Daily Collection of Maritime Press Clippings 2005 – 095

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2005 – 095

Number 095*** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS ***Friday 15-04-05

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Northrop Grumman Corporation of Newport News, Va., reached a construction milestone by launching the second Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775). This is the company's first submarine launching in nearly a decade. Northrop Grumman Newport News is teamed with General Dynamics Electric Boat to build the first ten submarines of the Virginia class.

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Save the ELBE Giro rekening No 8145443 Att : Piet Sinke - Stationsweg 21 - 3151 HR Hoek van Holland The score until today : 49.350 Euro

Yesterday an amount of 250 euro was received from Arif Kazi from Augsburg in Germany ARIF , Thanks very much

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS VITAL DECK COVER 'LACKING' A fishing boat which sank with the loss of seven men was missing vital flood prevention equipment and twice had to be baled out by hand in the months before the tragedy, a court has heard.

The Solway Harvester, a scallop dredger which capsized in the Irish Sea with the loss of the entire crew, was lacking a crucial deck cover for two years.

The High Court in Douglas, Isle of Man, was told that only days before the sinking the crew had to be roused to bale out sea water by hand after pumps failed. Richard Gidney, 41, the director of a firm which owned the fishing trawler, is charged with the manslaughter of the crew by breaching a duty of care.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Simon Gedge said that Gidney, who years earlier worked as a captain on the Solway Harvester, had failed to exercise "proper care" and this had led to the sinking.

He described how the trawler had been dredging the sea bed for scallops when gale force eight winds and high seas forced the boat to head for shelter in Ramsey Bay, in the Isle of Man. The Kirkcudbright- registered ship sank around 11 miles east of the island at around 5.45pm on January 11, 2000.

Mr Gedge said: "The prosecution say that failure to exercise proper care led clearly to the sinking and that when you come to judge that failure you will find it of such a degree that you'll find it worthy of criminal censure. "The Solway Harvester was not, the prosecution say, lost as a result of a rogue wave. It was not, and this will be agreed in the trial, as a result of collision with another object or vessel, surface or submerged.

"The prosecution says that the loss was due to a failure on the part of those who had responsibility for the management of the vessel properly to consider the hazards produced by her condition when she went to sea." Gidney, of Gatehouse of Fleet, south west Scotland, denies seven counts of manslaughter.

The case continues.

Kenya seeks money for oil spill Mombasa is the busiest port along the East African coast , Kenya is demanding $1m in compensation from the owners of an Indian tanker which spilled 140 metric tons of crude oil in Mombasa harbour last Thursday.

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It hit metal railings as it docked, puncturing the hull - creating a slick with a radius of two kilometres.

International oil pollution treaties which Kenya has signed guarantee compensation, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) said. Nema is concerned that 40 hectares of mangroves have been affected. The money, which the tanker's owners have agreed to pay, will be used to fund the clean- up of near-shore ecosystems, Nema's Deputy Director Ali Mohamed said.

He told the BBC News website that the spill would also have an effect on local communities which rely on fishing their livings. "These habitats are the breeding grounds and nurseries for a variety of species. So the spill will impact on local fisherman too." Mangroves devastated by Mombasa's last oil spill of some 5,000 metric tons in 1998, had never completely recovered, he said.

As the latest spill was smaller and the clean-up operation had successfully contained the slick by Saturday, he hoped it would not have such a serious impact.

The ship, currently detained in Mombasa port, will be released once Kenyan authorities receive a $13,000 bank guarantee on behalf of its owners.

Hapag-Lloyd upbeat on volumes, rates German line expects no considerable surplus of tonnage soon

Confident of continuing export growth in China and other areas in Asia, Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is optimistic it would not face overcapacity next year with new ships it has ordered.

Colombo Express, the world’s largest containership at 1099 ft. (335 m) long, 141 ft. (43 m) wide, and able to carry 8,750 containers, was recently named.

'As long as there is continuing double-digit growth in Asia, we will be fine,' said chief executive Adolf Adrion yesterday, before a naming ceremony here for Hapag-Lloyd's latest vessel, the Colombo Express, one of the world's largest container ships.

To meet projected growth, Hapag-Lloyd is putting into place a fleet expansion programme that will mean an overall capacity increase by 86,800 slots in 61 vessels by 2008.

Last year, Hapag-Lloyd moved 2.4 million TEUs globally, grew its global throughput by 15 per cent and reported record profits again. The 335-metre-long vessel, about the size of three football fields, can carry 8,750 standard 20-foot containers and is the first of eight such super post-panamax vessels the shipping giant has ordered, on the back of excellent trading results.

The Colombo Express arrived here on its maiden voyage after calls at Chinese and Hong Kong ports with a near-full load, reflecting the region's surging cargo volumes and huge demand for capacity. 'And it's not even peak season yet,' added Mr Adrion.

He sees demand this year increasing by at least 10 per cent from Asia to the US and Europe. Hapag's new vessels are likely to be deployed on the Asia-Europe and transpacific routes. 'We are very confident about the outlook for our new ship and also the subsequent newbuildings, said chairman of Hapag's executive board, Michael Behrendt.

'Even on a conservative assessment of future growth rates, a considerable surplus of tonnage can hardly be expected in 2006, despite the ship capacities coming to the market. 'Ship capacities are currently very

PSi-Daily maritime press clippings Page 3 4/14/2005 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2005 – 095 well utilised, so we should see stable or slightly increasing rates in 2005,' he said at a press briefing before the ceremony. 'Global container transport remains a growth market. The 71-million-TEU global volume is forecast to grow to almost 91 million by 2008, a 30 per cent rise,' Mr Behrendt said later at the naming ceremony.

Shipping lines are performing well, chalking up record profits with surging cargo volumes, especially from China which, in turn, drove freight rates up. But shipping companies also face higher charter rates and bunker costs with rising oil prices and US dollar exchange rate fluctuations.

They also face port congestion, especially in Europe and the US West Coast, resulting in delays and surcharges. And analysts have warned that they might face a global overcapacity around 2008, when most of the new orders come on stream. Industry analyst and ship broker Clarkson plc has reported that shipowners invested a record US$77.2 billion last year, 30 per cent more than in 2003, in new vessels as earnings surged to records.

Hapag-Lloyd is wholly owned by leading European tourism group TUI, which achieved 18 billion euros (S$38.5 billion) in sales last year and employs 60,000 people worldwide.

Why "Colombo Express"? Containerships at Hapag-Lloyd traditionally bear the name of a city, followed by "Express". In 1886, North German Lloyd in Bremen, one of the two original companies of Hapag-Lloyd, opened its East Asia service with the steamship "Oder", calling at Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as Colombo. In the same year, a service was set up linking Germany with Australia via Colombo. Colombo was not only an important transhipment hub for Hapag-Lloyd in the past: it has remained a key port up to the present day. Customers are provided with seven weekly departures providing links with the world’s main economic centres. The port is also a significant transhipment hub for the Indian subcontinent.

Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft, known for short as "Hapag" or Hamburg- American Line, was founded in 1847 to carry emigrants to the "New World". Its greatest competitor was North German Lloyd, founded in Bremen in 1857. The companies merged in 1970 to form Hapag-Lloyd AG, which has belonged to TUI AG since 1997.

KNRM voorkomt dat schip zinkt De mannen van de KNRM-post in Enkhuizen glunderen. Samen met de collega's van Marken hebben ze in de nacht van vrijdag op zaterdag weten te voorkomen dat de Smal Agt III in de golven van het Markermeer verdween.

,,Om even na negenen kregen we vrijdagavond de melding dat het schip van het Ministerie van Justitie in problemen was gekomen voor de kust van Lelystad'', vertelt schipper Ed Koopman van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM). ,,De Smal Agt III heeft normaal gesproken zes jonge delinquenten aan boord en drie begeleiders. Nu waren er slechts twee bemanningsleden. Het schip was met een lading steengruis onderweg van Amsterdam naar Lelystad. Door het ruwe weer met een Noordwestelijke windkracht acht waren vier luiken van het schip beschadigd.''

Met twee boten gingen de redders vanuit Enkhuizen en met een vanuit Marken op weg naar het schip. ,,De boot uit Marken was er een paar minuten voor ons'', zo vertelt opstapper Arjan Lijnsveldt. ,,De bemanning had angstige momenten meegemaakt. Ze wisten dat we er aan kwamen maar in het donker is het toch maar afwachten of de hulp op tijd komt. Het schip stond op punt van zinken. Door de vier luiken stroomde het water de boot in. Ook de deur van de kajuit was stuk. We hebben de boot met de kop op het noordwesten gelegd. Daardoor brak de boeg het water. Met de pompen die de Smal Agt aan boord had konden we wat water lozen. Maar goed ging het niet. Het steengruis in de ruimen nam het water op. Dat konden we niet afzuigen.''

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,,We zijn er in eerste instantie om opvarenden te redden'', zegt Ed Koopman. ,,Maar het is natuurlijk een uitdaging om zo'n schip niet te laten zinken. Dat lukt vaak niet. Vrijdag schatten we onze kansen laag in. Maar het ging toch goed. Langzaam hebben we schip voor de West-Friese kust ter hoogte van Oosterleek weten te krijgen. Daar hebben we het schip aan de grond gezet, Het was toen intussen dik een uur in de nacht. We zijn daar gebleven tot de berger er was. De collega's van Marken waren toen al naar huis. Wij waren even na vijven weer in de haven van Enkhuizen.''

Repairs To Begin On Ship That Ran Aground Near Oxnard Needed repairs to the Irving Johnson, a tall ship that ran aground near Oxnard last month, are expected to keep the vessel out of commission for six to eight months, it was reported Tuesday.The total cost of repairs is still unknown, but after insurance payments, the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, which operates the ship for character- building voyages serving local students, expects to pay about $50,000 out of pocket, Capt. Jim Gladson, the institute's president, told the Daily Breeze.

Long-range plans have taken two of the San Pedro nonprofit agency's other vessels out of commission, leaving the institute's popular TopSail program with just one working ship, the Exy Johnson, according to the Breeze.

As a result, program leaders are having to juggle schedules and may be forced to cut back on some hands- on boat time for students, the newspaper reported. The Swift of Ipswich and the Bill of Rights were both taken off-line well before the Irving Johnson's accident in March. The Swift is being restored, and the Bill of Rights is up for sale.

The $4.5 million Irving Johnson, built together with the Exy Johnson between 2000-03 on San Pedro's waterfront, ran aground March 21 when it hit an uncharted sandbar. The 20 college students and crew members on board were rescued, but it took salvage crews several days before they could free the ship from where it was stuck on a sandbar in about 5 feet of water. "I was prepared to find it a whole lot worse than it really is," Gladson told the Breeze after surveying the ship, now docked at a boat yard in Ventura Harbor. "But it will likely be six to eight months before we can get the boat back in commission..."

Activists held over demolition yard POLICE detained a dozen Greenpeace activists last week for holding a demonstration in Hyderabad, capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, against the government’s decision to locate a ship breaking yard on the Kakinada coast. Carrying placards and banners, the demonstrators warned that the proposed yard would destroy a mangrove forest and wildlife sanctuary, affect marine life and deprive thousands of fishermen of their livelihood. The arrested activists were later released. The National Ship Design and Research Centre in Visakhapatnam had recommended a 7km-long stretch of coast near the town of Kakinada for the demolition yard and has now submitted a techno-economic feasibility report to the Andhra Pradesh government. Greenpeace estimates that 90% of obsolete ships are broken up in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China and Turkey where, the lobby group alleges, safeguards to prevent environmental damage are lax. It has also warned that the worldwide ban on single-hulled oil tankers that has come into force threatens to dump thousands of toxic ships on Asian beaches, including Alang in Gujarat. Coast protection vessel Abeille Bourbon enters service

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Abeille Bourbon, which arrived in Brest, France on April, 8, is the first of two identical UT515 coast protection vessels designed and equipped by Rolls-Royce.

With twin independent winches, offering 200 tonnes of pull, and two 1600-metre towlines, the Abeille Bourbon is equipped to assist and if necessary take in tow any type of vessel in difficulty--notably the largest tankers, dangerous goods carriers and the most recent containerships--so as to prevent the dangers of a shipwreck or an ecological disaster.

Photo : Jacques Carney ©

Les Abeilles International, part of Groupe Bourbon, will operate the new UT 515 design vessels on long term charter to the French navy. Abeille Bourbon was built by Myklebust Verft (part of the Kleven Maritime Group) on the west coast of Norway, and the hull was fabricated in Poland.

The sister vessel, Abeille Liberte, is scheduled for delivery later this year. The ships will be stationed at strategic locations on the French coastline, one in Brest, the other in Cherbourg.

The UT 515 design vessels are multipurpose salvage tug, coastguard and standby vessels. Principal roles will include assistance to vessels at sea, deep sea towing, salvage of vessels in distress, fire and flooding control and anti-pollution activity. On trials, Abeille Bourbon achieved a bollard pull of just over 201 tonnes was achieved, together with a speed of 19.8 knots at maximum continuous engine rating.

Abeille Bourbon is 80 m long, and has a beam of 16.5 m and a service draft of around 6 m.

Two Kamewa Ulstein CP propellers in nozzles are powered by four medium speed diesels producing a total of 16,000 kW. Renk combining gearboxes with power take-offs for the shaft generators were bought in and supplied by Rolls-Royce as part of the equipment package.

For steering and maneuvering there are two Rolls-Royce classic rudders with independent Tenfjord steering gear. Two Kamewa Ulstein TT 2200 tunnel thrusters are located at the bow, each rated at 883 kW. There are two smaller tunnel thrusters type TT1650 of 515kW located in the skeg aft. The system is controlled and monitored by a UMAS V system.

On deck, Abeille Bourbon is essentially laid out as a deep sea towing and salvage tug. The main towing winch is a Rauma Brattvaag two drum hydraulic unit. It has a 250 tonne pull on the first layer and can hold 500 tonnes on the brake. Each winch drum can hold 1600 m of 80 mm wire rope. Two low pressure hydraulic motors power the winch and each of these has three chambers. By altering the number of motors and chambers under pressure, the line hauling and paying out speeds can be varied within wide limits.

Winch wires are led over a towing arch across the aft deck and below the arch is a deck house containing four powered rope reels. Towing pins and shark jaws are located on the stern bulwarks, which are rounded over to give a clean lead for the tow wires. Also located on the aft deck are two Rauma Brattvaag capstans and a tugger winch. Up to 300 tonnes of cargo or equipment can be carried out the aft deck, which has an area of 350 sq.m. A Hydramarine crane rated at 23 t/11 m serves the working deck and there is another crane of the same manufacture further forward for handling stores and provision.

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Electrical requirements are handled by two shaft generators driven by power take-offs from the main gearboxes and each is rated at 2,400 kVA. These are supplemented by three 500 kW auxiliary generators, one of which is in an acoustic enclosure for harbor use. There is also a 164 kW emergency generator.

External fire fighting to FiFi II standard is provided. There are three monitors on the upper platform, two of which can handle foam. A total of 7,200 cu.m/h of water can be supplied by two Kvaerner fire fighting pumps driven by Kumera step-up gears from the forward end of the two inner engines.

A specially designed hull was developed for these vessels, having a bulbous bow and relatively v-shaped aft sections. The superstructure is located close to amidships, helping to reduce motions in the accommodations, and a passive roll reduction tank system is installed.

Accommodations are provided for a total of 25 people, spread over four decks. At main deck level are the crew and officers' messes and a hospital with a four berth sick bay alongside it.

On A-deck is the recreation room and a block of two berth and four berth cabins. Here also is the salvage operations control room. On B-deck above are single berth cabins with facilities and at C-deck level are the suites for the master and chief engineer, the officers' lounge and the ship's office.

The wheelhouse is arranged to suit various operations. The forward facing console has a single chair moving side to side on rails and some of the instruments in an overhead display. To starboard is a free standing console mainly dedicated to safety systems and communications. The aft control station overlooking the working deck has three consoles with two chairs sliding fore and aft on rails between them. Maneuvering controls are also available at stations on each bridge wing and the casing for the exhaust uptakes and other services occupies part of the port side of the wheelhouse.

Large store spaces for salvage equipment are provided either side of the main winch house, in the forward end of the aft deckhouse and in the hold. Two 20 ft equipment containers can also be located on deck, one on either side of the hatch.

Abeille Bourbon carries a selection of rescue craft. There are two MOB boats of the Springer 741 design under single point Hydramarine davits, plus an inflatable with an outboard motor.

There are 32 vessels of UT-Design in the Groupe Bourbon fleet at present and other vessels are under construction.

Main particulars--UT 515 Abeille Bourbon Length OA: 80.00 m Breadth mld: 16.50 m Depth main deck: 8.00 m Draft, service: 6.00m Power: 16,000 kW Bollard pull: 201 tonnes Speed: 19.8 knots Class: Bureau Veritas 1 3/3 * Hull* MACH, Tug/salvage tug, Unrestricted navigation, AUT, UMS, Firefighting 2, Dynapos AM/AT

Kustwacht NA&A en Douanerecherche onderscheppen 290,8 kilo cocaïne De Kustwacht Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba en de Douanerecherche hebben woensdag morgen 290,8 kilo cocaïne onderschept. De drugs was verpakt in 19 balen in verstopt in een vissersbootje dat voer onder de Venezolaanse vlag.

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De Douanerecherche en de KWNA&A ontdekten de verdovende middelen tijdens een controle woensdag ochtend rond 10.00 uur. Bij nadere inspectie bleek het te gaan om cocaïne.

De zeven Venezolaanse opvarenden van het betreffende vissersbootje – de 'Mariela del Carmen' - zijn aangehouden en worden voorgeleid aan de hulpofficier van justitie. De douanerecherche heeft de verdovende middelen in beslag genomen.

SHIPYARD NEWS Doppelhüllentanker in Kiel zu Wasser gelassen Die auf der Lindenau-Werft gebaute "Seychelles Progress" wird 80 Tage vor Termin abgeliefert Es war ein großer Tag für die schleswig-holsteinische Landeshauptstadt Kiel: Auf der Lindenau Werft wurde am Sonnabend ein Doppelhüllentanker auf den Namen "Seychelles Progress" (37 500 tdw) getauft und zu Wasser gelassen. Anschließend übergab die Werft das Schwesterschiff "Seychelles Pioneer" an die Mineralölgesellschaft Seychelles Petroleum. Der Neubau wird heute die Werft im Stadtteil Friedrichsort verlassen und in einem Ostseehafen Ladung für die Hauptstadt Port Victoria der Inselrepublik im Indischen Ozean übernehmen.

Der Taufakt und der Stapellauf waren ein Volksfest. Bei Sonnenschein und Temperaturen um zehn Grad hatten sich mehrere tausend Kieler eingefunden, um wieder einmal einen traditionellen Ablauf vom Helgen mitzuerleben. Denn das ist bei deutschen Werften Seltenheit geworden. Die Schiffe schwimmen heute überwiegend in ihren Baudocks auf.

Taufpatin der "Seychelles Progress" war die Ministerin für Sport und Kultur der Inselrepublik, Sylvette Pool. Und sie bewies bei der Taufe, daß das Schiff unter einem guten Stern fährt: Schon ihr erster kräftiger Wurf ließ die Sektflasche am Bug zerschellen. Der anschließende Stapellauf klappte reibungslos.

Captain Guy Adam, Chef der Mineralölgesellschaft und der Reederei, hatte allen Grund zur Freude. Denn der Ablauf vom Helgen erfolgte nur fünf Monate nach der Kiellegung. Die "Seychelles Pioneer" wurde 80 Tage vor dem vereinbarten Termin abgeliefert. Auch die Tragfähigkeit ist um 300 Tonnen höher, als bei Vertragsabschluß festgelegt wurde.

"Damit ist die Anzahlung für einen weiteren Neubau schon aufgebracht", scherzte dann auch Günter Steen, Geschäftsführer der Werft, die er zusammen mit Dirk Lindenau führt. Mit Adams führen die beiden Werftchefs bereits Verhandlungen für weitere Tanker. Das erste Schiff von Lindenau für die Seychellen, die "Seychelles Pride", fährt zur Zufriedenheit.

Bereits in der nächsten Woche wird die erste Sektion für einen weiteren Doppelhüllentanker mit einer Tragfähigkeit von 32 400 Tonnen auf dem Helgen abgesetzt. Auftraggeber ist hier die Bremer Reederei German Tankers.

Austall hands over Benchijigua Express Handed over to Fred. Olsen S.A. today by West Australian shipyard Austal, the 127 meter Benchijigua Express is the world's largest all-aluminum ship. It also provides a preview of the trimaran hull concept on which is based the U.S. Navy LCS being developed by the team led by General Dynamics,

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Austal says the vessel is "quite simply the most significant vessel to arrive on the fast ferry stage and is set to allow fast sea transportation to improve and open up new markets beyond the ability of existing fast ferry design for both commercial and military operators."

Fred. Olsen, S.A. pioneered the use of large high-speed ferries in the Canary Islands and currently carries almost three million passengers, half a million cars and a quarter of a million cargo vehicles per year.

Since 1999, the company has been operating large fast catamarans and while happy with the results, the company identified some limitations in terms of capacity and especially passenger comfort when operating in rough seas.

This led to the conclusion that further research was needed in order to develop a new concept for high- speed vessels, combining the softer roll of monohulls with the low resistance, very good stability and carrying capacity of catamarans.

With these objectives in mind, Fred. Olsen, S.A. and Austal cooperated on an extensive program of research, tank testing and analysis, firstly to develop a new design and then ensure it would meet Fred. Olsen, S.A.'s requirements in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The result is what is properly described as a slender stabilized monohull, but is more commonly referred to as a trimaran.

Trimaran Austal Chairman John Rothwell, is confident the superior seakeeping performance of the trimaran will provide significantly enhanced levels of comfort compared to the Fred. Olsen's existing fast ferries along with noticeably higher levels of operability.

"Studies based on actual sea conditions found in the Canary Islands enabled Austal to accurately model the vessel's performance on each leg of the proposed route," says Rothwell. "The final report showed the trimaran would offer a 26 percent improvement in operability compared to existing hullforms."

"The characteristics of this new vessel, with a length of 126.7 m and beam of 30.4 m, will improve overall efficiency in terms of passenger capacity, deadweight and freight lane meters by more than 35 per cent," says Fred Olsen. Jr., Chairman of Fred. Olsen S.A., adding that "passenger comfort will increase by 25 percent to 40 percent depending on the routes we operate."

Sea trial successes--and challenges

Initial full power sea trials in conditions of up to four meters significant wave height and 45 knots wind speed confirmed Austal's confidence in the 127 m vessel. Whilst the vessel met the key contract performance requirements it, most importantly, also demonstrated the trimaran's ability to exceed the operability and comfort levels of existing large catamaran designs at the upper end of the weather spectrum.

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Two unforeseen challenges were encountered during the sea trials. The first was the failure of the composite ride control surfaces initially supplied. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of this failure. Permanent replacement metal alternates have been supplied and fitted.

Secondly, while the trials conducted at full speed in sea conditions of up to four metres significant wave height and 45 knot winds confirmed the trimaran's superior seakeeping and habitability, they also revealed that this capability could be improved in these and even more onerous conditions, with improvements to the software and hardware controlling the steering and ride control surfaces. With the cooperation of the customer Austal has now developed these items in conjunction with additional sea trials.

During sea trials with operating ride control Benchijigua Express achieved a speed of 40.4 knots carrying a deadweight of 500 tonnes.

Austal Chairman Rothwell commented: "Following an unprecedented five year program of research and development we are delighted to see this new fast ferry design exceeding our expectations. Having tested the vessel in conditions in which most current generation high speed vessels would have ceased operations, we recognized the opportunity to further improve our trimaran technology to deliver our customer and the ferry market a proven solution for routes beyond the ability of existing fast ferry designs".

Austal is now working closely with Flag States to achieve operability certification for the Auto Express 127 trimaran in 4 metres, or more, significant wave height.

With a capacity to carry 1,350 passengers and 341 cars the ferry will operate between Los Christianos in the south of Tenerife and the islands of La Gomera and La Palma.

Propulsion Arranged in two separate engine rooms in the trimaran's central hull are four MTU 20V 8000 diesel engines. Each is rated at 8,200 kW which will be upgraded to 9,100 kW during the first quarter of 2006.

The diesels in the aft engine room each drive a Kamewa 125 SII steerable waterjet from Rolls-Royce while the two forward engines deliver their combined power to a Kamewa 180 BII booster waterjet.

Each of the three drivelines features Renk transmissions, with lightweight composite shafts fitted between the waterjets and gearboxes and on the output shaft of the forward most engine. The exhausts for the outboard aft engines are dry type exiting the vessel at the bridge deck through a funnel casing. The inboard engines have a wet exhaust system exiting between the hulls.

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"Even though the trimaran is very much larger in terms of both length and capacity, the challenge for Austal has been to deliver maneuevring characteristics equivalent or better than Fred. Olsen S.A.'s existing vessels," says James Bennett, Austal's Technical Manager. Bennett says this has been achieved by fitting two Ulstein Aquamaster UL601 azimuthing bow thrusters supplied by Rolls-Royce.

"The ability to synchronize the thruster and waterjet control systems will give the vessel's Captain excellent control to ensure fast, efficient and safe operation in port," says Bennett. In open water the electrically driven thrusters are retracted into the hull to reduce drag, he adds.

With electrical power provided by the vessel's diesel generators the bow thrusters can be integrated into the harbor mode of the waterjets to provide a single point of control for both systems. Alternatively, the Captain can choose to operate the bow thrusters independently.

Keeping maintenance costs to a minimum, the bow thrusters are designed to be lifted out onto the vehicle deck whilst the vessel remains afloat for inspection.

Motion control Vessel motions are controlled by the movement of three sets of control surfaces fitted to the center hull. The system consists of a single T-foil forward, two anti-roll fin stabilizers at about two-thirds of the length aft and finally two interceptors at the transom. Benchijigua Express has a transverse metacentric height similar to a monohull ferry and therefore is fitted with a ballast and heel control system consisting of two ballast tanks and two heel control tanks.

Both sets of tanks are designed to be filled as the vessel slows down on entering port. The tanks can be filled in about 5 minutes. The ballast tanks have been designed to cause parallel sinkage to lower the vessel into the water increasing the waterplane area and therefore the transverse stability. Each heel control tank is connected to two transfer pumps that can rapidly pump water from one tank to the other. The pumps are run from a variable speed drive, which in turn receives signals from a PLC based control system.

With the tanks filled upon arrival the control system senses any change in heel angle during loading and unloading and rapidly transfers ballast to maintain a level deck. When the vessel is loaded with vehicles and passengers the ballast and heel control tanks are pumped out.

Film, not paint Close inspection of the eye-catching Fred. Olsen Express livery of Benchijigua Express reveals the hull and superstructure are not in fact protected by paint but by a self adhesive film.

Orca Marine's Offshore Film is a pure vinyl product that protects a surface much in the way paint works. However, the film has an expected lifespan of 10 to 12 years service depending on conditions. For conventional paint coatings in a marine environment 3 to 5 years is relatively normal under comparable conditions. The use of protective film on areas above the waterline normally covered by paint is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits thanks to a significant reduction in work and time involved in application and a reduction in routine maintenance costs by up to 50 percent.

Waterjet accessibility As a further item of interest to this already milestone project, Fred. Olsen, S.A. had a requirement that the waterjets could be accessed for inspection and replacement of the thrust bearing given the lack of local shipyard resources suited to a 127 m x 30 m vessel and the potential for this relatively minor servicing problem to interrupt operations.

A transportable cofferdam or caisson matching the unique shape of the center hull's transom has been designed, built and tested creating a dry working environment around and under the waterjets. Operated by air supplied by the vessel and with customized mounting points on the ferry it has proven to be a straightforward and successful solution to the original concern.

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Military application "While the Auto Express 127 trimaran Benchijigua Express sets new industry standards for commercial vessel performance, its design and construction are both soundly based and the technology has been identified as having military application", says John Rothwell.

A team led by General Dynamics that includes Austal has been selected to provide a trimaran hullform based design for the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project. A decision on the option for the construction of an initial two 127 m vessels is expected in October 2005 with a potential 60 of these combat ships built over a forecast 15 year period for future Navy requirements.

Austal has already built two high-speed catamarans of over 100 me in length. One of these, the 101 m WestPac Express, has already proved successful in carrying out Theatre Support type duties for the U.S. Marine Corps in the Western Pacific region. Two further 105 metre catamarans are currently under construction at Austal's Mobile, USA shipbuilding facility.

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS Length overall: 126.7 m / Length waterline: 114.8 m Beam moulded: 30.4 m Hull depth molded: 8.2 m / Hull draft (maximum): 4.0 m Deadweight (maximum): 1,000 tonnes Crew:35 Passengers:1.350 Vehicles: 341 cars or 450 truck lanes meters and 123 cars Axle loads:15.0/12.0 tonnes (dual/single axles) on central lanes 9.0/12.0 tonnes (dual / single axles) outboard 1.0 tonnes on forward ramps 0.8 tonnes on mezzanine decks Vehicle deck clear height (max):4.60 m Speed:40.4 knots, 500 dwt, 32.8 MW Tankage : Fuel: 145,000 liters / Fresh water: 7,000 litres / Black and gray water: 7,000 liters / Lube Oil: 2 x 600 liters / Hydraulic Oil: 2 x 600 liters / Sludge: 1,000 liters Propulsion : Main engines: 4 x MTU 20V 8000; 8,200 kW at 1,150rpm each Gearboxes: 2 x Renk ASL65; 1 x Renk ASL 2X80 Waterjets: 2 x Kamewa 125 SII; 1 Kamewa 180 BII Azimuthing bow thrusters: 2 x Ulstein Aquamaster UL601 Generator sets: 4 x MTU 12V 2000 M40 540 kW each. Classification Germanischer Lloyd X100A5, HSC-B OC3 High Speed Passenger/Ro-Ro Type XMC, AUT.

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY :

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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] Telex : 24390 wosh nl

Stolt Offshore offloads IMR business to Cal Dive STOLT Offshore has sold its inspection maintenance and repair business, including nine ships, to Cal Dive International in a $125m deal to focus on subsea installation markets.

The sale strengthens Stolt Offshore’s balance sheet and provides funds to invest in its existing fleet to upgrade ships for ultra-deepwater installation operations.

It also enables the European contractor to build its market share in the global subsea umbilicals riser and flowlines (Surf) business. “The sale provides the best options for us to concentrate on the developing Gulf of Mexico deepwater market,” said Stolt’s chief executive Tom Ehret.

“We plan to strengthen our project management presence in Houston to support our deepwater Surf work worldwide. It also provides a solid platform for investments and our development.”

Stolt is selling seven IMR ships including Seaway Defender, American Constitution (photo top – STOLT © ) American Star, American Triumph, American Victory, American Diver and American Liberty to Cal Dive.

The sale also includes diving support vessel Seaway Kestrel and pipelay barge DLB 801, which Stolt will charter from Cal Dive in order to complete ongoing pipelay work in Trinidad.

Major LNG ship engine order for Wartsila Wartsila is to supply twenty-four Wartsila 50DF dual-fuel engines to Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd of Korea. These engines will power a series of six 155,000 m3 dual-fuel-electric LNG carriers.

Four of these ships are for A.P. Moller of Denmark, two are for Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd ("K" Line) of Japan.

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Delivery of the first ship of the six ships is scheduled for early 2008. Each ship will be equipped with three twelve-cylinder and one six-cylinder Wartsila 50DF dual-fuel engines, delivering a total power of 39.9 megawatts. Delivery of the engines from Wartsila's engine factory in Trieste, Italy, will commence in January 2007.

"The intensive cooperation between Samsung and Wartsila since 2001 to find innovative solutions for LNG carrier propulsion is finally bearing fruit in the form of concrete orders, and more orders can be expected," said Mr. C.Y. Kim, Vice President, Design Engineering at Samsung Heavy Industries.

"Dual-fuel-electric machinery offers significant efficiency and environmental benefits in comparison to steam turbine machinery. This is the main reason why 'K' Line has selected dual-fuel-electric machinery," said Mr. Joichi Sasaki, Manager, Gas Carrier Technical Team at "K" Line.

"The fact that five different ship owners and three different shipyards have now committed themselves to dual-fuel-electric LNG carriers is a strong encouragement to this new concept where obvious financial benefits, especially for ship and cargo owners, are recognized," said Mikael Makinen, EVP and head of Wartsila ship power business, adding that "we will see many more LNG carrier newbuildings to be ordered with this solution in the years to come."

The dual-fuel-electric machinery concept for LNG carriers combines multiple dual-fuel generating sets with electric propulsion and offers significant improvements compared to the traditional steam turbine installation in terms of operating economy, exhaust gas emissions and redundancy.

At the same time, it keeps aspects like safety, reliability and maintainability at an appropriate level. Crewing of dual-fuel-electric LNG carriers is not problematic either.

Fifty-two Wartsila 50DF dual-fuel engines have so far been ordered for application in thirteen dual-fuel- electric LNG carriers.Ê Wartsila dual-fuel engines have also been selected for FPSOs, dual-fuel-electric offshore supply vessels, as well as a large number of onshore power plants.

NYK adds second string to Asia/South Africa service NYK Line has added a second string on its north-south route connecting Asia with South Africa and the east coast of South America.

Citing “demand from customers for more space, faster transits, and broader port coverage” the new two string operation will go into service from mid-August 2005.

String one will be run by ten 2,500 teu vessels calling at: Nagoya - Yokohama - Pusan - Hong Kong - Singapore - Durban - Santos -Itajai - Paranagua - Santos - Singapore - Hong Kong - Nagoya String two meanwhile will use ten 1,700 teu boxships and will call at: Shanghai - Ningbo - Keelung - Yantian - Laem Chabang - Singapore – Buenos Aires - Rio Grande - Santos - Sepetiba - Singapore - Hong Kong – Shanghai.

NYK has been cautious in adding significant capacity to this trade for a while having seen the damage it did to both itself and its local rival MOL three years ago.

Growth of tanker fleet in '04 fastest since 1970s

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The world's fleet of oil tankers grew last year at its fastest pace since the 1970s as owners kept older carriers in service to take advantage of record freight rates, London-based shipbroker Simpson, Spence & Young said.

The fleet, when measured by capacity, grew by 15.9 million deadweight metric tonnes, nearly double the growth in 2003, the broker said in a bi-annual report. That excludes vessels with a capacity of less than 10,000 deadweight tonnes.

The total capacity of tankers sent for demolition at scrap yards, including those in China and India, fell by 10 million deadweight tonnes, the lowest in six years, Simpson, Spence said.

'This reflected the profitable trading opportunities for older vessels and resulting reluctance of their owners to sell for scrap,' the shipbroker said in its report. Freight rates for tankers carrying crude and refined oil like gasoil and jet fuel reached all-time highs in 2004 as oil producers pumped at near capacity, boosting profits for Bermuda-based Frontline Ltd, and Teekay Shipping Corp, based in the Bahamas, the world's two biggest oil tanker companies. Annual growth in the world tanker fleet has averaged 2.5 million deadweight tonnes in the past decade, the broker said. The fleet will expand by 5.5 per cent this year, or 16.7 million deadweight tonnes.

Supplies of vessels of up to 50,000 deadweight tonnes, known as medium-range tankers, grew by 16 per cent last year, the most in the fleet, Simpson, Spence said. The fleet of so-called panamax vessels, the largest that can sail through the Panama Canal with a full cargo, rose by 9.6 per cent.

Supplies of tankers that carry a million barrels of oil each, known as suezmaxes, rose by 6.2 per cent. Very large crude carriers, or VLCCs, which each carry two million barrels, grew by 4.7 million deadweight tonnes, 'its biggest rise in decades', the broker said. Shipowners operating modern VLCCs earned a record US$250,000 a day in November on the 39-day round trip between the Persian Gulf and South Korea after deducting costs such as fuel and port fees, according to Bloomberg data and a formula on the website of RS Platou, an Oslo-based shipbroker.

That is about 10 times what Frontline needed to break even on its 35 VLCCs. Ships with a total capacity of 10 million deadweight tonnes will be scrapped this year, Simpson, Spence estimates. The United Nations last week banned so-called single-hull tankers from carrying heavy oils after one of them, the Prestige, split and sank off Spain in 2002. Such vessels have just one layer of steel separating their cargo from the sea.

Vopak reorganiseert binnenvaartvloot chemie Vopak Barging Europe gaat negen binnenvaarttankers privatiseren, meldt de concerndirectie in een persbericht. De reorganisatie, waarvoor drie miljoen euro is uitgetrokken, moet het rendement in de chemietankvaart verbeteren.

Van de vloot van 38 binnenvaartschepen zal Vopak Barging Europe er na afronding van de reorganisatie nog negen in eigendom hebben en 29 gecharterd. Over de uitvoering van de reorganisatie vinden op dit moment gesprekken plaats met ondernemingsraad en vakbonden. Vopak streeft ernaar de reorganisatie uit te voeren met minimale gevolgen voor de werkgelegenheid.

De chemie binnenvaartvloot vervult binnen de Tankterminal-Plus Strategie een belangrijke rol in het aanbieden van aanvullende diensten aan terminalklanten van de Vopak Chemie terminals in het ARA- gebied (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerpen). Recent bereikte Vopak voorts overeenstemming over de verkoop van de plantaardige-oliën vloot (Vopak Vegoil Barging) alsmede de Duitse minerale-oliën vloot die vanuit Hamburg opereert.

Vopaks binnenvaartactiviteiten omvatten naast die in de chemie nog een 50% belang in de joint-venture Interstream Barging voor de bevrachting van binnenvaartschepen in de oliemarkt.

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Senegal ferry link to resume this week THE Senegalese ports of Dakar and Ziguinchor will have a ferry link on 15 April, 30 months after the previous vessel, Le Joola, sank with the loss of more than 1,800 lives. The service will be re-launched by private operator Africaine de Gaz (Agaz) using the 320-passenger catamaran Opal. Agaz will run two voyages a week, providing sailings from Dakar every Friday at 1700, and sailings from Ziguinchor every Saturday at 1600. Crossing times will be 16 hours. Meanwhile, the government is about to launch its own service on the route, with the ferry Willis, which has been chartered from Indonesian interests. The president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, said the Willis is now in Casablanca, Morocco, being prepared for its future assignment. The ferry will be operated on the Dakar-Ziguinchor link by a joint venture involving Moroccan shipping company Comanav, the Port of Dakar Authority and the Senegalese Shippers’ Council. The ship will be crewed by Comanav staff. Senegal’s coastline is split by the Gambia with Dakar to the north, and Ziguinchor to the south. MOVEMENTS THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : MULTRASHIP Towage & Salvage Scheldekade 48 4531 EH Terneuzen The Netherlands Tel : + 31 – 115 645 000 Fax : + 31 – 115 645 001 Internet [email protected] http://www.multraship.nl

The 1999 built Federal Oshima unloading steel beams at the Port of Oshawa April 11th 2005. This is the first ship to dock at the Port since the 2005 Shipping season got underway. Photo : Jim Gallacher ©

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The SEAWAY POLARIS seen here working on piling a new platform in the Amenam Field off Nigeria, upon completion of the piling the SEAWAY POLARIS commenced with pipelaying from Bonny to the Amenam field

Have a look for the dates and names of the passengerships which are expected in Rotterdam at : http://www.cruiseschepenrdam.web-log.nl

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SHIPS THAT SAILED THE SEAS

The ROTTERDAM (IV) as shown onboard in one of the staircases of the present Rotterdam of the HAL, this ship, Built in 1906 by Harland and Wolff, Belfast the ROTTERDAM IV held 530 First, 555 Second and 2,124 Third Class passengers. She was a liner with two funnels, Holland America's first, 650 feet in length and 77 feet wide. Her registered tonnage was 24,170 and displacement of 37,190 tons. She traveled at an average of 16.5 knots. She was sold in January of 1940 to Dutch breakers. Photo : Piet Sinke

AIRCRAFT / AIRPORT NEWS KLM gaat samenwerken met Portugalia De KLM gaat samenwerken met de Portugese luchtvaartmaatschappij Portugalia Airlines. Door de samenbundeling kan KLM gaan vliegen op de Portugese havenstad Porto. Ook gaan de ondernemingen vluchten uitvoeren onder hetzelfde vluchtnummer. Portugalia is de tweede luchtvaartmaatschappij van Portugal. De KLM ziet in de samenwerking vooral een mogelijkheid om de positie in de snel groeiende Portugese markt te versterken.

MARINE WEATHER THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY :

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

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Today’s wind (+6Bft) and wave (+3m) chart. Created with SPOS, the onboard weather information & voyage optimisation system, used on over 500 vessels today.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

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SMITWIJS TOWAGE B.V.

Westplein 5b 3016 BM Rotterdam The Netherlands Telephone: +31 10 412 6969 Telefax:+31 10 436 9587 E-mail: [email protected]

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