DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 Number 253** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS ***Thursday 07-12-2006 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites. THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd. wire ropes, chains, hooks, shackles, webbing slings, lifting beams, crane blocks, turnbuckles etc. Binnenbaan 36 3161VB RHOON The Netherlands Telephone: (+31)105018000 (+31) 105015440 (a.o.h.) Fax : (+31)105013843 Internet & E-mail www.vlierodam.nl [email protected] The MIGHTY SERVANT 3 seen at this file photo arriving in Rotterdam-Europoort Photo : Roger van der Kraan © PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 1 12/6/2006 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 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] DO YOU HAVE PICTURES OR OTHER SHIPPING RELATED INFORMATION FOR THE NEWS CLIPPINGS ?? PLEASE SEND THIS TO : [email protected] EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS Zware fouten haven Amsterdam bij Probo Koala De milieuambtenaren in de Amsterdamse haven hebben zeer ernstige fouten gemaakt met het gifschip Probo Koala, dat in augustus dood en verderf zaaide in het Afrikaanse land Ivoorkust. Maar tegenhouden konden zij het schip niet. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek dat Hein Hulshof, voormalig lid van de milieukamer van de Raad van State, deed in opdracht van de Amsterdamse wethouders Marijke Vos van Milieu (GroenLinks) en Lodewijk Asscher (PvdA) van Economische Zaken en Havens. Gif uit de Probo Koala werd in juli ter verwerking aangeboden in de Amsterdamse haven, maar eigenaar Trafigura zag daar van af toen de kosten veel hoger bleken dan gedacht. Het chemisch afval werd teruggepompt en het schip vertrok naar Ivoorkust, waar het gif werd gedumpt. Er vielen tien doden en tienduizenden mensen werden onwel. GPS MARINE WILL SALAVGE THE JORO GPS Marine Services has won the contract for salvage of barge “Joro” at Maasvlakte Rotterdam, the barge sunk in the Mississippihaven in the early hours last Friday by unknown reasons. Before salvage operations of the barge will start the cargo of about 1800 tonnes iron ore will be discharged from the barge. On completion discharge of the cargo the sheerlegs GPS Ajax and GPS Atlas will attend for raising the barge from the seabed i.o. to redeliver the barge to her owners. Yacht Assists Crew in Atlantic Rescue The largest single masted yacht in the world assists 33 foot yacht in Atlantic rescue. The Falmouth Coastguard were contacted by their colleagues at Thames Coastguard who received a telephone call from a lady crew member on the yacht Compromise competing in the ARC Challenge 2006. Falmouth Coastguard contacted the yacht and spoke to the lady crew member who reported that she had a medical emergency on board. Falmouth Coastguard initiated broadcast action to locate any vessel in the area that could assist. They received a response from the Mirabelle V, who offered their assistance to go and evacuate the three crew from the 32 foot yacht Compromise. At eight o'clock this evening, the Mirabelle V contacted Falmouth Coastguard to report that they had safely evacuated the three, and had set adrift the 32 foot yacht Compromise with a mast head light showing. PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 2 12/6/2006 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 MIGHTY SERVANT 3 SANK OFF ANGOLA Wednesday morning, the semi submersible vessel Mighty Servant 3 developed a list and sank after the offloading of the drilling platform ‘Aleutian Key’. The vessel is resting at the sea bottom in approx. 62 meters of water. The drilling platform did not sustain any damage and is underway to its drilling location. All of the 21 crew of the vessel have been taken of the vessel and are on their way to the Port of Luanda on board of one of the supporting vessels on stand by during the offloading. The 83 crew of the drilling platform were all safely on board of the drilling platform at the moment of the incident. – top : Photo : Piet Sinke © The vessel is approximately one mile off the North Angolan coast and very close to the entrance of the port of Luanda. Local authorities have been informed and are assisting in the response effort. The cause of the incident is not known at this time, but is being investigated. The 27,720 dwt. vessel is Dutch flagged and sails with a combination of Dutch and Filipino crew. Families of the crew members have been informed. Crew members will be repatriated to their home destinations as soon as possible. Lichaam vermiste duiker gevonden in Caracasbaai De Kustwacht en de Citro hebben woensdag geacteerd op een melding van een lokale visser die een lichaam in het water had aangetroffen in Caracasbaai. Rond 07.00 uur kreeg de Kustwacht voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba een melding dat er een lichaam was gesignaleerd in het water in Caracasbaai. Hierop zette een patrouille van de Kustwacht koers naar de aangegeven locatie. De Citro (Citizens Rescue Organization) en de Centrale Politie post werden ook ingelicht. Bij aankomst werd het lichaam gevonden en om ongeveer 9.30 uur kon het lichaam naar de wal worden gebracht waar het door personeel van de Kustwacht en de Citro uit het water kon worden gehaald. Het lijk was in gevorderde staat van PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 3 12/6/2006 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 ontbinding maar kon door de Techinische Opsporings Dienst worden geïdentificeerd als Michael Murtaugh, de duiker die vanaf vorige week als vermist werd opgegeven. Anglian Sovereign sent to standby disabled ship Coastguard tug Anglian Sovereign sent to standby disabled ship, The Coastguard Tug Anglian Sovereign is now escorting a tanker Sten Odin who has now fixed their mechanical problem. They had broken down 14 miles west of Tiree. The Norwegian registered vessel, which has sixteen crew on board was drifting in a north easterly direction at a rate of 1.7 knots. It is in ballast on passage to Kalundborg in Denmark. The weather in the area at the moment is South Westerly Force 5, good visibility with a moderate to rough sea. Stornoway Coastguard are continuing to monitor the vessel using their AIS (Automatic Identification System). Photo : Richard Janssen © Murdo Macaulay, Watch Manager, Stornoway Coastguard said: The vessel has now effected repairs and is continuing its passage to Denmark. The Coastguard Tug Anglian Sovereign will escort the tanker as they go through the Minch channel. Men rescued from stranded submarine Two men are safe and unhurt after their submarine rescue craft because stranded on the ocean floor off the West Australian coast. The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) was carrying out certification training 40km north of Rottnest Island when one of the two cables in its winching system failed overnight. The craft was lowered 130 metres to the sea floor as a safety measure while a rescue plan was worked out. Commander of the Submarine Force Elements Group, Commodore Richard Shalders, said the men were rescued at 12.50pm (WDT), after the pod was lifted to 15 metres below the surface. "The two divers were brought out of the pod, assisted by some divers from the surface, at about 15 metres below the surface,'' he said. "They were given assistance with scuba tanks from below the water.'' The men were uninjured but receiving medical attention on HMAS ANZAC, he said. PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 4 12/6/2006 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 NEW BUNKER TANKER VISITS MALTA The DAMEN Bunker Barge 3408 design LALA KHEDIDJA visited Valletta on a delivery voyage from Galatia, Romania to Algeria Photo : Lawrence Dalli © Desperate bid to save France A French consortium is desperately seeking funds to rescue the former trans-Atlantic liner France. The association, called Club Le France Prestige (CLFP), is hoping to raise euro100M (£133M) to recover the ship from the Indian breakers. It launched its appeal in October, and is desperately looking for new small investors to rescue what it calls "a monument". Vincent Betrenieux of CLFP told Fairplay that the ship would be returned to Honfleur and used as a "hotel, restaurant, casino and special seamen's school". He admitted that the organisation is running out of time to achieve its goals. Of the euro100M, Betrenieux estimates euro25M will be needed to buy the ship, euro3M to tow the vessel back to Europe, euro12M to remove asbestos and euro8M for new paint. The rest will go on rewiring and refitting. NIGERIAN SHOOTOUT LEAVES HOSTAGE DEAD ONE hostage was killed and one injured when Nigerian authorities intervened to rescue workers kidnapped from an offshore processing ship in an incident that took place two weeks ago yesterday. According to the International Maritime Bureau, 10 robbers armed with guns boarded the ship. They kidnapped seven workers and left. The ship reported the incident to the Nigerian authorities who intercepted the pirate boat. A fire fight followed leaving one hostage killed and the other one was injured but the other five hostages were freed. Meanwhile pirates still appear to be active in the Malacca Strait, as underlined by an attempted boarding of a bulk carrier underway in the early hours of last Wednesday. According to the IMB the ship had to take evasive action to prevent pirates boarding from a small high powered craft. The ship’s crew activated fire hoses and the pirates broke off the attack. PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 5 12/6/2006 DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 253 Another bulk carrier underway avoided a possible boarding last Thursday in the Gulf of Aden.