Mumbai opens up for the maritime giants

The financial capital of India, Mumbai opened up for the mega trade fair of the subcontinent, INMEX India 2007.

The three day International exhibition on shipbuilding, marine equipment, dredging, ports & port technology, ocean engineering and marine offshore technology commenced today at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India. The exhibition paves way for innumerable opportunities by giving the cutting edge technology and products. Also provides a common platform for the marine industry to interact with significant customers & key decision makers.

Organized by PDA Trade Fairs for the 5^th time INMEX is the region’s most definitive maritime industry trade fair of the region. INMEX India, over the years has emerged as the conduit in enabling conversion of the maritime sector's business potential into commerce by bringing together the Government, the maritime bodies & the industry.

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Korea unveils Asia’s biggest amphibious landing vessel

Korea unveiled Asia's largest amphibious landing and transport vessel, on an area the size of two soccer fields.

The 14,000-ton Dokdo LPH has separate area for female soldiers, a community kitchen which can accommodate 154 soldiers at once, medical facilities equivalent to a hospital complex including a dental hospital and an operating room, elevators and a canteen. The Dokdo LPH, which was unveiled recently, has facilities not far behind those of a large U.S. aircraft carrier. Intended to accommodate 340 crew, 700 Navy personnel, seven helicopters, six tanks and 10 trucks, it can serve as both a leading ship guiding Aegis Ships and other fleets and in rescue operations in large-scale disasters such as a tsunami since it is capable of carrying 1,100 refugees. With about 700 rooms, the ship is 199 m long and as tall as a 17-story building.

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Australia hands out offshore rights

The Australian government has issued six offshore oil and gas production licences in recent months to operators Anzon, Eni, Coogee Resources and Woodside Petroleum.

In Western Australia, Woodside was awarded production licence WA-34-L for the Pluto LNG project. In the western Timor Sea, Coogee was granted permits AC/L7 for the Montara oil and gas project, and AC/L8 for the Skua and Swift fields that will be tied into the Montara FPSO. In the Bonaparte basin, production licence WA-33-L was issued to Eni for the Blacktip gas project, while in Bass Strait two new licences Vic/L27 and Vic/L28 were issued to Anzon for the gas phase of the Basker-Manta-Gummy oil and gas project.

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Implementation of LRIT high on agenda

The implementation of the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) System will be a key matter for discussion when IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meets in Copenhagen, Denmark, for its 83rd session from 3 to 12 October.

Other important issues on the MSC agenda include the adoption of proposed amendments to SOLAS relating to the provision of mobile satellite communication services in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), further development of goal-based standards and discussion of security and facilitation issues related to the carriage of containers by ships. The MSC will be invited to make a number of decisions to ensure the timely implementation of the LRIT system. The LRIT system is intended to be operational with respect to the transmission of LRIT information by ships as from 30 December 2008.

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Dead whale washes up in Pacifica

A humpback whale that washed up on a Pacifica beach may have been attacked by an orca, according to a veterinarian with the Marine Mammal Center.

The 27-foot female baleen humpback calf had signs of mild trauma around the head and jaw consistent with an attack by a killer whale, Frances Gulland, the veterinarian who performed a necropsy on the animal Monday. But the decomposed state of the whale's carcass, which had been dead about four days when it was found on the beach Sunday, makes it impossible to say for sure what killed the 9-month-old humpback.

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Signs 30-year contract in India

Aatash Norcontrol Ltd., an Indian joint venture between Kongsberg Norcontrol IT AS and Aatash Coputers Ltd., has signed a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) contract with the Gujarat Maritime Board.

The agreement, which is exclusive for 30 years, is for the provision of surveillance and information regarding all vessel traffic to and from existing and future ports in the Gulf of Khambat. The Vessel Traffic and Port Management System constitutes a complete system for vessel traffic surveillance and control. Based on technology from Kongsberg Norcontrol IT, the system consists of a control centre connected to AIS base stations and radars. Kongsberg Norcontrol IT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

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