Maritime Monday 131

Welcome to this 131st edition of Maritime Monday.

You can find Maritime Monday 81 here. (Published 22 October 2007)

You can find last week’s edition here.

You can find links to all the previous editions at the bottom of this post. You are encouraged to participate using the comment link/form at the bottom of the post. If you have photos or stories to tell, do email me at [email protected].

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This Week’s Photos:

This week’s photos come from the website of J. Poulsen Shipping A/S:

J. Poulsen Shipping enjoys a world-wide reputation, confidence, flexibility and exactness. To J. Poulsen Shipping no tasks are too small, too big or too special – and we always strive for being ahead in the market, and we shall do so in the future.

Ship’s Agency – From our strategic Nordic residence J. Poulsen Agency team carries out all services concerning ship’s agency, stevedoring, forwarding and warehousing in the area of Korsør. For vessels passing through the Great Belt, great care is also taken in the arrangements of crew change and transport of stores. For foreign companies operating temporarily in the area supply of personnel, rendering of office facilities and housing are also included in the service.

Ship’s Chartering and Operating – By years of managing a fleet of modern, multipurpose vessels from 1000 to 8000 ts dwcc as well as chartering for several regular charterers and shipowners, the J. Poulsen Shipping Chartering team know their business through and through. And to meet all demands they also operate professionally with time chartering and freight contracting.

M/V PATRIA – Loading Russian Spaceshuttle “BURAN” from Sydney to Bahrain.

M/V PATRIA – Loading Russian Spaceshuttle “BURAN” from Sydney to Bahrain.

M/V PANCALDO – Vestas windmills from Leixoes to Caldera

M/V PASSAT – loading catamaran (45m long) from Brisbane to Rotterdam.

M/V Palmyra – Loading Viking Ships in Oslo for Bahamas.

M/V Pancaldo loading compressors and turbines in Marina di Carrara.

Their homepage can be found here.

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This Week’s Items:

EagleSpeak has “Arming Merchants?” and “Somalia: Pirates threaten to blow up ship loaded with tanks“.

Also be sure to check out EagleSpeak‘s weekly series “Sunday Ship History: U.S. Navy’s Birthday“.

gCaptain has “Naval Architecture – Designing A Quiet Ship.” and “Mobile Offshore Base: Theory or Reality“.

Lloyd’s List has the mess that has been encountered when trying to fight back: “Navies faced with tricky rules in bid to punish pirates“.

Journal of Commerce has “Trade gap narrows“.

Mr. Boat Blog has a violation of the ‘Law of gross tonnage’ as he links to photos of a collision between a 40 foot sailboat and the world’s largest sailing vessel, the MALTESE FALCON in “Bonehead Move!” So, who do you think was at fault? You would not get that close to a cargo ship, so why would you get that close to a sailship that is just as large?

BitterEnd looks at the rules that come into play with the MALTESE FALCON collision in “The Rules, but again.” One of the reader comments there also notes that a harbor pilot was onboard.

Wired’s Danger Room Blog has “Russia to U.S.: Let’s Team up, to Fight Pirates“.

The Stupid Shall Be Punished has ““Safety Harness? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Safety Harness!”“. As always, the comments there are a great discussion on the topic.

Tims Times posts a photo from his archives of him inside a VLCC Tanker’s cargo tank. You can bet that it was not easy for him to get to that spot.

Infidel Bloggers Alliance wonders “Hijacked Ship A Dirty Bomb Meant For Israel?“. The ship is the IRAN DEYANAT whose cargo is reportedly being blamed for the deaths of over a dozen pirates who were exposed to it. Recent news reports state that the pirates have released the ship.

Information Dissemination has more on the DEYANAT “Mystery “Death Ship” Released From Somalian Pirates“. I suspect that the US Navy will board the ship. I also suspect that they won’t tell us they did, unless they find something so disagreeable that they seize it.

Information Dissemination also has an update on the hijacked ship full of tanks in “5th Fleet Focus: MV Faina Ultimatum“.

Scandinavian Shipping Gazette has the story and photos of the hijacking of the LEHMANN TIMBER: “PIRACY SPECIAL: A 54-day visit in hell“.

“I was at the stern and saw them at a distance of 2–3 cable lengths. When one of the boats reached us the hijackers began shooting with machine guns. The captain tried to manoeuvre the vessel to create a wave to repel the boats, but as we were moving slowly and with low free board, we basically couldn’t do anything to prevent their approach. We sent out the distress signal a minute or two before they boarded the ship. First they rushed the bridge and ordered us to stop the engines. That was about as much they could say in English, at least their leader.”

Kennebec Captain has photos of a tight squeeze in “Rotterdam – narrow bridge“.

BreakBulk has “Crowley orders 8 more heavy-lift barges“. Why build a heavy-lift ship if you only need a barge, right?

ISRAEL WITHOUT IFS OR BUTS has “Russian naval task force arrives in Libya“. The Russians are headed to Somalia but they don’t seem to be in a rush to get there.

An Unofficial Coast Guard Blog has “International Coast Guard News in Review #2“.

Professional Mariner has the story: “Using novel methods, Titan faces a prodigious salvage challenge“. The wreck was the NEW CARISSA.

Sea * Fever has “Was marine debris the culprit in the sinking of Irish Tall Ship Asgard II?” and “Will Box Ships Need Bail Out?“.

MarineBuzz has “Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09: To Complete in June 2009“.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 is finally ready to commence on October 11. The 10th edition of the Volvo Ocean race is considered as the world’s premier global race and as one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world.

MarineBuzz also has “Singapore Maritime Week 2008: Massive Participation by International Maritime Community“.

Bob Couttie’s Maritime Accident Casebook has been suffering some problems with their web hosting company which had them offline for a while. They are now back up, so be sure to show your support by checking out “Harry Pottering An Oil Rig“.

Hawsepiper has “get thee gone!” as he progresses in his training to become a deck officer and comes to celestial navigation.

The Merchant Marine Express is in New Orleans with the ship getting some work done in “Ship’s Business“.

Shirlaw News Group has “Fedra crew rescued as vessel breaks up“. gCaptain is also covering with “Incident Photo Of The Week – M/V FEDRA” and links to a slideshow with many more dramatic photos.

Maritime Compass notes that President Kennedy’s sailboat MANITOU is up for sale in “Any Takers?“

BBC News has “North Sea workers face tax bills“. It all depends on the type of vessel you are working on out there.

Master of Towing Vessels Association Forum has “Death on the River Clyde: a tug is tripped and three men are lost in Scotland.“. (Found via Kennebec Captain)

Here’s another accident report that all hands should read and heed. Svitzer Marine’s tug Flying Phantom was assisting the M/V Red Jasmine, a 738-foot bulker, up the River Clyde to the port of Glasgow, Scotland after dark and in dense fog, when it got out of shape and was then tripped (or girted, as they say in the British Isles) and sunk. Only the mate managed to get out of the wheelhouse alive.

MarineLog has “Double pay for ship crews in pirate danger zone“.

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Blank Rome (Counselors at Law) has “After the Casualty: Collecting and Preserving Evidence” and “Liability of Shipyards – Buyers Beware“.

Helsingin Sanomat has “Tighter emission standards for ships could cost Finland in excess of EUR 800 million – Price-tag only became clear to politicians last week“.

The additional costs relating to tighter regulations on ship emissions on the Baltic Sea and the North Sea have come as a surprise to the representatives of Finnish industry, shipping companies, and the government alike.

BBC News has video: “Is a container just a container?“.

noonsite has “Practical and Legal Implications of the Carriage of Firearms” on a yacht. (Found at Snowflakes in Hell)

Ocra Marine has “Copenhagen Sets Sights On Becoming Global Shipping Centre“. I am ready and willing to relocate to Copenhagen to write Maritime Monday from there!

MarEx Newsletter has “Shortsea Shipping Concept Gather Steam: New Grants and Initiatives Revive Much-Needed Transport Mode ” and “Basic Safety Training at 50“.

Coast Guard Report has “Deepwater – Pretty sure we’re not doing so well“.

CDR Salamander has “Maritime Strategy Monday: the next Pentagon?” A Pentagon under the control of a theoretical Obama Administration.

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Lloyd’s List Newsroom Blog has “Crew Crisis“.

EVEN as the shipping industry frets over the prospect of newbuilding cancellations, just how it is going to crew those that do actually get delivered remains a major question.

Lloyd’s List also has “Brokers predict more ‘zero dollars’ fixtures” as a bulk ship is chartered at no cost other than fuel and port costs.

Jotman has “World Bank – FAO report: solution to overfishing crisis“.

The Seattle Times has “The biggest fishery for Seattle-based trawler fleets is likely to face cuts next year as the pollock population declines.” Can the Bering Sea Fishery be saved?

Times of Malta has “Half of the tuna caught last year was illegal“.

The Boston Globe has “Getting lease for oil drilling is just the start“.

Inside the Atlantic Cod Fishery: “Although I graduated with a major in geology, my true passion is for oceans and environmental sustainability more than for rocks (although I still like the rocks a lot too). I am exploring this passion through a year-long adventure across the North Atlantic to study cod fish, fishing, and fisheries.” – Homepage

American Steel Cargo Containers Blog has some tips and warnings if you plan on making a survival shelter in “Ocean Containers To Bury“.

Trade and Logistics Malaysia has “FREE ON BOARD (FOB)“. Most items you buy, you obtain ownership when you pay the cashier at the store. But what happens if you are purchasing goods from a factory halfway around the world? Well, there are different stages in the trip where the transfer of ownership of goods can occur. It can be anywhere from the factory to your door and is agreed upon beforehand. FOB is one of those points.

Hellenic Shipping News has “Bankruptcy threat stalks Asian shipyards“. The country most at risk, China.

Robin Storm – In Search of Severe Weather has “Marine Debris Will Likely Worsen In The 21st Century“.

Tugster has photos of the Royal Dutch Navy sub WALRUS in New York Harbor in “Government Boats 9“.

The Pacific Northwest Coast Guard Blog (Official USCG Blog) has “An Average Buoy Tender Trip“.

Deep Water Writing looks at the US Coast Guard’s STCW 95 endorsement in “The fine print“.

THE PRIVATE ISLANDS BLOG has “New York Private Island Sold For $88M“.

Sailor Girl has a photo: “The Ships Washer in action!“.

Bills of lading has “Two balls and a diamond in between“.

SteelJaw Scribe has “Scratch Hong Kong off the Liberty Port List…“.

WebUrbanist has “12 Historic Abandoned Boats, Ships and Docks“.

The Monitor has the first Liquefied Natural Gas fueled cargo ships. They were ordered by Norway’s Sea Cargo Lines in “Norwegians get gassy“.

The Horses Mouth has a photo of something worse than a crashing stock market: “The Stock Market Blues.“

Gavin’s Blog has “What happened to the Georgian navy?“. (Found at Wired’s Danger Room Blog)

Georgian Navy Ship DIOSKURIYA

Christiaan Conover has “Training Ship Name Change“.

certainly there are jokes and such being made about naming a ship after a man who had an accident involving the water, and other jokes related to that. However, there have also been positive comments about the fact that it may help bring the school some more publicity.

It’s good to know that they are joking about it because you know everyone else is going to joke about it as well.

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Haight’s Maritime Items has:

IMO – joint approaches to Somalia piracy – The IMO issued a news release stating that Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos met with representatives of major maritime industry groups and agreed on joint approaches to the problems presented by the ongoing Somalia piracy. They called for sustained coordination between all naval forces operating in the area; clear rules of engagement; and an extension of the United Nations Security Council resolution enabling States to enter Somalia’s territorial waters and use all necessary means in order to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, consistent with relevant international law. (10/10/08). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

NOAA – speed restrictions to reduce threats to right whales – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) promulgated regulations implementing speed restrictions of no more than 10 knots applying to all vessels 65 feet (19.8 meters) or greater in overall length in certain locations and at certain times of the year along the east coast of the United States. The purpose of the regulations is to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to endangered North Atlantic right whales that result from collisions with ships. If deviation from the 10-knot speed limit is necessary, a detailed entry regarding the deviation must be made in the ship’s logbook and that entry must be signed by the master. The rules come into effect on December 9. 73 Fed. Reg. 60173 (October 10, 2008). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

Fairplay Daily News has:

Swedish shipping seen left out – SWEDEN is preparing to spend 417Bn kroner ($59Bn) on infrastructure over the next decade, but the maritime system has been largely left out, according to Berit Blomqvist, MD of the country’s shipbrokers’ association.

Shipping has always paid for investments needed to maintain and develop its infrastructure through fairway charges applied to ships in Swedish waters.

“We find it hard to see that this arrangement could change in a radical way,” Blomqvist declared in an article in Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Malmo’s daily newspaper.

The report cites only a possibility of “partial finance” from the government for the sector, she added.

Blomqvist called for an inquiry into bottlenecks that prevent sea transport not being used to a greater extent.

Investigators should also compare the use of public funding to build and maintain roads and railways against budgets for maritime infrastructure upgrades, she said. – Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

Ships seen topping out at 15,000teu – ANOTHER major step upwards in the size of box ships is unlikely despite new studies and designs for much larger ships, according to Ocean Shipping Consultants. Speaking yesterday at Informa’s Boxship conference in Hamburg, director Andrew Penfold said: “We are at the limit of what we can handle in the ports.”

A move from 6,800teu to 12,500teu still offers a 25% saving in slot costs, but a further upgrading to 20,000teu would hardly produce any more efficiencies, he revealed.

“Negative issues” associated with these ships, such as increased turnaround times in the ports, would “offset the economies of scale when at sea”, Penfold warned.

Further, a 20,000teu ship shuttling between two super-hubs in Europe and Asia would have to spend about a week in port to load and discharge, based on a call size of 26,500teu, Penfold pointed out. This would eradicate productivity gains from sheer size.

Thus, he declared: “The 15,000teu vessel will be the VLCC of the container trade.”

The only vessels of super-size now operating are Maersk Line’s E-Class ships, although the carrier itself lists the official capacity at 11,600teu.

Penfold also predicted a few tough years for box shipping because of the world economic slump, with a downturn in both charter and freight rates likely to last until 2011. – 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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