Iran releases video of naval incident to counter U.S. charge

Iran has released a video to buttress its earlier assertion that the alleged near-confrontation between Iranian speedboats and American warships, as claimed by U.S. authorities, never took place.

In the footage shown by Iran’s Press TV, an Iranian commander in a speedboat is shown establishing radio contact with an American warship. As the communication proceeds normally, the tape shows an American warship on which number 73 is inscribed. Two other U.S. vessels are also visible, while a helicopter hovers overhead. Iran had earlier stated that a recording of the incident shown on a U.S. video was fake, as it was based on file pictures. In that video, an Iranian voice is heard as saying: “I am coming at you; you will explode.” The controversy over the incident, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, has continued to make headlines during U.S. President George Bush’s ongoing visit to West Asia. The U.S. President stressed that the findings of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in December did not alter his stance on Iran.
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Sabotage link in tanker blast

Sea Sentinel sources believe that the chemical/products tanker Golden Lucy, on fire in Port Harcourt was sabotaged.

Sources in the port saw two intruders place an explosive device on board the tanker this morning. One is believed to have lost a limb during the explosion, with both accomplices jumping into the sea to escape further harm. The explosion resulted in a fire in the ship’s paint and chemical store, and there are concerns that it will spread to the cargo tanks. Although the ship is understood to have segregated tanks, Port Harcourt does not have the facilities to tackle a fire of this nature. As of midday today, the ship had been pushed off its berth into the channel, and only a forward tank was burning – but with no firefighting assistance on the scene. Golden Lucy, built in 1987, is a 12,742dwt vessel owned and operated by Greece’s Arion Shipping.
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Chemical ship in rescue operation

An emergency operation is under way to stabilize a chemical tanker in Weymouth Harbor in Dorset.

The 41,766-tonne Norwegian tanker "Mariella" is dragging its anchor in 45-knot winds. A coastguard tug is at the scene to prevent the tanker from grounding while RNLI lifeboats are on standby to remove non-essential personnel. A helicopter has also been scrambled to oversee operations and evacuate the tanker in the event it is grounded. Portland Coastguard said the secretary of state's representative in maritime salvage and pollution has been notified as well as other emergency services such as police and ambulance. They said the 250 yard (228m) vessel was in ballast and her tanks were inert. The ship was undergoing engine repairs in Weymouth Bay where several other vessels were sheltering from strong winds. A gale warning was issued earlier on Thursday and coastguards said a warning of severe gales in the area was likely to last into the evening.
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Qatargas delivers first LNG via its Q-Flex vessels

Qatargas has delivered its first shipment of LNG using one of its chartered Q-Flex vessels.

The 'Al Gattara' left Doha on December 3 and arrived at the Tohoku Electric Power terminal in northern Japan, completing her maiden cargo voyage. The newly designed Q-Flex vessels have on-board liquefaction capacity and about 40 percent lower energy requirements and carbon emissions than conventional vessels due to the economies of scale created by their size and the efficiency of their engines. Qatar Gas Transport and OSG International jointly own the 'Al Gattara', which Qatargas has chartered on a long-term basis. Meanwhile, Qatargas has signed a supply contract for 700,000 tonnes/year of LNG from the Qatargas 2 venture to be shipped starting in 2009 to Mexican power company Total Gas & Power. The LNG will be supplied from Qatargas 2's Train 5, which is expected to come on stream in 2009, supplying Mexico's Altamira terminal and opening a new market for Qatari LNG's 31 million tonnes/year exports.
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OOCL, Yang Ming to start direct China-Pakistan-India service

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) of Hong Kong and Yang Ming Line of Taiwan will launch a new container shipping service to link China, Pakistan and India from January 17.

The new service, the 'China Pakistan Express' (CPX), will transport sea freight directly from ports in China to Pakistan and Mundra on India's west coast instead of transshipping it via Singapore as it used to do. The port rotation for the new CPX service will be: Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Karachi, Mundra, Penang, Port Kelang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, for a 35-day roundtrip. Five 1,200-TEU containerships will be deployed on the service, which will be jointly operated with Yang Ming. Yang Ming will also expand its China-Gulf Express (CGX) to include calls in the Persian Gulf so to connect with its Dubai/Umm Qasr, Iraq feeder service DUX.
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