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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2009 – 181

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Number 181 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Friday 03-07-2009 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.

The LENGA ( ex Smit-Lloyd 75 ) seen in drydock last Tuesday near Punta Arenas Photo : Capt. Jan de Bokx ©



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SVITZER OCEAN TOWAGE Jupiterstraat 33 Telephone : + 31 2555 627 11 2132 HC Hoofddorp Telefax : + 31 2355 718 96 The Netherlands E-mail: [email protected]

www : www.svitzer-coess.com

Rouw en dankbaarheid aan boord van Aquamarina

Afgelopen dinsdag stond een schip in brand op de Noordzee. Om 21.30 explodeerde een tank met een gigantische knal. Met gevaar voor eigen leven heeft de bemanning de hele nacht gewerkt om de brand te blussen. Voortdurend bestond de angst dat ook de andere tanks zouden exploderen. Er heerst nu grote dankbaarheid aan boord dat dit niet is gebeurd. Toen na de werkzaamheden de bemanningsleden werden geteld ontstond er een diep gevoel van rouw. De 51-jarige Filippijnse matroos Uldarico Odencio bleek te zijn verdwenen. Na een telefoontje van diakonaal havenwerker Rijk van Lent heeft

de Amsterdamse havendominee Leon Rasser de bemanning bezocht in IJmuiden. Namens de zeemanskerk heeft hij een luisterend oor geboden en werden er gratis telefoonkaarten beschikbaar gesteld zodat iedereen naar huis kon bellen. Ook heeft hij contact opgenomen met zijn Rooms Katholieke collega Stan Baars om een mis te vieren aan boord en de hut van de overledene te zegenen. Voor zijn vrouw en dochter zijn hier beelden van gemaakt. Bijzonder is



dat de bemanningsleden de weduwe ook hebben toegesproken voor de camera. De opnames zullen zo snel mogelijk worden opgestuurd.

MSC NAPOLI STERN LIFTED FROM SEABED

GR Maritime has announced that the stern section of “MSC NAPOLI” has been lifted from the seabed Wednesday 1st July with the tremendous support and assistance of HAPO International Barges in The Netherlands and DISA Maritime from Belgium.

Photo’s : Pim Korver FILM + VIDEO (c)



Owners scrap 94 ships in H1 2009 A record 300,000 TEUs of container ship capacity is set to be scrapped this year as ocean carriers and charter ship owners face a growing mismatch between supply and demand for tonnage. This is ten times more than the historical average and would be the highest level of scrapping ever recorded in liner shipping, according to Alphaliner, the Paris-based consultancy. Ship owners assigned 94 fully cellular containerships totaling 184,700 TEUs for scrapping in the first half of the year, Alphaliner said. This is nearly as much as the total tonnage scrapped in the past five years. Ocean carriers have been taking the lead in demolishing surplus tonnage, accounting for 107,200 TEUs of capacity sold to ship breakers, while charter owners have scrapped 77,500 TEUs. Scrapping likely will ease during the third quarter peak shipping season. But it will pick up in the final three months of the year as nearly ten percent of the world container fleet is laid up. Deliveries of new ships, too, will swell capacity as global box traffic slows. Six of the vessels slated for demolition are in the 4,000-4,500 TEUs range, the largest containerships ever scrapped, Alphaliner said. Mediterranean Shipping Co., the world's second largest ocean carrier, and Mitsui OSK Lines, the Japanese ship-owner, feature heavily in recent demolition contracts, according to Clarkson, the leading London shipbroker. While MSC has disposed of a number of aging vessels, MOL is demolishing some of the youngest ships to be scrapped since the market downturn, Clarkson said. "That 16-19 year old ships are being sold for scrap demonstrates the effect that the trade downturn is having on some boxship owners who have imminent deliveries to balance with existing idle capacity," Clarkson said. MOL sold the 1991-built MOL Columbus to a Chinese ship breaker for $3.97 million and Indian breakers paid $4.08 million for the 1986-built MOL Liberty. Neptune Orient Lines sold the 25-year old APL Tulip to an Indian scrap yard for $1.78 million. Ocean carriers and charter owners are expected to at least maintain current scrapping rates into 2010 when the oversupply of box ship capacity is forecast to peak at around 3.5 million TEUs. Source: joc.com

The PEGASUS seen outward bound from Rotterdam Photo : Henk van der Heijden (c)



Maersk Line sees stagnation in 2010-Eivind Kolding

A.P. Moller-Maersk's liner shipping business expects stagnation at best in the industry next year but will not cut freight rates to win more market share, the head of the division told a German newspaper. "We are pretty disappointed by what we've seen in April and May," the head of Maersk Line, Eivind Kolding told business daily Financial Times Deutschland in an interview published on Thursday. He said growth in shipping volumes in 2010 is unlikely. Kolding said he is currently not trying to increase Maersk Line's market share, which stands at about 15 percent. "If we did that we would increase the pressure on freight rates further," Kolding was quoted as saying. It is hard to predict whether the Danish company will manage to lift rates, he added. Capacity utilisation in the industry should decline further over the next 12 months, particularly in the first quarter of 2010, the division head also said. The current downturn could speed up consolidation and capacity reduction and Maersk should play an active role in takeovers in the next few years, even though takeovers are not currently on Maersk's agenda, he said. Moller-Maersk's tanker business is also anticipating merger and acquisition activity picking up as shippers try to cut costs and boost vessel usage, the division's chief Soren Skou told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Source: reuters.com

The (former navy) trainingsvessel ZEEFAKKEL Photo : Reinier vd Wetering (c)

Yemeni court probes 22 pirates over piracy charges

Al-Mina primary court in Aden city began on Wednesday started trailing 22 Somali pirates on charge of involving in piracy acts against ships crossing the Gulf of Aden's international waters. During the first trial session, headed by Judge Mohammed Hamoud al-Abyadh, prosecutors charged 11 Somalis with hijacking ships and other 12 of attempting to hijack other vessels . As the suspects could not speak Arabic and consequently could not follow up or understand the procedures the court ordered the prosecution to provide a translator and decided to adjourn the hearing till July 15. In response to the



defendants lawyer request the judge ordered to give a copy of the case file and giving him a chance to study the case indictments till the coming session on July 15. 11 of the suspected pirates were captured by the Yemeni marine and coast guards forces when these forces interfered to free four Yemeni ships and a Yemeni tanker that were hijacked by the suspects last May. Four Somali pirates and two crewmen were killed and several others wounded during the operation of freeing the vessels. The rest suspects were captured by the international forces in the Gulf of Aden and handed over to the Yemeni coast guards last March. Source: Local News

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Kustpolitie haalt 30 drenkelingen uit zee De politie in Den Haag heeft op een dag ruim dertig drenkelingen uit zee gehaald. Dat heeft de politie donderdag laten weten. De zwemmers kwamen woensdag op meerdere plaatsen in de problemen omdat ze de golfbrekers voor de Haagse kust te dicht genaderd waren. Door de noordoostenwind en afgaand tij ontstond er een stroming die hen de zee in trok. Verscheidene slachtoffers kwamen in het ziekenhuis terecht wegens verdrinkingsverschijnselen. Ook liepen velen schaaf- en snijwonden op. Omdat mensen vanwege het mooie weer het water opzoeken, hebben politie en reddingsbrigades het drukker dan normaal. De politie Den Haag voerde eerder deze week regelmatig acties uit om zwemmers in nood te redden. Een woordvoerder van de Nederlandse Reddingsbrigade, die toezicht houdt op de Nederlandse kusten, liet weten dat er sinds een week ,,behoorlijk veel'' reddingsacties uitgevoerd zijn. Precieze aantallen kon de woordvoerder niet noemen. ,,Maar onze mensen zijn bijzonder actief de afgelopen dagen''. Volgens de woordvoerder staan nog niet alle badplaatsen onder toezicht omdat er nog niet genoeg personeel is. ,,Reddingsbrigades zijn voor een groot deel afhankelijk van tijdelijke krachten, vaak studenten en scholieren. Maar zij zitten nog op school'', zei de woordvoerder. Op plekken waar de reddingsbrigade niet op volle sterkte is, zet de gemeente politie in, aldus de woordvoerder. Ook de Koninklijke Nederlandse Reddingsmaatschappij (KNRM), die boten in nood helpt, had het druk tijdens de afgelopen zomerse dagen. ,,We hebben 71 keer moeten uitrukken in een week. Voor het merendeel waren dit recreanten die wegens gebrekkig onderhoud met een kapotte boot op zee dreven'' , aldus de woorvoerder. Ook kwamen zij een keer in actie voor een op drift geraakt Greenpeace-schip.

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CAPT ROB KROOTJES RETIRED Yesterday did see the retirement party of Rob Krootjes,after sailing many years with Smit-Lloyd Rob joined Vopak / Broere tankers in 2000 and after the joining/merger of Broere tankers and John T.Essberger, Rob became the Managing Director Fleet of John T. Essberger B.V.,, the retirement reception was held at the Hotel Ara in Zwijndrecht

On behalf of all the readers I would like to wish Rob a prosperous future with his new challenge, as the director of the Dutch stichting “ Het Zeilend Zeeschip EENDRACHT” Photo’s : Piet Sinke ©

www.eendracht.nl

Tugboat „FAIRPLAY VIII“ new Museumship in Hamburg

“Foundation Hamburg Maritim“ takes delivery of a traditional harbour-tug from FAIRPLAY-Towage Thursday the “Foundation Hamburg Maritim“ took delivery of the 47-year-old Hamburg harbour tug “FAIRPLAY VIII” from its previous owner FAIRPLAY-Towage. Just after the 600 BHP tug was moored at its new berth at Sandtorhafen, Hamburg’s new museum-port, Joerg Mainzer, Managing Director of FAIRPLAY-Towage, handed one of the original brass-keys of the tug’s wheelhouse as well as the ship’s papers to Reinhard Wolf, Chairman of the Board of the “Foundation Hamburg Maritim”. The tug, built in 1962 on the Theodor-Buschmann-Yard which belongs to the Fairplay-Group since 1957, will fortwith be moored at Sandtorhafen and will be open for visitors. The Foundation also plans to operate the tug for tours with special guests for example on the famous annual “Hamburg Harbour Birthday”. The Foundation is presently looking for volunteers who shall forthwith be responsible for maintenance and operations.



During the hand-over ceremony, Joerg Mainzer gave a short resume of the long history of this tug which sailed the entire 47 years under Fairplay’s flag. „We are happy, that a traditonal harbour tug will not go the breakers but will fortwith serve as information source for tourists and interested groups on the tasks of harbour tugs in those days which are still very much the same in today’s modern times.“ The ocean-going tug „FAIRPLAY VIII“ was built 1962 at the Theodor-Buschmann-Yard in Hamburg for FAIRPLAY-Towage. Until 2002 the ship was predominantly operated in the Port of Hamburg, occassionally also as a salvage tug. Towards the end of the 90ties, Fairplay changed its colour regime from the then traditional white/brown/black livree to today’s more modern blue/white Fairplay house-colours. The tug just passed its intermediate survey at its building yard Theodor-Buschmann where the new owner changed the colours back to the original style. When the ever growing size of ocean-going ships calling the Port of Hamburg outgrew the 12 tons bollard-pull of „FAIRPLAY VIII“, FAIRPLAY-Towage re-positioned the tug to the German Baltic Port of Wismar. In Wismar she was active until mid May 2009. Amongst the guests during the hand-over ceremony, many tugboat enthusiasts as well as active and retired Fairplay-crews and office staff were spotted. Especially the FAIRPLAY-retirees were warmly welcome by Reinhard Wolf: „The preservation of the maritime heritage of our city can only succeed with the help of people who have a close affinity to our port and to shipping in general. We herewith invite you whole heartedly to assist us in establishing the future presentation of this wonderful tugboat. Like for the other traditonal ships of the „Foundation Hamburg Maritim“such as the pilot-schooner „No. 5 ELBE”, the “SCHAARHÖRN”, the “JOHANNA” or the cargoship “BLEICHEN”, we intend to establish an own operational unit made-up by volunteers, which will ensure proper maintenance and the operational reliability of the tug”. The „Foundation Hamburg Maritim“ was established in 2002 by the „Hamburg Landesbank“ (today HSH Nordbank) on the initiative of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce with the aim to preserve Hamburg’s maritime heritage. Next to historic ships and the „Harbour-Museum“, the Foundation is operating the Sandtorhafen, a revived port basin in Hamburg’s thriving new city quarters “HafenCity”.

CASUALTY REPORTING

Man vermist na ontploffing op tanker Aan boord van de lege tanker AQUAMARINA op de Noordzee heeft zich dinsdagavond een explosie voorgedaan. De bemanning wist de vlammen zelf onder controle te krijgen, maar mist wel een opvarende, meldde de kustwacht woensdag. Het is onduidelijk of het vermiste bemanningslid nog aan boord is of in het water terecht is gekomen. De kustwacht heeft in de nacht van dinsdag op woensdag met helikopters naar de vermiste opvarende gezocht, maar heeft niemand gevonden. Het schip, dat onder Italiaanse vlag vaart, ligt momenteel voor anker voor de kust van IJmuiden. Bij de explosie zijn geen gevaarlijke stoffen in het water terechtgekomen



The product tanker ACQUAMARINA arriving at IJmuiden, assisted by Iskes tugs TRITON and HERCULES. Photo : Jan Plug ©

In the early hours of Tuesday 1st july, Iskes Towage & Salvage was contracted to render assistance to the product tanker MV ACQUAMARINA, which suffered from an internal explosion and fire in the fore peak. The incident happened some 75 nm north of Ijmuiden, Holland. The Iskes Salvage Tug TRITON (70 tons BP, Fi-Fi 1) was immediately mobilized. Furthermore Iskes called upon Mammoet Salvage to assist with specialist salvage masters. When the TRITON arrived at the scene, the ships crew had fortunately managed to put out the fire with the tanker’s fire monitors. The salvage team was transferred to the casualty to monitor and stabilize the situation. Tug TRITON remained stand-by, later on assisted by the Iskes tug HERCULES. Early afternoon the vessel was escorted into Ijmuiden port and berthed safely alongside at the IJmond harbour. We are sad to have to report that one of the casualty’s crew is still missing. Source : Iskes Towage & Salvage – Ronald Vergouwen

Aegean collision Two vessels have collided in the Aegean Sea off Turkey, but no one has been reported injured. The 6,000 gt general cargoship Marti Princess (built 2008) and Schulte Group s 1,334 dwt Renate Schulte (built 1994) were involved in the clash 10 miles off Bozcaada island in the north-west of the country on Saturday, agency reports said.



"Nobody has been injured or killed. There is no information about environmental pollution either," said the head of the maritime department in the coastal city of Canakkale, Ender Kurt. Marti Princess, owned by Atlas Gemi Isletmeciligi of Turkey, was on its way from Turkey to France with 8,000 tons of cement. It sustained damage and was taking in water, but was not in danger of sinking, officials said. Eleven of the 18 crew members were evacuated at the master's request. Renate Schulte, with 17 crew, was sailing from Morocco to a shipyard near Istanbul, where it was to undergo repairs. Rescue work was underway to separate the ships over the weekend.

The container vessel MSC Antares seen aground at Jurubatiba Island, near of port of Sepetiba, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), on last Sunday (28/06/2009). The vessel still there up date waiting for solution to refloated without damages.

Photo : R. Cordeiro (c)

NAVY NEWS Carriers Face $1.7b Cost Increase

According to a report in the the UK Financial Times, the British government’s decision to delay production of two new 65,000-ton Royal Navy aircraft carriers could cost an additional $1.7b, driving the cost to $7b per, or 25% higher than when the contract was signed a year ago. Source : MarineLink

Russian ships return home after anti-piracy duty off Somalia

The Russian Pacific Fleet's Admiral Panteleyev destroyer and Irkut tanker returned on Wednesday to their base in Vladivostok after an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, RIA Novosti reports. The Udaloy-class destroyer, accompanied by a salvage tugboat and two tankers, joined the anti-piracy campaign on April 27, 2009, and patrolled the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast until June 7. During the tour of duty, the Admiral Panteleyev escorted a total of 41 commercial vessels along the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. The destroyer in April seized a boat carrying 29 suspected pirates, believed to have been involved in an unsuccessful attack on a Russian-crewed oil tanker en route to Singapore. The warship later prevented a pirate attack on a cargo vessel while escorting a convoy of six merchant ships. On the way back home, the Panteleyev and the Irkut visited the Vietnamese port of Da Nang on June 19-23, while the salvage tug SB-37 and the Izhora tanker sailed directly to Vladivostok.



Meanwhile, the Pacific Fleet sent on June 29 a new task force, comprising the Admiral Tributs destroyer, the Boris Butoma tanker and the MB-99 salvage tug, to join the international anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast.

Medvedev urges to upgrade Admiral Gorshkov under deadline

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev urged to complete the project of upgrading the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy under the deadline, which was agreed upon earlier and under the already coordinated parameters, Itar-Tass reports. “This is a matter of prestige,” the president said at a meeting on the development of the Russian submarine forces on Thursday. “The project should be completed under the deadline that was agreed upon and under the coordinated parameters,” Medvedev underlined.

New Russian Boomer Is Ready, Again For the first time since the end of the Cold War in 1991, Russia has completed a nuclear submarine that began construction after the Cold War. This is the Yuri Dolgoruky, the first of a new class of SSBN (ballistic missile carrying boats). To get this sub completed, after sixteen years of planning and construction, 40 percent of the 2007 weapons budget was devoted to it. Money shortages, and technical issues, had slowed progress from the beginning. Meanwhile, some other nuclear subs were launched, but only because construction began before the Cold War ended. The Yuri Dolgoruky, was first launched over a year ago, and was to have begun sea trials late last year, then in January of this year, then by the end of May. It still hasn't happened. Instead, it was moved back to a dry dock for more work. One of the reasons for this additional work was an accident on a new Akula SSN last November. There, a sailor hit the wrong switch and accidently triggered a fire suppressant system in a compartment where several dozen people were sleeping, killing twenty of them. The safety system was poorly designed, making it too easy for someone to do what the sailor did. Such design problems are common in Russian ships, and the additional months of inspections and modifications for the Borei is another attempt to eliminate such problems. There were also some problems with welds on the hull, and the nuclear power plant. The first of three new Borei Class boats will be based in the Pacific, sometime early in the next decade. During the Cold War, most of Russias SSBNs were based in the north, at several bases east of the Norwegian border, and facing the Arctic ocean. But now Russia is spending over $350 million to expand and improve its submarine base on Kamchatka island. This will enable its new SSBNs to threaten China, as well as the United States. This is the first new Russian boomer to enter service in 18 years. The second ship in the class, the Alexander Nevsky, is also nearing completion. Construction on the third, the Vladimir Monomakh, began two years ago. The Boreis are closer in design to the Delta IVs, than to the more recent, and much larger, Typhoon boats. The Boreis are 558 feet long and 44 feet wide. Surface displacement is 15,000 tons, and twelve Bulava SLBMs (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) are carried. Work on the Yuri Dolgoruky was delayed for several years because the first missile being designed for it did not work out. A successful land based missile, the Topol-M, was quickly modified for submarine use. The Bulava was a larger missile, cutting the Boreis capacity from twenty to twelve missiles. The boat also has four torpedo tubes, and twelve torpedoes or torpedo tube launched missiles. The Borei also sports a huge sonar dome in the bow. The Boreis have a crew of 107, with half of them being officers (a common Russian practice when it comes to high tech ships like nuclear subs). Each of these boats will cost at least two billion dollars. This high cost, by Russian standards, is partly because many factories that supplied parts for Russian subs were in parts of the Soviet Union that are not now within the borders of present day Russia. So new factories had to be built. All components of the Boreis,



and their missiles, will be built in Russia. A dozen (or eight) of these boats probably won't be completed for at least a decade. Another problem is the reliability of the new Bulava missile, which failed too many of its test launches. The Bulava is believed to be fundamentally sound, but it could be another year, or more, before all the kinks are worked out. The Yuri Dolgoruky might be ready before its ballistic missiles are, which is not unusual for a new class of SSBN, carrying a new missile. Russia wants to have about a dozen of the new Borei class boats, to replace the current Delta IV class SSBNs. The Delta IVs are getting old, and have only about a decade of useful service left. Only eight of the twelve existing Russian Delta IV SSBNs (ballistic missile nuclear subs, or "boomers") are available for service. Currently, it appears that the navy will get at least eight Boreis. These new boats are expensive, and the navy wants to build some aircraft carriers as well. Source : Strategy Pages

Kon. Wilhelminahaven zz 22 3134 KG Vlaardingen (Port No 650) The Netherlands www.mariflex.net tel (24 hrs) : +31 (0) 10 434 44 45 [email protected]

DISCOVERY SOON TO DEPART ?? The Ship AIS forum http://forum.shipais.com reports that the STENA DISCOVERY will shift from the Harland and Wolff outfitting quay to Ballast Quay (the old HSS berth) on 6 July to take on bunkers prior to departure for South America, the STENA DISCOVERY has now been renamed to HSS DISCOVERY and has been reflagged to Nassau. Apparantly this has been painted on the ships hull/side. Interesting to see that they are keeping the Stena HSS trademark in the name.

SHIPYARD NEWS

The SMIT WARRI seen running trails off Maassluis after completion of the large overhaul at the De Haas Shipyard Photo : Henk van der Heijden ©



Keppel Secures New Contracts Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) has secured contracts worth over $20.7 million through its overseas subsidiaries for the upgrade and repair of three semisubmersibles (semis). One of these contracts, secured in the Netherlands, is for the inspection and repair of a semi accommodation rig, COSLRIVAL (ex-Port Reval), from China Oilfield Services Limited. K&O plans to upgrade COSLRIVAL’s electrical switchboards and piping systems and overhaul its marine equipment and deck crane reinforcement. In Brazil, Keppel FELS Brasil clinched contracts for the repair and upgrade of two semis — Noble Drilling’s Noble Paul Wolff and Diamond Offshore’s Ocean Yatzy. The Noble Paul Wolff will receive new piping systems, tank anodes and steel work. Leased by Petrobras from Noble Drilling, the rig will return to work in offshore Brazil after her repairs in the BrasFELS yard. Meanwhile, the Dynamic Positioning drilling semi Ocean Yatzy will undergo structural repairs on its lifeboat platform, stability column and helideck, as well as its piping and steel deck. Source : MarineLink

World's largest shipyard opens in NW China coastal city

A shipyard that has laid claim to be the largest in the world in terms of physical size began operation Wednesday at Changxing Island in Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China's Liaoning Province. STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the STX Group from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the investor of the project, said the boatyard was now the largest in the world in terms of physical area. The firm did not reveal the cost of the yard. Used for final assembly of big ships, the yard is 460 meters long, with a width of 135 m and a height of 14.5 m. It is able to accommodate two ships each with a dead weight tonnage of 320,000 tonnes to be built simultaneously, said the company. The former largest shipyard in the world in terms of physical size was built by ROK-based Hanjin Heavy Industries in the Philippines. The Dalian boatyard is 1 m longer and 1 m wider than its Filipino counterpart, the STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding said. STX Group, the fourth largest shipbuilding company in the world in terms of orders received, started to invest in Changxing Island in 2006 and has since increased its investment there to 13.4 billion yuan (1.96 billion U.S. dollars). Source: xinhuanet

www.tos.nl TOS Rotterdam (+31)10 – 436 62 93 E-Mail [email protected]

Shipyard boss appeals to cruiselines as new orders dry up

The cruise industry's failure to order new ships beyond 2012 is causing concern for the shipyards. Speaking at the float-out of P&O Cruises' Azura last week, Fincantieri Monfalcone director Paolo Capobianco hailed the Italian shipyard's relationship with Carnival Cruises, which has had 46 new ships built since 1990.



However, Capobianco said if no new orders are placed in the "short to medium term" he cannot guarantee "full workloads for all the sectors in the production line". After almost a decade of boom years, when one ship is floated out, only for a keel to take its place in the dry dock within days, orders for newships have dried up. As soon as Azura was out of dry dock, the yard was preparing to start work on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth.

Yachts of Seabourn's new ship Seabourn Odyssey was launched on June 24, just a few weeks after Costa named two ships in Genoa Another five vessels are due this year, and next year there will be at least as many again leaving the yards. While there is nothing to worry about immediately - the Passenger Shipping Association said there are 39 cruise ships on order between now and 2012 - the concern is that no orders have been placed beyond that date. It's not really surprising. While the shipyards worry about the future, cruiselines are having a tough time, not just in trying to secure passengers and profits during the recession, but because the strength of the euro against the dollar has sent the cost of new ships sky-high. Conversely, though, as long as cruiselines are as confident as they say about continued passenger growth in the cruise industry - and provided they have the secure financing needed to buy millions of pounds worth of new ship - this could be the best time to place an order. After all, there is no competition from other cruiselines and the shipyards are desperate for business. Capobianco said: "It is more important than ever to focus o n improving efficiency, so we are in a position to stimulate demand by offering ships at competitive prices." One industry insider who declined to be named said: "We need the new tonnage if we are going to continue to grow the business. I think wewill see new orders coming through soon for delivery after 2012." Source : travelweekly

Russian shipyards need innovations, production cost managing - Medvedev

Russian shipyards require technological modernization, President Dmitry Medvedev said according to Interfax. "That is the key to innovation and energy efficiency," Medvedev said at a conference on premises of the Sevmash shipyard on Thursday. The conference was dedicated to the development of submarine forces of the Russian Navy. Sevmash will need more investment in its development, the president said. It is also necessary to optimize production expenditure, he noted. "We need to learn how to control production costs, otherwise we will unable to sell ships in Russia and abroad," Medvedev said.

Qatari fund buys Polish yards for 82 million euros

Poland's Treasury Minister Aleksander Grad has revealed that the two Polish yards of Gdynia and Szczecin sold off last month for 82 million euros ($115.7 million) went to a Qatari investment fund. “Qinvest, a Qatari investment fund, is the investor. The deal is guaranteed by the Qatar Islamic Bank,” Grad told the press on Tuesday. Payment is slated for transaction by July 21, “which will allow the procedure to be completed,” he added.



The yards, on Poland's northern Baltic coast, have a historic significance for the role they played in the country's communist past. The European Commission (EC) had recently ordered Poland to sell off its yards after ruling that Warsaw had given illegal state aid to keep them in business, the Middle East Online said. The EC polices business competition rules in the 27 member nations of the EU. It is understood that a third Polish yard in Gdansk is also under scrutiny by the EC. Source: portworld.com

Hyundai Heavy Begins Building $1.6 Billion FPSO in H-Dock

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) held a keel-laying ceremony for the Usan FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading Unit) in the specially designed H-dock on June 30. The FPSO, which is ordered from Elf Petroleum Nigeria, Ltd. (EPNL), a Nigerian subsidiary of French oil company Total S.A, will measure 320m in length, 61m in width, 32m in depth, and weigh 114,000 metric tons. It will be able to produce 160,000 barrels of oil and 5 million cubic metres of natural gas per day and will be able to store 2 million barrels of oil. HHI plans to complete the FPSO by February 2011. The FPSO will be delivered to EPNL and located in the Usan field, which is in 750m in water, 100km southeast of Bonny Island, Nigeria. HHI will build two 180,000DWT bulk carriers in H-dock at the same time to increase productivity. The H-dock, which was completed in April, is wider and deeper than normal shipbuilding dry docks and is equipped with two 1,600 ton Goliath-class cranes. With the H-dock, HHI can build an FPSO hull side four weeks faster than normal and also cut production costs by 15%.¡°The H-dock specialising in FPSO construction will enhance HHI¡¯sproductivity and competitive power to get new orders of super large offshore facilities such as FPSO and LNG-FPSO,¡± an HHI official said. HHI has the greatest global FPSO market share by receiving seven of the twelve FPSO orders worldwide. Source: HHI

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SCI Takes Crude Container Delivery State-run Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has accepted delivery of a crude container named “Desh Vishal” from Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering Co. The company had placed orders for two very large crude containers (VLCCs) in October 2005 with the South Korean company. “Desh Vishal” has a gross tonnage of 162,412 tons and is the largest vessel in the Indian Register, according to the company.

The MAERSK NORFOLK seen at the Westerscheldt River Photo : Richard Wisse (c)

Evergreen combines Far East South Africa and South American services

Evergreen plans a merger of its Far East-South Africa (FAX) and its FarEast-East Coast South America service (ESA) by adding South African ports, which will create a Far East-South Africa-East Coast South American service, reports AXS Alphaliner, the Paris-based consultancy. The new service rotation will be: Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Durban, Cape Town, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Paranagua, Santos, Durban, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai. Evergreen will deploy seven ships in the 3,400- 4,300-TEU range sailing every 11 days. AXS Alphaliner noted that the arrangement will be much as it was with the original ESA service, which was split into the current ESA and FAX services in April, 2007. Cosco, which is Evergreen's partner on the two current services, has yet to unveil plans to serve these trades, said Alphaliner. Source: schednet.com

New ferry service connects Russia, Japan, South Korea

A new ferry service opened to connect Russia, Japan and South Korea is viewed as an important landmark in the development of relations between the three countries, governor of Tottori Prefecture Shinji Hirai said at an opening ceremony of the new ferry service Wednesday. The new ferry service connects the seaport of Sakaiminato in the Tottori prefecture with a South Korea port Tonhe in the province of Kangwon Do and the Russian seaport of Vladivostok. Earlier, the Sea of Japan had been an insurmountable wall, while now the sea connects the three



countries; it is a historic event similar to construction of a bridge between the three countries, the Tottori governor told the opening ceremony. The Eastern Dream ferry will service the new ferry route. The ferry that has a displacement of 14,000 tons belongs to the DBS Cruise Ferry company and sails under Panamanian colors. Its speed is 20 knots and a carrying capacity is around 530 people, including crew. The ferry is capable to take aboard around 70 cars and 130 cargo containers. It takes the ferry 18 hours to sail from Vladivostok to the South Korean seaport, and 12 hours to sail from South Korea to Japan. The administrations of the Russian Maritime region, the Tottori prefecture and the South Korean province of Kangwon Do decided to open the ferry service after negotiations conducted since November 2007. A final resolution on opening the ferry service was adopted at a meeting of the Northeast Asian administrations held in September 2008. The press service of the Tottori prefecture told Tass that the ferry was first commissioned in the early 1990s to connect Honshu and Okinawa. The ferry is in a good condition and is equipped with the latest navigation systems, it said. Earlier, the Tottori governor told Tass that the new ferry service heralds a new epoch in the relations between the three countries - Russia, South Korea and Japan that have vast opportunities for the development of cooperation. The new ferry service might prove a turning point towards broader cooperation between the three countries, the Tottori governor said. Source : itar-tass.com

Safmarine launches Safari 3 service Safmarine has enhanced its existing Safari - Southern Africa-Far East - service with the introduction of a new string dedicated to the Indian Ocean Islands and Mozambique. "Our new Safari 3 string will complement Safmarine's existing service offering and market coverage of Southern Africa," said Safmarine's SA trades executive, Alex de Bruyn. He added: "Not only will it improve our direct coverage of the niche ports of Toamasina and Maputo to and from Asia, but it will also strengthen Safmarine's service into South Africa by taking the Indian Ocean Islands out of the westbound rotation of the main Safari string where our customers require fast transit times." The new string will launch July with five 1700 TEU vessel catering to both dry and reefer cargo. Source: cargonewsasia

The MAERSK RHONE seen arriving in Willemstad (Curacao) Photo : Kees Bustraan (c)



Nieuwe baas voor Amsterdamse haven Dertje Meijer is de nieuwe directeur van de Amsterdamse haven. Dat maakte een woordvoerster van de gemeente donderdag bekend. Zij was sinds april al waarnemend directeur van het gemeentelijk havenbedrijf. Meijer werkt sinds 2001 bij de gemeentelijke Haven Amsterdam. Tot april was zij hoofd commerciële sector. Zij volgt Hans Gerson op. Hij werd eerder dit jaar wethouder verkeer van de gemeente Amsterdam.

Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) offers Rigid Inflatable Lifeboat program.

Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) in IJmuiden together with Naval architect W. de Vries Lentsch (De Rijp) and the main building yards of KNRM, Aluboot (Hindeloopen) and Habbeké (Volendam) developed a program which is specially intended for interested parties.

The program, attractively priced, is based on the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) lifeboats which operate under extreme circumstances. These boats of different type and size (11 - 19 meters) have a proven concept and have been in service now for nearly 25 years. Refining of the concept has been a continuous process of many years. The situation today is one of smooth running lifeboats without severe maintenance and repair problems. The program comprises: - Training facilities at cost price; - Tour to KNRM station(s) to see the boats in operation, listen to coxswain's opinions and visit the building yards; - Proper description of boats and equipment, including maintenance program; - Complete drawing package;



- Advise on different modifications within the framework of the proven concept; - Advise on different building possibilities, like building in Holland, building in the country of destination or any solution in between. Information on KNRM and RIB’s Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) has transferred the whole fleet of traditional (displacement) lifeboats to fast RIB’s (Rigid Inflatable Boats). The main characteristics of these lifeboats are: - Speed over 33 knots (to be surely faster than the speed of the waves); - Self righting; - Reliable, two engines and two means of propulsion; - High manoeuvrability and acceleration; - Seaworthy; - Minimal maintenance; - Different casualty recovery means. The RIB is a highly manoeuvrable boat because of the water jet propulsion. The tube is a reliable means to meet the requirements for coming alongside ships under nearly all circumstances. Lifeboats do that more frequently than any other boat. The tube acts as energy absorber of the sea and that is why these boats form a stable and seaworthy platform to work on. KNRM has 42 lifeboat stations and 70 boats in service. Sister ships of these boats are operating in Italy, Poland, United Kingdom and Malaysia. More information on the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) is available at www.knrm.nlFor detailed information on the program please contact Sip Wiebenga, former CEO of the KNRM: [email protected]

Paragon Shipping Inc. Announces New Two Year Charter Agreements for Calm

Seas and Coral Seas Paragon Shipping Inc., a global shipping transportation company specializing in drybulk cargoes, announced that it has entered into new two year time charter contracts for the Calm Seas and the Coral Seas. Both vessels have been forward fixed on period time charters for 23 to 26 months at a gross daily rate of $15,775 per vessel with Intermare Transport GMBH.Commenting on these developments Michael Bodouroglou Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Shipping, stated, "We are pleased to announce the new chartering agreements for the Calm Seas and Coral Seas, two panamax bulkcarriers, on terms that we believe are competitive in the current environment and provide us with significant cash flow visibility going forward. These contracts are scheduled to commence between December 2009 and April 2010, allowing us to forward fix our revenue stream. Furthermore, the addition of Intermare Transport GMBH, an established international charterer, will further diversify our list of prominent charterers." Mr. Bodouroglou concluded, "These new charter arrangements will increase our fixed revenue days in 2010 and 2011 from 72% and 49% to 84% and 66%, respectively, providing us with significant stability in a potentially uncertain time in our markets. Furthermore, we shall increase our gross contracted fleet revenue from our existing charters by approximately $25 million to $325 million." Source: Paragon Shipping Inc.

PRISCO takes delivery of Zaliv Aniva, last of six Aframax tankers in the series build

by Hyundai Heavy Industries Offshore



On June 29, Primorsk Shipping Corporation (PRISCO) took delivery of the Zaliv Aniva tanker from Hyundai Heavy Industries Offshore (S.Korea, part of Hyundai Corporation). The vessel is the last of the series consisting of six Aframax tankers, PRISCO press center reports. Unlike other vessels of the series this tanker and the previous one were fitted with bow loading machine, which was designed for oil loading from offshore terminals. 244-meter long and 42-meter wide Zaliv Aniva can carry 103,000 tonnes of crude oil. Other two vessels of the series, Zaliv Baikal and Zaliv Vostok, can carry not only oil but light oil products as well. The series consists of double hull vessels with 1 C Ice Reinforcement, according to DNV classification, making the vessels capable of working in freezing seas. As of today PRISCO fleet consists of 19 tankers with total deadweight of 1,781,647 tonnes. According to the company’s fleet renovation program, PRISCO took delivery of 7 newbuildings with total deadweight of 569,000 tonnes in 2009. In the same period the company sold three 15-y.o. tankers thus decreasing average age of PRISCO fleet to 2 years. The company’s authorized capital totals RUR 796.392 mln divided into 796.392 mln ordinary shares with nominal value of RUR 1 each. Ice class vessels including large-capacity ones equipped for operation in freezing seas conditions make up the core of the сompany’s fleet. The Primorsk Shipping Corporation’s activities include commercial and technical management, agency services and training qualified specialists in sea transport and gas-and-oil producing industry.The company’s authorized capital totals RUR 796.392 mln divided into 796.392 mln ordinary shares with nominal value of RUR 1 each. ING Bank (Eurasia) CJSC holds 57.85% of PRISCO shares, Depository-Clearing Company CJSC – 13.46%. 19.92% of shares are owned by Apington Investments Limited (British Virgin Islands).

The KAMBR seen in Gdansk Photo : Carlo Schriek (c)



StealthGas Inc. Announces the Sale of the Gas Sophie, the Delivery of the Gas Exelero StealthGas Inc., a ship-owning company serving primarily the liquified petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry, announced yesterday that on June 10, 2009 it completed the sale of the Gas Sophie,a 1995 built 3,500 cbm LPG carrier, to an unaffiliated entity based in the Far East. On June 30, 2009, the Company also completed the previously announced acquisition of the Gas Exelero, a 2009 built 3,300 Fully Pressurized LPG carrier, which was immediately deployed under a one year time charter to a major Far Eastern gas operator. The Company also announced the following new charter arrangements: Commencing from the beginning of June, the Gas Courchevel has been time chartererd for between two to four months to a major LPG operator. Commencing from the beginning of July, the Gas Defiance has been time chartered for three months to an Australian oil company. Commencing from mid-July, the Gas Czar has been time chartered for three months with a further three month option to a Far Eastern based owner/operator. Commencing from the beginning of July, the time charter for the Gas Fortune has been extended for a further month. The average time charter equivalent rate for the above four charters is $245,375 per calendar month or $8,072 per day. Commenting on the various announcements CEO Harry Vafias said, "We are pleased to have secured the sale of the Gas Sophie at a price of $6.5 million. Notwithstanding that, the 22 months that we owned the vessel covered a period with one of the steepest downturns in the shipping sector, the price we obtained for the vessel was just 13% less than we had paid for her nearly two years ago. This, I believe, demonstrates the underlying value and strength of our company and also illustrates how steady values remain in our core handy size LPG sector while charter rates also remain relatively stable as evidenced by the average rate quoted above for the time charters we have recently negotiated. "I am also pleased that we have added another brand new vessel to the fleet, the Gas Exelero, a sister ship of the Gas Astrid that joined us in April. The Gas Exelero is time chartered for one year to the same charterer as for the Gas Astrid. With the sale of the Gas Sophie and the acquisition of this new ship we continue to improve the age profile and quality of our fleet. "Finally the new charter arrangements we have announced today again underscore the steadiness of the rates we are achieving in our core market despite the adverse prevailing economic conditions." Source: StealthGas Inc.

CSCL, CMA CGM, CSAV Norasia unite on around-the-world service

Chinese line CSCL, French giant CMA CGM, and Chilean line CSAV Norasia, which operates mainly on the Latin American route, have joined forces on trade between Asia, Mexico and the Caribbean. In mid-July, the three lines will provide a single weekly service, operated by 10 vessels of a nominal capacity of 4.300 TEUs, replacing the PEX2 and Pacar services. The port rotation will be Hong Kong, Chiwan, Kaoshiung, Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Pusan, Ensenada, Manzanillo (Mexico), Balboa, Manzanillo (Panama), Cartagena, Kingston, Caucedo, Puerto Cabello, Port of Spain, Hong Kong. The service will follow an eastbound around the world route first through the Pacific, then the Panama Canal, the Atlantic, the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean back to Asia. CMA CGM will provide nine vessels for the service and CSCL one. The first sailing will be CMA CGM Jasper calling Hong Kong on 17 July. Source: cargonewsasia



The Viking Century Sun and sister ship the Century Diamond seen moored in Wushan/China along the Yangtze river.

Photo : Camiel Sleijpen (c)

Chongqing port capacity to hit 5 million TEU in 3 years

Chongqing, at the far reaches of the Yangtze, plans to invest CNY24.5 billion (US$3.5 billion) on upgrading its port facility to build itself into a multi-functional shipping hub on the upper Yangtze River, reports Xinhua. In three years time, the port's annual cargo handling capacity will reach 5 million TEU, or 150 million tonnes. Sailing channels above grade 4 will cover a total mileage of about 1,034 kilometres. The city's shipping capacity will reach 5.5 million dead weight tonnes with a shipping network covering Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Western Shaanxi, eastern Tibet, southern Qinghai, southern Gansu and western Hubei. As of the end of 2008, the port's capacity has reached 960,000 TEU or 112 million tonnes. Its sailing channel mileage has reached 4,337 kilometres. Source: schednet

Fugro’s newest, the FUGRO SYNERGY seen during last week trials in a Norwegian fjord. Photo : Piet van Baalen (c)



Nakilat receives new Q-Flex LNG carrier Qatar Gas Transport (Nakilat) has delivery of another of the world’s largest and most advanced Q-Flex LNG carriers, the ‘Al Rekayyat’, from the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan. The vessel has been chartered by Nakilat on long term contract to Qatargas Liquefied Gas Company Limited (3) (Qatargas 3) and will be used to ship LNG produced by Qatargas 3, to markets primarily in the United States. The Q-Flex and the even larger Q-Max are a new generation of LNG mega-ships. The Q-Max has 80% more capacity than conventional LNG carriers with about 40% lower energy requirements due to the economies of scale created by their size and the efficiency of the engines. Q-Max LNG carriers are unique and purpose built for Nakilat and allow for more efficient transport of Qatar’s natural gas to markets throughout the world. Qatargas 3 shareholders are Qatar Petroleum, ConocoPhillips and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Source: Arabian Oil & Gas

The construction dock KUGIRA is above seen departing from the port of Cadiz Photo : Capt. Johan Ritman (c)

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