Queen 'surprised' as Camilla is invited to launch Victoria

The British Queen has expressed "surprise" as Prince Charles' wife Camilla has been chosen to launch Victoria instead of her.

It is the first time that one of the Cunard's 'Queen' liners will not be named by a Queen. In 1934, Queen Mary launched the original Queen Mary liner and in 1938, Queen Elizabeth -- the Queen Mother -- named the QE1. The current Queen launched the QE2 in 1967 and the Queen Mary 2 in 1994. Camilla will become "godmother" of the 90,000-ton Queen Victoria -- the second-largest ship ever built by Cunard. Prince Charles, who is said to be privately delighted at his wife’s growing public role, will accompany her. The ship, which has a casino, seven bars, seven restaurants, a theatre and two pools, departs on her maiden voyage later this month and it will be the first time three Cunard "Queens" are in service at the same time.
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Somali pirates free UAE-owned cargo ship

Somali pirates freed on Sunday a Comoros-flagged cargo ship owned by businesspersons from the United Arab Emirates.

It was held for six weeks with a 22-man crew since its capture off Mogadishu. The crew were mainly Indian nationals. Piracy has been rife off Somalia since it plunged into anarchy with the 1991 fall of a dictator. Pirates also hijacked a Japanese chemical tanker, the Golden Nori, at the end of October, and are thought to be seeking a ransom of more than $1 million. The Golden Nori’s 23-man crew are from Myanmar, the Philippines and South Korea.

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Indian firms to set up shipyards at Rs 10,000-cr outlay

Scarcity of bulk carriers and offshore supply vessel in the global market has forced several Indian companies to look at setting up large shipbuilding yards in the country at a total investment of Rs 10,000 crore.

HK Mittal family -- promoter of domestic shipping company Mercator is to set up two shipbuilding yards, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore. The shipbuilding yards would make specialized offshore vessels, jack-up rigs and chemical tankers, up to 75,000 dead weight tons. Besides the Mittal, engineering and construction company Larsen & Toubro, Shipping Corporation of India, SKIL Infrastructure, Good Earth Maritime, Apeejay Shipping have announced plans to enter shipbuilding. The Central Government has announced that it wants to set up two big shipbuilding yards, one in east coast and another in west coast, each attracting an investment of Rs 2,000 crore each.
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Perth basin tight gas up for grabs

The gas-rich state of Western Australia has opened for bidding a large tight gas prospect in the onshore northern Perth basin.

It is hoped to be developed to avert a domestic gas shortage. The release area lies largely within the northern part of the Dandaragan Trough, which is a recognized gas and oil province. The West Erregulla tight gas prospect has attracted increased interest in recent times particularly with increased gas prices and a looming domestic gas shortage. The state's energy minister Francis Logan said the government is encouraging more exploration and development in order to avert a domestic gas shortage between 2008 and 2014. It is expected that supply of domestic gas from large liquefied natural gas projects will begin after 2014. Bids for the West Erregulla area close on 31 January 2008.
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Zhejiang’s feeder service to Shanghai

Customs at Hangzhou, a city in the eastern province of Zhejiang, has launched a feeder service to Shanghai.

The feeder service allows transshipments from Zhejiang province to be transported to Shanghai's Yangshan Terminal via feeder vessel from the port of Jiaxing or to the Waigaoqiao Terminal from the port of Shaoxing, which are shorter and US$135 per TEU cheaper compared to road transport.
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Noordhoek Orders Vessel

Noordhoek Offshore B.V., based in Zierikzee - The Netherlands, ordered a newbuild diving offshore construction support (DOCS) vessel for itsNorth Western European operations.

The delivery of this new vessel is scheduled for the second half of 2009, followed by its delivery it will join the Noordhoek fleet. This new, state-of-the-art vessel is, specifically designed for efficient diving operations in the harsh North Sea environment. The new vessel will have an 76 metres overall length, 18 metre beam, 100 tonne main crane and accommodation for 70 people. The 12-man, single bell, saturation diving system will utilise the latest technology. The vessel will have Class 2 Dynamic Positioning and be in compliance with the most demanding maritime and environmental regulations worldwide. The vessel’s design will reflect Noordhoek’s 47 years experience of successful diving operations in the North Sea and it will greatly enhance Noordhoek’s diving capabilities.

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Chinese fishing boats sink off Philippines

Two Chinese fishing boats sank in rough seas in a typhoon off the Philippines and at least 12 people are missing.

The ships sank off Palawan island, in the South China Sea, on Tuesday night. Earlier, Chinese official media said Beijing had sent three vessels and a helicopter to pick up more than 700 fishermen left stranded by the typhoon on and around islands in the South China Sea. Typhoon Hagibis, which has weakened to a tropical depression, killed 14 people in the Philippines last week, went west toward Vietnam and then made a dramatic U-turn over the South China Sea before returning to the Philippines. More than 400 fishermen from the southern province of Hainan province and 29 from the Philippines remain stranded in the Nansha area.Storms regularly batter the Philippines. Last year, Typhoon Durian killed 1,200 people and left 120,000 homeless when it crashed through Bicol in December.
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