Please Note
Yer, the Russians are here !!!
Regards
Snooper
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THE ZAC SUTHERLAND UPDATE
Zac's Blog
My name is Zac Sunderland and I am 17 years old. I departed 14th June 2008 from Marina del Rey, California in an attempt to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the world alone by yacht.
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Further tales from our long haired solo sailor !
Photo : Jen Edney,
Caption : Well, that be ME !!!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Good-bye Durban!
Latest Position: 01/11/09 1700Z 30 25.167S 30 55.556E (approximately 30 miles out of Durban)
I made my move about 10:00am (12:00am PDT) under cloudy, grey skies and with light winds. I waved goodbye to some of my new friends from Durban who had come down to the docks, not knowing if or when I'll ever see them again. Intrepid seems to be happy to be back on the ocean and is faithfully pushing through the confused seas. I have hopped on board the Agulhas Current about 15 miles off shore and am making good progress considering the conditions. The wind has shifted around to my aft quarter and with the current and light wind I am making a good 7 knots. The swells are more behind me now and are comfortable at around 5 feet.
I have been thinking of Marta's boat up on the beach and can hardly believe that it happened. She is a very accomplished sailor with many miles under her belt. We have all been warned about this area and with very good reason.
I don't know how much sleep I will get tonight. There are at the moment 2 ships within a mile radius of Intrepid. Its back to life according to alarms and radars!
Cheers,
Zac
Special Note from the famous Bill Mann:
OK, you asked for it. Zac asked for it and anon asked for it so now you got it!!
The weekly auction is back. This week we have a set of Plyometric Jump Boxes to get you in shape for Zac's Homecoming Party, another one of the fabulous Zac and Intrepid paintings and a surprise from Marianne's Mom that should be worth a lot of money after Zac publishes his book.
So visit http://www.barstools4u.com/zac.htm and show our young Captain the support he deserves.
Respectfully,
Bill Mann
South Pasadena, Ca
bill@barstools4u.com
posted by Zac at 11:23 AM 12 Comments Links to this post
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Update from Mom
Hello All!
Mom here...
A few updates:
1. The date of Zac's last blog was somehow wrong. It was posted early this afternoon. I mention that because he is not at sea yet but is currently weighing everything for his final decision. The current weather window is not as open as he would like with a low pressure system due to arrive in Cape Town sometime late on the 13th and heading east towards him at an unknown rate. His trip would have to go without a hitch for him to pull it off.
2. Zac received an email this afternoon from Polish solo circumnavigator Natasza Caban informing him that their mutual friend, Marta, another Polish solo circumnavigator was rescued from her distressed boat between East London and Port Elizabeth. Natasza didn't have a lot of info and all I could find out about it online was that for some reason she anchored while only half way to port and ended up on the beach. Her boat was able to be towed off the beach and is currently at the yard in Port Elizabeth.
3. On a lighter note, this week's signed poster and head shot go to Cathrine Norton. Interestingly, the name was chosen by our own Kathryn! We will have to suspend the poster and head shot contest for now because we are out of them!! Laurence will have Zac sign more in Cape Town later this month.
Please pray for Zac to decide wisely when to leave and for the weather to hold whenever he does go!
Cheers,
Marianne - Mom
posted by Zac at 9:25 PM
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Visit www.zacsutherland.com
YouTube Videos http://www.youtube.com/zacsvideos
Blog http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/
Email zacsworldadventure@yahoo.com
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Mike Perham aged 16, the youngest person to sail across the atlantic solo now has his eye's on an even more adventurous challenge.
To become the youngest person to sail around the world solo in an open 50 racing yacht.
A Majestic Moment - 12 01 09
A beautiful boat, a beautiful sky and a quite simply majestic moment passes by. We leap off each wave and power into to the next one dead ahead with a real surge of excitement and purpose. Totallymoney.com surges onwards forcefully, yet gracefully. The sun illuminates the spray which flies before us and stepping into the cockpit for a few minutes means a guaranteed soaking. Just fantastic!
The bow plunges under and through each wave that greets us, showing no resistance at all. We're storming ahead happily at 11knots. The water is clear crystal, dazzling blue lit up by the bright sunshine; it glistens as we pass by. I wouldn't exchange this amazing sailing for anything.
The South American Way - 12 01 09
Dare I say it - the sun hasn't been out so much today, which is fantastic. It makes boiling the kettle and being inside at the same time slightly less unbearable! The surfaces and interior of Totallymoney.com have been reaching oven-hot temperatures - I could probably fry an egg on the deck.
I started off the day with another fantastic bucket-over-the-head shower and then set about answering a few emails, which is something I've been meaning to do for a while now.
After this I clipped on and walked around the deck as I do everyday, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The trick is to catch a problem before it multiplies into something far worse but at the moment, everything's perfect with Totallymoney.com.
Overall today I've had a fairly relaxing time; the sail set has stayed exactly the same and I haven’t altered course at all. This is great, as I can get more consistent sleep during the night, which leaves me feeling much refreshed.
At the moment I'm still plugging away upwind, down the Brazilian coast. I'm sailing at 50degrees to the wind as it is a heck of a lot quicker than at 40-45degrees and will get me to those fast-reaching conditions asap. The wind will start to back me properly in around two days.
I’ve adapted my small fan for inside the cabin, using a load of duck tape and a large pot of moisturiser. By sticking it all together I’ve created a solid platform and can put the fan anywhere. Hopefully this will make sleeping easier as I'll now have a ‘breeze’ over me!
Land Ho! - 11 01 09
Throughout last night I was up very regularly checking and rechecking my direction because my routing had been telling me for a long time that I was going to hit Isle de Noronha dead on. This island, part of a very small archipelago, used to be a prison for the worst Brazilian criminals but now it’s a national park with a sprinkling of tourists.
I eventually managed, after a little bit of pinching, to clear Noronha by a respectable ten miles or so. However, I still managed to get a good glimpse of her rugged tall peaks reaching for the sky on the horizon. There's been a huge increase in the wildlife around the boat. In fact, since passing the island I've had the same two birds hovering over Totallymoney.com all day.
Today, I've had the fantastic opportunity to have a good tidy-up. I love Totallymoney.com to bits and love seeing her well kept. I've also been able to bail out the water that was in the aft compartment using a new bucket I made for collecting seawater. It’s not a good idea to use a normal bucket, as the force of the water at the speed I’m sailing will just rip it out of my hands. So I've adapted one of my small dry bags, created some straps for it and put it all together to make a new fantastic bucket. One that I can even fold away!
As I type this I’m looking out of the window at a spectacular sunset, once again. I can never get tired of watching this – ever, as no one sunset is like any other. It's now given the inside of Totallymoney.com a gorgeous warm orange colour.
In terms of routing, I'm going to sail within about a hundred miles of Brazil, heading south until the wind starts to come round to lift me in a more SSE direction.
I found a couple of Christmas cards earlier; a pleasant surprise that really lifted my spirits, especially as there was an amazingly not-so-melted Dairy Milk Bar with one!
Soaked Again… - 10 01 09
I'm over the Equator at last! I crossed the line very early in the morning and, as it was so dark, I waited until morning to celebrate with a little champagne and a toast to Neptune, to Totallymoney.com, to me my family and all of you. As I understand it, there was a bit of a do in the Perham family house to celebrate this momentous moment last night. Hope it was a good one…
This done and dusted I'm now plugging south in a south-easterly wind which has got me working pretty hard. Squalls are still pestering me and I'm dashing south to escape them for the relatively steady trades, when I’ll be able to get decent sleep and rest.
Minutes ago I was standing outside just lost in the moment. The clouds were so high and puffy, the sky was a sharp bright pink and Totallymoney.com was careering along upwind like there was no tomorrow as a gust had just come through. I didn't want to go back into the cabin so I just stayed outside, soaking everything in.
This I quite literally did, as five minutes later a largish wave swept over Totallymoney.com and gave the top half of me a good soaking. ‘Lovely,’ I thought - but well worth it.
Exciting update from the Sail Mike team - 09 01 09
Mike crossed the equator at 1.30am GMT this morning, 9th January, 2009. He has asked us to upload these photos he took as he crossed the line.
Visit : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/
Blog : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/?cat=5
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Abalone poaching up by 300% in Overstrand
Melanie Gosling
January 09 2009 at 01:17PM
There was a 300 percent increase in abalone poaching on the Overstrand coast last year from 2007 - the first increase in the area in six years.
This huge spike in poaching occurred between Rooi Els and Kleinmond.
The increase has been attributed to three factors: the closure of the commercial abalone diving industry, the closure of diving in the Gansbaai region, and the reduction in the number of Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) law enforcement officers in the region from 10 to six.
In the Cape Point reserve on , Table Mountain National Park staff and police arrested six people and confiscated 1 198 abalone. Police believe the poachers may have hidden additional bags of perlemoen in the Buffels Bay area of Cape Point.
Almost all South African abalone is sold overseas
These are the latest incidents in the battle to keep these highly priced shellfish in the sea so they can be harvested sustainably to provide legal livelihoods and foreign income.
Almost all South African abalone is sold overseas, mainly in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Seawatch, an NGO based in the Overstrand that works closely with the anti-poaching law enforcement authorities, has been keeping statistics on poaching incidents since the mid-1990s.
Seawatch spokesperson Mike Tannett, from Betty's Bay, said yesterday there had been 39 poaching incidents between Rooi Els and Kleinmond last month.
"Those are only the ones we are aware of. The 300 percent increase in 2008 has broken a trend because for the (previous) six years it (had) been going down here," he said.
Many of the poachers were operating in the Seafarm private nature reserve
He said having only six MCM fisheries officers was far too few to patrol the 50km coastline from just east of Gordon's Bay to Kleinmond.
"Six people on the job for 24 hours means there is a maximum of only two people at a time. And the leader has to be in meetings much of the time," Tannett said.
Many of the poachers were operating in the Seafarm private nature reserve, diving in the day and then hiding in the thick bush until nightfall, when they left.
"A UCT researcher spoke to poachers some years ago and 60 percent told her it was easier to poach than to work because they could earn the same diving once a week as they could working for a full week."
The poachers in Cape Point were arrested in a joint operation between the Table Mountain National Park and police.
They were charged with diving in a restricted area, transporting abalone without a permit, transporting abalone not in a whole state (shelled), illegal entry into a national park, and entering a national park outside visiting hours. Their skiboat was confiscated.
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk temporarily closed the commercial abalone industry because stocks of the shellfish had reached low levels.
Marine and Coastal Management was not available for comment.
melanie.gosling@inl.co.za
This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Times on January 09, 2009
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20090109063703655C988206
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Port crews rise to the challenge in Port Maputo
Gil Rodolfo, chief pilot at the Port of Maputo
by Yvonne de Kock
“The channel is a challenge” - so says Ken Shirley, Port Authority Director of the Maputo Port Development Company. The channel he refers to is the entrance channel to the Port of Maputo and the characteristics certainly reveal the challenge.
Situated on the Indian Ocean on the East Coast of Africa, Port Maputo’s North Channel leads from the open sea into Maputo Bay. The distance from the North Channel entrance to the Pilot Station is 25 miles. From the Pilot Station the Xefina, Polana and Matola Channels lead into the wharves and terminals. Rendezvous point is at Buoy 6, some 10 nautical miles from the port entrance. At times the port has to be closed with frequent gale force winds.
“But”, he continues “we have skilled and experienced marine crew who are able to cope with any eventuality”.
Shirley has praise for the crews as do the shipping lines entering the Port of Maputo, judging by the frequent compliments received.
In 2003 the Maputo Port Development Company SA (MPDC), a company registered in Mozambique comprising an international group of foreign investors with Mozambican partners, was granted concession rights by the Mozambique Government to finance, rehabilitate, develop, operate and manage Maputo Cargo Terminals and certain Matola Bulk Terminals, a decision which has paid dividends.
At the time, the entire marine crew were taken over by the MPDC. They are all Mozambican and have been “traditionally” trained, ie they went to sea, did their time and after seven years, qualified for their masters’ tickets. The last six pilots understudied as apprentice pilots for two years, hence the standard is high. The tugmasters and chief engineers all have sea going experience as well, and training for the pilots includes tug experience.
The port has two Azimuth stern drive tugs, the XEFINA and POLANA, built in Japan each with a 36 ton bollard pull. Five crew members and a deckhand man the tugs, whilst the pilot boat, the INHACA has two crew members. After the purchase of the tugs, a training crew from Hong Kong trained the crew in Maputo.
The port operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Port operations offered are pilotage and tug assistance, vessel traffic control and anchorage. Services include dry dock and repairs, ship-chandling, cargo handling, bunkering and fresh water.
An important activity which involves the entrance channel is dredging.
Since taking over the port, MPDC has restored the approach channels to their design depth (-9.4m chart datum) and instituted an annual maintenance dredging programme using the modernised Mozambican dredger, ARUANGWA.
The marine crew consistently uphold best practices, safely berthing a variety of vessels ranging from cargo vessels to container ships, cruise liners and car carriers.
http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_11_5101.html
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Liberty ship expected to arrive in Hellas this week
Monday, 12 January 2009
After almost a month and a half the last of the “Liberty” class cargo ships, which served during the World War II, is expected to arrive in Hellas and more specifically the port of Piraeus by the end of the week, in order to be transformed to a floating museum. It will depict the Hellenic maritime history from the end of the World War II and up to about ten years ago, when the last Liberty ship was put out of service. Restoration works will begin in the shipyards of Skaramanga in the area of Elefsina for an estimated cost of $5 million, while already a sum of $1.5 million has been devoted to the vessel for repairs. The “Arthur M. Hantel” is one of the three remaining American ships of the "Liberty" class. The whole effort will be completed after a three-year effort (from February 2005) which achieved its first success in June of 2006, when the U.S. Congress ratified a special law on granting the ship to Greece in the form of a donation. A considerable role in the ratification of the law was played by Greek American Rhode Island Senator Leonidas Raptakis.
The vessel will be renamed “SS Hellas Liberty” after the initiative undertaken by Mr. Spyros Polemis, one of the most prominent ship owners of the country, whose effort was also praised by Capt. Vassilis Konstantakopoulos, another major shipping entrepreneur. The emotional link between the Hellenic maritime community and Liberty vessels is very significant, because it was thanks to them, that the country managed to form such a strong and leading presence in the shipping industry, not to mention that thousands of Greek seafarers served onboard Liberty vessels during the war. After the fall of Nazism, 100 Liberties were given to local ship owners by the U.S. government on favorable terms. These vessels were then the backbone, on which the country’s mercantile marine industry was built and developed.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31692&Itemid=94
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Shipping lines making news
NYK turns to overland transport to counter maritime downturn
Japan’s NYK line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha) is to turn to overland and air transport to counterbalance the downturn effects in its sea transport division. Announcing the implementation of NYK’s Emergency Structural Reform Project, NYK president Koji Miyahara said in his New Year’s address to the company that the project was designed to deal with the hard economic times expected over the next three to four years.
“We intend to maintain stable management by fostering overland transport, air transport and logistics, which promise to become major spheres rather than relying on marine transport,” he said.
“Our NYK Group has all along pursued a policy of attaching prime importance to medium- and long-term profits grounded in mutual trust with important customers, accruing those profits primarily from long-term contracts rather than from short-term profits from fleet operation in the spot market,” he said.
NYK expects restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from ships to impact on the company results to “no small extent.”
“Accordingly, we regard environment as one of the most challenging areas for our management,” said Mr Miyahara.
Evergreen denies reports of shipbuilding spree
Taiwanese shipping giant Evergreen says there is no truth in reports that the company is to embark on a massive shipbuilding programme of as many as 100 ships by 2012.
The reports which were carried by various Taiwanese and mainland China newspapers said that up to 100 new container ships were to be built to replace aging vessels. Evergreen is the only major container shipping line without orders on hand for newbuilding.
A company spokesperson denied the reports but said Evergreen has indicated it would order new ships once the price of steel comes down and also provided it doesn’t end up overtonnaging the market.
Lines shed tonnage on three major routes
More than 104,000-TEU has been shed on the three main east-west container shipping routes from the weekly capacity over a five-month period between August and December 2008, says AXS-Alphaliner. By 1 January the weekly capacity on the three services had decreased from 916,000 TEU to 812,000 TEU, a year on year decrease of 11.5%.
AXS-Alphaliner says the sharpest decline came in December when a number of Asia-Europe loops were either suspended or cut, removing 30,000 TEU of weekly capacity. The three routes are Asia-Mediterranean, Asia-North America and Europe/Mediterranean-North America trades.
It says that some 210 cellular container ships totalling about 550,000 TEU are currently idle.
http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_11_5101.html
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Indonesia hit by ferry disaster
January 12 2009 at 07:20AM
Polewali, Indonesia - Almost 250 people remained missing and were feared dead more than 24 hours after a ferry sank in a heavy storm off Indonesia's Sulawesi island, the transport minister said on Monday.
"Up to this morning, 18 people have been rescued alive, passengers and crew. Some 249 are still missing," Jusman Syafii Djamal told AFP.
"We have intensified the search this morning. Eight patrol boats from provincial search and rescue teams are already in the area and the navy as well as the air force are also involved in today's search."
Most Indonesians do not swim and there was little chance many of those still missing would have been able to survive more than 24 hours in rough seas.
The 700-tonne ferry operated by a private company was about 50 kilometres off Majene, western Sulawesi, when authorities lost contact with it around 2:00 am on Sunday morning (1800 GMT Saturday).
The Teratai Prima was carrying about 250 passengers and 17 crew when it sank as it sailed from Pare-Pare in South Sulawesi to Samarinda in East Kalimantan.
The captain and several crew were among the 18 survivors who were rescued by fishermen on Sunday, amid unconfirmed reports the ferry had only three lifeboats.
Survivor Yulianus Mangande, 29, said most of the passengers were asleep when the ferry suddenly listed and capsized around 3:30 am.
"I felt that the ferry was listing to the left, then suddenly it turned upside down. I had to swim in the dark in heavy seas until the morning," he said, adding that he was found by fishermen around 11:00 am.
Rudi Alvian, 17, said he survived by clinging to a bunch of bananas.
"I was below deck. A bunch of bananas belonging to other passengers helped me float until I found a lifeboat," he told AFP.
He said the ferry left port in heavy weather. "We were travelling in bad weather from the time we started to sail," he said.
Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Iskandar Sitompul said high seas were continuing to hamper the search for survivors.
"Two warships and one Nomad patrol aircraft from the navy are off West Sulawesi scouring for survivors. A team of 40 marines with two rubber boats are also involved in the search this morning," he said.
Sulawesi and Borneo islands have been bashed by storms, heavy rains and high winds for days amid the tropical wet season.
Ferry transport is crucial in Indonesia, a massive archipelago of some 17 000 islands and 234 million people.
The government has repeatedly vowed to improve safety standards but sinkings are common.
In December 2006 more than 500 people were killed when a ferry sank in a storm off the coast of Java. - AFP
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?newslett=1&em=196329a1a20090112ah&click_id=3&art_id=nw20090112053752471C617419&set_id=1
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Oil prices tipped to reach $50 in '09
Monday, 12 January 2009
Oil prices could average around $50 (Dh183) a barrel in 2009 but are expected to rebound in 2011 as the world begins to recover from the current financial crisis. London-based Oxford Economics said higher prices would entice Opec to embark on capacity expansions to meet world demand in the long term and this would push output up to 48 million bpd by 2030. But Oxford Economics warned that lower investment by Opec could sharply push up crude prices and this could stifle demand and depress the global economy in the long run.
And rapid economic growth in China, India and other emerging markets would be the main factor in driving up crude prices after they collapsed by nearly two thirds between July and November last year.
"In the baseline, oil prices are forecast by the Oxford Model to average around $50 a barrel in 2009 and 2010 in the face of the weak world economic environment, but then to recover gradually from 2011 as global recovery takes hold, reaching $77 by 2015 and over $80 by 2030 in 2008 prices," Oxford Economics said in a study published by the Riyadh-based International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups nearly 100 oil producing and consuming nations.
The study said by 2030, China is expected to be the second largest oil consumer in the world after the USA. It expected global GDP to grow at an average rate of 3.2 per cent per annum from 2008 to 2013, with emerging market economies expanding by around 5.7 per cent per annum.
But the study warned that there is a risk that the combination of volatile oil prices and the impact of the financial crisis on the cost and availability of capital could discourage investments necessary to enable oil supply to satisfy prospective demand. It presented two scenarios in this respect:
-Lower oil investment in Opec, former Soviet Union (FSU) and Latin America is assumed to reduce global oil supply by around four million bpd compared with the baseline forecast by 2017 and that production remains four million bpd below baseline thereafter.
As a result, oil prices rise by more than $25 by 2030 – to nearly $110 in 2008 prices – as demand has to be reduced in line with the lower supply profile. Higher oil prices in turn hit economic growth in the oil consuming economies, with the level of global GDP $1.5 trillion (more than 1.3 per cent) lower by 2030 than in the baseline forecast.
-Only Opec oil investment is constrained. Specifically, it is assumed that lower investment results in Opec's supply remaining constant at 38m bpd between 2012 and 2017, which would be sufficient to reduce global oil supply by four million bpd if there were no offsetting increases in supply by other oil producers.
"However, in this case, non-Opec producers are allowed within the model to increase their production in response to the increase in oil price that results. Under these assumptions, the oil price rises by less than in the previous case but still reaches nearly $100 by 2030 (2008 prices)," the study said.
"As a result, global GDP by 2030 would be $1.3 trn (nearly 1.2 per cent) lower than in the baseline forecast, while Opec's oil export revenues would be some $45bn a year higher in 2008 prices than the baseline ($225bn less than in the first case)."
Source: Emirates Business
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31675&Itemid=79
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SOUTHERN UNITY
The Unicorn Shipping products tanker SOUTHERN UNITY (37,091-DWT, built 2004) which went off charter towards the end of December, when she sailed from Durban in Dannebrogs colours and bearing the name AMALIENBORG. In this earlier picture the ship is seen sailing from the port of Durban. Note the ship on the horizon beyond the Bluff.
Southern Unity was sold to Target Marine of Greece together with a second sister tanker OLIPHANT in 2006 for a reported combined figure of US $ 97 million. During her service with Unicorn the tanker Oliphant spent all of her time on the international trades while Southern Unity was deployed on South African coastal service. Picture courtesy Unicorn Shipping
http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_11_5101.html
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Major east-west sea routes take a knock
The world’s main sea route between Asia, Europe and the USA is facing all sorts of cut-backs thanks to the global recession.
For an estimate of the drop in shipboard capacity on the three major East-West routes in the five-months from August 1, 2008, FTW went to AXS-Alphaliner for the latest figures:
Trade on the Europe/Med-FE trade fell 16%; Transpacific, 9%; Transatlantic, 2.5%; and the total East-West trade 11.5%.
Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/12/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7158
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Propeller Club to promote UAE maritime industry in a big way
Monday, 12 January 2009
As the UAE positions itself to become a regional and global maritime hub, members of the maritime community in the country are grouping themselves to create ways of promoting the industry and also address the serious concerns affecting them. Through the International Propeller Club of the UAE, Dubai Chapter, the maritime community will seek to enhance quality and improve professionalism in the country's maritime industry Created recently as a non-government organisation with the aim of bringing together all members of the maritime community to discuss areas of mutual interest and chart the way forward for the industry, it will complement existing bodies working towards the cause of the maritime industry.
"Our primary purpose is to generate interest for the enhancement of the maritime sector," said Tom Burke, President of the International Propeller Club of the UAE. "As part of our strategy, we are partnering with governmental institutions and other like-minded private organisations to boost the effectiveness of our campaigns and programmes."
Burke said the UAE had great potential and determination to succeed as a global maritime hub given its strategic location and economic stability, adding that the club would work towards achieving this goal.
The Dubai Maritime City Authority, the world's first purpose-built maritime centre, is sponsoring the Propeller Club as part of its initiative to support grassroots development of the maritime sector in the UAE and the region. Existing private maritime bodies include the UAE Ship Owners' Association and the Dubai Shipping Agents' Association.
The Propeller Club will hold its first gathering on January 15 at World Trade Centre Club, where maritime community members will discuss the dangers of piracy and its threat to the regional maritime industry.
Besides sea piracy, other major issues affecting the maritime industry include a slowdown in the global shipping industry resulting from the credit crunch, lack of ship finance and shortage of seafarers.
Other activities of the Club will include organising educational and professional programmes that promote the maritime industry.
With the growing attraction of Dubai as a major cruise destination, Burke said the club would help in promoting and sustaining this trend.
Burke conceived the idea of a Dubai chapter of the propeller club to support the local industry owing to his immense experience working in the maritime industry in the United States. He has worked for 35 years in various areas of the transportation industry including being president of K Line America, chairman of the National Maritime Security Discussion Agreement, and commissioner of the Panama Canal.
The International Propeller Club has more than 10,000 members worldwide.
Source: Emirates Business
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31683&Itemid=79
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Ports begin to reveal 2008 stats
Dynamar has just reported the first provisional throughput data for ports for the full year 2008:
Antwerp showed a 6% growth in container with 8. 6-million TEUs hadled in 2008 compared to 8.1-m in 2007. Montreal recorded 7.2% growth to 1.46-m TEUs compared to 1.14-m. Nhava Sheva hit 7.4% with 4.18-m compared to 3.89-m.
Rotterdam stayed level with 0.0% growth and 10.8-m TEUs handled in each of the years. Shanghai grew by 7.0% - 28-m from 26.2-m. Tianjin, 19.7% to 8.5-m from 7.1-m. Varna up 57.0% to 152 000 from 97 000. Zeebrugge, 8.7% to 2.2-m from 2.02-m.
Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/12/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7156
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Idle ships become a common sight
The number of ships laid up or otherwise idle continues to rise at a high pace.
As of January 5, AXS-Alphaliner counted around 210 ships for a total capacity of 550 000 TEU - 4.5% of the existing fleet (3.5% two weeks ago). A fast increase is recorded in the 500-1 000 TEU segment in particular.
Distribution by size category: over 7 500, 24 laid-up; 5 000 to 7 500, 24; 3 000 to 5 000, 31; 2 000 to 3 000, 28; 1 000 to 2 000, 68; 500 to 1 000, 52.
Obviously, the report added, the quite large number of services closed or suspended on a variety of trade routes because of the current downturn lies at the root of the daily growing number of idle ships.
Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/12/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7157
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Ship crews paid double to brave pirates-Saudi firm
Monday, 12 January 2009
Oil shippers are paying crews double to persuade them to sail through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, an official at Saudi Arabia's National Shipping Company 4030.SE (NSCSA) said on Sunday.
Somali pirates caused havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in 2008, hijacking dozens of ships including a Saudi Aramco-owned supertanker carrying $100 million worth of crude, freed this week for a reported $3 million ransom. "The main change in operations in generic terms is that most ships are now avoiding the Suez Canal and going around Cape Hope, which adds to the number of days of sailing," Saleh al-Shamekh, the company's president of oil and gas, told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Dubai.
"But on the ships that have to go through the Gulf of Aden, they are having to pay the crew more, double the salaries," he said.
Shamekh said their ships were also keeping a distance of up to 1,000 km from the Somali coast, and were travelling in convoys for safety, all of which was adding to cost.
Insurance costs had also risen because of piracy, he said.
"We don't see it affecting that much on the bottom line - hopefully," he said.
Asked how much extra cost NSCSA was incurring as a result of the surge in pirate attacks, Shamekh said: "It's difficult to quantify."
"Most of our business is spot business which goes east ... this doesn't get affected," Shamekh said, adding that 65 percent of the NSCSA's activities were in the spot market.
NSCSA's five-year plan to double its fleet to around 50 tankers, including 32 chemical carriers, was to be completed by 2011 at a total cost of 5 billion riyals ($1.33 billion), he said.
Shamekh said none of NSCSA's ships was being used as part of a global "floating storage", in which oil majors and traders store crude oil on supertankers to take advantage of the contango in oil markets and cheaper freight.
Source: Reuters
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31682&Itemid=79
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Production Shutdown on Kristin
1/8/2009 11:25:01 PM
StatoilHydro announced that production on the Kristin field in the Norwegian Sea has now been shut down and the platform staff is being temporarily reduced until the lifeboat systems have been tested and found to be functional.
“A defect has been discovered in the release mechanisms of the new lifeboat type installed on the Kristin platform,” said Eileen Buan, head of operations on the Kristin field. “We are therefore carrying out a controlled production shutdown and reducing the platform staff as quickly and safely as possible.”
Kristin is producing around 10 million cubic metres of gas per day and around 10,000 cubic metres of condensate per day. Production capacity is 125,000 barrels of condensate and a good 18 million cubic metres of rich gas per day. StatoilHydro’s gas customers will not be affected by the shutdown.
The staff will be reduced from around 90 to 16 people, which is an absolute minimum level, and safety around the platform will be enhanced. This situation will be maintained until the tests have been run and the lifeboats are found to be functional. The test equipment is underway to the platform and the tests will be carried out as soon as possible.
Helicopter is the primary evacuation solution in the event of an accident or dangerous situation on offshore installations, but the lifeboat capacity must be sufficient to be able to evacuate all personnel onboard during all weather conditions. Lifeboats of the same FF1000S type are also installed on the Veslefrikk B platform in the North Sea. A test carried out on Wednesday revealed a faulty release mechanism on two of the three lifeboats on Veslefrikk B. This test result led to production shutdown and temporary staff reduction on the Kristin platform.
Changes in the technical arrangements for the release mechanism are currently being considered. Until the solution has been found and the changes have been tested and verified, none of the three lifeboats on Veslefrikk B will be used. Veslefrikk B is connected by a bridge to Veslefrikk A, where the lifeboat capacity is intact. The staff on the field has been reduced, however production is maintained.
Veslefrikk has lifeboat capacity on Veslefrikk A and can therefore maintain its production.
http://sname.marinelink.com/snamestory.aspx?stid=214106
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NOL Group Moves to Phoenix
1/8/2009 10:48:21 PM
Global container transportation and logistics group Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) said it will relocate its Americas regional headquarters to the greater Phoenix, Arizona, area during the second half of 2009.
The headquarters shift is part of NOL’s global strategy to place its cost structure on a more sustainable footing in the face of the current economic downturn, while continuing to provide the highest standards of service to its customers.
NOL said the move from its current headquarters in Oakland, California, to Arizona should be completed during the third quarter of the year.
“We’re excited to announce that Arizona will be the new home for our regional headquarters,” said NOL’s Regional President for the Americas, John Bowe. “The greater Phoenix area will be a cost-effective base of operations for us and we’re going to a state that is well-known for its support and encouragement of business.”
Bowe added that cost was not the only factor in the decision to relocate the regional headquarters. “Arizona will be a very convenient location from which to manage our operations throughout the Americas,” he said. “And the civic and business community has been very welcoming. We’re looking forward to making Arizona our home.”
The Americas regional headquarters coordinates NOL’s shipping, terminals and logistics activities across North, Central and South America. While the regional headquarters office is moving, the company stressed that its shipping line – APL – will continue to call regularly at its West Coast marine terminals in Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles. APL’s global services also include vessel calls at ports up and down the U.S. East Coast as well as in Central and South America.
The relocation to Arizona is one of a series of cost-saving measures NOL has announced over recent months as global containerized trade conditions have continued to decline. Other initiatives undertaken by the group include: Reducing capacity in its major ocean trade lanes; Idling vessels; and Restructuring its Logistics business.
Relocation is the latest of those measures to be implemented. It is a necessary step for the future, Bowe said, to establish an effective long-term cost structure for the group’s Americas headquarters.
“We have always benefited from the hard work of our Oakland management and staff,” Bowe said. “We are confident that the move to our new location will be accomplished with the same professionalism and care for our customers’ business as has been the case during our years in Oakland.”
(www.nol.com.sg)
http://sname.marinelink.com/snamestory.aspx?stid=214096
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Arabian Gulf oil tanker rates may extend gains on storage and cargo
Monday, 12 January 2009
The cost of delivering Middle East crude to Asia, which climbed the most in more than five years yesterday, may extend its gains as the need for ships to store oil coincides with rising demand. As many as 35 supertankers, enough to supply the European Union for almost five days, may soon be deployed to store oil, according to Frontline, the largest owner of the ships. That come at a time when Israel's invasion of Gaza Strip has prompted rising demand for shipments, said Nikos Varvaropoulos, an official at Optima Shipbrokers in Athens. "We are seeing increased activity most probably because of the war in Gaza" and demand from traders for tankers to hoard crude oil at sea, Vararopoulos said by e-mail.
Citigroup's commodity-trading unit Phibro has joined BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Koch Industries in storing crude at sea. They are doing so because oil futures rise as the year progresses.
Glasford Shippin, a Chinese shipper, hired an unspecified Iran-owned tanker for 61.5 Worldscale points, according to a report from Oslo-based PF Bassoe AS.
That is 8.5 per cent above the London-based Baltic Exchange's benchmark rate, which climbed 35 per cent to 56.66 point. That was the largest one-day gain since October 24, 2003.
Worldscale points are a percentage of a nominal rate, or flat rate, for more than 320,000 specific routes. Flat rates for every voyage, quoted in US dollars a ton, are revised annually by the Worldscale Association in London to reflect changing fuel costs, port tariffs and exchange rates.
Each flat rate assessment gives owners and oil companies a starting point for negotiating hire rates without having to calculate the value of each deal from scratch.
A rate of 56.66 points works out at $50,701 a day, according to the Baltic Exchange. Globally the carriers are making $43,855 a day.
Source: Alaric Nightingale, Bloomberg
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31694&Itemid=95
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Northrop Grumman Organization Changes
1/8/2009 10:41:08 PM
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced several structural actions to strengthen alignment with its customers, improve the company's program performance and growth potential, and enhance its cost competitiveness. These actions, effective immediately, include streamlining its organizational structure, reducing the number of sectors from seven to five.
The five sectors will be Aerospace Systems; Electronic Systems; Information Systems; Shipbuilding; and Technical Services. "These actions are critical steps in shaping our future," said Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief executive officer. "Key to our success is the early anticipation of changes in our markets, and then the adjustment of our business structure to better position us to address our customers' needs and improve our competitiveness. These actions build on last year's realignment of our shipbuilding business into a single sector and the establishment of a centralized Enterprise Shared Services organization."
In merging the Integrated Systems and Space Technology sectors, Northrop Grumman creates an approximately $10b business, which is a premier provider of manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile systems and advanced technologies critical to our nation's security. Gary W. Ervin, currently corporate vice president and president of the Integrated Systems sector, will lead Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, bringing nearly thirty years of aerospace experience, from both within Northrop Grumman and outside the company.
(www.northropgrumman.com)
http://sname.marinelink.com/snamestory.aspx?stid=214094
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General Dynamics to produce CIWS Gun System
The Phalanx Block 1B CIWS
18:45 GMT, January 8, 2009 CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Raytheon Missile Systems of Louisville, Ky., has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products an $18 million contract to produce gun systems for the Phalanx Block 1B Close-In-Weapon System (CIWS) and the Centurion Land-Based Phalanx CIWS. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD).
The Phalanx Block 1B CIWS is an upgrade of the Phalanx CIWS. Phalanx is a fully autonomous, radar-directed, rapid-fire 20mm Gatling-gun system that provides naval ships with the last line of defense against a variety of threats including anti-ship missiles, aircraft, high-speed watercraft and other air and surface threats. The upgrade adds enhanced fire control capability, optimized gun barrels and an integrated Forward Looking Infrared system.
In the Centurion configuration, a Phalanx Block 1B CIWS is mounted on a stabilized wheeled platform to protect ground forces and high-value sites against rocket, artillery and mortar threats. Currently deployed by the United States and United Kingdom in the Global War on Terror, Centurion has successfully intercepted and destroyed more than 100 threats.
"The Phalanx is the only deployed close-in-weapon system capable of searching, tracking and engaging littoral warfare threats," said Jo Ann Kramer, senior program manager of gun systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.
The gun systems will be produced at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' facility in Saco, Maine, with program management performed at the company's Burlington, Vt.-based Technology Center, and testing conducted at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vt.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4740/
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Nigeria: Maritime Workers Reject Union's Exco
Ndubuisi Ugah
11 January 2009
Lagos — The leadership crisis rocking the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) at the weekend, took a new twist as representatives of the four branches, which made up the MWUN passed a "vote of no confidence" on the leadership of Comrade Onikolease Irabor, citing gross misconduct and insensitivity to workers' plight as some of the allegations against his leadership.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the workers under the aegies of "Concerned and Bonafide Members of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria", said it could no longer condone the "treacherous, betrayal of union's collective interest and abuse of office by the Irabor-led executive," which they alleged was anti-workers.
Consequent upon the vote of no confidence allegedly passed on the leadership, the group hinted that there were plans to hold a fresh, free and fair election to replace the Irabor-led executive at the next special delegates conference, to be announced soonest.
Speaking through a four-page statement made available to THISDAY, and signed by Comrade Ishola Adeshina (Dock Workers), Comrade Akinsheye Temidayo (SEAMEN /NIWA), Comrade Debabode Robert (NPA Workers) and Comrade Mohammed I.D. (Shipping Workers), the group said: "The Onikolease Irabor-led leadership of the Maritime workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), by its treacherous subversion of the collective interests of the union, abuse of office and the clearly irreconciliable conflict of interest between its purpose as a self-serving caste on the other hand and the welfare of we the majority members of the union on the other hand, hereby ceases to enjoy our confidence and we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on that leadership."
The group also claimed that in view of the incompatibility of the interests, mission and vision of union leadership, it could no longer be relied upon for the conduct of a free and fair election of the leaders of the union at the next delegates conference. The group therefore announced the dissolution of the entire leadership of MWUN".
It announced the constitution of a caretaker committee be set up to govern the affairs of the union. That the following members representing the four branches of MWUN are hereby elected to serve as members of the caretaker committee of the union with immediate effect".
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200901120281.html
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Turkish navy completes exercise with Russian fleet in Mediterranean
Turkish naval forces completed training exercises with Russia's northern fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, a Russian news agency reported on Monday.
For the first time, a part of Russia's northern fleet conducted training exercises with their Turkish colleagues in the Mediterranean Sea, Russia Today said.
The naval pilots and ground crew were put through rigorous tests where mistakes are simply not an option.
"Every time we double check everything, because if anything happens at sea there's no chance of making an emergency landing like on the ground," said Major Sergey Nagaichenko, a technician taking part in the drill, told the Russian news agency.
"Only after everything has been cleared, are pilots given the green light to fly the 11-ton helicopters... They work hand in hand with their Turkish counterparts conducting simulated search and rescue operations at sea," the agency said.
In another exercise, in which a Turkish vessel is out of fuel and water, the task of Russian warship Admiral Levchenko is to respond and assist its stricken colleague, it added.
"The Turkish navy is very strong and has deep traditions. We’ve sharpened our inter-operational ability with them. And now we are ready to tackle almost any task together," Russia Today quoted ship commander Sergey Okhrenchuk as saying.
After the maneuvers the Turkish ships headed home and the group from Russia's northern fleet continued its voyage, carrying out its duties in the waters of the Mediterranean, the agency said.
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/world/10760089.asp?scr=1
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OCEANO 2500Ti Ultimate Deep-Sea Acoustic Release reaches new depths
09:43 GMT, January 12, 2009 Oceanlab, part of the University of Aberdeen, used four of IXSEA‘s OCEANO 2500Ti-Ultimate Depth Acoustic Releases, model AR891B2T onboard a seabed lander, as part of the HADEEP Project in the Tonga and Kermadec trenches that run North-South between Samoa and New Zealand.
In July 2007, the lander was deployed 5 times in the Kermadec trenches at 6133, 7049, 8170, 9036 and finally at 10,014 metres (an un-official world record for a successfully recovered acoustic release) from the German research vessel FS Sonne. The landers were used to film deep sea life in full colour, some of which had been unseen in their natural environments, as well as collecting water samples. The IXSEA releases were successfully used to locate and range on the apparatus whilst in place on the seabed; then released, tracked to the surface and recovered safely onboard.
The AR891B2T acoustic releases are custom built with high quality grade Titanium, providing a service depths of 12,000m and 2,500kg Safe Working and Release Loads. The mechanism was tested prior to dispatch to Oceanlab, at 1420 Bars pressure (13,200 msw).
“The acoustic performances of the OCEANO 2500 series are designed to allow ranges well in excess of 12,000m in good environmental conditions, thanks to the choice of frequency range used, the secure and reliable command coding and to the use of associated TT801 Deck Set for remote control,” said Dr Alan Jamieson, Oceanlab, HADEEP project leader.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4789/
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(upper) 090109-N-5512H-071 SOMALIA (Jan. 9, 2009) A small aircraft is observed by the U.S. Navy as it flies over the MV Sirius Star during an apparent payment via a parachuted container to pirates holding the Sirius Star. The U.S. 5th Fleet conducts maritime security operations to promote stability and regional economic prosperity. (U.S. Navy photo by Air Crewman 2nd Class David B. Hudson/Released)
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=67776
(lower) 090109-N-5512H-081 SOMALIA (Jan. 9, 2009) A parachute dropped by a small aircraft is observed by the U.S. Navy as it drops over the MV Sirius Star during an apparent payment via a parachuted container to pirates holding the Sirius Star. The U.S. 5th Fleet conducts maritime security operations to promote stability and regional economic prosperity. (U.S. Navy photo by Air Crewman 2nd Class David B. Hudson/Released)
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http://www.shipping.nato.int/SOMALIAPIR
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5th Fleet Focus: Order of Battle
Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
USS Monterey (CG 61)
USS The Sullivans (DDG 68)
USS Mason (DDG 87)
USS Nitze (DDG 94)
USNS Supply (T-AOE 3)
Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7)
USS San Antonio (LPD 17)
USS Carter Hall (LSD 50)
USS Vella Gulf (CG 72)
USS Roosevelt (DDG 80)
USS Ramage (DDG 61)
USS Hartford (SSN 768)
EU NAVFOR
HS Psara (F454) - Command
FGS Karlsruhe (F212)
FS Floréal (F730)
FS Premier-Maître L'Her (F792)
HMS Northumberland (F238)
In Theater
Ocean 6
HDMS Absalon (L16)
RFS Neustrashimyy (FFG 712)
RFS Admiral Vinogradov (DDG 572)
FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F 218)
FS Jeanne d'Arc (R97)
FS Georges Leygues (D640)
FS Jean-de-Vienne (D643)
FS La Boudeuse (P683)
FS Var (A608)
FS Saphir (S602
HMS Portland (F79)
HMS Lancaster (F229)
HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154)
KD Sri Inderapura (L 1505)
KD Lekiu (F30)
KD Sri Indera Sakti (A1503)
KD Mahawangsa (A1504)
INS Mysore (D60)
INS Tabar (F44)
INS Ganga (F22)
HMS Al Riyadh (812) (RSNF)
HMS Makkah (814) (RSNF)
HMS Al Dammal (816) (RSNF)
PLAN Haikou (D171)
PLAN Wuhan (D169)
PLAN Weishanhu (A887)
USS Scout (MCM 8)
USS Gladiator (MCM 11)
USS Ardent (MCM 12)
USS Dexterous (MCM 13)
USS Typhoon (PC 5)
USS Sirocco (PC 6)
USS Chinook (PC 9)
USS Firebolt (PC 10)
USS Whirlwind (PC 11)
USCGC Baranof (WPB 1318)
USCGC Maui (WPB 1304)
USCGC Adak (WPB 1333)
USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309)
USCGC Wrangell (WPB 1332)
USCGC Monomoy (WPB 1326)
HMS Ramsay (M 110)
HMS Blyth (M 111)
HMS Atherstone (M38)
HMS Chiddingfold (M37)
USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199)
USNS Laramie (T-AO 203).
USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1)
RFA Wave Knight (A386)
RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009)
*Fotiy Krylov - Russian fleet Tug
*Boris Butoma - Russian Boris Chilikin class fleet oiler
*Pechenga - Russian Dubna class oiler
With the number of ships in the area it is getting very difficult to keep track. I appreciate all of you helping me keep this current during the international surge of warships to the region.
Posted by Galrahn at 9:34 AM
http://informationdissemination.blogspot.com/
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Piracy & Security
Obama unlikely to repeal 100% box scanning law
Justin Stares, Brussels - Friday 9 January 2009
THERE is little chance of a repeal of US 100% box scanning legislation under president Barack Obama, the World Customs Organisation heard today.
The newly elected Democrat president is not expected to work as hard to oppose the unpopular law as the administration of Republican president George Bush, diplomats heard in Brussels.
The anti-terrorism measure, due to come into effect in 2012, would require all US-bound containers to be scanned prior to ship departure. It has triggered protests from trading partners, in particular the European Union, who say the US is exporting its security concerns at the expense of shippers across the globe.
Mr Obama’s precise position on the law is still unknown since he is not reported to have made reference to it during his election campaign. But WCO executives, who have been lobbying US lawmakers, say the incoming president is unlikely to fight an initiative backed by a Democrat-controlled Congress.
“As for a repeal, we will not see that,” WCO director Michael Schmit told customs ambassadors from around the world at Friday’s New Year’s gathering. The best that could be hoped for was a delay in implementation “beyond 2012”, he said.
“[President] Bush fought against the law,” Mr Schmitz said. But while the US administration had been effectively lobbied, Congress had on the other hand “heard very little”, he said.
This message was reinforced by the newly elected WCO secretary general Kunio Mikurija. “Congress is key,” he said. “Security should not be used as a new barrier [to trade]. We have to convince the US Congress to review the legislation on 100% scanning.”
The WCO, which is pushing for the blanket scanning plan to be replaced by a risk-based system, said it would wait for US appointments to be confirmed, such as that of Secretary for Homeland Security, before resuming its lobbying campaign. Congressional committees, particularly the trade committee, are being targeted as potential allies. The ways and means committee, which has already asked for a postponement to the scanning law, is also expected to lend support.
Within the US there is opposition to trade security legislation on cost grounds. A separate anti-terror measure aimed at the supply chain, known as the “10+2” law, comes into effect later this month and is expected to cost $20bn to implement, the Brussels gathering heard. Shippers will from January 26 have to inform US Customs and Border Protection of new consignment details, such as the container stuffing location and the identity of the stuffer. Financial penalties will apply for non-compliance.
Experts say 100% scanning would be even more costly. Pilot projects at a variety of ports have shown it is technically feasible but would cost up to $100 per box.
Moreover, many in the supply chain industry believe that if implemented it would do little to improve US security.
At the same time, there are hopes some ports would be exempt. “I think this law is more likely to happen under Obama than before,” said the Israeli ambassador to the WCO. “But ports in Europe will probably be alright.”
The European Sea Ports Organisation said it believed “high volume” scanning, not 100% scanning, would be the most likely outcome.
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/obama-unlikely-to-repeal-100-box-scanning-law/20017606246.htm;jsessionid=A7DAB7573500CB773C1FA6E64073FA6E
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Friday, January 9, 2009
Observing The Establishment of Combined Task Force 151
As The Custodian noted on Thursday, the US Navy has established a multinational task force focused solely on counter-piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The name of this new task force is Combined Task Force 151 (CF-151). Despite the previous rhetoric otherwise from 5th Fleet and the political forces in Washington, including Condoleeza Rice at the United Nations, this is the first tangible action taken by the United States Navy to address the piracy problems emanating from Somalia. Previous efforts have consisted solely in information sharing and assistance response to mariners under threat. These are my observations of the political, tactical, and strategic thinking behind this action by the US Navy.
Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) will operate from the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) which will act as a command ship, and initially will be supported by two unnamed warships. It will be interesting to see what kind of helicopters we see flying off the USS San Antonio (LPD 17), we have recently seen AH-1s and UH-1s on the flight deck (click image above and look at it in hi-res), and it will be interesting to see if it becomes Marine airmen who become the sharp end of the spear. I also noted the announcement that the Boxer ESG will deploy Friday, which includes both the USS New Orleans (LPD 18) and the new UH-1Y Huey's. Go back and read my conversation with Expeditionary Strike Group 5 leadership, including the transcript of the whole conversation. The announcement today puts a lot of that conversation in context, making me think they kind of knew this was coming. As a consistent vocal fan of the San Antonio class, this is exactly the scenario that I have so often discussed this ship... as the flexible sea-air-land nGW maritime domain command ship (mothership). It will be interesting to observe whether reality confirms or discredits my theories through this implementation.
One final note on this, the Boxer ESG only has 2 warships and 1 Coast Guard Cutter. If this ESG replaces the Iwo Jima ESG in the 5th Fleet operating theater, the net effect is a reduction of one warship. It is interesting we are setting up a new command to be resourced by ships at a time the Navy appears to be gradually reducing the number of ships in the region. This could be telling us something about the Navy's obligations being reduced as it relates to the Iraq war theater.
Depending upon your point of view, or world view, the reasons regarding why the US Navy is developing CTF-151 may very. The Europeans, in particular the Germans, believe this is a reaction to the German Navy taking over command of Task Force 150 next week. The German Navy has a very specific mandate in the region regarding action against piracy, and German command over Task Force 150 coalition forces that take proactive steps to curb piracy could create political problems, and disrupt what has been a very successful coalition effort dealing with other security issues maritime forces are operating to address in the region.
While it is an interesting theory, that would not explain why the US Navy's commitment to date fighting piracy has been lackluster at best, so it wouldn't explain why the US Navy decided to all of a sudden take a more proactive approach against piracy simply because Germany is taking command of Task Force 150. The fundamental change here has nothing to do with the Germans, the fundamental change is a shift in strategy towards piracy. Without the decision to adjust the Navy's fundamental strategic approach to fighting piracy, the US Navy would be quite content operating in Task Force 150 under German command.
I also think CDR Salamander couldn't be more off the mark with his analysis that this represents the US Navy going it alone in theater. The US Navy has talked tough about piracy and has intentionally NOT done the job of the Europeans in protecting their trade for a long time now. In my opinion, the result of the pirate problem is that pirates have become the solution to developing a multinational approach to solving the difficult challenges in Somalia, and has built the largest collection of warships in the 21st century dedicated to the single purpose of curbing piracy against global trade in a concentrated region. There are 3 Saudi frigates and 3 Chinese ships missing from my last Order of Battle for the 5th Fleet. I'm stunned that the CDR believes as we observe another prerequisite for the framework required in developing a Global Maritime Partnership, he sees it as a sign the US Navy is abandoning the maritime strategy that has so brilliantly shaped these conditions? The patience that has been demonstrated, particularly given the incredibly harsh criticism of the US Navy by so many people on both the CDRs blog and mine, has been extraordinary, and the results in the form of a shared international responsibility against the difficult challenge of piracy has been well worth the wait.
CTF-151 will have a one-star Admiral in command, Rear Adm. Terry McKnight, which I think is exactly the right approach towards building this force for the long haul. After all, I suggested it would be the right approach towards coalition building for a multinational approach to piracy back in December after the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed UNSCR 1846.
My only concern by the pick of Rear Adm. Terry McKnight is that I am surprised the Navy picked an Admiral from the Atlantic Fleet. Expeditionary Strike Group 2, last I heard, was associated with the USS Bataan (LHD 5). I am sure Rear Adm. Terry McKnight is capable, but I was just expecting leadership to come from the Pacific Fleet. Put another way, I expected the Navy to pick someone with experience and familiarity dealing with the PLA Navy.
There is another reason the Navy may be forming CTF-151 besides taking a unilateral approach or because the Germans are taking Command of Task Force 150. This week the PLA Navy entered the action curbing piracy against regional commerce off the coast of Somalia. While the establishment of Combined Task Force 151 might represent the tactical development of an infrastructure to fight the pirate problem originating from Somalia, a problem everyone agrees is on land more than sea; the establishment of Combined Task Force 151 also represents a long term strategy towards the ends of linking the national security strategies of CENTCOM and PACOM looking into the future. Consider for a moment what CTF-151 looks like in the context of an image posted by EagleOne the other day, what I'm calling in the spirit of Thomas Barnett, the Navy's New Map in the first term of the Obama administration.
The tactical purpose of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) might be to establish "a multinational task force focused solely on counter-piracy operations," but the strategic purpose has larger ends. Combined Task Force 150 represents a mostly Western approach to nGW in the maritime domain in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The nations that contribute to Task Force 150 are European and North American, but also made up of regional partners including Pakistan. If there is any vision behind Combined Task Force 151, the number one priority of Rear Adm. Terry McKnight is to build an Eastern approach to nGW in the maritime domain in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Essentially, Rear Adm. Terry McKnight priority from day 1 should be to recruit China, Russia, India, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia into CTF-151, all of whom have already committed ships with the intent to fight piracy. If or when Japan and South Korea send ships, recruit them as well.
The US Navy has absolutely nothing to gain in creating maritime competitions in fighting piracy, indeed the Maritime Strategy is about creating maritime coalitions in dealing with maritime challenges. With the creation of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) the US Navy continues to evolve at the pace of the international community towards the development of a cooperative approach to dealing with the problems in Somalia. The strategy here has been absolutely brilliant in my opinion. By not solving the piracy problem for others, a problem that has no economic impact whatsoever to the United States; by encouraging and assisting coalition partners with existing resources; and by remaining patient but engaged in the slowly evolving political process (UNSCR 1846) the United States Navy now finds itself with the internal infrastructure, regional participants, enabled by evolving international political and legal frameworks, and the right tactical resources to address a maritime nGW problem with an international, coalition approach.
For better or worse, the US Navy's Maritime Strategy has put the US Navy exactly in the position the maritime strategy states it is designed to do. It is now up to our national leadership, both political and inside the Navy, to close the deal with the opportunities at hand. In this bloggers opinion, there is some irony the success in developing a coalition approach to deal with Somalia will fall to the new Secretary of State, one Hillary Clinton. She, more than anyone, understands the challenges of military activities in Somalia. The question is whether that is an advantage, or a burden in the process. Time will tell.
cross-posted at the United States Naval Institute Blog
Posted by Galrahn at 2:00 AM
http://informationdissemination.blogspot.com/2009/01/observing-establishment-of-combined.html
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Canadian Navy's Halifax Class frigates IPMS will be upgraded
15:17 GMT, January 8, 2009 MONTREAL | L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that its Montreal-based MAPPS division (L-3 MAPPS) has been awarded a CAD$73 million contract to supply its Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) upgrade for the Canadian Navy's 12 Halifax Class frigates. The IPMS will modernize the frigate's ship control system and improve the operational effectiveness of the vessels.
"This award reinforces our position as the premier supplier of ship control systems to the Canadian Navy," said Steve Kantor, president of L-3 Marine and Power Systems group. "It is one of the largest control system contracts ever awarded - a single contract for 12 large frontline naval ships."
The L-3 IPMS is based on a proven open-architecture design and features Versa Module Europa-based remote terminal units. The new IPMS incorporates a damage control system and electrical control system. It also offers new advanced functionality with equipment health monitoring, an on-board training system, CCTV integration and an interface with the ship's new combat management system. Several training simulators will also be delivered to the support facilities of the Canadian Navy.
The Halifax Class frigate (hull designation FFH) is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Canadian Forces since 1992. HMCS Halifax (FFH 30) was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and built vessels, which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats. In 2007, the Canadian government announced a planned refit of the Halifax Class known as the Halifax Class Modernization Project or alternately as the Frigate Life Extension.
The Halifax Class IPMS program follows on the heels of the selection of L-3's IPMS in October 2008 for the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) project by Thales UK for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense.
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More information:
The Government of Canada announces refit of navy frigates
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/254/
Canadian Halifax Class Frigates receives Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS)
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4391/
Saab contracted for command and control systems of Canadian frigate programme
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/3941/
LM receives two contracts for the modernization of Canada’s 12 Halifax Class Navy frigates
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/3631/
Defentect accesses Canadian markets by signing international reseller agreement with S2 Asset Protection
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/2516/
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4738/
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China's military goes global
By Jonathan Holslag
12.01.2009 / 10:07 CET
China is developing a formidable navy to protect its economic interests, but China's growing military range does not have to develop into a threat.
A milestone has been reached: China has despatched three navy ships to the Gulf of Aden to support the international fleet fighting Somalian pirates. This operation is not just a key moment in the development of China's blue-water navy, but also demonstrates China's growing willingness to secure its economic interests abroad.
The weaponry is formidable. The vessels showcase the technological progress that the Chinese navy has made in the past few years. The type 052C Lanzhou Destroyer, commissioned in 2005, is the first Chinese vessel fitted both with impressive fire-power and state-of-the-art command-and-control systems. The Fuchi-class replenishment ship, of which two have been built so far, demonstrates China's intent to be able to engage in distant, long-term operations to protect strategic sea-lanes far beyond littoral waters.
This has become a priority for the Chinese government in the past decade. In 2005, the State Council, China's executive, concluded that becoming a maritime power would imply not simply bolstering its maritime transport, but also building a powerful navy to protect the merchant fleet. In 2006, President Hu Jintao stated that the navy should modernise faster and that it should prepare itself for a growing number of tasks.
Pirates have set the task, by seizing two Chinese trawlers and attacking at least two other ships. But, beyond that, the rationale for engagement is the growth of Chinese economic interests along the East African coast. Several fishing companies have hammered out lucrative concessions from the governments of Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar. Seaports like those of Dar es Salaam, Mombasa and Port Sudan have developed into important transit hubs for all kinds of natural resources that Chinese companies excavate on the African continent. In addition, China is digging for oil in most East African countries, and relies on the Gulf of Aden for much of its current oil supply from the Middle East.
Are we witnessing the emergence of gunboat diplomacy? China is clearly expanding the geographic boundaries of its military strategising. Two senior researchers of the State Council's study department have categorised non-traditional threats such as piracy as a strategic economic challenge and have pleaded for the national security strategy to include a series of new measures to reflect China's position as an “influential world power”. An article in the state-controlled China Daily stated that: “China must break through traditional diplomatic thinking... Only to rely on the traditional mode of high-level political contacts, only ‘peaceful coexistence' and ‘mutually beneficial cooperation' or the principle of self-restraint are insufficient to protect ourselves or to safeguard overseas economic interests and development”.
Nevertheless, the emergence of an aggressive Chinese gunboat diplomacy is unlikely in the near future. China is suspicious of the military build-up of other emerging powers, such as India, not to mention the persistent naval dominance of the United States, but it recognises that the costs of going solo and the risks of a naval arms race are far too high to bear. China will become more assertive in defending its economic interests abroad, but it will do so by pragmatically, combining operations under UN banner with bilateral military partnerships.
For the European Union, the baseline is the need to invest in a sustained and collaborative military presence in key areas such as Africa and the western Indian Ocean. This would mitigate any military competition between emerging powers and maintain the leverage that the West needs in order to prevent it being sidelined if such a contest were to arise. At the same time, it should liaise with China and other stakeholders to develop a joint agenda for various non-traditional security challenges. The EU and China should both strengthen multilateral bodies to ensure that bodies like the UN and the African Union can tackle security threats. Finally, it is essential for the EU to come to grips with the nature of various non-traditional threats. The perceived dichotomy that sets up R2P – the responsibility to protect – against sovereignty continues to thwart a genuine security debate between China and Europe.
China's growing military range does not have to develop into a threat. The EU has an opportunity to join forces with China. It should do so with one voice and a clear strategic vision.
Jonathan Holslag is the head of research at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS).
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2009/01/china-s-military-goes-global/63587.aspx
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Nigeria: Port Congestion - Why Yar'Adua's Ultimatum May Fail
Emma Chukwuanukwu And Andrew Airahuobhor
12 January 2009
The directive by President Umaru Yar'Adua to decongest Nigerian seaports within 60 days may have run into a hitch as monumental corruption and multiple demands by government agencies in the ports have compounded the problem, resulting in higher prices of imported goods and services across the country.
The president issued the ultimatum last week after the expiration of an earlier two weeks ultimatum by the minister of transportation, Ibrahim Bio. The minister's directive failed to achieve any result.
There are fears that if the above fundamental issues are not addressed, the congestion would continue, because, Terminal operators and officials of government agencies, allegedly benefit from the congestion.
At the stakeholders' forum on port congestion, held last Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, a decisions were taken to, among others, set up a Task Force to conduct 100 per cent physical examination of containers that have no Form M, Risk Assessment Report and observed concealment, untrue and false declarations, assess and value them in terms of quantity, value and rating, issue Demand Notes and collect appropriate custom duty to enable the prompt release of the goods.
The Task Force when constituted is expected to commence operation not later than January 12. It is expected to conclude its assignment within sixty (60) calendar days effective from the commencement date. Consignees were invited to come forward and clear such goods.
The stakeholders' forum was attended by the Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Isa Bio, Minister of Finance, Mansur Mukhtar, the Comptroller General of Customs, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA), Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Terminal Operators, Licensed Customs Agents, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, managements of relevant parastatals of the Federal Ministries of Transport and Finance, transporters and other relevant stakeholders in the port industry.
According to Lucky Amiwero, president of the Institute of Transport Administration (IOTA), achieving decongestion within the 60 day period depends on the seriousness of government, saying that a lot of issues have to be addressed. Amiwero lamented that port congestion occured in 2001, 2004 and the latest which started in 2008, all for the same reasons of corruption.
The IOTA boss pointed out that Terminal operators and government agencies benefit from the congestion.
"Terminal operators benefit because they will charge demurrage. Customs benefit because, at the end of the day, they will auction containers. They want to auction what people have spent millions to import. What is auction committee? When you have not been able to put your house in order, the port is congested and you want to sell people's containers."
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200901120216.html
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Russian warships to visit Syrian port
12:05
12/ 01/ 2009
MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet will visit on Monday the Syrian port of Tartus, where the Russian Navy keeps a maintenance and resupply site, a Navy spokesman said. (Russian Navy modernized - Image gallery)
The task force, which includes the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Admiral Levchenko destroyer and the Nikolay Chiker salvage tug, is currently on a tour of duty in the Mediterranean.
Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said the carrier group had carried out joint exercises with the Turkish Navy last week and would return to its duties in the Mediterranean Sea after visiting Tartus.
The Soviet-era Navy maintenance site near Tartus is the only Russian foothold in the Mediterranean.
Russian media reports have suggested the facility could be turned into a base for the country's Black Sea Fleet, which could lose its current main base in Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula in 2017.
About 50 naval personnel and three floating piers are reportedly deployed at the Tartus site, which can accommodate up to a dozen warships, and Russia is expanding the port and building a pier in nearby El-Latakia.
No official confirmation of the reports has been made.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090112/119434778.html
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QUEEN MARY 2 celebrates fifth birthday
Historic Voyages from £699 per person ...
Queen Mary 2, the largest, longest, tallest, widest, most expensive ocean liner ever and, since the retirement of QE2, the fastest passenger ship in the world, celebrates her fifth birthday on 12 January 2009 - five years on from her entry into service. And with Transatlantic lead-in fares for 2009 starting from just £699 per person, there is no better time to join the half a million other guests who have so far enjoyed Britain's merchant flagship.
Queen Mary 2 entered service in January 2004 just four days after being named by Her Majesty The Queen during the most spectacular naming ceremony Southampton, her home port, had ever seen. Since that historic entry into service Queen Mary 2 has sailed almost 750,000 nautical miles, completed 104 Atlantic crossings (the route for which she was specifically built, the first passenger ship to be built for that trade in 35 years), and made calls to 115 ports in 45 countries. She will spend her fifth birthday in the Caribbean.
Since becoming Cunard flagship in May 2004, taking over the mantle from QE2, Queen Mary 2 has also become one of the most celebrated ships in the world and successfully continues the Cunard passenger liner tradition established almost 170 years ago.
Carol Marlow, Cunard’s President and Managing Director, says:
“We are very proud of our flagship and her achievements since she entered service and this is an important anniversary for Queen Mary 2. This ship spearheads Cunard’s fleet of the most famous ocean liners in the world which currently consists of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. From October 2010, when the new Queen Elizabeth enters service, Cunard, one of the oldest names in shipping, will have the youngest fleet in the industry!”
To mark her fifth birthday year Queen Mary 2 will undertake a ‘lap-of-honour’ around the UK departing from Southampton on 10 October. This will be her first voyage around Britain, a journey that became so popular for QE2 to undertake as crowds came out to welcome her in every port. It is expected that Queen Mary 2, as the flagship of the British merchant fleet, will continue this Cunard tradition. This voyage will feature maiden calls for Queen Mary 2 at Greenock and Liverpool - ports which have close historic ties with Cunard.
http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item_10214.html
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Prince begins rescue role
Published Date: 12 January 2009
Prince William today began his RAF career by training to become a search and rescue helicopter pilot.
The second-in-line to the throne is training to join the RAF's 24-hour search and rescue force, known as Sarf.
Sarf, based in Shawbury, Shropshire, has six teams across the UK which work alongside civilian coastguard and Royal Navy teams to form a unified rescue service.
The prince will be flying Sea King helicopters and would be on a salary of £36,000 a year, the RAF said.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/Prince-begins-rescue-role.4864382.jp
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UK docks face crisis over business rate changes
Reports guest writer Bill Redmond...
The UK Government’s decision to assess the occupiers of commercial and industrial property separately for business rates within the 56 statutory docks of England and Wales will undoubtedly bankrupt some businesses, warns commercial property consultants, Lambert Smith Hampton. Worse still, perhaps, such a move could see many shipping companies switching their business to Zeebrugge or Rotterdam, finishing journeys by road or rail and so bypass British ports completely.
Made retrospective to April 1st 2005, with little or no consultation between Government and the affected businesses, the tax will hit port businesses like import, export and shipping companies with an estimated £33m tax hike. Adding to their potential woes in a deteriorating business climate is the Government’s axing of relief for empty properties, like warehouses, last April designed to raise an extra £1bn.
Early in this decade the Government decided that when the current revaluation came into effect on April 1st, 2005, the basis of rating valuation for ports should change to bring it in line with other property. In other words, it is the premises’ occupiers and not the port owner (landlords) for quayside berths who are now being assessed, despite the fact that the landlords remain in overall control of the port. Port owners, therefore, will see their assessment bills fall sharply. In the case of Hull, the port authority assessment has fallen from £9m to £3m, while individual companies now face seven-figure liabilities, backdated to April 1st, 2005.
Another bone of contention is the Valuation Office Agency’s strong opinion that land alongside docks has considerably greater value than industrial land nearby.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has given occupiers eight years to pay their backdated amounts and it seems that many billing authorities are preparing to place on hold their statutory duty to collect these rates. The latter’s action, however, laudable though it seems, cannot continue indefinitely.
The knock-on effect of this hit on ports could have widespread repercussions. It seems certain that these higher taxes will discourage regeneration, because developers risk increased costs if new buildings are unintentionally empty in the currently depressed property market. Already, inland warehouse operators are demolishing older warehouses to avoid the charge on premises left empty for more than six months.
The UK government in the current climate clearly needs to raise extra revenue to mitigate the effects of the credit crunch on the public purse but it is questionable that revenue raising on businesses should be undertaken without an impact assessment of the changes. This has clearly not happened over the tax hit on English and Welsh ports. In Scotland, however, the situation is less severe because early consultation carried out in advance of the change to the new method of assessment identified some of the difficulties which ratepayers would face. A self-financing transitional scheme was introduced which alleviated these problems.
Companies who operate in quayside areas should take advice, preferably acting as a consortium, to influence local authorities and lobby their MPs and council leaders. It may also be possible to mitigate higher costs by taking a fresh look at their warehouse operations. Many dockside warehouses use conventional counterbalanced forklifts or reach trucks, which require minimum racking aisle widths of 3.6mt and 2.6mt respectively. An articulating forklift, however, like Translift’s Bendi, can work in aisles only 1.6mt wide and lift loads to 13mt. They can also work outside on the roughest of yards. This means that compared with a counterbalance and reach truck, a Bendi can store up to 50% and 33% more pallets respectively in a given cube. By switching to articulated forklifts, therefore, it may be possible to close down satellite warehouses, or rent out surplus storage space.
Bill Redmond
http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item_10215.html
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South Africa Freight Transport Report Q1 2009
South African shipping companies posted strong results in the first half of 2008, but analysts noted that share prices had not appeared to lift as a result. In August, the shipping and logistics company Grindrod said that attributable earnings in the six months to June rose by 94% to ZAR1.1bn (US$138.2bn).
Trencor, another local shipping group, said its interim results for the first half showed diluted headline earnings per share up by 84% to ZAR1.834, from ZAR0.997 in the same period a year prior. Both companies attributed the surge in profits to a combination of the South African commodities boom and tight supplies of new ship capacity.
However, Chris Cornell of BoE Stockbrokers noted that Grindrod’s share price was hovering at around ZAR24 (US$3.01), beneath his calculation of the net asset value per share, which he put at ZAR30, a situation he described as perplexing.
Another analyst, Cavan Osborne at Old Mutual Investment Group (SA), said he believed investors might be holding off because of concerns over the likely effects of fleet expansion plans in the pipeline. He noted that Grindrod was planning to increase its fleet of cargo ships from 37 at present to 51 by 2012. In general terms, there would be a lot of Capesize ships delivered in 2010-11, which might weigh down significantly on freight rates.
However, Cornell argued that dry bulk shipping rates (involving commodities such as iron ore, coal, and agricultural products) looked set to remain robust. BMI believes demand for coal and other commodities will underpin prospects for South African shipping. In this latest South Africa Freight Transport Report, BMI concludes that freight carried by sea in South Africa is set to increase at an annual average rate of 6.3% over the next five years, ahead of the general rate of GDP growth.
Various factors support this prediction. Despite the global credit tightening and some local difficulties, the outlook for both domestic economic growth and exports is reasonable. We expect that the economy will grow at an annual average rate of 4.5% across the 2008-2012 forecast period, with foreign trade rising by 13.7% a year in value terms.
There is demand for transport services, and consumption has maintained the need for import growth. Export shipments of gold, platinum group metals, chrome, manganese and coal have necessitated increased freight services. Real GDP growth will also be boosted by South Africa’s plans to foster regional expansion in southern Africa, and this entails improving and extending the transport network.
We expect road haulage to grow faster than GDP, although poor road quality in some areas will be a restraining factor. Rail freight will lag just behind the economy’s general growth rate due to an ongoing investment shortfall, and despite current catch-up attempts. Sea freight will be ahead of GDP, supported by port-expansion plans and the current attempt to persuade shipping companies to re-flag their fleets, joining the South African merchant marine.
Airfreight has expanded relatively slowly in recent years, although the expansion of low-cost carriers and an increasing focus on the African regional market should inject some extra dynamism in the forecast period. Combining all these factors, our conclusion is that total freight volume across the different modes, measured in million tonnes-km, will rise by an annual average of 5.7% in the 2008-2012 forecast period.
South Africa’s overall freight rating, at 67.7 out of 100, is above the average for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. It scores well in terms of political and economic factors and in its regulatory background, but its record in relation to historic and forecast growth in foreign trade and in transport remains relatively weak. By the very nature of the industry, many of the problems associated with reforming transport network, facilities and services have to be considered over a medium-term period.
According to our latest estimates, the total value of transport and communications GDP will rise to US$33.7bn in nominal terms by 2012, representing 8.2% of South Africa’s GDP.
Author:
Mike King
http://www.live-pr.com/en/south-africa-freight-transport-report-q-r1048249360.htm
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Published: Monday January 12, 2009 MYT 4:03:00 PM
Navy on standby to aid flood victims
KUANTAN: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has formed six teams and placed them on standby to provide aid to flood victims during the current monsoon season.
Tanjung Gelang RMN commander Datuk Pahlawan Mohd Som Ibrahim said the teams were formed specifically to render assistance when the need arose to those who were affected by floods.
”However, to date, the teams have yet to see much action but they are ready to carry out their task when the need arises,” he said after presenting certificates of excellence to 37 RMN staff and officers in conjunction with its Quality Day on Monday.
As for aid to residents who lived on islands located along the east coast region, the navy would get bigger vessels from its base in Lumut.
On efforts to enhance efficiency and work performance among the staff, Mohd Som said a score card would be distributed to each employee that would be used to keep track of their achievements.
”The system has been extended to the lower ranking staff this year after it was introduced last year and to officers.
”It will be a better and more transparent way to gauge their performance as it has a proper evaluation method,” he added.
Mohd Som also said that among the things that he expected his men to improve on were image and discipline.
Earlier in his speech, Mohd Som expressed his concern over several cases that occurred last year such as disciplinary problems that had marred the navy’s image.
He added that some of the staff were caught for drug-related offences, close proximity and truancy.
On another note, Mohd Som said the Tanjung Gelang navy base had achieved a 90.6% operational availability that involved a series of successful operations carried out by his officers and their men last year.
The base had also managed to provide adequate support to other RMN vessels that made port calls at Tanjung Gelang, he added.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/12/nation/20090112160158&sec=nation
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US Sailors Suffer Smart Shrinking
January 10, 2009: The U.S. Navy continues its downsizing program, trying to get rid of people it doesn't need (not possessing needed skills) or want (disciplinary or physical fitness problems). The most recent technique has been to make it easier for officers and NCOs eligible for retirement (having served at least twenty years) to leave before their current contract is up (NCOs re-enlist for 4-6 years at a time, while officers have contracts do basically the same thing). In addition, the navy is letting some younger sailors get out a year or two before their current contract is up.
The navy currently has a strength of 332,000, and wants to get that down to 326,000 within the next two years. At the same time, the navy wants to keep scarce, hard-to-train and difficult-to-keep technical specialists. In particular, there are always shortages of nuclear power techs for submarines, and special operations troops (SEALs and their support people). And then there are the new recruits, most of whom are only in (deliberately) for one term (usually four years). These have to be replaced, along with those who stay in, but later decide to get out. There's less of this with a recession going on.
Another way to downsize effectively is to raise all sorts of standards, forcing out those who don't measure up. This includes going after, well, appearance. The navy has already cracked down on sailors and officers who are overweight. But now, all officers must submit a full length photo of themselves, for their personnel record (which is examined to determine who gets promoted). The picture is to be a three quarter view, with left shoulder forward, against a plan, flat, background. The photo must be 4x6 inches. The photo must be marked with the officers name and date of the picture. The suggested uniform is service khaki (basically tan colored pants and shirt) without the hat.
Three years ago, a long standing requirement for a full length photo was dropped. The official reason was that because the navy had cracked down on overweight officers, the photo was not necessary anymore. The unofficial reason was that the photo often penalized officers who, well, "didn't look right." This could be everything from being "too ethnic" to "ugly." No one would ever admit this officially, but it was often heard when officers spoke among themselves. But after a year or so of that, it was realized that officers who appear to look the part, are more likely to get promoted. So the photo requirement was reinstated. Or, in milspeak, "reemphasize the integral elements of military bearing and physical fitness to service professionalism." Note that many naval heroes of the past were noted for their unappealing appearance.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20090110.aspx
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Keeping 11 carriers to be 'tough fight'
It could be rough seas for Virginia leaders who want to maintain the flattop fleet's current size.
By HUGH LESSIG | 804-647-6444
January 10, 2009
NORFOLK - Nearly two years ago, Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, issued a news release that expressed concern about the potential for China to build aircraft carriers.
Forget potential. Last month, the Chinese Defense Ministry said carriers were "a reflection of the nation's comprehensive power" and were needed to meet the demands of its navy.
As the United States prepares to commission a carrier today amid rising federal budget deficits and expensive government bailouts — now balanced against the specter of a rising overseas superpower — it's certain to spur renewed debate over the size of the U.S. flattop fleet.
Forbes and other Hampton Roads lawmakers are girding for battle in Congress, where money is scarce and the military is eyeing shortages on everything from maintenance projects to fighter aircraft. Maintaining an 11-carrier fleet will not be an easy sell.
"I think it's going to be an incredibly tough fight," said Forbes, a critic of recent government bailouts. "If you look at what we've done in the past year, there has been little rationality."
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, co-chairs the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, and he shares Forbes' assessment that an 11-carrier fleet is required. He insisted that it wasn't Hampton Roads politicians pandering to military constituents.
"I'm looking at this from a strategic standpoint," he said. "I strongly believe we need to have 11 carriers if we're trying to project force around the world."
Wittman toured the carrier George H.W. Bush on Friday, along with newly elected Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk, and Rep. Gene Crane, D-Miss. Crane co-chairs the shipbuilding caucus with Wittman, and Nye said the tour was a chance for him to start building relationships. He was recently named to the House Armed Services Committee.
"We can't even project all of the threats we're going to face over the next decade," he said. "I support the carrier fleet at 11."
Eleven carriers are now the norm, but the USS Kitty Hawk faces decommissioning. The future of the aging USS Enterprise also is uncertain.
And though the George H.W. Bush will be commissioned today, it still faces sea trials and is months away from being combat-ready.
The threat isn't just from China, Wittman said: Russia has been more aggressive about rebuilding its navy, and India is an emerging power.
According to a recent op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal, it will take at least 10 years for China to develop its carrier project. Forming the group of ships to protect a single carrier would require most of the modern ships now in the Chinese fleet, wrote Hugo Restall, editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review.
But it's reasonable to assume that China will eventually meet its goal of multiple carriers, which would allow it to enforce disputed claims to islands in the South China Sea.
The worst-case scenario would trouble U.S. policymakers.
Restall put it this way: "The waters through which much of the world's trade now flows, from the Malacca Strait to Taiwan, would effectively become a Chinese lake."
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_bush-fleet_0110jan10,0,3699946.story
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Friday, January 9, 2009
Hawaii's Pearl Harbor to become hub for new nuclear subs
Virginia-class vessels likely to mean hiring hundreds more workers
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Two-thirds of the Navy's new Virginia-class submarines initially will be based at Pearl Harbor, making Hawai'i the main hub for the advanced attack submarines, Navy officials said yesterday.
The Navy plans to build 30 of the nuclear submarines, which cost up to $2.5 billion apiece, carry torpedoes and missiles, and can drop off commandos close to shore.
The Navy isn't releasing the exact number or arrival schedule for subs coming to Pearl Harbor beyond the USS Hawaii, expected in late June, and the USS Texas, scheduled to arrive in late October or early November.
U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, previously has said the USS North Carolina also will be homeported here.
The Navy revealed the Virginia-class submarine distribution information yesterday at an annual military update for the Hawai'i business community.
Capt. W. Scott Gureck, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Virginia-class submarines initially will be homeported in Groton, Conn., and at Pearl Harbor. At least four that are in active service have operated temporarily out of the East Coast.
The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, a 20-year planning roadmap for the military, called for 60 percent of attack submarines to be based in the Pacific and 40 percent in the Atlantic.
"The initial (Virginia-class) homeporting will indeed be at Groton and Pearl Harbor, but eventually they will be everywhere we currently have Los Angeles-class (subs)," Gureck said. "It's just from a parts standpoint and maintenance standpoint, you don't want to put a couple Virginias in all the locations. You want to put them where you have critical mass."
The overall number of attack submarines at Pearl Harbor — about 15 — will not change, Gureck said. The new Virginia class will replace existing Los Angeles-class submarines as the older class reaches the end of its lifespan, he said.
The Virginia-class arrival is good news for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, the state's largest industrial employer, with 4,200 civilian workers.
About 90 percent of the yard's work has been on the aging Los Angeles-class attack submarines, including maintenance as well as nuclear reactor refueling and defuelings.
More Shipyard jobs
Capt. Gregory Thomas, who commands the shipyard, yesterday said the switch to Virginia-class work "keeps us focused on what's been our principal product here for the past 10 years — which is submarines."
"It's a very smooth transition," Thomas said, adding that the workload should mean an increase to about 4,400 shipyard workers by 2013. The bulk of the work was non-reactor servicing, and that will continue with the Virginia subs, he said.
Northrop Grumman is producing the Virginia-class submarines in a teaming arrangement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. The Virginia class is ultimately expected to total 30 vessels.
Ten of the vessels have been delivered or were already under contract before a December award of a $14 billion contract for eight more of the submarines, according to Bloomberg News.
The contract calls for construction of one submarine in each of the years 2009 and 2010, and two per year from 2011 to 2013.
The submarines are 377 feet long and have a beam of 34 feet. They can operate at underwater speeds of more than 25 knots, dive more than 800 feet and stay submerged for up to three months at a time.
The submarines also are equipped with a lock-out chamber large enough for nine commandos, more than triple the capacity of older submarines.
Military and economy
About 270 business people attended yesterday's military update at the Hilton Hawaiian Village by all five of the U.S. armed forces, a larger turnout than usual for the annual meeting.
The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i. Charlie Ota, the chamber's vice president for military affairs, said the big turnout may be tied to business looking even more to the military for contracts in tough economic times.
The military "is a relatively stable source of revenue to the economy," Ota said.
The military, the No. 2 contributor to the state's economy behind tourism, has been in expansion mode in Hawai'i in recent years.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, said 10,500 soldiers and civilian workers have been added in Hawai'i.
Col. Wayne Shanks, a spokesman at the command, said that change has taken place since the late 1990s. Shanks said Schofield Barracks has about 20,000 soldiers and Fort Shafter has about 3,000.
Adm. Robert Willard, the four-star commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the keynote speaker at the chamber's luncheon following the military update, said Asia and the Pacific will remain central to U.S. interests.
He said he doesn't expect the commitment of operating forces to diminish, even with the current economy.
U.S. Pacific Command, headquartered at Camp Smith, covers half the globe and monitors five of the biggest militaries in the world: those of the People's Republic of China, India, Russia, North Korea and South Korea.
"There are certainly concerns that the budgets in the military will be affected by the current economic environment that we find ourselves in," Willard said.
But he added that he believes "the readiness monies that are invested in maintaining the fleet — and the forces that exist out here — will remain."
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090109/NEWS01/901090361/1001/localnewsfront
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India - The Forever Ships
January 10, 2009: India's sole aircraft carrier, the 29,000 ton INS Viraat, is in the midst of a 16 months visit to a shipyard, where it is getting maintenance and upgrades. The work will be interrupted briefly this year so that the Viraat can celebrate fifty years of service.
The Viraat began life in 1959 as the HMS Hermes, and served in the Royal Navy for 26 years. In 1986 the Hermes was purchased by India and recommissioned as INS Veraat. It underwent several upgrades until it got a major (21 month) refurbishment, that included electronics and engine improvements. The Veraat was to have been joined in 2010 by the refurbished Russian carrier, the 44,000 ton Gorshkov (as the INS Vikramaditya). Under this plan, the INS Viraat was to be retired in 2012, after 53 years service. But now the INS Viraat is getting its engine and hull refurbished, and its electronics upgraded, so that it can serve for up to ten years more. That would mean sixty years in service. Such long service is becoming more common for warships and combat aircraft (like the B-52, Tu-142 and P-3). This is all possible because of advances in engineering and equipment design over the past half century. There are now more reliable techniques and sensors for evaluating the condition of old ships and aircraft. There are new materials and equipment to replace the older stuff and keep the old warriors serving for decade after decade.
Meanwhile, India has agreed to pay more money, and wait longer, to complete the delayed refurbishment of the Russian aircraft carrier Gorshkov. The Russians not only demanded more money, but also admitted that a labor shortage would delay delivery until 2012. The Russians have also admitted that the project also suffers from shoddy workmanship. The new deal will cost $2.5 billion. This includes the purchase of the Gorshkov, and Russian shipyards performing repairs, modifications and upgrades. Another $800 milliom is to be spent on aircraft, weapons and equipment. Building a Gorshkov type carrier today would cost about $4 billion, and take several years more. India is building another carrier, from scratch, but that 37,000 ton vessel won't be ready until 2015.
The Admiral Gorshkov entered service in 1987, but was inactivated in 1996 (too expensive to operate on a post Cold War budget). The Indian deal was made in 2004, and the carrier was to be ready by 2008. But two years ago reports, began coming out of Russia that the shipyard doing the work, Sevmash, had seriously miscalculated the cost of the project. The revised costs were more like $1.1 billion for the $700 million refurb. The situation proceeded to get worse, with Sevmash reporting ever increasing costs to refurbish the carrier.
The Indians were not happy, and at first insisted that the Russian government (which owns many of the entities involved) make good on the original deal. India sent its own team of technical experts to Russia, and their report apparently confirmed what the Russians reported, about shipyard officials low-balling the cost of the work needed. This is a common tactic for firms building weapons for their own country. It gets more complicated when you try to pull that sort of thing on a foreign customer. The Russian government will cover some of the overrun cost. The Sevmash managers who negotiated the low bid are being prosecuted.
Once refurbished, the Gorshkov, renamed INS Vikramaditya, should be good for about 30 years of service. That's because, after the refit, 70 percent of the ships equipment will be new, and the rest refurbished.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htnavai/articles/20090110.aspx
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A400M Delays Creating Contract Controversies
11-Jan-2009 20:12 EST
Airbus’ A400M is a EUR 20 billion program that aimed to repeat Airbus’ civilian successes in the military market. A series of smart design decisions were made around capacity (35 tons, large enough for survivable armored vehicles), extensive use of modern materials, multi-role capability as a refueling tanker, and a multinational industrial program; all of which leave the aircraft well positioned to take overall market share from Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules. If the USA’s C-17 is allowed to go out of production, the A400M would also have a strong position in the strategic transport market, with only Russian IL-76 and AN-124 aircraft as competition. To date, orders have been placed by Germany (60), France (50), Spain (27), Britain (25), Turkey (10), South Africa (8), Belgium (7), Malaysia (4), Chile (3, to finalize), and Luxembourg (1).
Right now, the firm’s biggest issue is timing. In November 2007, “Airbus A400M Program Delayed 6-12 Months” covered ongoing issues with Airbus’ new military transport. Without no flying aircraft, and with a backlog of almost 200 planes, Airbus has already lost potential opportunities in Norway, Canada, and India; even as Lockheed Martin uses that time to solidify the MC/HC-130J variant’s position as a Special Operations aircraft. June 26/08 saw the first A400M aircraft rolled out at the final assembly line in Seville, Spain, but aircraft weight growth is being reported as a critical issue, testbed issues are slowing engine certification, and first flight has now been moved back again again from summer 2008 to some time in 2009.
The key milestone remains the beginning of deliveries, which has escalated into a significant contractual issue at Airbus. In September 2008, EADS CEO Louis Gallois has reportedly sent a letter to the governments of 7 countries who have ordered the A400M, asking them to waive the contract’s built-in penalties for late delivery. Their alternative was a freeze in production from Airbus. They chose not to change the existing agreement.
Those production delays have come to pass, and EADS has now submitted a proposal to OCCAR that would both revise the procurement agreement, and make some changes to the aircraft…
Gallois has been quoted as saying all expected profits from the initial 180 orders are already invested, adding that the A400M is “a heavy lossmaker” which is creating problems for EADS’ financial performance. He reportedly added in September 2008 that the present position could become “untenable” within months, unless a deal is agreed that “keeps everyone happy.” Based on reports in the French and German press, price escalation of around EUR 700 million for the total program could add cost renegotiation to the impending discussions, as well as the waiver of penalty clauses.
EADS is currently facing several major investment sinks. One is the ongoing effort to address issues with its A380 super-jumbo, which has cost the firm billions of euros. Another is the decision to develop the A350XWB as a major new technology project, after existing customers told Airbus that its plan for incremental improvements to existing designs would not be able to compete with Boeing’s 777. Then there’s the market for “single-aisle” airliners like Airbus’ A320 family, which makes up the bulk of Airbus’ orders. With Boeing working on a 737NG project to bring the next generation of aircraft to market in that class, Airbus must continue to invest billions of its own or face the prospect of a serious strategic setback.
The A400M’s issues leave the project flying directly into this financial storm. Project delays are already costly in that situation, and a November 2007 release from EADS reported a EUR 1.2 – 1.4 billion charge to earnings flow (up to $2 billion) as a result of the existing delay. Payment of significant penalty clauses on its first 180 aircraft would exacerbate that problem sharply, by slashing profitability on what could still turn out to be a majority of the A400M’s total lifetime orders.
With anticipated A400M profits already invested, every dollar of profitability slashed would have to be replaced with investment dollars, at a time when multiple investment projects are already straining Airbus’ capacity. All without any assurance that the A400M’s initial margin issues would be made up with enough subsequent orders at full rate to create an acceptable average return.
Worse, Airbus’ classic resort to government subsidies for investment dollars is constrained by a trade dispute with the USA over that exact issue, at a time when a $35 billion aerial tanker contract that Airbus now leads hangs in the balance.
To date, Germany is holding somewhat firm, saying that “financial concessions” should only be discussed upon receipt of the planes. Reactions have yet to become public from other customers, but even a deal that achieved relief from penalties in Germany, France, and Spain would cover 76% of the aircraft’s initial orders. Reports from London’s Financial Times, however, indicate that partner governments in France and the UK were consulted before Germany issued its refusal.
If so, the ball is now firmly in EADS’ court. A situation EADS appears to have accepted, as it kicks the project down field and looks for an opening.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/A400M-Delays-Creating-Contract-Controversies-05080/#more-5080
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Boeing Increases Capability Of On-Orbit US Navy Satellite
by Staff Writers
El Segundo CA (SPX) Jan 12, 2009
Boeing has reconfigured an on-orbit U.S. Navy satellite, adding 30 percent more communications capability. The satellite, the 11th in the Ultra-High Frequency Follow-On (UFO) series built by Boeing, was launched in 2003 and supports the Navy's global communications network, serving ships at sea and a variety of other U.S. military fixed and mobile terminals.
UFO 11 has the most sophisticated digital signal processor in the constellation. Its ability to reprogram existing user channels allowed Boeing to exploit small, unused portions of the allocated radio frequency spectrum to add 10 channels, for a total of 54.
"Given the extremely high demand for tactical communications in Southwest Asia, our Navy customer asked us to investigate ways to maximize the current capabilities of the UFO 11 spacecraft," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "After a series of careful analyses and rigorous testing, we found a way to achieve this goal at no additional cost to the customer.
"The military's need for communications bandwidth continues to rise," Cooning added. "Our unique combination of highly capable satellite hardware and experienced, highly skilled engineers allowed us to provide additional bandwidth that will directly support our men and women in uniform."
The satellite reconfiguration was accomplished in conjunction with U.S. Strategic Command, the Navy's Program Executive Office - Space Systems, and the Naval Satellite Operations Command.
Boeing received the UFO contract in July 1988. By November 1999, all options had been exercised and the company began production of UFO 11. The spacecraft features both ultra high-frequency and extremely high-frequency payloads, which provide protected communications. Boeing UFO satellites have provided the Navy with a total of more than 100 years of service to date.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Boeing_Increases_Capability_Of_On_Orbit_US_Navy_Satellite_999.html
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French Navy’s RIFAN IP Networking Moves to Phase 2
11-Jan-2009 15:58 EST
France’s RIFAN Operation stage 1 (Reseau IP de la Force AeroNavale) equipped 46 ships and 6 nuclear attack submarines with an IP-based, broadband networking capability. Over the next 5 years, the EUR 240 million RIFAN stage 2 phase aims to roll the full framework out to the entire fleet: 116 ships, helicopters, and naval patrol aircraft. It will also set up up key back-end management capabilities.
RIFAN is part of the French Marine’s overall Information and Combat System effort. It allows broadband information exchange between onboard business applications, is open to onboard staff information systems, and covers all levels of security from unclassified to NATO classified. The net effect is to create an intranet for the fleet. On the back end, RIFAN stage 2 will reportedly allow supervision and management for the complete network of ships and aircraft from land-based sites.
EADS will be the prime contractor for this phase, with assistance from Rohde & Schwarz (RIFAN’s frequency-hopping VHF/UHF radios), CS Communication et Systemes (RIFAN administration and supervision centre) and DCNS (installation studies and integration into warships).
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/
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Intelligence - The Luck Of The Chinese
January 12, 2009: China will buy (license) military technology when it can, but because China is a police state, and often acts like one even to outsiders, most Western military technology is unavailable for license. So China steals it, or buys it in secret. Often China will steal the technology even when it is available for sale. China has been doing this to Russia for decades, and was recently forced, by Russian threats of legal and diplomatic action, to sign an agreement promising to stop the technology theft. It won't, but the agreement will make it more costly for China when they get caught in the future and the Russian lawyers come after them.
China regularly plunders military technology wherever it can find it. South Africa is a recent target. For example, last year, China offered for export sale an air-to-air missile similar to the U.S. AIM-9X, and the South African A-Darter. The Chinese had tried to buy the A-Darter technology, and some serious negotiations ensued (during which Chinese engineers got a close look at the A-Darter), but the deal fell through in 2001. Now the Chinese are selling what appears to be a clone of the A-Darter. Coincidence? Not likely, if you take a look at the Chinese track record.
For example, China has been trying to develop a helicopter gunship; the Z10, for over a decade. Eight prototypes have been built so far. Despite the Western arms embargo on China since 1989 (because of the Tiananmen Square massacre), the Z10 is powered by a Canadian engine (two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67Cs). The Canadian firm says it sold the engines to China with the understanding that they were for a new civilian transport helicopter.
Development of the Z-10 began during the early 1990s. China approached helicopter gunship manufacturers in South Africa and Italy for technical assistance. The South Africans turned them down in 2001, because all the Chinese apparently wanted was to buy a single Rooivalk gunship. The manufacturer, Denel, refused, realizing that the Chinese, as they have so often done in the past, simply wanted to reverse engineer elements of the Rooivalk, without paying for any technology used. South African firms has since uncovered evidence of China stealing technology for South African missiles, electronics and artillery.
Pratt & Whitney Canada will not sell any more engines to China, which means that the Z-10 cannot enter mass production until China develops a suitable replacement for the PT6C-67C engine. That might take a few years, at least. Until recently, China refused to release any information about the Z-10, but for the last few years, there have been increasing rumors of Western firms secretly assisting in the gunship's development. The Z-10 appears to be similar to the Agusta/Westland A129, or the upgraded versions of the U.S. AH-1 (especially the AH-1 SuperCobra). The 4.6 ton A-129 was the first helicopter gunship designed and built in Western Europe, and was introduced in the 1980s. The Z10 appears to have a FLIR (night vision device), radar and is armed with a 23mm autocannon and hard points for up to eight missiles or a larger number of unguided rockets. The Z10 is a Western style gunship. The only gunships the Chinese had previously were Russian designs. But even the Russians have since adopted the Western style, as pioneered with the AH-1. China has been developing its own helicopter for several decades. First they used helicopters and technical assistance from Russia, but for the last two decades, most of the tech has come from Europe.
China is pretty blatant about its technology theft, especially when it comes to weapons. When accused, they deny everything. So far, that works. But as China tries to export more weapons containing purloined technology, they are finding themselves meeting more angry lawyers, than eager buyers.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20090112.aspx
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Strategic Weapons - Aegis All Over
January 12, 2009: The U.S. Navy has completed equipping 18 ships with the Aegis anti-missile system. One reason the navy recently cancelled its expensive new DDG-1000 class of destroyers was because these were built to support amphibious and coastal operations, and did not have a radar that could easily be converted to use SM-3 anti-missile missiles. The DDG-1000 also cost 2-3 times as much as current Aegis destroyers. With missile defense seen as a higher priority than providing new coastal combat capability, the DDG-1000 was killed, and money saved could be used to build more Aegis destroyers, and convert more current destroyers and cruisers to use SM-3.
With that in mind, the navy will convert three more Aegis ships to fire anti-missile missiles. Thus costs about $12 million a ship, mainly for new software and a few new hardware items. This is seen as a safe investment. The Aegis anti-missile system has had a success rate of over 80 percent, in knocking down incoming ballistic missile warheads during test firings. To achieve this, two similar models of the U.S. Navy Standard anti-aircraft missile are used, in addition to a modified version of the Aegis radar system, which can now track incoming ballistic missiles.
The RIM-161A, also known as the Standard Missile 3 (or SM-3), has a range of over 500 kilometers and max altitude of over 160 kilometers. The Standard 3 is based on the anti-missile version of the Standard 2 (SM-2 Block IV). This SM-2 missile turned out to be effective against ballistic missiles ballistic missile warheads that are closer to their target. One test saw a SM-2 Block IV missile destroy a warhead that was only 19 kilometers up. An SM-3 missile can destroy a warhead that is more than 200 kilometers up. But the SM-3 is only good for anti-missile work, while the SM-2 Block IV can be used against both ballistic missiles and aircraft. The SM-2 Block IV also costs less than half what an SM-3 costs.
The Standard 3 has four stages. The first two stages boost the interceptor out of the atmosphere. The third stage fires twice to boost the interceptor farther beyond the earth's atmosphere. Prior to each motor firing it takes a GPS reading to correct course for approaching the target. The fourth stage is the 20 pound LEAP kill vehicle, which uses infrared sensors to close on the target and ram it. The Aegis system was designed to operate aboard warships (cruisers and destroyers that have been equipped with the special software that enables the AEGIS radar system to detect and track incoming ballistic missiles). However, there is also a land based version that Israel is interested in buying.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/hticbm/articles/20090112.aspx
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Boeing-Insitu ScanEagle Completes 1500 Shipboard Sorties With US Navy
ScanEagle.
by Staff Writers
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jan 12, 2009
The ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS), a joint effort of Boeing and Insitu Inc., this week completed its 1,500th shipboard sortie in service with the U.S. Navy. ScanEagle has provided persistent, cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to the Navy since July 2005.
The Navy has used ScanEagle aboard a variety of ships - ranging from the destroyer USS Mahan to the amphibious vessel USS Whidbey Island - as well as on support ships and small combatant craft. In addition, ScanEagle serves with other U.S. forces and with international customers in various theaters around the world.
"We've learned lessons from our extensive ScanEagle operations that have helped us refine the system into a mature ISR asset that is safe, dependable and easy to operate for our sailors,"said Don Iverson, ScanEagle U.S. Navy program manager for Boeing. "These 1,500 safe shipboard recoveries, along with numerous operational reports from our customers, show that ScanEagle has established itself as a critical capability for naval operations around the world."
The long-endurance, fully autonomous ScanEagle UAS carries inertially stabilized electro-optical and infrared cameras that allow the operator to track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the platform provides persistent low-altitude ISR.
ScanEagle is launched autonomously from a pneumatic SuperWedge catapult launcher and flies either preprogrammed or operator-initiated missions. The Insitu-patented SkyHook system is used to retrieve the UAS, capturing it by way of a rope suspended from a 50-foot-high tower. The system makes ScanEagle runway-independent and minimizes its impact on shipboard operations, similar to a vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Boeing_Insitu_ScanEagle_Completes_1500_Shipboard_Sorties_With_US_Navy_999.html
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Russian battlecruiser to visit Cape
Written by defenceWeb editor Leon Engelbrecht and Cape correspondent Dean Wingrin
Monday, 12 January 2009
The Russian nuclear powered battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) will this afternoon dock in Table Bay harbour on its way from Venezuela to India, where it is scheduled to carry out exercises with that country’s navy.
The massive 26 000mt, 250m-long Project 1144.2 Orlan (Kirov-class) cruiser is accompanied by the Project 1155 Fregat (Udaloy-class) anti-submarinedestroyer, the Admiral Chabanenko and a supply ship, the Ivan Bolnov.
defenceWeb Cape Town correspondent Dean Wingrin reports the ship has been given permission by the National Nuclear Regulator to enter harbour. It was reported last week that such permission had been refused.
The task group is scheduled to sail on Wednesday. A navy spokesman says no joint exercises with the ships are currently scheduled.
The Pyotr Velikiy, flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet, based in the Arctic Circle, deployed to the Caribbean to conduct manoeuvres with the Venezuelan Navy in September, in what has been described as the first major Russian show of force in that sea since the end of the Cold War.
Moscow announced last week that six Russian ships will later this month exercise with the Indian Navy.
The US Federation of American Scientists fact file on the ship, commissioned in 1998, notes the class of four were originally designed as large antisubmarine warships “to search for and engage enemy ballistic missile submarines.”
Their role was subsequently expanded to engage large surface targets and provide air and antisubmarine protection to naval forces after the introduction of the 3M45/P700 Granit antiship missile system, known to NATO as the SS-N-19 Shipwreck.
The FAS says twenty Granit antiship missiles are installed under the upper deck, mounted at a 60 degree elevation. “The long-range missiles cannot be controlled once launched, but do have a multivariant target engagement program. When ripple-fired the missiles share information while in-flight. The lead missile assumes a high-level flight trajectory enabling it to increase its target acquisition capacity, while the other missiles follow at a lower level. If the lead missile is destroyed, one of the other missiles will automatically assume the lead role.”
Also aboard is a S-300F air defence missile complex with 12 launchers and 96 vertical launch air defence missiles. “The S-300F is capable of engaging both air and surface targets”.
The ship has two Osa-Ma double launchers and 40 air defence missiles.
Guns include a single turret with two AK-130 130mm multipurpose guns and eight AK-630 six-barrelled 30mm Gatling to engage airborne targets including sea skimming anti-ship missiles, small sea vessels, floating mines and light armoured land based targets.
The class also carries three Kamov Ka-27PL or Ka-25RT antisubmarine helicopters.
The ship's propulsion system is based on a combination of nuclear power and steam turbine, with two [four according to some sources] nuclear reactors and two auxiliary boilers, the FAS says.
The propulsion system provides a full speed of 31 knots.
The visit of the Pyotr Velikiy follows that of the US Teddy Roosevelt battle group in October.
http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=955&Itemid=363
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Insight: Is there a case for a South African coastguard?
Written by R Adm (JG) Theo Honiball (Ret)
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
The question is often asked whether South Africa should establish and maintain a coastguard, either as part of the SA Navy or separate. A subsidiary question is whether the Navy should crew the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism’s (DEAT) inshore and offshore patrol vessels. Retired R Adm (JG) Theo Honiball gives his view:
During peacetime, navies of the world often have difficulty justifying their existence and the high expenditure on expensive and sophisticated equipment, to the taxpayers.
General Magnus Malan often said during the Angolan war, that “die Vloot het geen bestaansreg nie” (the Navy has no right to exist/there is no justification for a Navy), which is why then Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ronald Edwards, who was a former marine, established the SAN’s marine corps in 1979 to have a presence on the Zambezi river during the border war.
So navies world-wide also tend to look for work in peace time. A navy’s primary function in peace time is to equip itself to meet a perceived or potential threat and then to train so that they will be able to use their equipment effectively when the threat manifests itself.
There is a minor complication though. A threat (foreseen or sometimes unexpected) can manifest itself overnight, whereas to equip and train to build a particular capability, could take years, an example being the submarine flotilla.
A Navy equips itself for its primary functions, and then produce a long list of secondary functions to justify its existence in peacetime, such as supporting other government departments (diplomatic missions for Foreign Affairs, otherwise known as cocktail parties in foreign ports!); search & rescue to support SAMSA, the SA Maritime Safety Authority; combating pollution to assist the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism (DEAT); high seas chases of ships engaged in illegal fishing to assist the DEAT’s Marine & Coastal Management (the Sea Fisheries of old), anti-piracy to support law enforcement. I am sure there are many more that one could add to that list.
The point is that all these peace time missions are “in support of” other government departments and not to take over their functions, which is why they are termed secondary roles or functions.
A question of hats
In time of conflict a navy’s mission focuses on its primary role and function. For the Navy to operate another government department’s vessels means that the Navy is not using its personnel correctly to train in peacetime for its primary function, which is to become an effective combat force.
The Navy’s inshore and offshore patrol vessels (IPVs and OPVs) are part of the steps of career advancement to enable naval personnel to gain experience to eventually graduate to the more sophisticated combat vessels; something akin to the Air Force’s “lead-in” trainer aircraft principle. One would expect that a captain of one of the Navy’s big ships would have previously had command of a smaller vessel.
The IPVs and OPVs allow younger officers and crew to gain a broad experience in ship-handling, watchkeeping, rescue, territorial patrol, intelligence gathering, interceptions, boarding parties, etc, and not to focus on the functions of one government department such as the DEAT.
If the DEAT cannot carry out its own responsibilities then the problem lies within that Department. The solution is not to ask the Navy to operate their ships - such as the Lilian Ngoyi (pictured) for them. DEAT management must identify its problems (correct budgeting, attractive service conditions, good management, effective planning, prioritising expenditure, and whatever else prevents them from carrying out their responsibilities). That should not be too difficult.
If the Navy’s IPVs and OPVs were variations of the same class of vessel as operated by the DEAT, then the Navy could assist with maintenance, repairs, refits, spares availability and training, but not to operate the DEAT’s ships on their behalf nor to do their work for them. Asking another department to do your work for you, is a “cop out” and abdication of responsibility.
Should SA have a coastguard?
If SA could afford to have a coast guard, and the bulk of the SA Navy’s missions were outside SA waters, then a separate coast guard could be a good idea - like the US Coast Guard. The US Navy (like most large Navies) spends most of its time in foreign waters, so somebody at home must carry out all those secondary functions.
But let’s not get delusions of grandeur!
We are very much a small country with a small budget and a small Navy. Other government departments and agencies that have maritime responsibilities (the SA Police Service, Department of Transport, Customs, Immigration, Health, Agriculture, port authorities, the DEAT) do their own work and are responsible to their own cabinet ministers.
The functions of a coast guard would have to be the responsibility of a single civilian government department.
Captain Jock Deacon did his PhD on the potential of having a “Minister of SA’s Maritime Territory”, on the basis that SA’s maritime territory/ies should be treated as another province of SA.
All the functions of a coastguard would then be on his turf and these non-military functions could all be consolidated into a coastguard.
The point being that it would be difficult to have a coastguard service if different government departments have different maritime responsibilities – who will be the overall co-ordinator and what authority will he have?
With a coastguard organisation, civilian government departments would delegate their functions to a single coastguard authority. Their functions would be numerous and varied. Inter-departmental jealousies and turf wars (such as that between the police and the “Scorpions”) would have to be overcome to have all maritime functions taken away from departments to be consolidated under one department.
The coastguard would enforce law and regulations, the Navy would remain as an armed military maritime (naval) force whose function remains to defend the integrity, interests and sovereignty of the state.
Should SA have a coastguard? No, because the SA Navy’s secondary function of assisting government departments in their duties is a more economical solution than having a coastguard. If the SA Navy had to become an international Navy with overseas responsibilities, then a coastguard would be an option to fill the vacuum left by a mostly absent Navy.
For what it is worth, I imagine that should we have a coastguard, the SA Navy would lose a lot of its personnel to the coast guard. I think that it would create more problems than it would solve.
http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=937&Itemid=363
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Spanish police seize four tonnes of cocaine, detain one
12 January 2009 | 14:07 | FOCUS News Agency
Madrid. Spanish authorities seized some four tonnes of cocaine in northwestern Spain on Monday and detained one person as part of their operation, police and customs agents said, cited by AFP.
The authorities moved in as a group was unloading the drugs from a speedboat on a beach between the towns of Aguino and Ribeira in Galicia, a rugged fishing region of isolated coves that is a key entry point for cocaine, they said.
When the group saw the authorities arrive they set fire to the boat and abandoned the cocaine but police managed to arrest one of their members who they said belongs to one of the most active trafficking groups in the region.
Spain, with its historical and linguistic ties to South America, is Europe's main entry point for cocaine from the continent, especially from Colombia, the world's top producer of the drug.
Spanish customs agents seized 21.8 tonnes of cocaine in 2008, according to provisional figures, down from 25 tonnes in the previous year.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n166837
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Regards
Snooper
NNNN
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