DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2014 –...

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2014 – 222

Distribution : daily to 30325+ active addresses 10-08-2014

Number 222 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Sunday 10-08-2014

News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.

The DOCKWISE VANGUARD arriving at Rotterdam- Wilhelminakade

Photo : Marius van den Ouden ©

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/�

http://www.lekko.org/�

http://www.rhb.nl/�



Your feedback is important to me so please drop me an email if you have any photos or articles that may be of interest to the maritime interested people at sea and ashore

PLEASE SEND ALL PHOTOS / ARTICLES TO :

[email protected]

If you don't like to receive this bulletin anymore : To unsubscribe click here (English version) or visit the subscription page on our website.

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/uitschrijven.aspx?lan=en-US

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

The PACIFIC FINDER moored in Cape Town – Photo : Aad Noorland ©

Seattle's Foss Maritime tug tows famed USS Constellation aircraft carrier to

scrapyard The famed aircraft carrier USS Constellation set forth on its last voyage Friday, but this time towed by the ocean-going tugboat Corbin Foss. The 1,008-foot Constellation’s 16,000-mile journey from Bremerton will take the carrier around the southern tip of South America to Brownsville, Texas, where it is set to be scrapped. The Corbin Foss tug is owned and operated by Seattle-based Foss Maritime. The Foss tug will take the long route to Texas around the bottom of South American and around what is called “Cape Horn” by mariners, and not through the Panama Canal, because the aircraft carrier is too large to fit through the canal's locks. Here's a site where you can track the voyage.

mailto:[email protected]�

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/uitschrijven.aspx?lan=en-US�




Completed in 1960 at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, the Constellation ran multiple missions during the Vietnam War, and later, in the Middle East. The ship was called “Connie” by its crew, and in 1981 was proclaimed “America’s Flagship” by President Ronald Reagan. The vessel’s motto was “Go ahead, make my day.” The Constellation is a Kitty Hawk-class

carrier and was steam turbine-powered. The class that has since been replaced by nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carriers. The Constellation was decommissioned in 2003 and carried about 70 aircraft in its prime. Here's a site with more information. The 141-foot Corbin Foss is a substantial vessel itself, originally built to tow barges to Alaska. The tug is powered by twin diesels producing 8,000 horsepower. Source : bizjournals

Ship Demand to Surge as Ore Cargoes Bust 1.3 Billion Tons

Australia’s plans to export more iron ore this year than any nation ever is driving up shipping costs by 80 percent. Increased sales from Brazil before year-end means freight rates could go higher still. Rio Tinto Group and other miners will ship an extra 97.8 million metric tons from Australia, equal to more than 600 cargoes for Capesizes hauling the ore, says Clarkson Plc, the world’s largest shipbroker. Brazil will add another 12.4 million tons, the first expansion since 2011, with shipments accelerating in the second half as the weather improves. While the 38 percent slump in ore prices since the end of last year is threatening to curb the growth in cargoes, Morgan Stanley still expects global seaborne supply to top 1.3 billion metric tons in 2014 for the first time ever. The flood of ore is helping freight companies contend with their own glut, with orders for new vessels at a near three-year high. “What is needed is a little spark,” Marc Pauchet, a London-based analyst at Braemar ACM (BMS), the second-largest publicly traded shipbroker, said by e-mail Aug. 5. “The increase in production in Brazil and Australia in the second half might just be it.” Capesizes, each hauling about 160,000 tons of ore, earned $13,376 a day on average this year, compared with $7,432 a year earlier, data from the Baltic Exchange in London show. That’s still below the $14,500 that Arctic Securities ASA estimates owners of five-year-old vessels need to break even. Rates priced at $8,504 today. Freight swaps that traders use to bet on, or hedge, future shipping prices indicate rates will gain in the second half. Capesizes will earn $12,250 a day this quarter, rising to $21,250 in the final three months of the year, according to data from Clarkson’s derivatives brokerage. They’ll earn an average of $21,789 in 2014, 53 percent more than last year, and $28,000 in 2015, according to the medians of 23 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg News. The extra ore supply from Brazil has a disproportionate effect on shipping because it’s three times further from China than Australia. China consumes two-thirds of the world’s seaborne iron ore, feeding mills that produced 779 million tons of steel last year, or about half the global total. The most important demand measure for shipping is ton miles, multiplying cargoes by distances. Brazil increased exports in the second half in seven of the past nine years, government data show. “There’ll be a catch up in the second half of this year,” Doug Mavrinac, a senior shipping analyst at Jefferies LLC in Houston, said by phone Aug. 5. “It should have a very substantial effect on Capesize rates in particular.” Vale SA (VALE), the Rio de Janeiro-based company that supplies about 85 percent of ore from Brazil, said July 24 that it will sell 321 million tons this year, maintaining a prior target. The estimate implies shipments will jump by about 5.3 million tons a month in the second half compared with the first six months, according to Commodore Research & Consultancy, a New York-based adviser to ship owners. It would require 17 million tons of Australian cargoes to the Chinese port of Qingdao to generate an equivalent amount of vessel demand, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China accounts for about 69 percent of global demand for cargoes and Asia 87 percent, Clarkson data show. “We could have a disproportionate increase in ton-miles,” James Leake, the research managing director at Arrow Shipbrokers in London, said by phone Aug. 5. “Things can change very quickly.” Vale is protected against rising spot



rates as it has longer-term charters, Jose Carlos Martins, the company’s head of ferrous metals, told reporters yesterday. “We are hedged for a big volume, our needs are practically covered. If eventually we need something else, we go to the spot market,” Martins said in Rio, adding that the company plans to double its iron-ore shipments to China in the next five years. “Now, as we boost production volumes and we boost exporting volumes, we will need to hire more ships, that’s unavoidable.” Benchmark iron-ore prices in China averaged $108.82 a ton so far this year, the least since 2009, according to data from Steel Index Ltd., owned by McGraw-Hill Cos. They peaked at $191.90 in 2011, spurring mining companies to add output. Increasing production from Australia and Brazil will deepen a global glut through 2018, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which predicts the raw material will average $80 in 2015 from $106 this year. Global seaborne output will exceed demand by 72 million tons this year, 175 million tons in 2015 and 323 million in 2018, the bank said. Upside risks will be limited this year in the absence of loosening by China. The world’s second-biggest economy will expand 7.4 percent this year, according to the median of 54 economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg. While that’s about three times what they expect for the global economy, it will be the nation’s weakest growth in almost a quarter century. That’s curbing growth in steel output, the driver of demand for ore and the ships that deliver it. Production of the alloy expanded at a 4.8 percent pace in the first six months compared with a year earlier, according to World Steel Association data. The increase was the smallest since 2012. The capacity of the global Capesize fleet will increase by 4.6 percent in 2014, about the same as in 2013 and the second consecutive year that expansion has been slower than that of trade in iron ore, Clarkson data show. There are 293 Capesizes on order, according to data compiled by IHS Fairplay, a Redhill, England-based maritime researcher. While that’s the most since about September 2011, it compares with as many as 766 in 2009. The largest Capesize owner is Nippon Yusen Kaisha, according to Clarkson. The vessels comprise about a quarter of the Tokyo-based company’s total fleet capacity because it also has ships hauling cargoes including oil and manufactured goods. “The market is going to be 200 ships shorter this year than last,” said Mavrinac of Jefferies. “Given that, rates should strengthen pretty nicely.” Source: Bloomberg

Italy takes over EU anti-piracy The German Navy has handed over Force Command of the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta to the Italian Navy.

For the last four months, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen and his international military staff of 32 men and women have been embarked on board FGS Brandenburg off the coast of Somalia. From there they have deployed EU Naval Force warships, helicopters and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) to patrol the waters of the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean to ensure that seafarers

remained as safe as possible from pirate attack. A key role for EU Naval Force warships is to escort World Food Programme and African Union Mission in Somalia vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. As a result, since the EU Naval Force was launched in December 2008 every WFP ship has remained safe, and over the past four months 15

http://www.4barges.com/�



WFP vessels have delivered two million tonnes of aid to displaced people in Somalia. The deputy operation commander of the EU Naval Force, Brigadier General Dick Swijgman, said: “Under the excellent leadership of Rear Admiral zur Mühlen, the EU task force has prevented any successful pirate attacks. Also WFP has delivered much-needed food to the Somalia people. The flagship has also conducted a number of tactical leader engagements with regional authorities, as well as very successful exercises with other counter-piracy forces in the region.” The new force commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, also addressed the ceremony and thanked Admiral zur Mühlen, before stating that under his command “EU Naval Force would continue to protect vulnerable shipping against pirate attacks and the task force will continue to support the EU’s comprehensive approach by working with other EU initiatives in the region.” Source : paneuropeannetworks.

NOL posts quarterly net loss of US$54 million, APL lowers fixed costs SINGAPORE's Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), parent of container giant APL, posted a second quarter year-on-year net loss of US$54 million. "We have more to do, but both business units have continued to make gains in costs and efficiencies," said NOL president and CEO Ng Yat Chung. APL narrowed its $29 million operating loss by 29 per cent over the same period last year posting an EBIT of US$61 million this quarter.

Second quarter cost of sales per FEU went up three per cent year on year because of a US trucking shortage and southern California congestion that impacted empty box repositioning costs. APL second quarter revenue was US$1.6 billion, down two per cent a slight, resulting from a six per cent decline in volume due to strict capacity management.

"The improvement in our second quarter operating results is significant given that we saw reduced revenue and higher operating costs. We achieved this through lowering fixed costs," said APL president Kenneth Glenn. We have now taken delivery of all our newbuildings and are returning more of our less efficient and expensive chartered tonnage," he said. APL headhaul utilisation was at 95 per cent in the second quarter, which experienced steady volume with freight rates rising 13 per cent year on year in the Asia-Europe trade. Compared to the same period last year, volume was stable in the transpacific with freight rates falling three per cent. Meanwhile, APL's intra-Asia trade shed nine per cent in volume against a two per cent dip in freight rates. APL Logistics increased operating profit 40 per cent year on year to US$14 million in the second quarter, drawn on revenues of $379 million, up seven per cent. "We experienced business growth across all regions," said APL Logistics president Beat Simon. "We will make further investments in sales and operational capabilities to enhance service." Source : Asian Shipper

Fuel leak traced back to sinking tugboat JOLIET – A sinking tugboat has been leaking diesel fuel into the Des Plaines River this week.

Battalion Chief Mike Stromberg said the Joliet Fire Department was notified Thursday morning about an oily sheen on the water reaching from near the Jackson Street Bridge to Brandon Road. Stromberg said a bridge tender noticed the sheen earlier this week and notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard, who asked the fire department to inspect it using a boat. The source of the spill was pinpointed Thursday. Firefighters found the gunk was coming from a tugboat moored near the Jackson Street Bridge since 1987. Since the boat has been unused for so long and is not registered as a working vessel, the spill falls under the EPA's jurisdiction instead of the Coast Guard.

"The boat, which is around 30-feet long, is partly submerged and listing into the water," Will County Emergency Management Director Harold Damron said. "It was being salvaged and pumping out water that contained diesel fuel," Stromberg said. Salvage operations were stopped and booms designed to contain the spill were placed around the wreck. Stromberg said Friday the Environmental Protection Agency is investigating and plans to remove the vessel from the water. Damron said people could smell a fuel odor in the area around the boat for a few days, but there are no immediate health concerns since the area is not used for swimming or recreation. Source : The Herald News

ALSO INTERESTED IN THIS FREE MARITIME NEWSCLIPPINGS ? CLICK HERE AND REGISTER FOR FREE !

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/en/subscribe/�



WANTED: A good home for old tug Mount McKay

Don Bergholm came by the old tugboat honestly. The Duluth man owns a pier in Superior, Wisconsin where people park boats. Several years ago, someone showed up with two tugboats, leaving the Mount McKay sinking in the harbour. Bergholm said he had to save the boat but couldn't find the owner, so he acquired the tug through a sheriff's sale, adding "there I am with an old tug and a lot of work ahead of me." The restoration took over three years to complete, with about eight volunteers working all the time on it. "The tug was totally scrapped, wire-brushed and painted, the engine was totally gone, it had been re-wired, the galley had been totally re-done so it's been extensive updating on the tug and it's a pretty beautiful boat right now."

'So there the tug is, all done, and we don't have anyone that can use it' The tugboat was built in 1908, and has had a storied history, including a chapter in Thunder Bay. Bergholm said the tug has gone through about five different names in its lifetime, but the latest is the Mount McKay. He said the boat was named after the mountain near Thunder Bay. Bergholm said Thunder Bay is the last place the boat operated, pulling logs between the city and a location in Michigan. The decision to sell the Mount McKay His friend, who was an engineer, died in 2013, and a few months later Bergholm had a heart attack. "I ended up at the hospital, dead on arrival, so it's been a real tough time for me because I lost my engineer and I can't be around anything that has electrical seals in it like generators and stuff so I can't operate the tug either." Bergholm said he spent over $90,000 to restore the tug but he knows he won't recoup all of those costs. Still, he has one condition for the sale. Bergholm will sell it but only if the buyer will take care of the tug. "That really is the first key card. If they're just going to take it and do something with it that's going to ruin it, no, I wouldn't sell it." Bergholm added that the boat is special to him because of the way it looks, saying it's got a perfect tugboat profile and it's set up so it's just like a floating home. Source : CBC




MSC LONDON MOORED WITH SHORE TENSION SYSTEM IN SALALAH

Last Friday on Saturday night the Shore tension team Chris, Raoul, Paul and Marcel of the

Rotterdam-boatman organisation

K.R.V.E.moored the MSC LONDON with 4 cylinders SHORE TENSION (swell dempers) in the port of Salalah (Oman) during heavy rain fall as can be seen at the photo’s The Members of the

Rotterdam-boatman organization

K.R.V.E.do the mooring and unmooring of all kind of seagoing vessels. For that purpose they make use of mooring launches. In

good

cooperation with the vessels’s crew we bring the ropes or wires from the ship ashore. Then the colleagues on shore take the ropes or wires from the launches and put them on the shore bollards. This is partly done by hand or with the use of our so called winch trucks. This is a specially designed truck with a motorized winch which brings in the wire or rope. The K.R.V.E.boatmen make use of a lot of tools, developed by the association. Besides the work in Rotterdam, the K.R.V.E is also involved in

specialized (offshore) projects worldwide. We provide our expertise internationally and it goes without saying that we meet all high safety standards required. Together with the Port Authority of Rotterdam the K.R.V.E. developed the ShoreTension® system. A tensioning system for the maritime industrie which delivers permanent tension without the need of constant external energy. The ShoreTension is a flexible stand-alone mooring system, based on a permanent tension of shore mooring lines without the need of external energy. It reduces the movements of a moored vessel caused by strong wind, current or passing vessels. Control valves ensure that the tension of the shore mooring line does not exceed the Safe Working Load of the vessel’s ropes and bollards. The cylindrically shaped ShoreTension exerts the same, constant pressure to the ship’s mooring lines which are fastened to the bollards on the quay. This requires no electricity except for an external hydraulic system which only needs to be used once to get the ShoreTension at the correct tension. After that, the cylinder of the ShoreTension hydraulically moves along with the forces which the mooring line is exposed to. This process continues perpetually without the need for additional energy. All mooring lines are always kept at the same, constant tension, also if wave

http://www.shoretension.nl/�






and/or wind conditions change – particularly crucial for the safe and stable mooring of vessels. It is the differences in tension between the different mooring lines which cause a ship to move and potentially cause the mooring lines to snap. The ShoreTension provides a high tension and pays out the line, coping with the peak loads without exceeding the minimum breaking load of the line (MBL). By doing this, the system dampens the ship’s motion and absorbs the energy of the ship. When the peak loads are over, the ShoreTension heaves in the line with the energy stored and returns to its initial position. Because the ShoreTension doesn’t require any external energy, it is CO2 neutral. For additional security, the ShoreTension is used in combination with a high-quality mooring line made of HMPE, a super-strong synthetic fibre. These mooring lines are issued to the ship from the shore. Photo’s : Team Shore Tension / Paul van den Boogert © CLICK HERE to see how the shore tension system is working

The MOL EXCELLENCE inbound in Rotterdam-Europoort – Photo : Krijn Hamelink ©

Indonesia to intensify joint patrols to address pirate issue in Malacca Strait

The Indonesian authorities, along with their Singaporean and Malaysian counterparts, are highly expected to intensify sea patrols in Malacca Strait due to escalating piracy activities lately that cost international and national shipping business, an international transport workers organization said on Friday. International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said that escalation of sea piracy activities in one of the world's busiest waters has entered an alarming situation with some oil and gas tankers reportedly hijacked last month.

Head of ITF Asia Pacific Hanafi Rustandi said that the pirates were moving very fast, taking ship crew as hostages, seizing valuable goods, damaging communication instruments as well as ship engines before they fled from the scene.

"Those sea piracy acts were very worrisome and endanger (the) world's shipping business. They must be stopped," Hanafi said in a statement. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have engaged their police and troops to carry out joint patrols to address the issue in the strait, which is located in between their territories. Hanafi identified as areas prone to piracy activities the waters between Indonesia's Rupat island and Malaysia's Port Dickson and waters between Indonesia's Big Karimun, Kundur and Batam islands which are close to Singapore. Improving the security in those waters should be one of the major tasks for Indonesia's new government as the strait holds a crucial position in facilitating international vessels for international trade and serving as a crucial trade route for Indonesia itself as well.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSc-6J1qHUE�

http://www.terasoffshore.com/�



According to ITF, there have been nine sea piracy cases in Malacca Strait so far this year, with the largest ones occurring on July 4 and 15 in which two large oil tankers of MT Moresby and MT Oriental Glory were attacked. Source : china.org.cn

NYK's eco tugboat receives 2013 Marine Engineering of the Year award

The TSUBASA moored in Yokohama – Photo : Piet Sinke © CLICK on the photo !

Tsubasa, an environment-friendly tugboat owned by Wing Maritime Service Corporation, an NYK Group company, has been bestowed the 2013 Marine Engineering of the Year award by the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, the company said in its press release. On July 30, 2014, a joint awards ceremony was held by three maritime institutes — the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineering, and the Japan Institute of Navigation. Representatives from the five other companies1 involved in the collaborative development of the tug joined Wing Maritime Service president Toshinori Yamashita to receive the award. From NYK Line, Junichi Iwano, general manager of the company’s Technical Group, attended the ceremony.

Tsubasa is the first tug in Japan to be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system. The vessel’s batteries can be charged via electric power from land, thus resulting in a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. In fact, Tsubasa emitted 20 percent less CO2 in port during fiscal 2013. This tug’s energy conservation and the resulting reduction in environmental load were highly evaluated by the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2014.

The Marine Engineering of the Year designation is a special award that recognizes superior results in technological development in the field of marine engineering and equipment. This is the third award of this kind for the NYK Group, following the 2005 recognition of the car carrier Lyra Leader and the 2011 recognition for the innovative air-lubrication systems on the module carriers Yamato and Yamatai, which are operated by NYK Bulk & Projects Carrier. The NYK Group is also currently involved in the construction of an LNG-fueled tugboat, as the company continues to make use of the creative solutions emphasized in the company’s new medium-term management plan to use energy more efficiently and reduce emissions. Source : PortNews

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33438735@N08/11300974266�



The NORWEGIAN SPIRIT moored in Istanbul – Photo : Cees van der Kooij ©

Pirates of the Ayeyarwady terrorise port communities

River pirates are running rampant on moored boats in Mandalay but ship owners and workers are too afraid to report cases to police or the media, sources in the area say. Two weeks ago, a group of women sleeping on board a ship docked on the Ayeyarwady River in Mandalay’s Chan Aye Thar San township was targeted by the pirates. “There are many ships docking at this time of year so robbers are particularly active,” said a ship owner, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution. One of the women shouted for help and was attacked by the group, suffering injuries to her head and chest after being hit by an object fired with a slingshot. The attack has had a chilling effect on river workers, who are now too afraid to inform the authorities when a robbery occurs. “The girl … had left the ship and said she would inform the police. Now nobody dares to speak about the pirates because they attack those who report them to the newspapers,” said another local source, who asked to remain unidentified. Eight batteries from another ship were stolen on the same morning, the source said. Witnesses say the attackers, who travel in groups of four to six and carry knives and other homemade weapons, usually arrive by boat. According to ship owners, they are from villages near Sagaing. “I see them regularly in the evenings but don’t dare catch them because they are so unruly,” one witness said. Daw Tin Tin Mar, the Mandalay Region Hluttaw representative for Chan Aye Thar San 2, said she would raise the issue in parliament.

“I will make a report about it when the regional parliament resumes and submit a letter to the speaker during the parliamentary break,” she said. One ship owner said robberies occur frequently in Mayanchan, Bawka Bala and Daewon ports in Mandalay and near Shan Lay Kyun in Amapura township. In early March, 19 members of a gang accused of stopping and robbing vessels on the Ayeyarwady River were arrested south of Mandalay. The group’s acts earned it the name “Ayeyarwady Somali”, a reference to the Somali pirates that prowl the Indian Ocean. Its notoriety quickly attracted the attention of regional police, who managed to arrest members of the group near Amarapura township’s Shangalay Kyun village on March 7. More than 100 police officers took part in the raid on the hideouts, with 10 men and nine women taken into custody. Source : mmtimes.

http://www.nedmarine.com/�



Ocean and Fisheries minister willing to step down over Sewol disaster

Minister of Ocean and Fisheries Lee Ju-young was reported on Friday to have resolved to voluntarily step down, taking responsibility for the Sewol ferry tragedy. He had been re-named to the second Cabinet in the Park Geun-hye administration in July. For nearly four months since the Sewol ferry sinking, Lee has been staying near the site of the incident in Paengmok Port, Jindo-gun, South Jeolla province, and directing the search for missing persons. It appears Lee will once again tender his resignation after the incident followup wraps. Even after being retained, Lee is said to have said multiple times to the Presidential Office that it is the right thing to do to take responsibility and resign after completely taking care of all measures required by the sinking. The timing of the resignation is estimated to be mid-September. This appears to take into consideration the almost completion of the search in the Sewol ferry and the Chuseok holidays in early September.

Lee said on July 13 in a news release that when the incident is taken care of, he will act accordingly as called for by responsibility he needed to take. However, there is the likelihood of Lee’s stepping down being postponed when the bereaved families strongly demand that Lee must stand by his post until all of the missing 10 bodies are recovered.

Lee is also known to be mulling whether to participate in the China-Japan-Korea Ministerial Conference on Transport and Logistics scheduled to be held in Japan on August 25. With Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung openly requesting on August 6 the return to normal operations by Lee, who had been elected to the National Assembly four times, it would be protocol to attend the international conference if only for national gain, but Lee appears to be concerned that his attending could result in a hitch in the search for missing victims. In the event Lee leaves for the conference, it appears Lee will meet with the bereaved families and ask their understanding before his departure. In that case, the Ministry is reviewing have Vice Minister staying at Paengmok Port instead. Source: The Dong-A-Ilbo

New dredger arrives in SA Durban - A new dredger to help maintain South African ports arrived in Durban from Bulgaria on Friday. The vessel, Italeni, received a muted welcome at the end of its maiden voyage from the Bulgarian port of Varna, where it was built. Spray from a ship's fire nozzle at the port's entrance and a number of ship enthusiasts photographing the grab hopper dredger were the only evidence that a new vessel had entered the service of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA). According to a recent Transnet press release the Italeni had been designed and built to achieve low maintenance costs.

It will replace the ageing Crane - named after the bird - dredger, joining the Islandlwana grab hopper dredger. The Italeni, named

after the battle of Italeni which took place near the Ithala Mountains where the Zulu King Dingane defeated the Voortrekkers in 1838, will not begin service immediately. The grab crane currently on the Crane will be transferred to the Italeni. The dredger was built by Dutch ship builder IHC Merwede in the shipyard of its partner, MTG Dolphin, in Varna. The Italeni will be used mainly for maintenance work in various ports throughout the country, especially keeping the channels clear that allow ships to enter the port. Fully loaded, it can carry 750 cubic metres of dredged material. The TNPA will officially unveil the Italeni on Monday where further details on the vessel will be provided. Apart from the Islandlwana and the Italeni, IHC Merwede is building a third larger dredger for the TNPA. Source : IOLNews

Staking a claim The majority of Gazprom’s activities remain outside the Arctic, but its ties to the region are getting stronger Gazprom has taken steps in recent weeks to strengthen its position in the Arctic. The vast majority of the state-owned firm’s operations are found outside of the region, but so far this year it has added new licences, established a partnership and is currently taking part in a high-profile clean-up exercise. Taken together, all three could help the company establish itself on Russia’s northern continental shelf. The latest development came on Thursday, when the Kremlin announced that the state-controlled firm had been granted a licence to explore the Kheysovsky area of the Barents



Sea. The same announcement saw Rosneft, another state-owned firm, granted the right to drill in the Pritaymyrsky area of the Laptev Sea.

Although analysts indicated that the finds were unlikely to enter into production in the short-term, they may be willing to wait. The Kheysovsky field, for example, holds a reported two trillion cubic metres of gas, 394 million tonnes of oil equivalents and 32 million tonnes of condensate, making it a valued prize for Gazprom, which reportedly paid over 1 billion rubles ($28 million) for the licence.

Gazprom, which operates the only commercially active offshore production facility in the Arctic, is primarily active onshore and in the Pacific, as well as abroad. Nevertheless the company now holds a total of 36 offshore licences in the Arctic. News of the additional licences comes after Gazprom, in June, announced that it was partnering with Lukoil, Russia's largest privately controlled oil producer, to establish a joint venture that the two companies expected would begin actively exploring the Barents Sea shelf by the end of the year. The partnership could help the firms sidestep a Russian regulation restricting off-shore operations to state-owned firms, but the two had already taken steps to work closer together in a number of areas, including oil-spill response, which they agreed in February. Today, the two firms are reportedly carrying out a major oil-spill exercise together with Defence Ministry forces. In the mock scenario, cleanup crews are responding to a spill caused after a tanker collided with a service vessel at the Prirazlomnaya platform. In addition to responding to a staged 1,200-tonne oil spill, crews must also react to a fire aboard one of the ships as well as rescue five crew members who had fallen into the water. The exercise, according to RIA-Novosti, is being carried out in conjunction with an Arctic Council meeting in the city of Naryan-Mar. Source : The Arctic Journal

Australian Border Control wanted to send asylum seekers back on lifeboat

A group of 107 Sri Lankan adults and 50 children were detained on a customs boat before being told they could have a lifeboat to find their way back to India. Executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre, Hugh de Kretser told the ABC: “The clients we spoke to were absolutely terrified at what lay ahead for them.” “They were terrified of the prospect of being dumped in the ocean on lifeboats, without experience in navigating or operating a boat and having to take responsibility for the families that were on the boat.” The group of 157 Tamils, including 50 children, were spotted and taken into custody by Australian officials in June after leaving a refugee camp in India after having fled persecution in Sri Lanka. The group had allegedly been locked in

windowless rooms aboard a customs boat for almost a month before being taken to Australia on about 25 July.



Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said that, under an agreement with New Delhi, the group could be sent back to India even though they are not Indian citizens. But the group chose to refuse the arrangement and have now instead been transferred to the Nauru detention camps.

When the ABC asked Morrison if the group were really offered orange lifeboats to get them to India, his response was that he does not discuss those ‘sort of operational matters’. But Krester said that customs officials had selected 15 of the 107 adults and trained them how to use the lifeboats. He said the officials spoke to them in English saying each boat would haul 60 people and that they would have to navigate their own way to India. “When they refused, saying they had no experience in operating or navigating a boat, and couldn’t take responsibility for ensuring the safety of those on board, the officers told them that it was an Australian government decision and they had to obey,” he said.

Australia’s policy on asylum-seekers means that those arriving by boat are sent to Papua New Guinea or Nauru while also being denied full resettlement in Australia regardless of being able to prove that their lives were in danger in their home country. Source : Australian Times

the bulker MAGIC arriving at Ravensbourne to discharge fertiliser. Photo : Ross Walker ©

Mideast Crude Tanker Rates Struggle Crude oil tanker earnings on the major Middle East route were steady this week, helped by light bookings although rates have yet to rebound after a recent surge late last month. The world’s benchmark VLCC export route from the Middle East Gulf (MEG) to Japan on Thursday reached W42.57 in the worldscale measure of freight rates, or $14,080 a day when translated into average earnings, the latest Baltic Exchange data showed. That compared with W41.21 or $11,142 a day on Wednesday and W46.90 or $20,727 a day last Thursday. “Activity has … revived but the tempo is firmly in the control of the charterers. Again, firm business is being overwhelmed with offers and the competition among owners remain fierce,” broker Fearnleys said. RS Platou markets said separately: “VLCC rates have been on a downward trend since hitting $35,000 per day the last two weeks of July.” In January, average earnings reached just over $61,000 a day – their highest since February 2010, before the rally lost steam. Earnings in late May and early June fell into negative territory or the first time since early September 2013. VLCC rates from the Gulf to the United States were at W25.94 on Thursday versus W25.92 on Wednesday and W27.35 last Thursday. Rates for suezmax tankers on the Black Sea to Med route to W78.32 or $21,225 a day. That compared with W79.09 or $21,669 a day on Wednesday and W86.50 or $27,815 a day last Thursday. “The Mediterranean market really did nothing more than tick over this week. With the lack of activity, the list grew fairly quickly,” broker Braemar ACM said, adding that more ships available for hire also dampened sentiment. Cross Mediterranean aframax tanker rates were at W92.22 or $12,509 a day on Thursday. That compared with W85.44 or $8,368 a day on Wednesday and W82.85 or $6,624 a day last

http://www.jumbojobs.nl/�



Thursday. “The Mediterranean and Black Sea (for aframaxes) have also seen some rates rise this week. There’s been some enquiry from Libya that has been the driving force of this increase, despite the current tension,” Braemar ACM said. Aframax tankers on the Mediterranean route, which transport the majority of Libya’s crude oil, normally carry loads of up to 600,000-700,000 barrels. Libya’s oil output dropped to about 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 500,000 bpd last week, but a spokesman for the state-run National Oil Corporation said oilfields were still secure despite clashes in the capital Tripoli. Black Sea and Mediterranean crude tanker rates are still off their peak in January when they rallied to their highest since 2008 as weather-related disruptions in the Turkish Straits raised the cost of transporting cargoes. Average earnings per day are calculated after a vessel covers its voyage costs such as bunker fuel and port fees. Source: Reuters

The MSC FANTASIA at anchor for the island of Santorini in Greece – Photo : Cees van der Kooij ©

Deltamarin participates in the design of the first LNG-powered icebreaker

Deltamarin Ltd has been awarded a contract by Arctech Helsinki Shipyard Inc. for the entire machinery and technical spaces outfitting production design of the very first LNG-powered icebreaker. The unique vessel is to be built for the Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi, and aims to reduce emissions and fuel costs by using both diesel and LNG as fuel, the company said in its press release. The icebreaker has been planned especially for operations in the most challenging icebreaking conditions in the Baltic Sea. Equipped with the industry’s most advanced technology, the vessel can also handle oil spill response operations and emergency towing in demanding conditions at open sea in both winter and summer. This ensures year-round safe seaborne transports in the Baltic Sea. This unique vessel will be delivered by the beginning of 2016. The main dimensions of the vessel will be 110 m in overall length and 24 m in breadth. The vessel will have a maximum draught of 8 m. It will be able to move continuously through about 1.6 m thick level ice and the service speed of the vessel in open water will be 16 knots. The icebreaker will have accommodation for a total of 24 persons, with reserve for additional crew in case of oil spill response operations. The work will be carried out using the AVEVA Marine Outfitting software. Deltamarin has earlier delivered similar design packages for several icebreakers built at Arctech. The value of Deltamarin’s design contract is around 1.8 M€ and the work is to be carried out over an estimated period of 12 months. Source : PortNews

http://www.emas.com/�



Lichtschip Texel weer in de lucht. Het weekend van vrijdag 15 t/m zondag 17 augustus zijn de vrijwilligers van de Vereniging van Radiozendamateurs afdeling Helderland actief vanaf het Lichtschip Texel om deel te nemen aan het International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend 2014, waar dit jaar al ruim 450 Lichtschepen en Vuurtorens zich voor hebben aangemeld. Gedurende deze dagen zal het team van Helderland met radiozendapparatuur via morse en spraak verbindingen contact proberen te leggen met zoveel mogelijk

Lichtschepen en Vuurtorens over de gehele wereld, Dit evenement valt samen met de Helderse visserijdagen, en dus een leuke gelegenheid om een bezoek te brengen aan het Lichtschip Texel, en een kijkje te nemen in de hobby van het radiozendamateur. Het Lichtschip Texel is afgemeerd bij de oude werf Willemsoord. Op de URL http://www.illw.net/index.php/entrants-list-2014 zijn de deelnemende landen vuurtorens en lichtschepen terug te vinden

International Lighthouse/ Lightship Weekend Association of Lighthouse Keepers decided to have an annual open day for lighthouses all around the world to encourage visitors to visit at their lighthouses. They decided that no better day could be decided upon other than the Sunday of the ILLW. This move has been highly successful as the media have become involved in quite a few of the countries involved in the event.

This years event takes place on 16-17 August 2014 so if you haven’t done so already, find a lighthouse nearby and get a group together or do it solo and fire up a lighthouse station. In most cases if you don’t intend operating from within the lighthouse itself or one of its cottages, you really don’t need to get any approval. Most first time entrants are so enthused with the event that they return year after year. A report from the Burlington ARC, Canada summed their first participation in these few words: education. “The greatest delight of the day was the active participation of the visiting children who showed a remarkable interest in the whole idea of amateur radio, especially the use of Morse Code. It was an honor and a delight to participate in this adventure and we look forward with increased enthusiasm to next year's participation.” Mike Dalrymple passed away in December 2005. He was the Treasurer of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group and one of their members has taken on Mike’s roll as the PR man and main co-ordinator. The

event is now dedicated to Mike’s memory as is the official web site http://illw.net where you will find event guidelines, an on line entry forms and list of participating lighthouse since 1998. Purpose: The basic objective of the event is to promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation and restoration, to promote amateur radio and to foster International goodwill.

History of the Event: It all started in 1994 during a wet wintry evening when two members of the AYR Amateur Radio Group in Scotland, John GM4OOU and the late Mike GM4SUC, after a club meeting were talking about creating an event in the summer when club members could get out on a sunny weekend and play radio. Various themes were considered; ports, airports, historic Scotland sites, the Firths of Scotland, castles etc. but it was finally decided that lighthouses of Scotland would be ideal. Following research it was discovered that the lighthouses of Scotland were controlled by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh who were not only responsible for the lighthouses of Scotland, but also around the Isle of Man.

http://www.illw.net/index.php/entrants-list-2014�

http://illw.net/�



Approval was sought and obtained from the Northern Lighthouse Board to establish amateur radio stations adjacent to their property. In February 1993 an invitation was sent to all Scottish clubs and the Isle of Man club to join in the fun of a weekend, to be called the Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend, by establishing an amateur radio station at a lighthouse during the third weekend in August. This first year's event saw 11 stations established at lighthouses, operating primarily on the HF bands, with each station making approximately 750 QSOs over the weekend. The following years the Scottish clubs were involved in a weekend activity with the theme of Scottish Firths (river estuaries), so two years elapsed before the next Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend. During this period Anne-Grete OZ3AE enquired through a letter to Practical Wireless if there was any lighthouse activity on amateur radio. Following discussions with her it was decided that Danish stations could join in the fun of the weekend. Quickly Germany, South Africa and France asked to join, so the name of weekend was changed to The International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend . It was at this time that John, GM4OOU, due to pressure of work, had to cease his connections with the event. The weekend became an annual event taking place over the third full weekend in August and has slowly grown in popularity. In 1999 there were 204 lighthouse/lightship stations in 36 countries and in 2011 469 stations in 55 countries took part. he main reason the event has become so popular is because it is NOT a contest. It is a relaxed fun weekend without the pressure of a contest. The guidelines are simple and the honesty on the operators to act within the spirit of the weekend which is simply to expose amateur radio and the plight of lighthouses to the public. This is why it is important for the ham station to be as close to the lighthouse/lightship aspossible with the controlling body’s approval.

Wärtsilä awarded another design contract for arctic operations

A second confirmed design contract for Wärtsilä's new series of arctic platform supply vessels has been signed. This latest order is for a multi-purpose platform supply vessel (MPSV) being built by Tersan Shipyard in Turkey on behalf of U.S.- based Tidewater Inc, the leading provider of offshore service vessels to the global energy industry. The vessel will be operated by the Norwegian Troms Offshore Supply Group, a 100%-owned subsidiary of Tidewater. There is an option for further three similar vessels.

A key element in the award of this contract was Tidewater's requirement for a compact design yet with a high deadweight giving maximum cargo capacity. Operational efficiency and reduced fuel consumption were among the other reasons why the Wärtsilä solution was selected. The vessel is designed to fit three Wärtsilä 8-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 26 main engines, propulsion systems, a ballast water management system, and inert gas generators. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2016. "Once again, Wärtsilä Ship Design's deep understanding of the complexities involved in operating in the harshest climatic conditions, and its ability to produce a design that fully meets the customer's expectations has been rewarded with a significant order. Wärtsilä's total solution capability, combining a strong and efficient design with fuel saving propulsion, is increasingly important in the market for ice class vessels," says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Ship Design, Wärtsilä Ship Power. The Wärtsilä design means that the ship will be strengthened and equipped for arctic conditions, with the hull and propulsion in compliance with DNV ice class ICE 1A. This verifies that the vessel has sufficient strength, power, and equipment to operate in arctic areas. Furthermore,

http://www.multraship.com/�



the vessel will be readied for cold climate conditions according to the DNV DEICE class. This notation includes requirements for maintaining safety and vessel operability in ice, under icing conditions, and at low temperatures.

The vessel is also prepared for advanced subsea operations with an active heave compensated construction crane with 150t capacity which can be quickly and easily fitted when required. For the same reason the vessel is prepared for helicopter deck which would usually be needed during extensive subsea construction activities. These features make the vessel a state of the art Multipurpose/Subsea/Construction PSV. Wärtsilä has more than 50 years of experience in ship design, and has successfully executed thousands of ship design projects. Wärtsilä provide efficient, reliable and environmentally sound design solutions for the offshore segment. We customize solutions according to our customers' specific needs, with the right balance between functionality and cost, and support yards with integration in planning and execution phase. The result is a new generation of ships that deliver high performance plus significant fuel and cost savings. For more information, please visit: Wärtsilä

Gabon signs offshore oil contracts with six companies

Gabon's oil ministry said on Friday it had signed seven oil contracts with six companies as part of an offshore licensing round expected to attract at least $1.1 billion in investment to the sector. The Central African country hopes that this tender, its tenth, will help it reverse a chronic decline in output due to maturing onshore fields. The former OPEC member currently pumps about 230,000 barrels per day, down from a peak of close to 400,000 bpd in the 1990s.

Drilling deep offshore the Gulf of Guinea is expensive but potentially very rewarding for oil firms, given the similar geology to oil-rich Brazil, where billions of barrels of oil have been discovered. The companies that have signed contracts are: Impact, Repsol , Marathon, Noble Energy, Petronas and Woodside. The deals end over nine months of arduous negotiations in which the list bidders has changed several times. Two companies - U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil and British oil explorer Ophir - invited in late July to enter a final round of negotiations did not feature on the ministry's final list. Australia's Woodside was not invited to the final round, yet was named as a winner. Source : Reuters (Reporting by Gerauds Obangome; Writing by Emma Farge; Editing by Erica Billingham)

ALSO INTERESTED IN THIS FREE MARITIME NEWSCLIPPINGS ? CLICK HERE AND REGISTER FOR FREE !

Why Japan Will Drive Global LNG Growth

There is little reason to expect Japan’s reactors will offset its voracious new appetite for LNG.

There are countervailing arguments right now about the long-term impact of increased Japanese LNG imports on the commodity’s global market. Certainly in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster Japan has shifted heavily toward LNG as it has shut down all of its 48 nuclear reactors. The question is to what degree Japan intends to rely on this fossil fuel, and what other sources Japan will use to fill its energy gap. A look at Japan’s LNG consumption since 2011 is instructive. Since then, Japanese use of LNG has increased by almost 20 million metric tons, or about 8 percent of global demand in 2013. The Wall Street Journal writes that this increased demand has led to more than 50 LNG export terminal proposals worldwide. However, despite surging demand for LNG in Japan (and China) recently, there are reasons to temper expectations. The Wall Street Journal speculates that a possible Japanese return to nuclear power and China’s staggeringly large new deal with Russia to import regular, piped natural gas should cause LNG speculators to hedge their bets somewhat. While the question of China’s future LNG consumption may not be clear, demand will surely rise over the short to medium-term, even if that growth ends up being less pronounced than the increase in natural gas demand. Even with the prospect of a slowdown in China’s economy, it is simply too large not to diversify and increase the weighting of LNG in its energy mix, especially as the environmental impact of coal becomes much more problematic in its mega-cities. Japan’s future demand for LNG may also be difficult to gauge, but there are indicators as to what direction the industry in Japan will take. First of all, there are the $10 billion in loans put together by major private banks like Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Mizuho Bank, along with the government’s Japan Bank for International Cooperation, to fund LNG projects in North America slated for delivery between 2017 and 2018. Additionally, by 2020 Japan is expected to order roughly 90 LNG ships worth $19.3 billion.

http://www.wartsila.com/en/Home�

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/en/subscribe/�



The LNG tanker FLORA anchored off Singapore – Photo : Piet Sinke © - CLICK on the photo !

However, the location of the investments is important, as that will signal the long-term viability of LNG imports for Japan. Overall Japanese investment in North America has increased substantially since 2011, going from roughly $15 billion to more than $45 billion in 2013. A significant portion of that investment is being funneled into the emerging shale natural gas industry in both the U.S. and Mexico. Once U.S. shale gas is online, it is expected to be 20 to 30 percent cheaper than Japan’s other suppliers. While Japan’s nuclear reactors would still be a less expensive alternative to LNG, not to mention improving the country’s trade balance, the future of that industry is very much in doubt. Even the two reactors at the Sendai nuclear plant in Kyushu, which recently passed the Nuclear Regulatory Agency’s new and much more stringent safety inspections and are expected to be the first in the country to come back online, are facing further delays. Kyushu Electric Power Co. fell behind in submitting paperwork, and now the restart of the two reactors – originally slated for the fall – has been pushed back until at least 2015, with the company’s spokeswoman stating “we cannot say when the (restart) will be,” and that the company has no timeline in place for a restart. Delays of this sort at the country’s other reactors should be expected as well, while keeping in mind that perhaps only a dozen or so actually have a realistic chance of becoming operational again. There are two reasons for this: First because the NRA’s new inspection qualifications make it extremely difficult for all but the newest and best designed reactors to be restarted, and second because the new regulatory guidelines allow local communities to have a say in whether the plants can come back online. With the efforts at Fukushima Daiichi showing no clear path toward a viable cleanup and containment, the population at large is still highly skeptical of a general nuclear restart. The Japanese government and its largest banks are speaking with their pocketbooks, and indicating which direction Japan’s energy sector is likely to take.

Feeder service to ferry cargo to Mumbai to commence this month

PANAJI: In what may take Goa a step closer to becoming Western India's logistics hub, the first feeder service to ferry cargo between Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) here and Maharashtra's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) will commence later this month. Built at the Chowgule Group's shipyard in Loutolim, the brand new feeder vessel has a capacity of 106 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and will ply between the two ports four to six times a month, depending on demand. Addressing media persons ahead of a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) conference in Panaji on Friday, CII chairman Kirit Maganlal pointed out that the coastal feeder would achieve the much-needed shift of container traffic from road to sea. "The service will target export and import companies in Goa, and will specifically benefit the states booming pharmaceutical exports which are currently transported in refrigerated containers to JNPT, which is around 800 kilometers away by road," said Maganlal. Captain V K Singh, CEO of Shreyas Shipping and Logistics, the company that will operate the service said that the feeder service would boost container trade at MPT, apart from reducing logistics costs and offering increased safety of the cargo. The service is also expected to be popular among pharma companies that currently ship their exports to Colombo port via a feeder vessel, from where they are sent to the destination ports in Europe or USA?a more expensive and time-consuming route. Maganlal claimed that Goa had the potential to become an important logistics hub that can also cater to industries in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and can look beyond just shipping services to take on warehousing, transportation and delivery services as well. "Once this container feeder service begins to function smoothly, we could also consider starting a roll-on, roll-off service to ferry cargo trucks between the two ports, similar to the arrangement between MPT and Konkan Railway," Maganlal added. Source : Indiatimes

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33438735@N08/14887090123/�



DOCKWISE VANGUARD VISITS ROTTERDAM

Photo top : skyphotomaassluis © photo below left : Nico Ouwehand © photo below right : Willem Holtkamp ©

Last Friday the DOCKWISE VANGUARD was shifted from the Maasvlakte to the Cruisterminal at the Wilhelminakade,in the center of the City of

Rotterdam, as this move of this giant vessel was seen by a lot of people, I have received many photos all for the newsclippings , as I am restricted in the saize daily of the newsletter I have made a selection at this page, and would like to thank everybody for sending the photos. and the arrival

right + top seen by Ernest Timmerman of ALP Maritime Services BV From the Maastoren, 40th Floor The DOCKWISE VANGUARD will depart tonight around 22:00 hrs bound for Brazil



Passing stern first the Lloydkade apartments Photo : Jan Damman ©

NAVY NEWS 21 personnel were killed in 22 Naval warships, submarine accidents in last

three years Six officers were among the 21 personnel who were killed in 22 accidents involving naval warships and submarines in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed today. "A total of 22 accidents have been reported involving warships and submarines during the last three years and the current year. 21 navy personnel including six officers and 15 sailors lost their lives in three of these accidents," Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in reply to a written query.

The accidents involving INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna account for 20 of these deaths. 18 personnel were killed in Sindhurakshak mishap which sank after an explosion in its torpedo compartment on August 14 last year while two officers had lost their lives in mishaps involving the INS Sindhuratna. In the last one year itself, the Navy has suffered over 15 accidents and this led to the resignation of former Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi taking the overall responsibility of these these mishaps. Meanwhile, answering another query, Jaitley said the Maharashtra government had sent a proposal to build floating jetties along the Gateway of India in Mumbai but the "Headquarters, Western Naval Command conveyed reservations on the proposal from security angle." Source : indiatimes

U.S. Naval forces on station in Gulf region

US Navy and Marine forces already are on station in the Middle East, part of the US policy of keeping a carrier strike group and an amphibious ready group in the region. The two F/A-18 Super Hornets that struck an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) mobile artillery piece early on Aug. 8 were flying from the aircraft carrier George H. W. Bush operating in the Persian Gulf, the Navy confirmed. The carrier has been operating in the Central Command area since March 22. The Bush left its home port of Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 15 for a planned nine- to ten-month deployment. The carrier, the newest flattop in the fleet, is on its second strike group deployment. The carrier is carrying 44 strike fighters and five electronic attack aircraft.

The Bush is escorted by the cruiser Philippine Sea, and the destroyers O’Kane, Roosevelt and Arleigh Burke are in the area. All cruisers and destroyers can carry dozens of missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles. The range of the missile varies depending on the version, but is at least 800 statute miles — enough to reach ISIL operating areas in northern Iraq from the Persian Gulf.

The Navy would not comment on whether submarines were in the operating area. All US Navy attack submarines can launch Tomahawks, as can cruise-missile submarines.



Also available are Marine forces from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed aboard the amphibious ships Bataan and Gunston Hall. With the amphibious ship Mesa Verde, the group departed Norfolk in early February for a scheduled eight-month deployment. The MEU, composed of about 2,500 Marines, includes a Marine medium tiltrotor squadron flying MV-22 Ospreys, a battalion landing team, and a combat logistics squadron. The ships also carry Marine attack and transport helicopters.

Another amphibious ready group centered on the assault ship Makin Island deployed with the 22nd MEU from San Diego on July 25, and is scheduled to relieve the Bataan ARG.

No other carrier strike groups are deployed at the moment, although the Carl Vinson is set to leave San Diego on a regularly scheduled deployment around the third week of August.

Here’s a list of naval forces deployed in Central Command:

■ Aircraft carrier George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), carrying Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8), with:

■ Strike Fighter Squadron 15 (VFA-15) Valions, with ten F/A-18C Hornets

■ Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31) Tomcatters with 12 F/A-18E Super Hornets

■ Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87) Golden Warriors, with 10 F/A-18C Hornets

■ Strike Fighter Squadron 213 (VFA-213) Black Lions, with 12 F/A-18F Super Hornets

■ Electronic Attack Squadron 134 (VAQ-134) Garudas, with five EA-6B Prowlers

■ Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 124 (VAW-124) Bear Aces, with four E-2C Hawkeyes

■ Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9 (HSC-9) Tridents, with eight MH-60S Seahawk helicopters

■ Helicopter Marine Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70) Spartans, with four MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

An additional six MH-60Rs are operating from destroyers and cruisers in the region.

■ Cruiser Philippine Sea (CG 58)

■ Destroyers Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), O’Kane (DDG 77) and Roosevelt (DDG 80).

■ Amphibious assault ship Bataan (LHD 5), amphibious transport dock Mesa Verde (LPD 19) and amphibious landing dock Gunston Hall (LSD 44) Source : Militaire Times

Vella Gulf Conducts Exercise with Turkish Navy

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) conducted a division tactics exercise with the Turkish navy fast attack craft TCG Tuzla (P 1200) in the Black Sea, Aug. 8. Vella Gulf and Tuzla conducted tactical maneuvering during the exercise. U.S. Navy ships regularly hold similar events with allies and partners to foster relationships and strengthen interoperability. "Once again, Vella Gulf was pleased to participate in an at-sea training exercise with our NATO ally Turkey," said Capt. Robert Katz, Vella Gulf's commanding officer. "Our continuing interactions with the Turkish navy

during this deployment have increased cooperation and strengthened interoperability through regular combined training events." The surface exercise required Vella Gulf to be a guide ship and give tactical maneuvering commands to Tuzla. The ships then executed maneuvers simultaneously.

Vella Gulf, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, is conducting naval operations with partners and allies in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in order to advance security and stability in Europe. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.



Russia Navy to receive new submarine for Black Sea Fleet

Project 636.5 Varshavyanka head diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk produced for Russian Black Sea Fleet will be handed over to the country’s Navy on August 28, a high-ranking source in the military and industrial sector told ITAR-TASS on Friday. “A festive St. Andrew naval flag-hoisting ceremony will be held abroad Novorossiysk at the Admiralty Wharfs in the city of St. Petersburg on August 28,” the high-placed military source said. He recalled that this submarine

would be put on trials at Northern Fleet’s deep-water ranges after it is taken into naval service, before being sent to a naval base on the Black Sea coast. New diesel-electric submarine for Russia's Black Sea Fleet launched Novorossiysk was laid in August 2010. Submarines of this project belong to the third generation developed by St. Petersburg-based Design Bureau of Marine Engineering Rubin and considered to be noise lowest in the world and have a higher combat capability than submarines of previous projects. Varshavyanka project submarines are upgraded fundamentally especially for Russian Navy provided with missile and torpedo weaponry, radioelectronic and hydroacoustic equipment. Submarines of this project has a surface speed of 20 knots (37 kph), maximum submersion of around 300 metres, can go on autonomous sailing of 45 days, has a crew of 52 and underwater displacement of around four thousand tonnes. The fifth and sixth submarines are to be laid down in October - November this year, for the 310th anniversary of Admiralty Shipyard. The submarines will be named Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino. Admiralty Shipyard Director General Aleksandr Buzakov said previously that this year the enterprise should deliver to the Russian Navy three submarines of Project 636.3 - Novorossiysk, Rostov-on-Don and Stary Oskol.

SHIPYARD NEWS

Zamakona Yards deliveres Ocean Marlin to Atlantic offshore

OCEAN MARLIN is the second vessel of three signed with Atlantic offshore with HY820 design. She is now sailing to Stavanger and her naming ceremony will be next Wednesday, 13th August, the company said in its press release. The vessel has been constructed in our Yard of Pasajes with the following main particulars:

http://www.swreimerswaal.com/�



Type Emergency Rescue and Response Vessel with Firefighting and DP2 Length over all 66.80 m Length b.p 60.60 m Breadth moulded 16.00 m Depth to main deck 6,00 m Draught 5,40 m Accommodation 21 persons Notation DnV: +1A1, E0, SF, OSV-Towing, DYNPOS AUTR, FIRE FIGHTER –II Flag NOR Deck area 380 m2 The results on sea trials have been better than expected, highlighting the low level of vibration and noise: Bollard pull 68,3 tonnes Free running speed 14 knot Source : PortNews

DSME Delivers Fifth Newbuild to HMM On 28 July, South Korean container shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine received the Hyundai Pride, last of five ships of 13,154 teu ordered in August 2011 with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). After a bunkering trip to Russia, the new ship will join the G6 Asia-Europe Loop 6. She follows the Hyundai Victory, delivered on 30 June and joined the G6 Asia-Europe Loop 7, and the Hyundai Drive, delivered on 20 June and

joined G6 Asia-Europe Loop 4. The Marshall Islands flagged cargo ship, has a 152700 deadweight and features 365.5m in lenght and 48m in width.

Hyundai Heavy Industries launches South Korean Navy submarines

A fifth 214-class submarine for the South Korean Navy has been launched by Hyundai Heavy Industries and is expected to become operational in 2016. Hyundai Heavy Industries has launched a new 214-class submarine, to be equipped with locally produced cruise missiles, for the South Korean Navy. The vessel is the Yun Bong Gil Ham, which weighs 1,800 tons, is 214 feet long, and has a top speed of 20 knots.

The ship is the fifth 214-class submarine of the country's navy. According to the Department of

National Defense, the ship features an air independent propulsion system that charges the submarine's storage battery without air, enabling it to stay submerged for two weeks. Hyundai Heavy Industries will transfer the under-construction submarine to the navy in the second half of next year. Nine months of tests and evaluations will follow,



culminating in the vessel gaining operational status, Korean officials said. The country currently operates 10 209-class and 214-class submarines. The first 209-class vessel, the Jang Bo Go Ham, was taken over from Germany in 1992. Source Upi

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES

The MAERSK MIYAJIMA anchored off Singapore - Photo : Piet Sinke © - CLICK on the photo !

Ocean carrier rate revision roundup for Aug. 8

Major container lines announced general rate increases taking place in mid-August through October this week. This year such announcements are coming once, if not twice, every month as carriers battle a volatile spot market. While most general rate increases this year have been largely unsuccessful, the spot market in the trans-Pacific lanes and Asia-Europe routes both showed strong gains on the back of Aug. 1 GRIs. For the U.S., those gains are being supported by peak-season volumes, but will rates stay up, and for how long? Asia-Europe rates continue their seesaw.

News broke late last week of delays on the trans-Pacific routes to the U.S. East Coast, and congestion at northern European ports continues to plague the industry as well.

Asia to Europe and the Mediterranean

Hapag-Lloyd announced it will seek a $650 per 20-foot container general rate increase, starting Aug. 18, on all cargo heading westbound from Asia to northern Europe and the Mediterranean ports.

Trans-Pacific

Hapag-Lloyd announced a Sept. 1 rate increase, which aims to hike rates for all containers traveling eastbound from East Asia to the U.S. and Canada. Effective Sept. 1, Hapag-Lloyd will attempt to increase rates by $480 per 20-foot container, by $600 per 40-foot container, by $650 per 40-foot high-cube container and by $760 per 45-foot container.

http://www.tos.nl/en/companies/offshore-crew/�

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33438735@N08/14887090163/�



Asia to the Middle East

CMA CGM will attempt to institute a $200-per-TEU increase on cargo moving from all Asian ports to the Red Sea ports of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Ain Sukhna (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan), Dijibouti, Aden (Yemen) and Hodeidah (Yemen), effective Aug. 15.

CMA CGM also announced a planned general rate increase from all Asian ports, excluding Japan, to Middle East Gulf ports. The $100-per-TEU hike is planned for on Aug. 15.

Asia to Latin America

Maersk Line will attempt to increase rates on all cargo heading from Far East Asia to Latin American ports starting Sept. 15. The rate increases are planned at $500 per 20-foot container and $1,000 for dry 40-foot standard and high cube containers.

MOL informed customers of a general rate increase on all cargo going from Malaysia to Mexico and the west coast of South America. The carrier will attempt to increase rates by $450 for 20-foot containers and $900 for 40-foot standard and high cube containers, effective Sept. 15.

Asia to Africa

CMA CGM is planning a Sept. 1 general rate increase of $250 per TEU on all cargo heading from Asia to West Africa.

Maersk Line is also planning a Sept. 1 GRI on cargo from East Asia to West Africa. The charge is planned at $250 per TEU and $500 per FEU.

Asia to Oceania

CMA CGM will attempt a general rate increase of $300 per TEU on cargo from all Asian ports to ports in Fiji, effective Oct. 1.

Maersk announced a general rate increased aimed at raising prices on cargo from northeast Asia to Australia. Cargo heading from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea to Australia will face an increase of $300 per 20-foot container and $600 per 40-foot container charge as of Sept. 1.

Hamburg Süd will attempt to increase rates on cargo heading southbound from northeast Asia to Australia as of Sept. 1. The carrier plans to increase rates by $300 per TEU. Source : Journal of Commerce

Ghana to build third port? Ghana may just get a third port, judging by an announcement made by the director-general of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA). The country’s official news agency GNA, reported that Richard Anamoo said that the port is needed to boost trade and to promote the socio-economic growth of the nation, although it’s not yet clear where it would be built. Mr Anamoo was speaking at a forum held by the GPHA to brief stakeholders on the progress of work on the on-going expansion project at the Takoradi harbour which started in December last year. In his speech, Mr Anamoo noted that the limited space at the Takoradi port cannot handle the increasing traffic demand in recent maritime trade which is why it has become necessary to re-develop it to meet the modern trends in the maritime industry. The expansion project, he said, involves the reclamation of part of the sea through dredging, to contain bigger vessels to facilitate the turnaround business, revamping of access roads and rail lines, creation of space to the oil and gas sector and creation of space got free zones among other projects. Work should begin in December this year at a cost of US$19m. With traffic increasing daily, land-locked countries in the sub-region, like Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are exploring for space for transit trade, which may just help to bolster Ghana’s burgeoning container trade. Ghana’s first port was built in Takoradi, and the second in Tema in 1962. Source : portstrategy.

We’ve poured $40bn into local firms, Chevron boasts

US ENERGY giant Chevron says the two huge LNG projects it is building in Western Australia — Gorgon and Wheatstone — have hit another key milestone, having injected more than $40 billion into more than 600 local companies. As Chevron Australia continues to fight union claims it had not spent enough on local content, managing director Roy Krzywosinski said yesterday that the $US54bn Gorgon project and the $US29bn Wheatstone project were making a major -contribution to the Australian economy.

Gorgon is scheduled to begin LNG exports early next year while Wheatstone is due for completion in late 2016. “The Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas projects have injected more than $40bn into the Australian economy as we



continue to award contracts to local companies,” Mr Krzywos-inski said. “More than 600 local companies have helped build the Gorgon and Wheatstone projects so far. We are proud to be making such a significant commitment to Australian companies that have created 17,000 jobs and growing.” One of the biggest local -beneficiaries has been Thiess, which was awarded contracts on both the Gorgon and Wheatstone projects. The Wheatstone contracts have delivered Thiess more than $1.3bn of work and created more than 1000 jobs while Gorgon contracts are worth an estimated $1.2bn to the company.

Chevron came under attack this week after reports one of the contractors building the Gorgon project planned to import 30 foreign welders on section 457 visas despite what unions allege is an oversupply of qualified Australian employees. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said the contractor, Chicago Bridge & Iron, claimed to have spent six months in an unsuccessful bid to source the workers locally. AMWU state secretary Steve McCartney said that after the union launched a campaign on its Facebook page and through email it received 30 applications from suitably qualified candidates in 30 minutes. It is believed that CB&I plans to employ highly specialised welders who are unavailable locally. Mr McCartney claimed the CB&I incident confirmed the union’s long-held view companies were misleading the community into believing there was a skills shortage to win political support for overseas workers. Source : theaustralian

the Dina MERKUR working alongside the rig Paragon

C463 (ex Noble Ronald Hoope).

Photo : Henk Marijs ©

http://www.redwise.com/�



Broken-down ferry Tacoma has more extensive problems

State officials say the ferry Tacoma, which broke down in Puget Sound last month, has more extensive problems than they previously thought. The ferry lost power with hundreds of passengers and cars aboard and began drifting July 29 on its way from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. It was eventually taken under tow and is still being assessed at a maintenance facility in Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor. The interim director of Washington State Ferries told The Kitsap Sun the problem with the Tacoma is believed to be a switchboard that controls the ship's propulsion. He says it could take a few more weeks before they get a repair plan from the manufacturer. The ferry system has been shuffling vessels around Puget Sound and canceling or delaying runs since the Tacoma was taken out of commission.

The Tacoma broke down at the same time the 202-car Wenatchee was in a Canadian dry dock for repairs. The Wenatchee returned to service on Aug. 1. Source : komonews

PLEASE MAINTAIN YOUR MAILBOX, DUE TO NEW POLICY OF THE PROVIDER, YOUR ADDRESS WILL BE “DEACTIVATED”

AUTOMATICALLY IF THE MAIL IS BOUNCED BACK TO OUR SERVER If this happens to you please send me a mail at [email protected] to reactivate

your address again You can also read the latest newsletter daily online via the link :

http://newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/ShippingNewsPdf/magazine.pdf

Maersk Line appoints new Asia Pacific regional ceo

By Lee Hong Liang from Singapore

Maersk Line has appointed Lars Mikael Jensen as the regional ceo of its Asia Pacific business, covering Maersk Line’s day-to-day business operations in Southeast Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. Jensen will take on his new role from 1 September 2014 and be based in Singapore, the regional headquarters for Maersk Line, the container shipping arm of AP Moller-Maersk. “I am looking forward to my new role as the Asia Pacific region is so diverse, with a combination of emerging, fast-growing markets and more developed markets. There are immense opportunities where we can partner our customers to further promote global trade and contribute to economic growth for this exciting region,” Jensen said.

Jensen joined Maersk Line in 1984 and has extensive management and trade experience from all over the world, including five years heading the Maersk Line organisation in Greater China. He was supposed to head the defunct P3 alliance’s centralised command center, if the alliance between Maersk Line, CMA CGM and Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) had not been blocked by Chinese regulators in June this year. Jensen’s appointment also comes after Thomas Riber Knudsen, former chief executive of Maersk Line’s Asia Pacific region, was appointed on 1 July 2014 to become the Asia regional head for Damco, the logistics arm of AP Moller-Maersk. Source : Seatrade Asia

SgurrEnergy supports Borkum West II offshore wind farm to construction

completion Phase one of the Borkum West II offshore wind farm, a 200MW development in the German North Sea, completed construction, with lender’s technical advisor support from SgurrEnergy. The last of the 40 wind turbines, located approximately 45km north of the island of Borkum, was successfully installed during June 2014 and the project will now move into the commissioning phase. SgurrEnergy’s lender’s technical advisor scope covered construction


http://newsletter.maasmondmaritime.com/ShippingNewsPdf/magazine.pdf�



monitoring on the development, including monthly reporting to the project lenders on construction progress, programme and budget reviews, as well as on-site monitoring of progress through site visits. SgurrEnergy will continue to advise the lender during the commissioning phase, which is currently expected to be completed in early 2015.

584- Borkum West II constructed Manuel Eck, managing director of TWB, said: "We have enjoyed working closely with SgurrEnergy’s team, who have been involved in the project as early as 2009, where they helped progress the development to financial close. "More recently, SgurrEnergy’s construction monitoring services have been very important in supporting the Borkum West project through the construction phase and we will continue to work closely with them while bringing the wind farm into operation."

Andrew Cole, project manager at SgurrEnergy, said: "SgurrEnergy has been involved in this landmark project for around five years and it’s fantastic to see it reach this construction milestone and take another successful step towards completion. "We extend our congratulations to all at TWB and look forward to working together through the final stages of commissioning and into project operation." The project is being developed, constructed and operated by Trianel Windfraftwerk Borkum GmbH & Co. KG (TWB), a company owned by 34 municipal utilities from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. This development is the first full scale commercial project to use the AREVA M5000 wind turbine, following its installation at the Alpha Ventus test site. SgurrEnergy has been involved in the project since 2009 and, once operational, the venture is expected to generate 750GWh annually.

…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..

SEA TITUS operating Nkossa Field Offshore Pointe Noire

Photo : Stephan SIPOS - 2nd Officer - FGSO Nkossa II ©

The compiler of the news clippings disclaim all liability for any loss, damage or expense however caused, arising from the sending, receipt, or use of this e-mail communication and on any reliance placed upon the information provided

through this free service and does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information

UNSUBSCRIBE / UITSCHRIJF PROCEDURE To unsubscribe click here (English version) or visit the subscription page on our website.

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/en/unsubscribe/

Om uit te schrijven klik hier (Nederlands) of bezoek de inschrijvingspagina op onze website. http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/nl/uitschrijven/


http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/en/unsubscribe/�

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/uitschrijven.aspx?lan=nl-NL�

http://www.maasmondmaritime.com/nl/uitschrijven/�

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2014 –...

Documents

Transcript of DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2014 –...