Snooper News 20090126

Please Note

Weekend gone ……. Lost !!!
Slaving again …..

Regards
Snooper

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THE ZAC SUTHERLAND UPDATE


Zac's Blog

My name is Zac Sunderland and I am 17 years old. I departed 14th June 2008 from Marina del Rey, California in an attempt to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the world alone by yacht.

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Further tales from our long haired solo sailor !


Photo : Jen Edney,
Caption : Well, that be ME !!!

Sunday, January 25, 2009
Cape Town at Last

Hello All,
Been a busy day for all of the Sunderlands today.
I had only a brief call from Zac letting me know that he made it in to Cape Town riding in on a nice 25 knots from the south which was great until he tried to head south into Cape Town Harbor when the wind became (not again!) on the nose!

He was met at sea by Laurence, Jen and Geoff Tregaskis, who was kind enough to take them out in one of his Bavaria 33s to meet Zac off of the harbor.

They took Zac to a late dinner and everyone went home until tomorrow.
Laurence's internet service at the hotel is down - surprise!
Will have to wait for more news perhaps tonight.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.
It is a day to remember for sure!

Cheers,
Marianne

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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.


Salt, Salt, Everywhere - 25 01 09

I was hoping the wind would pick up a bit last night but alas, it stayed calm which was little disappointing. However, this did mean that I was able to grab a decent amount of sleep, which was fantastic - just what I needed.

I gybed just before lunch today and after I’d grabbed a quick bite, I bunged up my biggest spinnaker to help overcome the light conditions. It came down in the late afternoon, as the wind picked up to a little more than it could really cope with. This spinnaker is kept in a snuffer (a cover into which you lower the sail directly) and it's a little harder to handle than my furling one but I got it put away without too much trouble. But by the time everything was cleared away and another foresail set, I’d worked up quite a sweat, so I filled up two buckets, left them in the sun for an hour to heat up a little, and then took great pleasure in emptying them over my head.

Totallymoney.com has become really, really salty over the last few days and I can't touch anything on deck without rubbing salt. Even the guard wires are encrusted in salt. My winch handle has also developed an ear-piercing squeak and whine - which is incredibly annoying as it's one of the most used items in the cockpit. I may have to bathe it in some freshwater, that should do the trick. When I arrive in Cape Town, Totallymoney.com will get a very, very thorough wash. There's nothing better for all the deck equipment than a good freshwater wash.

I’m sitting here writing this with music playing in the background as the sun sets. It looks like it’ll be another steady and relaxing night, with the wind maintaining its strength and direction - hopefully another great chance to get some decent sleep!

Battling Eastwards - 24 01 09

Last night I received an email from Mike Broughton, my weather router, saying that I really needed to take some drastic action. He advised me to duck south as soon as to avoid being totally becalmed by a high-pressure system. This should explain the major dog’s-leg that will show up on the tracker! I tacked Totallymoney.com and headed SSW, which was not quite what I intended. I left it, as I that the wind was going to back massively through south, east and then all way back to north west, requiring a lot of sail handling.

After tacking I found myself sailing straight into the waves and every now and again Totallymoney.com would stall down to 6knots. Sleep proved impossible with the noise of waves slapping the hull so I stayed up until around about 5am, at which point the wind started to back more to the kinder direction of ENE and I was able to snatch a snooze.

The wind continued to back right round, before settling on a NW direction, which was great news. But this afternoon I sailed into a big lull and was totally becalmed for a few hours. I find this very frustrating as it effectively adds time to the trip, but there's nothing I can do about it. By 7.30pm the wind rose to about four knots, enabling me to proceed, even if rather slowly.

The forecast for tonight is for the wind to pick right up to around thirty knots, which is great as we I’ll be a lot more comfortable sailing and surfing downwind in those conditions. It will bring some sail handling during the night, which is fine for me if we are making good progress east, finally!

Fun and Games in the Wind and Rain - 23 01 09

The wind held pretty steady today which meant I was able to do some cleaning up around Totallymoney.com. I got out my deck-brush and gave the whole stern of the boat a good scrub down. Once done, I stood back and took a long look; happy to see the girl looking a bit cleaner now.

Things got a lot more eventful in the evening - this the third time I've sat down to try and write the blog! I was sailing along happily only to glance at the routing software on the laptop mounted on my chart table to see it showing me heading North. ‘That's weird,’ I thought, ‘two minutes ago we were heading east!’

Then, all of a sudden, the wind picked up. Poking my head out of the hatchway, I spotted an enormous pair of violent squalls stampeding towards me. I dashed for my oilies and got them on in record time, clipped on my safety harness and jumped outside.

There was no time left to reef or furl away the headsail, so instead I grabbed the helm just as the squall hit. 35knots shot through the rig and we took off with a fantastic flurry of spray as our speed flew upwards.

About two minutes later the wind dropped off to five knots and, as things began to calm down, I heard the rain approaching, splattering the sea in a crescendo of white noise. The rainstorm spent a happy ten minutes dumping it's load on us, after which what little wind there was vanished leaving me with an oh-so-fantastic nothing.

The wind came back and circled again, causing Totallymoney.com to perform a couple of pirouettes before suddenly picking up to 17knots; taking me completely by surprise as by now I was sailing upwind to try and get myself east. Totallymoney.com heeled right over, overpowered by wind and water.

I held fast and waited for five minutes to see if the wind was going to change its mind again but it stayed put for once and so I filled the starboard ballast tank, enabling me to sit upright and pick up a little speed. May the fun and games continue!

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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Maersk opts to send Far East – Europe containerships the long way round Cape

In a development of some proportion and with potentially far-extending ramifications Maersk Line will re-route its Asia – Europe 7 service (AE7) around the Cape of Good Hope on the eastbound leg as from this month, reports the PR News Service.

The AE7 service is operated with eight container ships each of around 11,000-TEU capacity and one 8,500-TEU chip which until now have operated between Algeciras and Shanghai via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The ships are unlikely to stop at any South African port even for bunkers. Savings are expected to be affected by slow steaming and from avoiding Suez Canal fees of around $ 600,000 per transit.

The longer journey will take an estimated additional five to seven days, meaning that the voyage from Algeciras to Shanghai will take 32 days instead of 25.

The previous rotation for the AE7 service was Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Algeciras, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge, Algeciras, Tanjung Pelepas, Hong Kong, Yantian, and back to Shanghai. But now six consecutive eastbound voyages commencing with the departure of the ELLY MAERSK from Algeciras on 22 January will drop the Tanjung Pelepas, Hong Kong and Yantian calls while using the route around the Cape.

It is not clear whether Maersk will revert to using the Suez Canal thereafter including reinstating calls at the three Asian ports.

PR News Service says that other lines are giving consideration to a similar move.

http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_25_4520.html

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Rent-to-Own: US MSC Buys MPP Ships

25-Jan-2009 15:13 EST

The USA’s T-AK and T-AKR classes of Maritime Pre-Positioning ships serve as vast, floating stocks of equipment, ammunition, and supplies that can be sailed into friendly ports to meet up with flown-in Marines. This critical but often-unrecognized force includes a combination of U.S. government-owned ships and chartered U.S.-flagged ships, and can also include ships activated from the Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve Force. They are not crewed by US Navy personnel, but use U.S. civilian mariners (“CIVMARs”), who work for ship operating companies under contract to the federal government. As of January 2009, there were 15 active MPP force ships under MSC’s command.

A number of the chartered ships have long-term lease sets that include an option to purchase the ship once that set is complete. The US Navy’s Maritime Sealift Command recently exercised its options for 3 of its T-AK container-carrying “roll-on, roll-off” ships, all of which are named after exceptional people who earned the USA’s Congressional Medal of Honor for extreme valor…

Contracts and Key Events

Unless otherwise indicated, all contracts are managed by US Military Sealift Command in Washington, DC.

Jan 15/09: WTAK-1 Inc. in Mobile, AL received $49.7 million to exercise an option to buy USNS Sgt Matej Kocak [T-AK 3005], under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00033-82-C-1019). WTAK-1 Inc. is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Co., as shipowner, and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary.

The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1984, and will remain crewed by about 30 civilian mariners employed by Waterman Steamship Corp. in Mobile, AL. She transferred to U.S. government ownership on Jan 15/09, and will continue to operate worldwide. See her namesake’s Medal of Honor citation.

Jan 15/09: Waterman Steamship Corp. affiliate WTAK-3 Inc. in Mobile, AL received $45.7 million to exercise an option to buy USNS Maj. Stephen W. Pless [T-AK 3007], under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00033-82-C-1023). WTAK-3 Inc. is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust as shipowner, and UPB Leasing Ventures as beneficiary.

The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1985, and will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by employed by Waterman Steamship Corp. in Mobile, AL. She transferred to U.S. government ownership on Jan 15/09, and will continue to operate worldwide. See her namesake’s Medal of Honor citation.

Both the Kocak [T-AK 3005] and Pless [T-AK 3007] are members of the 48,750 ton Sgt. Matej Kocak Class, which were built by Pennsylvania SB Company in Chester, PA.

Jan 15/09: Braintree V Maritime Corp. in North Quincy, MA received $48.6 million to exercise an option to buy to buy USNS Sgt. William R. Button [T-AK 3012] under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00033-82-C-1036). Braintree V is executing the sale on behalf of Wilmington Trust Company as shipowner, and Fifth Household Finance as Beneficiary.

USNS Sgt. William R. Button was built by General Dynamics in Qunicy, MA as one of the 44,330 ton 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo Class. The ship has been under long-term charter to MSC since 1986, and will remain crewed by about 30 U.S. merchant mariners employed by American Overseas Marine Corporation of North Quincy, MA. She transferred to U.S. government ownership on Jan 15/09, and will continue to operate worldwide.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Rent-to-Own-US-MSC-Buys-MPP-Ships-05263/#more-5263

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NSRI assists sick passenger from containership

Cape Town, 24 January - At 09h07 National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Table Bay and the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services were activated by the Transnet Ports Authority to casualty evacuate 73 year old Hugo Kloser, from Switzerland, suffering breathing difficulties aboard the Container ship DAL KALAHARI (50.736-gt, built 2005) at anchor in Table Bay.

Pat van Eyssen, NSRI Table Bay station commander, said the ship was due to dock in the Port of Table Bay later in the day and had sailed from a European Port.

He said a Titan helicopter was to perform the casualty evacuation with NSRI rescue swimmers and a Metro rescue paramedic but a thick fog hanging over Table Bay had prevented the helicopter operation and NSRI Table Bay's rescue craft Spirit of Vodacom was tasked.

A Metro rescue paramedic accompanied the operation and a Metro ambulance was summoned to stand-by at the NSRI Table Bay rescue base.

On arrival on-scene the Metro rescue paramedic and an NSRI rescuer were transferred aboard the ship and the patient was stabilised and lowered onto the rescue craft using the ships crane and secured into a Stokes Basket Stretcher.

The patient, in a stable condition, was brought to the NSRI Table Bay rescue base and transported to the Vincent Palotti hospital by a Metro ambulance.

The patient’s wife remained aboard the ship and joined her husband once the ship docked.
It is believed that they are passengers aboard the ship.

DAL Kalahari is one of the few cargo ships remaining on the South Africa service that still carries passengers.



Shelly Beach (KZN), 24 January - At 09h24 NSRI Shelly Beach volunteers launched their rescue craft Caltex Endeavor to assist the crew aboard the ski-boat Deep Blue Pirate experiencing motor failure on one of her two outboard motors and requiring assistance to get ashore through the breaker line.

Mark Harlen, NSRI Shelly Beach station commander, said that the skipper of the boat can be commended for calling the NSRI to assist and his actions are considered as the safest option and the right thing to do under the circumstances that were faced.

He said that the skipper may easily have gotten his craft ashore on one motor but that an element of increased risk was present with only one motor operational.

The skipper called the NSRI who launched through the breakers and took seven of the crew off the boat which then motored ashore quite comfortably on one motor without the weight of her crew who were brought ashore aboard the NSRI rescue craft.



St Francis Bay, 24 January - At 08h10 NSRI St Francis Bay volunteers launched their rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II to go to the assistance of a 32 year old fisherman injured with lacerations to his arm and leg aboard the stern fishing trawler VONA ELITA 20 nautical miles South East of St Francis Bay.

Bob Meikle, NSRI St Francis Bay station commander said that on arrival on-scene the patient, reportedly injured while retrieving fishing nets, was bandaged and stabilised and brought to the NSRI St Francis Bay rescue base and transported to a Port Elizabeth hospital in a stable condition by Private Care ambulance services. After receiving sutures he had been released from hospital.

http://ports.co.za/news/article_2009_01_25_4520.html

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St Helena : RMS St Helena Delay
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Juanita Brock) 19.01.2009 (Current Article)

The St Helena Government’s Shipping Office has received news this afternoon to say that the RMS St Helena is experiencing engine problems with its port engine. As a result, the RMS arrived three hours later than expected, at 3pm this afternoon.


The St Helena Government’s Shipping Office has received news this afternoon to say that the RMS St Helena is experiencing engine problems with its port engine. As a result, the RMS arrived three hours later than expected, at 3pm this afternoon.

Shipping Officer, Bronwen Yon, said that as a result of these problems, the engine has been temporarily shut down. The RMS is currently operating on one engine and will sail to Cape Town at a reduced speed. Andrew Weir Shipping are currently sourcing the necessary spare parts and upon the RMS’s arrival in Cape Town, repairs to the engine will be carried out.

As a result of this delay, the RMS Schedule will change slightly and, subject to weather conditions, will run as follows:

Depart St Helena 1800 hours on 20 January

Arrive Walvis Bay 1200 hours on 25 January, one day later than planned

Depart Walvis Bay 1400 hours on 25 January

Arrive Cape Town 0900 hours on 28 January, one day later than planned.

The RMS is expected to leave Cape Town on schedule on 30 January.

Public Relations/Information Office
Office of the Chief Secretary
19 January 2009
http://www.sartma.com/art_6148.html

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Illegal fishing fries revenue

23 January 2009

Maputo – Mozambique wants R806million from international partners to fund a crackdown on illicit fishing in its waters.

The illegal activity makes a heavy dent in annual revenues, a top maritime official said yesterday.

“It’s a serious problem affecting the fishing industry. Mozambique loses 38million a year due to illegal fishing but a plan has been drawn up to deal with the problem,” the deputy national director of the maritime administration, Augusto Nhampule, told an illegal fishing conference in Maputo.

Fishing contributes about four percent to Mozambique’s gross domestic product.

Mozambique is negotiating with international partners to provide 80million (R806million) to purchase surveillance vessels to monitor its 2500km coastline and curb illegal fishing.

Last year Mozambique seized a Namibian-registered ship carrying tons of illegally fished sharks .

The Antillas Reefer was seized off the coast of Zambezia province, where fishing inspectors found 43 tons of shark as well as tonnes of shark fin, shark tail, shark liver and shark oil, with an estimated value of R50million.


“The sub-Saharan African region loses an estimated 1billion (R10billion) annually due to illegal fishing,” Nhampule said. – Reuters

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=923796

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RFA ARGUS in £23m refit at Falmouth
A&P undertake first major RFA refit of 2009...


Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) hospital ship Argus will be upgraded with the latest medical equipment as part of an extensive refit worth over £23m.

Work began on the ship this week at A&P Group's Falmouth facility in the first major refit under an RFA support contract awarded to A&P in 2008.

The new medical equipment to be installed includes the latest advances in CT scanning equipment, used to assess casualties by 3D X-ray imagery, as well as new sterilising kit.

Argus provides hospital facilities to troops in war zones; as a Primary Casualty Receiving Facility the ship can accommodate 100 casualties at any time ensuring wounded Service personnel of any nationality can quickly receive primary care.

MOD Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Director of Afloat Support, Commodore Dave Preston, said:

"The medical support Argus can provide troops on operations is a crucial capability that can make all the difference when time is of the essence in the treatment of casualties."

The ship's environmental credentials will get a boost with a state of the art bioreactor that uses microbial action to process sewage, while new refrigeration and air conditioning plants that use more environmentally friendly refrigerant gases will be installed. The accommodation and mess facilities will also be modernised, to improve living standards for both crew and patients.

A&P Managing Director Peter Child said:

"A&P has a long history of working with the RFA and this experience has proved invaluable in the planning of this package which we have worked closely with DE&S to draw up. Working through the through-life support package, which we expect to secure nearly 100 jobs over the next five years, will expand this experience even further helping us to deliver real value while giving us stability in our order book."

http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item_10239.html

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HMS PORTLAND meets P&O liner in Gulf
Passengers on ARCADIA reassured by warship presence...


Currently operating in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) and Horn of Africa (HOA) as part of the Coalition Task Force charged with combating piracy, HMS Portland spent some time in company with the gigantean P&O cruise liner ‘Arcadia’ as she was passing through the areas on route to India. The Type 23 frigate provided a reassuring sight for the 2000 plus passengers, some of whom gathered on the upperdeck and balconies to see the ship and her Lynx helicopter in close company.

The 2 ships followed a longstanding maritime tradition with Arcadia ‘dipping’ her ensign and Portland returning the mark of respect. The Arcadia’s Master, Commodore Steve Burgoine, who is also the Commodore of the P&O Cruises Fleet, passed on his thanks and those of the passengers and crew of Arcadia for HMS Portland’s presence in these difficult waters.

The Royal Navy is actively countering piracy off the Horn of Africa as well as coming to the aid of those under attack, and HMS Portland is in the region to conduct Maritime Security Operations including counter piracy missions when required as part of her tasking. Portland is well placed to deal with this mission and has been on patrol in the region since the beginning of December 2008.

The Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Henry, said ‘It is important that maritime trade is able to travel freely on the high seas without let or hindrance. It was a pleasure to spend some time in company with ‘Arcadia’ today and to be able to demonstrate to the passengers and crew the Royal Navy’s commitment to keeping the sea lanes open. I wish Commodore Burgoine, his passengers and crew a safe and enjoyable voyage’.

http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item_10240.html

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US Navy Flight Tests New Raytheon SM-2 Target Detecting Device
by Staff Writers
Point Mugu CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2009

The U.S. Navy flight tested Raytheon's new Standard Missile-2 target detecting device. The SM-2 Block IIIB flight was the lowest altitude intercept to date using the new device, which enhances the SM-2's ability to detect and destroy threats.

The missile was fired from USS STERETT (DDG-104) during combined combat system ship qualification trials. The test flights included additional SM-2 Block IIIA, SM-2 Block IIIB and SM-2 Block III missiles. The missiles engaged multiple targets under stressing conditions representing a variety of threat scenarios.

"These tests demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of SM-2 as it continues to evolve," said Ron Shields, Raytheon Missile Systems Standard Missile program director.

"The SM-2's ability to successfully employ this new target detecting device against challenging targets enhances the missile's usefulness to the warfighter."

SM-2 Block IIIB is an anti-air warfare weapon system deployed by the U.S. Navy for long-range ship self defense and has a range of 90 nautical miles (167 km or 103 statute miles).

The SM-2 Block IIIB missile adds an infrared seeker to its proven guidance section to defeat target countermeasures and provide enhanced performance against supersonic, high-G maneuvering sea skimming air-to-surface missiles.

"This test once again proves why SM-2 is the U.S. Navy's front line self-defense weapon," said Kirk Johnson, U.S. Navy's Standard Missile program manager.

"SM-2 provides the warfighter with the most modern solution against air-to-surface missiles, and it continues to evolve to meet our future needs."

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_Navy_Flight_Tests_New_Raytheon_SM_2_Target_Detecting_Device_999.html

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Obama Cracks It Over Blackberry Ban And Wins
'So I can have the football but not a blackberry.'

by Staff Writers
Washington DC (AFP) Jan 23, 2009

Barack Obama has pulled off the first political triumph of his presidency - he will get to keep his beloved BlackBerry.

At a time of deep economic crisis and turmoil abroad, one of the most burning questions facing the new White House has been the fate of the president's trusty window to the outside world.

Being the world's most powerful man apparently has its advantages because Obama has faced down the objections of Secret Service protectors and government lawyers trying to take away his trusty device.

"The president has a BlackBerry through a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday. "It's a pretty small group of people."

"The security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate, but to do so effectively and to do so in a way that is protected," Gibbs said.

The spokesman would not say exactly how the president's device had been protected or whether some kind of encryption was being used to prevent the cellular device from being hacked or from giving away his whereabouts.

According to The Atlantic magazine, the president will be using a standard BlackBerry but one equipped with a "super-encryption package" developed by an intelligence agency, probably the National Security Agency.

Gibbs confirmed that any emails sent or received by the president would be subject to the post-Watergate Presidential Records Act of 1978, which requires that a record be kept of every White House communication.

Obama's BlackBerry was a fixture on his belt or in his hand on the campaign trail and he has said the phone was a valuable part of a wider strategy to escape the White House fishbowl.

"It's just one tool among a number of tools that I'm trying to use, to break out of the bubble, to make sure that people can still reach me," he told CNN.

"If I'm doing something stupid, somebody in Chicago can send me an email and say, 'What are you doing?'

"I want to be able to have voices, other than the people who are immediately working for me, be able to reach out and send me a message about what's happening in America."

In an op-ed column this week in the Los Angeles Times, John Podesta, who headed Obama's transition team, said allowing him to keep his BlackBerry was important to allow the president to stay in touch with the outside world.

"Without his virtual connection to old friends and trusted confidants beyond the bubble that seals off every president from the people who elected him, he'd be like a caged lion padding restlessly around the West Wing, wondering what's happening on the other side of the iron bars that surround the People's House.

"The president's ability to reach outside his inner circle gives him access to fresh ideas and constructive critics," Podesta said. "As president, it is more important than ever that he remain connected."

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Obama_Cracks_It_Over_Blackberry_Ban_And_Wins_999.html

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Hapag-Lloyd AG Selects Par Logistics As Tracking Provider For Assets

by Staff Writers
New Hartford NY (SPX) Jan 26, 2009

Par Logistics Management Systems (Par LMS) has announced that Hapag-Lloyd AG, a large German based shipping line, will equip their entire North American Fleet of powered generator sets with Par's GT 200 GPS Genset Tracking system.

In the terms of the agreement, Hapag-Lloyd has contracted with Par LMS to install their technology on Hapag-Lloyd's entire fleet of 2,320 North American generator sets.

A genset (short for "generator set") is a self-contained and dedicated electrical generation system, which is mounted on a refrigerated container for the purpose of maintaining temperature throughout the logistics cycle.

In North America, steam ship lines and lease companies own, operate, and maintain roughly 100,000 of these types of assets.

Par's GT 200 solution combines cellular, satellite, sensor, and internet technologies to track, trace, monitor, and manage intermodal generator sets and the refrigerated containers they power.

"Par Logistics Management Systems was selected after a very thorough, end to end study of the market, the technologies and the benefits that they manifest to our North American businesses," commented Petra Rogall, Branch Manager for Containers in Hapag-Lloyd.

"Par LMS has proven to be the stable and innovative partner that Hapag-Lloyd desires to work with to improve our operations and services."

John W. Sammon III, President of Par Logistics Management Systems, stated, "Hapag-Lloyd is among the finest in the intermodal container shipping business and we are pleased to receive their generator set tracking business. We fully intend to work with Hapag-Lloyd for many years to come in building out their cold chain systems and solutions."

http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports/Hapag_Lloyd_AG_Selects_Par_Logistics_As_Tracking_Provider_For_Assets_999.html

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Third Sandown-class mine hunter delivered to Estonia


13:38 GMT, January 23, 2009 EML Ugandi, the last of the Sandown-class mine hunters acquired from the United Kingdom, was today delivered to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia in Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard, Scotland.
In a formal ceremony in Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard, the vessel was officially handed over to Mr. Riho Terras, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia, by Commodore Charles Stevenson, the Naval Regional Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a stern flag of the Estonian Navy was hoisted on EML Ugandi.

When taking over EML Ugandi, Mr. Terras stated that the event represented an important benchmark in the development of the Estonian Navy, the objective of which is better coping in a contemporary security development. “All three mine hunters, which were acquired, will help to clear Estonia’s territorial waters of mines that were launched during the two world wars, and also offers new opportunities for international joint operations with our NATO allies,” Mr. Terras said.

The Permanent Undersecretary reminded those present that the first mine hunter purchased from the United Kingdom, EML Admiral Cowan, sailed in the ranks of the NATO Response Force in the Mediterranean last year, becoming the first vessel of the Estonian Navy to operate so far south.

Mr. Terras also thanked the staff of Babcock dockyard and the officers and civil servants of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom for close co-operation.

According to an agreement, concluded with the United Kingdom in September 2006, Estonia bought three Sandown-class mine hunters in total. The total value of the three vessels is 800 million Estonian kroons, which includes the repair and maintenance works of the vessels and the training of the crew members in the United Kingdom. Sandown-class mine hunters use Seafox type underwater robots to detect and destroy mines.

Unlike the first two vessels, EML Ugandi is equipped with Klein 5000 series sidescan sonars and a 23 mm cannon.

These vessels are among Estonia’s most significant defence procurements since joining NATO and will significantly increase the capability of the Estonian Navy. They will be used for the locating and disposing of sea mines and other ordnance, which were deposited in Estonian’s exclusive economic zone during the two world wars. The vessels will also be used in NATO joint exercises and operations.

The special ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Navy, Navy Captain Igor Schvede, and higher officials and army representatives from the Estonian and British defence ministries.

The first Sandown-class mine hunter, EML Admiral Cowan, was handed over to Estonia in April 2007 and the second vessel, EML Sakala, in January 2008.

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/5078/

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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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How international ports fared in 2008

Dynamar.com has just published another list of international port container throughput growth figures for the full year of 2008.
They are: Istanbul/Haydarpasa, -10.2%; Hong Kong, +1%; Khorfakkan/Sjarjah, +15%; Long Beach, -11.3%; Marseilles, -15.4%; Nakhodka, +25.6%; Oakland, -6.4%; Pyongtaek, +11.2%; Tacoma, -3.3%; and Vostochny, +7.9%.

Story By : Alan Peat
Date :1/26/2009
http://www.cargoinfo.co.za/newsdetails.asp?&newsid=7284

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New High Speed Data Transfer Technology for TSAT
Lockheed Martin | Jan 26, 2009

SUNNYVALE, Ca: A Lockheed Martin /Northrop Grumman team has achieved a key design milestone for a high-performance technology solution that will dramatically increase data transfer speeds in the U.S. Air Force's Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) constellation.

TSAT will provide thousands of military users with wideband, highly mobile, beyond line-of-sight protected communications to support network-centric operations for the future battlefield.

Known as SpaceWire, the new data "bus" technology provides on-orbit satellite internal communications for box-to-box and system-to-system data transfer that is equivalent to a local area network (LAN) in space.

The team has matured this technology to the Preliminary Design Review level, marking a key risk reduction achievement for TSAT. The milestone defines the flexible and scalable architecture, physical and logical interfaces, and electrical design of the databus which replaces the military standard databus known as Mil-Std-1553.

"SpaceWire is the ideal solution for TSAT," said Mark Pasquale, Lockheed Martin's TSAT vice president. "It can transfer electronic data at least 80 times faster than current databus technology and introduces a highly reliable and robust distributed architecture routing system making it desirable for TSAT which requires large amounts of data to move around the spacecraft."

SpaceWire is a self-managing serial protocol that provides a high-speed low-power system while offering a flexible simple user interface and enhanced capabilities that provide significant advantages over traditional satellite systems.

These include the capability to assist the in-flight processor by offloading repetitive tasks to the embedded SpaceWire processor, and reduced cabling by providing the capability to combine many different kinds of signals onto two single conductor pairs; reducing the physical size and weight of inter-module cable bundles and the subsequent mass the launch vehicle must carry into orbit.

The system is scalable and is based on a qualified, radiation tolerant, BAE SpaceWire packet data router Application Specific Integrated Circuit. The system uses standardized and qualified parts, proven protocols, with significant growth potential. All of these together reduce future risk of obsolescence, making this useful for decades to come.

This databus compliments the new generation TSAT radiation hardened on-board flight computer. Together they enable a low-risk TSAT mission by significantly increasing internal satellite data throughput and processing power while reducing mass for the given capability.

TSAT represents the next step toward transitioning the Department of Defense wideband and protected communications satellite architecture into a single network comprising multiple satellite, ground, and user segment components. The system ultimately will replace the Milstar and Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) programs and provide the Global Information Grid network extension to mobile warfighters, sensors, weapons, and command, control, and communications nodes located on unmanned aerial vehicles, piloted aircraft, on the ground, in the air, at sea or in space.

The Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman TSAT space segment team is currently working under a $739 million contract for the Risk Reduction and System Definition phase. This effort will culminate with a multi-billion dollar development contract scheduled to be awarded to a single contractor in 2010.

The Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the TSAT contract manager and lead agency for ensuring the capabilities of this system are made available to the warfighter.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/tech/New_High_Speed_Data_Transfer_Technology_for_TSAT140016960.php

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Mullen Releases Concept for Future Joint Operations
US Department of Defense
Jan 26, 2009

WASHINGTON: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has signed off on the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations, a document the military will use to help determine future capability development for the joint force in 2016 through 2028.

U.S. military planners worldwide will use the Capstone concept to drive “future joint solutions and guide future joint force development work,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said.

U.S. Joint Forces Command led the concept’s development, with input from the military services, combatant commands and the Joint Staff. This is the concept’s first update since August 2005, when then-Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers signed the document.

The capstone concept details the main security challenges facing the joint force: winning the nation’s wars, deterring adversaries, developing cooperative security, defending the homeland and responding to civil crises.

U.S. joint forces “will need to be able to apply combat power in more varied, measured and discriminate ways than ever before,” the document states.

The concept incorporates lessons learned in current operations and describes in broad terms how the joint force will operate in the complex, changing and uncertain environments of the future. It also looks beyond purely military solutions, addressing the fact that conflict today may not be solved solely with military assets.

“Today’s challenges and threats are not strictly military in nature, solved or countered by military means alone,” Mullen said. “We owe future generations a longer-term view of security. The concept is designed to help military and other national security leaders think about challenges and opportunities.”

Training allied militaries may be as important as employing U.S. combat power, according to the concept. The document also emphasizes that the American military must be ready to handle a wide range of challenges, from humanitarian missions to all-out war.

The concept is a template planners can use as they look at specific situations. It also calls on planners to assess operations continually and adjust and adapt as needed.

Joint Forces Command will test the concept in a series of experiments this year, officials said. Planners will use the results of these experiments to inform the next Quadrennial Defense Review.

http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/defence/Mullen_Releases_Concept_for_Future_Joint_Operations30016953.php

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South Africa’s Denel Forced Into Strategic Shift


Back in July 2005, DID informed its readers that India’s sanctions against Denel and possible disqualification from a $2 billion artillery contract could have a major effect on the South African defense firm as a whole. In August 2005, those sanctions came to pass, barring Denel from a contract it was likely to win and accelerating efforts already underway to radically restructure the firm.

CEO Shaun Liebenberg launched that shift in late 2005 with some frank discussion of the global defense market, and the position of small-medium players like Denel in it. At DSEI 2005 in London, UK, the outline of this new strategy was already apparent. Many of the products Denel is known for will no longer define the firm. But could it find a way to stanch the bleeding and survive in a globalized market?

And how has it done since?

Denel’s Position

The new CEO was frank about Denel not being viable under the current model. According to Liebenberg, global prime contractors succeed due to privileged relationships with their domestic customer who largely fund and promotes the development of new system platforms.

“Changes in the defence industry have forced consolidation and the forming of alliances worldwide…. Although Denel has an enviable range of products, we no longer have a captive domestic market or the scale to succeed as an independent systems integrator and exporter of such a broad range of products….”

“Our analysis of the international defence environment shows much of global defence spend is not directly accessible to independent contractors like Denel,” Liebenberg explained. “The US Department of Defense in recent years has awarded contracts almost exclusively to US and NATO companies. These companies supply most other markets, too. Developing nations like India, Brazil and Israel have strong domestic industries to serve their own customer, whilst giving intense competition to other independents.”

Denel’s product range drives the full scope of its ambitions home. If anything, it’s surprising that the reckoning hasn’t come sooner.

Indigenous efforts in the missile field alone include the A-Darter (intended as a Sidewinder 9X/ ASRAAM/ AA-11 Archer contemporary), Ingwe and Mokopa anti-armor missiles (think TOW2 and Hellfire/Brimstone competitors), and Umkhonto-IR ship based anti-air missile. The firm also has a full line of optronics; 3 UAV projects (including a reconnaissance UAV, a high speed stealth UAV, and a target drone); a full-fledged new-generation attack helicopter project in the Rooivalk (Eurocopter Tiger/ AH-1Z/ Mi-28 contemporary); the Umbani bomb kit (a kit that converts ordinary bombs to something approaching a JSOW); world-class artillery systems in the G5, G6, and accompanying base bleed ammunition; vehicle turrets, a full line of military small arms; plus C4ISR products, licensed production of other helicopters, aircraft maintenance, and more.

Some products, like its artillery, are genuine world-beaters coping with a shrinking market for their specific product range. On the other hand, many of these expensive development projects were substitutable at home, and non-viable abroad from the get-go. Little wonder the new CEO has concluded that local defense spending clearly won’t suffice, even with some 45% of Denel’s business still deriving from the domestic market.

Worse, much of South Africa’s recent domestic spend has taken place in areas falling outside Denel’s product range, like fighter jets and naval systems. Denel’s involvement was limited to sub-contracts on the SA Navy’s corvette weapons suite, some workshare on the Gripen, Hawk and Agusta helicopter programmes, and the hope of additional workshare as part of the Airbus A400M military transport. Liebenberg clearly understands, and has stated, that some non-viable businesses would have to be made viable or exited entirely.

Denel’s New Strategy

Yet Liebenberg believes that his company’s capabilities are attractive to global prime contractors for partnering. Liebenberg said Denel meets the pre-requisites to act as a specialised contractor that could slot into the value chain of the global players, because it has a technology edge or low cost production capabilities in several niche areas, plus good systems integration experience.

As such, he intends to pursue a strategy that focuses Denel business on being a domestic prime contractor, whilst becoming a specialized contractor or sub-supplier to other international defense contractors.

In keeping with Denel’s new strategic direction, formally announced by CEO Shaun Liebenberg in August 2005, the Group is showcasing some of its niche defence and aerospace systems at DSEI 2005 this week in London, UK.

Denel’s advanced LCT-30 combat turret will be part of the joint Denel-EADS tender for the South African Army’s new generation infantry combat vehicle. Denel also hopes to interest more customers in its sophisticated sub-systems, like its ‘Eagle Eye’ target location binocular, Denel’s NATO certified LH-40C eyesafe laser rangefinder already in use with some European armies, the ‘Kenis’ infrared thermal imaging camera, as well as the Goshawk electro-optic stabilized airborne observation system. Denel is also supporting Zeiss Optronik of Germany with periscope equipment for a number of foreign navies.

Yet Denel hasn’t given up on all of its bigger projects. Its Umkhonto IR surface-to-air missile, selected by the South African and the Finnish navies, remains on offer now that performance testing and live firings have concluded successfully [DID: Sweden would eventually buy them too, as a partial offset for the SAAF’s new Gripen fighters]. In the artillery department, its ‘Arachnida’ electronic targeting and combat management is already in service on the UK’s light artillery guns and was exported in quantity to a Middle East customer, and Denel’s world-class artillery ammunition is currently being evaluated in the NATO environment as well as in the United States. Earlier this year, Denel announced a strategic alliance with Germany’s Nitrochemie to develop a new generation of modular propellant charges for 105mm and 155mm artillery.

It’s going to be a long road ahead for Denel, as it always is in major corporate restructurings. Jack Welch, widely considered to be the gold standard of modern-day CEOs, offered his take on the restructuring/ crisis process in a recent Wall St. Journal article that covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Yet the process is universally applicable.

In a way, however, the scale of the problem is blessing to Denel. The very overreach that has landed the firm in such trouble has also made it sufficiently important to South Africa’s defense infrastructure that allowing the firm to fail will be seen as a last resort option. Given the roster of projects it has successfully brought to fruition, it’s also clear that Denel has some very talented engineers and personnel on hand.

Strong government support, a solid share of South Africa’s production allocation for the A400M global project, and success in its alliance efforts could yet steer the South African firm back to health. Yet the international defense market is becoming a difficult place for small-mid size firms without an in-demand flagship product. Unlike Apollo 11, failure is an option.


Updates and Key Events

Jan 19/09: In its analysis of the South African defense industry, analyst firm Forecast International sees Denel’s efforts paying off. In accordance with mandates attached to government recapitalization efforts valued at $455 million, Denel has proceeded with restructuring. Forecast International believes that amid rising uncertainty around the domestic defense market, the sector’s decision to discard self-sufficiency in favor of an industry structure optimized to increase access to the global defense market appears is looking like a good strategy. It adds:

“Since the South African Ministry of Public Enterprise opted to divest from unprofitable domestic defense enterprises and relax regulations on foreign investment in the defense sector in late 2005/early 2006, 10 major acquisitions involving foreign defense enterprises targeting South African enterprises have occurred…. Since early 2006, Denel has sold 20 percent of it aerostructures division at a price of ZAR66 million to Saab to form the Denel Saab Aerostructures joint venture; 70 percent of its optronics division was acquired by Carl Zeiss Optronics in exchange for phased investment in Denel’s European logistics network; and Rheinmetall AG acquired a 51 percent stake in Denel Munitions in return for the provision of financing and advising on the business unit’s restructuring.”

While Denel has yet to operate at a profit, operating losses declined nearly 37% between 2007 and 2008, and decreased at a compound annual rate of 74% since restructuring efforts were initiated in early 2006.

Sept 25/08: State-owned Denel (Pty) Ltd’s Chairman of the Board Dr Sibusiso Sibisi announces Talib Sadik’s appointment as Group CEO for a period of three years. Mr Sadik was appointed as Group Financial Officer of Denel in 2006, and has been an executive member of the Board of Directors since that date.

Sept 9/08: Denel’s Acting Group CEO Talib Sadik, announces that for the fiscal year that ended on March 31/08, the Denel Group increased gross revenue to R 3,894 million (2007: R 3,310 million) and posted a net loss of R 347 million (2007: R 549 million). Of the total turnover 56.8% was from domestic sales (2007: 47.5%) and 43.2% from export sales (2007: 52.5%). Sadik:

“We managed to improve the loss for the past year through focusing on core businesses, phasing out of legacy contracts, savings in operating costs and profits on the sale of non-core assets…. Better contract negotiations including higher advance payment receipts towards the year-end and improvements in our debt collection process helped us to achieve the healthy cash situation.”

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/south-africas-denel-forced-into-strategic-shift-01200/#more-1200
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Intelligence - Boobytrapping The Presidential BlackBerry

January 25, 2009: The new U.S. president (Barack Obama) is the first man in that post who is an avid computer user. This was manifested throughout his election campaign. But even before he won the election, he was told by the Secret Service that he would be strongly discouraged from using his BlackBerry, or any kind of email. The reason for this is the vulnerability of email and cell phones to eavesdropping, and use by a foreign country for espionage.

President Obama took care of these warning by simply ordering the intelligence agencies to make his Internet access secure enough so he can continue using his BlackBerry. The details of how this will happen were not announced, and may not be for a long time. But it probably involves high-grade encryption, and perhaps local network enhancements.

Meanwhile, email, Blackberries and cell phones are widely used throughout the U.S. government. There are restrictions on discussing certain levels of classified material on devices connected to the Internet, or cell phones. What American intelligence officials acknowledge is that foreign hackers (government or otherwise) can, if they want, get at any of these communications. It can be very difficult, and dangerous.

The Barack BlackBerry also presents some opportunities, as well as risks. Knowing that this one BlackBerry will be subject to a lot of hacker attention, the NSA can set a trap to detect and identify those hackers that get close. That would be very useful information, and such traps have been used successfully in the past. High level hackers know of this danger. But even taking great care to get past the traps, there is more risk when you try to hack into the presidential BlackBerry.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20090125.aspx

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Shipowners order 172 ships in 2008
Monday, 26 January 2009

Despite the adverse market conditions for most part of the year, Hellenic shipping companies managed to place orders for 172 vessels, with a capacity of 19.3 million dwt and an estimated value of $19.3 billion, according to shipbroker George Moundreas & Co. Of course, the number is far off the record orders placed during 2007, when a total of 547 ships were contracted. Their capacity stood at 42.8 million dwt with a value of $30.8 billion. But, when compared to most of the recent years, still the 2008 numbers are higher. For instance, from 1998 and up to 2005 the annual number of orders was between 70 and 135 vessels, except 2003 when 202 ships were contracted at shipyards around the world. This was the first year of true modernization of the country’s fleet. Looking back at 2008, the first quarter was characterized by a “wait-and-see” stance by most ship owners, who were looking for clues from the market to plan their next move. After the record numbers ordered in 2007, everybody seemed to be waiting in order to “catch a breath”. Similarly, the dry bulk market was also on a pause mode with rates correcting after a great run. The bulk of new building orders was placed during the second quarter when suddenly the market took off and reached unprecedented heights, creating optimism amid owners. Then, disaster followed with almost no ship being ordered from September onwards.

Meanwhile, Moundreas notes that the 172 ships ordered last year could indeed prove to be even less, due to contract cancellations that haven’t yet been reported or confirmed. Despite this, the total orderbook by the country’s shipping companies now stands at 836 ships of 72.5 million dwt. Most of them are bulk carriers which stand at 463 with a dwt of 46.2 million. The number of tankers is a round 300 with a total capacity of 26.3 million dwt, while amid the remaining 73 ships, 38 are container ships, 27 are LPG’s, two are LNG’s and six are Pure Car/Truck Carrier (PCTC).

With 2009 now proving a difficult year, -- in fact one of the most difficult ones in the past couple of decades, at least for the shipping industry – ship owners will be looking to survive and exploit investment opportunities. Moundreas has an optimistic note to share, claiming that the rapid pace of ship demolition, as much as 50 million dwt of the dry bulk fleet could be headed out of the market. Similarly, the cancellation of a large number of new buildings could prove a crucial factor for the reduction of tonnage supply. Already, about six percent of the current orderbook has been scrapped, with analysts estimating that this figure could reach 20 percent in the long term. Furthermore, the solution of the credit letter lack could be round the corner, which could point to a faster rebound of global trade.

Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33458&Itemid=93

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Oil May Rise as OPEC Members Cut Output, Survey Shows
Monday, 26 January 2009

Crude oil may rise as members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries make record output cuts to counter the recession in major consuming countries. Thirteen of 30 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News, or 43 percent, said futures will increase through Jan. 30. Eleven respondents, or 37 percent, forecast oil will fall and six said there will be little change. Last week, 49 percent of analysts expected prices to decline.

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s biggest producer, has decided to cut output by 300,000 barrels a day below its OPEC quota to prop up prices, Algerian Oil Minister Chakib Khelil said on Jan. 21, according to the state-run newspaper El Moudjahid yesterday. The spread between front-month contracts and later months declined this week, reducing the incentive to stockpile crude oil. “With the recent gains in price and the flattening out of the forward curve, we may be seeing the first evidence that the OPEC production cuts are having an impact on the crude oil market,” said Tim Evans, energy analyst with Citi Futures Perspective in New York. “If so, this could be the start of an ongoing price recovery.”

New production targets for OPEC members came into effect Jan. 1 following a Dec. 17 meeting in Oran, Algeria. The 12- member group needs to make the deepest supply cuts in its history to comply with the revised quotas. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for March 15.

The price for oil for delivery in April is $2.74 higher than for March, down from a $4.45 premium on Jan. 16. This structure, in which the subsequent month’s price is higher than the one before it, is known as contango.

Crude oil for March delivery increased $3.90, or 9.2 percent, to $46.47 a barrel this week on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices have dropped 68 percent from the record $147.27 a barrel reached on July 11.

The oil survey has correctly predicted the direction of futures 48 percent of the time since its start in April 2004.

Source: Bloomberg
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33462&Itemid=95

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Brazil Expands Investment in Offshore Drilling Projects
Monday, 26 January 2009

Brazil’s state-controlled oil company, Petrobras, announced a crisis-busting investment plan Friday to spend more than $174 billion over the next five years, much of it for prodigious deep-water oil and gas exploration. The investment covers the 2009-2013 period and represents a rise of 55 percent over the $112.4 billion the company had vowed to spend on development between 2008 and 2012. This investment is “very robust and very important for the continuity of Petrobras’s growth,” Jose Sergio Gabrielli, the company’s chief executive, told reporters Friday at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.

Petrobras, whose full name is Petroleo Brasileiro, had promised to unveil its spending plans in September but delayed the announcement several times because of the world’s financial turmoil.

In 2007 and 2008, Petrobras and partners including Repsol YPF of Spain and the BG Group of Britain discovered vast deposits of oil under more than 4,000 meters of water, rock and salt.

Although the finds are at previously untapped depths and will be costly to extract, they hold an estimated 8 billion to 12 billion barrels of oil, according to Petrobras figures. Company officials and oil experts say that other reserves of that size could be nearby.

One of the finds alone, named the Tupi, holds the equivalent of 5 billion to 8 billion barrels of light crude oil and is the world’s biggest new field since a 12-billion-barrel find in Kazakhstan in 2000.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil has said repeatedly that developing these oil reserves is vital to the country’s future, and Petrobras has set aside $28 billion to that end.

In all, new drilling could produce 219,000 barrels a day by 2013, 582,000 barrels a day by 2015 and 1.82 million barrels a day by 2020, he predicted.

Natural gas extraction would rise from 7 million cubic meters a day in 2013 to 40 million a day in 2020, the company added.

Petrobras produced a daily average of 2.18 million barrels of oil and gas last year.

Source: New York Times
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33520&Itemid=79

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Navy OK'd for Sonar in Atlantic, Gulf
January 26, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

The government agency responsible for protecting marine mammals on Friday broadly authorized the Navy to use sonar off the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico for the next five years.

The regulations, issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, have some restrictions but don't satisfy environmental groups. They are concerned that active sonar may disorient or injure whales and dolphins, who use sound to communicate and find food.

The fisheries service said it doesn't expect Navy sonar exercises to harm marine mammals but is requiring the Navy to adopt mitigation measures that would help avoid injury or death.

Those measures include minimizing use of helicopter-dipping sonar and sonar exercises in parts of the southeast Atlantic between December and March, when endangered right whales give birth, and using precautions to minimize the impact of torpedo exercises on right-whale habitat in the northeast Atlantic.

"Some injury or death potentially could occur despite the best efforts of the Navy," the fisheries service said in a news release. "Therefore, the regulations and the letter of authorization allow for a small number of incidental injuries to marine mammals."

The fisheries service recently authorized naval sonar use in the waters off Southern California and Hawaii.

The National Resources Defense Council, which has sued the Navy multiple times over its sonar use, said the new regulations will expose millions of marine mammals to harm.

"These new sonar rules were completed in the waning weeks of the Bush administration to prevent review by the Obama administration," said Joel Reynolds, director of the council's marine mammal program. "The rules will illegally harm entire populations of whales and dolphins over millions of square miles of ocean and rich marine habitat, and they will do so for years to come."

Also Friday, the Navy announced completion of a two-year study on Atlantic Fleet sonar use.

The Navy studied whether to limit sonar training for Atlantic-based ships to designated areas or times of the year, or to continue training as is. The service decided to continue with its present training scheme.

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-okd-for-sonar-in-atlantic-gulf.html?col=1186032310810

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Regards

Snooper

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