Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi Aramco crude tanker on November 15 some 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya.
The US Navy said yesterday that the pirates were approaching a Somali port with ‘Sirius Star’ and her crew of 25. The crew who come from Britain, Croatia, Poland, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, are all said to be in good health. While Navies from various countries including USA and Russia have been patrolling the area of the Gulf of Aden piracy hot spot due to the outbreak of piracy in recent times, Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service told that there would never be enough warships to patrol the entire area. "The whole area is 2.5 million square miles,” he said. The ‘Sirius Star’ is the largest ship ever hijacked by Somali pirates, and the 318,000DWT tanker is capable of carrying up to two million barrels of oil. However, the US Navy Fifth Fleet Commander Jane Campbell told that the Navy was unlikely to dispatch an aide vessel to the tanker, because it did not have weapons on board, like the Ukrainian ship ‘Faina’ which was seized by Somali pirates in September.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New vessel to clean up Middle Eastern Pearl Island
Water Witch Workboats, Liverpool, UK, has just completed a new seven-metre Buddy Catamaran for Ronautica Middle East in Qatar.
Built to service The Pearl, an offshore manmade island with over 32 kilometers of new coastline and accommodating 1,500 berths, the vessel will be kept busy retrieving floating litter and debris using a collecting basket mounted between the hulls. The craft features a large working area with removable deck plates and handrails for versatility. The aluminium wheelhouse provides accommodation for a crew of three coupled with plenty of secure storage. The step-down wheelhouse allows for low headroom of only 2.1 metres for navigating under low bridges and the oversized windows allow for good 360 degree visibility. The topside of the wheelhouse has a solar panel fitted to top up the dual charging batteries. The vessel was delivered complete with a removable davit and Honda driven pot puller / hauler for lifting aeration pumps from the seabed, making routine maintenance of the system easy work. A drop down ladder complete with hand grab rails was also fitted, using the same quick-fit fixing system utilized for the handrails. When not in use this is neatly stowed on the handrail. The new all welded aluminium twin hulled craft is powered by a high thrust Yamaha BETL outboard engine matched with a dual thrust propeller for maximum maneuverability.
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Built to service The Pearl, an offshore manmade island with over 32 kilometers of new coastline and accommodating 1,500 berths, the vessel will be kept busy retrieving floating litter and debris using a collecting basket mounted between the hulls. The craft features a large working area with removable deck plates and handrails for versatility. The aluminium wheelhouse provides accommodation for a crew of three coupled with plenty of secure storage. The step-down wheelhouse allows for low headroom of only 2.1 metres for navigating under low bridges and the oversized windows allow for good 360 degree visibility. The topside of the wheelhouse has a solar panel fitted to top up the dual charging batteries. The vessel was delivered complete with a removable davit and Honda driven pot puller / hauler for lifting aeration pumps from the seabed, making routine maintenance of the system easy work. A drop down ladder complete with hand grab rails was also fitted, using the same quick-fit fixing system utilized for the handrails. When not in use this is neatly stowed on the handrail. The new all welded aluminium twin hulled craft is powered by a high thrust Yamaha BETL outboard engine matched with a dual thrust propeller for maximum maneuverability.
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BP to sunset Aussie solar plant
UK supermajor BP will close its Australian solar-cell factory by early next year to focus on bigger, lower-cost operations offshore.
The solar industry is facing increased competition globally and BP needs to expand its production scale and reduce costs, BP's Australian unit said in a statement, adding that the Sydney plant lacked expansion potential. The factory is the BP's smallest such plant and makes, each year, cells capable of producing a total of 50 megawatts. It would close by end-March, shedding about 200 jobs, BP said. BP invests about $1.5 billion a year in alternative energy and has solar-cell plants in countries including Germany, the US, Spain, France and India.
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The solar industry is facing increased competition globally and BP needs to expand its production scale and reduce costs, BP's Australian unit said in a statement, adding that the Sydney plant lacked expansion potential. The factory is the BP's smallest such plant and makes, each year, cells capable of producing a total of 50 megawatts. It would close by end-March, shedding about 200 jobs, BP said. BP invests about $1.5 billion a year in alternative energy and has solar-cell plants in countries including Germany, the US, Spain, France and India.
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OOCL to enter Maritime Academy
OOCL has signed a cooperation agreement with Zhejiang International Maritime Professional Technology College (ZIMC) to build an OOCL Maritime Academy.
The academy is expected to assist in the professional development and continuing re-education for OOCL seafarers. According to OOCL, the cooperation agreement was signed on October 30, 2008. The target date for the inauguration of the Academy has been scheduled towards the end of 2009. OOCL will provide the Academy with bridge simulators, an engine room simulator and crew seminar rooms; while ZIMC will provide equipment including a tugboat simulator, a dynamic position system, bridge and engine room simulators and computer based training rooms.
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The academy is expected to assist in the professional development and continuing re-education for OOCL seafarers. According to OOCL, the cooperation agreement was signed on October 30, 2008. The target date for the inauguration of the Academy has been scheduled towards the end of 2009. OOCL will provide the Academy with bridge simulators, an engine room simulator and crew seminar rooms; while ZIMC will provide equipment including a tugboat simulator, a dynamic position system, bridge and engine room simulators and computer based training rooms.
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North Bund moves closer to realizing shipping hub dreams
Shanghai: Seven major companies have agreed to buy properties in the city's North Bund for a combined 7 billion yuan (US$1.03 billion).
The buyers, central government-owned Sinochem Corp, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, China Shipping (Group) Co and local government-controlled Shanghai Land Group, Shanghai Construction Group and Shanghai International Port (Group) Co, as well as Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Co, signed agreements with Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal Development Co. "It's a fresh effort to boost domestic demand, and in line with central government's directive to stimulate domestic growth," said Sinochem President Liu Deshu. "We will continue to participate in the development of Shanghai and invest here." Beijing-based Sinochem, China's top chemical trader, has been tapping the real estate sector, and it owns a stake in Shanghai's Jin Mao Tower. Before the contract signing event, city Mayor Han Zheng met executives from the companies. "The North Bund project could get a major boost with such elite companies now becoming property owners here," Han said. Shanghai is developing the North Bund, in Hongkou District, into a shipping-related service cluster by building cruise terminals, hotels, offices, commercial buildings and other properties since 2002, with total investment set to pass 40 billion yuan.
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The buyers, central government-owned Sinochem Corp, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, China Shipping (Group) Co and local government-controlled Shanghai Land Group, Shanghai Construction Group and Shanghai International Port (Group) Co, as well as Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Co, signed agreements with Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal Development Co. "It's a fresh effort to boost domestic demand, and in line with central government's directive to stimulate domestic growth," said Sinochem President Liu Deshu. "We will continue to participate in the development of Shanghai and invest here." Beijing-based Sinochem, China's top chemical trader, has been tapping the real estate sector, and it owns a stake in Shanghai's Jin Mao Tower. Before the contract signing event, city Mayor Han Zheng met executives from the companies. "The North Bund project could get a major boost with such elite companies now becoming property owners here," Han said. Shanghai is developing the North Bund, in Hongkou District, into a shipping-related service cluster by building cruise terminals, hotels, offices, commercial buildings and other properties since 2002, with total investment set to pass 40 billion yuan.
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Wesmar’s Sonar Series EV850
Wesmar is introducing the EV850 series, a new, all digital navigation and security sonar.
This searchlight sonar provides detailed information about the waters around and beneath boats while at anchor or cruising. Thanks to active stabilization, the new sonar series provides target tracking even in rough water. The sonar’s features include: active electronic gyro controlled stabilization capable of correcting for 34 degrees of movement per second, 110 kHz frequency, tested for both navigation and underwater intruder detection, large array transducers that have up to 30 percent more detection elements and a ‘power booster’ system that supplies high voltage to the transmitter, ensuring a strong transmit pulse for maximum transfer of acoustic energy. Additionally, the sonar screen never leaves the monitor when making adjustments, essential to avoiding hazards or tracking divers. The sonar has the ability to detect and follow divers many hundreds of feet away, providing early warning and time for response.
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This searchlight sonar provides detailed information about the waters around and beneath boats while at anchor or cruising. Thanks to active stabilization, the new sonar series provides target tracking even in rough water. The sonar’s features include: active electronic gyro controlled stabilization capable of correcting for 34 degrees of movement per second, 110 kHz frequency, tested for both navigation and underwater intruder detection, large array transducers that have up to 30 percent more detection elements and a ‘power booster’ system that supplies high voltage to the transmitter, ensuring a strong transmit pulse for maximum transfer of acoustic energy. Additionally, the sonar screen never leaves the monitor when making adjustments, essential to avoiding hazards or tracking divers. The sonar has the ability to detect and follow divers many hundreds of feet away, providing early warning and time for response.
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