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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

Number 187 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** 21-08-2007(1) News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites.

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The GREEN CHAPECO seen departing from Amsterdam - Photo : Willem Koper ©

The first few editions of the newsclippings will be an overview of the news in the shipping industry over the last few weeks, so it can appear that some articles are a little “older” news, but I am just catching up the news

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The VAASABORG seen enroute Rotterdam Photo : Frits Janse ©

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Ship captain arrested over bridge collapse in S China A captain of a cargo vessel has been arrested in connection with a bridge collapse in south China's Guangdong Province, which left eight people dead and one still missing, the local procuratorate said on Friday. Four vehicles carrying seven people and two road workers plunged into the Xijiang river in Guangdong in the early morning of June 15 when, in heavy fog, a cargo vessel "Nanguiji 035" traveling along the river ploughed into a section of the 1,600-meter-long Jiujiang bridge that spans the river, causing part of it to collapse.

Investigations have shown that Shi Guide, 43, captain of "Nanguiji 035", was responsible for the accident, said a spokesman with the People's Procuratorate of the Zhuhai District in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong. Shi took a risk in continuing to navigate the vessel despite heavy fog and even did so after he found the vessel had deviated from the main channel following a collision with a navigation mark, which eventually led to the collision with the bridge on the Xijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, near Jiujiang in Foshan, the spokesman said. Shi, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a neighboring province of Guangdong, was arrested on charges of causing the traffic accident which led to multiple deaths, he said.

Shi obtained his ship license in 1998 and qualified as captain in 2003. He has been navigating the "Nanguiji 035" since 2005. The salvage workers have so far recovered eight of the nine known victims who went missing after the collapse. Investigators have said the collapse had nothing to do with the quality of the construction of the bridge which opened to traffic in 1988.

Cruise giant Carnival wins rights to qe2.com site Carnival, the world's largest cruise operator, won exclusive rights to 'qe2.com' after the firm that registered the Internet site was found to have no link to its most famous ocean liner.

Prime Choice, a web design and site hosting company based in the US state of Virginia, did not contest the complaint filed against it at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a United Nations agency in Geneva.

A WIPO panel agreed with Carnival's claim that Prime Choice 'lacks rights or legitimate interests in respect to the domain name' which it registered in August 2000 but did not develop. Its ruling found it 'highly unlikely' that the US company was unfamiliar with the QE2 trademark, which is an abbreviation of the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner launched by Carnival's Cunard Line in 1969.

'It is difficult to conceive of any plausible actual or contemplated actual use of the domain name by the respondent (Prime Choice) that would not be illegitimate or an infringement of the complainant's trademark rights,' it said. WIPO has handled some 10,500 such cases of 'cybersquatting', where outsiders register domain names to which they have no genuine claim in order to divert browsers to their own sites or to sell the rights to the site to interested parties. Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 3 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

IMEC FOCUSES ON TRAINING TO COUNTER OFFICER SHORTAGE THE London-based International Maritime Employers Committee (IMEC) is set to greatly increase its involvement in training following a survey among its members, who operate open-registry ships under International Transport Workers' Federation agreements. The “mini survey” was conducted by a working group which held three meetings: in Cyprus, London and Manila. The group reviewed of the scale of the officer shortage and found that the shortage is “acute and escalating”. It estimates that low retention rates meant IMEC members would have to recruit about 10% of its officers from other companies.

After reviewing of recruitment and training initiatives in most of the major labour supply countries the working group decided that the problems were not simply a matter of numbers. Rather, in some countries the problem was more a matter of fundamental weaknesses in the tertiary education system and in the quality of available maritime training.”

Among countries with particular problems the Philippines is taking an annual intake of about 18,000 cadets into its training colleges but only about 4,000 become officers. Of the rest some get STCW qualifications but can't initially get officer jobs and so go to sea as ratings. After a short time they are no longer capable of serving as officers without refresher training. Others complete their college training but cannot get berths as cadets and therefore cannot get the sea time they need for STCW certificates. They also go to sea as ratings.

Among a number of recommendations the working group says enhanced/upgraded cadet training should be provided in the Philippines through a dedicated IMEC training course to overcome fundamental problems with the existing quality of training. According to the working group this could form part of an existing scheme, such as that run by the Norwegian Shipowners Association, or as a standalone IMEC course. The financial support could be provided by the International Maritime Training Trust. Some of the funding for new training projects will be met by using unspent welfare fund money while the need to allocate more money to training is also an element of current negotiations at the International Maritime Forum.

Tackling Piracy in Somali Waters: Rising attacks impede delivery of humanitarian assistance

By Sana Aftab Khan Frequent pirate attacks in Somalia have been threatening commercial shipping and fishing and impeding the delivery of humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Somalis. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) jointly issued an appeal in July 2007 for action to halt piracy off the coast of the country. Both UN agencies have been pushing the UN Security Council to ask the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to help tackle the problem.

Delivery of supplies by sea has been a logistical and security challenge since the collapse of the last national government in 1991 due to the rise in the frequency of pirate attacks. This has resulted in higher shipping costs and a significant reduction in the number of cargo vessels in the water. WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran stated that close to 80 per cent of its assistance to Somalia is shipped by sea, "but because of piracy we have seen the availability of ships willing to carry food to the country cut by half". There were 15 attacks on ships in or near Somali waters from January to July 2007-two of these on WFP-contracted vessels, wherein a security guard was killed-compared to 10 such attacks in 2006. WFP hoped to deliver food assistance for 1 million people in Somalia, as already high levels of malnutrition had worsened with predicted crop failures. Ms. Sheeran also stated: "Pirates may have a romantic image on the silver screen these days, but the picture might not be quite so pretty from the point of view of someone stuck in a camp for internally displaced people in Somalia, dependent on food assistance for survival."

In a presidential statement in March 2006, the Security Council responded to reports of piracy, encouraging UN Member States with naval vessels and military aircraft operating in international waters and airspace adjacent to the Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 4 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

coast of Somalia to be vigilant against pirate attacks and to take action to protect merchant shipping, especially vessels transporting humanitarian aid. Due to rising attacks in 2007, IMO undertook a number of steps, including intensifying its coordination with WFP and the navies operating in the Western Indian Ocean region, to bolster assistance to merchant ships. IMO suggested that the Council could act beyond its presidential statement and request Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to give consent to ships to enter the country's territorial waters when engaging in operations against pirates or suspected pirates and armed robbers.

IMO Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos requested UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to raise the issue of Somali piracy to the Security Council so that it could ask the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to address the problem. In conjunction with other multi-faceted initiatives taken by IMO to address the issue effectively, "this latest high-level approach to the Security Council, through Mr. Ban, will, I believe, help considerably in alleviating the situation, especially if support and assistance to ships is enhanced", he stated.

Ms. Sheeran said that much more needs to be done to address the problem of piracy, adding that WFP has been much encouraged by the IMO actions and was "grateful for the continuing presence in the seas off Somalia of naval forces from several nations". However, WFP "would like to see a more coordinated and robust approach to dealing with the problem of piracy from the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, from neighbouring countries that have influence and from the African Union", Ms. Sheeran emphasized. All those addressing the problem, including WFP, "need to explore how these resources can be brought more heavily into play to protect shipping and thereby the delivery by sea of life-saving humanitarian assistance." Somalia has suffered ongoing crises of drought, floods, wars and instability for many years. Conditions for Somalis and refugees and internally displaced persons in the region have been being worsened by current rising inflation rates, predictions of major crop failures and rising violence. These already dire circumstances make dealing with piracy in Somali waters even more crucial.

Jork master breathalysed, charged and released on bail after sinking The Polish master of the 95 metre 3,169 DWT general cargo vessel, Jork, which sank Sunday August 5th, after striking the unmanned platform Viking Echo 40 miles north east of Cromer, has been charged under Section 78 of the Railway and Transport Safety Act of 2004.

Section 78 applies to a professional seaman in a ship at a time when he is not on duty, but in the event of an emergency he would, or might, be required by the nature or terms of his engagement or employment to take action. A person to whom this section applies commits an offence if his ability to take the required action is impaired because of drink or drugs. Where a person is charged with an offence under this section in respect of the effect of a drug on his ability to take action it is a defence for him to show that he took the drug for a medicinal purpose on, and in accordance with, medical advice, or he took the drug for a medicinal purpose and had no reason to believe that it would impair his ability to take the action.

After being charged the master of the Jork was released on bail and appeared before Great Yarmouth Court Monday August 6th. The Jork has sunk in 27 metres of water, clear of any oil pipelines. There is little risk of pollution as she was powered by diesel engines and thus any fuel spilt will disperse quickly.

Russian polar submarine TV footage faked Video footage shown by Russian state-controlled TV channel Rossiya of the Russian submarines (MIR 1 and 2) planting a flag on the sea bed at the North pole were faked, and included shots from the James Cameron film Titanic, according to a Finnish newspaper. The inclusion of the scam video footage was spotted by a 13-year-old Finnish boy, Waltteri Seretin, who compared Reuters' pictures with his own DVD version of the Titanic film. He alerted the Finnish tabloid paper Ilta-Sanomat. Screen grabs form the Rossiya footage were shown on web sites and newspapers around the world.

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The two MIR submarines used in the Russian expedition were designed in Russia but actually made in Finland, and were indeed used in the Titanic film. However The Guardian reports that the shots used by Rossiya were in fact models shot in the studio. The Russian channel broadcast the pictures before the pole was reached and claimed it was using it in the same spirit as library footage. However Reuters gave the impression that it was actual footage of the expedition. Reuters published an apology, but only admitting that the pictures was from the Atlantic not the Arctic, and not admitting that footage showed a studio model.

CASUALTY REPORTING

Tel: +31 115 645000 - www.multraship.com Italian research ship sinks, all passengers safe A research ship operated by Italy's National Research Council (CNR) sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday August 3rd after colliding with a merchant vessel amid heavy fog, officials said. Eleven people initially given as missing were eventually rescued by Italy's coast guards, assisted in their search by air force units.

The accident took place about four miles off the coast of Sicily. Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi left a cabinet meeting in Rome to follow developments and questioned why the ships' radars had not helped the crew avoid the collision. The research ship, the Thetis, is 31.5 metres long and carries out research into fisheries, environment and physical oceanography on behalf of CNR.

COLLISION BETWEEN WAN HAI 3007 AND THE ALPHA ACTION OFF TOKYO

Seen the extensive damage to the WAN HAI 307 and the ALPHA ACTION which collided with each other as mentioned in the newsclippings yesterday off Tokyo. Photo : via John van der Doe / Dieter Henken

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Russian firefighters contain blaze on Turkish cargo ship near Sochi Russian firefighters contained a blaze aboard at a Turkish cargo ship Saturday August 4th outside the Black Sea port of Sochi as officials tried to decide what to do with the badly listing ship. The ship, identified as the Boztepe, was sailing from the Turkish port of Trabzon under a Sierra Leonean flag carrying automobiles and fruit when it caught fire about 1 kilometer (half a mile) from shore Friday.

After the ship began listing, workers were forced to tow it away from shore to keep it from blocking access to the port. All 21 crew members and 10 passengers, all Turkish citizens, were safely evacuated.

Russian TV on Saturday August 4th showed fireboats trying to douse the smoking and charred ship with water and officials said later the fire had been contained, though parts of the ship, including the engine room, were still burning.

Russian news agencies reported that the ship's owners have asked for the boat to be towed back to Turkey. Ekho Moskvy radio said the blaze may have been sparked in one of the half-dozen or so sport utility vehicles onboard. Sochi, a popular Russian vacation spot, last month won the right to host the 2014 Winter Games.

Crew rescued as boat hits rocks A crew has been winched to safety by helicopter after a boat hit rocks off the coast of Anglesey. All six crew were safe after abandoning the 105-tonne Smit Cymyran off Skerries Rocks, said Holyhead Coastguard. Initially, the crew were lifted off the survey and training vessel onto rocks before being airlifted to a coastguard station. By early afternoon the vessel was still being brought to shore at Borthwen beach near Holyhead.

During the rescue a lifeboat was close by to monitor for pollution as the area is important for seabirds and there is a seal colony. Despite filling up rapidly with water, the 90ft vessel was refloated on the rising tide. It is believed only one compartment was breached, and salvage pumps were airlifted from RAF Valley to try to pump out the water. Jim Paton, area watch manager for Holyhead Coastguard, said they received an emergency call from the Smit Cymyran around 1050 BST.

The incident happened seven miles east of Skerries Lighthouse and two miles from Carmel Head. The crew said they were abandoning her after she had struck the rocks. An all-weather lifeboat and a rescue helicopter from RAF Valley on Anglesey, were immediately sent to the Skerries, about two miles off Carmel Head and the scene of many shipwrecks in the past. The boat is believed to have struck the East Platters, east of the Skerries. Mr Paton said the crew had been in "extreme danger" "The Skerries is a notorious area for shipwrecks and they were very fortunate." "The vessel was flooding rapidly and had developed a list of 30 degrees and was taking on a lot of water," he said. Mr Paton said they believed the oil tanks on the vessel had not been damaged, but a pollution team from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was monitoring the situation. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has The boat was being used to collect RAF personnel who were taking part in a routine training exercise in which they are dropped into the sea from a Sea King helicopter.

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U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Provides Aid and Medical Attention in Peru As part of a project begun by the U.S. government, from August 7 - 12, an American medical mission, aboard the USNS navy hospital ship Comfort, will provide medical attention and humanitarian aid to thousands of Peruvians in la Libertad, Peru. U.S. Embassy, Chief, Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG)--Col. Jeffrey Fargo announced the new mission's commencement and pointed out that it would be the second of its kind. The first mission made its way to Peru's coast in the 80's.

"This mission is part of a series of annual humanitarian aid missions the U.S. Southern Command and Peru's Ministry of Defense are taking part in. Our medical staff and military engineers are enthusiastic about helping the country's neediest people," said Fargo.

José Antonio Bellina, a director for Peru's Ministry of Defense, recognized the tremendous aid the Southern Command has given and noted that not long ago they also took part in a very successful mission to Lambayeque, Peru.

Medical attention will be provided at several different stations on land and in the open sea on the ship itself. The ship is to be anchored 5km from mainland due to its size and weight.

TECHNICAL DETAILS USNS COMFORT D: 24,752 tons light (69,360 fl) S: 17.5 kts (16.5 sust.) Dim: 272.49 (260.61 pp) × 32.23 × 9.98 Radar: 1 . . . nav.; 1 Norden SPS-67 surf. search TACAN: URN-25 M: 2 sets G.E. geared steam turbines; 1 prop; 24,500 shp Boilers: 2 . . . Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 8 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

Electric: 9,250 kw tot. (3 × 2,000-kw diesel, 1 × 1,500-kw diesel, 1 × 1,000-kw turboalternator, 1 × 750-kw emergency diesel set) - Range: 13,420/17.5 Fuel: 5,445 tons

When the COMFORT is active, onboard are 68 MSC Civil Service mariners + 1,508 Navy staff which can handle upto 1,000 patients , the 54,367 grt/45,480 dwt vessel is an converted Apex Marine’s San Clemente-class commercial tanker named originally ROSE CITY, the tanker was converted into a hospital ship , T-AH 20’s conversion was ordered 16-12-1983 with FY 84 funds. T-AH 20 COMFORT is based at Baltimore, Maryland and is normally maintained on five- day steaming notice with onboard 12 MSC caretaker crew + Navy Medical Treatment Facility staff: 6 officers, 39 enlisted.

During the conversion the entire amidships area was altered to provide a large helicopter deck, accommodations, and boat stowage. Have 12 operating rooms, 4 X-ray rooms, an 80-bed intensive-care unit, a burn-care facility, a 50-bed reception/triage area, and 1,000 ward beds. Of the 1,508 accommodations for naval personnel, there are 259 for officers, 31 for chief petty officers, and 530 for enlisted, augmented in emergencies by 372 naval medical support personnel; also aboard would be 14 communications specialists. Freshwater tankage for 1,525 tons is carried, plus two 278-ton/day distilling plants. Much of the displacement is sea-water ballast, some of which can be discharged to allow the ships to enter shallow ports and harbours. There are two 7,000 ton/hour ballast pumps.

Change of command for navy task force PAKISTANI Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Saddique relieved French Rear Admiral Alain Hinden as Commander of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 during a change of command ceremony aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain. CTF 150, which conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, comprises warships from numerous Coalition nations, including France, Germany, Pakistan, UK and the US.

MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment and complement the counter- terrorism and security efforts in regional nations' littoral waters.

Coalition forces also conduct MSO under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that commercial shipping and fishing can occur safely in the region.

Left : The TIPPU SULTAN ( ex British type 21 frigate ACTIVE) Photo : M.Shahid ©

The handover ceremony successfully concluded the French navy's fourth command and marked the second time the Pakistan navy takes the helm of CTF 150, the first time being from April 24 to August 22 last year.

Present at the ceremony were French Ambassador Malika Berak, Pakistani Ambassador Iftikhar Kazmi and US Ambassador William Monroe among other officials. "As I stand here today, I feel elated and proud," said Commodore Saddique on assuming command of CTF 150.

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"Together with the Coalition, we hope to achieve our common objective of peace through commitment, hard work and professional excellence." A lunch reception for senior naval officers of Pakistani naval ship PNS Tipu Sultan was also held to mark the occasion at Mr Kazmi's residence, followed by a dinner reception on board the ship.

TECHNICAL DETAILS TIPPU SULTAN D: 3,210 tons (3,710 fl) S: 30 kts Dim: 117.04 (109.70 pp) × 12.7 × 4.8 (6.4 over sonar) A: 1 6-round LY-60N SAM syst.; 1 114-mm 55-cal. Vickers Mk 8 DP; 1 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx gatling CIWS, 2 single 20-mm 85-cal. Oerlikon AA , 1 Lynx helicopter Radar: 1 Kelvin-Hughes Type 1006 nav.; 1 Thales DA-08 surf./air search, 1 LL-1 f.c. (with laser and IR sensors) Sonar: Graseby Type 184P hull-mounted search; Kelvin-Hughes Type 162M bottomed-target classification (50 kHz); Type 185 underwater telephone EW: Thales DR-3000S1X intercept; FH-12 HFD/F; 2 8-round Corvus decoy RL, 4 4-round decoy RL, Type 182 towed acoustic torpedo decoy E/O: 1 Matra Défense Najir Mk 2 optronic f.c. M: COGOG: 2 Olympus TM-3B gas turbines (25,000 shp each), 2 Tyne RM-1A gas turbines (4,250 shp each); 2 CP props; 50,000 shp max. Electric: 3,000 kw tot. (4 × 750-kw diesel sets; 450 V, 3-phase, 60-Hz a.c.) Range: 1,200/30; 4,500/17 Endurance: 60 days Crew: 13 officers, 164 enlisted

The TIPPU SULTAN D 185 was built as the HMS ACTIVE (F 171) for the Royal Navy during 1976, Designed jointly by Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow under a 27-2-1968 contract, the frigate was commissioned into the Royal Navy as per June 17th, 1977, after being decommissioned from the Royal navy she was sold/transferred to Pakistan July 29th, 1994 and renamed TIPPU SULTAN the frigate left Devonport December 19th 1994 bound for Karachi, during 2001 it was announced that the UK Amazon class (Type 21) frigates would be retired by 2010, All are assigned to Destroyer Squadron 25.

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The MSC LISA seen in drydock in Hong Kong Photo : Piet Sinke ©

200,000 dwt bulk carrier delivered from Universal Shipbuilding Another bulk carrier for Fair Wind Navigation

Universal Shipbuilding Corporation of Japan 31st July delivered a new bulk carrier to Fair Wind Navigation S.A.

The 101,933 grt bulker is one of many vessels built by Universal for Fair Wind over recent years. The Panamanian registered vessel is just under 300 metres long and has a deadweight of 203,137 tons.Her MAN deisels give her a 14.7 knots speed. She was christened CAPE UNITED. Universal Shipbuilding was formed in 2002 with the amalgamation of NKK Corporation and Hitachi Zosen Corporation

KEPPEL NANTONG OPENS SINGAPORE-based Keppel Offshore & Marine has officially opened its new wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Nantong Shipyard in Nantong, Jiangsu province, China. An inauguration ceremony this week also the keel laying of two Anchor Handling Tug/Supply (AHTS) vessels for UAE- based Whitesea Shipping & Supply LLC (WSS), company based in United Arab Emirates and a harbour tugboat for Singapore-based Keppel Smit Towage Pte Ltd (KST).

These vessels are among the 18 offshore support vessels and tugboats that Keppel Nantong is currently building for a broad spectrum of worldwide clientele. The yard has a capacity to build up to 25 such vessels on its 16-hectare site. Mr Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman and CEO of Keppel O&M, said, “The addition of this Nantong facility has increased Keppel’s newbuilding capacity in meeting the growing demand for specialised vessels to serve the offshore field development market and growth in Liquefied Natural Gas terminals and maritime ports. China is attractive as a cost efficient and competitive shipbuilding centre. We intend to increase our investment in Nantong and optimise Keppel Nantong’s facilities to take on more and higher value projects.”

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The new AHTS JANUS under construction for Harms Bergung seen fitting out in Cuxhaven. Photo : Jan de Bokx ©

Repeat order for Bharati India's Bharati Shipyard Ltd has secured a US$44.03 million order from UP Offshore (Bahamas) Ltd for two unspecified PSVs. UP Offshore (Bahamas) Ltd is part of Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited.

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The “museum” salvage vessel BRUINVISCH visited the slip at the De Haas Shipyard in Maassluis for maintenance Photo : Jan Steehouwer ©

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES

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TOTAL VESSEL MANAGEMENT K.P. van der Mandelelaan 34 - 3062 MB Rotterdam (Brainpark) - The Netherlands Telephone : (31) 10 - 453 03 77 Fax : (31) 10 - 453 05 24 E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.workships.nl Tordis on its way The Tordis subsea production facility left the Grenland Group's Tønsberg yard, eastern Norway, on Friday 3 August. Next week, it will meet the crane vessel which will install the facility on the seabed at the North Sea's Tordis field.

At the crack of dawn, Tordis left the yard's quayside aboard a barge for Stavanger, the beginning of an exciting journey to the field. Once there, Tordis will write a new chapter in Norwegian subsea technology. It is the world's first subsea installation to separate water and sand from oil wells and pump them directly into the bedrock, avoiding the energy-intensive route via a surface platform. This makes it possible to recover an extra 35 million barrels of oil.

"Tordis' journey marks the beginning of an intensive period of activity at sea," says Hans Kristiansen, project manager for Tordis. "Once installed on the seabed, it will be tied back to the Gullfaks C platform with pipelines and control cables. When everything is tested and ready, we'll turn the start key for the world's first subsea separator."

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Tordis is also the world's heaviest subsea template, requiring assistance from an offshore lifting leviathan, Saipem 7000, the biggest crane vessel in the world with enough muscle to lower Tordis safely to the seabed. Tordis will meet Saipem 7000 in Stavanger next week should the weather prove favourable. There, it will be removed from the barge to the deck of Saipem 7000 which will then transport the subsea production facility to the field for installation at the end of next week.

Plans call for Tordis to come on stream in the autumn of 2007.

The PACIFIC TITAN – photo : Willem Kappert © Maersk India move to put India on banana trade map Maersk India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of the Copenhagen-based global container giant, has initiated moves to put India on the world banana trade map. The steps being undertaken include facilitating research in banana production, harvesting, warehousing and packaging and providing end-to-end logistics support, in addition to arranging for training to local exporters in cold chain management and marketing support in foreign countries, according to Maersk India sources.

India produces about 23 per cent of the world’s production of 48.9 million tonnes of bananas but is hardly present in the global banana trade of about 14 mt, worth about $4.7 billion. This is because, as Maersk India has noted, in India there is a lack of awareness about the market, poor post harvest management and inadequate supply chain. Ecuador, a much smaller country, on the other hand, accounts for 30 per cent of the world banana trade. Maersk’s refrigerated container initiative, that started six months ago, helped banana exporters in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu undertake trial shipments to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Smit Europe handed over By : Hans van der Ster Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 14 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

On July 26th, 2007 the Smit Europe (9396220) was handed over to her owners “Smit Internationale Sleepbootmaatschappij “SMIT Salvor” BV, by the builder Bogazici Shipping in Istanbul.. The Cintranaval-Defcar designed tug has been build under Turkish flag as “Bogazici 1” by the Genel Tasarim A.S. yard in Tuzla under yard number 006. Direct after the handing over she was renamed “SMIT Europe” and brought under the Bahama flag with call sign “C6WI9”. The tug is planned to sail on the 1st of August bound for Rotterdam.

The tug is built under Bureau Veritas Classification with notations of Escorting, Towing, Anchor Handling, Supply, Salvage, Firefighting 1, Oil recovering & Anti-oil pollution unrestricted area. The main dimension length over all 32.50 meter, beam overall 11.70 meters and depth 5.60 meters with an average draft of 4.30 meters. The tug has a gross tonnage of 451 metric tons. The power comes from a pair of box cooled Caterpillar 3516B High Displacement C-rating engines, each of them delivering 2000 kW (2720 hp) at 1600 rpm to a pair of Schottel rudder propellers SRP 1515 CP. This will give the tug a bollard pull of 68 tons ahead, 65 tons astern and a speed of 13.5 knots. A Schottel bow thruster STT 110T-LK gives the tug an excellent maneuverability.

Three Volvo Penta D 7A TA generator sets produce 130 kW each at 1,500 rpm. The spacious engine room has an air conditioned control room with the most modern electronic power management system and an advanced monitoring system. The engine room is further equipped with a Facet 15ppm oily water separator and a Facet Sewage treatment installation to meet the latest IMO regulations. An Alfa-Laval fuel separator circulates the fuel in the daily service tanks to supply the engines with the highest possible clean fuel. The large fuel bunker capacity and fresh water quantity gives the tug the possibility for long distance towing. In the oil recovery room are two tanks, installed with heating coils, available for oil recovery. With a pair of water/foam monitors, a deluge curtain system, and the ability to work a fire round the clock, the SMIT Europe meets FiFi 1 classification standards. The two electrically powered FFS monitors can be controlled from the pilothouse or at the monitors. A pair of, main engine driven, Kumera FVIC 260 75F pumps supplies the water. Further in the engine room there is an oil dispersant pump connected to the two spraybooms on the fore deck. The tug has a small workshop with bench and vertical drilling machine to carry out small repairs for own or for salvage purposes. Two electric driven 6 inch salvage pumps are located on the main deck.

The tug has 130 ton brake load hydraulic double drums towing winches. The DTW-45 winch has a drum capacity of 800 meters towing wire of 52 mm circumference and a drum capacity of 400 meters anchor handling wire of 52 mm Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 15 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

circumference. A reel winder on the upper deck carried an extra 400 meters wire 52 mm circumference. Further, the tug is equipped with on the forecastle deck a hydraulic 200 ton brake load DMT ATW H900Kn fore towing and combined anchor windlass for escort duties and anchoring. On the aft deck a DZR 24 chain stopper is situated with 41 tons holding force. Mounted on the towing bit there is a DTH 65 towing hook with a standard working load of 65 tons. A stern roller 1000 mm x 3000 mm and 130 SWL are fitted in tugs poop. On the aft deck with strength capacity 5 tons/sqm are container fixtures to transport 3pcs 20ft ISO containers. A 15 tons/m lifting capacity deck crane completes the tugs deck equipment. On the boat deck is a rescue boat with a launching crane. The accommodation has heated and air-conditioned 4 single, 1 double and 1 four person crew cabins. The captains and chief engineer’s cabins have a separated bathroom with toilet, shower and water basin. Further has the accommodation a mess room, galley, provision room, store room and linen room. On the main deck are two containerized bathrooms with shower, toilet and water basin. The modern toilets are fitted with an electric solenoid flushing device. The mess room has a sofa which is dressed up with soft leather. The dining table and the cupboards are made from handmade wood. The bridge is equipped with extensive nautical equipment and consist one Sailor GMDSS, one Sailor Inmarsat-C, one Sailor Inmarsat-Mini-M, two VHF/DSC sets, two Sperry Marine Master Radars, one Sperry Marine AIS, one Sperry Marine GPS, a Sperry Marine Satellite and Magnetic Compass, a Sperry Marine Autopilot, a Sperry Marine Echo Sounder, a Sperry Marine Speed Log, a Seiwa Chart Plotter and a Sailor Navtex.

The beautiful good looking tug will be operated in the Rotterdam – Europoort under the SMIT Harbour Towage division and managed by SMIT Vessel Management Services B.V.

Four-fold rise likely in China LNG imports China, the world's second-biggest energy user, may increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Australia four- fold this year as power plants use gas to generate electricity to cut pollution, an official said. Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 16 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

Guangdong Dapeng LNG Co, China's only LNG import terminal, may import 2.6 million tonnes of the fuel this year, compared with 687,533 tonnes in 2006, said an official from the plant. China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and BP plc own the terminal.

The US$900 million Guangdong Dapeng import facility gets most of its LNG from Australia's North West Shelf project, which has a contract to supply China an average of 3.3 million tonnes a year. China plans to build as many as six LNG terminals in the next three years to meet a target of expanding the share of energy produced from gas to 5.3per cent by 2010 from 3per cent now. 'The volume will ramp up over an agreed period before reaching the 3.3 million tonne-a- year plateau in around 2010,' Hannah Fitzhardinge, a spokeswoman for Woodside Petroleum Ltd, operator of North West Shelf, said in an e-mailed statement on July23. China's LNG imports rose 45 per cent over the whole of 2006 to 1.02 million tonnes in the first six months of this year. In May and June, the nation supplemented shipments from Australia under a 25-year contract with spot purchases, paying twice the cost for a cargo from Oman, according to data from the Beijing-based Customs General Administration of China.

The country paid US$8.30 per million British thermal units (mBtu) for the Oman cargo, compared with the US$164 a tonne, or US$3.15 per mBtu, for the Australian supplies. Guangdong Dapeng has room to process one spot cargo a month in addition to supplies from Australia. China's appetite for spot purchases will depend on the price, said Andy Flower, a UK-based LNG consultant and a former executive at BP's LNG business.

The world's fastest-growing major economy has to compete for spot cargoes with Japan and South Korea, which paid as much as US$10 per mBtu for imports earlier this year, according to the countries' Customs data. Guangdong Dapeng may have to turn to the spot market for additional supplies in the second half of the year after the company started a 1,050-megawatt power plant last week, the official said.

China's second LNG import terminal in Fujian province will be ready by the end of next year to receive the first cargo from Indonesia, China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Ltd general manager Yan Weiping said in March. China National Offshore has a 25-year contract to buy LNG from the Tangguh project, a venture led by BP. CNOOC has a 17 per cent stake in the project.

Smit Reports Growth In the first half of 2007 the Division won two major long-term contracts. A 25-year contract will be carried out in a joint venture involving the provision of 4 tugs for an LNG terminal in Italy. This contract will start contributing in the second half of 2008. In addition, a long-term contract was acquired in Angola. This contract will start contributing towards the end of 2007. Part of the activities in Gabon, which were carried out with an (aged) river fleet, were divested. The sale of these activities generated one-time income of EUR 1.4 million after deducting reorganisation costs. Against this, the result of the Terminals Division includes a one-time expense of approximately EUR 1.0 million in relation to employee benefits in Nigeria. A new contract was started in Equatorial Guinea. This concerns the deployment of two tugs for an LNG terminal. The growth target for the net profit is 50% over a 5-year period (starting in 2003).

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MOVEMENTS

Paragon Takes Delivery of Two Vessels Paragon Shipping Inc. it has completed the acquisition of two of the three drybulk carriers that it contracted to acquire using the net proceeds of its recent public offering together with bank borrowings. The third vessel remains scheduled for delivery before September 15, 2007. With the addition of these two vessels, the Company's fleet consists of four Panamax drybulk carriers, three Handymax drybulk carriers and one Supramax drybulk carrier, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 482,922 deadweight tons. The company took delivery on August 13, 2007 of the Sapphire

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Seas, a 53,702 dwt 2005-built Supramax vessel. The Sapphire Seas has been chartered to Korea Line Corp. pursuant to a time charter with a remaining period of approximately 33 to 35 months at the charterer's option, at an initial rate of $30,750 per day, gross of commissions, which commenced immediately upon the delivery of the vessel to the Company. The daily charter rate for the Sapphire Seas will decrease to $26,750 on June 24, 2008 and to $22,750 on June 24, 2009.

The company also took delivery of the Pearl Seas, a 74,273 dwt 2006-built Panamax vessel, on August 16, 2007. The Pearl Seas has been chartered to D'Amato Shipping pursuant to a time charter with a remaining period of approximately 10 to 13 months at the charterer's option, at the rate of $30,500 per day, gross of commissions, which commenced immediately upon delivery of the vessel.

Another AHTS for Med Offshore Med Offshore ordered an AHTS 6615 of the Damen Offshore series. This is the second time Med Offshore orders an anchor handling tug supply vessel from Damen, following the AHTS 6114, Med Otto, which was delivered to Med Offshore in September 2006. Med Offshore, the Italian shipping company owned by the Garolla Family, operates a fleet of supply boats and anchor handlers while the holding company Sarda Bunkers operates a fleet of tankers for the transportation of bunkers and oil products. The newly ordered vessel will form part of the fleet renewal program which started with the acquisition of the AHTS 6114, Med Otto. It is designed and equipped for worldwide services. The AHTS 6615 is one of the latest designs from the Damen Offshore Series. The Offshore Series includes both AHTS and PSV type of vessels covering a bollard pull range from 80 to 160 tons and a deadweight range varying from 2000 to 4500 ton PSV OLDIE – FROM THE SHOEBOX

A few weeks ago in the section OLDIE – FROM THE SHOEBOX a picture was used of HAL’s STATENDAM on fire during WWII in Rotterdam, now the newsclippings editor received a photo of the same vessel during the scrapping operation at the Frank Rijsdijk scrapyard in Hendrik Ido Ambacht (The Netherlands), thanks Henk !! Photo : Coll. Henk van der Linden MARINE WEATHER THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : Distribution : 3050 copies worldwide daily Page 19 8/21/2007 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2007 – 187

Internet: www.spos.eu Tel : +31 317 399800 E-mail : [email protected]

Today’s wind (+6Bft) and wave (+3m) chart. Created with SPOS, the onboard weather information & voyage optimisation system, used on over 1000 vessels today. …. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..

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B O E K B E S P R E K I N G Door : Frank NEYTS

“Geschiedenis van Indonesië”. Bij Uitgeversmaatschappij Walburg Pers verscheen onlangs onder redactie van Leo Dalhuisen, Mariëtte van Selm en Frans Steegh het boek “Geschiedenis van Indonesië”.

Het boek vertelt het fascinerende verhaal van een land van enorme contrasten. De Indonesische archipel herbergt grote verscheidenheid aan bevolkingsgroepen met elk een eigen culturele en religieuze identiteit. Zijn turbulente geschiedenis is al even veelvormig.

Dit werk belicht zowel de oudste als de nieuwste geschiedenis van Indonesië. Aan de orde komen onder andere de grote en machtige rijken in de archipel voor de komst van de Europeanen, de introductie en de expansie van de islam en de moeizame verhoudingen tussen koninkrijken op Java en de VOC in de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw. Ook de koloniale tijd, de Japanse bezetting, de onafhankelijkheidsstrijd en vervolgens de overdracht van Nieuw-Guinea in 1962 worden uitvoerig belicht.

Veel aandacht wordt besteed aan de Indische Nederlanders die aan het begin van de twintigste eeuw ingeklemd raakten tussen de blanke koloniale bovenlaag en de overgrote meerderheid van de Indonesische bevolking. De periode rond de Tweede Wereldoorlog en vervolgens de moeilijke keuze voor een van beide vaderlanden hebben de geschiedenis van deze groep bijzonder bewogen gemaakt.

“Geschiedenis van Indonesië” (ISBN 90.5730.443.0) telt 192 paginas en werd, rijkelijk geïllustreerd, als hardback uitgegeven. Het boek kost 39.50 euro. Aankopen kan via de boekhandel of rechtstreeks bij Uitgeversmaatschappij Walburg Pers, Postbus 4159, 7200BD Zutphen. Tel. +32(0)575.510522, Fax +31(0)575.542289.

The compiler of the news clippings disclaim all liability for any loss, damage or expense however caused, arising from the sending, receipt, or use of this e-mail communication and on any reliance placed upon the information provided through this free service and does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information. If you want to no longer receive this bulletin kindly reply with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

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