Please Note
Wednesday ……. Half the week gone !!!
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 !!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Passage Update - Mom
Hello All!
Zac's mom, Marianne, here.
Sorry for the delay in posting. Laurence is off to LAX and expects to be in Cape Town on Thursday afternoon. He'll be visiting his step mother at London Heathrow during his 6 hour layover. Pretty cool! A big thank you to John Gezelius for donating his frequent flyer miles to get Laurence there.
Zac called this morning to check in. Daveh is correct about the wind. He had between 20-25 knots directly behind him. Unfortunately, the swells have been big, sharp and on the aft quarter making his ride pretty wild. The swells push Intrepid off course and cause the sails to backwind and then causing everything to slam around until Intrepid steadies herself. There is some delay while the wind vane steering corrects which is awkward. Zac was definitely not a happy guy as several times during our conversation he was thrown across the boat. He was tired from his previous night's lack of sleep. There are a huge number of ships all around including one cruise ship that decided to use him for entertainment for the passengers and came within 1/2 of a mile from him while they spoke on the radio!
After considering all the factors surrounding his passage, he has decided to head into Mossel Bay rather than push on towards Cape Town in one shot. Though, the worst of a south westerly wind should pass to the east of him, there is still enough of a south west wind to make him pretty uncomfortable. He'll slip in to Mossel Bay, rest up and head out when the low pressure system passes through.
I couldn't quite understand what Zac said about what the other 2 boats had decided to do. Our connection was poor this morning.
To say I'll be glad when everyone is in Cape Town is an understatement. I think we will all celebrate when the boys arrive!
I'll update again tonight when Zac should have arrived in Mossel Bay.
Cheers,
Marianne
posted by Zac at 3:59 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.
Roaring Forties, Here We Come - 21 01 09
It's been a testing day on board Totallymoney.com. The wind has picked up as I approach the roaring forties and the real Southern Ocean stuff. Last night I just couldn't get any sleep with the sailset I had up, full main and Genoa.
Totallymoney.com loved the high winds to bits but I knew we were sailing ever closer to the limit. I decided to change down from the Genoa to the Solent and it made all the difference. The speed dropped from 13-14knots to 11-12knots, which was a heck of a lot more comfortable.
A horrible groaning noise has been coming from one the rudder shafts; it’s been moving around in the top bearing, only very slightly with about 2mm of movement. I've asked the shore team for some advice as to do what to do about this. One of the last things I want to do is to push into the Southern Ocean without total confidence in the steering system.
Today the wind has steadily increased, rising to 32knots at times and Totallymoney.com was shooting over the ocean like a surfboard. Every so often a large wave would pick us up and prime us, and we’d pause, sat at the top for a moment; it’s a bit like looking down a giant, very steep slide, knowing the stomach-lifting feeling that's about to come. As we started the descent the speed picks up to 12,13,14knots...
Then comes the flurry of spray as the bow lifts into the air above the water and we really come alive, shooting down the wave at 15,16,17knots, just to slow-up as we plough into the trough and here comes the next wave, ready to do it all again...
This evening I decided to reef down in the main, this would give me more confidence of getting a fairly restful night. However unlike yesterday night, when the change of sails was easy, this time it was a real struggle. As I eased off the main halyard two of the lashings on the cars holding the main fast against the mast decided to part with the sail. This is the second time this has happened so I may have to have a think about changing all the lashings... As this part of the mainsail came away from the mast it created a big loose section in the sail and it was this that with the help of the batterns decided to catch itself on my lower spreader. This is such a pain as it is really difficult to ‘uncatch’. Eventually, after two hours work, playing with all the reefing lines, bringing the boat upwind twice and moving the sail around in every way possible, it freed itself.
Exhausted, I finally stepped inside to the shelter of the cabin – took a moment to realise just how dripping, tired and totally drenched I was and decided it was definitely time for a total change of clothes. The feeling of being in a clean set of clothes is just fantastic and I'm sitting here typing this still "ohhing" and "ahhing" at their softness.
Tonight the wind should start to drop off a little more as this front passes over and carries on east so hopefully I’ll have a fairly relaxed night.
Nodding Dogs and Little Islands - 20 01 09
Last night, just before I went for a short sleep, I decided to furl away the genneker and open up the Genoa. The wind was set to increase and, sure enough it did. Within a couple of hours it had risen by ten knots.
I was dead chuffed I’d put it away when I did –putting it away in ten knots more wind would have been a lot harder, and the risk of damage to the sail much higher. It's always much, much better to be on the safe side, as I don't want to cause any damage, it's a long way around the world!
For the first time in a long while I’ve been wearing my oilies! I think I better get used to them now, as I drop further and further south.
After a quick lunch of sausage casserole I started on a major re-organising session inside the cabin. It's amazing how quickly everything can turn into such a mess. I took everything off one of the bunks – my personal stuff including books, spares, camera equipment, etc. After a big re-shuffle it took up about two thirds of the space that it did before, which made me smile.
Everything is stored in special plastic boxes, partly to keep things tidy but also because they are wedged in really well and won't come lose even if Totallymoney.com would be knocked on her side.
On the other side of the boat, where the other bunk is, is where I keep all my tools in a giant tool bag; these include a sail repair kit, shoes, batteries and clothes. All my clothes are stored in dry bags so that there is no chance of them getting wet whatsoever - that would be very bad news!
After the tidy up I put a couple of my Christmas presents to good use. One of them is sitting on the edge of the chart table now. It's a nodding dog! He also works as a barometer – when he nods a lot, I know it’s windy and rough outside! Currently he's just having a little wobble about so it can't be too bad at the moment.
One of my other presents was a small ‘island’. All that’s needed is a little water and apparently it grows and grows over three days. I've started today so let's see how big an island I can grow inside the cabin! I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d spend some of my round-the-world trip attempting to grow an island but hey, here goes.
Visit : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/
Blog : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/?cat=5
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Piracy Insurance: how are these numerous hostage situations affecting UK insurance?
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Despite the hundreds of articles crossing our desk regarding piracy problems and the insurers having to pay out ransom money, we have never reported on it as we failed to see how it would impact UK insurance buyers. After a further hundred or so piracy news bulletins shot past our eyes we've caved to curiosity. Last year alone there was a 300% increase in attempted or actual attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, with no less than 17 ships and around 300 crewmembers being held to ransom as of December 2008.
The seizure of the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, carrying approximately $100 million worth of oil, made headline news around the world, with Lloyds of London saying hull, cargo and crew premiums would all need to be re-assessed as a result. Media reports estimate that ship owners have already paid around $20 million in ransoms to pirates, substantially pushing up the cost of claims.
Debate has already erupted in the marine insurance world over who will bear the brunt of the losses. QC Jonathan Gilman has warned that the attacks could lead to a legal dispute between marine and war risk insurers. The clash is likely to centre on whether an attack is legally classified as a "riot", in which case it would be covered by war risk rather than marine insurers.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has suggested posting armed guards onboard ships, but a leading maritime lawyer told the BBC that this would be impractical. If insurers could prove that a piracy incident involved the "unlawful use of weapons at sea" by shippers they would be unlikely to pay up for any damage or loss to the ship or its cargo.
So what difference will it make to you and me? Theoretically, any substantial underwriting losses insurers bear in one area could be offset by raising premiums very slightly in others. This is sometimes easy (if unfair), since the small increases are not so noticeable -- perhaps a £0.001 rise in life insurance policies, for instance, because of losses in other insurance sectors. This is how, again at least in risk management theory, piracy in the South China Sea could lead to higher pet insurance premiums in the UK. Our research found no evidence of this, though we concede that the proprietary pricing models insurers use can set premiums so finely across sectors that we'd need full access (unlikely!) to their in-house databases to be absolutely sure.
Of course the most direct way to offset losses is to raise premiums in the covered sector bearing responsible for those losses. This appears to be in fact what is happening. According to a report in The Times, by December last year shipping premiums had risen more than tenfold as a result of piracy.
The problem for average Britons, though, is these companies shipping goods could in turn pass on costs to consumers. This would mean that piracy in Southeast Asia or East Africa could lead to higher food or petrol costs here. In a period of generally rising prices, this is also easier to do, since the price rise would be "hidden" within general inflation.
However, even a casual look at recession-driven prices today show falling prices across a range of goods.
The next area most likely to have been affected was travel insurance, because of the risk of pirates seizing one of the many cruise ships that ply pirate-infested waters around Southeast Asia or East Africa. These are ships literally bulging with affluent Western tourists and pricey shipboard electronics; as such they have naturally attracted the attention of the pirates.
Indeed, some believe it is only a matter of time before a cruise ship is seized. In December, the American luxury cruise liner MS Nautica was attacked by pirates. Luckily the ship, carrying 684 passengers and almost 400 crewmembers, was able to escape to safer waters. Although unsuccessful, the attack has raised the possibility of higher insurance premiums for cruise ships.
Despite this, insurers have moved quickly to reassure their policyholders that there will be no rise in travel insurance because of piracy: Sally Leeman of Norwich Union said the insurer has no plans to up the cost of travel insurance for people going on cruises, in spite of the increase in piracy. And the AA's Ian Crowder said he expected some cruise companies to simply re-route their vessels to steer clear of pirate-infested waters.
He also pointed out that while travel insurance would not cover ransom payments, it would protect against other costs such as medical expenses and repatriation if a passenger were to be injured or suffer a heart attack when taken hostage ... we would recommend checking the small print on this with other insurers as "riot" and "war" clauses abound.
So, other than not being able to cruise off the coast of Somalia in the coming months - how will this spate of piracy affect Brits? Not a whole lot it seems.
Source: NoClaimsDiscount
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32745&Itemid=79
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Shipping insolvencies threat grows in wake of defaults
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
There are fears of a wave of insolvencies in dry bulk shipping after the failure of many miners and ship operators to meet their financial obligations left creditor shipping companies short of hundreds of millions of dollars. The defaults result both from collapsing demand for iron ore, coal and other goods carried in dry bulk ships and the collapse in the rates such vessels can earn. The knock-on effects are expected to fall particularly heavily on the many Asian shipping companies exposed to the riskiest contracts but with low cash reserves.
Michael Bodouroglou, chief executive of New York-listed Paragon Shipping, said he had anticipated last year when ships' earnings started to fall that a few initial defaults would have a domino effect, creating others.
"This is starting to happen, slowly but steadily," he said. "In my view, the first quarter of 2009 will be a quarter where many defaults will take place."
Guy Campbell, managing director of dry cargo at London-based Clarkson shipbrokers, said a major factor in the defaults was slowing production at steel mills, which account for half the demand for dry bulk goods. That was leading to outright defaults by miners on shipping contracts and renegotiations.
"Because their iron ore imports have been reduced, the steel mills have had to turn round to their shippers and ship operators and say that they can't carry this iron ore," Mr Campbell said.
The highest-profile case has been Fortescue Metals, an Australian iron ore producer, which in December scrapped 10 contracts that guaranteed ship operators specified cargo volumes over a set period at a fixed price.
In court papers, Armada Singapore, a ship operator which sought protection from its creditors earlier this month, claimed Fortescue had defaulted on $81m of obligations to it alone. It also claims Ashapura, an Indian miner, defaulted on $58m payments.
Some ship operators have defaulted following the 92.5 per cent fall since last May in the average fees ships can earn. Many chartered ships for the long-term at the high rates prevailing before the rate collapse, hoping to charter them to other users for still more. Many now earn too little and have insufficient cash to meet their obligations.
Further problems are being created by the effects of earlier defaults. Armada's court filings list claim Glory Wealth Shipping, a Singapore-based dry bulk operator, defaulted on $11m of payments to it. Two now insolvent ship operators - Copenhagen-based Atlas Shipping and London-based Britannia Bulk - defaulted on payments of $10m and $6m respectively, according to the documents.
A list of Armada's creditors says it owes $113m to Transfield, a Hong Kong shipping company, $95.5m to Japan's K Line and $73m to Pacific Bulk Shipping.
Source: Financial Times Ltd
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32748&Itemid=79
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"Opportunity still knocks for shipping," says accountant
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
UK-based shipping accountant Moore Stephens says that, despite the current economic downturn, shipping is still a good business to be in, and that resourceful investors will find opportunities to expand, or to get back into shipping, over the next twelve months. Julian Wilkinson, head of the Moore Stephens shipping team, says, “Shipping enters 2009 with at least one certainty – the good times are over for now. The easy money has dried up, the old ships have been scrapped or are laid up and there are no prospects of markets going up any time soon. But, in a cyclical industry, sensible players make money whichever way the market moves. For many people in shipping, a sharp downturn in freight rates and ship values is the sound of opportunity knocking, rather than the prospect of a knockout.”
Writing in the firm’s Bottom Line newsletter, Mr Wilkinson explains, “Newbuilding order cancellations are growing quickly, so it is certain that some shipyards will never be built, and others will take a hit. Even the major yards are struggling with finance, and smaller yards trying to get into the market cannot secure guarantee finance. So although steel prices are falling, energy prices are falling, wage expectations are falling and interest rates are falling, it looks like a tough time for shipbuilders in general. The exception will be the major groups and yards in niche areas such as cruise ships, LNG and more complex vessels, which will emerge from the trough having seen lower cost competition die before it could grow.”
“Shipping banks are short of cash to lend and that doesn’t seem likely to change. Although shipping is still a solid big-ticket business, many banks that came into shipping in rosier times will not relish the workouts they will face in 2009, and will walk away. So we can expect to see fewer banks in shipping, lending more carefully, at higher margins and for shorter tenors. Shipowners who have been around for a while will recognise this as a good thing, especially as higher margins will be offset by lower interest rates as interbank rates come more into line with central bank rates.”
He continues: “Every sector will find cashflow a problem. Every sector will struggle with ship valuations and loan covenants. And, inevitably, there will be casualties. But look again and you can see why there is still considerable optimism amongst owners. The lower markets should rein in spiralling crew costs. Scrapping of old tonnage is increasing and will increase faster as the year progresses. And owners have made a lot of money in the last few years, so they are sitting on a lot of equity. Interest rates everywhere have plummeted. Put companies and newbuilding orders in trouble together in the same room as an owner with equity and access to low-rate finance and you see assets moving from an over- exposed and perhaps inefficient owner to a more prudent, solid operator.” “Yes,” concedes Mr Wilkinson, “2009 will be a rough ride for everyone. But those who watch their cashflow and who have not over-extended themselves in the boom, or who sold out before the peak (and there were a lot who did) will see this as a chance to expand, or to buy back into shipping. Whatever is happening in the world, shipping is still a good business to be in.”
Source: Maritime Global Net
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32750&Itemid=79
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Morgan Stanley Said to Cancel Tanker for Oil Storage
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Morgan Stanley scrapped a deal to hire a supertanker for storing crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico, two people familiar with the situation said. Traders for the bank canceled the booking today, the people said, declining to say why or be identified because the information is private. Bookings need to meet various conditions before they are binding. Carlos Melville, a London-based spokesman for Morgan Stanley, declined to comment. Banks and commodity traders are seeking new ways to make money after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell by the most since 1937 last year and crude oil prices dropped more than $100 a barrel from their peak. Companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Koch Industries Inc. and BP Plc are keeping enough crude at sea to supply the world for almost a day.
Frontline Ltd., the world’s biggest owner of supertankers, said Jan. 14 about 80 million barrels of crude oil are being stored in tankers, the most in 20 years.
Morgan Stanley had earlier agreed to pay $68,000 a day to rent the 2 million-barrel carrier Argenta, according to reports from Athens-based Optima Shipbrokers and Paris-based Barry Rogliano Salles. That works out at $1.02 a barrel a month for a 2 million-barrel consignment.
Benchmark U.S. oil futures are trading at an average of about $3.59 more than the previous month between February and June. For Brent, a benchmark European grade, the difference between the March contract and that for June averages about $1.64 a barrel a month.
The so-called contango pricing structure in oil has been caused by excess supply as demand slows and speculation that output cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will reduce the glut later this year.
Phibro LLC, Citigroup’s commodities trading unit, has the 1 million-barrel carrier Ice Transporter stationed off north Scotland. Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, booked at least two supertankers.
Source: Alaric Nightingale, Bloomberg
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32815&Itemid=79
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Recession hits trade at Southampton container terminal
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Container volumes at Southampton docks have plummeted ten per cent thanks to the global recession, the Daily Echo understands. Although the container terminal operator DP World does not release figures for its Southampton operation, port insiders have revealed the steep drop off - equivalent to around 200,000 containers. It brings an abrupt end to years of rapid growth at the facility, the UK’s second biggest container port.
A succession of well-known high street names collapsing because of the recession is also expected to hit the container port, recently renamed Dubai Ports World Southampton, in 2009.
Responsible for 50 per cent of the UK’s trade with the Far East, Southampton has been hard hit by the slowdown in global trade, with the trade between Asia and Europe estimated to be at a 15-year low by Drewry’s ship consultancy in London.
A senior port figure, who did not want to be named, said: “Container business is down ten per cent in 2008 compared with 2007 and all the forecasts are that there will be a further decrease in volumes from Asia to Europe in 2009. It is not a pretty picture.”
No one was available from DP World to comment.
The shrinking of its business is also likely to be a blow to major expansion plans, which envisaged the container port swallowing ten acres of land previously used by vehicle exporters and creating a new berth capable of handling the very biggest ships. It was designed to increase capacity to 3.7 million containers from the current capacity of around 1.8 million.
One of the city’s biggest employers with about 1,000 staff, the container terminal was launched as a jointly owned project, with port owner ABP having 49 per cent and P&O owning 51 per cent. The historic shipping name was then bought by Dubai based DP World for £3.3 billion in 2006.
All other areas of the docks’ core business are also experiencing steep declines, particularly vehicle handling, which has seen a slump of 30 per cent – equivalent to a quarter of a million cars.
Such are the difficulties of the car trade, motor giant Honda is renting 20 acres of docks land just to park unwanted cars.
Meanwhile, unwanted ships, idle because of the slump in world trade, are also providing a welcome boost, with four iron ore bulk carriers paying to moor in the docks and more expected.
Port director Doug Morrison pointed to record levels of investment in the docks and said the city would eventually reap the benefit.
He said: “ For all the years of the booming economy we were riding high on the back of it and I have no doubt that when the recession comes to an end we will be in a great position.”
Source: Hampshire Chronicle
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32828&Itemid=79
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TIMBER 'SLICK' IN CHANNEL AS GALES CRASH IN
Tuesday January 20 2009 byPenny Stretton
The ship's depleted cargo after storms blew 1,500 tonnes of timber off deck
SEVERE storms blew 1,500 tons of timber off the deck of a cargo ship –yesterday as forecasters warned of more dire weather to come.
The Russian-registered carrier Sinegorsk was caught in rough waters in the English Channel as gales reached force 10 the early morning.
The wood flew off the back of the vessel 14 miles off the coast of Newhaven, East Sussex, as crew members struggled to control the ship.
The Coastguard said the wood “slick” was likely to wash up on the south coast.
The incident happened as forecasters warned that Britain is in for more “wet and windy weather” this week, with a big storm coming on Thursday.
Met Office forecaster Barry Grommet said: “Tuesday will be very showery, especially in western areas.
“Heavy rain will again hit England on Wednesday, mostly through central areas, but the west of Scotland will also be in for a downpour.
On Thursday there is a big storm coming in from the Atlantic, with severe gales following on from heavy rain on Wednesday night.
“Winds of 80mph will continue through Thursday, with the worst-hit areas being North-east England and Northern Ireland.
“On Friday winds will be strongest in the South, and there will be rain for the whole of the UK and even some snow in Scotland. Temperatures will be colder than average, with Wednesday about 3C (37.4F) in the North and 5C (41F) in the South.”
An RAF Hercules aircraft was called in to carry premature twins from Stornoway, in the Western Isles, to hospital in Glasgow yesterday after conditions were deemed too dangerous for an air ambulance to fly.
The babies, who were born 13 weeks early, were said to be in a stable condition last night.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/80823/Timber-slick-in-Channel-as-gales-crash-in
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China Fears Containment As Defence Spending Rises
China`s security has been improving as its economy grows and the PLA embraces modernisation, the defence `white paper` said.
China fears containment abroad and separatist groups at home, a defence policy paper said on Tuesday, justifying a drive to increase military spending and push the People's Liberation Army into the high-tech era.
China's security has been improving as its economy grows and the PLA embraces modernisation, the defence "white paper" said, but pro-independence forces in Taiwan, Tibet and the energy-rich western region of Xinjiang still "pose threats to China's unity and security".
"On this issue, there can be no compromise and no concessions," Defence Ministry chief spokesman Hu Changming said at a news conference to launch the document.
China has pointed to its recent deployment of navy ships to police pirate-troubled seas off Africa as a sign of benign military intentions. Analysts say the mission shows a rising but cautious power's desire to project its growing global influence without alarming neighbours.
But China's increased spending on arms has been criticised as opaque by other countries, including the United States and Japan.
Beijing says its defence budget is purely for defensive purposes and is quite open, and it notes its budget is much smaller than the Pentagon's. Experts estimate China's true defence spending could be as much as triple the stated figure.
"China is faced with the superiority of developed countries economically, scientifically and technologically, as well as militarily," the 95-page white paper said.
"It also faces strategic manoeuvres and containment from the outside while having to face disruption and sabotage by separatist and hostile forces from the inside."
China has long feared being surrounded by hostile forces on its extensive borders, whether by Russia in the north and west, India to the southwest or allies of the United States in the east, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
The U.S. Defense Department budget for fiscal 2009 is $515 billion, a 7.5 percent rise on the previous year. That number does not include separate multi-billion dollar outlays for Iraq and Afghanistan and some spending on nuclear weapons.
China's defence budget for 2009 has not been released. In 2008, the government said it would spend 418 billion yuan ($61 billion) on defence, up 17.6 percent on 2007.
A PLA officer said more development was needed.
"Our military's general levels of armaments have made big strides," Fan Jianjun of the PLA armaments department told the news conference.
"But there's still quite a large gap with the levels of the world's developed countries, and we still cannot fully adjust to the needs of protecting national security and unity and better fulfilling our international duties."
While it said relations with Taiwan had "taken a significantly positive turn", the paper denounced U.S. arms sales to the island as "causing serious harm to Sino-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait".
Hu said China and Taiwan had "entered a period of peaceful development" and called for improved military ties with the United States under Barack Obama. But he deflected a question on whether China had reduced the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan.
"Our country's military deployments are based on national security interests, the imperatives of our fundamental interests as a nation and our core national interests," Hu said.
China and Taiwan have faced off since 1949, when Nationalist forces fled to the island after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists, although ties have improved considerably since Ma Ying-jeou became Taiwan president last year.
"So many missiles are unnecessary," said Chang Jung-kung, China affairs director with Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party. "I think they're serious (about missile removal). I believe they are doing this."
Media on the island said on Monday the military was considering cutting its troop strength by as much as a third as ties improve. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said on Tuesday the "case is still being studied".
China said its military modernisation would focus on upgrading technology to maintain a "lean and effective deterrent force", a programme it saw being more or less finished by the middle of the century.
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=226047
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India to buy balloon-mounted radars from Israel
12:13
20/ 01/ 2009
NEW DELHI, January 20 (RIA Novosti) -- The Indian Navy is to buy two airborne radars from Israel to fill vital gaps in the country's coastal security system, a national daily reported on Tuesday.
According to the Indian Express, this is the first time the Navy will operate the balloon-mounted air defense radars that have a detection range of over 500 km and can track low-flying aircraft.
The Navy will shortly sign a deal to acquire from Israel two EL/M-2083 Aerostat radars, which are already in service with the air force. "While the acquisition was on the Navy's shopping list for a long time, it was accelerated by the government after the November terrorist attack in Mumbai," the paper said.
The new radars, mounted on a hot-air balloon secured to the ground, will improve the Navy's ability to detect enemy aircraft by providing 3-D coverage over a radius of 500 km.
"The biggest advantage of an Aerostat radar is that it is not fixed and can be moved to any location on the basis of the current threat perception. It will give us the flexibility to deploy it on a need basis," a senior naval officer said.
The IAF currently operates two Aerostat radars and has ordered four more from Israel to boost air defense cover.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20090120/119710825.html
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India: Ports fall short of target
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Figures released recently by the Indian Ports Association show that in the first nine months of the current fiscal, traffic growth in the country’s major ports was 3.43 per cent, at 391.8 million tonnes (mt), compared to 378.8 mt in the same period last fiscal. However, the shortfall from the target of 426.3 mt was 8.10 per cent. Except Ennore and Kandla, no other ports achieved the targets set for them for the period, the extent of shortfall ranging from more than 15 per cent (Haldia and Paradip) to less than 1 per cent (Visakhapatnam). An interesting feature is that with a 9.63 per cent growth in traffic, at 44.1 mt during the period under review, Jawaharlal Nehru port (JNPT) climbed to third position, displacing Chennai.
The total traffic handled by major ports in the last quarter (October-December 2008) was 130 mt, compared to 134.6 mt in the same period last year - a drop of 3.42 per cent.
In fact, the iron ore traffic during the period, at 23.5 mt (24.5 mt) recorded a drop of more than 4 per cent. On the east coast, Visakhapatnam and Chennai ports experienced a sharp drop in iron ore throughput - Visakhapatnam 36 per cent at 3.2 mt (5 mt) and Chennai 37 per cent at 1.6 mt (2.5 mt).
Paradip, however, was an exception. At a throughput of 3.2 mt (2.9 mt), the growth in Paradip was more than 12 per cent. In fact, if we consider the total traffic handled by these three ports during the last quarter of 2008, we will find that except Paradip, the two other ports, namely, Chennai and Visakhapatnam, posted a negative growth - Visakhapatnam 12.4 per cent and Chennai 11.9 per cent. Paradip posted a positive growth, a meagre 0.5 per cent at 10.9 mt (10.8 mt).
On the west coast, Kandla posted 4.95 per cent growth at 17.8 mt (17 mt) during the quarter under review and retained the number one position but two other major ports, namely, Mumbai and JNPT, posted negative growth - Mumbai 17.73 per cent at 12.3 mt (15 mt) and JNPT 4.17 per cent at 13.757 mt (14.3 mt).
Box traffic
The container throughput during the nine-month period ended December 2008 at 51,40,000 TEUs showed a drop of more than 8 per cent from the target and a growth of about 5 per cent over the same period of last year.
However, in the October-December quarter 2008, the container throughput at 15,85,000 TEUs registered a decline of 4.75 per cent as compared to the throughput of 16,64,000 TEUs handled in the same period of the previous year. In fact, the country’s biggest container handling port JNPT posted a negative growth in container throughput during the quarter under review - 9,55,000 TEUs (10,31,000 TEUs).
Till recently, the ports were operating at 90 per cent capacity utilisation (as against the world average of 70 per cent) due to stagnant capacity which, in turn, lowered inefficiency.
Boost efficiency
The port traffic in the country has nearly doubled since 2000-01 (281.mt) but there has been no commensurate increase in port capacity. As a result, Indian ports are low on efficiency. According to one estimate, the time taken for clearing import cargo and shipping export cargo in Indian ports is 21 days and 19 days, respectively.
To tackle the capacity constraint, 76 berth construction projects are proposed to be taken up under the National Maritime Development Programme, to be implemented by 2011-12.
But does the solution lie in creating more berths? Perhaps not. While the construction of a berth will require an estimated Rs 50 crore on an average, the infrastructure needed to support the berth will cost many times more.
What is, therefore, needed is more efficient utilisation of existing berths. For stepping up infrastructure support, improving connectivity to the hinterland is critical.
According to one estimate, in terms of railway costs, Indian shippers incur 7.9 cents per km, compared to 2 cents in Canadian railways. The beyond-port logistics is plagued by poor planning and infrastructure which, in turn, clogs the ports.
Scrapping antiquated equipment and installing new, state-of-the art equipment too is important. Improving the draft should receive greater attention.
Fortunately, the NMDP also provides for projects for channel deepening, equipment acquisition and development of connectivity. How many of them will be actually implemented during the stipulated period is, of course, another matter.
Source: The Hindu Business Line
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32829&Itemid=79
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Warships and weather hamper Somali pirates
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
The floating corpses with their bedraggled bounties of dollar bundles were a chilling symbol to the pirates and a grim victory of sorts for shippers. The five drowned hijackers washed up off central Somalia this month, pockets stuffed with cash, after capsizing when they took their share of a $3 million ransom for a Saudi tanker. Despite such perils, Somali pirates who enjoyed an unprecedentedly prosperous 2008 are eager to repeat their success this year, but an array of warships from 14 nations is starting to make that more difficult.
"It is still too early to talk of a definite trend, but there has been a reduction in the frequency of hijackings and that is a good sign. We attribute it largely to the naval activity," International Maritime Bureau director Pottengal Mukundan told Reuters.
"The attacks are still happening, however, so we need the naval forces to commit for a long time."
Pirates have hijacked only two ships this year, a fall in frequency from the second half of 2008 when piracy soared.
A record 42 boats were seized off Somalia throughout last year, with a total 815 crew members taken hostage, according to figures from the IMB, a shipping watchdog.
After a string of negotiated releases in recent days, 11 ships are still held with 207 hostages, the IMB says. Most boats are at a pirate's haven and coastal village called Eyl.
Last year's upsurge in piracy -- including the high-profile seizures of the Saudi supertanker with $100 million of oil, and a still-held Ukrainian ship with 33 tanks on board -- prompted an unprecedented response from foreign navies.
FIRST FOR CHINA
Eager to safeguard some of the world's most important shipping lanes, the United States, various European nations, Russia, India and even China have sent ships to the area.
Beijing's deployment of three ships is a first for a navy that has long confined itself to its own waters.
Japan, too, is considering sending ships, though that could prove tricky given its military activities overseas are tightly restricted by a post-World War Two pacifist constitution.
Exact numbers and positions of ships are not known for security reasons. But shipping sources estimate about 20 warships, mostly congregated in the Gulf of Aden, the gateway to the Suez Canal where trade between Europe and Asia flows.
Despite the relatively low number of successful hijackings, there were still 11 attacks in the first half of January, showing the pirates are far from overawed.
"Some of our friends were drowned because of the terrible weather, but we hope the weather will be fine soon and we shall carry out our activities as usual," said one undeterred pirate, Mohamed, from Haradheere near where the Saudi ship was held.
Pirates in Somalia have readily told Reuters they are simply adapting to the new circumstances by tracking the warships closely -- with expensive GPS tracking devices bought from ransom money -- or just moving further afield.
Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenyan-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said one of the attacks this year had been as far away as Madagascar, way south of Somali waters.
The pirates have also strayed several times into Kenyan waters, spooking shippers at Mombasa port. But there have been a string of successes for the navies, too, including last week when a Russian warship foiled an attack on a Dutch container.
Mohamed, the pirate in Haradheere, said the apparent lull in hijackings was because the gangs were taking a breather to assess the new circumstances at sea.
"Most of us are resting while a few go to sea to survey," he said. We are neither afraid of warships nor getting reduced in number. We were six companies before, and now we are nine companies of pirates in Central region alone."
The shipping industry has certainly not yet factored in an end to Somali piracy. Insurance premiums, which shot up last year for cargo going past Somalia, are not yet coming down.
And none of the firms who announced they would prefer to absorb the extra cost and time of going round South Africa than risk running the Somali gauntlet have said they are going back.
And there is one thing pirates, shippers and all analysts are agreed on: the problem will never be fully eradicated until peace comes to Somalia, one of the world's most failed states.
Eurasia Group think-tank analyst, Philippe de Pontet, contrasted the progress offshore with the continued chaos onshore, where Islamist insurgents are battling both among themselves and against the weak Somali government.
"Growing international naval efforts ... are likely to have a dampening impact on the scale and frequency of Somali pirate attacks in the most heavily-patrolled shipping lanes of the Gulf," he said in a paper on piracy.
But "this will not eradicate the threat, which feeds off Somalia's turmoil." Far away from such analysis by de Pontet in Washington, a pirate boss in north Somalia agreed.
"Piracy will not stop unless we get government," said Yassin Dheere, fingering an AK-47 as he described the "incalculable" wealth he had obtained since becoming a pirate in 2003.
Source: Reuters
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32833&Itemid=79
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VESSEL FOR SALE
[1/19/2009]
MV IRAN NABUVAT AS DESCRIBED BELOW ,WILL BE SOLD OUT AS IT IS AT THE PORT OF BANDAR ABBAS OR ON DELIVERED BASIS PERSIAN GULF,SPORE RANGE .
WE ACCEPT BIDS TILL TENDER CLOSING ON WEDNESDAY 28TH JANUARY 2009 AT 1600 HR LONDON TIME.ALL QUERIES TO BE SUBMITED TO EMAIL:SANDP@IRISL.NET
THE FINAL OFFERS TO BE ONLY SUBMITTED TO EMAIL:IRANNABUVATSALE@IRISL.NET
VESSEL DESCRIPTION
MV: IRAN-NABUVAT
EX NAME: ARYA-SHAHAB
FLAG: IRANIAN
BUILT: 1977 SUMITOMO JAPAN
CALL SIGN: EQGC
PORT OF REGISTRY : BANDAR ABBAS
CLASS: GL
IMO NO: 7618571
TYPE: GENERAL CARGO SHIP
TONNAGE: GROSS: 14856
NET: 8105
LOA: 166.6O M
LBP: 159.7 M
BREADTH MOULDED: 24.50 M
DEPTH MOULDED: 14.550 M
DWT SUMMER: 19212 MT
LIGHT SHIP: 8156 MT
NO OF HOLDS/HATCHES: 4/11
MAIN ENGINE: TYPE& BHP MITSUI B &W 7K74EF ,10216 KW
MAJOR SPARES FOR MAIN ENGINE: LINER, PISTON, CYL HEAD
MAIN ENGINE TURBO CHARGER: 2 X MITSUI B&W T680G TYPE
AUX ENGINES, MAKE, TYPE, POWER: 3 X YANMAR 6GL-UT, 670 KW
PROPELLER MATERIAL: NICKEL ALUMINIUM BRONZE
SPARE PROPELLER: NIL
SPARE TAIL SHAFT: NIL
RADARS: 1 NO. X-BAND, RAYTHEON ANSCHUT
1 NO. GRC JMA 850
FRESH WATER GENERATOR: SASAKURA , TYPE:AFGU-NO.6, CAP:30 T
CARGO GEAR: LIEBHERR, 4 X 30 T TYPE:D2XSB 30/22 LIEBHERR, 2 X 16 T TYPE:D2XSB 16/22
LIEBHERR, 1 X 10 T TYPE: SB 10/18
(NOT IN GOOD COND FOR CARGO WORK)
LAST SPECIAL SURVEY 16-10-2005
NEXT SPECIAL SURVEY: 16-10-2010
LAST DRY DOCK: 16-10-2005 COSCO SHANGHAI
NEXT DRY DOCK: 16-04-2008 (RANGE 16-10-2008 )
LAST FIVE CARGOES: GENERAL , BREAK BULK & BULK
LAID UP DATE: AUGUST 2008 (BANDAR ABBAS ANCHORGAE)
NO OF CREW: 27
DAILY CONSUMPTION FUEL/DO: 24/3 T
SPEED: 12 KNOT
BALLAST TKS: YES (ALL ORIGINALLY COATED)
BALLAST TKS TOTAL CAPACITY: (4379.7 MT) = 4272.9 CBM
END Of DESCRIPTION
http://www.irisl.net/News/NewsE/Item.asp?NewsID=935&SubID=749&CurPage=1&qsFromSearch=&vMenuID=0
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MOL Announces Changes to Asia-East Coast South America Service
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Tokyo- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd yesterday announced revised coverage on its Asia-East Coast South America Service (CSW). The revised coverage will make an additional call at W/B Durban and cancel Yantian call instead. The revised port rotation is Kobe, Yokohama, Nagoya, Pusan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Durban, Santos, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Paranagua, Sao Francisco Do Sul, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kobe.
The new service rotation will go into effect with the “MOL Destiny” Voy.8101 (ETD Singapore January 17, 2009). In conjunction with the W/B Durban call by CSW, South African Express Service (ZAX) is suspended.
In view of market demand decrease, we postponed the inauguration of the independent Asia-East Coast South America service (refer the announcement dated October 31, 2008 titled “MOL to Launch Independent Asia-East Coast South America Service”) and will continue the joint operation with Pacific International Line (PIL).
MOL General Manager, Liner Division T.K.Konishi said, “MOL’s long term strategy of expanding in these promising trade lanes remains unchanged. MOL remains committed to providing a full complement of options to our East Coast of South America trade and South Africa trade customers through our ongoing services. MOL’s commitment is also exemplified by our CX1 service that provides industry leading transit time to and from the Brazilian Amazon region.”
Source: MOL
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32834&Itemid=79
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Ecospec develops system to cut vessel emissions
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Homegrown research and technology company Ecospec Global Technology has developed a new system to reduce emissions from vessels. The firm believes the technology may have the potential to generate over US$100 million in sales in its first year alone. Ecospec's new CSNOx device is believed to be the first in the world that is able to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and particulate matter (PM) by up to 90 per cent through a single process system.
The company has successfully tested the system onboard an oil tanker in a joint effort with classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and one of the leading Singapore-based tanker operators. The results of the test show that the device has 92.9 per cent, 82.2 per cent and 74.4 per cent efficiency for scrubbing SO2, NOx and CO2 respectively.
Maritime regulators are starting to enforce stricter emissions standards, with the higher requirements under Marpol Annex VI due to be phased in by the middle of next year.
'This is a major breakthrough for the global shipping industry,' said Ecospec managing director Chew Hwee Hong. 'Prior to CSNOx, there is no single equipment aboard ships with the capability to remove CO2, SO2, NOx and PM at a go, and not generate further CO2 emissions during the process or acidify the ocean.'
He added that the tanker operator that Ecospec is working with - believed to be a major Greek-owned company - is moving towards full implementation and he expects about 100 installations this year. Each system costs about US$1 million not inclusive of installation and engineering costs on the vessel which will depend on its size. 'Shipping customers in Singapore have been very interested,' said Mr Chew.
Ecospec expects to get full certification from ABS in six months to one years' time. Potential customers are expected to come from the oil and gas, offshore and marine and power industries, said sales director Tony Eng. Ecospec is talking to all the major oil companies such as Chevron, Exxon and Shell, barring BP, he added. BP is known to be developing another system with British company Krystallon.
Mr Eng noted that power companies - including all three Singapore power stations - have shown interest in Ecospec's technology. One key component is that the plants need to be relatively close to the sea as a source of water supply.
Source: Business Times Singapore
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32848&Itemid=79
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New call to keep training
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
ISM expert Phil Anderson has warned ship operators not to be tempted to cut training budgets in this poor economic climate. Instead, he insists, “now is the time to reinforce the investment - and plan for the return of the good times”. In the latest edition of his safety management newsletter, Reportism, Dr Anderson analyses the current financial situation in the shipping industry and the problems looming in the P&I Clubs and marine insurance sectors. He reflects that during the last bad time, during the 1980’s and into the 1990’s, some sectors of the industry lost the ability to manage safety and lost the ability to self regulate. There were, he suggests, at least two memorable results – unprecedented accidents and insurance claims on the one hand and the development of the ISM code on the other.
The biggest problem which has faced the industry during the recent ‘good time period’ was the serious shortage of adequately trained and experienced masters and officers. This problem was a direct result of the mistakes which had been made during the previous ‘bad time’.
Anderson optimistically speculates that if the ISM Code has taught us one thing it is, hopefully, that we will learn lesson from our previous mistakes and ensure that we implement corrective actions to prevent a recurrence of the same problem.
“It does not take a genius or an expert in marine casualty investigations”, he suggests, “to understand that one of the major factors behind the rising insurance claims can be traced to problems in managing safety – both on board the ships and in the office ashore”. He is adamant that this is a problem which can be dealt with and addressed. “The causal factors behind almost all of the maritime accidents which were occurring are, invariably, human element related issues. A properly developed and implemented ISM Safety Management System should create the barriers necessary to prevent these accidents, and consequently claims, occurring”.
Source: Maritime Global Net
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32838&Itemid=79
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Panama expansion to shake up container shipping trade
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Long predominantly considered as a pressure valve for the US Mini-Landbridge, the Panama Canal will definitely change worldwide trade patterns when in 2015 a new set of locks will allow the passage of container vessels of up to around 13,000 TEUs, predicts Dutch maritime consultancy Dynamar. More than 200 ultra-large container ships of over 10,000 TEUs are currently operating and on order. So far, such leviathans are condemned to operate on the Europe-Asia trade. However, in present harsh times relief is in sight for the 11 carriers having committed to those ships.
With effect from 2015, another main trade lane will be able to accommodate the giants: the Asia-North America East Coast all-water route via the Panama Canal.
When this waterway celebrates its centenary in 2014, it will see the commissioning of a new set of locks, work on which has already started. From 2015 onwards all current post-Panamax container ships - the largest being around 5,100 TEUs - up to the new Panamax size of around 13,000 TEUs will be able to transit the Panama Canal. This will, Dynamar assessed, impact container trade patterns.
Dynamar predicted that by 2020 as much as 25 percent of all container cargo moving to North American West Coast ports and the US intermodal system will have switched to the route via the Panama Canal. By then, a forecast annual volume of over 15 million TEUs shipped between Asia and the US Atlantic seaboard would theoretically require 40 weekly slings of each 8 x 10,000 TEU box ships.
To make this all possible, something has to change, and quite urgently too, at the main US East Coast and Gulf ports. In fact, it will be their capability that will determine the maximum size of box ships transiting the Panama Canal.
Water depth and ship-to-shore gantry outreach will be the main parameters for the ports. At resent, only three ports, Halifax, New York and Norfolk, can handle 10,000 TEU vessels. Four more ports - Boston, Charleston, Miami and Savannah - now meet only one of those minimum requirements. However, there are still six years to go for the expansion to be complete and the stakes are high.
Those US ports not ready for the big ships might be relegated to feeder status. The Dynamar report foresees further development of "Fleur-de-Lys" type transhipment networks. In such a system, an Asiat-Panama trunkline feeds various relay links connecting with example ports along the West Coast of South and Central America, the Caribbean and/or the US Gulf/East Coast.
"Fleur-de-Lys" has evident advantages: feeder ships serving the smaller harbours where mainline ships cannot be accommodated can thus take the box closer to the merchant by sea rather than road. In the US, this would circumvent the restrictive Jones Act, reserving cargo between US ports for (generally expensive) American built-owned-crewed vessels.
Source: CargonewsAsia
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32837&Itemid=79
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Full steam ahead for Danish shipping
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Despite the financial crisis, decreasing demand and drastic drops of the cargo rates, the export turnover of the business will be 190 billion DKK - 15 billion more than in 2007, states the Danish Shipowners' Association. "In 10 years we have quadrupled our foreign currency earnings, and even though we, in the beginning of the year, expected to reach 200 billion DKK in 2008, 190 billion is still a nice and new record", says As the shipping companies not yet have provided annual accounts, the number from the shipowners' association is based on responses from the shipping companies about the last months of 2008 and account of the first three quarters.
"The first seven to eight months of 2008 were good for Danish shipping. The demand was high, rates were high and the shipping companies expanded their capacity and market shares. This has increased the foreign currency earnings considerably. And it was not until the fourth quarter that the market turned over", says stock analyst Brian Borsting, LD Markets.
Danish shipping companies are well equipped for the crisis, according to Brian Borsting.
"2009 will be like going from heaven to hell, but many Danish shipping companies have a stabile balance and a flexible order book. As such, they can use the crisis offensively for consolidation by buying up cheap", says Borsting.
However, he expects that we will be far into 2009 before buyings will appear, because insecurities regarding financing and market development, make the shipping companies hesitate.
Source: Epn.dk
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32836&Itemid=79
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Twenty die as boat capsizes in Bangladesh
January 20 2009 at 12:29PM
Dhaka - Twenty people, mostly labourers, were killed when a boat sank in a river in southern Bangladesh following a collision with another vessel, police said on Tuesday.
The boat was carrying about 50 people when it capsized in the Meghna river, 110km south of capital Dhaka, after being hit by an empty vessel. Several passengers swam to safety.
"So far we have recovered 20 bodies and are looking for those missing," rescue operator Abdul Mannan told reporters.
Boat and ferry accidents occur frequently in riverine Bangladesh and hundreds of people die every year.
Poor enforcement of safety laws means boats are often poorly serviced and packed well beyond capacity. - Reuters
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20090120122133479C103016
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Sailors' parents plead for help
20/01/2009 12:00
Moscow - The parents of Ukrainian sailors held hostage by Somali pirates on a ship carrying a vast horde of weapons have told AFP they want humanitarian groups to help the sailors suffering "horrible" conditions.
The parents, all from Ukrainian coastal regions, have set up a campaign centre in an apartment in the country's capital Kiev, thousands of miles from their sons on the Indian Ocean, after months of obeying a government request to avoid the media.
Worried for the safety of their sons on the MV Faina, which was hijacked on September 25 causing shockwaves due to its load of Soviet-type tanks, the parents imply they want speedy settlement of a ransom demand.
"The conditions are horrible.... We are asking international humanitarian organisations to offer help in this situation," said Viktor Shapovalov, whose son Denis is among the captured crew of 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and one Latvian.
"Many of the crew members are having stomach problems, many have ulcers.... Some have been bleeding from the mouth," he said, citing press reports based on communications with three senior crew members who have access to radio.
"Seventeen people are in a 12-square-metre cabin meant for one person," said Shapovalov, who is a merchant marine captain. "There is no place to lie down."
Ransom delays
The MV Faina was seized on September 25 2008 and has been held longer than any other cargo ship in a recent upsurge in attacks by Somali pirates in the waters off the lawless east African nation.
The ship was bound for Kenya and carried 33 Soviet-type T-72 battle tanks along with other weapons and ammunition.
While Ukraine and Kenya insist the tanks were bound for Kenya's military, the United States and the pirates themselves have said they were destined for rebels in southern Sudan.
Talks on releasing the ship and its crew appeared to be near a breakthrough in late November, but fell through with the pirates reporting delays in a promised ransom payment.
Last week the MV Faina's captain Vladimir Nikolsky told AFP that middlemen had failed and called on the ship's owner, secretive Israeli businessman Vadim Alperin, to engage in direct talks with the pirates.
Speaking by satellite telephone from the ship while being observed by the pirates, Nikolsky also said that "half of the crew is ill and the other half of the crew is going to go mad".
Worried parents
The parents voiced their frustration at the fruitless negotiations and spoke darkly about their suspicion that their children had been trapped in a shadowy political game because of the ship's controversial cargo.
"The ship itself and its cargo do not interest us. This problem should be solved after they free our boys from the ship," said Olga Girzheva, the mother of captured sailor Artyom Girzhev.
A literature teacher from a village near the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, Girzheva said she was "very worried" about her 21-year-old son.
"Give the boys back to us and then figure out what to do. Because it's clear that we have been caught up in big politics. This is clear to everyone, even village teachers," she said.
The MV Faina has stayed put near the pirate lair of Haradhere while other vessels have been freed for ransom, including the Sirius Star, a Saudi oil supertanker seized by pirates from the same clan as the MV Faina's hijackers.
'Nothing is happening'
"When people are willing to pay money their ships are released," said Lyubov Sarancha, the mother of captured sailor Sergei Sarancha.
"But for some reason with us in Ukraine, nothing is happening," she added.
All the parents said they had long obeyed a Ukrainian government request to avoid interviews because it might disrupt the negotiations, but with talks apparently going nowhere they decided to break their silence.
Besides voicing their frustration at the government, the parents complained that the MV Faina's owners had failed to inform the crew of its danger.
"Our children were set up," said Svetlana Mgeladze, an accountant from Odessa and mother of Roland Mgeladze, the ship's 22-year-old steward.
'Nobody warned them'
Mgeladze said the MV Faina was first sent to Syria and returned to Ukraine with a cargo of automobiles, and only after it was loaded with weapons in the Ukrainian port of Nikolayev did her son learn he was going to Africa.
"Under international practice they should have been warned where they were going and they needed to agree to it. But nobody asked their permission and nobody warned them," she said.
Now she can only hope that her son is holding up well after three and a half months in captivity.
"When he went to sea he was healthy," Mgeladze said. "Now I don't know."
- AFP
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2455940,00.html
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'I'm a successful Somali pirate'
January 20 2009 at 08:31AM
By Abdiqani Hassan
Yassin Dheere is a 39-year-old Somali who took to piracy five years ago and has made a fortune from the mushrooming business.
A hulk of a man, he towered over his bodyguards as he spoke in Garowe, capital of the northern Puntland province.
Dressed in expensive-looking traditional robes, Dheere chewed khat leaves and stroked an AK-47 rifle as he told his story, starting with his birth in a notorious pirates' haven on the coast.
"I was born in Eyl town and I used to be a fisherman. I was forced to hijack foreign ships after the government collapsed.
"No one was monitoring the sea, and we couldn't fish properly, because the ships which trawl the Somali coasts illegally would destroy our small boats and equipment. That is what forced us to become pirates.
"The first time I was involved in hijacking a ship was 2003. It must have been Arabian, there were 18 Yemeni crew. It was a big fishing ship that destroyed our boats several times.
"We surrounded it with our boats and seized it at gunpoint at night. We did not know these modern methods of using hooks and ladders, so we got near with our boats and climbed on.
"We held it for two weeks, then some Somali and Arab mediators stepped in to negotiate. We were convinced to take $50 000 (about R500 000) as compensation.
"Gosh! This was a huge amount for us. That inspired us and gave us an appetite for hunting ships.
"At that time we had no idea what we were doing, and we were very worried about what would happen.
"In fact, my life has changed dramatically because I've received more money than I ever thought I would see. In one incident I got $250 000, so my life has changed completely.
"It is incalculable how much money I have made. I mean, I won't tell you how much. I buy cars, weapons and boats. I also like having a good time and relaxing.
"I have experienced many difficulties from my work.
"My life has been endangered. And some of my colleagues have died, some at sea when their boats capsized.
"The worst experience I had was when a US warship attacked us while we were hunting a ship. It fired on us and captured some of us. We escaped with our speedboats while bullets buzzed over us.
"In 2006 we were chasing a ship to hijack. We pulled up alongside it, and one of our friends jumped onto the ship. It managed to escape, and we haven't heard of our friend since.
"I was also once jailed in Garowe. But my family attacked the jail and killed two of the policemen, and then in the exchange of fire I escaped with other prisoners.
"I have employees doing the business for me now. I am a financier. I get my money and I don't have to leave Eyl. I have not gone to sea to hijack in recent months.
"My group go to sea and I manage their finances. I buy speedboats and weapons, whatever they need.
"Usually, no disagreements come between us. Once, though, we disagreed. When we were holding two French nationals in Habo, some demanded to take them to Eyl while others disagreed.
"It's difficult to stay being a pirate but we have changed our previous strategies. We have transformed our operations in the Indian Ocean with new types of attacks, using modern equipment, including GPS, to show where warships are.
"At the moment we have a new, active young generation who want to take part in piracy. They mostly like money.
"If the UN gives approval to fight pirates on land, that will lead to the death of innocent Somalis because they cannot differentiate us from ordinary Somalis, as we dress alike.
"Piracy will not stop unless we get a government," said Dheere. - Reuters
This article was originally published on page 7 of The Star on January 20, 2009
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=vn20090120063419175C654477
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Refugees set adrift at sea
19/01/2009 18:31
Bangkok - Thailand's military last month pushed out to sea at least 992 Rohingya refugees - stateless Muslims from Myanmar - leaving 400-500 missing and feared dead, a Rohingya-watch group announced on Monday.
In what is turning into a major embarrassment for Thailand's new government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Arakan Project has provided evidence based on the testimony of survivors that the Thai Navy pushed back to sea some 992 Rohingyas between December 18 to 30 in engineless boats on the high seas.
"There could have been more people pushed back, but these are only the cases we know about from the testimony of survivors," said Chris Lewa, co-ordinator of the Arakan Project, a non-government organisation that has monitored the persecution of the Rohingya minority group in Myanmar's Arakan State for years.
Engines deliberately removed
News that the Thai military was pushing Rohingya refugees out to sea came to light last month when the Indian Navy on December 18 rescued 107 people on a boat.
They claimed they had been put to sea on the engineless craft by the Thai Navy and set adrift.
According to the survivors, about 300 of the 412 refugees had drowned when they jumped overboard to try and swim ashore.
Another group of 580 Rohingyas was detained in Thailand on December 29 or 30, and shoved back to sea on their five boats after the engines were removed, said Lewa.
Of this group, some 193 on board were rescued in Indonesia's Sabang Island in Aceh on January 7. Another boat with 150 on board was rescued in Tillanchang Island, India, on January 10.
On January 6, another 81 Rohingyas were rescued by Thai fishermen, but they have since been put under Thai military custody again, said Lewa.
The Arkan Project was still checking whether this group was part of the 580 pushed back on December 30.
There are still between 400 to 500 of the refugees unaccounted for, she said.
National security threat
The Thai military denied accusations that they had pushed the Rohingyas out to sea, although officials acknowledge that they see the Myanmar-Muslims as a security threat, suspecting them of coming to Thailand to join Thai-Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand's Pattani area.
"Rohingyas have a different status among refugees trying to come to Thailand because Rohingyas are branded as a national security threat, simply because they are Muslims," said Sunai Pasuk, the Thailand representative for the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).
HRW and other human rights groups have been calling on the Thai government to include the UNHCR in their refugee screening process, rather than leaving it up to the military, as has been the case for the past four to five years.
Thai authorities have been pushing Rohingyas back to Myanmar for years, but may have turned to using more drastic measures because Myanmar has refused to accept the refugees.
Stateless
"The Rohingyas are a stateless people. They are not considered to be citizens of Myanmar," said Lewa.
The Rohingyas are a minority group in Myanmar, numbering around 800 000. They are refused citizenship because they are deemed to be Bangladeshi nationals who have recently migrated to the country.
Lews called on Thailand to join hands with the international community and UNHCR in fining a long-term solution to the Rohingya problem. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2455548,00.html
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Abandoned boxes to be auctioned after 21-days orders Tanzanian president
Port decongestion is such a priority at Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) that the country's President Jakaya Kikwete is ordering the auction of abandoned boxes if they are not picked up in 21 days, reports the Dar es Salaam Citizen.
Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) is to extend operational hours to 24/7 to speed up handling operations on directions from the president at a second round of meetings with the government ministry.
Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/21/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7250
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Anti-Piracy Workshop Concludes
1/20/2009 10:31:54 AM
Practical measures to more effectively deal with the Somali piracy problem were considered last week in London at a workshop co-hosted by the international shipping organization BIMCO and maritime security company, Maritime & Underwater Security Consultants (MUSC).
Attended by experts from the shipping industry, governments, the International Maritime Organization, security specialists, insurance and law, the workshop focussed upon ways of co-ordinating the approach to the problem. The aim was to continue to identify best practices on the Gulf of Aden and around the Horn of Africa in order to reduce the threat and manage hostage events better. The region has seen over 100 attacks on merchant ships, and more than 40 ships seized during 2008.
Better co-ordination between stakeholders, BIMCO has suggested, will improve countermeasures, increase the flow of information between them and enable more meaningful advice to be given to owners and masters of ships likely to transit areas vulnerable to attack. The workshop provided an opportunity to share experiences, discuss what strategies were working and what might be improved and harden up common ideas on best practice to counter the piracy menace.
Among the specific areas discussed were the improvement of training and drills for ships’ personnel and the provision of a better information system and legal guidance to ship operators and shipmasters. Defensive and military tactics were discussed, with suggestions for improvement to further reduce the number of attacks. The workshop also discussed strategies to be adopted in the event of the seizure of a ship, to improve and better co-ordinate negotiation methods, and mitigate the ordeal for the seized crew and the seafarers’ families.
BIMCO is an independent international shipping association, with a membership composed of ship owners, managers, brokers, agents and many other stakeholders with vested interests in the shipping industry. The association acts on behalf of its global membership to promote higher standards and greater harmony in regulatory matters.
http://sname.marinelink.com/snamestory.aspx?stid=214204
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Maritime expert questions ice box survival story
Posted 18 minutes ago
A maritime survival expert has questioned whether two Burmese fishermen actually spent 25 days at sea before being rescued.
The men claim to have been on board a Thai fishing boat which capsized two days before Christmas.
They were found floating in a commercial ice box in the Torres Strait at the weekend.
Dr Paul Luckin says the men would be very ill and in hospital for weeks if their tale was true.
"I would expect them to be in very poor physical condition," he said.
"They would be debilitated from lack of food or inadequate food and barely adequate water and very badly burnt and blistered by the sun and the wind."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/21/2471444.htm?section=justin
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Shipping line news
What’s in a name?
MACS line (Maritime Carrier Shipping) which operates several services out of southern Africa, has recently added the former Christian D, now renamed LILAC ROLLER to its East African fleet, joining the WHITE RHINO in operation between South Africa, Mozambique and East Africa ports.
In keeping with many of the ships in MACS service, a colour features prominently in the ship’s name – in this instance Christian D has been renamed LILAC ROLLER, after the lilac-breasted roller of the same name (coracias caudataus), which is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsular.
The roller prefers open woodland and savanna and is largely absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches conspicuously at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, frogs, small birds and rodents moving about at ground level. This makes this very beautiful bird a much sought-after picture subject. During the breeding season the male will rise to great heights, descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries.
Turning to the ship now, the LILAC ROLLER joined the company’s MEAS service in early October last year and calls predominantly at Durban, Maputo and Mombasa, but will also call at Dar es Salaam, Nacala, Beira and Majunga on inducement. Her service links in with the MACS (South Africa to Europe) and GAL (South Africa - East Coast USA) service in Durban.
Some details of the vessel LILAC ROLLER: The vessel is a multipurpose cargo ship, flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. She was built in 2001, has a length of 97.7m on a 6.55m draught and is listed at 3,811-gt. The ship has two hatches/holds with two 40 tonne cranes.
RBS withdraws from Hapag-Lloyd sale
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has withdrawn its financial support to a consortium of local German businesses in the sale of the German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd. The sale of the company was originally agreed on for US $ 5.9 billion but as has previously been reported in PORTS & SHIPS, the consortium is now seeking an adjustment downwards to correspond with the downturn in the maritime industry.
RBS is believed to be making use of a post-nationalisation change-of-control clause to legally withdraw from its agreement which was signed before control of the bank was bought by the British government late last year. In terms of the sale Hapag-Lloyd is to buy back one third of the shipping company in a series of moves intended to keep ownership of the company in European and largely German hands.
Hapag-Lloyd operates a fleet of 29 ships.
The bigger you are, the harder you fall
The old adage is never more true as shipping companies take stock of the economic crisis facing the world and for AP Moller-Maersk, as the world’s largest container carrier and one of the largest shipping companies, the prospects do not look happy.
The Danish company was already under the financial whip before the world crisis kicked in, and undergoing major restructuring designed to curtail costs and reshape its fortunes. Now, according to some analysts, AP Moller-Maersk will lose half of its profits this year.
“We expect that the earnings of the group can drop heavily to an annual result of 11 billion DKK in 2009. There is no doubt that every department will be looking high and low for opportunities to save money, in staff as well as other areas,” says Henrik Lund, chief analyst at Carnegie and quoted by the business daily Borsen.
Lund said that Maersk Line has been hit hard and can expect more of the same in 2009, with fewer containers to ship and cargo rates that have decreased severely. He said that on Maersk Line’s main service between Asia and Europe the rate is now 46% lower than 12 months ago. He pointed out that earnings in 2009 were also being pressed by the decreasing oil prices, the drop in important currencies and low earnings in the Danish Bank.
MSC increases India – East Africa freight rates
Mediterranean Shipping Company has announced a general rate increases for cargo on its services between India and East Africa, with effect 17 February.
That’s the date when the MSC MARMARA arrives in the Indian port of Jawaharlal Nehru from East African ports, when an increase of US $ 300 per TEU will apply. According to MSC the increase is necessary to cover a substantial increase in operational costs and to enable MSC to provide reliable services to customers.
http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_20_0420.html
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88 ships carrying Qatari LNG passed Suez Canal last year
The Peninsula - 01/11/2007
(MENAFN - The Peninsula) DOHA � Eighty-eight vessels from Qatar bearing cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) used the Suez Canal in 2006. Of these, 74 were bound for Spain, six to France, five to Belgium and three to other destinations, according to Ahmed El Manakhly, Director of the Planning and Research Department at the Suez Canal Authority.
Addressing a session at the '6th Doha Conference on Natural Gas', El Manakhly stated with Qatar about to acquire large capacity vessels of 200,000 to 270,000 cubic metres, the canal would have no problem with them passing through the waterway.
With these vessels having a draft of around 40 feet, the Suez Canal would have more than adequate depth to allow them to pass through. Draft refers to a ship's minimum depth of water to float. The Suez Canal's draft is at 62 feet.
El Manakhly pointed out that the Suez Canal greatly reduced distance and time from Qatar to Spain, for example. While by using the canal, an LNG carrier would have to travel 5,098 nautical miles, by using an alternative route through the Cape of Good Hope, it would have to make a trip of 10,021 nautical miles.
In 2006, there were 287 LNG carrier trips via the Suez Canal, a number that will rise to 366, a combined capacity of 52.6m cubic metres by 2010, he said. Tolls are collected on the basis of the size of the vessel.
Speaking of the LNG shipping industry as a whole, El Manakhly stated in 2006, there were 222 LNG carriers worldwide, most with capacities of from 125.000 to 150,000 cubic metres or 82 per cent of the global LNG shipping fleet.
"LNG shipping costs can be broken down into the capital cost i.e, cost of building the ship, operating costs and voyage costs," he said. In 2007, the average capital cost came to $220m and operating costs for an LNG carrier average to $8,222 per day.
As of now, there are nine builders of carriers round the world although China has also recently entered the industry.
Since 1994, the Suez Canal Authority has been offering the LNG industry rebates of 30 per cent on transit tolls and since 1999, cargo incentives have also been offered.
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093172143
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Maersk to cut surcharges further
21 January 2009
Maersk Line announced plans to lower bunker surcharges imposed earlier on the trade from the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent to the East Coast of South America.
Effective February 1, the surcharges will be $55 (Dh202) per TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) and $110 per FEU compared with $80 and $160 at present, said the Danish carrier.
In a separate notice, Maersk said it plans to implement a similar reduction for cargo moving from the East Coast of South America to the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent, also effective February 1.
The revised charges will be $310 per TEU and $620 per TEU, down from $450 and $900 imposed earlier.
Maersk Line has also announced a new service from north China to Aqaba, Jordan, to support higher volumes to the Mideast.
The company said the direct call to Aqaba Port will be added to the existing AE3 in January. The new AE3 rotation will be - Tianjin-Xingang, Dalian, Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas and Aqaba. Maersk is the only carrier serving a direct call from north China to Aqaba, and the service will not cut transit time to 26 days.
Finance co-operation Carnegie predicts in a new analysis that Maersk will loose half of its profit in 2009 as the world economy continues to decline.
"We expect the earnings of the group can drop heavily to an annual result of 11bn DKK ($174m) in 2009. There is no doubt that every department will be looking high and low for opportunities to save money, in staff as well as other areas," said Henrik Lund, chief analyst at Carnegie.
According to Borsen, Maersk is expected to be the most heavily affected by a large deficit and the total profit of the concern will drop by $174m.
"There are fewer containers to ship and the cargo rates have decreased severely. On Maersk Line's main service from Asia to Europe the rate is 46 percent lower than 12 months ago, which is causing losses," said Lund.
Earnings in 2009 will also be pressed by the decreasing oil prices, drop in important currencies and low earnings in Danish Bank.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090121044116/Maersk%20to%20cut%20surcharges%20further
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Royal Navy ships could help Gaza
21/01/2009
CEASEFIRE
Royal Navy ships could be used to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, it was revealed yesterday.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has faced growing Labour calls to help the Palestinians. He has pledged to look at using the Royal Navy to escort aid ships as part of a relief effort.
The conflict was started partly because of a long-term blockade of the strip of land on the Mediterranean. The ruling Hamas organisation has demanded that Israel allows in ships as part of a long-term ceasefire.
Ex-cabinet minister Frank Dobson, who is leading the call to use the Navy, said: "We would restore the Royal Navy to its ancient task of ensuring the freedom of the seas and breaking blockades."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/01/21/royal-navy-ships-could-help-gaza-115875-21057534/
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Boaters warned of EPIRB shortage
Boaters have again been warned not to delay switching over to the new 406 MHz digital distress beacons amid reports of a global shortage of the new equipment.
Ports and Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi said the worldwide switch from 121.5MHz analogue beacons to the more accurate digital model is well underway ahead of the February 1 deadline.
“However, global demand for the new digital beacons has put pressure on NSW and Australian supplies and there are significant backlogs of orders for some models,” Mr Tripodi said.
From February 1, signals from 121.5MHz emergency position indication radio beacons (EPIRB) will no longer be monitored under an international agreement.
“This means Australian rescue services will be unable to detect an analogue distress beacon via satellite,” Mr Tripodi said.
“Maritime authorities have been advising boaters to switch to a 406 EPIRB since July last year, but an international shortage of the new equipment has delayed its uptake around Australia.
“If a particular model of the 406 MHz is unavailable, boaters should consider alternative brands, though we recognise in some cases, EPIRBs ordered months ago have still not been received from suppliers.”
Mr Tripodi said because of the shortages and delays, skippers found not carrying a 406 EPIRB will be given a warning rather than a fine, providing they can prove a digital distress beacon has been ordered.
Boaters will also have to show:
• the vessel is a recreational craft;
• all other required safety equipment is present and functional;
• the vessel is operating within mobile telephone range; and
• the vessel is less than 2 nautical miles from shore.
Mr Tripodi said all commercial operators must meet the requirement to carry a 406MHz EPIRB from February 1.
“However, this commonsense approach for recreational boaters will continue until September 1, when the availability of digital EPIRBs will be reviewed to see if these measures should continue.”
Mr Tripodi said digital EPIRBs will give rescuers faster notification of a vessel in trouble and a more accurate location, enabling a quicker response to a distress signal.
NSW Maritime has worked with the Australian Marine Safety Authority for more than four years to help raise awareness of the change over from 121.5 to 406 beacons.
by Brad Schmidtt 6:20 AM Wed 21 Jan 2009 GMT
http://www.sail-world.com/europe/Boaters-warned-of-EPIRB-shortage/53042
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Beijing fears containment as defence spending rises
Web posted at: 1/21/2009 8:18:9
Source ::: REUTERS
BEIJING: China fears containment abroad and separatist groups at home, a defence policy paper said yesterday, justifying a drive to increase military spending and push the People’s Liberation Army into the high-tech era.
China’s security has been improving as its economy grows and the PLA embraces modernisation, said the defence “white paper.” But pro-independence forces in Taiwan, Tibet and the energy-rich western region of Xinjiang still “pose threats to China’s unity and security”, it said.
“On this issue, there can be no compromise and no concessions,” Defence Ministry chief spokesman Hu Changming said at a news conference to launch the document.
China has pointed to its recent deployment of navy ships to police pirate-troubled seas off Africa as a sign of benign military intentions. Analysts say the mission shows a rising but cautious power’s desire to project its growing global influence without alarming neighbours. But China’s increased spending on arms has been criticised as opaque by other countries, including the United States and Japan.
Beijing says its defence budget is purely for defensive purposes and is quite open, and it notes its budget is much smaller than the Pentagon’s. Experts estimate China’s true defence spending could be as much as triple the stated figure.
“China is faced with the superiority of developed countries economically, scientifically and technologically, as well as militarily,” the 95-page white paper said. “It also faces strategic manoeuvres and containment from the outside while having to face disruption and sabotage by separatist and hostile forces from the inside.”
The US Defense Department budget for fiscal 2009 is $515bn, a 7.5 percent rise on the previous year. That number does not include separate multi-billion dollar outlays for Iraq and Afghanistan and some spending on nuclear weapons.
China’s defence budget for 2009 has not been released. In 2008, the government said it would spend 418bn yuan ($61bn) on defence, up 17.6 percent on 2007. A PLA officer said more development was needed. “Our military’s general levels of armaments have made big strides,” Fan Jianjun of the PLA armaments department told the news conference.
“But there’s still quite a large gap with the levels of the world’s developed countries, and we still cannot fully adjust to the needs of protecting national security and unity and better fulfilling our international duties.”
While it said relations with Taiwan had “taken a significantly positive turn”, the paper denounced US arms sales to the island as “causing serious harm to Sino-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.
Hu said China and Taiwan had “entered a period of peaceful development” and called for improved military ties with the United States under Barack Obama. But he deflected a question on whether China had reduced the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan.
“Our country’s military deployments are based on national security interests, the imperatives of our fundamental interests as a nation and our core national interests,” Hu said. China and Taiwan have faced off since 1949 when Nationalist forces fled to the island after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists, although ties have improved considerably since Ma Ying-jeou became Taiwan president last year.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=January2009&file=World_News200901218189.xml
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January 21, 2009 06:25pm
Steve Irwin back into fray
SALLY GLAETZER
ANTI-WHALING activists will set off from Hobart this afternoon to track down Japanese harpoons in the Southern Ocean.
The Steve Irwin returned to refuel on Saturday after spending more than a month chasing the whaling fleet in harsh conditions.
The 45-member Sea Shepherd crew will set off around 4pm and is expecting to be at sea for another five weeks.
They plan to return to the Antarctic waters where the activists last saw the Japanese vessels and continue their campaign of "harassment and disruption".
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/01/21/50881_tasmania-news.html
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We lack trucks to remove cleared containers -Ofobike
By Dele Aderibigbe, Lagos - Wednesday 21-01-2009
The business of moving empty containers to the port may have gathered momentum to the extent that trucks are now in very short supplies to remove cleared containers out of the ports.
According to the Chairman, Apapa Chapter One of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. John Ofobike, trucks were now so unavailable that many containers that have been cleared by relevant government agencies at the ports, because there were no trucks to pick them.
"It is very difficult to get a truck. Sometimes, for three days, you will search for truck to get one because all of them have been booked to freight empty containers," Ofobike disclosed, while complaining to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Abdul Salam Mohammed, who visited APM Terminals on Friday to assess progress of work aimed at decongesting the port.
The Managing Director of APM Terminals Apapa Limited, Mr. Michael Lund Hansen, however, maintained that his company had sufficient equipment to discharge and position containers for Customs examination.
"We position containers for examination on request from agents and customs. We position more than 500 containers everyday for customs examination, but unfortunately, we have to return most of them to the stacking areas at the end of every working day," Hansen stated.
Hansen further disclosed that the vessel queue at the terminal was reducing.
He said that an average of 16 vessels were on queue at the peak of the congestion in October last year but that this had reduced to eight vessels one week ago.
Hansen also stated that "the number of containers in the yard is slowly reducing which will start to decongest the port. More containers are also moving to the ICDs although the main constraint is that the ICDs are full."
He said: "We are still worried though that agents are not coming forward to clear their containers now after the holidays are over. We have 9,741 containers in the port for delivery to the importers."
He added that there were "851 containers that have been cleared by customs, all charges paid, documentation completed but are still not picked up by agents."
The APMT boss further disclosed that there were 870 overtime containers (which have stayed for over 90 days) at the terminal and 171 of these have stayed for more than one year.
However, the Controller, Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hannatu Sulaiman, who accompanied the NPA boss said that Customs personnel were able to examine 120 out of the 500 containers that were positioned by APMT.
She blamed the development on the fact that most of the containers had to be physically examined by the customs on a 100 per cent basis, allegedly because of the high incidence of concealment and false declaration by importers.
http://www.tribune.com.ng/21012009/wed/maritime1.html
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Regards
Snooper
NNNN
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