Superfast internet may replace World Wide Web

The internet could soon be made obsolete by a new "grid" system, which is 10,000 times faster than broadband connections.

Scientists in Switzerland have developed a lightning-fast replacement to the internet that would allow feature films and music catalogues to be downloaded within seconds. The invention could signal the end of the dreaded 'frozen screen', when computers seize up after being asked to process too much information. The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the internet, the grid could also provide the power needed to send sophisticated images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call. David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technology could change society. The power of the grid will be unlocked this summer with the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a new particle accelerator designed to investigate how the universe began. The grid will be turned on at the same time to store the information it generates, after scientists at Cern, based near Geneva, realized the internet would not have the capacity to capture such huge volumes of data. The grid has been built with fibre optic cables and modern routing centres, meaning there are no outdated components to slow the deluge of data, unlike the internet. There are 55,000 grid servers already installed, a figure that is expected to rise to 200,000 within the next two years. Britain has 8,000 servers on the grid system, meaning access could be available to universities as early as this autumn.

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India sees Rs.1 trillion investment in port, shipping

India expects to double port capacity to 1,500 million tonnes by 2011/12 and would require 1 trillion rupees investment in the port and shipping sectors, federal shipping secretary A P V N Sarma said.

The port sector would require investment worth 550 billion rupees while shipping and inland waterways would need another Rs 450 billion by 2015. Planning Commission estimates that the infrastructure sector will require investment of $500 billion between 2007/08 and 2011/12, which is key for the economy to sustain an average 9 per cent growth. "We will require one trillion rupees investment by 2015 (in ports, shipping and inland waterways," Sarma said. However, a cash-strapped government is looking for greater private role in infrastructure building and has been inviting foreign players to pour in more money and bring in their expertise in Asia's third largest economy. "There is tremendous room for private sector to participate. We have got a lot of response from foreign players for the port sector," Sarma said. Sarma said cargo-handling volume in 12 major ports in India was at 520 million tonnes, while smaller ports contributed another 260 million tonnes during 2007/08. "We are expecting a 12-15 per cent growth in 2008/09." The government aims to double capacity in major ports to 1,000 million tonnes by 2011/12, and raise it to 500 million tonnes for smaller ports, he said. Raising port capacity and speedy cargo handling is crucial for India to sustain high growth in exports and imports.

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MOL Offers New West Mediterranean Service

The New World Alliance carriers - APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and CMA CGM have announced a new joint West Mediterranean (MED) service starting from April 26th, 2008.

The new service offers shippers access and fast transit times to the growing Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Eight vessels will be deployed on the service. TNWA will operate six vessels while CMA CGM will operate two vessels. Capacity for these eight ships will be between 4,000 and 4,500 TEU. Port rotation for the MED service is: Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Kelang, Damietta, Genoa, Barcelona, Fos, Damietta, Jeddah, Port Kelang, Singapore, Chiwan and Shanghai.
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Caterpillar powers China-built IHC Merwede dredgers

Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific and WesTrac China, the Caterpillar dealer for North and Northeast China, have established a preferred supplier status in powering China-built IHC Merwede dredgers.

Since cooperating on the dredger project 'BeiYa 1' in 2005, WesTrac China and IHC Merwede, the global leader, have collaborated on 23 newbuildings for the Chinese dredging market. These dredgers belong to three different models and utilize six different types of Caterpillar engines, with a total 81 units involved. Buoyant seaborne trade has led to global record levels in dredging and port construction. IHC Merwede has extensive experience in this segment having built thousands of dredgers. The company serves half the world market today. In 2004, IHC Merwede developed a concept for an advanced cutter suction dredger with a capacity of about 2,300 cubic metres per hour for customers in China, which eventually resulted in the delivery of 'BeiYa 1' from Liaonan Shipyard in January 2006. Three Cat 3500 series marine engines provide ample power for high-performance dredging in the Bohai Sea on behalf of Quingdao North Asia Construction Engineering. 'BeiYa 1' established the IHC 7025MP cutter suction dredger design, which is characterized by a 70 centimeter suction diameter, up to 25 metres of dredging depth and mono pontoon execution. Following the success of the IHC 7025MP series, IHC developed the more powerful 8527MP cutter suction dredger. This design is based on a suction diameter of 85 centimetres and can cope with dredging depths up to 27 metres. WesTrac has already signed repeat contracts to power six additional IHC 8527MP dredgers.

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Leak stops production at Independence Hub

Enterprise Product Partners has announced that production on Independence Hub has been shut-in as a result of a leak on the Independence Trail export pipeline.

The leak was first suspected on April 8, prompting the shutdown of operations as a precaution. The leak was confirmed this morning using a remotely operated vehicle. Initial investigations show the leak came from a stainless steel o-ring gasket, located on a flex joint in around 85 feet (26 m) of water. The flex joint assembly connects the pipeline to the platform and allows the pipeline to handle movement caused by the platform. Enterprise is currently dispatching equipment and personnel to make repairs to the gasket. The equipment will arrive within the next few days, with repairs taking between one and four weeks. No fires, injuries or environmental damage were associated with the leak, and Enterprise has notified regulatory agencies of the situation. Independence Hub is a gas production platform located at Mississippi Canyon Block 920 in the Gulf of Mexico. Enterprise Product Partners own 80 percent of the platform and 100 percent of Independence Trail, a 134-mile (216 km) pipeline that transports gas from Independence Hub to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline.

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Seven foreign ships detained by Maritime and Coastguard Agency during March

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has announced that 5 foreign ships were under detention in UK ports during March 2008 after failing Port State Control inspection.

Latest monthly figures show that there were five detentions of foreign-flagged ships in UK ports during March 2008 and two vessels under detention from previous months. The overall rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months was 5.1% a slight decrease on February s' twelve month rate. During the month of March 120, Port State Control inspections were carried out in the UK. A total of 28 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 51 had between one and five deficiencies, 29 had between six and ten deficiencies 11 had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and there was 1 vessel inspected that had more than twenty deficiencies. Out of the detained vessels, five were registered with flag states listed on the Paris MOU white list, one was registered with a flag state on the grey list and one was not listed. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as SIReNaC. This allows the ships of flags with poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection. Detained ships have to satisfy surveyors that remedial work has been carried out before they are allowed to leave port.
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