Vessel abandoned and drifting mid Channel

The Coastguard at Brixham has confirmed that all 20 crew have abandoned the 'Ice Prince’, which was drifting and listing at 40 degrees to port.

The stricken vessel has some navigation lights showing and some partial upper deck lights. The Coastguard helicopter to Portland airlifted twelve crew, including a 41-year-old Greek national with a broken leg, whilst the RNLI Torbay and Salcombe lifeboats took off the remaining eight crew. The vessel, which was heading for Alexandria has 5,258 metric tonnes of sawn timber on board which has shifted and the ship was listing at the time to 25 degrees. The French Coastguard tug 'Abeille Liberte' is now on scene and has taken over from the warship 'Cumberland' in standing by the vessel. There are no plans to try to put a line on the 'Ice Prince' by the tug until first light this morning. The crew of the tug is reporting to the Coastguard hourly on the vessel's condition. Some cargo has been lost to the sea but in the darkness, it is unclear as to the quantity. The French Coastguard is broadcasting warnings sea area to alert other shipping.
Read More

Fears over stricken cargo ship

A cargo vessel carrying 643 cars has run aground off the Norfolk coast at Haisborough Sands.

The City of Sunderland is not leaking fuel but she is listing in the high winds, said a spokesperson for the Yarmouth Coastguard. None of her 13 crew aboard was injured. Two tugs from Felixstowe will attempt to re-float the ship on the next high tide at about midday. Air and sea rescuers are closely monitoring the situation. Glynn Young, acting watch manager at Yarmouth Coastguard, said: "Although the vessel is intact and there has been no apparent threat of pollution, the vessel is currently listing. The vessel is being buffeted by the wind, sea as it lies across the wind, and therefore the situation is closely monitored as it develops. Air and lifeboat assistance is close by if the situation worsens. The Isle of Man registered vessel was on passage from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Tees Port when it ran aground at 0218 GMT.
Read More

Greenpeace chases away Japan's whalers

Greenpeace said that it had chased Japanese whalers out of hunting grounds in the Southern Ocean, disrupting the planned slaughter of almost 1,000 whales.

The Greenpeace vessel, the Esperanza, chased the main Japanese ship, the Nisshin Maru, through hundreds of miles of thick fog after spotting the whaling fleet. The fleet's catcher ships fled in another direction and will be unable to hunt as long as they are separated from the Nisshin Maru, which processes and stores captured whales. Japan warned the protesters not to interfere with the whalers as they attempt to reach this year's quota of 935 minke and 50 endangered humpback whales. Greenpeace said the chase had so far deprived the fleet of two days' whaling. "Past activities of Greenpeace have been responsible for vessel collisions that risk the lives and safety of our researchers and crew and are illegal under international maritime law," Keiichi Nakajima, president of the Japan Whaling Association, said in a statement.
Read More

Noble makes third Block I discovery

Noble Energy has made a significant discovery of condensate and natural gas in the well I-4 in Block I, which is on trend with the Belinda discovery on Block O off Equatorial Guinea.

This is the third discovery of hydrocarbons made in exploration wells drilled at Block I during 2007. The operator estimates that the resource range is 60 percent higher in the Belinda trend than initially estimated. Noble said high quality Miocene reservoirs had been encountered that, when tested, yielded flow rates of 1,634 b/d of condensate and 28.9 MMcf/d (818,000 MMcm/d) of natural gas, equivalent to approximately 6,450 BOE/d. The production rates were limited by test equipment. "The exploration drillings in Block I have once again proved to be a success. The well I-4 was drilled on the same play concept as the previous three wells. All four wells have verified the presence of substantial hydrocarbons in the block. The partners at Block I plan to carry out an active exploration and appraisal-drilling program in 2008 as they assess the options to commercialize the discoveries.
Read More

Hanjin to Build Shipyard in Philippines

Hanjin Heavy Industries has entered into an agreement to build a $2b shipyard in the southern Philippines, its second yard in the country.

The second shipyard will rise in a 441.8-hectare lot inside the Phividec Industrial Estate in the southern province of Misamis Oriental and is expected to be completed in 2017. The new facility will have a capacity of 830,000 tonnes per year when completed. Hanjin and Phividec officials signed the agreement. Hanjin will be allowed duty-free importation of capital equipment and income tax holidays since it is located in the Phividec ecozone area. Hanjin's Subic facility has received orders for 28 container vessels, three bulk carriers and two oil tankers as of June last year.

Read More