Please Note
Weekend !!!!!!!
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 !!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
On to Cape Town
Just a quick update from Mom...
Zac has pulled out of Mossel Bay and is headed west on what we hope will be his final leg around the Cape of Good Hope. His night of rest was interrupted by 40 knots of wind about 4:00am that came screaming through the bay. It was a good test of his anchoring skills for sure! Everyboody needs to get an UltraAnchor!
He met up with the other boats that he left Port Elizabeth with while at the fuel dock inside the harbor. Somehow they had been routed inside the harbor while Zac had been routed to the Yacht Club anchorage outside the harbor.
They have opted not to head out at this time but after triple checking the forecast and checking with his advisers, Zac has decided to go for it.
So for those of you who pray - please do!
All being well, he should be in Cape Town some time on Sunday.
He'll be checking in through out the day. I'll update with any news.
Cheers,
Marianne
posted by Zac at 9:54 AM
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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.
Steady as She Goes - 22 01 09
The wind last night dropped off. In fact, it dropped away to nothing: 0.00knots was showing on the log accompanied by a fantastic 0.00knots of wind too. The 3 lemons...
This made for a busy night trying to coax every tiny little bit of speed out of Totallymoney.com, tacking her numerous times. When the wind did reappear, it shifted all the time; I've had wind from every direction one could imagine. Some sailors love nothing better than to tease every 0.1knots extra out of a boat in light winds, and while I can do this, it’s not something I necessarily relish.
Finally the wind steadied at 8knots at around 5am so I set up the boat and immediately grabbed a power nap. I've been heading up to the northeast as there’s a little more wind up there!
During my boat check this morning I discovered that one of my Solent forestay pins had moved by about 2mm. This is cause for a little concern as there should be no way this can happen. I succeeded in knocking back the pin into the original position by easing off the tension of my backstay and using a soft hammer to tap it back into place. I’ll be keeping a careful eye on this.
During a nap on the beanbag in the cuddy I was awoken by the pleasant sight of the sun breaking through the thick cloud. This gave Totallymoney.com a delightful warm feeling, albeit just for a few minutes, before the sun vanished once more.
This afternoon I've had the chance to relax a little more as the wind has held at over 10knots so I've been able to do some reading and also do a few more Q&A’s. Keep an eye out for the new Q&A page on the website, which should be up in a day or so.
Unfortunately over the next 36hours the wind doesn't set to improve vastly; the next weather system is stalling and might not even reach me. I think patience is key at the moment...
Visit : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/
Blog : http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/?cat=5
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Idle containerships hit record high
The level of idle containerships has risen to historic highs, with 675 000-TEU capacity (or 5.5% of the global fleet) now idle, according to AXS-Alphaliner.
This figure translates into around 255 container vessels by Alphaliner's last count to January 19, up from around 550 000-TEU two weeks earlier. Of these, 148 ships are from the charter ship market.
And the worst does not appear to be over as Alphaliner forecasts this figure will reach 750 000-TEU in early February, with 6% of the global fleet standing idle.
Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/23/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7281
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Gripen Supercruises
During a test flight today the Gripen Demo aircraft proved its ability to “Supercruise”, the ability to fly supersonic without the use of afterburner which results in fuel savings and an increase in range.
15:13 GMT, January 21, 2009 During last Autumn, the Gripen Demo performed 40 sorties as part of the development programme that focuses on opening up the flight envelope regarding speed, altitude, angle-of-attack and loads. This year, the testing has continued at the same high tempo. Today’s supercruise flight is part of the ongoing high speed supersonic testing that will include supersonic flights, with different load alternatives.
Saab test pilot Magnus Ljungdahl flew the Gripen Demonstrator aircraft in supercruise.
“The flight was conducted over the Baltic Sea, my altitude was 28, 000 feet and the speed achieved was above Mach 1.2. Without using afterburner I maintained the same speed until I ran out of test area and had to head back to the Saab Test Flight Centre in Linköping.”
Important milstone
“To show potential customers that Gripen can supercruise is an important milestone”, said Gripen International Marketing Director Bob Kemp, “and to perform this activity only nine months after the Gripen Demonstrator was shown in public for the first time, is something that few, if any aircraft can beat.”
The Gripen Demo aircraft is a flying test platform for the next generation of Gripen and for the further development of the present Gripen C/D aircraft. Together with a ground-based test rig, the Gripen Demonstrator will develop and prove the essential systems and capabilities for the future, including its more powerful General Electric F414G engine, an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, advanced communications and electronic warfare systems.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5021/
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China's economy slows sharply as global crisis hits
Friday, 23 January 2009
China's economy slowed dramatically at the end of 2008 as the full force of the global crisis hit home, dragging growth to a seven-year low, official data showed Thursday. The world's third-largest economy expanded by just 6.8 percent in the final quarter, pulling the full-year growth figure down to 9.0 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Coming after 13.0 percent growth in 2007, the figures offered the most complete picture yet of just how severely the world crisis has hit China's export-dependent economy.
"The international financial crisis is deepening and spreading with a continuing negative impact on the domestic economy," Ma Jiantang, the head of the National Bureau of Statistics, told reporters in Beijing. China's exports fell 2.2 percent in November, the first such drop in seven years, and the trend was extended into a second month with a 2.8 percent decline in December, according to previous data from customs. "China's economy suffered a hard landing in the fourth quarter," said Lu Zhengwei, a Shanghai-based economist with China's Industrial Bank. It will be extremely difficult for the economy to grow this year by 8.0 percent, a figure the government has long targetted as its benchmark rate, he added. In another sign of the precipitous decline of activity, the consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation , slowed to 1.2 percent in the December, the statistics bureau said. China started out 2008 concerned that rising prices would be a major challenge -- inflation was at nearly a 12-year high of 8.7 percent in February -- but ended the year fearing deflation instead.
"Deflation is very likely in 2009. Deflation is not unusual... but this time it is coming so abruptly that it will have a more significant impact on the economy," said Hu Yuexiao, an economist with Shanghai Securities. Industrial output, another indicator of foreign trade, expanded by 12.9 percent in 2008, down from 18.5 percent growth in 2007, the bureau said. Earlier this week, Premier Wen Jiabao warned that 2009 would be "the most difficult year for China's economic development so far this century."
From the Chinese government's perspective, the most worrying aspect is the impact on employment and the subsequent potential for social unrest if millions of people lose their jobs. Especially hard-hit are migrant workers who have left their rural homes for jobs in the big cities and now find factory gates shut all along the formerly bustling east coast. Thousands of factories that exported to the United States and elsewhere have already closed, and many more are expected to fold in the next few months. So far, six million migrants have lost their jobs because of the crisis, data announced by the statistics bureau Thursday showed.
China unveiled a four-trillion-yuan (580-billion-dollar) stimulus package in November to get the economy going. "How much China can recover from the economic downturn depends on the effecti veness of government stimulus packages and expansionary fiscal policies," said Lu of the Industrial Bank. While some of the package consisted of items that had already been announced, economists said it was significant in signalling to society a willingness to spend big money to escape the worst effects of the crisis.
Partly reflecting this, China's fixed asset investments, the main measure of public spending on infrastructure and productive capacity, rose 25.5 percent in 2008, according to the bureau. This compared with 2007 growth in investments in fixed assets of 24.8 percent, suggesting that China's government had deep enough pockets to keep this part of the economy going at a brisk pace.
Source: AFP
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33169&Itemid=79
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Iran buids new submarine
21.01.09 14:48
Iranian technical university student Hassan Sharifzadeh drafted a new reconnaissance submarine that can avoid radar detection, the Iranian Fars news agency said.
No crew will man the submarine which will be controlled remotely.
The submarine can reach a depth of up to 8 meters and carry 8 kilograms of explosives to place near enemy positions. A SIM card connects the controller to the submarine.
The submarine also makes photos and videos and sends the data to the control center, Sharifzadeh said.
http://news.trend.az/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1403453&lang=en
Comment by Galrahn
I don't know about you, but the idea of a submarine being able to avoid "radar" made me laugh out loud. I also laughed when I saw the photo in the article.
This is serious and noteworthy though, the development of unmanned vehicles by Iran is serious business, after all, this stuff can be deployed from any vessel at sea and perform operations anywhere in the world. This is a good example where the lines between MIW and ASW are becoming blurred, and will create significant irregular warfare challenges at sea as a capability the US Navy must deal with. Is the Navy developing capabilities in the MIW and ASW space to locate and neutralize small unmanned underwater vehicles? Maybe we should first start by asking what kind of priority MIW gets period, and work from there.
Keep in mind, if Iran can export anti-ship missiles to Hezbollah, they can certainly export this type of equipment to a nonstate actor as well.
Posted by Galrahn at 1:00 AM
http://informationdissemination.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-iranian-military-milestone.html
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China Merchants, Cosco Pacific to cut spending
Friday, 23 January 2009
China Merchants Holdings (International) and Cosco Pacific, the two biggest mainland port operators, plan to cut capital expenditure for this year because of slumping demand for industrial products, the South China Morning Post reported. China Merchants, which operates and owns ports in western Shenzhen and invests in Shanghai International Port Group, will cut capital expenditure by 50 percent to between US$257.8 million and $322.2 million, from $515.5 million last year, deputy general manager Cynthia Wong Sin-yue was quoted as saying in a Merrill Lynch report.
The investment for next year would fall further to $193.3 million, as the company was cautious about taking on new projects, the report said.
Cosco Pacific, which operates and owns ports on the mainland, and in Hong Kong, Singapore and Belgium, also planned to cut investment by withholding some projects to which it had not committed, deputy managing director Kelvin Wong Tin-yau said.
Expansion plans in Qingdao would be partially put on hold, he added.
A Cosco Pacific source said six of the 10 new berths scheduled to be finished by 2011 would be postponed.
Cosco Pacific will also trim purchases of container boxes this year as demand is softening.
Wong predicted throughput at the company's container ports to have zero growth or even a five percent decrease.
China Merchants forecasts container traffic would be little changed this year, compared with a seven percent increase in 2008.
Total cargo throughput at mainland ports fell for the first time in at least seven years in November.
Source: CargonewsAsia
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33182&Itemid=79
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Obama's policies 'spell doom' for tanker owners
Friday, 23 January 2009
US President Barack Obama's energy policies are holding to pre-election promises to end the need for crude oil imports from Venezuela and the Middle East. “This spells doom for [tanker] owners; the US is still the world's largest crude oil consumer, and voyages moving Middle Eastern crude to the US form an important part of global tanker traffic,” said one broker to Tankerworld. Obama said in August that “if I am President, I will immediately direct the full resources of the Federal Government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal – in 10 years, we will eliminate the need for oil from the entire Middle East and Venezuela.”
According to brokers Gibson, Obama's “number one strategy is to invest into the development of multiple renewable energy sources aiming at significantly substituting consumption of foreign and domestic oil with other forms of energy.”
Another major element of Obama's plan is to encourage fuel efficiency and research into new car engines and plug-in hybrids.
“His comprehensive energy plan, among other ideas, covers initiatives in nuclear power generation, the electricity sector, clean coal technology and climate change,” said Gibson.
Reports have confirmed that the Obama administration is sticking to his pre-election proposals on energy strategies for the nation's new energy policies.
Obama said after the inauguration that he would prioritize construction of the Alaska National Gas Pipeline to bolster US suppliers, according to reports.
Obama also “vowed to establish a national low-carbon fuel standard.”
According to Gibson, “these ambitious energy proposals represent a major threat to tanker demand in the long term.”
The London-based brokerage did qualify however, that “calls for US energy dependence have been echoed over the years, but in reality the country's addiction to foreign oil has remained strong.”
Source: TankerWorld
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33187&Itemid=79
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Mozambique: Illicit fishing costs state US$ 38 million per year
[ 2009-01-22 ]
Maputo, Mozambique, 22 Jan - Mozambique loses an estimated US$ 38 million every year due to illicit fishing off its coast, says the assistant national director of maritime administration, Augusto Nhampule.
The Maputo official told an international conference on pirate fishing in southern Africa that a plan is being drawn up to improve information exchange between states concerned, who agreed to tackle the problem last year.
Lack of coastal surveillance due to financial constraints is one problem affecting the countries involved in the crackdown on illegal fishing, he added, and communication problems between these states also compromises efforts to deter and catch offenders.
Sub-Saharan Africa loses an estimated US$ 1 billion annually due to illegal fishing, noted Nhampule, and if the states affected do not act in unison to tackle to problem their accord to combat these activities will prove valueless.
Mozambique is particularly vulnerable to illegal fishing north of the 22nd parallel. (macauhub)
http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/news.php?ID=6779
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African nations losing $1bn to illegal fishing
Web posted at: 1/22/2009 3:27:15
Source ::: DPA
Maputo: Sub-Saharian African countries are currently losing more than $1bn yearly due to illegal fishing in their waters, a senior government official in Mozambique revealed this week.
Mozambique Deputy Fisheries Minister Victor Borges said that foreign fishing vessels were regularly spotted fishing illegally in African waters, depleting fish stocks.
“Our countries are witnessing without acting the destruction of fisheries in the region. Every year, we estimate that we lose over one billion dollars to illegal fishing.”
For Borges, the main cause was the weak monitoring capacity of African states. “The illegal vessels are constantly moving down to our region to fish as monitoring is strong in the north (northern hemisphere),” he said, calling for regional cooperation to stem poaching.
The Mozambique government is currently in discussions with international partners about obtaining $80m to purchase specialised vessels and aircraft to monitor its 2,500-km coastline.
In July 2008, Mozambican authorities seized a Namibian-registered ship carrying sharks illegally fished in its waters.
The Antillas Reefer was netted off the coast of central Zambezia province carrying 43 tonnes of sharks, 4 tonnes of shark fin, 1.8 tonnes of shark tail, 11.3 tonnes of shark liver and 20 tonnes of shark oil, all with a total estimated value of $5m.
Illegal fishing is blamed for the depletion of worldwide shark and whale stocks, both of which are popular with Asian diners. Shark fins are a delicacy in Asia, while shark liver and oil are used for medicinal purposes.
One kilogram of shark fin is sold in Mozambique for between 6,000 and 7,000 meticais ($240 to 280), but in Asia, for instance in Hong Kong, can fetch up to $1,000.
Mozambique’s licensed fishing industry contributes about 3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product. Incomes from prawns, the country’s most famous export, fell from $92m in 2006 to $78m in 2007
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&subsection=market+news&month=January2009&file=Business_News2009012232715.xml
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Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Overfishing campaign hits cinemas with a splash
Raphael Vassallo
Unless serious international efforts are made to control illegal fishing, the world’s fish stocks will collapse altogether by 2048.
This, in a clamshell, is the bleak outlook provided by ‘End of the Line’: a full-length feature documentary, based on the book by Telegraph journalist Charles Clover and partly sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, which premiered Monday at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA.
As evidenced by the outcome of last November’s international tuna summit in Marrakech, corporate greed, political apathy and a generally misinformed public have all contributed to a failure in curtailing rampant overfishing.
Meanwhile, illegal and unregulated fishing has been allowed to spiral out of control: and nowhere more visibly than the Mediterranean Sea, which has seen its shark populations dwindle by as much as 99% in recent years, while species such as the Northern bluefin tuna are now considered “critically endangered”.
“Overfishing is the single biggest immediate threat to our oceans, and the film highlights some of the most conspicuous examples of excessive exploitation of marine resources, such as the decimation of bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean,” Miguel Jorge, director of WWF-International’s Marine Programme, said this week. “Given that most people know very little about the state of our oceans, we hope the film serves to stimulate cinema-goers’ appetite for seafood that only comes from responsible fishers.”
People seem to know very little also about Malta’s role in the decimation of the bluefin tuna – a topic prominently featured in the 90-minute documentary.
The Mediterranean’s largest bluefin tuna ranching nation, Malta claims to have exported almost 12,000 tonnes of the endangered ocean-going predator last year alone. The Maltese government has always insisted that its fisheries operate in full accordance with international fishing conventions. But NGOs have pointed out numerous discrepancies in Malta’s ranching and export declarations: including an apparent 5,000 tonne mismatch between the amount ranched last year, and the amount physically exported.
EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg last week told MaltaToday that he is currently looking into these allegations.
“It is possible that the 5,000-tonne figure includes fish which would be defined from a customs standpoint as being ‘in transit’, and which would therefore not qualify as being re-exported in customs records,” he said.
If the makers of ‘End of the Line’ are correct in their assertions, the bluefin tuna is but one of several species that will disappear from our seas in the next 30 years.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/01/21/t19.html
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Shipping investors flock to exploit low ship values
Friday, 23 January 2009
Low ship values and cash-stripped ship owners form a great investment mix for those few in the shipping market, which have the necessary liquidity to move aggresively towards second hand tonnage. In fact, ship brokers indicate that in the coming months and if the dry bulk market doesn’t recover significantly (which would push ship values higher again) we shall witness rather big deals in the market, even entire fleets changing hands. According to broker reports, one of the companies investing at today’s low values is Polembros Shipping, owned by the Polemis family. The company reportedly agreed to buy a 12-year old bulk carrier (built in 1997 by Japan’s Hisamoto). The vessel “Golden Wing” is a capesize of 170,000-dwt, with the value of the deal estimated as low as $27 million. Polembros Shipping controls a fleet of 31 vessels, with a total carrying capacity of more than 3 million-dwt.
Meanwhile, Vita Management, controlled by Dionysis Vassilatos, acquired a 2001-built panamax of 74,000-dwt. The vessel, named “Chorus” was previously owned by K Line. The deal closed at approximately $24 million, a price indicative of the plunge in values from the end of summer of 2008 until today. For instance, NY-listed Dryships had bought a similar panamax (Nord Luna, 2000-built, 73,300-dwt) for a whopping $72 million.
The latest report compiled by Mr. George Grigoriadis, head of Finance & Research at shipbroking office George Moundreas & Co., said that at current values, second-hand vessels appear to be a real bargain and with a low investment risk. That is because if the market manages to bounce back in a mid-term basis, the vessels’ new owners could almost effortlessly see a return on their investment, almost whiping out the cost of the investment, even in a single voyage.
The risk of a further value depreciation or market rates falling further is small. Thus, more and more ship owners and investors are actively seeking to set up investment funds in the shipping market. These funds will look to capitalize on the fact that many ship owners are facing liquidity problems and are expected to offload part of their fleets to address this issue.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33191&Itemid=93
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Crayfish trawler 'a drug den and brothel'
January 22 2009 at 08:20AM
By Caryn Dolley
The activities of trespassers aboard an abandoned fishing trawler have fuelled allegations of drug abuse and prostitution.
In order to get rid of the 5-metre (?) crayfish trawler, named the Baby Ronald, authorities will have by the end of next week towed it back to Gansbaai, its place of origin.
On Wednesday, Kalk Bay harbour's chief fisheries inspector, Pat Stacey, said the vessel had arrived in the harbour from Gansbaai about two years ago "to come catch lobsters".
But he said about a year ago the owner had apparently abandoned it and since then people had illegally moved on to the vessel.
"In the last eight to 10 months the situation has become quite bad. The owner said they were paying someone to look after (the boat) but this person must've left long ago.
"Illegal people have moved on to the boat and it's alleged there has been drug-taking and that there's a lot of dagga on it. Young girls under the age of 12 have apparently been seen getting off the boat and there are allegations of prostitution," Stacey said.
He had last week, with its owner, gone to inspect the boat.
"First we had to get quite a few of the illegal people out. And then we even struggled to get some of them in the hold awake. It appears they passed out there and we couldn't wake them. I didn't even want to go downstairs into the hold.
"(The owner) was absolutely appalled by what he saw. Last year he spent hundreds of thousands of rand on the vessel," Stacey said.
He said there were usually between 10 and 14 people on the boat.
"Because of the boat being here, there've been a lot of unsavoury people around."
Stacey said he had ordered that the boat be towed back to Gansbaai by the end of next week.
He said he had reported the matter to the Muizenberg police station and officers had apparently also inspected the boat.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20090122060143602C638073
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India admits failed cruise missile test
1 day ago
NEW DELHI (AFP) — A supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India failed to hit its target in a test previously reported as successful, Indian military scientists said Wednesday.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation, which Tuesday claimed the test of the BrahMos missile had been a "total success," said the missile had flown only in the general direction of its target.
"The missile performance was absolutely normal till the last phase, but it missed the target, though it maintained the direction," BrahMos project chief Sivathanu Pillai told the Press Trust of India.
The eight-metre (26-foot) missile weighs about three metric tonnes and can be launched from land, ships, submarines or aircraft, travelling at a speed of up to Mach 2.8. It has a range of 290 kilometres (180 miles) and is designed to carry a conventional warhead.
The missile was fired from the Pokhran range in the western desert state of Rajasthan, bordering Pakistan, that was also the site of India's nuclear tests in 1998.
The Times of India newspaper Wednesday suggested the failure was a result of an attempt to configure the missile to carry a nuclear warhead.
Pillai did not comment on the newspaper's report but said his scientists were trying to debug the guidance system of a missile that had been tested 20 times in the past eight years.
"A new software used for this mission will be revalidated through extensive simulations and a flight trial will be carried out in a month's time to prove the augmented capabilities of the missile," he said.
India and Russia -- its largest military supplier -- hope to mass produce the BrahMos for export.
Nuclear-armed India, the largest arms buyer among emerging countries, has already begun arming its navy and army with the BrahMos as a tactical battlefield weapons system.
The missile is named after India's Brahmaputra River and Russia's Moskva River.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iRtWmrUUxA2LSsxJV9-lrS7vHxeQ
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Chinese Missiles Aimed At Nowhere
January 22, 2009: China has announced that its nuclear armed ballistic missiles are not aimed at anyone. Like most countries, China has long refused to say who its nuclear armed missiles are armed at. Most of those missiles only have enough range to hit Russia, or India, or other nearby nations. For a long time, most were very definitely aimed at Russia, which had rocky relations with China from the 1960s to the 1990s. But after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the new, much smaller, Russia became much friendlier with the wealthier (more capitalist, but still run by communists) China. Relations between China and India also warmed up.
For the last two decades China has had about two dozen DF-5 ICBMs. These are their only missiles that can reach the United States (but only Hawaii and Alaska and the west coast of North America). But the U.S. has recently installed 18 ICBM interceptor missile systems in Alaska. There are to deal with North Korean missiles, but could also destroy most Chinese missiles headed for the western United States. Thus it makes sense for China to simply say that it is not aiming any of its missiles at anyone. Modern guidance systems can be quickly (in less than an hour) programmed for a new target, so it doesn't really matter that, normally, the missiles have no target information in them.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/hticbm/articles/20090122.aspx
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Lloyd's Register addresses potential use of new technologies to help reduce marine fuel consumption
Friday, 23 January 2009
Fuel cells will be a long term sustainable energy solution for ships but, for immediate fuel savings, reduced environmental impact and reduced operational costs, many options are available now for incorporation in new designs At SMM Istanbul, Lloyd's Register explored in detail the potential use of new technologies to help in reducing both marine fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Dr. Zabi Bazari, Ship Energy Services Manager for Lloyd's Register Marine Consultancy Services, said that energy savings as high as 40% can be achieved by incorporating new systems and approaches into the design of new ships. Looking ahead, he said that fuel cells could eventually become the main energy unit in commercial ships when low-carbon technologies and renewable sources of energy are firmly in place.
In his speech, Zabi reviewed existing and potential technologies in two main categories: hull and propulsors; and engines and auxiliary machinery.
Hull and propulsors To achieve a reduction in a ship's hydrodynamic resistance, Zabi advocated options such as optimised hull forms, latest foul release paints, the use of air cavity or air bubble systems, the use of sails for capturing wind and solar energies. He underlined how the energy lost in propulsors can be mitigated by the use of contra-rotating propellers, flow-wise integrated propeller-rudder systems and propeller boss cap fins as well as hull mounted fins upstream of propeller for streamlining flow at entry to propeller.
Engines and auxiliary machinery Zabi identified the use of waste heat recovery systems, alternative fuels and electronic control common rail fuel injection system as the most effective and immediate means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions with existing engines. But he considered fuel cells as the most important and most likely long-term low and zero-carbon alternative. He brought the audience up to date with developments in fuel cell technologies and the likely timeline for practical shipboard application. He said that after a further three year period of research and development, we will see a period of adoption of fuel cell technology - primarily to gradually replace auxiliary power generation engines. But full replacement of existing engines/fuels combinations to fuel cell would not be likely for 20-30 years yet, he advised. He reviewed options for rotating machinery including high efficient electric motors and variable speed drives.
Zabi also advocated improvements in measurement and monitoring, especially wide-scale ship-board energy metering to facilitate subsequent operational energy management. The wider use of smart sensors and control systems, in particular for heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems (HVAC) and lighting systems, are now appropriate for new ships.
In a reference to current IMO initiatives on ship's 'energy efficiency design index', Zabi stated that regulatory changes will be the main driver for use of energy efficient and clean technologies. New technologies will support future compliance and will deliver financial benefits if energy efficiency is taken into account at design stage.
The previous evening at Lloyd's Register's new year reception for Turkish shipowners, Zabi had introduced the ways by which fuel consumption and GHG emissions can be reduced on existing ships. He explained how Lloyd's Register's Ship Energy Services can help its clients to deal with these challenges. As part of the Ship Energy Services, Zabi outlined the scope and benefits of services including: energy audits, performance monitoring and benchmarking, energy management training, CO2 indexing and emissions footprint, sulphur emission control areas (SECAs) fuel change-over plan and slow steaming advisory services.
David Barrow, Lloyd's Register EMEA Country Manager, Turkey said: "These new services have put Lloyd's Register in a strong position to support shipowners and operators in complying with environmental regulations and best practice as well as saving money and reducing their environmental impact."
Source: Lloyd’s Register
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33189&Itemid=79
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The White Sands Missile Range for Cyberwar
By Bruce Sterling January 22, 2009 | 5:08:29 AM
"Cyber weapon researchers worry that pieces of the digital warfare puzzle are still missing, in particular projection of new threats that foes may throw at the U.S. But U.S. Defense Department researchers may have an answer in the form of a new proving grounds of sorts.
" “Who’s looking at what’s coming next?” asks Rance Walleston, director of BAE Systems’ Information Operations Initiative. “That’s still weak.”
"Already, “we are seeing the threats shifting,” says Aaron Penkacik, director of BAE Systems’ Collaborative Technology Alliance that works with small companies and universities around the world to create and developed specialized materials and technologies. “As you go into a new theater of operations, you see [advanced communications and new uses for networks] pop-up everywhere. The threat is there, ad-hoc, undefined and asymmetric. So you have to stand up your capability quickly to defend and fight your networks.”
"The BAE executive says the ramifications are already playing out in real ways. “It’s changing the way we think about deploying software-defined radios,” he says by way of example. “We’re using common modules that have software functions that are adaptable in real time as the threat changes.”
"And today, as there are specialized test ranges for all types of radars and weapons, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has planned a new program called the National Cyber Range..."
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2009/01/the-white-sands.html
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/DARP12308.xml&headline=DARPA%20Unveils%20Cyber%20Warfare%20Range&channel=defense
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Nigeria - Robin Hoodlum
January 22, 2009: The military believes that most of the violence against the oil companies is being carried out by a MEND group operating out of a camp in Ajakaja, in Rivers state in the Niger delta. The military is trying to obtain a precise location and launch an attack. But MEND has learned to move around. With all the money the rebels obtain from stealing oil and kidnapping, they can afford lots of fast boats, and cash to pay for local accommodations wherever they need to go. While MEND is making little progress in their campaign to be more government money to improve the lives of people in the Niger delta, the rebels continue to grow rich from criminal activities, and react particularly violently if the military interferes with oil theft and oil smuggling. Mostly, MEND steals from the rich and gives to the wicked.
January 21, 2009: In the Niger delta, gunmen attacked a Romanian tanker, carrying 4,000 tons of diesel fuel, and tool one of the crew captive. The tankers was shot up pretty bad by the attackers.
January 18, 2009: In the Niger delta, two oil company boats were attacked, killing one person and kidnapping six others on board.
January 17, 2009: Troops attempted to rescue two British oil workers, who have held four months. The rescue attempt failed and the hostages were moved deeper into the Niger delta swamps. The two Brits are being held in an attempt to obtain the freedom of MEND leader Henry Okah.
January 13, 2009: Tubotamuno Angolia, one of the MEND leaders in the Niger delta, was killed by soldiers.
January 12, 2009: Two soldiers were killed and one wounded in the Niger delta, after rebels retaliated for the seizure of a ship used to transport stolen oil.
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/nigeria/articles/20090122.aspx
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Cyber Warfare - Waiting For Cybergeddon
January 22, 2009: In the United States, the FBI (which is responsible for detecting and investigating Internet based crime) is warning that America is becoming ever more vulnerable to "cybergeddon" (a massive attack via the Internet that would cripple the economy, government and military.) The FBI admits that it has a hard time getting more money for their Internet security efforts. And reason is because the threat is largely invisible. A picture of a nuclear bomb going off, or of enemy tanks and warships ready to attack, makes a much more effective impression on the politicians who dole out the money.
The FBI also wants to get the Department of Defense Internet defense operations more involved in national level defense against network based attacks. But the four services have a hard time agreeing to coordinate their efforts to defend military use of the Internet when under massive hacker attack. Thus the FBI plea for help sort of falls on distracted ears.
There hasn't been a proper, all-out Cyber War yet. There have been lots of skirmishes, but nothing approaching what an all out battle, via the Internet, would be. What would the first Cyber War be like? Let's be blunt, no one really knows. But based on the cyber weapons that are known to exist, and the ones that are theoretically possible, one can come up with a rough idea.
First, there are three kinds of Cyber War possible. Right now, we have limited stealth operations (LSO), as Chinese, Russian, and others, use Cyber War techniques to support espionage efforts. China is the biggest practitioner, or at least they have been caught most often.
Next comes Cyber War only (CWO). This is open use of a full range of Cyber War weapons. No one has done this yet, but it's potentially less dangerous than firing missiles and unleashing tank divisions. It is believed that Russia indulged in this in 2007, when Estonia infuriated the Russians by moving a World War II statute memorializing the Soviet "liberation" of Estonia (which didn't want to be liberated by the Soviet Union.) Russia denied responsibility for the massive Cyber War assaults on Estonia, which nearly shut down the nations Internet infrastructure. Estonia accused Russia of being responsible, and tried to invoke the NATO mutual-defense pact. NATO Cyber War experts went to Estonia, and shortly thereafter the attacks stopped. Apparently Russia got the message that this sort of thing could escalate in something more conventional, and deadly.
Then we have Cyber War in support of a conventional war. Technically, we have had this sort of thing for decades. It has been called "electronic warfare" and has been around since World War II. But the development of the Internet into a major part of the planets commercial infrastructure, takes "electronic warfare" to a whole other level. Cyber War goes after strategic targets, not just the electronic weapons and communications of the combat forces.
A successful Cyber War depends on two things; means and vulnerability. The "means" are the people, tools and cyberweapons available to the attacker. The vulnerability is the extent to which the enemy economy and military use the Internet and networks in general. We don't know who has what Cyber War capabilities exactly, although China and the U.S. have openly organized Cyber War units, and both nations have lots of skilled Internet experts.
Vulnerability is another matter. The United States is the most exposed to Cyber War attack because, as a nation, we use the Internet more than any other country. That's the bad news. The good news is that if an attacker ever tried to launch a Cyber War by assaulting the U.S., it could backfire. This risk has to be kept in mind when considering what a Cyber War might do. Recall military history. The Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 actually backfired on the Japanese, by enraging Americans and unleashing a bloodthirsty response that left Japan in ruins. The lesson of the original Pearl Harbor is, if you're going to hit someone this way, better make it count. If your opponent is bigger than you, and gets back up, you could be in some serious trouble.
The big problem with Cyber War is that there has not been a lot of experience with it. Without that, no one is really sure what will happen when someone attempts to use it at maximum strength. But unlike nuclear weapons, there is far less inhibition about going all-out with Cyber War weapons. That is the biggest danger. Cyber War is a weapon of growing might, and little restraint by those who wield it. Things are going to get a lot worse.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htiw/articles/20090122.aspx
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US Admiral: Pact nears for Somali pirate trials
14 minutes ago
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — International negotiators are nearing an accord to hold trials for captured Somali pirates and jail them outside their homeland.
The head of a new U.S.-led anti-pirate task force said Friday the deal could be reached in weeks. It would provide a broad legal framework to address the growing problem of piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia.
Rear Adm. Terence McKnight says the pirates would face justice in the region.
He would not disclose the possible countries for the trials. Somalia has been without a functioning government for nearly 20 years.
The U.S. Navy began special anti-piracy patrols last week. The United States hopes more than a dozen other nations will eventually join the task force.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD95SOMO00
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U .S. Navy to Commission Amphibious Transport Dock Ship
08:49 GMT, January 23, 2009 WASHINGTON | The Navy will commission the newest San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship Green Bay during a 10 a.m. PST ceremony Jan. 24 in Long Beach, Calif. The ship is named Green Bay to honor the nation's Midwest "city by the bay."
The city of about 100,000 residents was founded in 1634 by French explorer Jean Nicolet, and is the oldest community in Wisconsin. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Rose Magnus, wife of the former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Magnus (ret.), is serving as the ship's sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the order to "man our ship and bring her to life!" Designated as LPD 20, Green Bay is the fourth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class.
As a critical element in future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps' "mobility triad," which consists of the landing craft air cushion (LCAC), the expeditionary fighting vehicle (EFV) and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). The ship will provide improved warfighting capabilities including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. Cmdr. Joseph Olson, a native of Madison, Wis., will be the first commanding officer of the ship. Olson graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1991 and received his commission from the Naval Reserve Office Training Corps. He will lead a crew of approximately 360 officers and enlisted personnel and three Marines. Upon commissioning, the ship will be homeported in San Diego.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5063/
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Shipping investors flock to exploit low ship values
Friday, Jan 23, 2009
Low ship values and cash-stripped ship owners form a great investment mix for those few in the shipping market, which have the necessary liquidity to move aggresively towards second hand tonnage. In fact, ship brokers indicate that in the coming months and if the dry bulk market doesn’t recover significantly (which would push ship values higher again) we shall witness rather big deals in the market, even entire fleets changing hands. According to broker reports, one of the companies investing at today’s low values is Polembros Shipping, owned by the Polemis family. The company reportedly agreed to buy a 12-year old bulk carrier (built in 1997 by Japan’s Hisamoto). The vessel “Golden Wing” is a capesize of 170,000-dwt, with the value of the deal estimated as low as $27 million. Polembros Shipping controls a fleet of 31 vessels, with a total carrying capacity of more than 3 million-dwt.
Meanwhile, Vita Management, controlled by Dionysis Vassilatos, acquired a 2001-built panamax of 74,000-dwt. The vessel, named “Chorus” was previously owned by K Line. The deal closed at approximately $24 million, a price indicative of the plunge in values from the end of summer of 2008 until today. For instance, NY-listed Dryships had bought a similar panamax (Nord Luna, 2000-built, 73,300-dwt) for a whopping $72 million.
The latest report compiled by Mr. George Grigoriadis, head of Finance & Research at shipbroking office George Moundreas & Co., said that at current values, second-hand vessels appear to be a real bargain and with a low investment risk. That is because if the market manages to bounce back in a mid-term basis, the vessels’ new owners could almost effortlessly see a return on their investment, almost whiping out the cost of the investment, even in a single voyage.
The risk of a further value depreciation or market rates falling further is small. Thus, more and more ship owners and investors are actively seeking to set up investment funds in the shipping market. These funds will look to capitalize on the fact that many ship owners are facing liquidity problems and are expected to offload part of their fleets to address this issue.
http://www.yourshipbuildingnews.com/shipping+investors+flock+to+exploit+low+ship+values_21947.html
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Japanese taskforce approves naval mission to Somalia
1 day ago
TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's ruling coalition Thursday approved plans to send naval ships to pirate-infested waters off Somalia to protect Japanese vessels and nationals, an official said.
The decision by the coalition's anti-piracy task force is expected to pave the way for a Japanese mission off the coast of the lawless African nation some time in the coming months.
The navy would protect Japanese-registered ships and foreign ships with Japanese crew and passengers, or important cargo, said an official with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's junior coalition partner, New Komeito.
The task force said that Japanese coasguards should be on board the navy ships to exercise police duties as the Japanese navy's role was limited strictly to self-defence, he said.
It is up to government to decide what kind of, and how many, ships should be dispatched, said the official in the New Komeito policy planning team.
Earlier reports have said Prime Minister Taro Aso will authorise a plan for a destroyer to head to Somalia.
A number of nations are sending ships to the area to fend off increasingly brazen pirate attacks, which have led some shipping companies to avoid the route via the Suez Canal and, at greater cost, sail around Africa instead.
Japan, officially pacifist since World War II, can legally use its navy only to protect Japanese vessels and citizens.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gK3s7t6kOutqL-YaCB3oqiCJ7TsQ
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UAE fishery firm eyes tuna farm in Seychelles
Web posted at: 1/23/2009 6:31:41
Source ::: REUTERS
VICTORIA: Abu Dhabi fisheries company Asmak is considering tuna-ranching in waters off the Seychelles archipelago, the head of the Seychelles Fishing Authority said yesterday.
The company has signed a six-month memorandum of understanding, under which it will also look into developing the Seychelles capital Victoria into a major fisheries hub to rival leading Asian tuna centres.
Neither Asmak nor the SFA have disclosed how much the company is looking to invest. But Mohamed Salim Makwana, Assistant General Manager of subsidiary Asmak International Fish Farming Holding Co confirmed that a memorandum of understanding had been signed covering investment in the Seychelles fisheries sector.
As the financial crisis highlights the risks of an economy heavily dependent on tourism, the Seychelles wants to diversify its indebted economy and develop its fisheries industry. “The idea is to turn Victoria into a tuna trading hub to rival the likes of Bangkok,” said Rondolph Payet, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA).
“The tuna ranch will involve off-shore cages where the tuna will be fattened up before export to Asia and Europe,” he said.
Some 50 foreign tuna vessels offload their lucrative hauls in Victoria. The port handles up to 350,000 tonnes of tuna a year, but two-thirds of this is transported immediately to overseas markets. While demand for the Japanese delicacy sushi can push the price of tuna to over $100,000 per fish, fisheries account for just 3 percent of Seychelles $900m economy.
“We need to add value to the tuna that is unloaded here in Seychelles, whether it is stored here for longer or traded here,” Payet told Reuters by telephone.
Conservationists fear such intensive fish farming projects could jeopardise the Seychelles’ pristine marine environment which draws some 150,000 visitors to the archipelago every year.
The greatest risk would come from introducing new species at a later date, Nirmal Shah, head of conservation group Nature Seychelles, said.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&subsection=market+news&month=January2009&file=Business_News2009012363141.xml
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Spanish Parliamentary votes anti piracy mission off Somalia
15:21 GMT, January 21, 2009 Spanish parliamentary has agreed on Wednesday anti piracy decision, where they will send troops to chase Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, as part of EU anti piracy mission.
The parliament has reached the decision which will deploy 395 troops in the Gulf of Aden. Spain has been operating off Somali waters since last year. It already has a P-3 maritime surveillance plane with 70 troops at a French air base in Djibouti, just north of Somalia, and those assets will now go toward the EU task force against piracy, involving various EU nations.
Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon told parliament before the vote that the fight against piracy "is of vital importance for the defense of the geostrategic and economic interests of Spain, and will provide security to our fishing fleet," according to a defense ministry statement.
It was on Tuesday while South Korea and Japan have decided to combat Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden (see: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4982/).
The Japanese government has planned to send ships of the Maritime Self-defense to fight piracy on the dangerous coasts of Somalia, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.
The government coalition, composed of the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP) and its ally New Komeito, will reach a formal agreement about the proposal on Thursday.
Also South Korea’s cabinet has approved on Tuesday to join the Seoul administration anti piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, while the government will send a warship and 310 troops to combat piracy off Somalia, South Korea media reported.
Cabinet officials ratified the plan to dispatch a Navy destroyer -- the Ganggamchan -- and about 310 troops to the waters off the Gulf of Aden, ministry officials said.
Piracy is rife off Somalia, which has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre in 1991.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5023/
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Tons of timber wash up on Kent coast
By Euan Stretch 23/01/2009
Wood you believe it! This was the scene yesterday when hundreds of tons of timber washed up on the beach.
Huge piles of sawn wooden planks from a stricken Russian cargo ship littered the Kent coast from Folkestone to Broadstairs. Police, coastguard and council officials moved swiftly to stop potential looters. But scores were seen sifting the booty.
Alison Kentuck, Receiver of Wreck, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "The timber belongs to its original owners - it's not a case of finder's keepers." One man in Broadstairs loaded his van with planks and drove off without being tackled by police. An onlooker said: "Police were watching but he didn't care. He was bold as brass. The stuff would be pretty useless for anything but firewood - it's been in the sea for too long."
The timber was part of a 1,500ton load worth more than £250,000 which was lost from a Russian ship in the English Channel during heavy seas on Monday.
£2,500 is the amount people can be fined for failing to declare their loot within 28 days to the Receiver of Wreck.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/01/23/tons-of-timber-wash-up-on-kent-coast-115875-21062773/
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Somali piracy 'reduces tuna haul'
Piracy off Somalia's coast is a cause of falls in tuna catches in the Indian Ocean - one of the world's richest sources of the fish, experts say.
The head of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Alejandro Anganuzzi, said catches fell by about 30% last year, seriously affecting the industry.
The Seychelles economy has been badly hit as many foreign fishing fleets are based there.
The reduced supply because of piracy has also driven up the price of tuna.
Ship seizures
The Indian Ocean tuna industry is said to be worth up to $6bn.
Last year Somali pirates took 42 commercial ships with crews hostage, according to the International Maritime Bureau, including the biggest oil supertanker ever captured.
A number of countries began naval patrols off East Africa and in the Gulf of Aden to try to combat the attacks.
With the threat still present, fishing fleets have had to move further east from the Somali coast, Mr Anganuzzi told Reuters news agency.
About 40% of Seychelles's foreign earnings come from tuna and related industries, the IOTC said.
French and Spanish fleets based in Seychelles caught only 50% of their expected catch.
The fleets usually catch nearly two-thirds of the year's haul off Somalia between August and November, he said.
Seychelles is paid per tonne of fish landed for port facilities and reduced catches mean fewer calls to port.
"The pirates' biggest impact, however, is reduced supply, driving prices up," the head of the Seychelles Fisheries Authority, Rondolph Payet, told Reuters.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7845173.stm
Published: 2009/01/22 15:18:02 GMT
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Two workers dead in Japanese shipyard accident
By Mike Grinter in Hong Kong - Friday 23 January 2009
TWO workers fell to their death and a further 23 sustained injuries when a gangway collapsed at a Japanese shipyard on Friday morning.
The gangway to a car carrier, which is under construction at the Ozai shipyard of Minaminippon Shipbuilding in Oita fell away from the ship plunging workers onto the pier and into the sea, the shipyard reported after the fire department and police attended the scene of the accident.
An initial investigation indicated that bolts connecting the walkway to the ship sheared off. But a more thorough investigation is being undertaken by police in order to determine whether or not professional negligence could be a factor in the accident.
The two dead workers are Yoichi Matsuo, 53, and Yoshitomo Kuroki, 58, both from the city of Oita.
Some of the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Others with less serious injuries were treated on site.
According to Minaminippon Shipbuilding, the shipyard was completed in May last year as the company’s third plant for manufacturing large vessels.
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/two-workers-dead-in-japanese-shipyard-accident/20017611152.htm
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January 23, 2009 15:35 PM
MMEA Gets First Amphibious Aircraft
SUBANG, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) today received its first amphibious Bombardier CL415 aircraft from an aircraft maker at a simple but meaningful ceremony here today.
The aircraft was surrendered by Bombardier Inc Canada (specialised and amphibious aircraft) president Michelle Bourgeois to MMEA director general Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish at the old Subang airport, witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Malaysia's use of the amphibious aircraft would go down in history as the first Southeast Asian country to use an amphibious aircraft for maritime enforcement.
Malaysia signed a deal with Bombardier in mid-2008 to purchase two of its CL415 amphibious aircraft, with the first aircraft delivered early this year, while the second to be delivered by end 2009.
Najib, in a short speech at the handing over ceremony, said taking delivery of aircraft marked a major development for MMEA in becoming a credible maritime enforcement agency in the region.
"We have a vast coastline which has to be guarded and secured and this aircraft will help us achieve that somewhat. We have also set aside allocation to buy three medium sized helicopters and two of the amphibious aircraft. All are now being built.
"With these, the MMEA would be world class. This amphibious aircraft is unique because it can suck-in 4,000 litres of water in just 12 seconds. Apart from maritime enforcement, it can also be used to put out forest fires or big fires elsewhere," he added.
He said the usage of the aircraft would further boost the capability and expertise of MMEA.
"We need to give a signal to all those out there who try to break our maritime laws. Malaysia, being a large trading nation, needs to ensure that the sea lanes are safe," Najib added.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=385624
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Commission promotes clean, efficient shipping
Published: Friday 23 January 2009
The European Commission this week announced a series of measures aimed at greening the maritime transport sector to boost its global competitiveness.
The package on the future of maritime transport, presented by the EU executive on 21 January, outlines a ten-year policy strategy (2009-2018) to promote safe, secure, clean and efficient shipping, as well as plans to remove barriers for the European maritime transport sector.
"Times are changing, and the purpose is to apply existing rules for road transport to transport by sea. The aim is to increase activity in this sector, while improving efficiency and competitiveness, thus contributing to improvements for the environment," said Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani, presenting the proposal.
The action plan includes a number of rules aimed at reducing the administrative burden imposed on shipping companies by EU and national regulations. Under the proposals, customs procedures will be simplified and inspections better coordinated to reduce delays related to plant and animal checks.
Brussels expects a barrier-free European maritime transport area to help reduce demand for road haulage and slash overall freight forwarding costs.
The proposed measures are expected to make maritime transport a more attractive option and boost competitiveness and employment, leading to more balanced use of all transport modes and 'greening' the sector.
Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg described the strategy as the "cornerstone" of the EU's integrated maritime policy, which aims to boost competitiveness, sustainable growth and employment across the maritime industry in Europe.
Over 80% of world trade takes place on the ocean, making maritime transport "the backbone of international trade," according to the Commission, which insisted that shipping and related services are key to helping European companies to compete globally.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/commission-promotes-clean-efficient-shipping/article-178736
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Sources: US searched suspected arms-smuggling ship
By PAULINE JELINEK – 16 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military intercepted and searched an Iranian-owned ship that officials feared was carrying arms to the militant group Hamas, but two officials said it was unclear Thursday whether those suspicions were founded.
The Cypriot-flagged commercial vessel was tracked by a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea over the weekend, one official said. It was boarded and searched with the consent of the vessel's crew on Monday and Tuesday, said another.
They both spoke on condition of anonymity because details were still sketchy and they were not authorized to speak about it on the record.
One official said the two-day search turned up ammunition that included artillery shells; and since Hamas is not known to use artillery, officials are now uncertain who the intended recipient was.
"There's just a lot of things we don't know yet, and it will be a couple of days before we do," he said.
Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said she had no comment on the operation.
But the two other defense officials said the vessel was allowed to continue its voyage after the search. One official said Egypt has been asked to a fuller search once the ship arrives in port.
Israel launched a 22-day offensive late last month on Hamas-controlled Gaza to try to permanently halt years of militant rocket fire on growing numbers of Israelis and to halt the smuggling of arms that turned Hamas into a threat to much of southern Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was in Brussels on Thursday, hoping to get a deal committing the European Union to contribute forces, ships and technology to anti-smuggling operations, Israeli officials said.
Most of the smuggling has been carried out through tunnels underneath the eight-mile border between Egypt and the Gaza border. Egypt has not been able or willing to stop the flow of weapons and medium-range rockets through the tunnels, along with fuel and consumer goods.
Israel bombed most of the tunnels during the offensive.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jPo-iC2tfDQXeijSKM8qVyJiSFQAD95SAOO82
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6 missing after boat sinks off Morocco
3:05 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2009
BERLIN - Germany's Foreign Ministry says six people are missing after a sailboat capsized off the coast of Morocco.
The ministry says a 19-year-old German woman managed to swim to shore after the accident and was taken to a hospital. She was released to the German Embassy in Morocco on Wednesday.
Morocco's official MAP news agency reported that a Royal Gendarmerie helicopter had searched in vain on Tuesday night at the accident site — the entrance to the Port of Mahdia, near Kenitra — but bad weather and rough seas made a sea search impossible. MAP said the "Taube," sailboat capsized in the rough seas. The six missing people include three Germans.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28776440/
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Greece starts defence purchase talks with France
09:33 GMT, January 23, 2009 The Greek defence minister, Evangelos Meimarakis has indicated that the Government Council on Foreign Affairs and National Defense (KYSEA) has given the “green light” for the MoD to proceed with negotiations with France for the purchase of six FREMM type frigates as well as 15 Super Puma search and rescue helicopters.
The Hellenic Navy has a long-standing requirement for a new class of air defence frigates, and an interest in principle towards a modified version of the Franco-Italian FREMM frigate design has been known for several years. The Minister’s announcement, however, indicates that the programme is now to proceed to the negotiating phase.
The Greek government intends for all six ships to be built in Greece with French technical assistance, which however does pose a particularly intriguing problem. The only shipyard in Greece which is currently capable of building frigate-size warships is Hellenic Shipyards in Skaramanga, which however happens to be owned 100% by the German TKMS concern. For Hellenic Shipyards to become responsible for the Greek FREMM programme, it would require for France’s DCNS to be willing and prepared to transfer all their designs, building technologies, costing procedures and so on to their bitter rival TKMS – a very unlikely proposition to say the least.
The only way out this conundrum would be for the Greek Government to appoint the other naval shipyard in Greece, Eleuysis Shipyards as the main contractor for the FREMM programme. Eleuysis however cannot currently build ships larger than a corvette, and thus would need to be expanded at a significant cost. Alternatively, the government could perhaps try and “convince” TKMS to sell Hellenic Shipyards back to the State or another private investor.
http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/229/
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Spain announces its contribution to Op ATALANTA
09:44 GMT, January 23, 2009 The Spanish Parliament is expected to announce the contribution of a warship to the Op ATALANTA taskforce after voting in the motion yesterday.
Defence Minister Carme Chacon said “a frigate and a supply ship with 200 Spanish troops aboard would leave for the Gulf of Aden, after the Cabinet gives final approval on Friday”.
The vessel chosen is the Santa Maria Class frigate SPS VICTORIA (F82), commanded by Commander Fernando Poole SN, which will sail from the Spanish Naval Headquarters in Rota, near Cadiz, this weekend.
The 4,000 tonne warship’s armaments include a 76mm gun, anti-ship missiles and two Lamps helicopters.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5070/
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No need to increase Indian warships in Gulf of Aden: Mehta
Published: January 22,2009
Mumbai
Aggressive patrolling by warships of number of countries has reduced piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden and there was presently no need to augment the deployment of the Indian Navy in the region, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said today.
"If we feel there is a requirement, we will increase the number of ships, but at this point in time I do not feel we have such a requirement," Mehta said at a function here, following the commissioning of the navy's first dedicated helicopter base INS Shikra in south Mumbai.
Mehta emphasised that the fallout of terror strikes in the country's financial capital on November 26 last year had not stretched the navy's capabilities in carrying out anti-piracy operations."The navy has enough capabilities to handle multiple issues. There are sufficient forces to handle the issues at home and in other regions," the Chief of Naval Staff said.
However, the navy would still like to work under a UN charter to carry out patrolling in the region, he said. The Indian Navy presently has a stealth frigate operating in the Gulf of Aden, which witnessed multiple attacks by Somalian pirates on merchant vessels travelling in the area last year.
Referring to INS Shikra, Mehta said it's creation was a recognition of the need for the growth of naval aviation."In the very near future, we will commission two more air squadrons at Visakhapatnam and another air station at Ramnad," he said.
However, the Chief of Naval Staff said the presence of hutments on encroached land at the boundary wall of the helicopter base was undesirable."The Maharashtra government was working on rehabilitating them," he said, adding it would give the base more land to expand on.
The base, which presently provides hangar and maintenance facilities to naval and other government agencies'helicopters, also provides Air Traffic Control for helicopters in south Mumbai and could also provide facilities to private agencies in the future after expansion.
The Chief of Naval Staff said he was not aware of reported delays in delivery of" Akula II" class Nerpa nuclear submarines by Russia to the Indian Navy."The trials of the submarines were to commence soon. They are, however, an enhancement of our capabilities and does not affect our present capabilities," Mehta said.
The navy had a requirement for more specialised vessels like the amphibious INS Jalashwa and in the future non-defence private shipyards should also be able to build them, he said."We will need a lot of participation of private players in the country to meet the demand," Mehta said. The Navy was on course to have three aircraft carriers by the end of this decade, he said.
http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/484346/National/1/20/1
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DATE:21/01/09
SOURCE:Flight International
IAI's Heron UAV to make maritime patrol debut
By Arie Egozi
Israel will begin flying maritime patrol sorties over the Mediterranean Sea by mid-2009 using modified Israel Aerospace Industries Heron (Shoval) unmanned air vehicles, with a prototype having undergone flight testing over recent months.
A senior Israeli air force source says the use of UAVs will enable better maritime coverage than the service's current manned IAI Westwind 1124 business jet-based Seascans, which entered use from 1978.
Shoval air vehicles will gradually replace the current type, and according to the air force will be equipped with a similar payload. Confirmed system elements include a maritime search radar provided by IAI's Elta Systems subsidiary, and a stabilised long-range optical observation system from Tamam.
Photo - Israel Aerospace Industries
Air force UAV operators will act as mission controllers for the new aircraft, while their payload will be managed by Israeli navy specialists.
IAI's baseline Heron air vehicle has an endurance of over 40h at an altitude of 30,000ft (9,150m), and can carry multiple payloads with a total weight of 250kg (550lb). The medium-altitude, long-endurance type was recently employed by the Israeli air force during its participation in Operation "Cast Lead", which struck against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/01/21/321411/iais-heron-uav-to-make-maritime-patrol-debut.html
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Nigerian Delta: Soldiers Killed 90 Persons – Maritime Workers
From Segun James in Yenagoa, 01.22.2009
The Bayelsa State branch of the Maritime Workers Union (MWU) yesterday alleged that rampaging soldiers of the Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) on the Niger Delta killed over 90 persons and destroyed over 300 boats along the creeks and rivers of Bayelsa State in 2008.
The allegation rattled members of the Presidential Task Force on Inter-agency Maritime Security even as they called for the payment of compensation to affected families.
The presidential task force led by Real Admiral, Dele Ezeoba, at a Public Hearing in Yenagoa was told by the Chairman of the state chapter of the Maritime Workers’ Union , Comrade Sylvanus Egele, that many of the Union members were killed by soldiers at the height of militancy in the state last year.
Egele called on the Federal Government to prevail on the commanding officers of the Joint Military Task to release report of investigations done on the alleged killing and ensure the immediate prosecution of those involved to deter other trigger happy soldiers from engaging in such dastardly acts.
The presidential task force which was set up by the Federal Government to fashion ways on checking illegalities along Nigerian waters, was told of the rising cases and the involvement of soldiers in the killings of innocent citizens between March and November last year.
Egele, who claimed that he was also a victim of assault in the hands of the soldiers, said the soldiers operating in the state were engaged in extortion and torture.
“There presence along the waterways has claimed over 90 lives. They use gun boats to harass us. I was beaten black and blue at one time. Sometimes the offences are not explained to you. In my case the commander apologised. The waterway is no longer safe. On the 4th of March, a Naval boat killed seven passengers. The Bayelsa government intervened and since then compensation promised the families have not been paid,” he alleged.
Egele said the poor handling of security issues and the improper implementation of the report on the reforms of the state owned security outfit, Bayelsa Volunteer by the state government was responsible for some of the problems in the waterways.
In his submission, the Head, Marine Police of the Nigerian Police Force in the state, D.S.P Ngoye Jack-Reece, the representative of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority, Captain Samma White and the Chairman of the Opalaye Farmers’ Association in Nembe-Bassanbiri, Mr.Dogiye Allisson-Isele, called on the presidential task force to improve the manpower of police, prevail on the oil companies to check issue of oil spillage and give out loans to fish farmers in the state.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force, Real Admiral Dele Ezeoba, told the audience made up of the representative of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the task force was set up by the Chief of Defence Staff to check illegalities along the waterways. He said though they have visited about five states, they have listened to all issues raised by the stakeholders and communicate such to the Federal Government.
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=133718
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Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009
China plays maritime chess
By CESAR CHELALA
The start of Chinese patrols in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden is intended to extend China's naval role and presence far from its shores while demonstrating, under United Nations rules of engagement, a capability to conduct complex operations in distant waters.
Today, taking on pirates under the placard of internationalism offers China a welcome opportunity to add force to its global power ambitions. The antipiracy plank earlier made it handy for Beijing to agree to joint patrols with Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and extend cooperation to ASEAN. Another Chinese objective is to chip away at India's maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean — a theater critical to fashioning a Sino-centric Asia. If China can assert naval power in the Indian Ocean to expand its influence over the regional waterways and states, it will emerge as the preeminent Asian power.
The geopolitical importance of the Indian Ocean today is beginning to rival that of the Pacific. Much of the global oil-export supply passes through the Indian Ocean rim region, particularly through two constricted passageways — the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, and the piracy-plagued Strait of Malacca.
In addition, the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the nuclear standoff with Iran undergird the critical importance of the Indian Ocean region. Asserting naval presence in the Indian Ocean and expanding maritime power in the Pacific are part of the high-stakes game of maritime chess China is now ready to play. Its buildup of naval forces directly challenges Japan and India and impinges on U.S. interests.
China, undergirding its larger geostrategic motives, says it is "seriously considering" adding to its navy fleet a first aircraft carrier — a symbol of "a nation's comprehensive power," as a military spokesperson put it.
Now, with Chinese President Hu Jintao publicly calling for rapid naval modernization and the last defense White Paper disclosing that "the Navy aims to gradually extend its strategic depth," naval expansion and greater missile prowess are clearly at the core of China's force modernization. Since 2000 alone, China has built at least 60 warships. Its navy now has a fleet of 860 vessels, including at least 60 submarines.
There is a clear strategic shift under way in China on force planning. Historically a major land power, China is now putting the accent on building long-range maritime power to help underpin geopolitical interests, including winning new allies and safeguarding its energy and economic investments in distant lands. China has been in the lead in avariciously acquiring energy and mineral assets in Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, Venezuela, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and other states that have a record of showing scant respect for international contracts. Through naval power-projection force capability, Beijing intends to dissuade such states from reasserting control over Chinese-held assets.
More significantly, rising naval power arms China with the heft to pursue mercantilist efforts to lock up long-term energy supplies, assert control over transport routes, and assemble a "string of pearls" in the form of listening posts and special naval-access arrangements along the great trade arteries.
Just as China's land-combat strategy has evolved from "deep defense" (luring enemy forces into Chinese territory to help garrote them) to "active defense" (a proactive posture designed to fight the enemy on enemy territory, including through the use of forces stationed in neighboring lands or seas), a shift in its sea-warfare posture has emerged, with the emphasis on greater reach and depth and expeditionary capability.
And just as Beijing has used its energy investments in Central Asia as justification to set up at least two offensively configured, armor-heavy mechanized corps — with Xinjiang as their springboard — to fight deep inside adversarial territory and secure strategic assets, China's growing oil imports from the Persian Gulf and Africa have come handy to rationalize its growing emphasis on the seas.
Chinese naval power is set to grow exponentially. This will become evident as Beijing accelerates its construction of warships and begins to deploy naval assets far from its exclusive economic zone. In fact, Chinese warships inducted in recent years have already been geared for blue-sea fleet operations. China is on track to deploy a fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines (known as SSBNs). It has already developed its new Jin-class (Type 094) SSBN prototype, with satellite pictures showing one such submarine berthed at the huge new Chinese naval base at Sanya, on the southern coast of Hainan Island. Within the next 25 years, China could have more nuclear assets at sea than Russia.
Against that background, it is no surprise that the Chinese Navy is extending its operations to a crucial international passageway — the Indian Ocean. China indeed has aggressively moved in recent years to build ports in the Indian Ocean rim, including in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Burma. Besides eyeing Pakistan's Chinese-built port of Gwadar as a naval anchor, Beijing has sought naval links with the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar.
India, with its enormous strategic depth in the Indian Ocean, is in a position to pursue a sea-denial strategy, if it were to adopt a more forward-thinking naval policy designed to forestall the emergence of a Beijing-oriented Asia. It has to start exerting naval power at critical chokepoints, in concert with the Japanese, U.S. and other friendly navies. In essence, that entails guarding the various "gates" to the Indian Ocean. More broadly, Japanese-Indian naval cooperation and collaboration have become inescapable.
Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the privately funded Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, is the author, most recently, of "Asian Juggernaut: The Rise of China, India and Japan."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/eo20090122cc.html
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From The Times
January 23, 2009
John Hutton ‘deceived MPs over Royal Navy cuts’
Michael Evans, Defence Editor
John Hutton has been accused of deceiving Parliament over his explanation for a two-year delay in the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier programme.
The allegation came after Lockheed Martin, the American defence company, contradicted his account. He had said that the delay was linked to a later delivery date for the aircraft that the vessels will carry.
In a written Commons statement last month, the Defence Secretary said that construction of the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, would be put back a further one or two years in line with the expected delivery of the Joint Strike Fighter, the combat aircraft designed to replace the Harrier. The fighter project has been running behind schedule.
Under the delayed in-service dates announced for the two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was to have been ready by 2014, will now be completed by 2015 or 2016, and HMS Prince of Wales will not be in service until 2016 or 2017.
Lockheed Martin, however, confirmed to The Times that it had been ready to provide the combat aircraft by 2014 but had been told by the Ministry of Defence to deliver in time for a 2017 initial operating capability.
The company, which is developing the Joint Strike Fighter in partnership with BAE Systems, said that the aircraft’s assembly line was already running and that other partners in the programme would get their aircraft before Britain.
It emphasised that deliveries to the MoD would start well before 2017 to allow the Royal Navy to build up operational capability before the in-service date. “It’s true that the MoD wanted its JSF initial operating capability for 2017, although we told them we could deliver by 2014,” the company said.
Australia would have initial operating capability for the fighters in 2015, the Netherlands in 2016 and Britain and Turkey in 2017, Lockheed Martin said. Those ordered by the US Marine Corps would be operational by 2012.
Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, who recently visited Lockheed Martin’s factory in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was told of the aircraft’s production schedule, said that the only reason for delaying the carriers was to save money. “I think the statement made in the Commons last month [by Mr Hutton] was designed to deceive,” Dr Fox said.
Although Mr Hutton gave no time-scale for the delivery of the Joint Strike Fighters, the implication of his statement was that Lockheed Martin was unable to provide the aircraft by 2014.
Last month’s announcement that the in-service date for the two carriers was to be delayed was part of a package of cutbacks that included the postponement of elements of the Army’s new generation of armoured vehicles, known as FRES (Future Rapid Effect System).
In a Commons written answer ten days ago, Quentin Davies, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, rejected the allegation that the delay in the carrier programme amounted to a cut.
“What we have done is to align better the in-service date of the two carriers with the in-service date of the new JSF aircraft designed to fly off them,” he said.
The MoD said that it did not recognise the time-scale of 2017 for the fighters. “We have not specifically asked for a 2017 delivery date,” a spokeswoman said, adding that a decision would be made next month about receiving three fighters for testing purposes.
Each aircraft will cost between £60 million and £65 million. The MoD insisted that the delay in the carrier programme would not add to the cost of the order.
The MoD is expected to place an order for up to 150 Joint Strike Fighters at a cost of about £12 billion. The development programme has cost £2 billion.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5569934.ece
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From Preponderance to Partnership: American Maritime Power in the 21st Century
One of the most important national security challenges facing the next president of the United States will be preserving America’s maritime power. The U.S. Navy has been cut in half since the 1980s, shrinking steadily from 594 to today’s 280 ships. The fleet size has been cut by 60 ships during the Bush administration alone, despite significantly increased Pentagon budgets.
Several naval analysts and commentators, including the observant Robert Kaplan, have argued that America’s present naval fleet constitutes an “elegant decline” or outright neglect. A former Reagan administration naval official contends that our current maritime policy and investment levels are “verging towards unilateral naval disarmament.”
This is something of an overstatement. The American naval fleet is still substantially larger than any other, and has unmatched global reach and endurance. The U.S. Navy’s aggregate tonnage is the equivalent of the next 17 international navies, of which 14 are U.S. allies, and our power projection capabilities retain a 4:1 advantage in missiles. Looking simply at overall naval ship totals may not be the most accurate measure of naval power, but it is an historical standard of measurement. By that criterion, the U.S. Navy has not been this size since World War I, when Britain’s Royal Navy was the guarantor of the global commons.
While one can debate whether today’s Navy is sized properly, there is little doubt that U.S. maritime capabilities are critical to the execution of any national security strategy. The so-called American Century has largely been coterminous with the U.S. Navy’s mastery of seapower. In a global economy that is increasingly interdependent and dependent on the security of the global highways of international trade, maritime security will remain a vital national interest.
Over the past decade, American strategists seem to have collectively lost sight of this relationship. Given the advance of globalization and the increasingly integrated economies that use the world’s oceans as superhighways, the relationship between U.S. national interests and American naval assets should not be hard to grasp. Yet, the ongoing Long War against al Qaeda and the conduct of multiple counterinsurgency campaigns far from the sea have allowed our attention to drift. The next administration must resolve the apparent strategyresources mismatch that currently characterizes our present naval policy and capability, and link naval resources to our overall strategy. Accordingly, this report offers a way to close the strategy-resources gap, and identifies the requisite maritime strategy and forces to carry it out.
The first section of this report provides a detailed review of the latest national maritime strategy. This strategy reflects an acute appreciation for new parameters in the security environment and their potential impact on our interests. However it is not without faults; modifications to U.S. maritime strategy are offered that better support a sustainable and affordable grand strategy for the United States.
The most important element of any strategy is its relationship to resource allocation priorities and the development of the means of carrying out the strategy. Thus, the second section of this report details the current naval fleet and shipbuilding architecture. After presenting the current Navy acquisition plans, a range of alternative fleet designs is briefly reviewed to illustrate the range of options. This section concludes with a synthesis of these competing designs, and an argument for why this particular fleet better matches the sustainable grand strategy offered in the first section. The report concludes with a few general recommendations.
Download -
Hoffman_FromPreponderanceToPartnership_November2008.pdf
ISBN: 978-1-935087-09-0
http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/Hoffman_FromPreponderanceToPartnership_November2008_0.pdf
http://www.cnas.org/node/529
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Brazil's Odebrecht will help build subs
1 day ago
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A French naval defense systems company chose Brazilian builder Odebrecht to help construct four submarines for the South American nation.
Brazil is hoping to build on the technology of those vessels to eventually construct Latin America's first nuclear-propelled submarine.
France's DCNS says on its Web site Wednesday it will partner with Rio de Janeiro-based construction company Norberto Odebrecht SA on the deal, reportedly worth about $9 billion.
The move is part of a larger arms deal signed by the presidents of Brazil and France last month.
Calls to DCNS, Odebrecht and Brazil's navy were not returned.
DCNS says on its Web site it will also help build a naval base and shipyard in Brazil.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5juKfUBv-JHw4vAbtlXcqr3IqzVswD95RJNT80
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TWO SHIPS TO ARRIVE IN THE NAVAL BASE
gibfocus - 22nd January 2009
( 2009-01-22 17:52:00)
Friday sees the arrival of two Royal Navy warships in the Naval Base.
HMS Richmond is en route to the Gulf on Operation Telic as part of the UK's contribution to the international coalition of warships conducting maritime security in the region. The Type 23 frigate will relieve her sister ship HMS Lancaster which will return to Portsmouth at the end of February following a six-month deployment.
Commander Mark Southorn, the Commanding Officer of HMS Richmond, said:
“HMS Richmond is ready in all respects to make a genuine contribution to the security of the Gulf region: Having had extensive training tailored to our mission I am confident that HMS Richmond and her ship’s company are able to deal with any eventuality.”
Also arriving on Friday is the Type 42 Destroyer, HMS EDINBURGH. The ship will be a frequent sight in the Naval Base for the next week as she provides the platform for the final element of the Principal Warfare Officers’ Course.
The PWO course is a major career course for RN officers. It lasts for nine months and prepares officers for a role in which they co-ordinate a ship’s Operations Room and fight the ship on behalf of the Captain.
HMS Edinburgh visits Gibraltar after recently completing a high profile visit to the Estonian capital of Talinn. During the visit, HMS Edinburgh played host to both the country’s President and Prime Minister plus the British Ambassador and Naval Chief of Staff.
The Ship’s Company were invited to take part in the celebrations which included a ceremony to commemorate the first hoisting of the national flag and a reception at the town hall.
Prior to the visit to Estonia, the ship had been away from the UK for nearly 6 months, having spent the majority of her time on deployment East of Suez.
http://www.gibfocus.gi/details_todaysnews.php?id=4341
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HMAS WARRAMUNGA BEGINS OPERATIONS IN PERSIAN GULF
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ANZAC Class Frigate, HMAS Warramunga, commenced a six month operational tour in the Persian Gulf yesterday (22 Jan), 11 days after sailing from its base in Perth.
Warramunga relieves HMAS Parramatta as the RAN’s main contribution to operations in the Middle East. HMAS Warramunga will serve with Combined Task Force 152 (CTF152) which is responsible for maritime security operations (MSO) in the Central and South Persian Gulf.
Commander Jonathan Sadleir, Parramatta’s Commanding Officer, says the ship’s second deployment to the Gulf has been a great success.
“The maritime security role which we perform in the Gulf is very important component of the wider effort to bring stability to the region,” he said.
“Through our presence, we are supporting international commerce and promoting regional prosperity. Our sailors are very proud of their achievements,” Commander Sadleir added.
Parramatta will now sail home for Sydney where she is expected to arrive in early February.
Further Information is available at: http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Warramunga
http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4029:hmas-warramunga-begins-operations-in-persian-gulf&catid=72:australian-news&Itemid=29
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Friday, January 23, 2009
Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue Set for Cape Town
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - The development of global standards for certifying farmed abalone will be the focus of the next meeting of the Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held February 16-17 in Cape Town, South Africa. The standards will help minimize the eight key environmental and social impacts associated with abalone production.
Also at the meeting, participants will identify people to serve on the steering committee that will manage the Dialogue process. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) coordinates the Dialogue but has an equal voice in the roundtable discussions, reports Fish Farmer Magazine.
"Your voice will be heard if you come to the meeting," WWF Aquaculture Program Officer Colin Brannen told Fish Farmer. "The steering committee will use input from participants to build consensus on a set of standards that will encourage innovation and increased sustainability in the abalone industry."
This will be the second meeting of the abalone Dialogue. At the inaugural meeting, held in Australia in April, producers, conservationists, academics and other abalone industry stakeholders identified the key impacts associated with abalone farming and agreed on overarching goals (a.k.a., principles) to address those impacts. The impacts discussed relate to biosecurity, genetics and the ecosystem effects of abalone aquaculture.
TheFishSite News Desk
http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/8942/abalone-aquaculture-dialogue-set-for-cape-town
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U.S. Navy's New Virginia-Class Submarine New Mexico (SSN 779) Launched
New Mexico will provide undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. (Photo: by Chris Oxley)
07:51 GMT, January 23, 2009 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. | Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) reached a milestone Jan. 18 by launching the Virginia-class submarine New Mexico (SSN 779) at the company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Va.
"Launching a ship is always a proud moment for the shipbuilders and crew," said Becky Stewart, vice president of submarine programs for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News. "Our Virginia-class team has done an excellent job of achieving this milestone and furthering our efforts to deliver New Mexico eight months ahead of schedule."
On January 15, shipbuilders used a transfer car system to move the 7,800-ton New Mexico out of a construction facility to a floating dry dock. Three days later, they submerged the floating dry dock and successfully launched New Mexico into the James River. Once in the water, tugboats moved New Mexico to the shipyard's submarine pier where final outfitting and testing will take place.
Cmdr. Mark Prokopius, Prospective Commanding Officer of the Pre-Commissioning Unit New Mexico, was on board as the submarine touched water for the first time. "It's great to get our ship into the water," said Prokopius. "My crew and I are excited about achieving this significant milestone, and although we know there is a lot of work to do, launch brought with it a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of being operational and renewed energy. We look forward to working with the shipbuilders to complete construction and testing and taking her to sea later this year."
New Mexico is the sixth ship of the Virginia class. With improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements, it will provide undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. The ship's construction began March 2004 and the ship's sponsor, Cindy Giambastiani, christened the ship during a ceremony held Dec. 13, 2008. New Mexico is scheduled for delivery in Aug. 2009.
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5060/
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January 22nd, 2009
Keeping pirates at bay
Posted by: Jeremy Gaunt
There are some expectations that piracy in the Gulf of Aden is about to tail off for a bit. It appears that pirates don’t like rough weather any more than anyone else does.
Exclusive Analysis, a political risk consultancy, has conducted a detailed study of incidences of maritime hijacking in order to give its insurer clients the heads up about when and under what circumstances piracy is most likely to occur. It has told the International Underwriting Association of London that the arrival of the monsoon in the Gulf of Aden about now usually keeps pirates on shore. Not so for Somalia, where the waters are generally calmer at the moment. Technically, it is when the Sea Scale hits 5 or 6, that is, rough to very rough.
Weather was not the only factor thrown up by the study when it comes to keeping pirates at bay. Among an array of conditions, it found that ships that have freeboards — the distance from waterline to deck — of six metres or more have a lesser chance of being hijacked.
One pirate ship, apparently, was found with a five metre ladder on board — a hint as to how far they are prepared to go, or at least climb.
http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/2009/01/22/keeping-pirates-at-bay/
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Regards
Snooper
NNNN
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