Maritime Monday 142

The following is posted by Fred Fry:

Welcome to this 142nd edition of Maritime Monday.

You can find Maritime Monday 92 here. (Published 7 January 2008)

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 are of the Tahitian cargo/passenger ship ARANUI 3:

Aranui, a 14 days adventure cruise in the French Polynesia, Marquesas islands, begins the journey from Tahiti to Fakarava, Ua Pou, Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata, Ua Huka, Rangiroa and back to Papeete. – Aranui Cruise Website

“The mixed passenger/cargo ship Aranui 3, in the Fakarava lagoon (Tuamotus). It operates between Tahiti and Marquesas Islands.” – Wikimedia

The following photos were found in the Picasa web folder of former ARANUI 3 passenger ‘Ian‘:

Cargo Operations (Source: Ian’s Picasa Album)

Approaching Ua Huka, before 180 turn (Source: Ian’s Picasa Album)

Deck Cargo (Source: Ian’s Picasa Album)

Car-Go cargo (Source: Ian’s Picasa Album)

ARANUI 3 Lifering (Source: Ian’s Picasa Album)

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This Week’s Items:

EagleSpeak has lots of details with “UN says: “Yemen Primary Supplier of Weapons to Somalia” (and to pirates, too!)“.

Also be sure to check out EagleSpeak‘s weekly series “Sunday Ship History: Zig- Zagging Convoys of World War I“

gCaptain has cool animation “Crossing The English Channel Visualized – The BBC’s Britian From Above” and the impressive feat “Enchantment of the Seas – Creating A Bigger Cruise Ship“.

Master of Towing Vessels Association Forum has more on two-watch schedule adjustments to improve rest periods in “CEMS, Let’s Talk…“

After a week it was go back to normal or risk a fatigue related incident. Kind of ironic since we were trying to alleviate increased fatigue. The fact is, after the first 2 days the back watch was so convinced they weren’t getting any rest from 1800-2300 that they barely tried. Even though they would normally get an hour or two of rest after supper, the psychological weight of the short off watch hindered their ability to just nap a bit. Still, they kept the altered schedule for the week. A bit of coaching from a credible source may have helped, I don’t know.

SAILORS, MARINERS & WARRIORS LEAGUE has “New Zealand Sailor Rescued Off Norfolk Island“.

A sailor has been rescued after wreckage from his yacht was spotted in Norfolk Island waters, two weeks after he should have arrived back home. Rewi Kemp, aged in his 60s, was plucked from a rock on Nepean Island, an small uninhabited island off Norfolk Island, after being thrown overboard as the Moonshadow smashed against the rocks.

Freaque Waves has “A terrifying moment — pictured“. That is the wrong wave to be in the way of.

Deep Water Writing has “Christmas in Germany” onboard a ship in port.

The San Francisco Chronicle has the story and video report “Dispute idles ship carrying Bay Bridge supplies“.

But American Bridge’s project director, Michael Flowers, said the ultimate responsibility for deciding who unloads the ship belongs to Caltrans. “I’m hoping that Caltrans steps up and shows some leadership,” Flowers said. “In our view, we have appropriately assigned the work. It’s construction work and not commercial cargo. We’re working with Caltrans right now to try to resolve this.

Apparently the ILWU’s decision that they should be unloading the ship (and not the Iron Workers and the Operating Engineers who are unloading other supplies for the project) is based on the location of where the ship is tied up. Surely there is a contract (and lawyers) somewhere that can sort this all out.

The Age (Australia) has Japan’s complaint against Animal Planet’s filming of Sea Shepherd’s antics in the Antarctic in “Cameras putting lives at risk: whalers“. I didn’t comment last week on the final episode of Whale Wars. That was the episode where Sea Shepherd accused the Japanese of attempting to assassinate Paul Watson with an amazingly accurate rifle shot targeting his heart, but equally amazing, he is saved by his bulletproof vest and ‘officers badge’ which stop the bullet. As far as I can tell, the whole thing was staged. If he was shot it would have been by a rifle and in that case, his bulletproof vest was probably not of the correct class to protect from rifle hits. If they did want to shoot him, they would not have done so with a pistol. You can see a video of the shooting incident here. The Japanese debunk the shooting here (Warning PDF file). Of course he could have been hit by a fragment from one of the flash grenades but the object they pulled from the vest certainly appeared to be a projectile of some sort and not a fragment. (I also doubt that a fragment would end up buried in a vest after going through a jacket.) Seems that the Japanese suck at getting out their side of the story. Their press releases are published in PDF documents and they don’t bother to upload their videos to YouTube. I uploaded their latest video here: “Dutch vessel Steve Irwin rams the Kaiko Maru“

Kennebec Captain has two must reads: “The Three Points” with regard to the correct approach to ship operations and “Officer Evaluations“.

The US Naval Institute Blog has the discussion “When MSC Masters and Naval Leaders Collide:“.

Mercopress has an update: “HMS Endurance KO; she will be towed back to Britain“.

The Royal Navy ice patrol HMS Endurance, –and familiar sight in the Falkland Islands–, currently under repairs in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile after having suffered severe damages in the engine room, should be ready to be towed back to England sometime next week, according to the local press.

The New England Business Bulletin has “Dredging boosts cargo ship traffic“.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A three-phase navigational dredging project in New Bedford Harbor has paved the way for the arrival of refrigerated cargo vessels, each of which, according to port estimates, can inject about $1 million into the city’s economy.

Kathimerini (Greece) has “Sea Diamond plan submitted” as the vessel owners look to remove the fuel from the sunken cruiseship. Others are demanding that the ship itself be removed.

Green Daily has a small step backward for Ted Kennedy in “First US Offshore Wind Farm A Little Closer to Reality“. Of course it only takes one Government agency to kill off the plan to put a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod.

Tugster is out delivering gifts to tugboat crews working on Christmas in “Operation Christmas Cheer 2008“.

Panbo has “Online AIS plotting, free sites & photo obsessions“. Lots of interesting comments.

The IMO concerns are still relevant. They have had the effect of forcing the AISLive service to require users of that service to register and to use a proper login procedure.

AIS sites without a proper login or any security are just a open invitation to wrongdoers ; it is just plain common sense.

In addition , many sites are inaccurate in decoding and displaying AIS data and we have recently seen the sad spectacle of users of such sites complaining to the Authorities about such things as ships passing on the “wrong side” of buoys etc when the ship in fact passed on the correct side of the buoy.

These users of the sites seem to have no comprehension of how much trouble and time they are causing to both the Ship’s master and officers, owners and the Authorities themselves.

In short, they are decreasing safety at sea and making life miserable for the seafarers that they are wrongly accusing.

Posted by: deckofficer

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MarineBuzz has “Dubai Water Taxis: To be Powered by Rolls Royce Kamewa Waterjets” and “Weekend Download: Free Online German Navy Calendars 2009“.

The Maritime Executive has “Many Reasons to be Thankful – and Every Reason to be Positive“.

The BBC has “Coral springs back from tsunami“.

Steeljaw Scribe has coverage of bad news for Russia’s Sub Program with “Bulava Fails Latest Test – Lessons for US?“.

Shipping Management Strategies has “Exxon charged“. This is the result of a spill in Boston Harbor back in 2006.

Lighthouse News has the “High Cost Of Auctioned Lighthouses – Part II“. I think you might be better off building your own. Previous post in the series here: “Lighthouses For Sale – The Hidden Cost“

Sea * Fever has another purchase suggestion with “Sea(cret) Santa (4 Days Left): Sexy Women of Maritime Calendar“.

Robin Storm – In Search of Severe Weather has “JPL says: FORGET LA NINA: OSCILLATION RULES AS THE PACIFIC COOLS“.

The Stupid Shall Be Punished looks at the Navy’s attempt to get sailors “Home For Christmas” from deployment.

MarineLog has posted its December issue online:

BitterEnd has video: “Dutch Keep Rising Oceans at Bay“.

Information Dissemination has “Observing the Russian Fleets Future Time and Place“. They have a number of ships operating abroad at the moment. Galrahn wonders where they might be headed?

Bob Couttie’s Maritime Accident Casebook has Indian-made counterfeits in “General Alarm – Hydrostatic Copy-Cats Can Kill“. the fakes are 100% ‘defective’.

newsdurhamregion.com (Canada) has the story and video report: “Second shipment of cocaine seized in bust led by Durham Cops“.

Another 100 kilos of cocaine was found hidden inside boxes containing food spice on board a ship that was stopped in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and destined for an Etobicoke distributor. The coke was hidden inside cardboard dividers in 139 boxes, according to a police news release.

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The Art of Dredging has “Marine diamond mining vessel “Peace in Africa”“.

Casco Bay Boaters Blog has “Coast Guard Issues Warning for Winter Kayakers“. Be careful if your temped to test out your Christmas kayak present.

Breakbulk Industry News has “Tacoma exporting cars“.

Mitsubishi will export Eclipse sports cars built at its manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., through the port to China and South Korea. The cars are moved by rail from the plant to Tacoma’s Marshall Avenue Auto Facility and then loaded onto Wallenius Wilhelmsen auto carriers.

The Horse’s Mouth has incredible video of a “Stampede Of The Dolphins.“.

intheboatshed.net has “Apple Pie – a project for the mid-winter break?” Need a simple dingy? How about building one? Does not look difficult at all.

CDR Salamander remembers the “first Battle of Narvik” for his series Fullbore Friday.

Hellenic Shipping News has “Climate change opens northeast route to foreign ships – Ivanov“.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday that he is concerned that global warming is opening up the Northern Sea Route for the uncontrolled movement of foreign ships, RIA Novosti reports.

Pilot/Photographer OneEighteen has the photo and explanation: “Pilot Training“.

The ship is built to scale and powered to handle like a real ship. The motor of the 23 ton model you see is a little over half a horsepower (as in 0.50 hp).

Training on these models is the best shiphandling training in the world. A lot of people think computer simulators are the way to go, but there is absolutely no comparison.

Go read the rest. The photo is of the training center located in Poland.

Terra Daily has “Canal would link Dead Sea to Red Sea“.

The plan calls for a 110-mile long canal to channel several million tons of seawater into the Dead Sea each day, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Just what is needed to fight the global rise in ocean levels due to global warming, if that is what is going to happen.

The TRITON-Megayacht News has “Even crystal ball won’t show future for disparate captains” as the yacht industry also faces a slowdown, leaving crews in search of work and as some turn to commercial shipping. (Found via Professional Mariner)

Hare hopes to follow a fast track that will raise his USCG license to a 6,000 ton endorsement. Though currently on a vessel of 1,860 grt, he said he’s expecting to be on a 5,500 grt vessel next tour. After 180 days on that ship, he will have the bigger tonnage endorsement as well as the Third Mate Unlimited endorsement, putting him on the unlimited ladder.

Lloyd’s List Newsroom Blog has “Bulging waste lines“.

IT IS a sign of the times that one of the recent boom trades for container shipping has been the movement of waste from one part of the world to another.

Lloyd’s List has “Samsung Heavy Industries seeks to cap Hebei spill liability“.

In documents lodged with the Seoul central district court on Monday, Samsung said: “Though a Samsung Heavy barge and the Hebei Spirit oil tanker were both at fault for the collision, it was the oil tanker that caused the most damage, which could have ended with a small-scale oil leak, but grew to become the worst oil spill in the nation’s history.”

Makes you wonder if they apply the same ‘ethics’ to the products they make. They are looking to cap their liability to the limit of the insurance policy they have for the crane.

Trade and Logistics Malaysia has “Freight market bottoms out“.

Never Sea Land has a photo of fast sailing vessel l’HYDROPTE’RE wrecked and upside down in “I don’t like Mondays“. Water is very hard at speed.

Ice News has “Norway lowers 2009 whale quota“.

Shipping Times has “Felixstowe South Piles Ahead – mv ARKLOW RAINBOW delivers first shipment…“

YouTube has “Aral Sea – Kazakhstan“.

For decades, the Aral Sea has been described as dying and beyond salvation. But now, the water is flowing back, bringing economic revival and hope for the future. (June 2007)

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Haight’s Maritime Items has:

USCG – members sought for Area Maritime Security Committees – The US Coast Guard requests individuals interested in serving on an Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) in any Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone, nationwide, to submit their applications for membership to their local COTP. Applications should reach the COTP by January 21, 2009. 73 Fed. Reg. 79136 (Note: PDF) (December 24, 2008). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

USN – force protection for fleet oiler – The US Navy issued a news release stating that sailors from a Mobile Security Squadron are providing force protection to a civilian-operated fleet replenishment oiler while that ship operates in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somalia coast. The squadron’s mission is to provide maritime security and deter piracy attempts. (12/23/08). – Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

Fairplay Daily News has:

Faina kin attack US group – FAMILIES of the ro-ro Faina’s crew have urged the US government to prevent Michele Lynn Ballarin, who runs the Virginia company Select Armor, from talking with pirates holding the seafarers.

SA produces body armour and claims ties with US intelligence. It has gained the trust of Somalians who have held the Ukrainian vessel since 25 September, said the families, who accuse Ballarin of spoiling a deal to gain release of ship and crew. [Note: It is my understanding that it is illegal for US Citizens to perform such a ‘service’, at least not without explicit permission to do so.]

The US citizen has replied that her motive is simply to end the piracy terrorizing vessels off Somalia. The crew are mainly Ukrainians.

In a letter to Washington, the relatives wrote: “She [Ballarin] has assured the pirates that they can achieve a much higher ransom if they talk directly with her and persuaded them to reject the agreement already reached [with the Ukrainian government] and begin to renegotiate.

“This will mean that the situation of the crew will remain as it is indefinitely, and the shipowner will be no position to pay the amount demanded,” they added.

Kiev earlier announced that its talks with the pirates had concluded with deal for a release, to take place before the end of the year.

Meanwhile,Indian coastguards detained the Pakistani fishing vessel Al-Janab yesterday off the Gujarat coast and arrested eight Pakistani citizens, who were taken to Bhuj for further interrogation. – Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

Gwadar yard plan scuppered – DAEWOO of South Korea has scuppered Pakistan’s plans to build a shipbuilding and repair unit at Gwadar.

A scarcity of natural gas was highlighted in a Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering feasibility study that was released yesterday.

“The project proposal was put into cold storage after the Korean firm declared it unfeasible,” a senior Pakistani planning official told Fairplay.

The rejected proposal had backing from former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and had been intended to make Pakistan a shipbuilding nation.

Daewoo’s panel determined that such projects were more lucrative and cost effective for Gulf countries with abundant gas resources.

Also, Pakistan’s Karachi Shipbuilding & Engineering, which focuses on military projects, has limited repair work capabilities, it noted. – 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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