Ministerial Statement on L'Acadien II Incident
Statement by Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 31, 2008) -
The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement:
I am deeply saddened and wish to extend my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the crewmembers of the L'Acadien II who tragically lost their lives this past weekend. Coming from a small fishing community myself, I know only too well the grief and pain being felt right now.
I will speak with Mayor Arsenault and inform him that our government will be sending a federal official to the Magdalen Islands in order to ensure that help and support is provided at this difficult time.
The RCMP and the Transportation Safety Board are undertaking investigations, in addition to the Canadian Coast Guard, which is conducting its own review, including its current towing policy. These various investigations will be thorough, will set out the facts, and determine what actually occurred.
I am also announcing that the Canadian Coast Guard review into the L'Acadien II incident will be led by an independent reviewer and we will announce the name of this person in the coming days. This will allow everyone to see the facts, and to make informed decisions together.
I spoke with my Quebec counterpart, Minister Laurent Lessard, this morning and I assured him that our government will make the results of our investigations public. I have given similar assurances to Quebec's Minister of Public Security.
My thoughts and prayers remain with the families during this difficult period, and our government will conduct these investigations in a thorough and transparent manner.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Indian Navy warns fishermen not to venture into Sri Lankan territorial waters
Last modified on: 3/28/2008 11:37:28 AM
Indian Navy warns fishermen not to venture into Sri Lankan territorial waters
(By: Walter Jayawardhana)
Vice Admiral Ram Prem Suthan, Vice Chief of Naval Staff designate of the Indian Navy sternly warned all Indian fishermen not to enter the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.
Vice Admiral Suthan said the Sri Lankan Navy has never fired at Indian fishermen inside the Indian territorial waters, referring to allegations that some fishermen have been fired at by the Sri Lanka navy.
He said due to the military conflict going on between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka Navy such incidents cannot be avoided inside Sri Lanka's territorial waters. He said Indian fishermen should stop venturing into Sri Lankan waters since the Sri Lanka Navy is not permitting their own fishermen to go into those war prone waters.
The Vice admiral said Indian Navy would not allow any fisherman of their country to be fired upon in side the Indian territorial waters. Therefore, it is imperative the fisherman should remain inside the territorial waters of India for fishing.
Eleven Sri Lanka fishermen taken into custody by the Indian Coast Guard at Karaikal, last month have been handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy at the maritime border by the Indian Navy.
Indian Navy warns fishermen not to venture into Sri Lankan territorial waters
(By: Walter Jayawardhana)
Vice Admiral Ram Prem Suthan, Vice Chief of Naval Staff designate of the Indian Navy sternly warned all Indian fishermen not to enter the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.
Vice Admiral Suthan said the Sri Lankan Navy has never fired at Indian fishermen inside the Indian territorial waters, referring to allegations that some fishermen have been fired at by the Sri Lanka navy.
He said due to the military conflict going on between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka Navy such incidents cannot be avoided inside Sri Lanka's territorial waters. He said Indian fishermen should stop venturing into Sri Lankan waters since the Sri Lanka Navy is not permitting their own fishermen to go into those war prone waters.
The Vice admiral said Indian Navy would not allow any fisherman of their country to be fired upon in side the Indian territorial waters. Therefore, it is imperative the fisherman should remain inside the territorial waters of India for fishing.
Eleven Sri Lanka fishermen taken into custody by the Indian Coast Guard at Karaikal, last month have been handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy at the maritime border by the Indian Navy.
Poor safety blamed for ferry death
Last Updated: 31/03/2008 12:47
Poor safety blamed for ferry death
A report has found that the senior officer on a ferry being readied to cross the Irish Sea died after a rope snapped breaking both his legs.
The crew member’s left leg, which was nearly severed, was amputated in hospital where he remained in a critical condition for six days until he died. The recoil of the line also dislocated a shore worker’s shoulder and elbow.
The accident happened at Dublin Port on August 7th as the Dublin Viking was preparing to leave for Liverpool.
More than 100 passengers and 44 crew were on board the Belfast-owned ferry at the time.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) found poor safety on board the vessel resulted in the death.
The report added that since the accident, Meridian Marine Management, which manages the ferry and its sister vessel Liverpool Viking , has implemented a number of changes in work practices.
PA
© 2008 ireland.com
Poor safety blamed for ferry death
A report has found that the senior officer on a ferry being readied to cross the Irish Sea died after a rope snapped breaking both his legs.
The crew member’s left leg, which was nearly severed, was amputated in hospital where he remained in a critical condition for six days until he died. The recoil of the line also dislocated a shore worker’s shoulder and elbow.
The accident happened at Dublin Port on August 7th as the Dublin Viking was preparing to leave for Liverpool.
More than 100 passengers and 44 crew were on board the Belfast-owned ferry at the time.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) found poor safety on board the vessel resulted in the death.
The report added that since the accident, Meridian Marine Management, which manages the ferry and its sister vessel Liverpool Viking , has implemented a number of changes in work practices.
PA
© 2008 ireland.com
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Divers recover three dead hunters from capsized sealing boat off Cape Breton
Divers recover three dead hunters from capsized sealing boat off Cape Breton
By THE CANADIAN PRESS
HALIFAX - Divers recovered the bodies of three seal hunters from a fishing vessel that capsized early Saturday and were searching the icy waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for a fourth man.
The 12-metre vessel from the Iles de la Madeleine in Quebec, carrying a crew of six, had reported steering problems late Friday and was being towed by a Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker when it flipped.
Navy Lt. Lora Collier said two seal hunters were pulled from water soon after the boat rolled over and were reported in good condition.
Later, four search and rescue technicians recovered the bodies from the boat about 70 kilometres north of Cape Breton.
She said it's not clear if the missing man was swept overboard.
"We have recovered three deceased from the fishing vessel, so one currently remains missing," she said from Halifax, adding that she did not know the men's names. "The search is continuing."
A Hercules search-and-rescue aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter from 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., were fanning out along a grid pattern to search for the remaining crewman.
Meanwhile, the disabled fishing boat was secured alongside the 83-metre coast guard vessel Sir William Alexander.
It wasn't clear what caused the vessel to capsize, but thick ice was reportedly hampering fishing boats as they set out on the opening day of the annual seal hunt.
The two sealers who were rescued were above decks, while the other four men were sleeping below deck when the boat flipped, Collier said.
A helicopter was expected to pick them up and fly them back to the Iles de la Madeleine, she said.
News of the accident was spreading through the tightly knit island community.
A man who wouldn't give his name but answered the phone at a shipbuilding company in the town of Fatima said he heard about the capsizing at 7 a.m.
"It's very sad," he said. "A tragedy like that practically touches every family on the islands. It's a small place, everyone knows each other."
He speculated that ice may have been a factor in the capsizing.
"There is nothing bizarre in what happened," he added. "When the ice decides to rise, it will lift up anything. The effect of the ice is extremely strong. It could have happened to this one (vessel) or another one."
The ill-fated boat was one of about 16 carrying 100 hunters that headed out from the Iles de la Madeleine, steaming toward a large herd of seals in the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Three sealing vessels were reported to be struggling in heavy ice conditions late Friday night off Cape Breton - two taking in some water and the other suffering mechanical problems.
By THE CANADIAN PRESS
HALIFAX - Divers recovered the bodies of three seal hunters from a fishing vessel that capsized early Saturday and were searching the icy waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for a fourth man.
The 12-metre vessel from the Iles de la Madeleine in Quebec, carrying a crew of six, had reported steering problems late Friday and was being towed by a Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker when it flipped.
Navy Lt. Lora Collier said two seal hunters were pulled from water soon after the boat rolled over and were reported in good condition.
Later, four search and rescue technicians recovered the bodies from the boat about 70 kilometres north of Cape Breton.
She said it's not clear if the missing man was swept overboard.
"We have recovered three deceased from the fishing vessel, so one currently remains missing," she said from Halifax, adding that she did not know the men's names. "The search is continuing."
A Hercules search-and-rescue aircraft and a Cormorant helicopter from 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., were fanning out along a grid pattern to search for the remaining crewman.
Meanwhile, the disabled fishing boat was secured alongside the 83-metre coast guard vessel Sir William Alexander.
It wasn't clear what caused the vessel to capsize, but thick ice was reportedly hampering fishing boats as they set out on the opening day of the annual seal hunt.
The two sealers who were rescued were above decks, while the other four men were sleeping below deck when the boat flipped, Collier said.
A helicopter was expected to pick them up and fly them back to the Iles de la Madeleine, she said.
News of the accident was spreading through the tightly knit island community.
A man who wouldn't give his name but answered the phone at a shipbuilding company in the town of Fatima said he heard about the capsizing at 7 a.m.
"It's very sad," he said. "A tragedy like that practically touches every family on the islands. It's a small place, everyone knows each other."
He speculated that ice may have been a factor in the capsizing.
"There is nothing bizarre in what happened," he added. "When the ice decides to rise, it will lift up anything. The effect of the ice is extremely strong. It could have happened to this one (vessel) or another one."
The ill-fated boat was one of about 16 carrying 100 hunters that headed out from the Iles de la Madeleine, steaming toward a large herd of seals in the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Three sealing vessels were reported to be struggling in heavy ice conditions late Friday night off Cape Breton - two taking in some water and the other suffering mechanical problems.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Egypt to put cameras on Suez Canal after shooting
Egypt to put cameras on Suez Canal after shooting
Egypt has started to install security cameras along the Suez Canal after a warning shot fired from a cargo ship chartered by the U.S. Navy killed an Egyptian trader on a motorboat, officials said on Friday.
U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his regret to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak over the shooting on Monday.
Two other traders were wounded in the shooting, according to Egyptian security officials and witnesses. The United States initially denied reports of fatalities.
A Suez Canal Authority official told Reuters monitors will watch the traffic in the waterway through large screens at the headquarters of the authority in the coastal city of Ismailia.
"Installing these cameras will help achieve a better vision of all the movements of ships, vessels and small boats in the waterway," the official, who asked not to be named, said.
The cargo ship Global Patriot, on a short-term charter to the military, fired warning shots near the Egyptian motorboat after it ignored verbal orders and a signal flare telling it to stay away, the U.S. Navy said.
The ship was waiting to pass through the Suez Canal when the incident occurred, the Navy said.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed, writing by Alaa Shahine, editing by Janet Lawrence)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.
Egypt has started to install security cameras along the Suez Canal after a warning shot fired from a cargo ship chartered by the U.S. Navy killed an Egyptian trader on a motorboat, officials said on Friday.
U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his regret to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak over the shooting on Monday.
Two other traders were wounded in the shooting, according to Egyptian security officials and witnesses. The United States initially denied reports of fatalities.
A Suez Canal Authority official told Reuters monitors will watch the traffic in the waterway through large screens at the headquarters of the authority in the coastal city of Ismailia.
"Installing these cameras will help achieve a better vision of all the movements of ships, vessels and small boats in the waterway," the official, who asked not to be named, said.
The cargo ship Global Patriot, on a short-term charter to the military, fired warning shots near the Egyptian motorboat after it ignored verbal orders and a signal flare telling it to stay away, the U.S. Navy said.
The ship was waiting to pass through the Suez Canal when the incident occurred, the Navy said.
(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed, writing by Alaa Shahine, editing by Janet Lawrence)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Work to remove stern of MSC Napoli to start in May
Work to remove stern of MSC Napoli to start in May
London March 27, 2008 - Work to remove the remaining section of MSC Napoli from Lyme Bay will begin in early May 2008. The remaining part of the stern section of the vessel remains aground in Lyme Bay with a list of 40 degrees to starboard.
Shaped explosives will be used to remove the propeller, the rudder, and to cut the propeller shaft. They will also be used to weaken the structure of the main engine to assist its removal. The aft section will then be systematically removed. The whole operation is expected to take roughly five months. SOSREP (Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention) has made the decision to cut up the remaining section and take it away in small pieces, rather than removing it in larger pieces, following analysis of all options available. The option to cut the remaining section into smaller pieces is preferable since there could be issues with anchoring and cutting through the main engine and propeller shafting if the stern were cut up into larger pieces.
A pollution control plan will be in place throughout the entire operation. Following removal from the site, material will be transhipped to Holland for recycling. On completion a full underwater survey will be carried out to ensure that the seabed has been cleared of all recoverable debris from the MSC Napoli.
Throughout the winter, weather permitting, contractors have been conducting an inspection of the wreck, in daylight, on a fortnightly basis. When on site they have been checking for any change in status of the wreck and any evidence of pollution. They have also been recording photographs showing the status of the wreck. Inspections have been co-ordinated with periodical aerial inspections which have been carried out by MCA surveillance aircraft.
The Napoli's owners also have a response team from DRS, based in Branscombe, who have been monitoring the wreck and the Branscombe area daily. They have been patrolling and clearing any material which may have originated from MSC Napoli from all beaches in the Lyme Bay area.
Despite periods of severe weather over the last few weeks there is still no change in the status of the wreck.
London March 27, 2008 - Work to remove the remaining section of MSC Napoli from Lyme Bay will begin in early May 2008. The remaining part of the stern section of the vessel remains aground in Lyme Bay with a list of 40 degrees to starboard.
Shaped explosives will be used to remove the propeller, the rudder, and to cut the propeller shaft. They will also be used to weaken the structure of the main engine to assist its removal. The aft section will then be systematically removed. The whole operation is expected to take roughly five months. SOSREP (Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention) has made the decision to cut up the remaining section and take it away in small pieces, rather than removing it in larger pieces, following analysis of all options available. The option to cut the remaining section into smaller pieces is preferable since there could be issues with anchoring and cutting through the main engine and propeller shafting if the stern were cut up into larger pieces.
A pollution control plan will be in place throughout the entire operation. Following removal from the site, material will be transhipped to Holland for recycling. On completion a full underwater survey will be carried out to ensure that the seabed has been cleared of all recoverable debris from the MSC Napoli.
Throughout the winter, weather permitting, contractors have been conducting an inspection of the wreck, in daylight, on a fortnightly basis. When on site they have been checking for any change in status of the wreck and any evidence of pollution. They have also been recording photographs showing the status of the wreck. Inspections have been co-ordinated with periodical aerial inspections which have been carried out by MCA surveillance aircraft.
The Napoli's owners also have a response team from DRS, based in Branscombe, who have been monitoring the wreck and the Branscombe area daily. They have been patrolling and clearing any material which may have originated from MSC Napoli from all beaches in the Lyme Bay area.
Despite periods of severe weather over the last few weeks there is still no change in the status of the wreck.
U-M 'BALLAST-FREE SHIP' COULD CUT COSTS WHILE BLOCKING AQUATIC INVADERS
U-M 'BALLAST-FREE SHIP' COULD CUT COSTS WHILE BLOCKING AQUATIC INVADERS
888 words
25 March 2008
States News Service
English
(c) 2008 States News Service
The following information was released by the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan researchers are investigating a radical new design for cargo ships that would eliminate ballast tanks, the water-filled compartments that enable non-native creatures to sneak into the Great Lakes from overseas.
Workers lower a scale model of a Great Lakes bulk carrier into the towing tank at the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory.
Click image for higher resolution
At least 185 non-native aquatic species have been identified in the Great Lakes, and ballast water is blamed for the introduction of most including the notorious zebra and quagga mussels and two species of gobies.
This week, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. will implement new rules designed to reduce Great Lakes invaders. Ships will be required to flush ballast tanks with salt water before entering the Seaway, a practice corporation officials describe as an interim measure, not a final solution.
Meanwhile, Congress is considering legislation that would force freighters to install costly onboard sterilization systems to kill foreign organisms in ballast water. The systems use filters, ultraviolet irradiation, chemical biocides and other technologies, and can cost more than $500,000.
The U-M ballast-free ship concept offers a promising alternative that could block hitchhiking organisms while eliminating the need for expensive sterilization equipment, said Michael Parsons, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering and co-leader of the project.
"There is no silver bullet. But the ballast-free ship has the potential to be an economic winner while addressing the ballast problem in a serious way," Parsons said.
Ships take on ballast water for stability when they're not carrying cargo. They discharge ballast when they load freight, expelling tons of water and anything else from pathogenic microbes to mollusks and fish that's in it.
Instead of hauling potentially contaminated water across the ocean, then dumping it in a Great Lakes port, a ballast-free ship would create a constant flow of local seawater through a network of large pipes, called trunks, that runs from the bow to the stern, below the waterline.
"In some ways, it's more like a submarine than a surface ship," Parsons said. "We're opening part of the hull to the sea, creating a very slow flow through the trunks from bow to stern.
"You're continuously sweeping water through the ship and out," he said. "So you're always filled with local sea water, not hauling water from one part of the world to the other."
The U-M ballast-free ship concept was conceived in 2001 and patented in 2004. It is intended for new-vessel construction only.
With funding from the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute, Parsons and his colleagues recently built a 16-foot, $25,000 wooden scale model of an oceangoing bulk carrier to test the concept.
The work is underway at the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory's towing tank, the oldest facility of its kind that is owned by a U.S. educational institution.
In addition to helping fine tune the design, results from the latest round of tank tests and computer simulations suggest the ballast-free ship will deliver an unforeseen benefit. The design appears to provide a significant savings possibly as much as 7.3 percent in the power needed to propel the ship.
For a 650-foot bulk carrier hauling 32,000 metric tons of cargo from the Great Lakes to Europe and back, that translates into a roundtrip fuel savings of roughly $150,000. A report on the latest test results, including their economic implications, will be published next month in the Transactions of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
In upcoming towing tests, tentatively set for late June, the naval engineers will try to confirm and explain the unexpected power savings. Most of the improvement is likely due to the fact that water expelled from the stern-end of the trunks "smoothes out the flow" into the propeller, allowing it to operate more efficiently, Parsons said.
"It's a huge power reduction, a hard-to-believe improvement in power, and we have to convince ourselves that all of it is real," he said.
Building an oceangoing bulk carrier can cost $70 million. The added construction costs of the ballast-free design for extra hull steel, trunk-isolation valves, piping and welding would be more than offset by eliminating the filtration system and the ballast tanks.
The researchers conclude that the new design would result in a net capital-cost savings of about $540,000 per ship. Combined with the expected fuel savings, total cargo transport costs would be cut by $2.55 per metric ton.
"It seems that, compared to other ballast treatment systems, it's a viable alternative," SUNY Maritime College engineer Miltiadis Kotinis said of the ballast-free ship concept.
"We have proven that the technical part is feasible and that it can be applied to new vessel construction," said Kotinis, a collaborator on the project and a U-M alumnus. "And we have also shown that, regarding the economics, it can reduce the operating cost and reduce or even eliminate the introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species."
03/26/08 18:00:18
Document SNS0000020080326e43p0022g
888 words
25 March 2008
States News Service
English
(c) 2008 States News Service
The following information was released by the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan researchers are investigating a radical new design for cargo ships that would eliminate ballast tanks, the water-filled compartments that enable non-native creatures to sneak into the Great Lakes from overseas.
Workers lower a scale model of a Great Lakes bulk carrier into the towing tank at the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory.
Click image for higher resolution
At least 185 non-native aquatic species have been identified in the Great Lakes, and ballast water is blamed for the introduction of most including the notorious zebra and quagga mussels and two species of gobies.
This week, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. will implement new rules designed to reduce Great Lakes invaders. Ships will be required to flush ballast tanks with salt water before entering the Seaway, a practice corporation officials describe as an interim measure, not a final solution.
Meanwhile, Congress is considering legislation that would force freighters to install costly onboard sterilization systems to kill foreign organisms in ballast water. The systems use filters, ultraviolet irradiation, chemical biocides and other technologies, and can cost more than $500,000.
The U-M ballast-free ship concept offers a promising alternative that could block hitchhiking organisms while eliminating the need for expensive sterilization equipment, said Michael Parsons, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering and co-leader of the project.
"There is no silver bullet. But the ballast-free ship has the potential to be an economic winner while addressing the ballast problem in a serious way," Parsons said.
Ships take on ballast water for stability when they're not carrying cargo. They discharge ballast when they load freight, expelling tons of water and anything else from pathogenic microbes to mollusks and fish that's in it.
Instead of hauling potentially contaminated water across the ocean, then dumping it in a Great Lakes port, a ballast-free ship would create a constant flow of local seawater through a network of large pipes, called trunks, that runs from the bow to the stern, below the waterline.
"In some ways, it's more like a submarine than a surface ship," Parsons said. "We're opening part of the hull to the sea, creating a very slow flow through the trunks from bow to stern.
"You're continuously sweeping water through the ship and out," he said. "So you're always filled with local sea water, not hauling water from one part of the world to the other."
The U-M ballast-free ship concept was conceived in 2001 and patented in 2004. It is intended for new-vessel construction only.
With funding from the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute, Parsons and his colleagues recently built a 16-foot, $25,000 wooden scale model of an oceangoing bulk carrier to test the concept.
The work is underway at the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory's towing tank, the oldest facility of its kind that is owned by a U.S. educational institution.
In addition to helping fine tune the design, results from the latest round of tank tests and computer simulations suggest the ballast-free ship will deliver an unforeseen benefit. The design appears to provide a significant savings possibly as much as 7.3 percent in the power needed to propel the ship.
For a 650-foot bulk carrier hauling 32,000 metric tons of cargo from the Great Lakes to Europe and back, that translates into a roundtrip fuel savings of roughly $150,000. A report on the latest test results, including their economic implications, will be published next month in the Transactions of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
In upcoming towing tests, tentatively set for late June, the naval engineers will try to confirm and explain the unexpected power savings. Most of the improvement is likely due to the fact that water expelled from the stern-end of the trunks "smoothes out the flow" into the propeller, allowing it to operate more efficiently, Parsons said.
"It's a huge power reduction, a hard-to-believe improvement in power, and we have to convince ourselves that all of it is real," he said.
Building an oceangoing bulk carrier can cost $70 million. The added construction costs of the ballast-free design for extra hull steel, trunk-isolation valves, piping and welding would be more than offset by eliminating the filtration system and the ballast tanks.
The researchers conclude that the new design would result in a net capital-cost savings of about $540,000 per ship. Combined with the expected fuel savings, total cargo transport costs would be cut by $2.55 per metric ton.
"It seems that, compared to other ballast treatment systems, it's a viable alternative," SUNY Maritime College engineer Miltiadis Kotinis said of the ballast-free ship concept.
"We have proven that the technical part is feasible and that it can be applied to new vessel construction," said Kotinis, a collaborator on the project and a U-M alumnus. "And we have also shown that, regarding the economics, it can reduce the operating cost and reduce or even eliminate the introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species."
03/26/08 18:00:18
Document SNS0000020080326e43p0022g
Poison fumes leak prompts Marine Atlantic lifeboat upgrade
Poison fumes leak prompts Marine Atlantic lifeboat upgrade
Last Updated: Thursday, March 27, 2008 | 6:49 AM NT
CBC News
A federal Crown corporation is upgrading its lifeboats following a mock disaster in western Newfoundland last fall that turned into a genuine emergency.
Last September, passengers in a Marine Atlantic covered lifeboat in a Bay of Islands exercise were overcome by noxious fumes that medical experts determined had contained carbon monoxide.
Participants in a covered lifeboat involved in a mock disaster last September were sickened by carbon monoxide.Participants in a covered lifeboat involved in a mock disaster last September were sickened by carbon monoxide.
(CBC)
Transport Canada said earlier this week that fumes were likely drawn into the lifeboat because a hatch had been mistakenly left open. Several people were hospitalized, with three people flown to St. John's for specialized care.
Tara Laing, a communications official with Marine Atlantic, said the ferry service has already acted on the recommendations presented in Transport Canada's report.
"Within days of the actual incident that occurred, we had already begun to act on what we thought was happening based on our own internal investigation," Laing said.
"By the time we received this report we had actually implemented all the measures necessary to meet these recommendations."
The measures include installing devices to monitor the air quality in lifeboats.
Most of the people who became sick during the exercise were volunteers with local search and rescue organizations.
Harry Blackmore, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association, said he was pleased with Transport Canada's report, which countered a Transportation Safety Board of Canada determination that nothing may have gone wrong during the exercise.
"[It] proves that it did happen," Blackmore said.
"It's unfortunate that it did happen, but at least now we know the whole truth, and it will definitely help the people that were involved in it, in coping with the situation."
Blackmore said he hopes the accident will not prevent people from volunteering for future emergency exercises.
Last Updated: Thursday, March 27, 2008 | 6:49 AM NT
CBC News
A federal Crown corporation is upgrading its lifeboats following a mock disaster in western Newfoundland last fall that turned into a genuine emergency.
Last September, passengers in a Marine Atlantic covered lifeboat in a Bay of Islands exercise were overcome by noxious fumes that medical experts determined had contained carbon monoxide.
Participants in a covered lifeboat involved in a mock disaster last September were sickened by carbon monoxide.Participants in a covered lifeboat involved in a mock disaster last September were sickened by carbon monoxide.
(CBC)
Transport Canada said earlier this week that fumes were likely drawn into the lifeboat because a hatch had been mistakenly left open. Several people were hospitalized, with three people flown to St. John's for specialized care.
Tara Laing, a communications official with Marine Atlantic, said the ferry service has already acted on the recommendations presented in Transport Canada's report.
"Within days of the actual incident that occurred, we had already begun to act on what we thought was happening based on our own internal investigation," Laing said.
"By the time we received this report we had actually implemented all the measures necessary to meet these recommendations."
The measures include installing devices to monitor the air quality in lifeboats.
Most of the people who became sick during the exercise were volunteers with local search and rescue organizations.
Harry Blackmore, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association, said he was pleased with Transport Canada's report, which countered a Transportation Safety Board of Canada determination that nothing may have gone wrong during the exercise.
"[It] proves that it did happen," Blackmore said.
"It's unfortunate that it did happen, but at least now we know the whole truth, and it will definitely help the people that were involved in it, in coping with the situation."
Blackmore said he hopes the accident will not prevent people from volunteering for future emergency exercises.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Two bodies pulled from sunken Ukrainian tugboat
Two bodies pulled from sunken Ukrainian tugboat
09:44 | 26/ 03/ 2008
HONG KONG, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Divers pulled two bodies from a Ukrainian tugboat that sank in the South China Sea on March 22, with 16 more sailors now feared dead, a Chinese paper said on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian tug, Naftogaz-67, sank after colliding with a Chinese vessel off the southern coast of China, near Hong Kong. Out of the 25 sailors on board, only seven were rescued.
The South China Morning Post also said the Naftogaz-67 tugboat had been detained three times in ports around the world in the past five years over various violations.
The tugboat was last checked in south China last October, when inspectors detected six safety violations, including navigational. Leaking oil, as well as power and support system failures were also noted.
Earlier this week, Anatoliy Prisyazhnyuk, the owner of the Ukrainian vessel, blamed the Chinese dry cargo ship for the fatal collision. The Chinese vessel suffered minor bow damage and remained afloat.
A Ukrainian delegation of officials from the emergencies, transport and fuel and energy ministries arrived in Hong Kong late on Tuesday to look into the cause of the accident.
China will dispatch Asia's largest floating crane to the area by Friday. The crane was used late last year to raise the 800-year-old Nanhai 1 merchant ship.
09:44 | 26/ 03/ 2008
HONG KONG, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Divers pulled two bodies from a Ukrainian tugboat that sank in the South China Sea on March 22, with 16 more sailors now feared dead, a Chinese paper said on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian tug, Naftogaz-67, sank after colliding with a Chinese vessel off the southern coast of China, near Hong Kong. Out of the 25 sailors on board, only seven were rescued.
The South China Morning Post also said the Naftogaz-67 tugboat had been detained three times in ports around the world in the past five years over various violations.
The tugboat was last checked in south China last October, when inspectors detected six safety violations, including navigational. Leaking oil, as well as power and support system failures were also noted.
Earlier this week, Anatoliy Prisyazhnyuk, the owner of the Ukrainian vessel, blamed the Chinese dry cargo ship for the fatal collision. The Chinese vessel suffered minor bow damage and remained afloat.
A Ukrainian delegation of officials from the emergencies, transport and fuel and energy ministries arrived in Hong Kong late on Tuesday to look into the cause of the accident.
China will dispatch Asia's largest floating crane to the area by Friday. The crane was used late last year to raise the 800-year-old Nanhai 1 merchant ship.
Passengers of cruise liner "Sky Wonder" evacuated in Turkey
Passengers of cruise liner "Sky Wonder" evacuated in Turkey
www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-26 21:48:48
ANKARA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Passengers of cruise liner "Sky Wonder" which ran aground at Setur Marina while docking Kusadasi port in western Turkey were evacuated on Wednesday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. A total of 1,029 passengers were evacuated and brought to Kusadasi safely, according to the report.It said that "Sky Wonder" ran aground due to storm on Tuesday while approaching the Kusadasi port.
Local sources were quoted as saying that condition of the passengers, most of whom are Spanish citizens, is good, and 27passengers as well as 567 crew members rejected to leave the ship. Celal Oral, chairman of Kusadasi port, was quoted as saying that there is not any mechanical failure in the ship, and efforts to rescue the ship will start after required procedures are completed.
www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-26 21:48:48
ANKARA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Passengers of cruise liner "Sky Wonder" which ran aground at Setur Marina while docking Kusadasi port in western Turkey were evacuated on Wednesday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. A total of 1,029 passengers were evacuated and brought to Kusadasi safely, according to the report.It said that "Sky Wonder" ran aground due to storm on Tuesday while approaching the Kusadasi port.
Local sources were quoted as saying that condition of the passengers, most of whom are Spanish citizens, is good, and 27passengers as well as 567 crew members rejected to leave the ship. Celal Oral, chairman of Kusadasi port, was quoted as saying that there is not any mechanical failure in the ship, and efforts to rescue the ship will start after required procedures are completed.
Officials Express Regret Over Death in Suez Canal Incident
Officials Express Regret Over Death in Suez Canal Incident
Washington March 26, 2008 - U.S. 5th Fleet officials today expressed regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died the night of March 24, an apparent result of warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased," Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, 5th Fleet commander. "We are greatly saddened by events that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will do our utmost to help take care of the family of the deceased."
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Command continues to work cooperatively with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authority, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, officials said. A full investigation into the incident is under way.
"We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the embassy, to get a full account of what happened," Cosgriff said.
An embarked U.S. security team on board the Navy's Military Sealift Command-chartered ship Global Patriot fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal. Two other boats also had approached the chartered ship, but turned away following warnings from Global Patriot.
Washington March 26, 2008 - U.S. 5th Fleet officials today expressed regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died the night of March 24, an apparent result of warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased," Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, 5th Fleet commander. "We are greatly saddened by events that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will do our utmost to help take care of the family of the deceased."
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Command continues to work cooperatively with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authority, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, officials said. A full investigation into the incident is under way.
"We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the embassy, to get a full account of what happened," Cosgriff said.
An embarked U.S. security team on board the Navy's Military Sealift Command-chartered ship Global Patriot fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal. Two other boats also had approached the chartered ship, but turned away following warnings from Global Patriot.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Swift Assists Vessel in Distress Off Liberian Coast
Swift Assists Vessel in Distress Off Liberian Coast
Story Number: NNS080324-21
Release Date: 3/24/2008 3:37:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Campbell, Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs
HIGH SPEED VESSEL SWIFT, At Sea (NNS) -- While transiting off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS), March 20 High Speed Vessel 2 Swift received a distress call, relayed from the Maritime Regional Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon, of a Portuguese fishing vessel, the Princesa Di Guadiana, stranded 100 nautical miles off the Liberian Coast with no food, water or fuel.
The MRCC contacted Lt. Cmdr. Jose Neto of the Portuguese Navy, who is the APS operations officer aboard the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), APS flag ship. Cap Lara, a Greek flagged vessel, remained in the vicinity until Swift arrived to assist the Princesa.
Fort McHenry was in a position to assist in relaying the first request for assistance from the vessel, and acted as an intermediary for the three other vessels during the early stages of the incident.
Once given permission to approach the stranded vessel, Swift launched a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) into the water to assess the situation. The vessel, which had a small group of fishermen aboard, suffered diesel propulsion engine failure and the ship’s electrical generator was quickly running out of power.
“It was definitely an interesting experience,†said Engineman 1st Class Bill Hamilton, crew member of the RHIB who assisted the stranded vessel and boat engineer during the event. "It was my first time doing a boat operation like this one at night. We approached the stranded ship, and we could tell they were very happy to see us. We delivered food and water and made sure they would be alright until their repair parts came in and we returned back to our ship."
Once on the scene, crew members from Swift, members of Mobile Security Squadron 3 and Dr. Augustus Vogel, of the office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, who is embarked on board Swift in support of APS, approached the vessel to assist.
Vogel acted as an interpreter for the event once the crew arrived at the Princesa Di Guadiana. The small group of Sailors successfully delivered two cases of Meals-Ready-To-Eat and several cases of bottles of water.
Princesa arrived safely in Monrovia on March 23.
“Swift is fortunate to render help to a fellow mariner,†said Cmdr. Charles Rock, commanding officer of Swift. “It is a shining example of coordination between civilian, military and APS authorities. The assistance we provided truly drives home the value of APS in the region.â€
“Africa Partnership Station’s ability to react quickly to the request for assistance to the distressed vessel highlights the inherent strengths of our multi-national and multi-agency approach,†said Capt. John Nowell, the APS commander. “We received nearly simultaneous requests from both the U.S. Embassy in Liberia and from the Portuguese Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Lisbon who relayed locating data for the vessel to the APS Portuguese staff officer on board Fort McHenry at anchor off Monrovia.
"The crew of Swift then executed a text book response despite short notice and darkness. This demonstration of partnership and persistent presence in executing a maritime safety mission is what APS is all about,†Nowell continued.
As part of the Navy's new global Maritime Strategy, APS is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a multinational staff aboard Fort McHenry and Swift. Commander Task Force 365 and training teams from various U.S. and European military commands, as well as governmental and nongovernmental organizations are embarked on board Fort McHenry to enhance cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services in West and Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea on a seven-month deployment.
Story Number: NNS080324-21
Release Date: 3/24/2008 3:37:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Campbell, Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs
HIGH SPEED VESSEL SWIFT, At Sea (NNS) -- While transiting off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS), March 20 High Speed Vessel 2 Swift received a distress call, relayed from the Maritime Regional Coordination Center (MRCC) in Lisbon, of a Portuguese fishing vessel, the Princesa Di Guadiana, stranded 100 nautical miles off the Liberian Coast with no food, water or fuel.
The MRCC contacted Lt. Cmdr. Jose Neto of the Portuguese Navy, who is the APS operations officer aboard the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), APS flag ship. Cap Lara, a Greek flagged vessel, remained in the vicinity until Swift arrived to assist the Princesa.
Fort McHenry was in a position to assist in relaying the first request for assistance from the vessel, and acted as an intermediary for the three other vessels during the early stages of the incident.
Once given permission to approach the stranded vessel, Swift launched a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) into the water to assess the situation. The vessel, which had a small group of fishermen aboard, suffered diesel propulsion engine failure and the ship’s electrical generator was quickly running out of power.
“It was definitely an interesting experience,†said Engineman 1st Class Bill Hamilton, crew member of the RHIB who assisted the stranded vessel and boat engineer during the event. "It was my first time doing a boat operation like this one at night. We approached the stranded ship, and we could tell they were very happy to see us. We delivered food and water and made sure they would be alright until their repair parts came in and we returned back to our ship."
Once on the scene, crew members from Swift, members of Mobile Security Squadron 3 and Dr. Augustus Vogel, of the office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, who is embarked on board Swift in support of APS, approached the vessel to assist.
Vogel acted as an interpreter for the event once the crew arrived at the Princesa Di Guadiana. The small group of Sailors successfully delivered two cases of Meals-Ready-To-Eat and several cases of bottles of water.
Princesa arrived safely in Monrovia on March 23.
“Swift is fortunate to render help to a fellow mariner,†said Cmdr. Charles Rock, commanding officer of Swift. “It is a shining example of coordination between civilian, military and APS authorities. The assistance we provided truly drives home the value of APS in the region.â€
“Africa Partnership Station’s ability to react quickly to the request for assistance to the distressed vessel highlights the inherent strengths of our multi-national and multi-agency approach,†said Capt. John Nowell, the APS commander. “We received nearly simultaneous requests from both the U.S. Embassy in Liberia and from the Portuguese Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Lisbon who relayed locating data for the vessel to the APS Portuguese staff officer on board Fort McHenry at anchor off Monrovia.
"The crew of Swift then executed a text book response despite short notice and darkness. This demonstration of partnership and persistent presence in executing a maritime safety mission is what APS is all about,†Nowell continued.
As part of the Navy's new global Maritime Strategy, APS is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a multinational staff aboard Fort McHenry and Swift. Commander Task Force 365 and training teams from various U.S. and European military commands, as well as governmental and nongovernmental organizations are embarked on board Fort McHenry to enhance cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services in West and Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea on a seven-month deployment.
Hong Kong rescuers hope to enter sunken ship
Hong Kong rescuers hope to enter sunken ship
1 day ago
HONG KONG (AFP) — Hong Kong rescuers were Tuesday reportedly preparing another attempt to reach 18 Ukrainian sailors believed trapped in their sunken ship, although hopes are slim there is anyone still alive.
A senior fire officer said they had located an entrance near the deck of the tug boat after getting plans showing the layout of the vessel, which sank Saturday night in waters off Hong Kong's international airport, local radio RTHK said.
He said divers would try to gain access when the tide turned later in the day. The officer said poor visibility was hampering efforts to find the crew of the Naftogaz-67, which was stuck upside down on the sea bed at a depth of 37 metres (120 feet).
Marine Department officials have said the crew's only chance of survival would be if they had found an air pocket but admitted they had so far found no signs of life despite repeated dives to the sunken vessel.
Department head Roger Tupper on Monday said medical experts had indicated the missing sailors might survive around 12 hours in an air pocket. Tuesday night would mark 72 hours since the tugboat sank.
Divers carried out numerous sorties and knocked repeatedly on the hull to try to see if there was any sign of life.
"We haven't had any response from within," Tupper said. "We have not been able to ascertain where these 18 missing seafarers are at the moment."
A team of 20 experts, including representatives from the tug's Ukrainian owners, was expected to arrive in Hong Kong Tuesday to assist in the rescue operation, RTHK said.
The tug had 24 Ukrainian crew and one Chinese sailor aboard when it collided with a Chinese cargo ship on Saturday. Six Ukrainians and the Chinese sailor were rescued.
If the sailors do not survive, it would be the worst marine disaster for decades in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading ports and maritime centres.
Tupper said rescuers were struggling with the fact that the boat was overturned, meaning the hatches and deck were embedded in the sea floor -- and that it was extremely cold and dark down at that depth.
The tug was detained in Hong Kong five years ago for an inadequate escape system, local media reported Monday.
Ukraine's ambassador to China, Serhiy Kamyshev, visited the wreck site on Monday to observe rescue operations.
The captain, who was among those rescued, reportedly blamed the Chinese ship for the collision, saying it had refused to give his tug the right of way.
The Naftogaz-67 had reportedly been operating since 2002 for the Swiss company Fortranse Ltd in the South China Sea between China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
1 day ago
HONG KONG (AFP) — Hong Kong rescuers were Tuesday reportedly preparing another attempt to reach 18 Ukrainian sailors believed trapped in their sunken ship, although hopes are slim there is anyone still alive.
A senior fire officer said they had located an entrance near the deck of the tug boat after getting plans showing the layout of the vessel, which sank Saturday night in waters off Hong Kong's international airport, local radio RTHK said.
He said divers would try to gain access when the tide turned later in the day. The officer said poor visibility was hampering efforts to find the crew of the Naftogaz-67, which was stuck upside down on the sea bed at a depth of 37 metres (120 feet).
Marine Department officials have said the crew's only chance of survival would be if they had found an air pocket but admitted they had so far found no signs of life despite repeated dives to the sunken vessel.
Department head Roger Tupper on Monday said medical experts had indicated the missing sailors might survive around 12 hours in an air pocket. Tuesday night would mark 72 hours since the tugboat sank.
Divers carried out numerous sorties and knocked repeatedly on the hull to try to see if there was any sign of life.
"We haven't had any response from within," Tupper said. "We have not been able to ascertain where these 18 missing seafarers are at the moment."
A team of 20 experts, including representatives from the tug's Ukrainian owners, was expected to arrive in Hong Kong Tuesday to assist in the rescue operation, RTHK said.
The tug had 24 Ukrainian crew and one Chinese sailor aboard when it collided with a Chinese cargo ship on Saturday. Six Ukrainians and the Chinese sailor were rescued.
If the sailors do not survive, it would be the worst marine disaster for decades in Hong Kong, one of the world's leading ports and maritime centres.
Tupper said rescuers were struggling with the fact that the boat was overturned, meaning the hatches and deck were embedded in the sea floor -- and that it was extremely cold and dark down at that depth.
The tug was detained in Hong Kong five years ago for an inadequate escape system, local media reported Monday.
Ukraine's ambassador to China, Serhiy Kamyshev, visited the wreck site on Monday to observe rescue operations.
The captain, who was among those rescued, reportedly blamed the Chinese ship for the collision, saying it had refused to give his tug the right of way.
The Naftogaz-67 had reportedly been operating since 2002 for the Swiss company Fortranse Ltd in the South China Sea between China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
SEARCH SUSPENDED FOR MISSING ALASKA RANGER CREWMAN
Date: March 24, 2008
SEARCH SUSPENDED FOR MISSING ALASKA RANGER CREWMAN
JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the last missing crewmember of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger.
Satoshi Konno, of Japan, has been missing since early Sunday morning after the Alaska Ranger sank.
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro and one MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from St. Paul have searched more than 875 square miles since yesterday when Mr. Konno was determined to be missing.
"The decision to suspend the search for Mr. Konno was a very difficult one. We searched long and hard for Mr. Konno and unfortunately have been unable to locate any sign of the Fishing Master from the Alaska Ranger. Our hearts go out to all the families who lost loved ones in this tragic event," said Rear Adm. Gene Brooks, Seventeenth Coast Guard District Commander.
Weather conditions during the search consisted of 10 foot seas, below freezing temperatures, winds of up to 40 mph and periodic snow squalls.
The search was suspended at 9:12 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time.
SEARCH SUSPENDED FOR MISSING ALASKA RANGER CREWMAN
JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the last missing crewmember of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger.
Satoshi Konno, of Japan, has been missing since early Sunday morning after the Alaska Ranger sank.
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro and one MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from St. Paul have searched more than 875 square miles since yesterday when Mr. Konno was determined to be missing.
"The decision to suspend the search for Mr. Konno was a very difficult one. We searched long and hard for Mr. Konno and unfortunately have been unable to locate any sign of the Fishing Master from the Alaska Ranger. Our hearts go out to all the families who lost loved ones in this tragic event," said Rear Adm. Gene Brooks, Seventeenth Coast Guard District Commander.
Weather conditions during the search consisted of 10 foot seas, below freezing temperatures, winds of up to 40 mph and periodic snow squalls.
The search was suspended at 9:12 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time.
Navy Contract Ship Fires Warning Shots Near Suez Canal
Navy Contract Ship Fires Warning Shots Near Suez Canal
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2008 - A ship on short-term charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal last night, military officials reported.
There were no reports of casualties from the ship, the Global Patriot.
Officials said several boats approached the Global Patriot while it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal. The boats were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker on the Global Patriot to advise them to turn away. Other warning steps, including a signal flare, were used to caution the boats.
One small boat continued to approach the ship and received two sets of warning shots 20 to 30 meters in front of the boat's bow. All shots were accounted for as they entered the water, officials said.
The incident is under investigation. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet command is cooperating with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authorities, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2008 - A ship on short-term charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal last night, military officials reported.
There were no reports of casualties from the ship, the Global Patriot.
Officials said several boats approached the Global Patriot while it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal. The boats were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker on the Global Patriot to advise them to turn away. Other warning steps, including a signal flare, were used to caution the boats.
One small boat continued to approach the ship and received two sets of warning shots 20 to 30 meters in front of the boat's bow. All shots were accounted for as they entered the water, officials said.
The incident is under investigation. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet command is cooperating with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authorities, through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Egyptian killed, two hurt by US warship
Egyptian killed, two hurt by US warship
From correspondents in Cairo
March 25, 2008 09:37am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
ONE Egyptian was killed and two wounded when a US military ship about to cross the Suez Canal opened fire on barges of hawkers that approached their boat today, a security source said.
The ship, Global Patriot, was preparing to travel from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when a group of Egyptians seeking to sell merchandise approached the boat on small barges, the source said.
Americans on board told the barges to stop and opened fire when they continued to approach.
From correspondents in Cairo
March 25, 2008 09:37am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
ONE Egyptian was killed and two wounded when a US military ship about to cross the Suez Canal opened fire on barges of hawkers that approached their boat today, a security source said.
The ship, Global Patriot, was preparing to travel from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when a group of Egyptians seeking to sell merchandise approached the boat on small barges, the source said.
Americans on board told the barges to stop and opened fire when they continued to approach.
Drugs war: Morocco’s customs vs tricky smugglers
First Published 2008-03-24
Customs officers ' sixth sense against innovative drug smugglers
Customs officers ' sixth sense against innovative drug smugglers
Drugs war: Morocco’s customs vs tricky smugglers
Smugglers are using new methods to conceal hashish in order to avoid customs officers’ ‘sixth sense’.
By Mohamed Chakir - TANGIERS, Morocco
Moroccan customs officers are locked in a game of cat-and-mouse with drug smugglers at Tangiers, a short ferry hop from Europe's profitable shores.
Smugglers coming through the northern port know they can't simply conceal their contraband under the floor or in the doors of their vehicle -- even behind the instrument panel or inside the petrol tank would be naive.
Instead they are finding more and more ingenious places to hide their drugs or ways to fool the officials.
The country's record haul for hashish seizures in 2007 suggests the law enforcers are at least keeping pace with a growing band of smugglers.
In hundreds of operations last year, officers seized a total of 35 tonnes of hashish worth an estimated 140 million euros (215 million dollars) on the European market. That was more than 25 percent up on 2006.
Morocco's customs officers also arrested 437 people, half of them foreigners. Spanish nationals topped the list at 78, followed by 61 French nationals and 22 Portuguese.
But Abdelhalek Marzouki, the director of customs for northern Morocco, admits that despite his team's apparent successes the smugglers learn quickly from their mistakes.
Their capacity to innovate has been a source of constant surprise, he said. "They monitor how we operate in order to come up with new methods."
Marzouki tells the recent story of one officer who, alerted by a tiny trace of welding near a vehicle's clutch, followed his instincts to discover a whole string of cannabis bricks, strung together like sausages.
Officers have also discovered drugs inside the tyres of vehicles and even car batteries stuffed with cannabis resin.
Another smuggler tried to disguise his haul as a cargo of olives, painting his drugs green and adding fake stalks.
Every year, customs officers at Tangiers have to deal with a steady flow of foreign-registered vehicles: 380,000 cars and 80,000 lorries.
To get there, many will have passed through the northern Rif mountains, where according to government figures producers grow 1,200 tonnes of cannabis resin for export.
In a vast car park, officials send about half the lorries past two scanners that check for hidden cargo.
When it comes to the cars however, it's about instinct and experience, said Marzouki. The main tools of their trade, are "a screwdriver, a pair of sharp eyes and an extraordinary sixth sense."
Any officer worth his salt knows there is no such thing as a typical smuggler, he added. "They are young people and the less young; couples or pretty girls," he explained.
"Before they didn't search luxury cars because they thought that smugglers wouldn't waste their money on that kind of vehicle, but recently they have been leasing them."
This year, officers even arrested a Spaniard travelling with his wife, his mother and their two little girls in a camping car.
He tried to bluff his way through by flashing an out-of-date Spanish police identity card, clearly hoping that officials would not look twice at a family of holidaymakers.
He was wrong and officers found him in possession of 1.3 tonnes of hashish.
For France's consul general Alain Bricard, smugglers who use their own children to try to fool the police are beneath contempt.
Last summer, he had to look after two twin girls and also a young boy after their respective parents were arrested on smuggling charges.
For a week, these children were without a familiar face until relatives could get over from France to fetch them.
"I have the sad distinction of having under my consular (jurisdiction) the largest number of French prisoners in the world," he said.
At present a total of 98 French nationals including six women are serving time in Moroccan prisons, he said.
Tangiers prosecutor Echafi Abdelkrim said a large part of his time was spent with drugs cases.
"Foreign smugglers know they are playing with fire and that the trap can close on them because these are international networks who are using them to feed the foreign markets," he said.
For those that get caught the cat-and-mouse game can turn nasty as they face up to 10 years behind bars.
Stricken ferry not to sail again
Stricken ferry not to sail again
A ferry stranded off the Blackpool coast will never sail again after being declared a "constructive loss". The Riverdance cargo ship ran aground off the Lancashire coast on 31 January after being hit by a freak wave on its way from Northern Ireland to Heysham.
Following numerous efforts to refloat her being hampered by bad weather, the ship's owners, Seatruck Ferries, have said she will never return to service.
However, salvage teams still hope to refloat her in the near future.
A total of 23 people were airlifted to safety - 19 crew and four passengers when the 6,000-ton vessel ran aground.
Tourist attraction
It has since become a popular tourist attraction as people from across the UK visit Blackpool to see the ferry, which is stuck fast on its side.
Tony Redding, of Seatruck Ferries, said salvage teams intend to refloat the ship when the weather calms but are considering using winches rather than complex buoyancy techniques.
"Riverdance is a constructive loss and will never return to service," Mr Redding said.
"She suffered very significant damage during the last bout of bad weather.
"The intention is still to remove her in one piece and new proposals are being prepared about the salvage operation.
"By the end of next week the situation should be clarified as to what is going to happen next."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/lancashire/7311479.stm
Published: 2008/03/24 15:09:09 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
COAST GUARD CONTINUES SEARCH FOR MISSING CREWMAN
Date: March 23, 2008 | |
COAST GUARD CONTINUES SEARCH FOR MISSING CREWMAN | |
| JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard Cutter Munro and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter continue to search for one missing individual from the Fishing Vessel Alaska Ranger. Coast Guard Cutter Munro remains on scene searching for the one missing individual from the Fishing Vessel Alaska Ranger. The Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from St. Paul searched until dark and will recommence search at first light tomorrow morning. The fishing vessel Alaska Warrior will arrive this evening in Dutch Harbor with twenty-two survivors and three deceased from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger. Twenty survivors and one deceased from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger remain on the Coast Guard Cutter Munro. "This is one of the largest search and rescues cases in our recent history with 42 survivors saved from the frigid waters of Alaska (10 foot seas, 25 knots of wind with periods of winds of 35 knots, and sea temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees and air temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees) and included gallant efforts by Coast Guard crews on scene, including a Coast Guard rescue swimmer remaining in a raft for hours so as to allow more room in the helicopter for survivors suffering from hypothermia to reach critical care on board Coast Guard Cutter Munro," said Captain Mike Inman, Chief of Response for the Coast Guard 17th District in Juneau, Alaska. "When we got on scene there was a spread, at least a mile long, of 13 survivors in gumby suits with strobe lights," said Petty Officer 2nd Class O'Brien Hollow, rescue swimmer, Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak on board the MH-60 Jayhawk, "I went down without disconnecting from the helicopter and picked them up one at a time." Four fishermen died and one remains missing, including reports that one man may have sustained life threatening injuries during the rescue effort. "A thorough review of this case will be conducted and our sympathies are with all the family members involved in this dramatic incident," said Captain Inman. Release of the names of Alaska Ranger crewmembers is being conducted by the owner of the vessel, Alaska Fish Company located in Seattle. | |
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sailors Trapped After Boats Collide
Sailors Trapped After Boats Collide
Efforts are continuing to reach 18 Ukrainian sailors who are trapped underwater in their capsized tugboat after it collided with a cargo ship in Hong Kong waters.
Rescuers try to move the boat
Divers have already made nine attempts to rescue the group but are being hindered by the strong current and poor visibility.
Director of Marine Department Roger Tupper says the sailors are trapped in the hull of the ship.
He said they could still be alive if they had managed to find an air pocket inside their vessel.
However, Mr Tupper says rescue divers knocked on the boat and did not hear the sailors signal back.
Rescuers are now trying to move the 80-metre Ukrainian boat, which is currently lying upside down at a depth of 35 metres.
They want to take it into shallower waters to ease rescue efforts.
Mr Tupper said: "We have to get the vessel to shallow water to enable divers to have a better environment to operate.
"That does take time. That's very unfortunate."
The Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz collided with Chinese-registered cargo ship Yao Hai late Saturday off Hong Kong's outlying island of Lantau.
He said six Ukrainians and a Chinese citizen were rescued from the tugboat and efforts were continuing to find the others.
Mr Tupper said that the cause of the accident was not yet known and that weather conditions were "reasonable" when it occurred. Neither vessel was overloaded, he said.
All 25 crew members aboard the Chinese cargo ship - which was damaged but did not sink - were rescued.
19 feared dead as two ships collide off Hong Kong
| 19 feared dead as two ships collide off Hong Kong | |
| Sunday, 23 March , 2008, 09:13 Last Updated: Sunday, 23 March , 2008, 09:19 | |
| Hong Kong: Marine police divers in Hong Kong were on Sunday searching for survivors after at least 19 crewmembers were lost as two ships collided in thick fog. Seven people - six men and one woman - were pulled from the waters between Hong Kong's Lantau Island and its Kowloon peninsula after the tugboat and freighter collided at around 9 pm on Saturday. Some crewmembers were thrown into the water by the force of the collision while others are believed to have been trapped inside a cabin aboard one of the vessels, a marine police spokesman said. The freighter sank after the collision, which took place near to a group of islands called The Brothers, a few kilometres from the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau island. Thick fog had reduced visibility to as little as 700 metres at the time of the accident. Fireboats and a government helicopter joined in the search for survivors on Sunday morning. If the 19 missing are confirmed dead, the incident will count as the worst single marine accident in Hong Kong's busy but closely regulated waters for decades. | |
Bodies of Bulgarian Shipwrecked Sailors Back Home
Bodies of Bulgarian Shipwrecked Sailors Back Home
23 March 2008, Sunday
Ten Bulgarian sailors (pictured) and one Ukrainian were aboard the cargo ship Vanessa, which sank in the ice-cold Azov Sea. Photo by bulphoto
A Navy ship is leaving for Ukraine to bring back home the bodies of the sailors aboard Vanessa cargo vessel that shipwrecked in the Sea of Azov.
The ship is scheduled to come to anchor at Burgas port on March 25.
The municipality of Burgas has decided to declare a day of mourning the day the sailors are buried.
Vanessa shipwrecked on January 3 with 11 crewmembers on board. Ukrainian rescuers recovered the bodies of Petko Momchev and Georgi Zhelev days after the tragedy.
Nikolay Dimitrov, a mechanic, was the only one to survive the shipwreck. He was rescued after spending 10 hours in the ice-cold waters.
The reasons for the shipwreck are still under investigation, which is expected to continue for at least another two months.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Navy Fast Attack Craft sinks in mystery blast; 6 crewmembers survive
Navy Fast Attack Craft sinks in mystery blast; 6 crewmembers survive
Colombo March 22, 2008 - A Sri Lanka Navy Fast Attack Craft (FAC) has been caught in a possible underwater blast this morning (March 22). According to the defence sources, the locally built P438 deployed in northeastern coastal waters off Nayaru has sunk due the blast that occurred around 2.30.a.m.
Upon the receipt of the SOS message from the sinking craft other sea units have immediately launched a search and rescue mission in the area. According to the naval sources, 6 crewmembers, including the Officer in Charge of the craft have been rescued so far.
The survivors have reported an underwater blast that damaged the boat's hull and caused it to be sunk in a short time. According to the survivors there has been no sea confrontation nor any LTTE craft were present in the area. Navy suspects the blast has caused by a possible sea mine or due to some underwater weapon developed by the terrorists.
Search and rescue mission continues.
LTTE is a ruthless terrorists outfit that has pioneered many new terrorist tactics such as female suicide bombers, vehicle bombs, boat bombs, etc. All such tactics have been transferred to the international terrorist organization, making the Sri Lanka's menace a global one. Unfortunately, through its effective propaganda mechanism and its emissaries in many NGOs, LTTE has been an able raise fund in many western nations for its terrorist activities under the facade of a rebel organization fighting for the rights of Tamil people.
Colombo March 22, 2008 - A Sri Lanka Navy Fast Attack Craft (FAC) has been caught in a possible underwater blast this morning (March 22). According to the defence sources, the locally built P438 deployed in northeastern coastal waters off Nayaru has sunk due the blast that occurred around 2.30.a.m.
Upon the receipt of the SOS message from the sinking craft other sea units have immediately launched a search and rescue mission in the area. According to the naval sources, 6 crewmembers, including the Officer in Charge of the craft have been rescued so far.
The survivors have reported an underwater blast that damaged the boat's hull and caused it to be sunk in a short time. According to the survivors there has been no sea confrontation nor any LTTE craft were present in the area. Navy suspects the blast has caused by a possible sea mine or due to some underwater weapon developed by the terrorists.
Search and rescue mission continues.
LTTE is a ruthless terrorists outfit that has pioneered many new terrorist tactics such as female suicide bombers, vehicle bombs, boat bombs, etc. All such tactics have been transferred to the international terrorist organization, making the Sri Lanka's menace a global one. Unfortunately, through its effective propaganda mechanism and its emissaries in many NGOs, LTTE has been an able raise fund in many western nations for its terrorist activities under the facade of a rebel organization fighting for the rights of Tamil people.
Tips on unjamming an icebreaker
Tips on unjamming an icebreaker
TheStar.com - sciencetech - Tips on unjamming an icebreaker
When Canadian ship stuck in Arctic ice, a few things were tried. What worked was a surprise
March 21, 2008
Peter Calamai
Science Reporter
ABOARD CCGS AMUNDSEN–After a night spent stuck in tough ice, Canada's floating Arctic research centre yesterday sped along a "polar superhighway" to a frigid new home.
But the Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen got stuck again late in the day within a few hundred metres of the desired destination.
Captain Lise Marchand said the latest icy vise was unsuitable for a berth because a quick escape would be impossible if bad weather developed, such as fierce winds pushing the 98-metre vessel.
So a team of sailors and scientists will be heading out on the ice with chainsaws and ice augers to perforate the ice in a line along the ship's starboard side. The same technique was used to free the vessel when it got stuck last December.
Once the Amundsen is free, it will reverse and then nose into a nearby expanse of undisturbed snow. The 40 scientists aboard will then spend the next two weeks here, south of Banks Island, carrying out scores of experiments to understand rapid Arctic climate change.
As well, researchers will take a helicopter next week to an isolated day research camp 50 kilometres away on an ice floe in Prince of Wales Strait.
The experiments are underway just as the Arctic starts coming alive for the spring, starting with the lowly ice algae, which several scientists are eager to collect.
At a meeting onboard yesterday, chief scientist Tim Papakyriakou challenged the researchers from nine Canadian universities and government agencies and six other countries to co-ordinate their work, which sometimes competes for location or for the ship's specialized equipment.
"We'll get everything done but we need to be organized so we don't waste time," said Papakyriakou in an interview.
"Some people need clean areas out on the ice so they have to be isolated from the people who are messing things up a bit," said the University of Manitoba professor.
Experiments that will soon start anew include taking sediment cores from the ocean bottom and sending a remotely operated vehicle down through a hole in the Amundsen's hull, called a moonpool.
The ship struggled to make the 60-kilometre journey from its previous location to the west, near Nelson Head at the tip of Banks Island. It started out just after noon and progress was slow most of the day.
Then, shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday night, the Amundsen became wedged in a thick ice floe.
Marchand tried wiggling the vessel free by switching between port and starboard with the six powerful diesel engines. When the Amundsen failed to budge, the crew pumped ballast so the bow rose and the stern dipped, giving the propellers more bite.
That didn't work either, so the crew and support personnel did what many Canadians do – they flooded the rink.
Lukewarm water was pumped overboard into the –30C surroundings through a fat green hose.
Melting the snow reduced friction, effectively greasing the ship's hull, and yesterday morning the Amundsen backed out of its ice trap with barely a shudder.
Later the refitted icebreaker sped along a "polar superhighway," a corridor of thin ice only recently formed over a ribbon of open water known as a lead.
A special kind of lead is the focus of the ambitious $40 million research effort, which brought the Amundsen to the western Arctic last August.
These flaw leads are ribbons of open water that open and close between the ice attached to shorelines and the drifting pack ice. Chemical and biological processes are accelerated in the flaw leads, making them ideal laboratories to probe the changing Arctic climate.
No ship has ever overwintered in the Western Arctic while moving to different positions. In 2004, the Amundsen was locked into one spot of the ice in the Beaufort Sea for the entire winter.
"We'll write a new chapter on ice navigation in Canadian waters," Marchand told the Star.
TheStar.com - sciencetech - Tips on unjamming an icebreaker
When Canadian ship stuck in Arctic ice, a few things were tried. What worked was a surprise
March 21, 2008
Peter Calamai
Science Reporter
ABOARD CCGS AMUNDSEN–After a night spent stuck in tough ice, Canada's floating Arctic research centre yesterday sped along a "polar superhighway" to a frigid new home.
But the Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen got stuck again late in the day within a few hundred metres of the desired destination.
Captain Lise Marchand said the latest icy vise was unsuitable for a berth because a quick escape would be impossible if bad weather developed, such as fierce winds pushing the 98-metre vessel.
So a team of sailors and scientists will be heading out on the ice with chainsaws and ice augers to perforate the ice in a line along the ship's starboard side. The same technique was used to free the vessel when it got stuck last December.
Once the Amundsen is free, it will reverse and then nose into a nearby expanse of undisturbed snow. The 40 scientists aboard will then spend the next two weeks here, south of Banks Island, carrying out scores of experiments to understand rapid Arctic climate change.
As well, researchers will take a helicopter next week to an isolated day research camp 50 kilometres away on an ice floe in Prince of Wales Strait.
The experiments are underway just as the Arctic starts coming alive for the spring, starting with the lowly ice algae, which several scientists are eager to collect.
At a meeting onboard yesterday, chief scientist Tim Papakyriakou challenged the researchers from nine Canadian universities and government agencies and six other countries to co-ordinate their work, which sometimes competes for location or for the ship's specialized equipment.
"We'll get everything done but we need to be organized so we don't waste time," said Papakyriakou in an interview.
"Some people need clean areas out on the ice so they have to be isolated from the people who are messing things up a bit," said the University of Manitoba professor.
Experiments that will soon start anew include taking sediment cores from the ocean bottom and sending a remotely operated vehicle down through a hole in the Amundsen's hull, called a moonpool.
The ship struggled to make the 60-kilometre journey from its previous location to the west, near Nelson Head at the tip of Banks Island. It started out just after noon and progress was slow most of the day.
Then, shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday night, the Amundsen became wedged in a thick ice floe.
Marchand tried wiggling the vessel free by switching between port and starboard with the six powerful diesel engines. When the Amundsen failed to budge, the crew pumped ballast so the bow rose and the stern dipped, giving the propellers more bite.
That didn't work either, so the crew and support personnel did what many Canadians do – they flooded the rink.
Lukewarm water was pumped overboard into the –30C surroundings through a fat green hose.
Melting the snow reduced friction, effectively greasing the ship's hull, and yesterday morning the Amundsen backed out of its ice trap with barely a shudder.
Later the refitted icebreaker sped along a "polar superhighway," a corridor of thin ice only recently formed over a ribbon of open water known as a lead.
A special kind of lead is the focus of the ambitious $40 million research effort, which brought the Amundsen to the western Arctic last August.
These flaw leads are ribbons of open water that open and close between the ice attached to shorelines and the drifting pack ice. Chemical and biological processes are accelerated in the flaw leads, making them ideal laboratories to probe the changing Arctic climate.
No ship has ever overwintered in the Western Arctic while moving to different positions. In 2004, the Amundsen was locked into one spot of the ice in the Beaufort Sea for the entire winter.
"We'll write a new chapter on ice navigation in Canadian waters," Marchand told the Star.
Coast Guard Responds to Disabled Sailing Vessel; Reminds Boaters to Take Safety Precautions
Coast Guard Responds to Disabled Sailing Vessel; Reminds Boaters to Take Safety Precautions
MONTERREY, Calif. - The Coast Guard responded to a distress call made by the 41-foot sailing vessel "Carmelita" after it received a report that the vessel lost both power and steering 15 miles south of Pt. Sur, Calif., very early on Friday morning.
Upon receiving the call at 12:45 a.m., a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Monterey was launched immediately to assist the troubled vessel. When the Coast Guard lost communications with the "Carmelita" at 2:12 a.m., an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station San Francisco was launched immediately. The 47-foot Motor Life Boat arrived on scene at 4:22 a.m. and made arrangements to tow the Carmelita to a safe haven. The "Carmelita" was towed to the Monterey Harbor, and arrived safely at 11 a.m.
With the busy summer boating season just around the corner in Northern California, the Coast Guard continues to stress the importance of boating safety while enjoying time spent on the water. "I hope our Bay Area sailors take the time to fully prepare their boats and safety equipment, and also prepare sail plans before setting out on a trip" said Captain Paul Gugg, Commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. "Minutes invested in preparation can save hours of time adrift, in possibly dangerous conditions and in need of rescue."
The Coast Guard reminds boaters to have the required safety equipment, and to exercise good judgment while on the water. By ensuring all lifesaving equipment is in working order and filing a float plan with friends or relatives, boaters can increase the effectiveness of Coast Guard response in the event of an emergency.
Boaters are encouraged to ensure they have properly fitting, Coast Guard approved lifejackets onboard in accordance with Coast Guard regulations. The Coast Guard also highly recommends all boaters carry an 406 MHz Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) with them. EPIRBs are designed to float free of a sinking vessel, and automatically transmit a digital distress message to satellites. They can be manually activated as well.
Additionally, all boaters are encouraged to get a Vessel Safety Check, provided free of charge by Coast Guard Auxiliary members. More information on Vessel Safety Checks and required safety equipment can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org./ and http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/ .
MONTERREY, Calif. - The Coast Guard responded to a distress call made by the 41-foot sailing vessel "Carmelita" after it received a report that the vessel lost both power and steering 15 miles south of Pt. Sur, Calif., very early on Friday morning.
Upon receiving the call at 12:45 a.m., a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Monterey was launched immediately to assist the troubled vessel. When the Coast Guard lost communications with the "Carmelita" at 2:12 a.m., an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station San Francisco was launched immediately. The 47-foot Motor Life Boat arrived on scene at 4:22 a.m. and made arrangements to tow the Carmelita to a safe haven. The "Carmelita" was towed to the Monterey Harbor, and arrived safely at 11 a.m.
With the busy summer boating season just around the corner in Northern California, the Coast Guard continues to stress the importance of boating safety while enjoying time spent on the water. "I hope our Bay Area sailors take the time to fully prepare their boats and safety equipment, and also prepare sail plans before setting out on a trip" said Captain Paul Gugg, Commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. "Minutes invested in preparation can save hours of time adrift, in possibly dangerous conditions and in need of rescue."
The Coast Guard reminds boaters to have the required safety equipment, and to exercise good judgment while on the water. By ensuring all lifesaving equipment is in working order and filing a float plan with friends or relatives, boaters can increase the effectiveness of Coast Guard response in the event of an emergency.
Boaters are encouraged to ensure they have properly fitting, Coast Guard approved lifejackets onboard in accordance with Coast Guard regulations. The Coast Guard also highly recommends all boaters carry an 406 MHz Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) with them. EPIRBs are designed to float free of a sinking vessel, and automatically transmit a digital distress message to satellites. They can be manually activated as well.
Additionally, all boaters are encouraged to get a Vessel Safety Check, provided free of charge by Coast Guard Auxiliary members. More information on Vessel Safety Checks and required safety equipment can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org./ and http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/ .
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Regular scandal boiling up in Ukraine-Russia relations
[19.03.2008 13:07]
Regular scandal boiling up in Ukraine-Russia relations
Kyiv has intent to demand from Russia multi-million compensation for polluting the Kerh Strait with oil.
According to Russian mass-media, in particular, RIA Novosti, "Ukraine plans to charge Russian ship-owners over $1 billion in damages for a November fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait, the press office of the Ukrainian government said on Wednesday".
A storm in the Kerch Strait, which joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, sank four ships and an oil tanker on November 11. The incident resulted in about 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilling into the sea.
Experts said petrochemical concentrations in the Kerch Strait following the storm were 50 times higher than maximum permissible levels. Some 50,000 birds have so far died as a result of the oil slick. The fuel penetrates birds` plumage causing hypothermia, and is ingested, usually with fatal results.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claimed late in December that all traces of November`s disaster in the Kerch Strait had been eliminated, but Greenpeace said the consequences of fuel spill in the Kerch Strait could take up to a decade to be eliminated.
The government of Ukraine`s Black Sea autonomy of Crimea has allocated 2 million hryvna ($400,000) for disposal of spilled fuel collected in the Kerch Strait.
ctnstant URL of article:
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-241894.html
Regular scandal boiling up in Ukraine-Russia relations
Kyiv has intent to demand from Russia multi-million compensation for polluting the Kerh Strait with oil.
According to Russian mass-media, in particular, RIA Novosti, "Ukraine plans to charge Russian ship-owners over $1 billion in damages for a November fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait, the press office of the Ukrainian government said on Wednesday".
A storm in the Kerch Strait, which joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, sank four ships and an oil tanker on November 11. The incident resulted in about 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilling into the sea.
Experts said petrochemical concentrations in the Kerch Strait following the storm were 50 times higher than maximum permissible levels. Some 50,000 birds have so far died as a result of the oil slick. The fuel penetrates birds` plumage causing hypothermia, and is ingested, usually with fatal results.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claimed late in December that all traces of November`s disaster in the Kerch Strait had been eliminated, but Greenpeace said the consequences of fuel spill in the Kerch Strait could take up to a decade to be eliminated.
The government of Ukraine`s Black Sea autonomy of Crimea has allocated 2 million hryvna ($400,000) for disposal of spilled fuel collected in the Kerch Strait.
ctnstant URL of article:
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-241894.html
Ukraine to charge Russia $1bln for Kerch Strait oil spill
Ukraine to charge Russia $1bln for Kerch Strait oil spill
12:25 | 19/ 03/ 2008
SIMFEROPOL, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine plans to charge Russian ship-owners over $1 billion in damages for a November fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait, the press office of the Ukrainian government said on Wednesday.
A storm in the Kerch Strait, which joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, sank four ships and an oil tanker on November 11. The incident resulted in about 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilling into the sea.
Experts said petrochemical concentrations in the Kerch Strait following the storm were 50 times higher than maximum permissible levels. Some 50,000 birds have so far died as a result of the oil slick. The fuel penetrates birds' plumage causing hypothermia, and is ingested, usually with fatal results.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claimed late in December that all traces of November's disaster in the Kerch Strait had been eliminated, but Greenpeace said the consequences of fuel spill in the Kerch Strait could take up to a decade to be eliminated.
The government of Ukraine's Black Sea autonomy of Crimea has allocated 2 million hryvna ($400,000) for disposal of spilled fuel collected in the Kerch Strait.
12:25 | 19/ 03/ 2008
SIMFEROPOL, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine plans to charge Russian ship-owners over $1 billion in damages for a November fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait, the press office of the Ukrainian government said on Wednesday.
A storm in the Kerch Strait, which joins the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, sank four ships and an oil tanker on November 11. The incident resulted in about 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilling into the sea.
Experts said petrochemical concentrations in the Kerch Strait following the storm were 50 times higher than maximum permissible levels. Some 50,000 birds have so far died as a result of the oil slick. The fuel penetrates birds' plumage causing hypothermia, and is ingested, usually with fatal results.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov claimed late in December that all traces of November's disaster in the Kerch Strait had been eliminated, but Greenpeace said the consequences of fuel spill in the Kerch Strait could take up to a decade to be eliminated.
The government of Ukraine's Black Sea autonomy of Crimea has allocated 2 million hryvna ($400,000) for disposal of spilled fuel collected in the Kerch Strait.
Danish warship steers food aid past pirates to Somalia
Danish warship steers food aid past pirates to Somalia
19 Mar 2008 09:15:00 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Guled Mohamed
ON BOARD HDMS THETIS, March 19 (Reuters) - Bristling with heavy machineguns and computerised grenade launchers, the HDMS Thetis with its crew of Danish marines is shepherding vital food aid through one of the world's most dangerous waterways.
In the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, pirates have attacked several vessels in recent months carrying relief supplies to the anarchic Horn of Africa country, holding the ships and their crews for ransom.
The United Nations has appealed for rich nations to help it get humanitarian aid to impoverished Somalis, and the militaries of France and Denmark have answered the call.
"This is the noblest mission I've ever been involved with and I'm ready to die," said one Danish commando on board the MV Fade 1, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship trailing the Thetis and carrying 5,300 tonnes of aid for the U.N. World Food Programme.
"This operation is better than those useless political battles," said the soldier, clad in camouflage and toting an M16 assault rifle, a 9mm pistol strapped to his right thigh.
Piracy has been rife off Somalia since warlords there toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. But the attacks have reached unprecedented levels due to instability onshore as the interim government battles Islamist insurgents.
In the latest incident, hijackers freed a Russian ship on Tuesday that they captured last month. The crew were unharmed.
CRUCIAL MISSION
A local Somali official said a $700,000 ransom had been paid, but the vessel's owners said it would be "irresponsible" for it to give any details of contacts with the hijackers.
Doing so could encourage more attacks, it warned.
The 3,500-tonne, 112-metre Thetis is on its second humanitarian mission in the region since February, escorting food aid from Mombasa in Kenya to the Somali capital Mogadishu.
WFP hopes to feed close to 2 million Somalis by August.
Up to 1 million of Somalia's total population of 9 million are living as refugees after 17 years of conflict, and the United Nations has described the situation in Somalia as Africa's worst humanitarian crisis.
Sitting aboard the MV Fade 1, 56-year-old Syrian captain Mustafa Al-Jendi, is overjoyed with the Danish help.
"We are safe from pirate attacks," he told Reuters, smoking contentedly as he navigated the vessel weighed down with stocks of sorghum, peas, other vegetables and non-food items.
"Some areas between Mombasa and Mogadishu are not very safe. We are happy the troops are here to provide security."
After this mission, the Thetis will be sailing back to the northern hemisphere to resume its usual tasks of ice-breaking and monitoring fishing fleets.
A Danish sniper in his mid-20s keeping a watchful eye from the deck of the Fade 1 had a message for any pirates who tried to interfere with their important work.
"We will shoot at their engine to show them they are not wanted here," he said. "We're not interested in killing them." (Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Charles Dick)
19 Mar 2008 09:15:00 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Guled Mohamed
ON BOARD HDMS THETIS, March 19 (Reuters) - Bristling with heavy machineguns and computerised grenade launchers, the HDMS Thetis with its crew of Danish marines is shepherding vital food aid through one of the world's most dangerous waterways.
In the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, pirates have attacked several vessels in recent months carrying relief supplies to the anarchic Horn of Africa country, holding the ships and their crews for ransom.
The United Nations has appealed for rich nations to help it get humanitarian aid to impoverished Somalis, and the militaries of France and Denmark have answered the call.
"This is the noblest mission I've ever been involved with and I'm ready to die," said one Danish commando on board the MV Fade 1, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship trailing the Thetis and carrying 5,300 tonnes of aid for the U.N. World Food Programme.
"This operation is better than those useless political battles," said the soldier, clad in camouflage and toting an M16 assault rifle, a 9mm pistol strapped to his right thigh.
Piracy has been rife off Somalia since warlords there toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. But the attacks have reached unprecedented levels due to instability onshore as the interim government battles Islamist insurgents.
In the latest incident, hijackers freed a Russian ship on Tuesday that they captured last month. The crew were unharmed.
CRUCIAL MISSION
A local Somali official said a $700,000 ransom had been paid, but the vessel's owners said it would be "irresponsible" for it to give any details of contacts with the hijackers.
Doing so could encourage more attacks, it warned.
The 3,500-tonne, 112-metre Thetis is on its second humanitarian mission in the region since February, escorting food aid from Mombasa in Kenya to the Somali capital Mogadishu.
WFP hopes to feed close to 2 million Somalis by August.
Up to 1 million of Somalia's total population of 9 million are living as refugees after 17 years of conflict, and the United Nations has described the situation in Somalia as Africa's worst humanitarian crisis.
Sitting aboard the MV Fade 1, 56-year-old Syrian captain Mustafa Al-Jendi, is overjoyed with the Danish help.
"We are safe from pirate attacks," he told Reuters, smoking contentedly as he navigated the vessel weighed down with stocks of sorghum, peas, other vegetables and non-food items.
"Some areas between Mombasa and Mogadishu are not very safe. We are happy the troops are here to provide security."
After this mission, the Thetis will be sailing back to the northern hemisphere to resume its usual tasks of ice-breaking and monitoring fishing fleets.
A Danish sniper in his mid-20s keeping a watchful eye from the deck of the Fade 1 had a message for any pirates who tried to interfere with their important work.
"We will shoot at their engine to show them they are not wanted here," he said. "We're not interested in killing them." (Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Charles Dick)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Owner confirms Somali pirates release Russia-bound vessel
Owner confirms Somali pirates release Russia-bound vessel
14:40 | 18/ 03/ 2008
LONDON, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - The company that owns the Svitzer Korsakov ice-class tug vessel seized by Somali pirates on February 1 confirmed on Tuesday that the vessel has been released.
Svitzer spokesman Patrick Adamson told RIA Novosti the ship and crew had been released, but gave no details on the ransom paid to the pirates.
International news agencies cited officials as saying $700,000 had been paid.
The Danish-owned vessel had four Russian crew members, a British captain, and an Irish engineer on board.
The pirates operating in Somalia's northern region of Puntland captured the Russian ship off the Horn of Africa and took the crew hostage during a voyage from St. Petersburg, around Africa, to Russia's Far Eastern island of Sakhalin, where it was intended for use in oil and natural gas projects.
The company that owns the tugboat - Svitzer Wijsmuller Sakhalin Ltd. - has been contracted by Sakhalin Energy, the operator of a vast oil and gas project off Sakhalin, to transport ships to the region.
Pirate attacks are a common occurrence off Somalia's coast, and in the past several vessels carrying United Nations aid to the country have been targeted. Attackers usually seize cargo, money and other valuables, but rarely capture ships or crew members.
14:40 | 18/ 03/ 2008
LONDON, March 18 (RIA Novosti) - The company that owns the Svitzer Korsakov ice-class tug vessel seized by Somali pirates on February 1 confirmed on Tuesday that the vessel has been released.
Svitzer spokesman Patrick Adamson told RIA Novosti the ship and crew had been released, but gave no details on the ransom paid to the pirates.
International news agencies cited officials as saying $700,000 had been paid.
The Danish-owned vessel had four Russian crew members, a British captain, and an Irish engineer on board.
The pirates operating in Somalia's northern region of Puntland captured the Russian ship off the Horn of Africa and took the crew hostage during a voyage from St. Petersburg, around Africa, to Russia's Far Eastern island of Sakhalin, where it was intended for use in oil and natural gas projects.
The company that owns the tugboat - Svitzer Wijsmuller Sakhalin Ltd. - has been contracted by Sakhalin Energy, the operator of a vast oil and gas project off Sakhalin, to transport ships to the region.
Pirate attacks are a common occurrence off Somalia's coast, and in the past several vessels carrying United Nations aid to the country have been targeted. Attackers usually seize cargo, money and other valuables, but rarely capture ships or crew members.
Twelve Foreign ships under detention in the UK during February
Twelve Foreign ships under detention in the UK during February
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that 6 foreign ships were under detention in UK ports during February 2008 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.
Latest monthly figures show that there were six detentions of foreign flagged ships in UK ports during February 2008 and six vessels under detention from previous months. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 5.2% a slight decrease on January twelve month rate.
During the month of February 159 Port State Control inspections were carried out in the UK. A total of 41 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 70 had between one and five deficiencies, 36 had between six and ten deficiencies 11 had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and there was 1 vessel inspected which had more than twenty deficiencies.
Out of the detained vessels three were registered with a flag states listed on the Paris MOU white list, six were registered with flag states on the grey list and two were registered with flag states on the black list and one was not listed.
Vessels detained in February included:
a 499gt St Vincent & Grenadines flagged General Cargo Vessel which was detained in Hull following the arrest of the master who had been arrested by the local police as it was suspected he had been drinking. In addition, there was no evidence to prove that officers on board held CECs from the Flag State as it appeared that these certificates were locked up in the safe and only the master knew the combination. The vessels magnetic compass had a large bubble and there had been no entries into the compass deviation/correction log since October 2007. The vessel had also suffered a black - out on departure of Antwerp before arriving at Humber that needed to be investigated and any problem resolved as required.
a 20,248gt Panama flagged Other Cargo Vessel detained in Bristol because the port lifeboat suspension falls blocks - forward & aft were holed and wasted. The fire drill and abandonment drill was substandard and the crew showed a lack of emergency preparedness during these drills. The propeller shaft in the starboard lifeboat was found to have an excessive misalignment and required rectification. The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major breakdown of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS).
Note to Editors
1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's Inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (95/21/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes full details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.
2. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the MCA. Where a ship is found to be deficient or lacks the required documentation, MCA surveyors can take a range of actions leading to detention in serious cases. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as SIReNaC. This allows the ships of flags with poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.
3. Detained ships have to satisfy surveyors that remedial work has been carried out before they are allowed to leave port.
4. When applicable the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).
Notes on the list of detentions
Full details of the ship
The accompanying detention list shows ship's name, the flag state and the ship's International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship's life and uniquely identifies it.
Company
The company shown in the vessel's Safety Management Certificate or the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
Classification Society
The list shows the Classification Society responsible for classing the ship and not necessarily the party issuing and/or carrying out surveys for certificates relevant to the defect found.
Recognised Organisation
The organisation responsible for conducting the statutory surveys and issuing statutory certificates, on behalf of the flag State.
Defects
The list gives a summary of the main grounds for detention and includes information where the ship has been released to sail to another port for repairs.
SHIPS DETAINED IN FEBRUARY 2008
Date & Place of Detention: 08/02/2008 - Teesside
Vessel Name: CORN DIVA (General Cargo)
GT: 4,983
Imo No: 8401248
Flag: Malta
Company: Corn Ships Management and Agency
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 18 deficiencies in total (3 detainable) detained for 5 days because the starboard davit launch life raft was not ready for use as the brake had seized. Other deficiencies included - an excessive oil leakage from the midships hydraulic rams for the hatch, there were no up to date hours of rest -written in an easily checkable and verifiable format: also the freeboard marks were unreadable and some of the engine room lifejackets were not as required. A major non conformity was raised because maintenance procedures had failed to ensure ready availability of life saving appliances. The master had also failed to notify the ships' company that repairs were required to the davits to comply with ISM procedures which require that all life saving were ready for immediate use. The vessel was released on 12/02/2008.
Date & Place of Detention: 11/02/2008 Heysham (Liverpool)
Vessel Name: SHIELD (Ro-Ro Cargo)
GT: 7,606
Imo No: 9119426
Flag: Malta
Company: Superfast Ferries SA
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 6 deficiencies in total (2 detainable) detained for
2 days because the main deck bilge system was not draining effectively as it was clogged with mud & debris. Other deficiencies identified included - the starboard bilge well alarm was not working: the bow thrust fire main isolation valve was inoperative: the davit launched life raft - launching instructions were not showing the correct launching procedure and the man holes to the port side cargo lift needed to be secured. A major non conformity against the ISM system was identified because of the inadequacy of the maintenance of the deck scuppers which led to unsafe conditions on board. The vessel was released on 12/02/2008.
Date & Place of Detention: 19/02/2008 Bristol (Avonmouth)
Vessel Name: SETUBAL
GT: 20,248
Imo No: 7812452
Flag: Panama
Company: Patt Manfield
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 17 deficiencies (5 detainable) detained because the port lifeboat suspension falls blocks- forward & aft were holed and wasted. The fire drill and abandonment drill were substandard and the crew showed a lack of emergency preparedness during these drills. The propeller shaft in the starboard lifeboat was found to have excessive misalignment and required rectifying.
In addition there was no evidence of the fire extinguishers being serviced since April 2004. Other deficiencies included - 2 galley ventilators, a number of ventilators on the car deck, as well as various main deck fuel & diesel oil ventilators were not properly maintained. The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major breakdown of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS).
The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of Detention: 21/02/2008 Silvertown River (Thames)
Vessel Name: JUPITER BRIGHT
GT: 15,820
Imo No: 8508577
Flag: Korea (S)
Company: Stx Pos Ship Management
Classification Society: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Recognised Organisation: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Summary: 13 deficiencies (3 detainable) detained for 8 days because the fire drill was unsatisfactory: the AIS was not transmitting: and the ships' sanitary facilities were not as required. Other deficiencies included the bulkhead lining was missing and the emergency generator was not as required as well as the emergency bilge suction valve, which was not properly maintained. A minor non conformity was identified in relation to the maintenance of the ship and equipment. .The vessel was released on 28/02/2008
Date & Place of Detention: 25/02/2008 Liverpool
Vessel Name: NAVISION LOGGER
GT: 16,582
Imo No: 8400543
Flag: Panama
Company: Split Shipmanagement Ltd
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC)
Summary: 12 deficiencies (2 detainable) detained because the lifeboat davit fall drum cheek plates were severely corroded and the rope work on the port and starboard embarkation ladders was severed. Other deficiencies identified included the port aft mooring winch foundations, were severely corroded as were some of the roller fairleads at the aft mooring station. In addition the port accommodation ladder top platform was damaged and the sanitary facilities were unhygienic and not properly maintained and the provisions quantity was insufficient. The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 28/02/2008 Hull
Vessel Name: RMS SCANLARK (General Cargo)
GT: 1,371
IMO No: 8505915
Flag: St Vincent and Grenadines
Company: Vista Shipping Agency As
Classification Society: Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
Recognised Organisation: Germanischer Lloyd (GL) / Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Lloyds Register (LR)
Summary: 9 deficiencies (1) detainable detained because the manning as specified by the safe manning document was not as required. The vessels' master was not on board as he had been detained by the local police which invalidated the requirements of the safe manning certificate. In addition there was no evidence on board to support that the ships 'officers held CECs from the flag state paperwork was purported to be in the ships' safe to which only the master knew the combination.
Other deficiencies identified included a large bubble in the magnetic compass: the port side main deck railings the top rail was broken in one place and some stanchions were detached from the deck also there were missing and loose cleats on several hatch covers that needed repair. The vessel was released on 28/02/2008
DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS
Date & Place of detention: 23/07/2007 - Falmouth
Vessel Name: OCEAN ALERT (Other)
GT: 1,455
IMO No: 7006780
Flag: Panama
Company: Marr Vessel Management.
Classification Society: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register (LR)
Summary: 5 deficiencies (all detainable), detained because the vessel did not comply with the International Safety Management Code. There was no safety management system on board or planned maintenance on vessel. The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 21/09/2007 - Lowestoft
Vessel Name: ST PIRAN (Other Cargo)
GT: 316
IMO No: 5085407
Flag: Sierra Leone
Company: Charter Shipping Inc
Classification Society: Phoenix Register of Shipping (PRS)
Summary: 18 deficiencies in total, (6 detainable) Detained because there was a significant amount of oil leaking from the silencer drain soaking the exhaust manifold lagging of the main engine causing an imminent fire hazard. There was no effective fire pump available due to the breakdown of the main engine and the alternative submersible electric pump was not effective. Also the Aldis signalling lamp was out of order the VHF radio installation had an incorrect MMSI number and the radio battery charger arrangement and power distribution was incorrect. Other deficiencies included some of the navigation lights were inoperative, emergency batteries were not properly maintained neither were the portable fire extinguishers. The ship was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 07/01/2008 - Newcastle
Vessel Name: PIRGOS (General Cargo)
GT: 10,230
IMO No: 7924839
Flag: St Vincent and Grenadines
Company: Ribex Maritime Ltd
Classification Society: Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR)
Summary: 32 deficiencies in total (6 detainable). Detained because there was no effective transmission on the MF radio installation and the RT/DSC antenna was defective on Stbd VHF. The starboard lifeboat took 1 hour to lower and the port lifeboat had still not been able to be lowered by the end of the inspection. In addition the accommodation bulkhead No2 deck was corroded through and repaired with tape and the galley ventilators on Nos 1 & 2 decks were also corroded as were the bulkheads in the provisions and bosuns' stores. Other deficiencies included - the fire and abandon ship drill was not according to the Safety Management System (SMS), the galley and the provision store were not hygienic and there was no hot water in the galley. It was also noted that the Master and Chief Engineer did not have their hours of rest recorded. The vessel was released on 07/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 23/01/2008 - Immingham
Vessel Name: PADRE (Bulk Carrier)
GT: 20,616
IMO No: 8107555
Flag: Liberia
Company: Initium Maritime Corp
Classification Society: China Classification Society (CCS)
Recognised Organisation: China Classification Society (CCS)
Summary: 64 deficiencies in total (8 detainable) The inspection was prompted by members of the crew who had contacted a seafarers' charity in the port to complain that they were reluctant to sail and had fears for their safety. Deficiencies identified included - the compass was not aligned to the ships head and the compass card was badly worn and unreadable on some headings .also embarkation ladders for the lifeboats were badly worn and connection eyes defective. In addition the vessels' sick bay was dirty and unhygienic with the bathroom floor broken and holed and the bath full of liquid that could not be drained. Other deficiencies identified included - the securing bolts were missing from the access hatch from the bridge deck and numerous fire dampers were unable to be closed and secured in a closed position in addition the engine room workshop vent was holed and the internal damper missing.
The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major failure of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS). The vessel was released on 06/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 26/01/2008 - Dover
Vessel Name: SAVA LAKE (General Cargo)
GT: 2,030
IMO No: 8719073
Flag: Latvia
Company: Sia Liapajas Juras Birojs
Classification Society: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC)
Recognised Organisation: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC) & Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS)
Summary: 1 deficiency the detainable deficiency. The vessel was inspected by the MCA and was detained under Solas Chapter 7 - Carriage of Dangerous Goods as the vessel was not allowed to carry cargo of this type. The vessel was released on 02/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 30/01/2008 - Teesport
Vessel Name: MIAMI (General Cargo)
GT: 17,022
IMO No: 7722138
Flag: Panama
Company: Good Faith Shipping
Classification Society: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Bureau Veritas (BV)
Summary: 17 deficiencies in total, (3 detainable). The vessel was detained because the emergency diesel generator was unable to supply the required voltage and the means of shutting off fuel valves from a remote location, was inoperable. Other deficiencies included - the workshop grinder machine was in an unsafe condition and there were loose oil and paint tins in the engine room and rubbish & scrap needed to be removed from machinery spaces. In addition the starboard generator in the engine room was leaking excess lub oil to the bilges. The number and nature of deficiencies identified on board indicated a major failure of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS) under ISM code sect 10. The vessel was still released on 07/02/2008
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that 6 foreign ships were under detention in UK ports during February 2008 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.
Latest monthly figures show that there were six detentions of foreign flagged ships in UK ports during February 2008 and six vessels under detention from previous months. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 5.2% a slight decrease on January twelve month rate.
During the month of February 159 Port State Control inspections were carried out in the UK. A total of 41 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 70 had between one and five deficiencies, 36 had between six and ten deficiencies 11 had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and there was 1 vessel inspected which had more than twenty deficiencies.
Out of the detained vessels three were registered with a flag states listed on the Paris MOU white list, six were registered with flag states on the grey list and two were registered with flag states on the black list and one was not listed.
Vessels detained in February included:
a 499gt St Vincent & Grenadines flagged General Cargo Vessel which was detained in Hull following the arrest of the master who had been arrested by the local police as it was suspected he had been drinking. In addition, there was no evidence to prove that officers on board held CECs from the Flag State as it appeared that these certificates were locked up in the safe and only the master knew the combination. The vessels magnetic compass had a large bubble and there had been no entries into the compass deviation/correction log since October 2007. The vessel had also suffered a black - out on departure of Antwerp before arriving at Humber that needed to be investigated and any problem resolved as required.
a 20,248gt Panama flagged Other Cargo Vessel detained in Bristol because the port lifeboat suspension falls blocks - forward & aft were holed and wasted. The fire drill and abandonment drill was substandard and the crew showed a lack of emergency preparedness during these drills. The propeller shaft in the starboard lifeboat was found to have an excessive misalignment and required rectification. The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major breakdown of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS).
Note to Editors
1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson's Inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (95/21/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes full details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.
2. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the MCA. Where a ship is found to be deficient or lacks the required documentation, MCA surveyors can take a range of actions leading to detention in serious cases. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as SIReNaC. This allows the ships of flags with poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.
3. Detained ships have to satisfy surveyors that remedial work has been carried out before they are allowed to leave port.
4. When applicable the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on Mandatory Surveys for the safe operation of regular Ro-Ro ferry and high speed passenger craft services (1999/35/EU).
Notes on the list of detentions
Full details of the ship
The accompanying detention list shows ship's name, the flag state and the ship's International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship's life and uniquely identifies it.
Company
The company shown in the vessel's Safety Management Certificate or the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
Classification Society
The list shows the Classification Society responsible for classing the ship and not necessarily the party issuing and/or carrying out surveys for certificates relevant to the defect found.
Recognised Organisation
The organisation responsible for conducting the statutory surveys and issuing statutory certificates, on behalf of the flag State.
Defects
The list gives a summary of the main grounds for detention and includes information where the ship has been released to sail to another port for repairs.
SHIPS DETAINED IN FEBRUARY 2008
Date & Place of Detention: 08/02/2008 - Teesside
Vessel Name: CORN DIVA (General Cargo)
GT: 4,983
Imo No: 8401248
Flag: Malta
Company: Corn Ships Management and Agency
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 18 deficiencies in total (3 detainable) detained for 5 days because the starboard davit launch life raft was not ready for use as the brake had seized. Other deficiencies included - an excessive oil leakage from the midships hydraulic rams for the hatch, there were no up to date hours of rest -written in an easily checkable and verifiable format: also the freeboard marks were unreadable and some of the engine room lifejackets were not as required. A major non conformity was raised because maintenance procedures had failed to ensure ready availability of life saving appliances. The master had also failed to notify the ships' company that repairs were required to the davits to comply with ISM procedures which require that all life saving were ready for immediate use. The vessel was released on 12/02/2008.
Date & Place of Detention: 11/02/2008 Heysham (Liverpool)
Vessel Name: SHIELD (Ro-Ro Cargo)
GT: 7,606
Imo No: 9119426
Flag: Malta
Company: Superfast Ferries SA
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 6 deficiencies in total (2 detainable) detained for
2 days because the main deck bilge system was not draining effectively as it was clogged with mud & debris. Other deficiencies identified included - the starboard bilge well alarm was not working: the bow thrust fire main isolation valve was inoperative: the davit launched life raft - launching instructions were not showing the correct launching procedure and the man holes to the port side cargo lift needed to be secured. A major non conformity against the ISM system was identified because of the inadequacy of the maintenance of the deck scuppers which led to unsafe conditions on board. The vessel was released on 12/02/2008.
Date & Place of Detention: 19/02/2008 Bristol (Avonmouth)
Vessel Name: SETUBAL
GT: 20,248
Imo No: 7812452
Flag: Panama
Company: Patt Manfield
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Summary: 17 deficiencies (5 detainable) detained because the port lifeboat suspension falls blocks- forward & aft were holed and wasted. The fire drill and abandonment drill were substandard and the crew showed a lack of emergency preparedness during these drills. The propeller shaft in the starboard lifeboat was found to have excessive misalignment and required rectifying.
In addition there was no evidence of the fire extinguishers being serviced since April 2004. Other deficiencies included - 2 galley ventilators, a number of ventilators on the car deck, as well as various main deck fuel & diesel oil ventilators were not properly maintained. The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major breakdown of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS).
The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of Detention: 21/02/2008 Silvertown River (Thames)
Vessel Name: JUPITER BRIGHT
GT: 15,820
Imo No: 8508577
Flag: Korea (S)
Company: Stx Pos Ship Management
Classification Society: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Recognised Organisation: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
Summary: 13 deficiencies (3 detainable) detained for 8 days because the fire drill was unsatisfactory: the AIS was not transmitting: and the ships' sanitary facilities were not as required. Other deficiencies included the bulkhead lining was missing and the emergency generator was not as required as well as the emergency bilge suction valve, which was not properly maintained. A minor non conformity was identified in relation to the maintenance of the ship and equipment. .The vessel was released on 28/02/2008
Date & Place of Detention: 25/02/2008 Liverpool
Vessel Name: NAVISION LOGGER
GT: 16,582
Imo No: 8400543
Flag: Panama
Company: Split Shipmanagement Ltd
Classification Society: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC)
Summary: 12 deficiencies (2 detainable) detained because the lifeboat davit fall drum cheek plates were severely corroded and the rope work on the port and starboard embarkation ladders was severed. Other deficiencies identified included the port aft mooring winch foundations, were severely corroded as were some of the roller fairleads at the aft mooring station. In addition the port accommodation ladder top platform was damaged and the sanitary facilities were unhygienic and not properly maintained and the provisions quantity was insufficient. The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 28/02/2008 Hull
Vessel Name: RMS SCANLARK (General Cargo)
GT: 1,371
IMO No: 8505915
Flag: St Vincent and Grenadines
Company: Vista Shipping Agency As
Classification Society: Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
Recognised Organisation: Germanischer Lloyd (GL) / Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Lloyds Register (LR)
Summary: 9 deficiencies (1) detainable detained because the manning as specified by the safe manning document was not as required. The vessels' master was not on board as he had been detained by the local police which invalidated the requirements of the safe manning certificate. In addition there was no evidence on board to support that the ships 'officers held CECs from the flag state paperwork was purported to be in the ships' safe to which only the master knew the combination.
Other deficiencies identified included a large bubble in the magnetic compass: the port side main deck railings the top rail was broken in one place and some stanchions were detached from the deck also there were missing and loose cleats on several hatch covers that needed repair. The vessel was released on 28/02/2008
DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS
Date & Place of detention: 23/07/2007 - Falmouth
Vessel Name: OCEAN ALERT (Other)
GT: 1,455
IMO No: 7006780
Flag: Panama
Company: Marr Vessel Management.
Classification Society: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register (LR)
Summary: 5 deficiencies (all detainable), detained because the vessel did not comply with the International Safety Management Code. There was no safety management system on board or planned maintenance on vessel. The vessel was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 21/09/2007 - Lowestoft
Vessel Name: ST PIRAN (Other Cargo)
GT: 316
IMO No: 5085407
Flag: Sierra Leone
Company: Charter Shipping Inc
Classification Society: Phoenix Register of Shipping (PRS)
Summary: 18 deficiencies in total, (6 detainable) Detained because there was a significant amount of oil leaking from the silencer drain soaking the exhaust manifold lagging of the main engine causing an imminent fire hazard. There was no effective fire pump available due to the breakdown of the main engine and the alternative submersible electric pump was not effective. Also the Aldis signalling lamp was out of order the VHF radio installation had an incorrect MMSI number and the radio battery charger arrangement and power distribution was incorrect. Other deficiencies included some of the navigation lights were inoperative, emergency batteries were not properly maintained neither were the portable fire extinguishers. The ship was still detained at 29/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 07/01/2008 - Newcastle
Vessel Name: PIRGOS (General Cargo)
GT: 10,230
IMO No: 7924839
Flag: St Vincent and Grenadines
Company: Ribex Maritime Ltd
Classification Society: Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR)
Summary: 32 deficiencies in total (6 detainable). Detained because there was no effective transmission on the MF radio installation and the RT/DSC antenna was defective on Stbd VHF. The starboard lifeboat took 1 hour to lower and the port lifeboat had still not been able to be lowered by the end of the inspection. In addition the accommodation bulkhead No2 deck was corroded through and repaired with tape and the galley ventilators on Nos 1 & 2 decks were also corroded as were the bulkheads in the provisions and bosuns' stores. Other deficiencies included - the fire and abandon ship drill was not according to the Safety Management System (SMS), the galley and the provision store were not hygienic and there was no hot water in the galley. It was also noted that the Master and Chief Engineer did not have their hours of rest recorded. The vessel was released on 07/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 23/01/2008 - Immingham
Vessel Name: PADRE (Bulk Carrier)
GT: 20,616
IMO No: 8107555
Flag: Liberia
Company: Initium Maritime Corp
Classification Society: China Classification Society (CCS)
Recognised Organisation: China Classification Society (CCS)
Summary: 64 deficiencies in total (8 detainable) The inspection was prompted by members of the crew who had contacted a seafarers' charity in the port to complain that they were reluctant to sail and had fears for their safety. Deficiencies identified included - the compass was not aligned to the ships head and the compass card was badly worn and unreadable on some headings .also embarkation ladders for the lifeboats were badly worn and connection eyes defective. In addition the vessels' sick bay was dirty and unhygienic with the bathroom floor broken and holed and the bath full of liquid that could not be drained. Other deficiencies identified included - the securing bolts were missing from the access hatch from the bridge deck and numerous fire dampers were unable to be closed and secured in a closed position in addition the engine room workshop vent was holed and the internal damper missing.
The number and nature of the defects identified on board indicated a major failure of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS). The vessel was released on 06/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 26/01/2008 - Dover
Vessel Name: SAVA LAKE (General Cargo)
GT: 2,030
IMO No: 8719073
Flag: Latvia
Company: Sia Liapajas Juras Birojs
Classification Society: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC)
Recognised Organisation: Det Norske Veritas (DNVC) & Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS)
Summary: 1 deficiency the detainable deficiency. The vessel was inspected by the MCA and was detained under Solas Chapter 7 - Carriage of Dangerous Goods as the vessel was not allowed to carry cargo of this type. The vessel was released on 02/02/2008
Date & Place of detention: 30/01/2008 - Teesport
Vessel Name: MIAMI (General Cargo)
GT: 17,022
IMO No: 7722138
Flag: Panama
Company: Good Faith Shipping
Classification Society: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation: Lloyds Register (LR)
Recognised Organisation for ISM: Bureau Veritas (BV)
Summary: 17 deficiencies in total, (3 detainable). The vessel was detained because the emergency diesel generator was unable to supply the required voltage and the means of shutting off fuel valves from a remote location, was inoperable. Other deficiencies included - the workshop grinder machine was in an unsafe condition and there were loose oil and paint tins in the engine room and rubbish & scrap needed to be removed from machinery spaces. In addition the starboard generator in the engine room was leaking excess lub oil to the bilges. The number and nature of deficiencies identified on board indicated a major failure of the vessels' Safety Management System (SMS) under ISM code sect 10. The vessel was still released on 07/02/2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Search for missing diver
Search for missing diver
London, 16 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (Duty Notice) issued by The
Government News Network on 16 March 2008
At half past one this afternoon, Clyde Coastguard were contacted by the Dive
boat Halton who had been diving with a party of divers on the wreck of the
Rondo in the Sound of Mull, reporting a missing diver.
Clyde Coastguard called out Coastguard rescue teams from Craignure, Knock,
Tobermory, Ross of Mull, and Loch Aline to commence an immediate search from
the shoreline.
They also scrambled the Coastguard helicopter from Stornoway R100 and
requested the launch of the Tobermory RNLI lifeboat. Other dive vessels that
were nearby in the area also offered to assist in the search. They are the
dive vessels Peregrine, Gaelic Rose, and Brendan.
Divers have returned to the wreck of the Rondo to try and find their colleague.
The weather conditions in the Sound of Mull are fine with light airs and
good visibility above the surface.
Calum Murray, Duty Watch Manager, Clyde Coastguard said:
We are doing everything we can in the search for this diver. Strathclyde
Police have been informed of the search.
It is known that the divers were holidaying in the area.
London, 16 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (Duty Notice) issued by The
Government News Network on 16 March 2008
At half past one this afternoon, Clyde Coastguard were contacted by the Dive
boat Halton who had been diving with a party of divers on the wreck of the
Rondo in the Sound of Mull, reporting a missing diver.
Clyde Coastguard called out Coastguard rescue teams from Craignure, Knock,
Tobermory, Ross of Mull, and Loch Aline to commence an immediate search from
the shoreline.
They also scrambled the Coastguard helicopter from Stornoway R100 and
requested the launch of the Tobermory RNLI lifeboat. Other dive vessels that
were nearby in the area also offered to assist in the search. They are the
dive vessels Peregrine, Gaelic Rose, and Brendan.
Divers have returned to the wreck of the Rondo to try and find their colleague.
The weather conditions in the Sound of Mull are fine with light airs and
good visibility above the surface.
Calum Murray, Duty Watch Manager, Clyde Coastguard said:
We are doing everything we can in the search for this diver. Strathclyde
Police have been informed of the search.
It is known that the divers were holidaying in the area.
Belfast Coastguard alerted to possible fire on board tug
Belfast Coastguard alerted to possible fire on board tug
London, 17 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (069/08) issued by The Government
News Network on 17 March 2008
Earlier today it was reported to Belfast Coastguard that a fire had broken
out on the Tug 'Kingston' which, at time, was towing a barge `Sanba' outbound
in the Victoria Channel, Belfast Lough.
The Coastguard immediately requested the launch of the Donaghadee Lifeboat
and Bangor Inshore Lifeboats. The Bangor Coastguard Rescue Team were also
turned out, and Belfast pilots and vessels in the vicinity also responded. A
mayday was also rebroadcast into the area by the Coastguard.
After an assessment on board by members of the Northern Ireland Fire and
Rescue Service fire personnel and the crew of the casualty vessel, it was
confirmed that a shaft bearing had overheated on board causing smoke to appear.
A tow was then established with the tug and barge being taken to Belfast
harbour for repairs.
London, 17 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (069/08) issued by The Government
News Network on 17 March 2008
Earlier today it was reported to Belfast Coastguard that a fire had broken
out on the Tug 'Kingston' which, at time, was towing a barge `Sanba' outbound
in the Victoria Channel, Belfast Lough.
The Coastguard immediately requested the launch of the Donaghadee Lifeboat
and Bangor Inshore Lifeboats. The Bangor Coastguard Rescue Team were also
turned out, and Belfast pilots and vessels in the vicinity also responded. A
mayday was also rebroadcast into the area by the Coastguard.
After an assessment on board by members of the Northern Ireland Fire and
Rescue Service fire personnel and the crew of the casualty vessel, it was
confirmed that a shaft bearing had overheated on board causing smoke to appear.
A tow was then established with the tug and barge being taken to Belfast
harbour for repairs.
Ship Pilot Charged in San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Case
Ship Pilot Charged in San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Case
WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- John Joseph Cota, the pilot of the Cosco Busan, the 65,131-ton container ship that collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge resulting in the discharge of approximately 58,000 gallons of oil, was charged today with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division and Joseph P. Russoniello, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
According to the criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Cota was licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of California as a Bar Pilot. He was a member of the San Francisco Bar Pilots and had been employed in the San Francisco Bay since 1981. Pilots are licensed professionals who are responsible for navigating ships through challenging waters. In California, large ocean-going vessels are required to be piloted when entering or leaving port.
The criminal information alleges that on Nov. 7, 2007, Cota negligently caused the discharge of approximately 58,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil from the Cosco Busan in violation of the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. According to the charges, while piloting the ship from port in heavy fog, he failed to pilot a collision free course and failed to adequately review the proposed course with the Captain and crew on official navigational charts. Further, he failed to use the ship's radar as he approached the Bay Bridge, use positional fixes or verify the ship's position using official aids of navigation, throughout the voyage. According to the criminal information, these failures led to the Cosco Busan striking the bridge and spilling the oil.
As a result of the discharge of heavy fuel oil from the Cosco Busan, approximately 2,000 birds died, including Brown Pelicans, Marbled Murrelets and Western Grebes. The Brown Pelican is a federally endangered species and the Marbled Murrelet is a federally threatened species and an endangered species under California law.
Cota is charged with one count of violating the CWA and one count of violating the MBTA. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor violation of the CWA is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, and the maximum penalty for a misdemeanor violation of the MBTA is 6 months in prison and a $15,000 fine. A criminal information is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Geis of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, and David Joyce, Trial Attorney with the Justice Department's Environmental and Natural Resources Division with the assistance of Ana Guerra.
Pursuant to the Crime Victims' Rights Act, crime victims are afforded certain statutory rights including the opportunity to attend all public hearings and provide input to the prosecution. Those adversely impacted by the oil spill are encouraged to visit http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/community/Notifications to learn more about the case and the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- John Joseph Cota, the pilot of the Cosco Busan, the 65,131-ton container ship that collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge resulting in the discharge of approximately 58,000 gallons of oil, was charged today with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division and Joseph P. Russoniello, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California.
According to the criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Cota was licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of California as a Bar Pilot. He was a member of the San Francisco Bar Pilots and had been employed in the San Francisco Bay since 1981. Pilots are licensed professionals who are responsible for navigating ships through challenging waters. In California, large ocean-going vessels are required to be piloted when entering or leaving port.
The criminal information alleges that on Nov. 7, 2007, Cota negligently caused the discharge of approximately 58,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil from the Cosco Busan in violation of the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. According to the charges, while piloting the ship from port in heavy fog, he failed to pilot a collision free course and failed to adequately review the proposed course with the Captain and crew on official navigational charts. Further, he failed to use the ship's radar as he approached the Bay Bridge, use positional fixes or verify the ship's position using official aids of navigation, throughout the voyage. According to the criminal information, these failures led to the Cosco Busan striking the bridge and spilling the oil.
As a result of the discharge of heavy fuel oil from the Cosco Busan, approximately 2,000 birds died, including Brown Pelicans, Marbled Murrelets and Western Grebes. The Brown Pelican is a federally endangered species and the Marbled Murrelet is a federally threatened species and an endangered species under California law.
Cota is charged with one count of violating the CWA and one count of violating the MBTA. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor violation of the CWA is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, and the maximum penalty for a misdemeanor violation of the MBTA is 6 months in prison and a $15,000 fine. A criminal information is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the EPA Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Geis of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, and David Joyce, Trial Attorney with the Justice Department's Environmental and Natural Resources Division with the assistance of Ana Guerra.
Pursuant to the Crime Victims' Rights Act, crime victims are afforded certain statutory rights including the opportunity to attend all public hearings and provide input to the prosecution. Those adversely impacted by the oil spill are encouraged to visit http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/community/Notifications to learn more about the case and the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
COAST GUARD INVESTIGATES VESSEL COLLISION IN NEW YORK HARBOR
March 14, 2008
COAST GUARD INVESTIGATES VESSEL COLLISION IN NEW YORK HARBOR
New York - The Coast Guard is investigating a collision between a 623-foot freighter and a 216-foot dredge in the upper bay of New York Harbor about one mile north of Staten Island, N.Y., around 9 a.m. today.
The freighter Osprey I, carrying scrap metal, collided with the dredge Delaware Bay while traveling outbound for sea. The Delaware Bay is currently dredging the channel for a federal project contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Coast Guard Sector New York Vessel Traffic Service received notification from both vessels after the collision. A rescue crew in a 33-foot Coast Guard Station New York boat was dispatched immediately and was on scene within minutes.
The Osprey I sustained a 25-30 foot by 3 foot breach of the hull, 5 foot above the waterline along its right side. The vessel is not taking on water and is in stable condition.
The Delaware Bay reportedly sustained minimal hull damage.
There are no reports of injuries or pollution.
"Coast Guard Marine Inspectors and Investigators are currently onboard both vessels looking into the possible causes of the collision," said Lt. Erica Mack, Sector New York's command duty officer.
This incident is under investigation.
COAST GUARD INVESTIGATES VESSEL COLLISION IN NEW YORK HARBOR
New York - The Coast Guard is investigating a collision between a 623-foot freighter and a 216-foot dredge in the upper bay of New York Harbor about one mile north of Staten Island, N.Y., around 9 a.m. today.
The freighter Osprey I, carrying scrap metal, collided with the dredge Delaware Bay while traveling outbound for sea. The Delaware Bay is currently dredging the channel for a federal project contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Coast Guard Sector New York Vessel Traffic Service received notification from both vessels after the collision. A rescue crew in a 33-foot Coast Guard Station New York boat was dispatched immediately and was on scene within minutes.
The Osprey I sustained a 25-30 foot by 3 foot breach of the hull, 5 foot above the waterline along its right side. The vessel is not taking on water and is in stable condition.
The Delaware Bay reportedly sustained minimal hull damage.
There are no reports of injuries or pollution.
"Coast Guard Marine Inspectors and Investigators are currently onboard both vessels looking into the possible causes of the collision," said Lt. Erica Mack, Sector New York's command duty officer.
This incident is under investigation.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Searchers Recover Body in Vicinity of Moss Beach; CG suspends search for Sailing Vessel
Date: March 16, 2008
Searchers Recover Body in Vicinity of Moss Beach; CG suspends search for Sailing Vessel
SAN FRANCISCO - Rescuers have recovered the body of 72 year old Anthony Harrow, one of two sailors onboard the sailing vessel "Daisy." The 32-foot sailing vessel was reported overdue at 6 p.m. yesterday after it did not return from a sail race that concluded at 4 p.m. The Coast Guard and partner agencies launched all available assets Saturday night in a coordinated search effort that lasted until Sunday evening. Search and rescue units involved in the case on Sunday included a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft, an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat, and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat. The Coast Guard also deployed Self Locating Data Marker Buoys in the search area to assist in gauging wind and current effect.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Coast Guard search and rescue units reported finding debris floating west of the Golden Gate Bridge, approximately 4.7 nautical miles southeast of the position where the sailing vessel was last sighted. The debris fit the description of the overdue sailing vessel "Daisy." At approximately 11 a.m. the San Mateo County Sherriff's Department discovered the body of an adult Caucasian male wearing a lifejacket in the vicinity of Moss Beach. The man has been identified by the San Mateo coroner as Anthony Harrow, and next of kin has been notified.
The Coast Guard continued to search for the second individual, identified as 67 year old Kirby Gale, until 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening, and has now suspended the search based upon a lack of new information, and an extremely low probability of survival due to water temperature and sea state. The Coast Guard initially estimated that, given the water temperature, the two sailors would have 4.6 hours of projected survivability time.
Any persons with information related to this case are urged to contact the Sector San Francisco Command Center at (415) 399-3547.
Searchers Recover Body in Vicinity of Moss Beach; CG suspends search for Sailing Vessel
SAN FRANCISCO - Rescuers have recovered the body of 72 year old Anthony Harrow, one of two sailors onboard the sailing vessel "Daisy." The 32-foot sailing vessel was reported overdue at 6 p.m. yesterday after it did not return from a sail race that concluded at 4 p.m. The Coast Guard and partner agencies launched all available assets Saturday night in a coordinated search effort that lasted until Sunday evening. Search and rescue units involved in the case on Sunday included a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft, an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat, and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat. The Coast Guard also deployed Self Locating Data Marker Buoys in the search area to assist in gauging wind and current effect.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Coast Guard search and rescue units reported finding debris floating west of the Golden Gate Bridge, approximately 4.7 nautical miles southeast of the position where the sailing vessel was last sighted. The debris fit the description of the overdue sailing vessel "Daisy." At approximately 11 a.m. the San Mateo County Sherriff's Department discovered the body of an adult Caucasian male wearing a lifejacket in the vicinity of Moss Beach. The man has been identified by the San Mateo coroner as Anthony Harrow, and next of kin has been notified.
The Coast Guard continued to search for the second individual, identified as 67 year old Kirby Gale, until 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening, and has now suspended the search based upon a lack of new information, and an extremely low probability of survival due to water temperature and sea state. The Coast Guard initially estimated that, given the water temperature, the two sailors would have 4.6 hours of projected survivability time.
Any persons with information related to this case are urged to contact the Sector San Francisco Command Center at (415) 399-3547.
Coast Guard Searches For Overdue Boater
Date: 16 March 2008
Coast Guard Searches For Overdue Boater
SAN FRANCISCO, Calf. - The U.S. Coast Guard is aggressively searching for an overdue sailboat that was participating in a sailing race from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Sea Buoy and back. The Sea Buoy marks the entrance to the San Francisco Bay, and is 12 nautical miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The 32-foot sailing vessel "Daisy" left from the Richardson Bay Marina with two adult male sailors onboard to participate in the Double Handed Lightship race. The "Daisy" is a white sailing vessel with green trim. The sail race was expected to last from 9 a.m to 4 p.m Saturday. When the vessel failed to return by 6 p.m., the Coast Guard was notified, and responded by launching all available assets in a coordinated search effort with partner agencies.
The Coast Guard is searching with a C-130 Hercules fixed wing aircraft, an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat, and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, as well as shoreside communications units. The Coast Guard has been in contact with local marinas, harbormasters, and park officials to coordinate a search for the vessel or debris in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge and nearby coastline. Searches are expected to continue throughout the night.
The Sailing Vessel "Daisy" was last seen at 1 p.m. in the vicinity of the "3" buoy, which is located approximately five nautical miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The vessel was sailing towards the inside of the San Francisco Bay with an incoming tide.
Any persons with information about the location of the vessel are requested to contact the Coast Guard Sector Command Center at (415) 399-3547.
Coast Guard Searches For Overdue Boater
SAN FRANCISCO, Calf. - The U.S. Coast Guard is aggressively searching for an overdue sailboat that was participating in a sailing race from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Sea Buoy and back. The Sea Buoy marks the entrance to the San Francisco Bay, and is 12 nautical miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The 32-foot sailing vessel "Daisy" left from the Richardson Bay Marina with two adult male sailors onboard to participate in the Double Handed Lightship race. The "Daisy" is a white sailing vessel with green trim. The sail race was expected to last from 9 a.m to 4 p.m Saturday. When the vessel failed to return by 6 p.m., the Coast Guard was notified, and responded by launching all available assets in a coordinated search effort with partner agencies.
The Coast Guard is searching with a C-130 Hercules fixed wing aircraft, an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat, and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, as well as shoreside communications units. The Coast Guard has been in contact with local marinas, harbormasters, and park officials to coordinate a search for the vessel or debris in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge and nearby coastline. Searches are expected to continue throughout the night.
The Sailing Vessel "Daisy" was last seen at 1 p.m. in the vicinity of the "3" buoy, which is located approximately five nautical miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The vessel was sailing towards the inside of the San Francisco Bay with an incoming tide.
Any persons with information about the location of the vessel are requested to contact the Coast Guard Sector Command Center at (415) 399-3547.
Authorities detain ship captain
Authorities detain ship captain
Authorities have detained the captain of a tourist boat that ran aground off Poros, near Athens, on Thursday with more than 300 people on board.
A rescue operation using boats, helicopters and a military plane successfully evacuated all 278 passengers Thursday night, most of them tourists from Japan, Russia and the USA. No injuries were reported.
Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis admitted that it was lucky the accident took place close to Piraeus. «There were many means available which immediately intervened,» said the minister.
The boat, called the Giorgis and built in 1959, was also carrying 35 crew members. It is unclear why the boat ran aground on a marked reef.
«The installation of an electronic monitoring system for all of Greece is in progress and this will reduce the role of human error,» added the minister.
Although seas at the time were choppy, the weather was not stormy. The captain, who remained on the Giorgis to aid the salvage effort, has testified to investigators.
http://www.ekathimerini.com//4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100021_15/03/2008_94454
Authorities have detained the captain of a tourist boat that ran aground off Poros, near Athens, on Thursday with more than 300 people on board.
A rescue operation using boats, helicopters and a military plane successfully evacuated all 278 passengers Thursday night, most of them tourists from Japan, Russia and the USA. No injuries were reported.
Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis admitted that it was lucky the accident took place close to Piraeus. «There were many means available which immediately intervened,» said the minister.
The boat, called the Giorgis and built in 1959, was also carrying 35 crew members. It is unclear why the boat ran aground on a marked reef.
«The installation of an electronic monitoring system for all of Greece is in progress and this will reduce the role of human error,» added the minister.
Although seas at the time were choppy, the weather was not stormy. The captain, who remained on the Giorgis to aid the salvage effort, has testified to investigators.
http://www.ekathimerini.com//4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100021_15/03/2008_94454
103 Japanese among grounded ship evacuees
Saturday, March 15, 2008
103 Japanese among grounded ship evacuees
Compiled from AP, Kyodo
POROS, Greece — Greek authorities evacuated a tour ship with more than 300 people aboard, including 103 Japanese, after it ran aground Thursday in choppy seas off Poros, an island near Athens. No injuries were reported.
The 278 passengers, mainly Japanese, American and Russian tourists, were evacuated by boat to Poros before heading back to Piraeus, where they arrived in the evening.
"Nobody suffered a scratch and everything went very well. There was no panic and nobody was hurt," Poros Mayor Dimitris Stratigos told AP. "We were lucky, thank God."
But one eyewitness apparently disagrees with the minister's comments.
"The impact of hitting the ground was so huge that many passengers were thrown from their seats," Naoki Mizutani, 45, told Kyodo.
Deputy Merchant Marine Minister Panos Kammenos told AP the accident was under investigation, but sought to allay fears about the safety of Greek ships. Last year, a cruise ship with more than 1,500 people on board sank after hitting rocks near the Aegean island of Santorini. Two French tourists died.
"Greece is a safe destination and Greek ships operate according to international law," he told AP at Piraeus, where he had gone to receive the evacuated passengers. "We are a naval country with hundreds of islands, and hundreds of ships traveling on a 24-hour basis. Such incidents prove that we are in a position to handle such events."
103 Japanese among grounded ship evacuees
Compiled from AP, Kyodo
POROS, Greece — Greek authorities evacuated a tour ship with more than 300 people aboard, including 103 Japanese, after it ran aground Thursday in choppy seas off Poros, an island near Athens. No injuries were reported.
The 278 passengers, mainly Japanese, American and Russian tourists, were evacuated by boat to Poros before heading back to Piraeus, where they arrived in the evening.
"Nobody suffered a scratch and everything went very well. There was no panic and nobody was hurt," Poros Mayor Dimitris Stratigos told AP. "We were lucky, thank God."
But one eyewitness apparently disagrees with the minister's comments.
"The impact of hitting the ground was so huge that many passengers were thrown from their seats," Naoki Mizutani, 45, told Kyodo.
Deputy Merchant Marine Minister Panos Kammenos told AP the accident was under investigation, but sought to allay fears about the safety of Greek ships. Last year, a cruise ship with more than 1,500 people on board sank after hitting rocks near the Aegean island of Santorini. Two French tourists died.
"Greece is a safe destination and Greek ships operate according to international law," he told AP at Piraeus, where he had gone to receive the evacuated passengers. "We are a naval country with hundreds of islands, and hundreds of ships traveling on a 24-hour basis. Such incidents prove that we are in a position to handle such events."
Friday, March 14, 2008
N.L. ferries lacking in data recorders
N.L. ferries lacking in data recorders
Minister vows review after report on Queen of the North sinking
Last Updated: Friday, March 14, 2008 | 8:54 AM NT
CBC News
Only one of Newfoundland and Labrador's provincially owned ferries is equipped with a device the Transportation Safety Board said should be mandatory, and Transportation Minister Dianne Whalen said Thursday that's something she's going to look into.
The board released its report into the sinking of the Queen of the North in British Columbia this week, recommending that Transport Canada make voyage data recorders, devices that record speed, heading and crew radio transmissions, mandatory on all passenger ferries over 500 tonnes.
The board said the recorders can contain crucial information for investigators if something goes wrong. The Queen of the North, which ran aground and sank in March 2006 off the B.C. coast, did not have a recorder.
The MV Flanders has a voyage data recorder, and according to the recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board, so should seven of the other vessels in the provincial fleet.
Whalen said the provincial government will review the situation.
"We just put in a new marine division and a new assistant deputy minister, and he's been tasked to enhance the safety regulations in regards to our ferries," Whalen told CBC News. "So we're open to enhance the safety regulations where possible."
Meanwhile, Marine Atlantic, the Crown corporation that operates the Gulf ferry service from Newfoundland to Cape Breton, N.S., does have data recorders on the passenger vessels the Smallwood and the Caribou.
Tara Laing, spokeswoman for the corporation, said even though the recorders are not mandatory, the ferry service installed them for several reasons.
"One is to aid in an investigation should anything happen on one of our vessels," Laing told CBC News. "As well as an instructional tool."
The recorders have been installed on all new passenger ships in Canada since 2002.
Rutter Technologies, of St. John's, is one of the world's leading makers of voyage data recorders.
Minister vows review after report on Queen of the North sinking
Last Updated: Friday, March 14, 2008 | 8:54 AM NT
CBC News
Only one of Newfoundland and Labrador's provincially owned ferries is equipped with a device the Transportation Safety Board said should be mandatory, and Transportation Minister Dianne Whalen said Thursday that's something she's going to look into.
The board released its report into the sinking of the Queen of the North in British Columbia this week, recommending that Transport Canada make voyage data recorders, devices that record speed, heading and crew radio transmissions, mandatory on all passenger ferries over 500 tonnes.
The board said the recorders can contain crucial information for investigators if something goes wrong. The Queen of the North, which ran aground and sank in March 2006 off the B.C. coast, did not have a recorder.
The MV Flanders has a voyage data recorder, and according to the recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board, so should seven of the other vessels in the provincial fleet.
Whalen said the provincial government will review the situation.
"We just put in a new marine division and a new assistant deputy minister, and he's been tasked to enhance the safety regulations in regards to our ferries," Whalen told CBC News. "So we're open to enhance the safety regulations where possible."
Meanwhile, Marine Atlantic, the Crown corporation that operates the Gulf ferry service from Newfoundland to Cape Breton, N.S., does have data recorders on the passenger vessels the Smallwood and the Caribou.
Tara Laing, spokeswoman for the corporation, said even though the recorders are not mandatory, the ferry service installed them for several reasons.
"One is to aid in an investigation should anything happen on one of our vessels," Laing told CBC News. "As well as an instructional tool."
The recorders have been installed on all new passenger ships in Canada since 2002.
Rutter Technologies, of St. John's, is one of the world's leading makers of voyage data recorders.
Police inspector's body washed up on exclusive beachfront after he 'jumped off a ferry'
13/03/08 - News section
Police inspector's body washed up on exclusive beachfront after he 'jumped off a ferry'
A commended police inspector has died after apparently jumping off a cross-Channel ferry, it was revealed today.
Inspector Neil Munro, 43, boarded the Brittany Ferries ship alone late last night in Poole, Dorset.
The married father-of-one - the third policeman thought to have killed himself in the space of four days - went overboard in Poole Harbour a short time after it set sail at 11.45pm.
Scroll down for more ...
{R}
Nobody saw him fall and the boat continued on its crossing to Cherbourg without stopping.
His body was found washed up at the beachfront home of a multi-millionaire neighbour of soccer boss Harry Redknapp on the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula.
It was discovered trapped under a private jetty at the harbourside mansion of property magnate David Russell and his wife Valerie.
Their gardener made the grim discovery at 8.30am while working in the grounds of the 10 million pounds property that overlooks Poole Harbour.
His colleagues at Dorset police found a ticket for last night's Brittany Ferries' service from Poole to Cherbourg on him.
Officers today launched an investigation into his death, although sources revealed it looks like he took his own life.
Insp Munro's devastated colleagues are today comforting his wife and their young son at their home in Bournemouth.
His death follows the apparent suicides of police sergeant Richard Fuller, 55, who was found at his house near Calne, Wilts, on Monday after he shot himself with a rifle.
The following day Michael Todd, 50, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police is thought to have committed suicide while walking in Snowdonia.
Martin Baker, the chief constable of Dorset Police, today led his force's tributes to Insp Munro.
He said: "The whole of the force has been deeply shocked by today's news and our thoughts are very much with Neil's family at this time.
"Neil had served with Dorset Police for 20 years. He had a huge impact on policing here in Bournemouth and across the force.
Scroll down for more...
"In November, 2006, I personally commended Neil for his professionalism in the field of hostage negotiation.
"He had previously received a Divisional Commander's Commendation for his prompt and positive action in dealing with and defusing a potentially dangerous situation at Poole when he was confronted with a man armed with a firearm, a knife and a stick.
"Due to his ability, Neil was selected to provide personal support to Dorset Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Adrian Whiting, during his command of the policing operation at the 2007 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
"Neil had many friends among his colleagues within the force, and outside, due to his work with other agencies including Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership representatives. He will be very much missed by a great many people."
Clive Chamberlain, chairman of the Dorset Police Federation, also paid tribute to Inspector Munro.
He said: "As a close knit community ourselves, colleagues have been very saddened by the death of a valued friend and colleague.
"Neil was an excellent leader and a great friend to many within Dorset Police.
"It is obviously very difficult for colleagues who were called to the incident because usually they don't know the person involved.
"But there are occassions sadly like this where they have to deal with someone they know and respect."
Insp Munro spent 20 years working for Dorset police and was the section inspector in command of the north Bournemouth area for the last two-and-a-half years.
A post-mortem examination is due to be held tomorrow (Fri) to establish the exact cause of death, although it is understood he had suffered bad head injuries.
An inquest is also due to be opened and adjourned.
A spokesman for Brittany Ferries confirmed that a Neil Munro was booked onto last night Barfleur boat from Poole to Cherbourg.
He said: "At this stage it looks as though the man was a passenger on board the Barfleur ferry.
"I understand the police found a copy of his ticket in his clothing.
"We imagine he boarded the ferry in Poole at 11.45pm last night that was headed for Cherbourg in France.
"No-one saw him go over or knew anything about it so we did not alert a search team.
"We do not check our passengers getting off so the crew would not have noticed anything untoward."
David and Valerie Russell's New England-style property is located just yards away from Portsmouth FC manager Harry Redknapp's mansion home which he shares with wife Sandra.
Neighbour Ken Coffin, 89, who has lived in the area since 1947, said: "It has been known for the odd body to wash up off Sandbanks in the past.
"But is still must have been a bit of a shock though for the person who found it.
"What with the weather we have been having it could have come from anywhere - off a boat, off the quay or washed in to the harbour on the tide."
Mr Russell is aged in his 40s and is the chairman of the 100 million pounds Property Alliance Group.
He and his family moved to Sandbanks three years ago after they purchased a plot of land, demolished the house on it and built the lavish mansion in its place.
Mr Russell is a renowned property developer based in Manchester and has four children.
Sandbanks, which featured on a recent ITV documentary presented by Piers Morgan, is the fourth most expensive place to live in the world, behind London's Belgravia, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The sandy peninsula, which has become a millionaire's playground, is also home to computer magnate Sir Peter Ogden.
The 520ft long Barfleur ferry can carry up to 1,200 passengers and 590 cars at a time.
Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=533416&in_page_id=1770
©2008 Associated New Media
Police inspector's body washed up on exclusive beachfront after he 'jumped off a ferry'
A commended police inspector has died after apparently jumping off a cross-Channel ferry, it was revealed today.
Inspector Neil Munro, 43, boarded the Brittany Ferries ship alone late last night in Poole, Dorset.
The married father-of-one - the third policeman thought to have killed himself in the space of four days - went overboard in Poole Harbour a short time after it set sail at 11.45pm.
Scroll down for more ...
{R}
Nobody saw him fall and the boat continued on its crossing to Cherbourg without stopping.
His body was found washed up at the beachfront home of a multi-millionaire neighbour of soccer boss Harry Redknapp on the exclusive Sandbanks peninsula.
It was discovered trapped under a private jetty at the harbourside mansion of property magnate David Russell and his wife Valerie.
Their gardener made the grim discovery at 8.30am while working in the grounds of the 10 million pounds property that overlooks Poole Harbour.
His colleagues at Dorset police found a ticket for last night's Brittany Ferries' service from Poole to Cherbourg on him.
Officers today launched an investigation into his death, although sources revealed it looks like he took his own life.
Insp Munro's devastated colleagues are today comforting his wife and their young son at their home in Bournemouth.
His death follows the apparent suicides of police sergeant Richard Fuller, 55, who was found at his house near Calne, Wilts, on Monday after he shot himself with a rifle.
The following day Michael Todd, 50, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police is thought to have committed suicide while walking in Snowdonia.
Martin Baker, the chief constable of Dorset Police, today led his force's tributes to Insp Munro.
He said: "The whole of the force has been deeply shocked by today's news and our thoughts are very much with Neil's family at this time.
"Neil had served with Dorset Police for 20 years. He had a huge impact on policing here in Bournemouth and across the force.
Scroll down for more...
"In November, 2006, I personally commended Neil for his professionalism in the field of hostage negotiation.
"He had previously received a Divisional Commander's Commendation for his prompt and positive action in dealing with and defusing a potentially dangerous situation at Poole when he was confronted with a man armed with a firearm, a knife and a stick.
"Due to his ability, Neil was selected to provide personal support to Dorset Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Adrian Whiting, during his command of the policing operation at the 2007 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
"Neil had many friends among his colleagues within the force, and outside, due to his work with other agencies including Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership representatives. He will be very much missed by a great many people."
Clive Chamberlain, chairman of the Dorset Police Federation, also paid tribute to Inspector Munro.
He said: "As a close knit community ourselves, colleagues have been very saddened by the death of a valued friend and colleague.
"Neil was an excellent leader and a great friend to many within Dorset Police.
"It is obviously very difficult for colleagues who were called to the incident because usually they don't know the person involved.
"But there are occassions sadly like this where they have to deal with someone they know and respect."
Insp Munro spent 20 years working for Dorset police and was the section inspector in command of the north Bournemouth area for the last two-and-a-half years.
A post-mortem examination is due to be held tomorrow (Fri) to establish the exact cause of death, although it is understood he had suffered bad head injuries.
An inquest is also due to be opened and adjourned.
A spokesman for Brittany Ferries confirmed that a Neil Munro was booked onto last night Barfleur boat from Poole to Cherbourg.
He said: "At this stage it looks as though the man was a passenger on board the Barfleur ferry.
"I understand the police found a copy of his ticket in his clothing.
"We imagine he boarded the ferry in Poole at 11.45pm last night that was headed for Cherbourg in France.
"No-one saw him go over or knew anything about it so we did not alert a search team.
"We do not check our passengers getting off so the crew would not have noticed anything untoward."
David and Valerie Russell's New England-style property is located just yards away from Portsmouth FC manager Harry Redknapp's mansion home which he shares with wife Sandra.
Neighbour Ken Coffin, 89, who has lived in the area since 1947, said: "It has been known for the odd body to wash up off Sandbanks in the past.
"But is still must have been a bit of a shock though for the person who found it.
"What with the weather we have been having it could have come from anywhere - off a boat, off the quay or washed in to the harbour on the tide."
Mr Russell is aged in his 40s and is the chairman of the 100 million pounds Property Alliance Group.
He and his family moved to Sandbanks three years ago after they purchased a plot of land, demolished the house on it and built the lavish mansion in its place.
Mr Russell is a renowned property developer based in Manchester and has four children.
Sandbanks, which featured on a recent ITV documentary presented by Piers Morgan, is the fourth most expensive place to live in the world, behind London's Belgravia, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The sandy peninsula, which has become a millionaire's playground, is also home to computer magnate Sir Peter Ogden.
The 520ft long Barfleur ferry can carry up to 1,200 passengers and 590 cars at a time.
Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=533416&in_page_id=1770
©2008 Associated New Media
Coast Guard assists disabled scallop boat
Date: March 13, 2008
Coast Guard assists disabled scallop boat
BOSTON - The Coast Guard Cutter Tybee is en route to assist a disabled 73-foot New Bedford, Mass.,-based scallop boat today 70 miles east of Chatham, Mass.
The fishing vessel Voyager I contacted the Coast Guard to report that they were disabled and adrift after the boat's propellers became tangled in a fishing net. Sector Southeastern New England issued a radio-based marine assistance broadcast, requesting nearby vessels assist Voyager I, but received no response.
An Air Station Cape Cod Falcon jet, diverted from a routine patrol, located the fishing vessel and radioed the boat, which requested a tow to shore.
The Tybee, a 110-foot patrol boat based out of Woods Hole, Mass., is expected to arrive on scene about 9 p.m., and plans to take the fishing vessel in tow.
Weather on scene is 2-3 foot seas with 10 knot winds.
"We are in radio contact with Voyager I," said Chief Petty Officer Scott Newberry with Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. "The crew is not in distress, but the marine environment, especially in winter, is an unpredictable and often unforgiving place, and our goal is to get them to shore safely."
Coast Guard assists disabled scallop boat
BOSTON - The Coast Guard Cutter Tybee is en route to assist a disabled 73-foot New Bedford, Mass.,-based scallop boat today 70 miles east of Chatham, Mass.
The fishing vessel Voyager I contacted the Coast Guard to report that they were disabled and adrift after the boat's propellers became tangled in a fishing net. Sector Southeastern New England issued a radio-based marine assistance broadcast, requesting nearby vessels assist Voyager I, but received no response.
An Air Station Cape Cod Falcon jet, diverted from a routine patrol, located the fishing vessel and radioed the boat, which requested a tow to shore.
The Tybee, a 110-foot patrol boat based out of Woods Hole, Mass., is expected to arrive on scene about 9 p.m., and plans to take the fishing vessel in tow.
Weather on scene is 2-3 foot seas with 10 knot winds.
"We are in radio contact with Voyager I," said Chief Petty Officer Scott Newberry with Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. "The crew is not in distress, but the marine environment, especially in winter, is an unpredictable and often unforgiving place, and our goal is to get them to shore safely."
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Search and rescue crews at sea to be honoured by Royal Mail
Thursday 13 March 2008 00:01
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
Search and rescue crews at sea to be honoured by Royal Mail
Dramatic new stamps released today by the Royal Mail celebrate the vital work of the people undertaking search and rescue at sea. The stamps highlight the actions of the crews of the Coastguard Rescue Helicopters working closely with the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The Coastguard Rescue Helicopters have been called out more than 80 times already in 2008 and were called out 618 times during 2007. They regularly undertake a wide variety of search and rescue missions in what is often a very hostile environment. Operations this year already have included the dramatic rescue of crew members from the sinking 'Ice Prince', which got into difficulty in severe weather on January 14th and when the fishing vessel 'Spinningdale' was wrecked against the sheer rock cliffs of St Kilda the following day the crew were airlifted to safety by the Sikorsky S92 Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.
Dave Jardine-Smith, Head of Search and Rescue, Maritime and Coastguard Agency said:
"It's important to remember that the crews involved regularly undertake rescue operations in a variety of challenging circumstances. As well as airlifting crew from sinking vessels they become involved in coastal and land searches, rescue work for inland flooding and the medical evacuation of seriously injured people. The professionalism and expertise of our service provider's crews, and the technological capabilities of the aircraft, are routinely apparent in such operations."
Helicopters play a vital role providing fast searches of large areas and the ability to rescue survivors and get them to safety quickly.
HM Coastguard operating at 18 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres around the UK can call on a network of search and rescue helicopters around the coast, including military aircraft and Coastguard helicopters now provided under a service contract from CHC Scotia. On the south coast there are Coastguard Rescue Helicopters providing a 24 hour emergency service with helicopters at Lee-on-Solent and Portland.
A new aircraft, an Augusta Westland AW 139 will shortly be introduced into the Coastguard fleet at Lee on Solent and Portland.
Coastguard Rescue Helicopters, Sikorsky S92s, are also available 24 hours a day at Lerwick in Shetland and Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter has been seen regularly in the BBC's popular Seaside Rescue series.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is the government body responsible for UK maritime safety. That includes co-ordinating search and rescue at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard and checking that ships meet UK and international safety rules. It works to prevent the loss of lives at the coast and at sea, to ensure that ships are safe, and to prevent coastal pollution, and benefits from over 400 Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams around the entire coast.
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
Search and rescue crews at sea to be honoured by Royal Mail
Dramatic new stamps released today by the Royal Mail celebrate the vital work of the people undertaking search and rescue at sea. The stamps highlight the actions of the crews of the Coastguard Rescue Helicopters working closely with the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The Coastguard Rescue Helicopters have been called out more than 80 times already in 2008 and were called out 618 times during 2007. They regularly undertake a wide variety of search and rescue missions in what is often a very hostile environment. Operations this year already have included the dramatic rescue of crew members from the sinking 'Ice Prince', which got into difficulty in severe weather on January 14th and when the fishing vessel 'Spinningdale' was wrecked against the sheer rock cliffs of St Kilda the following day the crew were airlifted to safety by the Sikorsky S92 Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.
Dave Jardine-Smith, Head of Search and Rescue, Maritime and Coastguard Agency said:
"It's important to remember that the crews involved regularly undertake rescue operations in a variety of challenging circumstances. As well as airlifting crew from sinking vessels they become involved in coastal and land searches, rescue work for inland flooding and the medical evacuation of seriously injured people. The professionalism and expertise of our service provider's crews, and the technological capabilities of the aircraft, are routinely apparent in such operations."
Helicopters play a vital role providing fast searches of large areas and the ability to rescue survivors and get them to safety quickly.
HM Coastguard operating at 18 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres around the UK can call on a network of search and rescue helicopters around the coast, including military aircraft and Coastguard helicopters now provided under a service contract from CHC Scotia. On the south coast there are Coastguard Rescue Helicopters providing a 24 hour emergency service with helicopters at Lee-on-Solent and Portland.
A new aircraft, an Augusta Westland AW 139 will shortly be introduced into the Coastguard fleet at Lee on Solent and Portland.
Coastguard Rescue Helicopters, Sikorsky S92s, are also available 24 hours a day at Lerwick in Shetland and Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter has been seen regularly in the BBC's popular Seaside Rescue series.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is the government body responsible for UK maritime safety. That includes co-ordinating search and rescue at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard and checking that ships meet UK and international safety rules. It works to prevent the loss of lives at the coast and at sea, to ensure that ships are safe, and to prevent coastal pollution, and benefits from over 400 Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams around the entire coast.
New plan for Riverdance removal to be presented next week
Thursday 13 March 2008 14:31
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
New plan for Riverdance removal to be presented next week
Late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning the stranded Ro-Ro ferry `Riverdance' was hit by 78 knot winds, and as a consequence sustained heavy damage resulting in a 100 degree list. She is also partly sinking into the soft and shifting sand locally.
Plans to reduce the list using internal buoyancy and tidal effects have now been abandoned. Salvors are assessing the situation and are in discussion with the owners and insurers of the vessel.
A revised outline plan containing the options for the removal of the vessel will now be presented to Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, (SOSREP) for his consideration early next week.
Hugh Shaw said
"The owner's legal representatives have also had a preliminary discussion with him and have given their reassurance that their objective of removing the vessel in an environmentally friendly and timely manner remains paramount.
"I look forward to receiving a revised outline plan with options early next week for my consideration.
"In the interim the salvors will make every effort to maintain the integrity of the vessel. A full assessment of the damage is still ongoing. Fortunately, and as a consequence of the earlier bunker removal there have been no reports of pollution from the vessel."
Early evening on Thursday 31 January 2008 the 6,041 GT RO-RO 'Riverdance', on passage from Warren Point to Heysham, reported that she had developed a 40 degree list and was drifting towards the Lancashire coast.
The vessel subsequently grounded on North Shore, Blackpool. Plans to reduce the list and to refloat the vessel have been continually hampered by storm force winds and high seas.
Contractors will continue to clear cargo or debris washed ashore from the vessel. As access to the main deck has now been breached by the heavy seas it is likely that this work will increase over the next week.
The Environment Group continues to monitor and risk assess the situation.
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
New plan for Riverdance removal to be presented next week
Late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning the stranded Ro-Ro ferry `Riverdance' was hit by 78 knot winds, and as a consequence sustained heavy damage resulting in a 100 degree list. She is also partly sinking into the soft and shifting sand locally.
Plans to reduce the list using internal buoyancy and tidal effects have now been abandoned. Salvors are assessing the situation and are in discussion with the owners and insurers of the vessel.
A revised outline plan containing the options for the removal of the vessel will now be presented to Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, (SOSREP) for his consideration early next week.
Hugh Shaw said
"The owner's legal representatives have also had a preliminary discussion with him and have given their reassurance that their objective of removing the vessel in an environmentally friendly and timely manner remains paramount.
"I look forward to receiving a revised outline plan with options early next week for my consideration.
"In the interim the salvors will make every effort to maintain the integrity of the vessel. A full assessment of the damage is still ongoing. Fortunately, and as a consequence of the earlier bunker removal there have been no reports of pollution from the vessel."
Early evening on Thursday 31 January 2008 the 6,041 GT RO-RO 'Riverdance', on passage from Warren Point to Heysham, reported that she had developed a 40 degree list and was drifting towards the Lancashire coast.
The vessel subsequently grounded on North Shore, Blackpool. Plans to reduce the list and to refloat the vessel have been continually hampered by storm force winds and high seas.
Contractors will continue to clear cargo or debris washed ashore from the vessel. As access to the main deck has now been breached by the heavy seas it is likely that this work will increase over the next week.
The Environment Group continues to monitor and risk assess the situation.
MSC Sabrina Aground Near Three Rivers PQ
From Lloyds List
MSC Sabrina
London, Mar 10 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina (35598 gt, built 1989) ran aground off section 20 of the Port of Three Rivers, Quebec, lat 46 21N, long 72 23W, at 2230, EST, Mar 8. Strong winds are present in this area. No ingress of water has been observed and no injuries or pollution have been reported.
Montreal, Mar 10 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina, inbound for Montreal, ran aground near Three Rivers, approximately 150 km downriver from Montreal, on Mar 8. Understand they are attempting to refloat vessel this afternoon with local tugs. There is a minimal amount of tide in the area, approximately two or three inches only. Understand there is no ownersí superintendent on board. Extent of damage is unknown. -- Lloyd's Agents.
London, Mar 11 -- Following received from Quebec MRSC, timed 0145, UTC: Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina is still aground. A refloating attempt was made approximately three hours ago using four tugs with negative results. The next refloating attempt is scheduled for 1800, UTC, today.
Troy, Mich, Mar 11 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina grounded late Saturday night (Mar 8) while en route to Montreal. The Three Rivers tugs Andre H and Avantage tried unsuccessfully to refloat the vessel and two more tugs were called in to help with the freeing of the vessel. The Sorel based Ocean Group tug Duga and the Montreal stationed Ocean Hercule arrived on scene and planned to wait for the tide to rise and pull MSC Sabrina from the estimated two feet of clay. The tugs were unsuccessful and the crew may be forced to remove some containers to lighten the vessel. The grounding was reportedly caused by engine cooling inlets being clogged with ice causing the engine to shut down. Once pulled off, it will likely be taken to Three Rivers for damage assessment before continuing to Montreal. -- Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News.
London, Mar 11 -- Following received from Quebec MRSC, timed 2000, UTC: Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina is still aground. Refloating attempts made today using five tugs with negative results. Vessel may have to be unloaded before being refloated.
Troy, Mich, Mar 12 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina remains stuck fast in two feet of clay at Three Rivers. Five tugs tried in vain to pull it free, three of the tugs have returned to their home ports. A new plan has been submitted to remove containers from the vessel. According to reports fully cellular containership MSC Yokohama will unload in Montreal and proceed to Tree Rivers and lighter MSC Sabrina. This is expected to take place in the next few days. MSC Yokohama is due in Montreal Mar 14. New reports blame the grounding on wind, blinding snow and too much headway. -- Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News.
MSC Sabrina
London, Mar 10 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina (35598 gt, built 1989) ran aground off section 20 of the Port of Three Rivers, Quebec, lat 46 21N, long 72 23W, at 2230, EST, Mar 8. Strong winds are present in this area. No ingress of water has been observed and no injuries or pollution have been reported.
Montreal, Mar 10 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina, inbound for Montreal, ran aground near Three Rivers, approximately 150 km downriver from Montreal, on Mar 8. Understand they are attempting to refloat vessel this afternoon with local tugs. There is a minimal amount of tide in the area, approximately two or three inches only. Understand there is no ownersí superintendent on board. Extent of damage is unknown. -- Lloyd's Agents.
London, Mar 11 -- Following received from Quebec MRSC, timed 0145, UTC: Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina is still aground. A refloating attempt was made approximately three hours ago using four tugs with negative results. The next refloating attempt is scheduled for 1800, UTC, today.
Troy, Mich, Mar 11 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina grounded late Saturday night (Mar 8) while en route to Montreal. The Three Rivers tugs Andre H and Avantage tried unsuccessfully to refloat the vessel and two more tugs were called in to help with the freeing of the vessel. The Sorel based Ocean Group tug Duga and the Montreal stationed Ocean Hercule arrived on scene and planned to wait for the tide to rise and pull MSC Sabrina from the estimated two feet of clay. The tugs were unsuccessful and the crew may be forced to remove some containers to lighten the vessel. The grounding was reportedly caused by engine cooling inlets being clogged with ice causing the engine to shut down. Once pulled off, it will likely be taken to Three Rivers for damage assessment before continuing to Montreal. -- Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News.
London, Mar 11 -- Following received from Quebec MRSC, timed 2000, UTC: Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina is still aground. Refloating attempts made today using five tugs with negative results. Vessel may have to be unloaded before being refloated.
Troy, Mich, Mar 12 -- Fully cellular containership MSC Sabrina remains stuck fast in two feet of clay at Three Rivers. Five tugs tried in vain to pull it free, three of the tugs have returned to their home ports. A new plan has been submitted to remove containers from the vessel. According to reports fully cellular containership MSC Yokohama will unload in Montreal and proceed to Tree Rivers and lighter MSC Sabrina. This is expected to take place in the next few days. MSC Yokohama is due in Montreal Mar 14. New reports blame the grounding on wind, blinding snow and too much headway. -- Great Lakes and Seaway Shipping News.
Greek Cruise Ship Runs Aground
Greek Cruise Ship Runs Aground
Updated:14:59, Thursday March 13, 2008
A cruise ship with 280 passengers on board has run aground off the island of Poros, near Athens.
Ship aground on island of Poros
The vessel is taking on water.
"The ship ran aground on an islet north of Poros," a merchant marine ministry official said.
"All passengers are safe and four coastguard vessels, a helicopter and other nearby ships are on their way there."
Poros mayor Dimitris Stratigos said while the vessel was taking on water, everything was under control.
"Thankfully, the weather conditions are good and there doesn't appear to be any serious problem," he said.
The boat is one of several that carries day trips between Piraeus and the nearby islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra.
Updated:14:59, Thursday March 13, 2008
A cruise ship with 280 passengers on board has run aground off the island of Poros, near Athens.
Ship aground on island of Poros
The vessel is taking on water.
"The ship ran aground on an islet north of Poros," a merchant marine ministry official said.
"All passengers are safe and four coastguard vessels, a helicopter and other nearby ships are on their way there."
Poros mayor Dimitris Stratigos said while the vessel was taking on water, everything was under control.
"Thankfully, the weather conditions are good and there doesn't appear to be any serious problem," he said.
The boat is one of several that carries day trips between Piraeus and the nearby islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra.
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED LOGGER
Date: March 12, 2008
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED LOGGER
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard airlifted a logger who sustained injuries while clearing a tree approximately 15-miles southeast of Newport Beach, Ore., today.
Coast Guard Group North Bend received a request for assistance from the Yachats Fire Department in Yachats, Ore., for an injured logger in the Siuslaw National Forest in Ore.
A Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Facility Newport launched to the scene. The injured patient was airlifted to Coast Guard Air Facility Newport where emergency medical personnel was waiting to transport him to the hospital.
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED LOGGER
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard airlifted a logger who sustained injuries while clearing a tree approximately 15-miles southeast of Newport Beach, Ore., today.
Coast Guard Group North Bend received a request for assistance from the Yachats Fire Department in Yachats, Ore., for an injured logger in the Siuslaw National Forest in Ore.
A Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Facility Newport launched to the scene. The injured patient was airlifted to Coast Guard Air Facility Newport where emergency medical personnel was waiting to transport him to the hospital.
Coast Guard to begin ice breaking on the Kennebec River
Date: March 13, 2008
Coast Guard to begin ice breaking on the Kennebec River
PORTLAND, ME - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutters SHACKLE, BRIDLE, and TACKLE will begin breaking ice on the Kennebec River on March 17, 2008. The cutters will break ice from the Carlton Bridge in Bath, ME and clear the river as far north as the Richmond Dresden Bridge by the 24th.
The Coast Guard strongly urges ice fishermen, snowmobile riders, and any motorized vehicles on the Kennebec River to stay off of the area from the Richmond Dresden Bridge area south to Bath, including Merry Meeting Bay. Ice in these areas will be hazardous as the cutters break and move the ice floes down river and out to sea.
The ice breaking efforts are helpful to flood relief on the Kennebec River and will continue North to Gardiner, ME after March 24, 2008.
The Coast Guard has been coordinating the State and local emergency authorities since 2000 to help manage potential flooding.
Anyone with questions concerning icebreaking operations can contact CWO Jeff Chase at 207-741-5442 or email at Jeffrey.A.Chase@uscg.mil.
Coast Guard to begin ice breaking on the Kennebec River
PORTLAND, ME - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutters SHACKLE, BRIDLE, and TACKLE will begin breaking ice on the Kennebec River on March 17, 2008. The cutters will break ice from the Carlton Bridge in Bath, ME and clear the river as far north as the Richmond Dresden Bridge by the 24th.
The Coast Guard strongly urges ice fishermen, snowmobile riders, and any motorized vehicles on the Kennebec River to stay off of the area from the Richmond Dresden Bridge area south to Bath, including Merry Meeting Bay. Ice in these areas will be hazardous as the cutters break and move the ice floes down river and out to sea.
The ice breaking efforts are helpful to flood relief on the Kennebec River and will continue North to Gardiner, ME after March 24, 2008.
The Coast Guard has been coordinating the State and local emergency authorities since 2000 to help manage potential flooding.
Anyone with questions concerning icebreaking operations can contact CWO Jeff Chase at 207-741-5442 or email at Jeffrey.A.Chase@uscg.mil.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada Finds Unsafe Pratices on BC Ferries Queen of the North
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada Finds Unsafe Pratices on BC Ferries Queen of the North
(Gatineau, Quebec, March 12, 2008) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released today its final report (M06W0052) into the sinking of the BC Ferries Queen of the North, which occurred on March 22, 2006 at Gil Island, Wright Sound, British Columbia.
"Essentially, the system failed that night. Sound watchkeeping practices were not followed and the bridge watch lacked a third certified person," said Wendy Tadros, Chair of the TSB. "The recommendations we are making today go beyond the cause of this sinking to ensure that Canadians will always reach port safely. Passengers are the focus of our first two recommendations. In an emergency, all passengers must be accounted for and evacuated to safety. Our third recommendation calls for voyage data recorders on all Canada's large vessels," she added.
At 08:00 p.m. on March 21, 2006, the passenger and vehicle ferry Queen of the North departed Prince Rupert, British Columbia, for Port Hardy, British Columbia. On board were 59 passengers and 42 crew members. After entering Wright Sound from Grenville Channel, the vessel struck the northeast side of Gil Island at 12:21 a.m. on March 22.
The vessel sustained extensive damage to its hull, lost its propulsion, and drifted for 1 hour and 17 minutes before it sank in 430 m of water. Passengers and crew abandoned the vessel before it sank. Two passengers were unaccounted for after the abandonment and have since been declared dead.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
- 30 -
The backgrounder, the photo gallery, the simulation, final report M06W0052, and all previously published material about this occurrence can be found on the TSB website. The webcast of the news conference can also be viewed.
(Gatineau, Quebec, March 12, 2008) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released today its final report (M06W0052) into the sinking of the BC Ferries Queen of the North, which occurred on March 22, 2006 at Gil Island, Wright Sound, British Columbia.
"Essentially, the system failed that night. Sound watchkeeping practices were not followed and the bridge watch lacked a third certified person," said Wendy Tadros, Chair of the TSB. "The recommendations we are making today go beyond the cause of this sinking to ensure that Canadians will always reach port safely. Passengers are the focus of our first two recommendations. In an emergency, all passengers must be accounted for and evacuated to safety. Our third recommendation calls for voyage data recorders on all Canada's large vessels," she added.
At 08:00 p.m. on March 21, 2006, the passenger and vehicle ferry Queen of the North departed Prince Rupert, British Columbia, for Port Hardy, British Columbia. On board were 59 passengers and 42 crew members. After entering Wright Sound from Grenville Channel, the vessel struck the northeast side of Gil Island at 12:21 a.m. on March 22.
The vessel sustained extensive damage to its hull, lost its propulsion, and drifted for 1 hour and 17 minutes before it sank in 430 m of water. Passengers and crew abandoned the vessel before it sank. Two passengers were unaccounted for after the abandonment and have since been declared dead.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
- 30 -
The backgrounder, the photo gallery, the simulation, final report M06W0052, and all previously published material about this occurrence can be found on the TSB website. The webcast of the news conference can also be viewed.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Search ongoing at Selsey after sea defences breached
Search ongoing at Selsey after sea defences breached
Monday 10 March 2008 15:13
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
Coastguards, Police, fire service and other emergency crews are currently on scene at Selsey searching for people who could be in the water or trapped in caravans after sea defences were breached. Approximately thirty people are being evacuated from Selsey West Sands Caravan Park by Coastguards, Fire and Rescue Officers and the Selsey RNLI Inshore lifeboat. None of the evacuees are in the water.
The Coastguard Operations Room at Lee on Solent received a call from one of its Coastguard Rescue Team members at 1.00 pm this afternoon reporting that the defences had been breached at the Caravan Park where 2,200 caravans are sited. The Selsey Coastguard Rescue Team, the Coastguard Rescue helicopter 'Mike Uniform', Sussex Police, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, the Fire and Rescue boat, South east Coast Ambulance and Selsey Inshore Lifeboat are all on scene and involved in the operation.
Solent Coastguard Watch Manager Tony Wheeler says:
"This incident has occurred following the inclement weather in the area today. Rough seas, with 40-45 knot winds and blustery showers have all contributed to a number of incidents in the area including this and the tanker which grounded off Bembridge today and is now being towed into Fawley by the Coastguard tug, Anglian Earl.
We are working with our colleagues within the other emergency services to ensure that everyone at Selsey West Sands Caravan Park is safe and accounted for."
Monday 10 March 2008 15:13
Maritime And Coastguard Agency (National)
Coastguards, Police, fire service and other emergency crews are currently on scene at Selsey searching for people who could be in the water or trapped in caravans after sea defences were breached. Approximately thirty people are being evacuated from Selsey West Sands Caravan Park by Coastguards, Fire and Rescue Officers and the Selsey RNLI Inshore lifeboat. None of the evacuees are in the water.
The Coastguard Operations Room at Lee on Solent received a call from one of its Coastguard Rescue Team members at 1.00 pm this afternoon reporting that the defences had been breached at the Caravan Park where 2,200 caravans are sited. The Selsey Coastguard Rescue Team, the Coastguard Rescue helicopter 'Mike Uniform', Sussex Police, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, the Fire and Rescue boat, South east Coast Ambulance and Selsey Inshore Lifeboat are all on scene and involved in the operation.
Solent Coastguard Watch Manager Tony Wheeler says:
"This incident has occurred following the inclement weather in the area today. Rough seas, with 40-45 knot winds and blustery showers have all contributed to a number of incidents in the area including this and the tanker which grounded off Bembridge today and is now being towed into Fawley by the Coastguard tug, Anglian Earl.
We are working with our colleagues within the other emergency services to ensure that everyone at Selsey West Sands Caravan Park is safe and accounted for."
Major storm batters Britain, France
Major storm batters Britain, France
Heavy storms caused travel chaos in Britain on Monday, while France was also battered and three vessels ran into problems in the English Channel, one swept up onto a French beach.
Late in the day five French fishermen were rescued after their trawler sank in gale-force winds off the Channel island of Guernsey, maritime officials said.
Separately, a body was recovered off the coast of Brittany in northwest France, feared to be that of a man missing since Sunday.
In Britain dozens of flights were cancelled at airports including London's Heathrow due to the storms, described as possibly the biggest of the winter by experts.
Amid gale-force winds of up to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometres per hour) and driving rain, airports were among the worst hit with cancellations and delays brought on by precautionary measures taken by air traffic controllers.
"We have had to cancel some short-haul flights and there are likely to be delays to all services," said a British Airways spokesman.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown had to cancel a planned meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico after his flight from Bratislava was cancelled due to the bad weather.
Sweeping in from the Atlantic, the storm hit first in Cornwall and Devon in the southwest of the country, before moving east across England and Wales.
There was widespread disruption on trains in southern England, including London where underground train services were also hit by flooding.
About 30 people were rescued when a beachfront caravan park was flooded by seawater, which breached defences near Chichester, on the English south coast, a local coastguard spokesman said.
At sea, the main Channel port of Dover closed as winds of up to 80 mph (130 kph) hit the south coast, preventing ferries from operating. It re-opened briefly during a lull in the weather, but was then shut again by day's end.
Further west a Swedish tanker with 13 crew on board got into difficulties off the Isle of Wight, coastguards said. Two coastguard tugs were sent to help the stricken 11,000-tonne vessel, the Astral.
"The weather is horrendous at the moment," said a spokesman.
Britain's Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings, along with 44 flood warnings, while Britain's Meteorological Office put severe weather warnings in place for all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In France an 88-metre (289 foot) long cargo vessel, the "Artemis", ran aground on a beach at Sables-d'Olonne, on the Atlantic west coast, according to the local government office.
Later in the day a French trawler, the "Marie Louise Bert," sank: the vessel, based in Saint-Brieuc with five crew, went down 41 nautical miles west of Guernsey in winds of up to 110 kmh.
All those on board were rescued by nearby vessels, according to the local French government office, after a French helicopter and a Channel Islands rescue airplane were dispatched to the scene.
Meanwhile a body was found off the Brittany coast, feared to be that of a 26-year-old man missing since falling into the seain Relecq-Kerhuon, near the port city of Brest.
At one point the wind was gusting up to 155 mph (87 mph), according to French weather experts.
"We haven't had one this strong this year," said Emmanuel Bocri, a forecaster for Meteo France, adding: "In general there are one or two of this strength each winter."
Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.
Heavy storms caused travel chaos in Britain on Monday, while France was also battered and three vessels ran into problems in the English Channel, one swept up onto a French beach.
Late in the day five French fishermen were rescued after their trawler sank in gale-force winds off the Channel island of Guernsey, maritime officials said.
Separately, a body was recovered off the coast of Brittany in northwest France, feared to be that of a man missing since Sunday.
In Britain dozens of flights were cancelled at airports including London's Heathrow due to the storms, described as possibly the biggest of the winter by experts.
Amid gale-force winds of up to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometres per hour) and driving rain, airports were among the worst hit with cancellations and delays brought on by precautionary measures taken by air traffic controllers.
"We have had to cancel some short-haul flights and there are likely to be delays to all services," said a British Airways spokesman.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown had to cancel a planned meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico after his flight from Bratislava was cancelled due to the bad weather.
Sweeping in from the Atlantic, the storm hit first in Cornwall and Devon in the southwest of the country, before moving east across England and Wales.
There was widespread disruption on trains in southern England, including London where underground train services were also hit by flooding.
About 30 people were rescued when a beachfront caravan park was flooded by seawater, which breached defences near Chichester, on the English south coast, a local coastguard spokesman said.
At sea, the main Channel port of Dover closed as winds of up to 80 mph (130 kph) hit the south coast, preventing ferries from operating. It re-opened briefly during a lull in the weather, but was then shut again by day's end.
Further west a Swedish tanker with 13 crew on board got into difficulties off the Isle of Wight, coastguards said. Two coastguard tugs were sent to help the stricken 11,000-tonne vessel, the Astral.
"The weather is horrendous at the moment," said a spokesman.
Britain's Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings, along with 44 flood warnings, while Britain's Meteorological Office put severe weather warnings in place for all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In France an 88-metre (289 foot) long cargo vessel, the "Artemis", ran aground on a beach at Sables-d'Olonne, on the Atlantic west coast, according to the local government office.
Later in the day a French trawler, the "Marie Louise Bert," sank: the vessel, based in Saint-Brieuc with five crew, went down 41 nautical miles west of Guernsey in winds of up to 110 kmh.
All those on board were rescued by nearby vessels, according to the local French government office, after a French helicopter and a Channel Islands rescue airplane were dispatched to the scene.
Meanwhile a body was found off the Brittany coast, feared to be that of a 26-year-old man missing since falling into the seain Relecq-Kerhuon, near the port city of Brest.
At one point the wind was gusting up to 155 mph (87 mph), according to French weather experts.
"We haven't had one this strong this year," said Emmanuel Bocri, a forecaster for Meteo France, adding: "In general there are one or two of this strength each winter."
Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.
25 Indian sailors aboard Panamanian vessel feared dead
25 Indian sailors aboard Panamanian vessel feared dead
New Delhi, Mar 10, IRNA
India-Sailors-Dead
Families of all 25 Indian sailors aboard namanian vessel MV Rezzak, which went missing in the Black Sea, have been issued letters by the vessel's manning agent stating that the crew are feared dead.
Pelican Marine, the agency which hired the crew for the vessel, has issued letters to the next of kin of all the crew members, PTI reported here quoting the firm's director.
"The letters have been issued as a matter of regular procedure and it in no way indicates that search and investigations have been abandoned," Santhosh Biswas, director of Pelican Marine said.
The Directorate General of Shipping and Panamanian officials are conducting investigations into the missing ship and some results should emerge in the coming days, he said.
MV Rezzak, which was carrying steel billets in its cargo, went missing on February 18 in the Black Sea, near Turkey. The ship, owned by a Turkish firm but registered in Panama, left Russia for Turkey on February 17.
An Indian official had been flown to Turkey for further investigations and authorities in Ankara initiated search operations for the second time after a request from New Delhi.
"The P&I (protection and indemnity) club which has carried out its investigations in the matter has asked us to issue the letter as a matter of procedure. The letter has been issued to the next of kin of all crew members in the event of having to provide compensation to them," Biswas said.
The ship is feared to have sunk due to inclement weather it encountered during its voyage from Russia to Turkey.
2160**1412
New Delhi, Mar 10, IRNA
India-Sailors-Dead
Families of all 25 Indian sailors aboard namanian vessel MV Rezzak, which went missing in the Black Sea, have been issued letters by the vessel's manning agent stating that the crew are feared dead.
Pelican Marine, the agency which hired the crew for the vessel, has issued letters to the next of kin of all the crew members, PTI reported here quoting the firm's director.
"The letters have been issued as a matter of regular procedure and it in no way indicates that search and investigations have been abandoned," Santhosh Biswas, director of Pelican Marine said.
The Directorate General of Shipping and Panamanian officials are conducting investigations into the missing ship and some results should emerge in the coming days, he said.
MV Rezzak, which was carrying steel billets in its cargo, went missing on February 18 in the Black Sea, near Turkey. The ship, owned by a Turkish firm but registered in Panama, left Russia for Turkey on February 17.
An Indian official had been flown to Turkey for further investigations and authorities in Ankara initiated search operations for the second time after a request from New Delhi.
"The P&I (protection and indemnity) club which has carried out its investigations in the matter has asked us to issue the letter as a matter of procedure. The letter has been issued to the next of kin of all crew members in the event of having to provide compensation to them," Biswas said.
The ship is feared to have sunk due to inclement weather it encountered during its voyage from Russia to Turkey.
2160**1412
Worst storm of winter lashes southern Britain
Travel chaos and power outages as 80 mph Atlantic gales hits coast
A lone man watches waves crash against the walls of the historic Cobb at Lyme Regis in Dorset, southern England, on Monday.
LONDON - Winds topping 80 mph battered Britain's southern coasts on Monday, uprooting trees, downing power lines and shutting several busy ports.
The coast guard rescued a petroleum tanker that ran into trouble in a stormy English Channel.
The winter's worst storm combined with high tides and huge waves brought flooding to several towns. The Environment Agency issued 40 flood warnings across England and urged people to stay away from coastal regions which were hit by strong winds and rain.
Power companies said more than 11,000 people were without power across southwest England and Wales.
An Environment Agency spokesman called the mix of powerful winds, large waves and high tides a "potent cocktail" and said the conditions are expected to last until Wednesday.
Commuters struggled through the morning rush hour after gales roaring in from the Atlantic felled trees and damaged roofs.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a Swedish tanker, Astral, carrying 13 crew members and a cargo of gas oil, began dragging anchor and ran aground off the Isle of Wight in the Channel.
Two coast guard tugs fought rough seas to tie a line to the vessel and tow it to its destination, an Esso oil refinery in Fawley on England's south coast.
Flights canceled and diverted
Northern England and Scotland were hit by blowing snow. Further south, commuters battled through driving rain. Train services were delayed by damaged power lines in many areas, and uprooted trees across roads added to the delays for travelers.
Heathrow Airport said 34 short-haul flights were canceled Monday morning because of the storm. Ten inbound flights to Gatwick airport south of London were diverted to other airports, including a Continental Airlines flight from Newark, N.J., which was sent to Dublin, Ireland.
Ferry traffic between Portsmouth and Bilbao in northern Spain was canceled, and the port of Dover, one of the country's busiest, was closed to shipping for several hours because of the wind.
Cargo ship aground in France
Across the Channel, a Dutch cargo ship ran aground in the Vendee region on France's west coast. Maritime officials said it was approaching the port when high winds pushed it off course.
In Belgium, winds up to 60 mph caused delays at Brussels airport and led authorities to close roads. Authorities issued a storm warning for the North Sea coast, where even stronger winds were expected.
The storm is the worst to hit southern England this year. Last month, northern Britain was battered by blizzards and 70 mph winds.
Last year, low-lying areas across England were hit by severe flooding as rivers overflowed causing millions of dollars in damage.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Travel chaos and power outages as 80 mph Atlantic gales hits coast
A lone man watches waves crash against the walls of the historic Cobb at Lyme Regis in Dorset, southern England, on Monday.
LONDON - Winds topping 80 mph battered Britain's southern coasts on Monday, uprooting trees, downing power lines and shutting several busy ports.
The coast guard rescued a petroleum tanker that ran into trouble in a stormy English Channel.
The winter's worst storm combined with high tides and huge waves brought flooding to several towns. The Environment Agency issued 40 flood warnings across England and urged people to stay away from coastal regions which were hit by strong winds and rain.
Power companies said more than 11,000 people were without power across southwest England and Wales.
An Environment Agency spokesman called the mix of powerful winds, large waves and high tides a "potent cocktail" and said the conditions are expected to last until Wednesday.
Commuters struggled through the morning rush hour after gales roaring in from the Atlantic felled trees and damaged roofs.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a Swedish tanker, Astral, carrying 13 crew members and a cargo of gas oil, began dragging anchor and ran aground off the Isle of Wight in the Channel.
Two coast guard tugs fought rough seas to tie a line to the vessel and tow it to its destination, an Esso oil refinery in Fawley on England's south coast.
Flights canceled and diverted
Northern England and Scotland were hit by blowing snow. Further south, commuters battled through driving rain. Train services were delayed by damaged power lines in many areas, and uprooted trees across roads added to the delays for travelers.
Heathrow Airport said 34 short-haul flights were canceled Monday morning because of the storm. Ten inbound flights to Gatwick airport south of London were diverted to other airports, including a Continental Airlines flight from Newark, N.J., which was sent to Dublin, Ireland.
Ferry traffic between Portsmouth and Bilbao in northern Spain was canceled, and the port of Dover, one of the country's busiest, was closed to shipping for several hours because of the wind.
Cargo ship aground in France
Across the Channel, a Dutch cargo ship ran aground in the Vendee region on France's west coast. Maritime officials said it was approaching the port when high winds pushed it off course.
In Belgium, winds up to 60 mph caused delays at Brussels airport and led authorities to close roads. Authorities issued a storm warning for the North Sea coast, where even stronger winds were expected.
The storm is the worst to hit southern England this year. Last month, northern Britain was battered by blizzards and 70 mph winds.
Last year, low-lying areas across England were hit by severe flooding as rivers overflowed causing millions of dollars in damage.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
USS John S. McCain Rescue
080310-N-XXXXF-001 - YELLOW SEA (March 10, 2008) Sailors from USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) approach a life raft containing sailors from Republic of Korea (ROK) commercial fishing vessel M/V Je 2 Bong Ho in a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. The ROK sailors abandoned their vessel after it caught fire. McCain Sailors provided the ROK sailors food, beverages, and blankets. U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Intelligence Specialist (SW) Thomas Fischer.
Antony to Inaugurate International Maritime SAR Conference 2008
Antony to Inaugurate International Maritime SAR Conference 2008
New Delhi March 10, 2008 - The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony will inaugurate the two-day International Maritime Search and Rescue Conference (IMSARCON 2008) here tomorrow. India acceded to the International Maritime Organisation Convention on Search and Rescue in 2001. The accession provided the much needed impetus for regional and international cooperation in SAR operations. The Indian Coast Guard is designated as the nodal agency for Maritime Search and Rescue in Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR) under the convention. It has been entrusted with the onerous task of ensuring the security of the Maritime Zones of India with a view to protect maritime and other national interests in such zones.
Given India's strategic location, it is but natural that India plays a lead role in the Indian Ocean region. Consequently, the Indian Coast Guard has been playing a vital role in ensuring "Safety of Life at Sea" not only in the vast Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR) that extends over four million square kilometers, but also in adjoining Search and Rescue Regions whenever requested for assistance by the neighbouring countries. Close cooperation with our littoral neighbours is therefore essential for efficient coordination of Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR). The Indian Coast Guard's interaction has been formally institutionalised with Japan, Maldives, and South Korea. Further, a working relationship has been established with Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mauritius, Oman, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam.
New Delhi March 10, 2008 - The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony will inaugurate the two-day International Maritime Search and Rescue Conference (IMSARCON 2008) here tomorrow. India acceded to the International Maritime Organisation Convention on Search and Rescue in 2001. The accession provided the much needed impetus for regional and international cooperation in SAR operations. The Indian Coast Guard is designated as the nodal agency for Maritime Search and Rescue in Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR) under the convention. It has been entrusted with the onerous task of ensuring the security of the Maritime Zones of India with a view to protect maritime and other national interests in such zones.
Given India's strategic location, it is but natural that India plays a lead role in the Indian Ocean region. Consequently, the Indian Coast Guard has been playing a vital role in ensuring "Safety of Life at Sea" not only in the vast Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR) that extends over four million square kilometers, but also in adjoining Search and Rescue Regions whenever requested for assistance by the neighbouring countries. Close cooperation with our littoral neighbours is therefore essential for efficient coordination of Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR). The Indian Coast Guard's interaction has been formally institutionalised with Japan, Maldives, and South Korea. Further, a working relationship has been established with Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mauritius, Oman, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam.
U.S. destroyer saves 11 S. Koreans from burning boat
U.S. destroyer saves 11 S. Koreans from burning boat
253 words
10 March 2008
Yonhap English News
English
© Copyright 2008 Yonhap News Agency. All rights reserved.
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. Navy ship taking part in a joint exercise with South Korean troops Monday saved 11 South Korean fishermen who were forced to abandon their ship as it caught fire, the Navy said.
The 8,000-ton destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, was sailing in waters off the south of Jeju Island early Monday when it spotted the fishing boat on fire and 11 men overboard, the Navy Public Affairs Office said in a press release.
It quickly sent out rescue boats to bring all the men out of the water while a South Korean destroyer, which later arrived at the scene, sent out another team to put out the fire, the press release said.
The crew members of the fishing boat Sebong II have been safely handed over to the maritime police in Jeju, according to Navy officials.
The U.S. ship and the South Korean 4,500-ton destroyer Munmudaewang were on their way to a training area for the Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare and Effectiveness Measuring drill, the officials said.
The U.S. destroyer arrived in South Korea earlier this month to take part in an annual joint exercise, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle. The exercise involving troops from all three military branches of both South Korea and the United States ended Friday and the countries' navies are taking the opportunity for further training.
bdk@yna.co.kr
253 words
10 March 2008
Yonhap English News
English
© Copyright 2008 Yonhap News Agency. All rights reserved.
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. Navy ship taking part in a joint exercise with South Korean troops Monday saved 11 South Korean fishermen who were forced to abandon their ship as it caught fire, the Navy said.
The 8,000-ton destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, was sailing in waters off the south of Jeju Island early Monday when it spotted the fishing boat on fire and 11 men overboard, the Navy Public Affairs Office said in a press release.
It quickly sent out rescue boats to bring all the men out of the water while a South Korean destroyer, which later arrived at the scene, sent out another team to put out the fire, the press release said.
The crew members of the fishing boat Sebong II have been safely handed over to the maritime police in Jeju, according to Navy officials.
The U.S. ship and the South Korean 4,500-ton destroyer Munmudaewang were on their way to a training area for the Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare and Effectiveness Measuring drill, the officials said.
The U.S. destroyer arrived in South Korea earlier this month to take part in an annual joint exercise, Key Resolve/Foal Eagle. The exercise involving troops from all three military branches of both South Korea and the United States ended Friday and the countries' navies are taking the opportunity for further training.
bdk@yna.co.kr
Sunday, March 9, 2008
How a tiny West African country became the world's first narco state
How a tiny West African country became the world's first narco state
It is the world's fifth poorest nation with no prisons and few police. Now this small west African failed state has been targeted by Colombian drug cartels, turning it into a transit hub for the cocaine trade out of Latin America and into Europe. Grant Ferrett and Ed Vulliamy tell the remarkable story of how the cocaine cavalry arrived three years ago and transformed the life of Guinea-Bissau
* Ed Vulliamy
* The Observer,
* Sunday March 9 2008
* Article history
This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday March 09 2008 on p22 of the Focus section. It was last updated at 01:28 on March 09 2008.
Police officer Sadio Corobo, left, walks past prisoners housed in the basement of a crumbling colonial villa in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, July 17, 2007
Police officer Sadio Corobo, left, walks past prisoners housed in the basement of a crumbling colonial villa in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP
The roads outside the X Club nightspot in Bissau, capital of the world's fifth poorest country, are cracked and pot-holed. They have not been repaired since they were torn up by the tracks of military vehicles during Guinea-Bissau's civil war of the late 1990s. But the cars that are parked outside - Porsche and Audi four-wheel drives - wouldn't look out of place in the wealthiest quarters of London.
Inside, the music is thumping Europop, a beer costs more than twice the average daily income of a dollar a day. Many of the clubbers, though, are knocking back the imported whisky, which costs up to $80 a bottle. One of the regulars points out the people who represent the various stages of the cocaine supply chain from South America via Guinea-Bissau in West Africa to the UK and the rest of Europe. 'He's a pretty big dealer, and that's one of his security guys. That guy there thinks he's big news but he's just small-time. That woman is a mule. She's been to Europe a couple of times.
Down a street of elaborate colonial-style buildings is Ana's restaurant. Beneath red-tiled roofs, giant candles flicker in the gentle, humid evening breeze - it could be mistaken for an exotic tourist destination. But 'the only visitors we get are the Colombians', sighs Ana, 'this country is being destroyed by drugs. They're everywhere. A few weeks ago, the man who used to be my gardener knocked at the door and offered to sell me 7kg of cocaine.'
Among the destitute locals are scores of wealthy, gaudy Colombian drug barons in their immodest cars, flaunting their hi-tech luxury lifestyle, with beautiful women on their arms. Outside Bissau city are exclusive Hispanic-style haciendas with wide verandahs, turquoise swimming pools and gates patrolled by armed guards.
By day, Guinea-Bissau looks like the impoverished country it is. Most people cannot afford a bus fare, never mind a four-wheel drive. There is no mains electricity. Water supplies are restricted to the wealthy few, and landmark buildings such as the presidential palace remain wrecked nine years after the end of the war. But this wreck of a country is what the UN - which declared war last week on celebrity cocaine culture - calls the continent's 'first narco-state'. West Africa has become the hub of a flow of cocaine from South America into Europe, now that other routes have become tough for the traffickers.
US drug enforcement agents report that the old cocaine channels through the Caribbean, markedly Jamaica and Panama, have become more intensively policed, forcing the Colombians to develop new routes to traffic cocaine. The increasing might of Mexico's powerful drug cartels has forced the South Americans to search for trafficking routes to Europe across the Atlantic rather than through Central America.
Moreover, the West African coast can be reached across the shortest transatlantic crossing from South America: either by plane from Colombia, with a re-fuelling stop in Brazil; or by ship from Brazil or Venezuela. The boats leaving South America travel only by night, remaining motionless by day, covered in blue tarpaulins to avoid detection from the air. The journey can be completed in four to five nights travelling this way.
Once ravaged by the transatlantic slave trade, the West African coast is again 'under attack', says the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, who calls the impact on Africa of Europe's cocaine habit an echo of that of slavery. 'In the 19th century, Europe's hunger for slaves devastated West Africa. Two hundred years later, its growing appetite for cocaine could do the same.'
The seizure of West Africa by Colombian and other drug cartels has happened with lightning speed. Since 2003, 99 per cent of all drugs seized in Africa have been found in West Africa. Between 1998 and 2003, the total quantity of cocaine seized each year in Africa was around 600kg. But by 2006, the figure had risen five-fold and during the first nine months of last year had already reached 5.6 tonnes. The latest seizure, from a Liberian ship - Blue Atlantic - intercepted by the French navy last month, was 2.4 tonnes of pure cocaine.
But while seizure rates globally are estimated to be 46 per cent of total traffic, the amounts found in West Africa are 'the tip of the iceberg', says UNODC. Even though one recent raid in Guinea-Bissau netted 635kg of cocaine, the traffickers were thought to have still made off with a further two tonnes.
The street value of the drugs trafficked far exceeds gross national product. A quarter of all cocaine consumed in Western Europe is trafficked through West Africa, according to UNOCD, for a local wholesale value of $1.8bn and a retail value of 10 times that in Europe.
Nigerian drug gangs have always been an energetic presence on the global trafficking scene, but the target of the South American traffickers have been the 'failed states' along the Gold Coast, where poverty is extreme, where society has been ravaged by war and the institutions of state can be easily bought off - so that instead of enforcement, there is collusion. And no more so than Guinea-Bissau, whose weakness makes it a trafficker's dream prey.
In Guinea-Bissau, says the UNODC, the value of the drugs trade is greater than the national income. 'The fact of the matter,' says the Consultancy Africa Intelligence agency, is that without assistance, Guinea-Bissau is at the mercy of wealthy, well-armed and technologically advanced narcotics traffickers.'
Guinea Bissau, with a population of 1.5 million, is ranked fifth from bottom in the UN's world development index. Even its recent history is one of torment: after 13 years of bloody guerrilla conflict, it won independence from Portugal, spent the first years under a Marxist Leninist dictatorship, then 18 under João Bernardo Vieira, until he was ousted by a military rebellion. Successive crises, two wars and economic collapse brought Vieira back in 2005, with a purge of the army and deceptive stability.
The White House has singled out Guinea-Bissau as 'a warehouse refuge and transit hub for cocaine traffickers from Latin America, transporting cocaine to Western Europe. Costa says: 'When I went to Guinea-Bissau, the drug wealth was everywhere. From the air, you can see the Spanish hacienda villas, and the obligatory black four-wheel-drives are everywhere, with the obligatory scantily-clad girl, James Bond style. There were certain hotels I was advised not to stay in.'
A senior official at the US's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with a long record of fighting transatlantic drug trafficking, explained how and why the capture of Guinea-Bissau took place, and the trail to Europe. 'Geographically, West Africa makes sense. The logical things is for the cartels to take the shortest crossing over the ocean to West Africa, by plane - to one of the many airstrips left behind by decades of war, or by drop into the thousands of little bays - or by boat all the way. A ship can drop anchor in waters completely unmonitored, while fleets of smaller craft take the contraband ashore.
'A place like Guinea Bissau is a failed state anyway, so it's like moving into an empty house.' There is no prison in Guinea-Bissau, he says. One rusty ship patrols a coastline of 350km, and an archipelago of 82 islands. The airspace is un-patrolled. The police have few cars, no petrol, no radios, handcuffs or phones.
'You walk in, buy the services you need from the government, army and people, and take over. The cocaine can then be stored safely and shipped to Europe, either by ship to Spain or Portugal, across land via Morocco on the old cannabis trail, or directly by air using "mules".' One single flight into Amsterdam in December 2006 was carrying 32 mules carrying cocaine from Guinea-Bissau.
The official admitted 'this has happened quickly, and the response has been tardy. They're ahead of the game.' And it didn't help that most Western diplomatic presence had left Bissau during the fighting, preferring to operate from neighbouring Senegal. The US and Britain shut up shop in Bissau in 1998, the Americans only last July reopening a diplomatic office in response to the cocaine raids.
Although much of the cocaine goes directly to Spain and Portugal, London is becoming an increasingly prominent final destination, says the official - because of the street prices the drug commands - yet Britain also has no permanent diplomatic presence in Bissau, and has not joined the Iberian countries and the EU in contributing to the latest UN plans to help the country. According to the UNODC, the UK and Spain have now overtaken America in the consumption of cocaine per head.
Guinea Bissau's cocaine Calvary began three years ago when fishermen on one island found packages of white powder washed up on the beach. They had no idea what the mysterious substance was. 'At first, they took the drug and they put it on their bodies during traditional ceremonies," recalls local journalist Alberto Dabo. 'Then they put it on their crops. All their crops died because of that drug. They even used it to mark out a football pitch'.
The real moment of truth came when two Latin Americans arrived by chartered plane, armed with $1 million in 'buyback' cash, which the locals gleefully accepted. The two men were apprehended by police, but released. 'When people found that it was cocaine and they could sell it,' says Dabo, 'some of those fishermen bought cars and built houses.'
As well as the favourable location, in Guinea Bissau the cocaine gangs have found a country where the rule of law barely exists. 'It's an easy country to be active if you're an organised crime lord,' says the deputy regional head of UNODC, Amado Philip de Andres. 'Law enforcement has literally no control for two reasons: there is no capacity and there is no equipment'.
A further development highlighted by the DEA and UNODC is that Guinea Bissau and other West African countries are being targeted by Asian and African cartels trafficking heroin across the Atlantic in the opposite direction, to the US. Last year, the DEA and police in Chicago tracked nine West Africans who had moved heroin originating in South-east Asia through various West African countries, markedly Guinea-Bissau, to the central US.
Estimates vary as to the cogency of the Colombian presence, but one observer suggests there are as many as 60 Colombian drugs traffickers in Guinea-Bissau. Colombians have bought local businesses, including factories and warehouses, and built themselves large homes protected by armed guards. They and their local hired help flaunt their liberty to operate - and the money they make from doing so.
'We can see these people walking in complete freedom. They are parading their wealth. They're showing it completely openly,' says Jamel Handem, of a coalition of civic groups called Platform GB.
Guinea-Bissau's armed forces and some politicians are thought to be deeply involved in the drugs trade. Last year, two military personnel were detained along with a civilian in a vehicle carrying 635kg of cocaine. The army secured the soldiers' release and so far there is no sign that they will face charges.
In his large, carpeted, air-conditioned office, a refrigerator humming quietly in the corner, the army spokesman, Colonel Arsenio Balde, brushes aside suggestions the incident proves the army's complicity in the drugs trade. He says the soldiers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time: 'They were on the road hitching a ride and they saw this car driving by. They asked for a ride and then this guy stopped, and later on this car was stopped and they were arrested. You don't have any evidence of high-level involvement. Just please, bring the evidence. That's what we're asking for.'
Government spokesman Pedro da Costa gives a similar response when asked if the government is involved in the drugs trade. 'I don't have any information on that,' he says, curtly. He insists the authorities are keen to tackle drugs traffickers, but don't have the resources. Like many others in Guinea-Bissau, though, he's worried that disputes over control of the trade could break out, pushing the country back to civil war. 'We're worried, of course. We're all concerned. If it's going to bring consequences to our people similar to the war of 1998-99, I think today the motivation would be different. But of course, there is a danger for the country.'
Parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for this month, have been postponed until the end of the year. The campaign could lead to heightened tension between political groups, and provide more scope for corruption. 'One of the risks now is that they will have a deep penetration of dirty money into politics that will overturn everything in the country,' says Fafali Kudawo, rector of the country's first university, 'because this country is very, very fragile, and he who has money can do whatever he wants. You do not know at any given moment what will change the situation or lead the country to war or to violence'.
The UNOCD Office has drawn up a detailed plan to help Guinea-Bissau. In 2006 it suggested a possible budget of several hundred million dollars to potential donors. They refused to pay. Last year the agency came up with a far more modest programme concentrating on reform of the security services, boosting the judicial police, and building a jail. The estimated cost was $19 million. In December a donor conference in Lisbon produced pledges of $6.5m.
As though the suffocation of society by the cartels were not enough, Guinea-Bissau inevitably suffers from a proliferation of addiction among its own people. 'Foot soldiers are paid in kind,' says Antonio Maria Costa, 'and whatever is left behind is sold domestically.' With addicts hidden away in villages, many still believe that their hallucinations are the result of evil spirits.
When United Nations workers went to the country's only excuse for a rehabilitation unit in a mangrove swamp 30km from the capital, they found a man called Bubacar Gano, who calls himself 'the first man to smoke pedra' - as crack cocaine is known in the country. He recalls the fishing boat that lost its load in the sea in 2005, saying: 'Most of the locals who found the packages had no idea what it was or what to do with it. But I knew. After a while I became crazy and aggressive. But it is a difficult thing to stop smoking pedra.'
· Grant Ferrett is a BBC corrrespondent who has worked extensively in Africa.
Guinea-Bissau factfile
· Sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau is a tiny wedge of land, largely composed of mangrove swamps and islets, and an archipelago of 90 islands.
· Colonised in the 16th century, it broke away from Portuguese control in 1974 after a 12-year struggle for independence. During the Eighties and Nineties, the presidency of João Bernardo Vieira brought a measure of stability to the country but little development.
· The capital, Bissau, remains hazardous. Unexploded ordnance continues to be found, even though it was declared a 'mine-free' zone in 2006. New mines were laid recently by rebels fighting over the Casamance area to the north.
· Guinea-Bissau's roaring drugs trade sees an estimated one tonne of pure Colombian cocaine a day leave the country, most of it en route to Europe.
It is the world's fifth poorest nation with no prisons and few police. Now this small west African failed state has been targeted by Colombian drug cartels, turning it into a transit hub for the cocaine trade out of Latin America and into Europe. Grant Ferrett and Ed Vulliamy tell the remarkable story of how the cocaine cavalry arrived three years ago and transformed the life of Guinea-Bissau
* Ed Vulliamy
* The Observer,
* Sunday March 9 2008
* Article history
This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday March 09 2008 on p22 of the Focus section. It was last updated at 01:28 on March 09 2008.
Police officer Sadio Corobo, left, walks past prisoners housed in the basement of a crumbling colonial villa in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, July 17, 2007
Police officer Sadio Corobo, left, walks past prisoners housed in the basement of a crumbling colonial villa in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP
The roads outside the X Club nightspot in Bissau, capital of the world's fifth poorest country, are cracked and pot-holed. They have not been repaired since they were torn up by the tracks of military vehicles during Guinea-Bissau's civil war of the late 1990s. But the cars that are parked outside - Porsche and Audi four-wheel drives - wouldn't look out of place in the wealthiest quarters of London.
Inside, the music is thumping Europop, a beer costs more than twice the average daily income of a dollar a day. Many of the clubbers, though, are knocking back the imported whisky, which costs up to $80 a bottle. One of the regulars points out the people who represent the various stages of the cocaine supply chain from South America via Guinea-Bissau in West Africa to the UK and the rest of Europe. 'He's a pretty big dealer, and that's one of his security guys. That guy there thinks he's big news but he's just small-time. That woman is a mule. She's been to Europe a couple of times.
Down a street of elaborate colonial-style buildings is Ana's restaurant. Beneath red-tiled roofs, giant candles flicker in the gentle, humid evening breeze - it could be mistaken for an exotic tourist destination. But 'the only visitors we get are the Colombians', sighs Ana, 'this country is being destroyed by drugs. They're everywhere. A few weeks ago, the man who used to be my gardener knocked at the door and offered to sell me 7kg of cocaine.'
Among the destitute locals are scores of wealthy, gaudy Colombian drug barons in their immodest cars, flaunting their hi-tech luxury lifestyle, with beautiful women on their arms. Outside Bissau city are exclusive Hispanic-style haciendas with wide verandahs, turquoise swimming pools and gates patrolled by armed guards.
By day, Guinea-Bissau looks like the impoverished country it is. Most people cannot afford a bus fare, never mind a four-wheel drive. There is no mains electricity. Water supplies are restricted to the wealthy few, and landmark buildings such as the presidential palace remain wrecked nine years after the end of the war. But this wreck of a country is what the UN - which declared war last week on celebrity cocaine culture - calls the continent's 'first narco-state'. West Africa has become the hub of a flow of cocaine from South America into Europe, now that other routes have become tough for the traffickers.
US drug enforcement agents report that the old cocaine channels through the Caribbean, markedly Jamaica and Panama, have become more intensively policed, forcing the Colombians to develop new routes to traffic cocaine. The increasing might of Mexico's powerful drug cartels has forced the South Americans to search for trafficking routes to Europe across the Atlantic rather than through Central America.
Moreover, the West African coast can be reached across the shortest transatlantic crossing from South America: either by plane from Colombia, with a re-fuelling stop in Brazil; or by ship from Brazil or Venezuela. The boats leaving South America travel only by night, remaining motionless by day, covered in blue tarpaulins to avoid detection from the air. The journey can be completed in four to five nights travelling this way.
Once ravaged by the transatlantic slave trade, the West African coast is again 'under attack', says the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, who calls the impact on Africa of Europe's cocaine habit an echo of that of slavery. 'In the 19th century, Europe's hunger for slaves devastated West Africa. Two hundred years later, its growing appetite for cocaine could do the same.'
The seizure of West Africa by Colombian and other drug cartels has happened with lightning speed. Since 2003, 99 per cent of all drugs seized in Africa have been found in West Africa. Between 1998 and 2003, the total quantity of cocaine seized each year in Africa was around 600kg. But by 2006, the figure had risen five-fold and during the first nine months of last year had already reached 5.6 tonnes. The latest seizure, from a Liberian ship - Blue Atlantic - intercepted by the French navy last month, was 2.4 tonnes of pure cocaine.
But while seizure rates globally are estimated to be 46 per cent of total traffic, the amounts found in West Africa are 'the tip of the iceberg', says UNODC. Even though one recent raid in Guinea-Bissau netted 635kg of cocaine, the traffickers were thought to have still made off with a further two tonnes.
The street value of the drugs trafficked far exceeds gross national product. A quarter of all cocaine consumed in Western Europe is trafficked through West Africa, according to UNOCD, for a local wholesale value of $1.8bn and a retail value of 10 times that in Europe.
Nigerian drug gangs have always been an energetic presence on the global trafficking scene, but the target of the South American traffickers have been the 'failed states' along the Gold Coast, where poverty is extreme, where society has been ravaged by war and the institutions of state can be easily bought off - so that instead of enforcement, there is collusion. And no more so than Guinea-Bissau, whose weakness makes it a trafficker's dream prey.
In Guinea-Bissau, says the UNODC, the value of the drugs trade is greater than the national income. 'The fact of the matter,' says the Consultancy Africa Intelligence agency, is that without assistance, Guinea-Bissau is at the mercy of wealthy, well-armed and technologically advanced narcotics traffickers.'
Guinea Bissau, with a population of 1.5 million, is ranked fifth from bottom in the UN's world development index. Even its recent history is one of torment: after 13 years of bloody guerrilla conflict, it won independence from Portugal, spent the first years under a Marxist Leninist dictatorship, then 18 under João Bernardo Vieira, until he was ousted by a military rebellion. Successive crises, two wars and economic collapse brought Vieira back in 2005, with a purge of the army and deceptive stability.
The White House has singled out Guinea-Bissau as 'a warehouse refuge and transit hub for cocaine traffickers from Latin America, transporting cocaine to Western Europe. Costa says: 'When I went to Guinea-Bissau, the drug wealth was everywhere. From the air, you can see the Spanish hacienda villas, and the obligatory black four-wheel-drives are everywhere, with the obligatory scantily-clad girl, James Bond style. There were certain hotels I was advised not to stay in.'
A senior official at the US's Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with a long record of fighting transatlantic drug trafficking, explained how and why the capture of Guinea-Bissau took place, and the trail to Europe. 'Geographically, West Africa makes sense. The logical things is for the cartels to take the shortest crossing over the ocean to West Africa, by plane - to one of the many airstrips left behind by decades of war, or by drop into the thousands of little bays - or by boat all the way. A ship can drop anchor in waters completely unmonitored, while fleets of smaller craft take the contraband ashore.
'A place like Guinea Bissau is a failed state anyway, so it's like moving into an empty house.' There is no prison in Guinea-Bissau, he says. One rusty ship patrols a coastline of 350km, and an archipelago of 82 islands. The airspace is un-patrolled. The police have few cars, no petrol, no radios, handcuffs or phones.
'You walk in, buy the services you need from the government, army and people, and take over. The cocaine can then be stored safely and shipped to Europe, either by ship to Spain or Portugal, across land via Morocco on the old cannabis trail, or directly by air using "mules".' One single flight into Amsterdam in December 2006 was carrying 32 mules carrying cocaine from Guinea-Bissau.
The official admitted 'this has happened quickly, and the response has been tardy. They're ahead of the game.' And it didn't help that most Western diplomatic presence had left Bissau during the fighting, preferring to operate from neighbouring Senegal. The US and Britain shut up shop in Bissau in 1998, the Americans only last July reopening a diplomatic office in response to the cocaine raids.
Although much of the cocaine goes directly to Spain and Portugal, London is becoming an increasingly prominent final destination, says the official - because of the street prices the drug commands - yet Britain also has no permanent diplomatic presence in Bissau, and has not joined the Iberian countries and the EU in contributing to the latest UN plans to help the country. According to the UNODC, the UK and Spain have now overtaken America in the consumption of cocaine per head.
Guinea Bissau's cocaine Calvary began three years ago when fishermen on one island found packages of white powder washed up on the beach. They had no idea what the mysterious substance was. 'At first, they took the drug and they put it on their bodies during traditional ceremonies," recalls local journalist Alberto Dabo. 'Then they put it on their crops. All their crops died because of that drug. They even used it to mark out a football pitch'.
The real moment of truth came when two Latin Americans arrived by chartered plane, armed with $1 million in 'buyback' cash, which the locals gleefully accepted. The two men were apprehended by police, but released. 'When people found that it was cocaine and they could sell it,' says Dabo, 'some of those fishermen bought cars and built houses.'
As well as the favourable location, in Guinea Bissau the cocaine gangs have found a country where the rule of law barely exists. 'It's an easy country to be active if you're an organised crime lord,' says the deputy regional head of UNODC, Amado Philip de Andres. 'Law enforcement has literally no control for two reasons: there is no capacity and there is no equipment'.
A further development highlighted by the DEA and UNODC is that Guinea Bissau and other West African countries are being targeted by Asian and African cartels trafficking heroin across the Atlantic in the opposite direction, to the US. Last year, the DEA and police in Chicago tracked nine West Africans who had moved heroin originating in South-east Asia through various West African countries, markedly Guinea-Bissau, to the central US.
Estimates vary as to the cogency of the Colombian presence, but one observer suggests there are as many as 60 Colombian drugs traffickers in Guinea-Bissau. Colombians have bought local businesses, including factories and warehouses, and built themselves large homes protected by armed guards. They and their local hired help flaunt their liberty to operate - and the money they make from doing so.
'We can see these people walking in complete freedom. They are parading their wealth. They're showing it completely openly,' says Jamel Handem, of a coalition of civic groups called Platform GB.
Guinea-Bissau's armed forces and some politicians are thought to be deeply involved in the drugs trade. Last year, two military personnel were detained along with a civilian in a vehicle carrying 635kg of cocaine. The army secured the soldiers' release and so far there is no sign that they will face charges.
In his large, carpeted, air-conditioned office, a refrigerator humming quietly in the corner, the army spokesman, Colonel Arsenio Balde, brushes aside suggestions the incident proves the army's complicity in the drugs trade. He says the soldiers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time: 'They were on the road hitching a ride and they saw this car driving by. They asked for a ride and then this guy stopped, and later on this car was stopped and they were arrested. You don't have any evidence of high-level involvement. Just please, bring the evidence. That's what we're asking for.'
Government spokesman Pedro da Costa gives a similar response when asked if the government is involved in the drugs trade. 'I don't have any information on that,' he says, curtly. He insists the authorities are keen to tackle drugs traffickers, but don't have the resources. Like many others in Guinea-Bissau, though, he's worried that disputes over control of the trade could break out, pushing the country back to civil war. 'We're worried, of course. We're all concerned. If it's going to bring consequences to our people similar to the war of 1998-99, I think today the motivation would be different. But of course, there is a danger for the country.'
Parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for this month, have been postponed until the end of the year. The campaign could lead to heightened tension between political groups, and provide more scope for corruption. 'One of the risks now is that they will have a deep penetration of dirty money into politics that will overturn everything in the country,' says Fafali Kudawo, rector of the country's first university, 'because this country is very, very fragile, and he who has money can do whatever he wants. You do not know at any given moment what will change the situation or lead the country to war or to violence'.
The UNOCD Office has drawn up a detailed plan to help Guinea-Bissau. In 2006 it suggested a possible budget of several hundred million dollars to potential donors. They refused to pay. Last year the agency came up with a far more modest programme concentrating on reform of the security services, boosting the judicial police, and building a jail. The estimated cost was $19 million. In December a donor conference in Lisbon produced pledges of $6.5m.
As though the suffocation of society by the cartels were not enough, Guinea-Bissau inevitably suffers from a proliferation of addiction among its own people. 'Foot soldiers are paid in kind,' says Antonio Maria Costa, 'and whatever is left behind is sold domestically.' With addicts hidden away in villages, many still believe that their hallucinations are the result of evil spirits.
When United Nations workers went to the country's only excuse for a rehabilitation unit in a mangrove swamp 30km from the capital, they found a man called Bubacar Gano, who calls himself 'the first man to smoke pedra' - as crack cocaine is known in the country. He recalls the fishing boat that lost its load in the sea in 2005, saying: 'Most of the locals who found the packages had no idea what it was or what to do with it. But I knew. After a while I became crazy and aggressive. But it is a difficult thing to stop smoking pedra.'
· Grant Ferrett is a BBC corrrespondent who has worked extensively in Africa.
Guinea-Bissau factfile
· Sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea-Conakry, Guinea-Bissau is a tiny wedge of land, largely composed of mangrove swamps and islets, and an archipelago of 90 islands.
· Colonised in the 16th century, it broke away from Portuguese control in 1974 after a 12-year struggle for independence. During the Eighties and Nineties, the presidency of João Bernardo Vieira brought a measure of stability to the country but little development.
· The capital, Bissau, remains hazardous. Unexploded ordnance continues to be found, even though it was declared a 'mine-free' zone in 2006. New mines were laid recently by rebels fighting over the Casamance area to the north.
· Guinea-Bissau's roaring drugs trade sees an estimated one tonne of pure Colombian cocaine a day leave the country, most of it en route to Europe.
'Dirty bomb' threat as UK ships plutonium to France
Independent.co.uk
'Dirty bomb' threat as UK ships plutonium to France
From Sellafield, an ordinary, unarmed ferry is to transport weapons-ready plutonium – material that could easily be used to make a 'dirty bomb'
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Weapons-ready plutonium that terrorists could easily make into a nuclear bomb is to be carried hundreds of miles down the west coast of Britain in an unarmed ship, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
Experts say that the plutonium dioxide powder, shortly to be taken to France from the Sellafield nuclear complex for the first time, would be an ideal material for creating a nuclear explosion and for use in a dirty bomb. One calls it "the worst possible material" to ship.
Yet the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Sellafield, is to take it on an old roll-on roll-off ferry with few security and safety features – even though it has used armed and better-equipped vessels to transport less dangerous nuclear materials in the past.
The environment spokesmen for both main opposition parties voiced concern at the risk to national security and the environment.
Ministers have repeatedly warned that groups such as al-Qa'ida are seeking fissile material so that they can make nuclear bombs. Only last week the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific body, drew attention to "the potential threat of nuclear terrorism".
The shipment – expected to be the first of a series – arises from the highly embarrassing failure of a £473m plant at the complex, which was designed to make new nuclear fuel out of mixture of plutonium and uranium oxides recovered from used fuel. Sellafield humiliatingly had to turn to its chief competitor, the French firm Cogema, to fulfil its orders for the fuel – and says it must replace the plutonium it used on its behalf.
It will not give details of the shipments for "security reasons", or even disclose how much weapons-ready material it is having to return owing to "commercial confidentiality". But Core, a Cumbrian campaign group which monitors transport of nuclear material from the complex, said that shipments will start in "the next few days" and will involve hundreds of kilograms of plutonium, enough to make "a large number" of bombs.
Core is withholding the exact date of the shipment and The Independent on Sunday has decided not to publish the name of the ship or the route it will take, to avoid any chance of disclosing information that might be of use to terrorists. But an old ro-ro ferry with inferior safety and security features will be used.
When Sellafield sent mixed oxide fuel to Japan in 1999, it used two superior, purpose-built vessels, Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, even though the fuel is less dangerous and useful to terrorists than the new weapons-ready cargo.
The two ships were both armed with naval guns and rode shotgun for each other, ensuring that terrorists would not know which one was carrying the material. Both had double hulls to enable them to withstand collisions, and two engines, in case one failed.
The vessel to be used for the new shipments will be manned by armed officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, but will be otherwise unarmed and will not have an escort. And it is equipped with only a single hull and one engine.
Sellafield says that the less secure ship is being used as it has less distance to travel and carries less nuclear material. The dangerous cargo could be driven straight on and off. But John Large, an independent nuclear expert, said the size of the cargo and journey distance are "irrelevant". "They are showing incredible double standards. They are prepared to put the British public at greater risk than they pose when travelling on the high seas. It is the most dangerous and worst possible material that you could ship, and everyone knows that. This is cavalier."
Dr Frank Barnaby, one of Britain's leading experts on nuclear terrorism, said that "a reasonably resourced terrorist group would have no problem making a bomb out of this material" and that it was also ideal for a dirty radioactive bomb as the powder was enormously toxic and would vaporise, making it easy to breathe in. He added: "This is madness, totally irresponsible."
Martin Forwood of Core said: "Ministers should step in, and stop this shipment in the light of the terrorist threat." Steve Webb, the Lib Dem environment spokesman, described the shipment as "a risk to our national security". Peter Ainsworth, shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, said: "No risk should be taken with the environment and public safety."
Sellafield said its nuclear shipments were "safe and secure" and that the transport methods were approved by government and international regulators.
The Department for Business and Enterprise said that nuclear transports were subject to "the most stringent" security measures.
©independent.co.uk
'Dirty bomb' threat as UK ships plutonium to France
From Sellafield, an ordinary, unarmed ferry is to transport weapons-ready plutonium – material that could easily be used to make a 'dirty bomb'
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Weapons-ready plutonium that terrorists could easily make into a nuclear bomb is to be carried hundreds of miles down the west coast of Britain in an unarmed ship, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
Experts say that the plutonium dioxide powder, shortly to be taken to France from the Sellafield nuclear complex for the first time, would be an ideal material for creating a nuclear explosion and for use in a dirty bomb. One calls it "the worst possible material" to ship.
Yet the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Sellafield, is to take it on an old roll-on roll-off ferry with few security and safety features – even though it has used armed and better-equipped vessels to transport less dangerous nuclear materials in the past.
The environment spokesmen for both main opposition parties voiced concern at the risk to national security and the environment.
Ministers have repeatedly warned that groups such as al-Qa'ida are seeking fissile material so that they can make nuclear bombs. Only last week the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific body, drew attention to "the potential threat of nuclear terrorism".
The shipment – expected to be the first of a series – arises from the highly embarrassing failure of a £473m plant at the complex, which was designed to make new nuclear fuel out of mixture of plutonium and uranium oxides recovered from used fuel. Sellafield humiliatingly had to turn to its chief competitor, the French firm Cogema, to fulfil its orders for the fuel – and says it must replace the plutonium it used on its behalf.
It will not give details of the shipments for "security reasons", or even disclose how much weapons-ready material it is having to return owing to "commercial confidentiality". But Core, a Cumbrian campaign group which monitors transport of nuclear material from the complex, said that shipments will start in "the next few days" and will involve hundreds of kilograms of plutonium, enough to make "a large number" of bombs.
Core is withholding the exact date of the shipment and The Independent on Sunday has decided not to publish the name of the ship or the route it will take, to avoid any chance of disclosing information that might be of use to terrorists. But an old ro-ro ferry with inferior safety and security features will be used.
When Sellafield sent mixed oxide fuel to Japan in 1999, it used two superior, purpose-built vessels, Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, even though the fuel is less dangerous and useful to terrorists than the new weapons-ready cargo.
The two ships were both armed with naval guns and rode shotgun for each other, ensuring that terrorists would not know which one was carrying the material. Both had double hulls to enable them to withstand collisions, and two engines, in case one failed.
The vessel to be used for the new shipments will be manned by armed officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, but will be otherwise unarmed and will not have an escort. And it is equipped with only a single hull and one engine.
Sellafield says that the less secure ship is being used as it has less distance to travel and carries less nuclear material. The dangerous cargo could be driven straight on and off. But John Large, an independent nuclear expert, said the size of the cargo and journey distance are "irrelevant". "They are showing incredible double standards. They are prepared to put the British public at greater risk than they pose when travelling on the high seas. It is the most dangerous and worst possible material that you could ship, and everyone knows that. This is cavalier."
Dr Frank Barnaby, one of Britain's leading experts on nuclear terrorism, said that "a reasonably resourced terrorist group would have no problem making a bomb out of this material" and that it was also ideal for a dirty radioactive bomb as the powder was enormously toxic and would vaporise, making it easy to breathe in. He added: "This is madness, totally irresponsible."
Martin Forwood of Core said: "Ministers should step in, and stop this shipment in the light of the terrorist threat." Steve Webb, the Lib Dem environment spokesman, described the shipment as "a risk to our national security". Peter Ainsworth, shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, said: "No risk should be taken with the environment and public safety."
Sellafield said its nuclear shipments were "safe and secure" and that the transport methods were approved by government and international regulators.
The Department for Business and Enterprise said that nuclear transports were subject to "the most stringent" security measures.
©independent.co.uk
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED FISHERMAN
Date: March 9, 2008
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED FISHERMAN
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard airlifted an injured crewmen from a 40-foot fishing vessel today 29 miles west of Port Angeles, Wash.
At 7:58 p.m., the master of the fishing vessel Puget Sound contacted Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles on VHF channel 16 to request assistance after the crewman became injured.
An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from the Air Station was launched at 8:24 p.m.
With the assistance of a 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Port Angeles, the injured man was hoisted to the helicopter and transported to Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles for treatment.
COAST GUARD AIRLIFTS INJURED FISHERMAN
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard airlifted an injured crewmen from a 40-foot fishing vessel today 29 miles west of Port Angeles, Wash.
At 7:58 p.m., the master of the fishing vessel Puget Sound contacted Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles on VHF channel 16 to request assistance after the crewman became injured.
An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from the Air Station was launched at 8:24 p.m.
With the assistance of a 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Port Angeles, the injured man was hoisted to the helicopter and transported to Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles for treatment.
COAST GUARD RESCUES TWO KAYAKERS NEAR CANNON BEACH
Date: March 8, 2008
COAST GUARD RESCUES TWO KAYAKERS NEAR CANNON BEACH
SEATTLE - Two kayakers were rescued by the Coast Guard after they were overcome by rough waters near Cannon Beach, Ore., today.
At 4:51 p.m., the Seaside, Ore., 911 center requested assistance from the Coast Guard after it was reported that the two kayakers were in distress near Arcadia Beach.
An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., was immediately diverted and hoisted the kayakers to safety at 4:58 p.m.
The victims were transferred to an awaiting ambulance crew in Seaside where they were transported to a local hospital. No serious injuries were reported.
###
COAST GUARD RESCUES TWO KAYAKERS NEAR CANNON BEACH
SEATTLE - Two kayakers were rescued by the Coast Guard after they were overcome by rough waters near Cannon Beach, Ore., today.
At 4:51 p.m., the Seaside, Ore., 911 center requested assistance from the Coast Guard after it was reported that the two kayakers were in distress near Arcadia Beach.
An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., was immediately diverted and hoisted the kayakers to safety at 4:58 p.m.
The victims were transferred to an awaiting ambulance crew in Seaside where they were transported to a local hospital. No serious injuries were reported.
###
Friday, March 7, 2008
Anti-whaling activist 'shot' during clash
Last Updated: 07/03/2008 06:51
Anti-whaling activist 'shot' during clash
A anti-whaling activist has claimed he was shot during a clash with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean today.
Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd group told Australian radio that anti-whaling activists threw "stink bombs" on to the Japanese whaling factory ship the Nisshin Maru .
The Japanese retaliated by throwing "flash grenades" onto the deck of the Steve Irwin , and Watson said he was shot but survived because he was wearing a Kevlar vest.
"I felt this impact on my chest. I found a bullet buried in the Kevlar vest that I wear. It bruised my shoulder but it would have hit my heart if I didn't have the vest," he said.
Australia's foreign affairs department condemned the incident and said its embassy in Tokyo had been told the Japanese whaling ship "fired warning shots".
© 2008 ireland.com
Anti-whaling activist 'shot' during clash
A anti-whaling activist has claimed he was shot during a clash with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean today.
Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd group told Australian radio that anti-whaling activists threw "stink bombs" on to the Japanese whaling factory ship the Nisshin Maru .
The Japanese retaliated by throwing "flash grenades" onto the deck of the Steve Irwin , and Watson said he was shot but survived because he was wearing a Kevlar vest.
"I felt this impact on my chest. I found a bullet buried in the Kevlar vest that I wear. It bruised my shoulder but it would have hit my heart if I didn't have the vest," he said.
Australia's foreign affairs department condemned the incident and said its embassy in Tokyo had been told the Japanese whaling ship "fired warning shots".
© 2008 ireland.com
Coast Guard airlifts ailing crewmember
Date: March 7, 2008
Coast Guard airlifts ailing crewmember
BOSTON - A Coast Guard air crew medevaced an injured crewmember from a fishing vessel about 43 miles east of Chatham, Mass., at about midnight.
The 54-year old male crewmember aboard the 83-foot Mary K was found unconscious and later reported experiencing pain throughout his body.
The crew of the Mary K, a New Bedford-based fishing vessel, radioed Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England around 9:30 p.m., requesting medevac for the crewmember.
The crewmember was airlifted to Hyannis airport and transferred to awaiting paramedics for further transport to an area hospital.
On scene weather was visibility to about seven miles, winds around 17 miles-per-hour and calm seas.
"The Coast Guard encourages mariners to contact us as soon as any medical issues arise at sea so we can evaluate the situation and decide how to move forward," said Lt. j.g. Judith Bik, the Sector Southeastern New England command duty officer.
Coast Guard airlifts ailing crewmember
BOSTON - A Coast Guard air crew medevaced an injured crewmember from a fishing vessel about 43 miles east of Chatham, Mass., at about midnight.
The 54-year old male crewmember aboard the 83-foot Mary K was found unconscious and later reported experiencing pain throughout his body.
The crew of the Mary K, a New Bedford-based fishing vessel, radioed Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England around 9:30 p.m., requesting medevac for the crewmember.
The crewmember was airlifted to Hyannis airport and transferred to awaiting paramedics for further transport to an area hospital.
On scene weather was visibility to about seven miles, winds around 17 miles-per-hour and calm seas.
"The Coast Guard encourages mariners to contact us as soon as any medical issues arise at sea so we can evaluate the situation and decide how to move forward," said Lt. j.g. Judith Bik, the Sector Southeastern New England command duty officer.
Lloyd’s Register publishes latest marine technical news publication Horizons
Lloyd’s Register publishes latest marine technical news publication Horizons
Please find below the latest publication notice from Lloyd’s Register. A hard copy of the publication is in the post to you, or your publications' editor, and to download a pdf copy please click here . If you have any problems receiving this please contact me at lori.malone@lr.org
Lori Malone
Manager-Media, Publicity, Conferences
Lloyd’s Register Americas
Latest Marine technical news publication Horizons
Lloyd’s Register has published its most recent edition of Horizons, its technical publication for the marine sector. This latest edition explores the diversity of Lloyd’s Register’s involvement in promoting maritime safety, both at sea and ashore, from technical innovation to human factors. It’s 24 pages of information and analysis range from how Lloyd’s Register works continuously to maintain the closest dialogue with shipowners, to our work towards reducing the impact of the industry on the environment.
The March 2008 issue covers a range of topics including:
· Richard Sadler, Lloyd’s Register Group’s Chief Executive Officer, sets the scene
· Lloyd’s Register’s Classification Committee comprises a quorum of 12 experienced shipping representatives dedicated to maintaining standards in shipping
· leading shipowners tell Lloyd’s Register their priorities, and detail how Class can help
· how Lloyd’s Register helped Norwegian shipowner, Uglands Rederi, to surmount its earliest challenge
· commercial divers provide our surveyors with a clear view of what’s going on below the surface
· country focus – India
· new standards for ship recycling facilities let them prove their green credentials to potential customers and environmental watchdogs
· computational fluid dynamics, and its role in ship design
· BW Shipping has adopted a Lloyd’s Register human resources tool, designed for the rail and gas industries, to better understand their workforce
· the latest technology being developed to reduce the shipping industry’s impact on the environment
· Marine Life Saving Appliances will be the latest in Lloyd’s Register’s series of port state control pocket checklists.
Please find below the latest publication notice from Lloyd’s Register. A hard copy of the publication is in the post to you, or your publications' editor, and to download a pdf copy please click here . If you have any problems receiving this please contact me at lori.malone@lr.org
Lori Malone
Manager-Media, Publicity, Conferences
Lloyd’s Register Americas
Latest Marine technical news publication Horizons
Lloyd’s Register has published its most recent edition of Horizons, its technical publication for the marine sector. This latest edition explores the diversity of Lloyd’s Register’s involvement in promoting maritime safety, both at sea and ashore, from technical innovation to human factors. It’s 24 pages of information and analysis range from how Lloyd’s Register works continuously to maintain the closest dialogue with shipowners, to our work towards reducing the impact of the industry on the environment.
The March 2008 issue covers a range of topics including:
· Richard Sadler, Lloyd’s Register Group’s Chief Executive Officer, sets the scene
· Lloyd’s Register’s Classification Committee comprises a quorum of 12 experienced shipping representatives dedicated to maintaining standards in shipping
· leading shipowners tell Lloyd’s Register their priorities, and detail how Class can help
· how Lloyd’s Register helped Norwegian shipowner, Uglands Rederi, to surmount its earliest challenge
· commercial divers provide our surveyors with a clear view of what’s going on below the surface
· country focus – India
· new standards for ship recycling facilities let them prove their green credentials to potential customers and environmental watchdogs
· computational fluid dynamics, and its role in ship design
· BW Shipping has adopted a Lloyd’s Register human resources tool, designed for the rail and gas industries, to better understand their workforce
· the latest technology being developed to reduce the shipping industry’s impact on the environment
· Marine Life Saving Appliances will be the latest in Lloyd’s Register’s series of port state control pocket checklists.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sixteen dead as boat sinks in Albania
Last Updated: 06/03/2008 08:09
Sixteen dead as boat sinks in Albania
Sixteen people died after a boat sank overnight in a lake near the Albanian capital Tirana.
The boat was carrying partygoers celebrating the birthday of five-year-old twins, who were among those who died. Four people survived.
The boat belonged to a restaurant on the shores of Lake Farka, about three miles east of the capital, Tirana.
It had a capacity of seven but was transporting 20 people from the restaurant when it sank shortly after midnight, Tirana police said.
© 2008 ireland.com
Sixteen dead as boat sinks in Albania
Sixteen people died after a boat sank overnight in a lake near the Albanian capital Tirana.
The boat was carrying partygoers celebrating the birthday of five-year-old twins, who were among those who died. Four people survived.
The boat belonged to a restaurant on the shores of Lake Farka, about three miles east of the capital, Tirana.
It had a capacity of seven but was transporting 20 people from the restaurant when it sank shortly after midnight, Tirana police said.
© 2008 ireland.com
Prince tours outdated vessel
Prince tours outdated vessel
Richard Charan South Bureau
Thursday, March 6th 2008
faulty fleet: Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Edmund Dillon, right, leads Prince Charles and his wife Camilla past a display of Coast Guard vessels including the CG 20 on the Royals' arrival at the Coast Guard headquarters, Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas. -Photo courtesy: Government Information Service
Prince Charles's tour of Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, included a look at the TTS Nelson, a British-built offshore patrol vessel bought seven years ago to provide long-range protection.
There was one problem. The ship, designated CG 20, has not gone out to sea for more than a year because of its slow speed, instability in open water, and its expiry date has passed, Coast Guard insiders told the Express yesterday.
The ship, the largest in the fleet, reached the end of its serviceable life last year.
Moved from its anchorage at the Port of Port of Spain a year ago, the ship was decorated with the Trinidad and Tobago flag and banners, and manned by Coast Guard officers for Tuesday's red carpet walk-past.
The ship was built in 1976, and outfitted with guns to protect against terrorist threats to North Sea oil and gas facilities. It is 59.5 metres long and has a range of 9,000 nautical miles.
Formerly called the Orkney, it was decommissioned in 1999, docked at Portsmouth, England, and bought by the Trinidad government in 2000.
The Nelson is not the only Coast Guard vessel with problems.
Faulty engines have left several vessels adrift, and the Coast Guard's fleet is said to be floundering, with several of its fast patrol and speed boats out of service, the Express was told.
The TTS Cascadura and TTS Barracuda have been drydocked for more than eight years.
The TTS Crown Point is said to be the most reliable large vessel, but another vessel of similar size is said to be disabled because of a fuel tank leak.
At least four past patrol vessels are down with engine problems.
Government has ordered six new fast patrol boats, and three OPVs are being built in the United Kingdom, with a delivery date in 2009.
In the meantime, two interim patrol vessels are said to have been acquired and are being outfitted for military use at a local marine service company.
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved. Trinidad Express 35 Independence Sq, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Express newspaper and TV6 are subsidiaries of One Caribbean Media
Richard Charan South Bureau
Thursday, March 6th 2008
faulty fleet: Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Edmund Dillon, right, leads Prince Charles and his wife Camilla past a display of Coast Guard vessels including the CG 20 on the Royals' arrival at the Coast Guard headquarters, Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas. -Photo courtesy: Government Information Service
Prince Charles's tour of Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, included a look at the TTS Nelson, a British-built offshore patrol vessel bought seven years ago to provide long-range protection.
There was one problem. The ship, designated CG 20, has not gone out to sea for more than a year because of its slow speed, instability in open water, and its expiry date has passed, Coast Guard insiders told the Express yesterday.
The ship, the largest in the fleet, reached the end of its serviceable life last year.
Moved from its anchorage at the Port of Port of Spain a year ago, the ship was decorated with the Trinidad and Tobago flag and banners, and manned by Coast Guard officers for Tuesday's red carpet walk-past.
The ship was built in 1976, and outfitted with guns to protect against terrorist threats to North Sea oil and gas facilities. It is 59.5 metres long and has a range of 9,000 nautical miles.
Formerly called the Orkney, it was decommissioned in 1999, docked at Portsmouth, England, and bought by the Trinidad government in 2000.
The Nelson is not the only Coast Guard vessel with problems.
Faulty engines have left several vessels adrift, and the Coast Guard's fleet is said to be floundering, with several of its fast patrol and speed boats out of service, the Express was told.
The TTS Cascadura and TTS Barracuda have been drydocked for more than eight years.
The TTS Crown Point is said to be the most reliable large vessel, but another vessel of similar size is said to be disabled because of a fuel tank leak.
At least four past patrol vessels are down with engine problems.
Government has ordered six new fast patrol boats, and three OPVs are being built in the United Kingdom, with a delivery date in 2009.
In the meantime, two interim patrol vessels are said to have been acquired and are being outfitted for military use at a local marine service company.
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved. Trinidad Express 35 Independence Sq, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Express newspaper and TV6 are subsidiaries of One Caribbean Media
I was thinking, 'I'm gonna die'
I was thinking, 'I'm gonna die'
Copyright 2008, Bermuda Sun Ltd. 3/5/2008 10:13:00 AM
He clung to the ruins of his hotel room and to life. Paul Rogers, a crew member of the ‘Logos II’, found a purpose after surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Being in Bermuda onboard the floating bookstore 'MV Logos II' means so much to Paul Rogers. The Englishman calls himself one of the luckiest people alive after surviving the Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand three years ago. The 35-year-old tells the Bermuda Sun's Sirkka Huish how he now has a purpose in life.
Boxing Day 2004 is a day Paul Rogers will never forget. With water up to his face he found himself clinging on to his life with all his strength.
He thought it was the end of the world and he was simply waiting to die. What should have been an enjoyable diving vacation in Thailand for the then 32-year-old turned into a living nightmare.
More than 300,000 people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami, but Paul managed to keep his head above the water. The force of the water catapulted him from his bed, but he found a ledge and clung on for dear life.
His quick-thinking saved his life, as he was one of only two people to survive on the ground floor of his guesthouse, which was about 300 metres from the Thai beach in Koh Phi Phi.
Paul, who is currently in Bermuda working onboard 'MV Logos II', said: "It was a complete nightmare. I have no idea how I survived. I must be one of the luckiest people alive."
Paul was in Thailand to do his diving masters and then try to get work as a diving instructor for a few months. He arrived on December 20 and enjoyed a week catching up with friends and chilling out. He spent Christmas Day drinking with a guy from England and a guy from Scotland - but he has no idea if they are alive today.
He was starting to wake up at about 10am on Boxing Day when the electricity went off and he heard some shouting outside. He thought nothing of it until he heard "the most horrendous noise he'd ever heard."
Paul said: "Both walls of my guest room exploded and the water just came in. I was spinning around like a washing machine. I kept hitting my head on the concrete ceiling.
End of the world
"I was in complete and utter shock. All I knew was that I ended up trapped somewhere. There was this little gap between the wall and ceiling and I held myself up holding my chin up above the water."
He estimates he was holding on for about five to seven minutes and it was only when the water level dropped that he discovered he had been lifted from his bed to the shower room.
Paul said everything had happened in a millisecond, adding: "My first thought was dodgy Thai builders, I thought the foundations had collapsed and I'd fallen through the floor. Then I thought the island had sunk or it was the end of the world. I just didn't know what was going on."
But he didn't have much time to think about it as he heard someone yelling: "Get back, get back, another wave's coming."
He said: "It was only then that I realized the sea had come in. I stood on the toilet and stretched up to put my hands in this gap again. Then the water started gushing through the fan hole and doorway.
"I thought if the water goes any higher than last time I would drown. I was thinking 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.'
"I never ever want to experience anything like that again. I was screaming 'help, help' and hitting the ceiling above with one hand.
"The water kept rising until my face was flat against the ceiling. I thought I was just waiting to die."
Luckily the water level dropped after about five minutes and Paul knew he had to get onto higher ground. He cleared the building debris blocking the shower room doorway and waded through the waist-high water into the bedroom. He was only wearing boxer shorts so he grabbed a pair of shorts, one shoe and his rucksack.
Having pulled himself up onto a lean-to roof, he looked down and saw complete devastation. There were bodies in the water and he could see screaming people trapped under building materials. Paul also discovered he was bleeding heavily from wounds to his head, back, arms and legs.
"It looked like a bomb had been dropped on the island," he said. "Hundreds of bungalows that were along the beach had gone. Just about everything that had been there before had disappeared."
Without knowing if more waves were coming Paul and several other people waited for more than an hour before "making a run for it." They headed from the roof to nearby hills, known as The Viewpoint, and spent the night sheltering in some half-built bungalows.
The next day rescue helicopters arrived on the island and Paul was airlifted to hospital on the mainland to be treated for his head wounds.
Nightmares
Two days passed until he could buy a cellphone to call his family in England to say he was safe.
He had flashbacks and nightmares for several weeks and admits to drinking heavily and taking drugs to try to "blank out what had happened." Even three years on, he can still vividly remember the day like it was yesterday.
He decided to stay in Thailand but never did his masters diving course and has never dived since the tsunami. Instead he noticed he was "questioning everything about life" and started to really appreciate the smallest of things like the weather, stars, sunsets and animals. I felt guilty about being alive when so many people had died. Many of the Thais had lost their families, their homes, their businesses, everything. I realized my life was a farce. The way I was living was wrong; I was just looking for temporary happiness. There was more to life than I thought there was."
But it was only when he broke his collarbone in a motorbike accident that he realized "there was definitely a God." Despite his injury, he recalls watching an awesome sunset and somehow being able to roll both shoulders. He said he felt a sense of peace and he couldn't stop crying.
He said: "I had this massive grin on my face for about four days as I knew God had created the world and was looking after us. I handed my life over to God." Paul had never been interested in going to church even though his parents were Christians, but in May 2005 he knew he had to leave Thailand and go home "to read the Bible."
He wanted to do some missionary work and is now sponsored by his church, the Ladyfield Evangelical in Chippenham, to work onboard the floating bookstore. He joined the U.K.-based Christian charity OM International last April and currently works as an engine room watch keeper.
'MV Logos II' carries a crew of 60 with more than 20 nationalities, living and working on board. They receive no remuneration or pay during their time on board.
The ship has been docked in Front Street for two weeks and in that time Paul has visited prison, churches and youth groups to share his testimony. He said: "I really like Bermuda and I hope to return. I've had a positive reaction and I'd like to tell more people there is more to life than money and jobs."
Whilst on board the ship he has also met his fiancé, Anniina Jantti, from Finland. The ship leaves Bermuda tomorrow for a tour of the Caribbean.
After nearly losing his life to a killer wave, Paul sees it as quite fitting to have ended up working and living on a ship.
He said: "I love life on the waves, I don't fear anything anymore. I actually have a purpose and a meaning in life."
The crew of 'Logos II' will hand over a donation of $1,000 worth of books to Port Royal Primary School Library today.
Copyright 2008, Bermuda Sun Ltd. 3/5/2008 10:13:00 AM
He clung to the ruins of his hotel room and to life. Paul Rogers, a crew member of the ‘Logos II’, found a purpose after surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Being in Bermuda onboard the floating bookstore 'MV Logos II' means so much to Paul Rogers. The Englishman calls himself one of the luckiest people alive after surviving the Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand three years ago. The 35-year-old tells the Bermuda Sun's Sirkka Huish how he now has a purpose in life.
Boxing Day 2004 is a day Paul Rogers will never forget. With water up to his face he found himself clinging on to his life with all his strength.
He thought it was the end of the world and he was simply waiting to die. What should have been an enjoyable diving vacation in Thailand for the then 32-year-old turned into a living nightmare.
More than 300,000 people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami, but Paul managed to keep his head above the water. The force of the water catapulted him from his bed, but he found a ledge and clung on for dear life.
His quick-thinking saved his life, as he was one of only two people to survive on the ground floor of his guesthouse, which was about 300 metres from the Thai beach in Koh Phi Phi.
Paul, who is currently in Bermuda working onboard 'MV Logos II', said: "It was a complete nightmare. I have no idea how I survived. I must be one of the luckiest people alive."
Paul was in Thailand to do his diving masters and then try to get work as a diving instructor for a few months. He arrived on December 20 and enjoyed a week catching up with friends and chilling out. He spent Christmas Day drinking with a guy from England and a guy from Scotland - but he has no idea if they are alive today.
He was starting to wake up at about 10am on Boxing Day when the electricity went off and he heard some shouting outside. He thought nothing of it until he heard "the most horrendous noise he'd ever heard."
Paul said: "Both walls of my guest room exploded and the water just came in. I was spinning around like a washing machine. I kept hitting my head on the concrete ceiling.
End of the world
"I was in complete and utter shock. All I knew was that I ended up trapped somewhere. There was this little gap between the wall and ceiling and I held myself up holding my chin up above the water."
He estimates he was holding on for about five to seven minutes and it was only when the water level dropped that he discovered he had been lifted from his bed to the shower room.
Paul said everything had happened in a millisecond, adding: "My first thought was dodgy Thai builders, I thought the foundations had collapsed and I'd fallen through the floor. Then I thought the island had sunk or it was the end of the world. I just didn't know what was going on."
But he didn't have much time to think about it as he heard someone yelling: "Get back, get back, another wave's coming."
He said: "It was only then that I realized the sea had come in. I stood on the toilet and stretched up to put my hands in this gap again. Then the water started gushing through the fan hole and doorway.
"I thought if the water goes any higher than last time I would drown. I was thinking 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.'
"I never ever want to experience anything like that again. I was screaming 'help, help' and hitting the ceiling above with one hand.
"The water kept rising until my face was flat against the ceiling. I thought I was just waiting to die."
Luckily the water level dropped after about five minutes and Paul knew he had to get onto higher ground. He cleared the building debris blocking the shower room doorway and waded through the waist-high water into the bedroom. He was only wearing boxer shorts so he grabbed a pair of shorts, one shoe and his rucksack.
Having pulled himself up onto a lean-to roof, he looked down and saw complete devastation. There were bodies in the water and he could see screaming people trapped under building materials. Paul also discovered he was bleeding heavily from wounds to his head, back, arms and legs.
"It looked like a bomb had been dropped on the island," he said. "Hundreds of bungalows that were along the beach had gone. Just about everything that had been there before had disappeared."
Without knowing if more waves were coming Paul and several other people waited for more than an hour before "making a run for it." They headed from the roof to nearby hills, known as The Viewpoint, and spent the night sheltering in some half-built bungalows.
The next day rescue helicopters arrived on the island and Paul was airlifted to hospital on the mainland to be treated for his head wounds.
Nightmares
Two days passed until he could buy a cellphone to call his family in England to say he was safe.
He had flashbacks and nightmares for several weeks and admits to drinking heavily and taking drugs to try to "blank out what had happened." Even three years on, he can still vividly remember the day like it was yesterday.
He decided to stay in Thailand but never did his masters diving course and has never dived since the tsunami. Instead he noticed he was "questioning everything about life" and started to really appreciate the smallest of things like the weather, stars, sunsets and animals. I felt guilty about being alive when so many people had died. Many of the Thais had lost their families, their homes, their businesses, everything. I realized my life was a farce. The way I was living was wrong; I was just looking for temporary happiness. There was more to life than I thought there was."
But it was only when he broke his collarbone in a motorbike accident that he realized "there was definitely a God." Despite his injury, he recalls watching an awesome sunset and somehow being able to roll both shoulders. He said he felt a sense of peace and he couldn't stop crying.
He said: "I had this massive grin on my face for about four days as I knew God had created the world and was looking after us. I handed my life over to God." Paul had never been interested in going to church even though his parents were Christians, but in May 2005 he knew he had to leave Thailand and go home "to read the Bible."
He wanted to do some missionary work and is now sponsored by his church, the Ladyfield Evangelical in Chippenham, to work onboard the floating bookstore. He joined the U.K.-based Christian charity OM International last April and currently works as an engine room watch keeper.
'MV Logos II' carries a crew of 60 with more than 20 nationalities, living and working on board. They receive no remuneration or pay during their time on board.
The ship has been docked in Front Street for two weeks and in that time Paul has visited prison, churches and youth groups to share his testimony. He said: "I really like Bermuda and I hope to return. I've had a positive reaction and I'd like to tell more people there is more to life than money and jobs."
Whilst on board the ship he has also met his fiancé, Anniina Jantti, from Finland. The ship leaves Bermuda tomorrow for a tour of the Caribbean.
After nearly losing his life to a killer wave, Paul sees it as quite fitting to have ended up working and living on a ship.
He said: "I love life on the waves, I don't fear anything anymore. I actually have a purpose and a meaning in life."
The crew of 'Logos II' will hand over a donation of $1,000 worth of books to Port Royal Primary School Library today.
MYSTERIOUS CANISTERS FOUND ON OCEAN BEACHES
MYSTERIOUS CANISTERS FOUND ON OCEAN BEACHES
Date: March 5, 2008
OLYMPIA, Wash., - Canisters with fumigants used to kill pests in cargo holds of ships have washed up on several beaches along the Washington State shoreline between Ocean Shores, Wash., and Ozette, Wash.
The contents of the canisters may pose a health threat to people. Beach goers that find canisters should contact the Washington State Department of Ecology Environmental Hotline in Olympia, Wash.,at
(360) 407-6300. Beach goers should not handle the canisters because they contain toxic chemicals.
The Department of Ecology and the Coast Guard are investigating the source of the containers.
Date: March 5, 2008
OLYMPIA, Wash., - Canisters with fumigants used to kill pests in cargo holds of ships have washed up on several beaches along the Washington State shoreline between Ocean Shores, Wash., and Ozette, Wash.
The contents of the canisters may pose a health threat to people. Beach goers that find canisters should contact the Washington State Department of Ecology Environmental Hotline in Olympia, Wash.,at
(360) 407-6300. Beach goers should not handle the canisters because they contain toxic chemicals.
The Department of Ecology and the Coast Guard are investigating the source of the containers.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Oil Tanker Towed to Dock After SOS Call
Oil Tanker Towed to Dock After SOS Call
Muhammad Al-Homaid, Arab News
YANBU, 6 March 2008 — An oil tanker carrying one million barrels of crude sent out a distress signal and was towed back to the King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu.
The ship, which reported engine failure about 200 kilometers from the port, arrived back at the port yesterday, officials told Arab News.
“KFIP’s emergency operation’s team rescued the oil tanker meandering amid the coral reefs following engine failure off the Duba coast,” Hammoud Al-Saadi, director general of the port, told Arab News yesterday.
Venture Navigation Co., Ltd. of Greece owns the 20-year-old Dominican-registered ship, according to Lloyd’s Registry. The ship was destined for the port of Aqaba, Jordan.
The distress call said the ship’s engines had broken down and was floating with the currents about 200 kilometers from Yanbu.
The rescue team found the captain of the ship steering without power as the weather was turning nasty. No injuries were reported.
“The successful operation averted a shipwreck and a major environmental disaster. The tanker was floating at an area close to virgin coral reefs. Any leakage of the ship’s load would have devastated the reefs,” Al-Saadi said.
Desalination plants in nearby Duba would have been affected by an oil spill, the port official added.
“Three powerful towboats struggled for 48 hours to bring the loaded tanker safely to the dock in Yanbu,” he said.
Oil from the Eastern Province is piped across the Kingdom for export from this northwestern port city. The western coast of Saudi Arabia is a maze of coral heads that can potentially damage and sink sea vessels. An accident involving a full oil tanker colliding with these underwater columns has a potential to cause a major environmental disaster.
Muhammad Al-Homaid, Arab News
YANBU, 6 March 2008 — An oil tanker carrying one million barrels of crude sent out a distress signal and was towed back to the King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu.
The ship, which reported engine failure about 200 kilometers from the port, arrived back at the port yesterday, officials told Arab News.
“KFIP’s emergency operation’s team rescued the oil tanker meandering amid the coral reefs following engine failure off the Duba coast,” Hammoud Al-Saadi, director general of the port, told Arab News yesterday.
Venture Navigation Co., Ltd. of Greece owns the 20-year-old Dominican-registered ship, according to Lloyd’s Registry. The ship was destined for the port of Aqaba, Jordan.
The distress call said the ship’s engines had broken down and was floating with the currents about 200 kilometers from Yanbu.
The rescue team found the captain of the ship steering without power as the weather was turning nasty. No injuries were reported.
“The successful operation averted a shipwreck and a major environmental disaster. The tanker was floating at an area close to virgin coral reefs. Any leakage of the ship’s load would have devastated the reefs,” Al-Saadi said.
Desalination plants in nearby Duba would have been affected by an oil spill, the port official added.
“Three powerful towboats struggled for 48 hours to bring the loaded tanker safely to the dock in Yanbu,” he said.
Oil from the Eastern Province is piped across the Kingdom for export from this northwestern port city. The western coast of Saudi Arabia is a maze of coral heads that can potentially damage and sink sea vessels. An accident involving a full oil tanker colliding with these underwater columns has a potential to cause a major environmental disaster.
Man overboard near Blyth harbour
Man overboard near Blyth harbour
London, 4 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (Duty Press Notice) issued by
The Government News Network on 4 March 2008
At 16.52 today Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a report
from fishing vessel "Sanlormarho" that they had lost a man overboard two
nautical miles from Blyth Harbour.
Humber Coastguard requested the launch of Rescue 131 Helicopter from RAF
Boulmer and RNLI lifeboats from Cullercoats, Newbiggin, Tynemouth and Blyth.
Blyth Rescue Offshore Lifeboat was also launched.
All search and rescue resources are currently on scene and covering the
allotted search area. The "Smit Dee", and fishing vessels "Bonna Venture"
and "Aquarius" are also assisting. Helicopter Rescue 131 performed an
overhead search, using its FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) as a search aid,
returning to base at 19.30 after completing its search.
The missing man is reported to be from the Philippines, and fell overboard
when a steel wire on board the vessel snapped.
Weather on scene is force 6 winds, with moderate sea conditions and choppy
waves.
Humber MRCC Watch Manager Tony Tuton said:
"The search is still ongoing for a missing fisherman near Blyth Harbour.
The fisherman on board was wearing oilskins but no lifesaving appliance, which
would greatly increase his chances of survival in the water. There are many
lifejackets on the market that, whilst being light and easy to wear whilst
working on deck, provide full buoyancy and would significantly improve the
likelihood of survival in a man overboard situation. Although there are no
regulations requiring fishermen to wear lifejackets we would always recommend
that they do so whilst on deck."
London, 4 March/GNN/ --
MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY News Release (Duty Press Notice) issued by
The Government News Network on 4 March 2008
At 16.52 today Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received a report
from fishing vessel "Sanlormarho" that they had lost a man overboard two
nautical miles from Blyth Harbour.
Humber Coastguard requested the launch of Rescue 131 Helicopter from RAF
Boulmer and RNLI lifeboats from Cullercoats, Newbiggin, Tynemouth and Blyth.
Blyth Rescue Offshore Lifeboat was also launched.
All search and rescue resources are currently on scene and covering the
allotted search area. The "Smit Dee", and fishing vessels "Bonna Venture"
and "Aquarius" are also assisting. Helicopter Rescue 131 performed an
overhead search, using its FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) as a search aid,
returning to base at 19.30 after completing its search.
The missing man is reported to be from the Philippines, and fell overboard
when a steel wire on board the vessel snapped.
Weather on scene is force 6 winds, with moderate sea conditions and choppy
waves.
Humber MRCC Watch Manager Tony Tuton said:
"The search is still ongoing for a missing fisherman near Blyth Harbour.
The fisherman on board was wearing oilskins but no lifesaving appliance, which
would greatly increase his chances of survival in the water. There are many
lifejackets on the market that, whilst being light and easy to wear whilst
working on deck, provide full buoyancy and would significantly improve the
likelihood of survival in a man overboard situation. Although there are no
regulations requiring fishermen to wear lifejackets we would always recommend
that they do so whilst on deck."
Taiwanese fishing vessel Sheng Pao n°37 February 28
Taiwanese fishing vessel Sheng Pao n°37 February 28
Sheng Pao n°37 experienced difficulties and was assisted by a Guardian aircraft dispatched by MRCC Papeete.
US Coast Guard notice on Indonesian ports
US Coast Guard notice on Indonesian ports
Posted: 05.03.2008
The United States Coast Guard has determined that ports in Indonesia, with certain exceptions, are not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures and Indonesia is therefore included in the existing list of countries with similar status.
GARD Loss Prevention Circular No. 03-08
Maritime Security: United States Coast Guard Notice on Indonesian ports
Accordingly, effective March 10, 2008, the Coast Guard will impose the following conditions of entry on vessels that have called at ports in Indonesia (with the exception of the ports listed in the notice) during their last five port calls.
With this notice, the current list of countries not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures is as follows:
Indonesia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Mauritania.
Vessels that have visited these countries must demonstrate having taken the following steps prior to arrival into U.S. waters;
a) Implement measures as per the ship’s security plan equivalent to Security Level 2.
b) Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded and that the guards have full view of the exterior, both landside and waterside, of the vessel while the vessel is in ports in the above listed countries. Guards may be provided by the ship’s crew; however additional crewmembers should be placed on board the ship if necessary to ensure that limits on maximum work hours are not exceeded and/or minimum hours of rest are met. Alternatively, guards may be provided by external security forces approved by the ship’s Master and Company Security Officer.
c) Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security.
d) Log all security actions in the ship’s log.
e) Report the actions taken to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to arrival in U.S. waters.
f) Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded by armed, private security guards and that they have full view of the exterior (both landside and waterside) of the vessel whilst in U.S. ports.
The number and position of the guards has to be accepted by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to the vessel’s arrival.
The information in the Gard Alerts is also published on www.gard.no under the loss prevention section
Posted: 05.03.2008
The United States Coast Guard has determined that ports in Indonesia, with certain exceptions, are not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures and Indonesia is therefore included in the existing list of countries with similar status.
GARD Loss Prevention Circular No. 03-08
Maritime Security: United States Coast Guard Notice on Indonesian ports
Accordingly, effective March 10, 2008, the Coast Guard will impose the following conditions of entry on vessels that have called at ports in Indonesia (with the exception of the ports listed in the notice) during their last five port calls.
With this notice, the current list of countries not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures is as follows:
Indonesia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Mauritania.
Vessels that have visited these countries must demonstrate having taken the following steps prior to arrival into U.S. waters;
a) Implement measures as per the ship’s security plan equivalent to Security Level 2.
b) Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded and that the guards have full view of the exterior, both landside and waterside, of the vessel while the vessel is in ports in the above listed countries. Guards may be provided by the ship’s crew; however additional crewmembers should be placed on board the ship if necessary to ensure that limits on maximum work hours are not exceeded and/or minimum hours of rest are met. Alternatively, guards may be provided by external security forces approved by the ship’s Master and Company Security Officer.
c) Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security.
d) Log all security actions in the ship’s log.
e) Report the actions taken to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to arrival in U.S. waters.
f) Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded by armed, private security guards and that they have full view of the exterior (both landside and waterside) of the vessel whilst in U.S. ports.
The number and position of the guards has to be accepted by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to the vessel’s arrival.
The information in the Gard Alerts is also published on www.gard.no under the loss prevention section
Date: March 04, 2008
COAST GUARD TRANSPORTS PATIENT TO HOSPITAL
SAN DIEGO -- An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Sector San Diego conducted a medical evacuation of a 65-year-old man from the cruise ship Elation, 260 miles south west of Point Loma, Calif., today. The air crew assisted a medical staff member with the transportation of the patient from the helicopter. (U.S. Coast Guard Photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jetta H. Disco)
Nine die in Nigerian boat collision: navy
05/03/2008 09:07 LAGOS, March 5 (AFP)
Nine die in Nigerian boat collision: navy
Nine people were killed when a naval gunboat rammed into a passenger boat in southern Nigeria's oil state of Bayelsa, a naval officer said Wednesday.
The navy boat was escorting a house boat belonging to an oil firm on the Nun River when it rammed a Yamaha 40 horsepower boat with 14 passengers on board on Tuesday, the navy officer who asked not to be named, told AFP.
"The navy has recovered four bodies, including that of a child," he said, adding that an intensive search was under way to recover the other corpses.
©2008 AFP
Nine die in Nigerian boat collision: navy
Nine people were killed when a naval gunboat rammed into a passenger boat in southern Nigeria's oil state of Bayelsa, a naval officer said Wednesday.
The navy boat was escorting a house boat belonging to an oil firm on the Nun River when it rammed a Yamaha 40 horsepower boat with 14 passengers on board on Tuesday, the navy officer who asked not to be named, told AFP.
"The navy has recovered four bodies, including that of a child," he said, adding that an intensive search was under way to recover the other corpses.
©2008 AFP
Coast Guard crews assist flooding merchant vessel
Date: March 4, 2008
Coast Guard crews assist flooding merchant vessel
BOSTON - Three Coast Guard boat crews and two air crews are responding to a tanker vessel that is taking on water about 35 miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine tonight.
The three-person crew aboard the 72-foot island tanker vessel William McLoon, radioed Coast Guard Sector Northern New England around 8:40 p.m., reporting flooding in the engine room.
There was about four feet of water on the deck and the vessel’s dewatering pumps were not responding.
Boat crews from Coast Guard stations Rockland, Maine, and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and a Falcon jet air crew and a Jayhawk helicopter air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod responded to the call.
The Coast Guard Cutter Flyingfish, an 87-foot patrol boat from Boston, was also diverted to the scene.
The helicopter rescue crew and the boat crew from Station Boothbay Harbor arrived on scene around 10:35 p.m., and transferred a dewatering pump to the ship’s crew.
Rescue crews will continue efforts to dewater the vessel throughout the night.
“Since the crew had a marine radio aboard the vessel, they were able to radio for help when they began taking on water,” said Petty Officer Second Class Sean Killian, a communications watchstander at Sector Northern New England.
Coast Guard crews assist flooding merchant vessel
BOSTON - Three Coast Guard boat crews and two air crews are responding to a tanker vessel that is taking on water about 35 miles off the coast of Rockland, Maine tonight.
The three-person crew aboard the 72-foot island tanker vessel William McLoon, radioed Coast Guard Sector Northern New England around 8:40 p.m., reporting flooding in the engine room.
There was about four feet of water on the deck and the vessel’s dewatering pumps were not responding.
Boat crews from Coast Guard stations Rockland, Maine, and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and a Falcon jet air crew and a Jayhawk helicopter air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod responded to the call.
The Coast Guard Cutter Flyingfish, an 87-foot patrol boat from Boston, was also diverted to the scene.
The helicopter rescue crew and the boat crew from Station Boothbay Harbor arrived on scene around 10:35 p.m., and transferred a dewatering pump to the ship’s crew.
Rescue crews will continue efforts to dewater the vessel throughout the night.
“Since the crew had a marine radio aboard the vessel, they were able to radio for help when they began taking on water,” said Petty Officer Second Class Sean Killian, a communications watchstander at Sector Northern New England.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada Releases its Final Investigation Report Into the Sinking of the Queen of the North
Media Advisory: The Transportation Safety Board of Canada Releases its Final Investigation Report Into the Sinking of the Queen of the North
GATINEAU, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - March 4, 2008) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will hold a news conference on March 12, 2008 to make public the final TSB investigation report into the sinking of the Queen of the North which occurred on March 22, 2006 at Gil Island, Wright Sound, British Columbia.
GATINEAU, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - March 4, 2008) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will hold a news conference on March 12, 2008 to make public the final TSB investigation report into the sinking of the Queen of the North which occurred on March 22, 2006 at Gil Island, Wright Sound, British Columbia.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Japan's Navy Involved in 2nd Collision in Vietnam, Kyodo Says
Japan's Navy Involved in 2nd Collision in Vietnam, Kyodo Says
By Stuart Biggs
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- A Vietnamese cargo ship collided with two Japanese destroyers, the Matsuyuki and Hamayuki, docked in Ho Chi Minh City port in Vietnam, a day after the Hamayuki collided with another boat in the same port, Kyodo News said.
The Vietnam-registered Hailong-45 hit the Matsuyuki at 9:27 a.m. Japan time today and collided with the Hamayuki two minutes later, Kyodo reported, citing unidentified officials at Japan's Defense Ministry. There were no reports of injuries, Kyodo said.
The Hamayuki suffered minor damage in a collision with a Cambodian freighter yesterday, Kyodo reported. The Hamayuki and two other Japanese destroyers were on a training cruise at the time, the news agency said.
The incidents came about two weeks after another Japanese destroyer, the Atago, sliced a fishing boat in half off the coast of Japan near Tokyo, leaving its father and son crew missing and presumed dead. The incident on Feb. 19 prompted opposition calls for Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: March 3, 2008 21:11 EST
By Stuart Biggs
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- A Vietnamese cargo ship collided with two Japanese destroyers, the Matsuyuki and Hamayuki, docked in Ho Chi Minh City port in Vietnam, a day after the Hamayuki collided with another boat in the same port, Kyodo News said.
The Vietnam-registered Hailong-45 hit the Matsuyuki at 9:27 a.m. Japan time today and collided with the Hamayuki two minutes later, Kyodo reported, citing unidentified officials at Japan's Defense Ministry. There were no reports of injuries, Kyodo said.
The Hamayuki suffered minor damage in a collision with a Cambodian freighter yesterday, Kyodo reported. The Hamayuki and two other Japanese destroyers were on a training cruise at the time, the news agency said.
The incidents came about two weeks after another Japanese destroyer, the Atago, sliced a fishing boat in half off the coast of Japan near Tokyo, leaving its father and son crew missing and presumed dead. The incident on Feb. 19 prompted opposition calls for Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: March 3, 2008 21:11 EST
In an Answerless Canadian Inquiry, 3 Bodyless Feet
March 4, 2008
Gabriola Island Journal
In an Answerless Canadian Inquiry, 3 Bodyless Feet
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
GABRIOLA ISLAND, British Columbia — Should a fourth human foot float ashore here in the evergreen Gulf Islands off the west coast of Canada, the person who finds it would no doubt want to know the answers to three questions.
Is it a right foot?
Is it wearing a running shoe?
Is the shoe a size 12?
After all, for the first three feet that surfaced on the rocky coastlines of three separate islands in the Strait of Georgia over the last six months, the answer has been yes in nearly every case. The only uncertainty is what size shoe No. 3 was wearing when it was spotted by a boater on the beach of remote Valdez Island on Feb. 8. The coroner’s office, facing a bit of a news media blitz, has yet to say.
“This is the first incident in recent memory where we’ve had three such similar sets of remains come to our attention in a certain time frame and a certain geographic area,” said Jeff Dolan, assistant deputy chief coroner for the British Columbia Coroner’s Office.
Even with DNA samples obtained from Nos. 1 and 2, and with constant calls from residents suggesting whom the feet might have helped propel in the past, no identifications have been made and no causes of death determined. Nor has anyone reported finding any left feet.
“They might be aggregated somewhere else,” said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a former professor of oceanography at the University of Washington who has made a career of tracking the routes of floating objects, including (empty) sneakers spilled from cargo ships. Mr. Ebbesmeyer said the opposite shapes of left and right shoes could make them respond differently to currents.
What is not surprising, he said, is that the feet made it ashore.
“Running shoes are quite buoyant,” said Mr. Ebbesmeyer, who is completing a book, “The Floating World,” to be published by HarperCollins. “They would tend to encase a foot and keep it floating. A body comes apart naturally; it’s called disarticulation. The head usually comes off first. The parts of the body that are protected will last the longest. The shoe usually floats soles up, so that might prevent the seabirds from pecking at it.”
The first foot was found Aug. 20 on Jedediah Island by a 12-year-old girl from Washington State who was boating with her family. The second turned up Aug. 26, here on Gabriola. The successive findings made for strange news, but the tides yielded nothing more, and attention eventually waned. Then No. 3 appeared on Valdez.
Coroners and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which had already been investigating, ratcheted things up at that point. Still, they have no strong leads, officials say, and many details about No. 3 are being kept quiet “to preserve the integrity of the investigation,” said Constable Annie Linteau.
That has not stopped people here on Gabriola Island from drawing their own conclusions.
“The left feet are probably encased in concrete at the bottom of the strait,” said Frank Bond, an island resident for 28 years who was doing landscaping recently just a few hundred feet from the sandstone coastline where foot No. 2 was found. “And if it is a gang thing, I bet they’re going to start taking those sneakers off before they do it again.”
Murder? Not likely, said Digby Jones, 80, who learned to walk on Gabriola back when it attracted mostly fishermen, farmers and summer visitors from Victoria, Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia. Now the island is filling up with bed-and-breakfasts, second homes and retirees.
“The whole thing is a scam, as far as I’m concerned, all part of a big joke,” Mr. Jones said. “If they go to the mortuaries on the mainland, you’ll find some guy laughing his head off.”
Others, less skeptical, cite various small-plane crashes in which victims were never found, like the four men missing since a float plane went down in the strait awhile back. Fishermen, boaters and kayakers disappear fairly often, too. And then there are the suspicious riffraff over in Nanaimo, the rusty town on Vancouver Island that is the closest urban area to the islands by ferry. Hells Angels, gangs — nothing but trouble, islanders say. The theories seem endless.
“Oh yeah, it was a foot fetishist who was somewhere in a cave and capturing people and cutting off their right feet,” said Michele Geris, 51, a wine importer from Vancouver who visits Gabriola each summer. “Come on, give me a break.”
Ms. Geris has heard more rumors than most people. Last August, at the end of a long afternoon hike on the island with her husband, George Baugh, she spotted a shoe near the trunk of a tree, just a few yards from a tidal cove, and she knew instantly that the shoe was not empty.
“It was such a hell of a big foot,” said Ms. Geris, 51, a native of France. “My theory is that it washed onto the beach and then an animal picked it up.”
It was foot No. 2, sheathed in a white leather Reebok. Size 12.
The couple used their walking sticks to set the foot on its sole. Flies flew out. They saw the frayed threads of a sock, then bone, yellowed by time and water, like quartz. They tried to call the police but there was no cellphone reception. They decided to hike out in search of a phone signal, leaving the foot.
Ms. Geris suggested that they first knock on the door of one of the houses nearby, but her husband objected.
“He said, ‘Don’t you dare; they could be the killers,’ ” she recalled. “I said: ‘Oh yes, they’re cutting people up and then just leaving them casually in the back of the garden. Don’t be ridiculous.’’”
It all makes for an amusing mystery, but a solemn one, too.
“You have to have respect,” Ms. Geris said of the foot she found. “This belonged to somebody.”
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Gabriola Island Journal
In an Answerless Canadian Inquiry, 3 Bodyless Feet
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
GABRIOLA ISLAND, British Columbia — Should a fourth human foot float ashore here in the evergreen Gulf Islands off the west coast of Canada, the person who finds it would no doubt want to know the answers to three questions.
Is it a right foot?
Is it wearing a running shoe?
Is the shoe a size 12?
After all, for the first three feet that surfaced on the rocky coastlines of three separate islands in the Strait of Georgia over the last six months, the answer has been yes in nearly every case. The only uncertainty is what size shoe No. 3 was wearing when it was spotted by a boater on the beach of remote Valdez Island on Feb. 8. The coroner’s office, facing a bit of a news media blitz, has yet to say.
“This is the first incident in recent memory where we’ve had three such similar sets of remains come to our attention in a certain time frame and a certain geographic area,” said Jeff Dolan, assistant deputy chief coroner for the British Columbia Coroner’s Office.
Even with DNA samples obtained from Nos. 1 and 2, and with constant calls from residents suggesting whom the feet might have helped propel in the past, no identifications have been made and no causes of death determined. Nor has anyone reported finding any left feet.
“They might be aggregated somewhere else,” said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a former professor of oceanography at the University of Washington who has made a career of tracking the routes of floating objects, including (empty) sneakers spilled from cargo ships. Mr. Ebbesmeyer said the opposite shapes of left and right shoes could make them respond differently to currents.
What is not surprising, he said, is that the feet made it ashore.
“Running shoes are quite buoyant,” said Mr. Ebbesmeyer, who is completing a book, “The Floating World,” to be published by HarperCollins. “They would tend to encase a foot and keep it floating. A body comes apart naturally; it’s called disarticulation. The head usually comes off first. The parts of the body that are protected will last the longest. The shoe usually floats soles up, so that might prevent the seabirds from pecking at it.”
The first foot was found Aug. 20 on Jedediah Island by a 12-year-old girl from Washington State who was boating with her family. The second turned up Aug. 26, here on Gabriola. The successive findings made for strange news, but the tides yielded nothing more, and attention eventually waned. Then No. 3 appeared on Valdez.
Coroners and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which had already been investigating, ratcheted things up at that point. Still, they have no strong leads, officials say, and many details about No. 3 are being kept quiet “to preserve the integrity of the investigation,” said Constable Annie Linteau.
That has not stopped people here on Gabriola Island from drawing their own conclusions.
“The left feet are probably encased in concrete at the bottom of the strait,” said Frank Bond, an island resident for 28 years who was doing landscaping recently just a few hundred feet from the sandstone coastline where foot No. 2 was found. “And if it is a gang thing, I bet they’re going to start taking those sneakers off before they do it again.”
Murder? Not likely, said Digby Jones, 80, who learned to walk on Gabriola back when it attracted mostly fishermen, farmers and summer visitors from Victoria, Vancouver and elsewhere in British Columbia. Now the island is filling up with bed-and-breakfasts, second homes and retirees.
“The whole thing is a scam, as far as I’m concerned, all part of a big joke,” Mr. Jones said. “If they go to the mortuaries on the mainland, you’ll find some guy laughing his head off.”
Others, less skeptical, cite various small-plane crashes in which victims were never found, like the four men missing since a float plane went down in the strait awhile back. Fishermen, boaters and kayakers disappear fairly often, too. And then there are the suspicious riffraff over in Nanaimo, the rusty town on Vancouver Island that is the closest urban area to the islands by ferry. Hells Angels, gangs — nothing but trouble, islanders say. The theories seem endless.
“Oh yeah, it was a foot fetishist who was somewhere in a cave and capturing people and cutting off their right feet,” said Michele Geris, 51, a wine importer from Vancouver who visits Gabriola each summer. “Come on, give me a break.”
Ms. Geris has heard more rumors than most people. Last August, at the end of a long afternoon hike on the island with her husband, George Baugh, she spotted a shoe near the trunk of a tree, just a few yards from a tidal cove, and she knew instantly that the shoe was not empty.
“It was such a hell of a big foot,” said Ms. Geris, 51, a native of France. “My theory is that it washed onto the beach and then an animal picked it up.”
It was foot No. 2, sheathed in a white leather Reebok. Size 12.
The couple used their walking sticks to set the foot on its sole. Flies flew out. They saw the frayed threads of a sock, then bone, yellowed by time and water, like quartz. They tried to call the police but there was no cellphone reception. They decided to hike out in search of a phone signal, leaving the foot.
Ms. Geris suggested that they first knock on the door of one of the houses nearby, but her husband objected.
“He said, ‘Don’t you dare; they could be the killers,’ ” she recalled. “I said: ‘Oh yes, they’re cutting people up and then just leaving them casually in the back of the garden. Don’t be ridiculous.’’”
It all makes for an amusing mystery, but a solemn one, too.
“You have to have respect,” Ms. Geris said of the foot she found. “This belonged to somebody.”
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Japan summons envoys after whaler attacked
Japan summons envoys after whaler attacked
by Harumi OzawaMon Mar 3, 6:46 AM ET
Japan on Monday summoned ambassadors from Australia and The Netherlands after it said environmentalists hurled stinging acid onto a Japanese whaling ship, injuring three on board.
Australia, a leading opponent of Japan's whaling, quickly condemned the latest attack by the militant Sea Shepherd group, which has vowed to stop Japan's controversial expedition by force if necessary.
Members of Sea Shepherd threw more than 100 brown envelopes containing a white powder and bottles of butyric acid from their own vessel onto the Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru, Japanese officials said.
Butyric acid, a by-product of cheese-making, is used in manufacturing industrial alcohol and can sting the eyes. Sea Shepherd said they threw rotten butter.
Japanese authorities said they were still investigating the substance in the envelopes, which Sea Shepherd said was designed to make the ship's deck so slippery that the crew cannot work.
Video footage showed the Nisshin Maru playing a recorded warning that the activists faced arrest. Unperturbed, activists on the Sea Shepherd ship then hurled bottles onto the whaler.
Two crew members and two coast guard officers complained of pain after the hour-long attack, the Fisheries Agency said. Three of them required treatment by washing out their eyes.
Japan described US-based Sea Shepherd as "terrorists" and lodged protests with Australia, where the Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel last called into port, and The Netherlands, where the boat is registered.
Japan summoned both Australian Ambassador to Japan Murray McLean and Dutch Ambassador to Japan Alphons Hamer and urged them to take measures to prevent the violence, the foreign ministry said.
"That was an inexcusable act to inflict unjustifiable damage to Japan's ship and to harm the safety of the crew who are operating legally in the public sea," said Japan's top government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura.
Sea Shepherd hailed the confrontation, saying it ensured that the ship could not kill whales.
"I guess we can call this non-violent chemical warfare," Sea Shepherd chief Paul Watson said. "We only use organic, non-toxic materials designed to harass and obstruct illegal whaling operations."
Japan, which says whaling is part of its culture, kills up to 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals.
Activists from the US-based Sea Shepherd had also hurled bottles onto the Japanese whaler in January. Two activists, a Briton and an Australian, hopped onto the vessel, setting off a two-day standoff.
Australia's new government, which took office in December, has ramped up pressure on Japan against its killing of whales, which are beloved by Australians and sustain a major whale-watching industry.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephan Smith urged both sides to show restraint.
"I absolutely condemn actions by crew members of any vessel that cause injury -- or have the potential to cause injury -- to anyone on the high seas," Smith said.
The incident came as Japan held a seminar with officials from 11 developing states that have recently joined or are considering joining the deadlocked International Whaling Commission.
In front of the Tokyo conference building, Greenpeace environmental activists held a board designed to look like a Japanese yen note with the face of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
"The government invited delegations from 12 countries, but most of them have nothing to do with whaling," said Junichi Sato of Greenpeace Japan.
The delegations were also invited to tour Japan's traditional whaling towns of Ayukawa in the north and Taiji in the west.
"We will discuss more here than just the supply of whale meat," Japan's chief whaling negotiator Joji Morishita told the conference.
"Whaling is a symbolic matter when you discuss the larger issue" of each nation seeking food security, he said.
The number of members of the International Whaling Commission has mushroomed to 78, with many of the new members having little or no history of whaling.
Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.
by Harumi OzawaMon Mar 3, 6:46 AM ET
Japan on Monday summoned ambassadors from Australia and The Netherlands after it said environmentalists hurled stinging acid onto a Japanese whaling ship, injuring three on board.
Australia, a leading opponent of Japan's whaling, quickly condemned the latest attack by the militant Sea Shepherd group, which has vowed to stop Japan's controversial expedition by force if necessary.
Members of Sea Shepherd threw more than 100 brown envelopes containing a white powder and bottles of butyric acid from their own vessel onto the Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru, Japanese officials said.
Butyric acid, a by-product of cheese-making, is used in manufacturing industrial alcohol and can sting the eyes. Sea Shepherd said they threw rotten butter.
Japanese authorities said they were still investigating the substance in the envelopes, which Sea Shepherd said was designed to make the ship's deck so slippery that the crew cannot work.
Video footage showed the Nisshin Maru playing a recorded warning that the activists faced arrest. Unperturbed, activists on the Sea Shepherd ship then hurled bottles onto the whaler.
Two crew members and two coast guard officers complained of pain after the hour-long attack, the Fisheries Agency said. Three of them required treatment by washing out their eyes.
Japan described US-based Sea Shepherd as "terrorists" and lodged protests with Australia, where the Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel last called into port, and The Netherlands, where the boat is registered.
Japan summoned both Australian Ambassador to Japan Murray McLean and Dutch Ambassador to Japan Alphons Hamer and urged them to take measures to prevent the violence, the foreign ministry said.
"That was an inexcusable act to inflict unjustifiable damage to Japan's ship and to harm the safety of the crew who are operating legally in the public sea," said Japan's top government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura.
Sea Shepherd hailed the confrontation, saying it ensured that the ship could not kill whales.
"I guess we can call this non-violent chemical warfare," Sea Shepherd chief Paul Watson said. "We only use organic, non-toxic materials designed to harass and obstruct illegal whaling operations."
Japan, which says whaling is part of its culture, kills up to 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals.
Activists from the US-based Sea Shepherd had also hurled bottles onto the Japanese whaler in January. Two activists, a Briton and an Australian, hopped onto the vessel, setting off a two-day standoff.
Australia's new government, which took office in December, has ramped up pressure on Japan against its killing of whales, which are beloved by Australians and sustain a major whale-watching industry.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephan Smith urged both sides to show restraint.
"I absolutely condemn actions by crew members of any vessel that cause injury -- or have the potential to cause injury -- to anyone on the high seas," Smith said.
The incident came as Japan held a seminar with officials from 11 developing states that have recently joined or are considering joining the deadlocked International Whaling Commission.
In front of the Tokyo conference building, Greenpeace environmental activists held a board designed to look like a Japanese yen note with the face of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
"The government invited delegations from 12 countries, but most of them have nothing to do with whaling," said Junichi Sato of Greenpeace Japan.
The delegations were also invited to tour Japan's traditional whaling towns of Ayukawa in the north and Taiji in the west.
"We will discuss more here than just the supply of whale meat," Japan's chief whaling negotiator Joji Morishita told the conference.
"Whaling is a symbolic matter when you discuss the larger issue" of each nation seeking food security, he said.
The number of members of the International Whaling Commission has mushroomed to 78, with many of the new members having little or no history of whaling.
Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.
S Lanka finds boat migrants dead
Monday, 3 March 2008, 07:37 GMT BBC
Twenty migrants from Bangladesh and Burma have been found dead from starvation and dehydration on a wooden trawler adrift in the Bay of Bengal.
Sri Lanka's navy, which found them, said 71 survivors were rescued from the crowded boat, which had been drifting for two weeks after its engine broke.
They told the sailors that they were trying to get to Thailand or Malaysia.
Correspondents say that the same ocean journey is regularly attempted by boatloads of illegal migrants.
A navy spokesman said that they had been alerted to the vessel's presence by fishermen, and at first had suspected it might be involved in gun running for the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The spokesman said the trawler set sail from Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh, on its border with Burma, and was on the way to Malaysia or Thailand when its engines failed.
They said the bodies of the dead passengers have been "thrown overboard".
After sailors handed out food, water and gave medical treatment at sea, the boat was taken under tow to the Sri Lanka Navy base at Trincomalee.
Twenty migrants from Bangladesh and Burma have been found dead from starvation and dehydration on a wooden trawler adrift in the Bay of Bengal.
Sri Lanka's navy, which found them, said 71 survivors were rescued from the crowded boat, which had been drifting for two weeks after its engine broke.
They told the sailors that they were trying to get to Thailand or Malaysia.
Correspondents say that the same ocean journey is regularly attempted by boatloads of illegal migrants.
A navy spokesman said that they had been alerted to the vessel's presence by fishermen, and at first had suspected it might be involved in gun running for the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The spokesman said the trawler set sail from Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh, on its border with Burma, and was on the way to Malaysia or Thailand when its engines failed.
They said the bodies of the dead passengers have been "thrown overboard".
After sailors handed out food, water and gave medical treatment at sea, the boat was taken under tow to the Sri Lanka Navy base at Trincomalee.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
PREPARED CREW SAVES SHIP FROM RAGING FIRE IN BERING SEA
Date: Feb. 29, 2008
PREPARED CREW SAVES SHIP FROM RAGING FIRE IN BERING SEA
By PA1 Kurt Fredrickson
Public Affairs Detachment Kodiak, Alaska
KODIAK, Alaska - For thousands of years mankind has recognized the power of the four basic elements of earth, wind, fire and water; catalysts of life, yet equally pervaders of destruction. Perhaps nowhere is this commingling of power as abrupt as the maritime environment, where a shipboard fire can pit a crew against a raging inferno yet place their backs to an unforgiving sea. It was in this situation that the crew of the Pacific Glacier found they were struggling to survive in one of the most destructive forces of nature in one of the harshest environments on the planet.
It's only been a few days since fire threatened to destroy the 253-foot fish processor in the Bering Sea. Yet today the ship sits moored in Dutch Harbor; testament to the battle that crews fought and won in the now charred trench-like hallways. Although no evidence of the ordeal is visible from the outside, the smell of smoke permeates the wind as one boards the ship. The crew is busy giving statements to Coast Guard investigators and reclaiming what belongings they can before flying home. The process of examining the ship to determine exactly what happened has just begun. But as the 106 crew prepare to leave, all uninjured from their ordeal, one thing is certain; something went tremendously right aboard the Pacific Glacier.
On February 26th the Pacific Glacier was 136 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor. Half the crew was on shift engaged in fishing while the rest of the crew was on their free time below deck, some sleeping. In the wheelhouse Olaf Vagen, captain of the Pacific Glacier and Odd Rotset, his first mate, were standing watch. For the Bering Sea the weather was calm and everything was going as usual. It was then that the ships fire alarm broke the routine of the evening. Rotset, following procedure, immediately grabbed a radio and sent fire crews to the area indicated by the alarm. This was the beginning of a fight neither man had ever fought in their more than six decades of combined experience as commercial fishermen.
As the fire teams struggled to get control of the situation below decks near the crew berthing area, ships in the immediate area were appraised of the situation. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew were falling back on training they probably never thought they would use.
"The rest of the people had no training," Vagen explained. "They were all in survival suits right after the alarm went off and they were the first ones to be evacuated."
Within 45 minutes of the fire alarm, it became clear that the situation was deteriorating. Across a sea of static Rotset broke the silence. "Comm Sta Kodiak, Comm Sta Kodiak, Comm Sta Kodiak, this is Pacific Glacier, Pacific Glacier, Pacific Glacier ... we have a fire aboard ... the fire is not under control. We are starting to evacuate people to other boats in the vicinity"
This initial notification to Communications Station Kodiak was received at 6:26 p.m., and gave the Coast Guard notice to begin preparations for a rescue mission. "Contacting the Coast Guard early and often is the first of three steps mariners need to take during a shipboard fire," as pointed out by Ken Lawrenson, 17th Coast Guard District commercial fishing vessel safety coordinator. "Letting someone else know that your vessel is in trouble is key."
In response, the Kodiak based Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley was diverted from its Bering Sea patrol, but it would take five hours to reach the burning vessel. Despite the severity of the situation the crew of the Pacific Glacier found themselves surrounded by a sea of help.
More than a dozen ships from the fishing fleet responded to the Pacific Glacier's call for help. Several deployed rescue boats and began the process of evacuating the majority of the crew. Vagen noted that the crew trains up to twice a month for fire, but they had never evacuated a ship before. It was routine in the fact that everything went fairly smooth, he added. With the daunting task of evacuating 90 crew completed those remaining behind turned their full attention to the fire, while Vagen and Rotset coordinated the response from the wheelhouse.
"Together with Olaf we ran the communications between the fire teams, wheelhouse and the nearby boats," Rotset explained. "There was times when I had to run out and cough my brains out, and Olaf would take over, there was so much smoke in the wheelhouse at times, you couldn't stay in there."
As the fire teams methodically began to battle the fire, which was now spreading though the woodwork and into a second level of the ship, one shortcoming became clear. They would soon not have enough air to battle the fire.
The Pacific Glacier is required to carry four self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting, explained Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Lee, Supervisor of Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak and an investigating officer. But upon inspection in Dutch Harbor there were considerably more aboard the ship. As it turns out, the additional vessels that responded to the fire not only evacuated the nonessential crew, but also contributed firefighters and equipment. Lee noted that sometimes the best trained crews and having all the necessary equipment just aren't enough.
Having the necessary equipment and knowing how to use it is the second key to managing an emergency at sea, Lawrenson noted. Vessels can never have enough fire extinguishers, firefighting and response equipment, he added. Luckily for the Pacific Glacier they were surrounded by equipment. The American Beauty, another fishing vessel responding to assist, was alongside the Pacific Glacier and transferred personnel and air tanks during the battle. It is the other vessels Vagen and Rotset credit with turning the tide in their favor.
"We would have run out of air and never had a chance to stop the fire if we didn't have the support from the other vessels," Rotset stressed. "We had at times 76 full bottles aboard that we got from other boats and they were refilling them all the time."
For investigators, seeing the large amount of additional firefighting equipment on board told them a lot about what happened during the course of the fire.
"A lot of the fires that go bad are attributed to lack of training, lack of preparedness on the crew or equipment issues," Lee explained. "With that said, even with the best trained crews, the best equipment things can still go pretty badly on board a vessel. In this particular case the crew was very successful and I think a lot of it has to do with partnering they had going on with the other vessels in the area."
That partnering was no coincidence. Vagen has been fishing in Alaskan waters on factory trawlers since he came to Alaska from Norway with Rotset in 1980.
"Olaf had so many of our companion ships in the area that we knew we could get lots of help if we needed it," Rotset explained. "It was a heck of a team effort. It could have never been done without the support we got from the other ships."
At about midnight the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley arrived and found the Pacific Glacier surrounded by support vessels. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Alex Haley had previously been monitoring the situation as well as an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. An additional MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was launched from St. Paul Island to the northwest. Although the Coast Guard had arrived, Vagen was not ready to abandon the vessel.
"We had a limit," Vagen said. "So long as we were able to contain the fire on the two lower decks we figured we could fight. If it was expanding to the next deck level we would probably decide to call it."
As a master of a vessel the size of the Pacific Glacier, Vagen holds a masters license and is no stranger to the stringent requirements for equipment, training and drills. Training and continued practice is the third step that historically has shown to make all the difference.
"All of the successful search and rescues that we've had, and the mariners who have survived all the different groundings and sinkings around Kodiak this year, the success of those folks surviving has come back to their training," Lee noted. "If they keep their training up, chances are their going to do okay when a particular event pops up."
Vagen expressed his full confidence in the ability of his crew and confessed that training is obvious, but after the fire it is more obvious than before. To mariners Vagen advised, "Take all the training and all the repeating drills seriously. You'll never be quite ready for it but it will make you more prepared."
By 6 a.m., the fire was out. Crews had fought for nearly 12 hours through the night and saved the ship. The fire had spread on the port side, from stern to amidships, consuming crew berthing and galley spaces, destroying two decks in the process. Despite the destruction there was a sense of accomplishment among the crew.
"We felt great and I think the whole fleet felt great," Rotset explained. "We were beat but we came out of it. We still had a long run to go to town so we had fire watches ready to go. It was a long tiring ordeal but we came out of it with the boat and everybody was intact."
The Pacific Glacier was able to make its way to Dutch Harbor under its own power, escorted by the Alex Haley. Although the fire is believed to have started in a laundry room, conclusive evidence is pending completion of an investigation by Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. While we will have to wait for the cause of the fire, the fishing community is already examining how they can improve their firefighting techniques.
"A lot of the other boats are already talking about this," Rotset explained. "They are all saying they are starting to think a few different things when they saw what was going on. Hopefully something good will come out of it."
PREPARED CREW SAVES SHIP FROM RAGING FIRE IN BERING SEA
By PA1 Kurt Fredrickson
Public Affairs Detachment Kodiak, Alaska
KODIAK, Alaska - For thousands of years mankind has recognized the power of the four basic elements of earth, wind, fire and water; catalysts of life, yet equally pervaders of destruction. Perhaps nowhere is this commingling of power as abrupt as the maritime environment, where a shipboard fire can pit a crew against a raging inferno yet place their backs to an unforgiving sea. It was in this situation that the crew of the Pacific Glacier found they were struggling to survive in one of the most destructive forces of nature in one of the harshest environments on the planet.
It's only been a few days since fire threatened to destroy the 253-foot fish processor in the Bering Sea. Yet today the ship sits moored in Dutch Harbor; testament to the battle that crews fought and won in the now charred trench-like hallways. Although no evidence of the ordeal is visible from the outside, the smell of smoke permeates the wind as one boards the ship. The crew is busy giving statements to Coast Guard investigators and reclaiming what belongings they can before flying home. The process of examining the ship to determine exactly what happened has just begun. But as the 106 crew prepare to leave, all uninjured from their ordeal, one thing is certain; something went tremendously right aboard the Pacific Glacier.
On February 26th the Pacific Glacier was 136 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor. Half the crew was on shift engaged in fishing while the rest of the crew was on their free time below deck, some sleeping. In the wheelhouse Olaf Vagen, captain of the Pacific Glacier and Odd Rotset, his first mate, were standing watch. For the Bering Sea the weather was calm and everything was going as usual. It was then that the ships fire alarm broke the routine of the evening. Rotset, following procedure, immediately grabbed a radio and sent fire crews to the area indicated by the alarm. This was the beginning of a fight neither man had ever fought in their more than six decades of combined experience as commercial fishermen.
As the fire teams struggled to get control of the situation below decks near the crew berthing area, ships in the immediate area were appraised of the situation. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew were falling back on training they probably never thought they would use.
"The rest of the people had no training," Vagen explained. "They were all in survival suits right after the alarm went off and they were the first ones to be evacuated."
Within 45 minutes of the fire alarm, it became clear that the situation was deteriorating. Across a sea of static Rotset broke the silence. "Comm Sta Kodiak, Comm Sta Kodiak, Comm Sta Kodiak, this is Pacific Glacier, Pacific Glacier, Pacific Glacier ... we have a fire aboard ... the fire is not under control. We are starting to evacuate people to other boats in the vicinity"
This initial notification to Communications Station Kodiak was received at 6:26 p.m., and gave the Coast Guard notice to begin preparations for a rescue mission. "Contacting the Coast Guard early and often is the first of three steps mariners need to take during a shipboard fire," as pointed out by Ken Lawrenson, 17th Coast Guard District commercial fishing vessel safety coordinator. "Letting someone else know that your vessel is in trouble is key."
In response, the Kodiak based Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley was diverted from its Bering Sea patrol, but it would take five hours to reach the burning vessel. Despite the severity of the situation the crew of the Pacific Glacier found themselves surrounded by a sea of help.
More than a dozen ships from the fishing fleet responded to the Pacific Glacier's call for help. Several deployed rescue boats and began the process of evacuating the majority of the crew. Vagen noted that the crew trains up to twice a month for fire, but they had never evacuated a ship before. It was routine in the fact that everything went fairly smooth, he added. With the daunting task of evacuating 90 crew completed those remaining behind turned their full attention to the fire, while Vagen and Rotset coordinated the response from the wheelhouse.
"Together with Olaf we ran the communications between the fire teams, wheelhouse and the nearby boats," Rotset explained. "There was times when I had to run out and cough my brains out, and Olaf would take over, there was so much smoke in the wheelhouse at times, you couldn't stay in there."
As the fire teams methodically began to battle the fire, which was now spreading though the woodwork and into a second level of the ship, one shortcoming became clear. They would soon not have enough air to battle the fire.
The Pacific Glacier is required to carry four self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting, explained Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Lee, Supervisor of Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak and an investigating officer. But upon inspection in Dutch Harbor there were considerably more aboard the ship. As it turns out, the additional vessels that responded to the fire not only evacuated the nonessential crew, but also contributed firefighters and equipment. Lee noted that sometimes the best trained crews and having all the necessary equipment just aren't enough.
Having the necessary equipment and knowing how to use it is the second key to managing an emergency at sea, Lawrenson noted. Vessels can never have enough fire extinguishers, firefighting and response equipment, he added. Luckily for the Pacific Glacier they were surrounded by equipment. The American Beauty, another fishing vessel responding to assist, was alongside the Pacific Glacier and transferred personnel and air tanks during the battle. It is the other vessels Vagen and Rotset credit with turning the tide in their favor.
"We would have run out of air and never had a chance to stop the fire if we didn't have the support from the other vessels," Rotset stressed. "We had at times 76 full bottles aboard that we got from other boats and they were refilling them all the time."
For investigators, seeing the large amount of additional firefighting equipment on board told them a lot about what happened during the course of the fire.
"A lot of the fires that go bad are attributed to lack of training, lack of preparedness on the crew or equipment issues," Lee explained. "With that said, even with the best trained crews, the best equipment things can still go pretty badly on board a vessel. In this particular case the crew was very successful and I think a lot of it has to do with partnering they had going on with the other vessels in the area."
That partnering was no coincidence. Vagen has been fishing in Alaskan waters on factory trawlers since he came to Alaska from Norway with Rotset in 1980.
"Olaf had so many of our companion ships in the area that we knew we could get lots of help if we needed it," Rotset explained. "It was a heck of a team effort. It could have never been done without the support we got from the other ships."
At about midnight the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley arrived and found the Pacific Glacier surrounded by support vessels. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Alex Haley had previously been monitoring the situation as well as an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. An additional MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was launched from St. Paul Island to the northwest. Although the Coast Guard had arrived, Vagen was not ready to abandon the vessel.
"We had a limit," Vagen said. "So long as we were able to contain the fire on the two lower decks we figured we could fight. If it was expanding to the next deck level we would probably decide to call it."
As a master of a vessel the size of the Pacific Glacier, Vagen holds a masters license and is no stranger to the stringent requirements for equipment, training and drills. Training and continued practice is the third step that historically has shown to make all the difference.
"All of the successful search and rescues that we've had, and the mariners who have survived all the different groundings and sinkings around Kodiak this year, the success of those folks surviving has come back to their training," Lee noted. "If they keep their training up, chances are their going to do okay when a particular event pops up."
Vagen expressed his full confidence in the ability of his crew and confessed that training is obvious, but after the fire it is more obvious than before. To mariners Vagen advised, "Take all the training and all the repeating drills seriously. You'll never be quite ready for it but it will make you more prepared."
By 6 a.m., the fire was out. Crews had fought for nearly 12 hours through the night and saved the ship. The fire had spread on the port side, from stern to amidships, consuming crew berthing and galley spaces, destroying two decks in the process. Despite the destruction there was a sense of accomplishment among the crew.
"We felt great and I think the whole fleet felt great," Rotset explained. "We were beat but we came out of it. We still had a long run to go to town so we had fire watches ready to go. It was a long tiring ordeal but we came out of it with the boat and everybody was intact."
The Pacific Glacier was able to make its way to Dutch Harbor under its own power, escorted by the Alex Haley. Although the fire is believed to have started in a laundry room, conclusive evidence is pending completion of an investigation by Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. While we will have to wait for the cause of the fire, the fishing community is already examining how they can improve their firefighting techniques.
"A lot of the other boats are already talking about this," Rotset explained. "They are all saying they are starting to think a few different things when they saw what was going on. Hopefully something good will come out of it."
COAST GUARD RESCUES KAYAKER
Date: February 29, 2008
COAST GUARD RESCUES KAYAKER
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard rescued a kayaker from Chuckanut Bay, in the southeast end of Bellingham Bay, Wash., today.
The kayaker, Shelia Weinsheimer abandoned ship when her kayak took on too much water. She was then unable to get back in and decided to hang on to her friend's kayak while waiting for help.
The friend, Shannon Dickerson used her cell phone to call 911 and then contacted Coast Guard Station Bellingham.
Station Bellingham diverted a nearby 33-foot response boat crew, which arrived on scene within 12 minutes.
“The female in the kayak waved us over with her paddle,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Joe Whallon. “As we approached we saw her friend holding onto the side of the kayak.”
The women were both wearing lifejackets, but were not wearing any dry suits.
“When we pulled the woman out of the water and wrapped her in a blanket we could see that she was boarder line hypothermic,” added Whallon. “She was in the 42-degree water for 15 minutes, but recovered after being on board with the heat on.”
After recovering Weinsheimer and retrieving her gear the boat crew brought Dickerson aboard and transported them safely to the Fairhaven boat ramp.
Whallon said that emergency medical services had been notified but ended up not being needed.
COAST GUARD RESCUES KAYAKER
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard rescued a kayaker from Chuckanut Bay, in the southeast end of Bellingham Bay, Wash., today.
The kayaker, Shelia Weinsheimer abandoned ship when her kayak took on too much water. She was then unable to get back in and decided to hang on to her friend's kayak while waiting for help.
The friend, Shannon Dickerson used her cell phone to call 911 and then contacted Coast Guard Station Bellingham.
Station Bellingham diverted a nearby 33-foot response boat crew, which arrived on scene within 12 minutes.
“The female in the kayak waved us over with her paddle,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Joe Whallon. “As we approached we saw her friend holding onto the side of the kayak.”
The women were both wearing lifejackets, but were not wearing any dry suits.
“When we pulled the woman out of the water and wrapped her in a blanket we could see that she was boarder line hypothermic,” added Whallon. “She was in the 42-degree water for 15 minutes, but recovered after being on board with the heat on.”
After recovering Weinsheimer and retrieving her gear the boat crew brought Dickerson aboard and transported them safely to the Fairhaven boat ramp.
Whallon said that emergency medical services had been notified but ended up not being needed.
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