley boy on the UK freighter EMPIRE MORN when the ship hit a mine off Casablanca in 1943. This other post notes that “Five hundred and thirteen Merchant Seamen aged 14 to 16 died in action in World War II.“

Vindicatrix Boy is covering preparations ‘down under’ to remember the merchant seamen who died during WWII, including in this post “Schools will soon get ANZAC lifeboat templates“

Looking for information about a ship that might have called the US? Then check out the United States Coast Guard Port State Information eXchange (PSIX) System, which appears to have loads of data including all USCG visits to the vessel.

A sailor named Captain Reid Stowe is about a third of the way through his goal to sail 1000 days without touching land. His voyage is documented on his website here: 1000 DAYS at SEA. In yet another example of the power of the internet, there are at least two websites, Reid Stowe and 1000 Days at Sea – Reality Check and 1000 Days of Hell following the voyage as well as publishing documents about his conviction for attempting to smuggle 30,000 pounds of Marijuana into the US as well as active warrants for his arrest for thousands in outstanding child support. He sailed out of New York. At least he has time to clear up the child support issue before returning!

Haight’s Maritime Items has:

UK – Facebook used to forge seafarer certificate – The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a press notice stating that a woman recently copied an original yachtmaster’s certificate from the Facebook Internet site. She then altered the certificate to make it look like it had been issued to her. She used the forged certificate to hire a yacht. The MCA cautions mariners to not publish copies of their certificates on the Internet. It also advises those checking mariner certificates to require production of the original document. (2/25/08). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

and:

US Supreme Court – oral argument in the EXXON VALDEZ case – On Wednesday, February 27, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral argument in the case of Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker. In 2006, a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld, but reduced, the award of punitive damages in this case arising out of the 1989 grounding of the tanker EXXON VALDEZ. In 2007, over a strong dissent, the Ninth Circuit refused to reconsider the case en banc. The various petitions and briefs that have been filed with the Supreme Court in this case may be accessed at Holland+Knight. (2/26/08). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

Just one more reason to not take a job at sea. Decades of litigation. (Admittedly, this was a huge accident. Let’s see if the COSCO BUSAN litigation is completed before 2017.)

Fairplay Daily News has:

Northern to build first Russian VLs – ST PETERSBURG 29 February – Severnaya Verf (“Northern Shipyard”), the St Petersburg naval shipyard, is to be expanded and converted so that it can build oil tankers of up to 300,000dwt. According to Alexander Gnusarev, chairman of controlling shareholder United Industrial Corp (OPK), his group is preparing an investment plan to turn out 500,000 tonnes of civilian newbuilds a year, including VLCCs. Currently no Russian yard can build anything larger than 90,000 tonnes, so the Russian tanker fleet is all built abroad. OPK controls 72% of the shipyard’s shares, and also controls Baltic Plant, St Petersburg’s civilian yard, which was sold to OPK by Alexander Nesis’ ICT group. OPK is controlled by Sergei Pugachev, a banker and currently a sitting member of the Russian upper house of parliament. Severnaya’s order book at present is military – five destroyers, a frigate and an auxiliary. In 2006, according to the last financial figures available, Severnaya reported a 31% drop in revenues to $311M. Net income was $12.9M. Maritime analysts believe the VLCC announcement is a fresh bid by Pugachev to stave off a state takeover of both Severnaya and Baltic with a new orderbook serving the oil industry. The state currently holds a 21% stake in Severnaya, and has refused to privatise it. Without significant changes in current Russian taxation, Russian fleet owners are unlikely to place VLCC orders domestically. – Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

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Submissions for future editions:

Please submit articles for inclusion in next week’s edition using the following submit form at Blog Carnival. You are also welcome to email stories and photos to [email protected] for inclusion in future editions as well as suggest areas of coverage.

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Previous Editions:
As linked below or click on the tag ‘Maritime Monday’ for all gCaptain editions.

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