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.
Read More

BP fined for oil pollution

British Petroleum pleaded guilty to breaking pollution laws when one of its crude pipelines leaked and spilled oil in Alaska.

BP agreed to pay a 20 million dollar fine because of this, according to the US justice authorities. The company "pleaded guilty today in federal court to a criminal violation of the Clean Water Act for spilling 200,000 gallons (760,000 liters) of crude oil from a pipeline onto the tundra and a frozen lake" in March 2006, the Justice Department, said in a statement. The leak, in the North Slope region, was due to BP's failure to notice signs of corrosion inside the pipes. The company was not charged for a second leak in August 2006 at its Prudoe Bay oil field, since it acted quickly to stop the flow of oil. Around 1,000 gallons of oil escaped in that leak.

Read More

Sunseeker’s new 86 Yacht at London Boat Show

Sunseeker International announces the official launch of the new 86 Yacht at the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL.

The introduction of the new 86 Yacht alongside Sunseeker’s new 34 Metre Yacht highlights the company’s impressive product development programme which has produced 6 new models including the new 37 Metre Yacht in just 12 months.
The majestic 86 Yacht has a broad beam and superb accommodation for up to eight people. The new 86 Yacht is typical of Sunseeker’s trademark look and proven deep ‘V’ hull design. The 86 Yacht is a craft of exceptional beauty. The exterior enjoys a sleek profile and extremely elegant lines, suggesting both power and grace. With a choice of powerful twin diesel engine options, this new yacht is capable of speeds in excess of 32 knots.

Read More

Penguin increases fleet numbers

Singapore's Penguin Boat International has taken delivery of a new anchor handling towing and supply vessel, and secured new shipbuilding contracts worth US$32 million.

Earlier this month, Penguin subsidiary Pelican Offshore Services received its second AHTS "Pelican Quest", a 55-metre, 5000 brake-horsepower vessel slated for a long-term charter with an oil company in Asia. In addition to its two AHTS vessels, Pelican owns and operates six high-speed aluminium crewboats, all of which are on charter to oil companies in the region. Meanwhile, Penguin's shipyard subsidiary Penguin Shipyard International has signed contracts to build two offshore crewboats worth around US$7 million in total, and two standby rescue vessels worth about US$25 million in total.

Read More

Nichols Bros still hopeful

A bankruptcy judge has handed US yard Nichols Bros Boat Builders an eight-week reprieve to finish ongoing projects.

Judge Samuel Steiner granted the shipbuilder's request for eight weeks' worth of an operating budget so that 20 staff can continue at its Freeland yard, during a hearing in Seattle. It wants to finish seven ships, including a joint contract with two other yards to build four 144-car, 1,500-passenger ferries for the state of Washington. Washington-based Nichols Bros laid off 185 workers on November 2 and filed for bankruptcy on November 16.
Read More

China warship docks in Tokyo

A Chinese guided missile destroyer has docked off Tokyo in the first port visit by a Chinese warship since the Second World War.

A military band and crowds waving Chinese and Japanese flags welcomed the arrival of the destroyer Shenzhen in the Japanese capital. The highly symbolic visit is being seen as a sign of warming of ties between the two Asian rivals. Admiral Eiji Yoshikawa, Japan's chief of naval operations, told the Chinese delegation that Wednesday's visit showed both countries were making "big strides" in their relations. The port call is part of a planned series of exchanges that will see Japan sending a warship on a similar visit to China later.

Read More

Inmarsat sees China maritime revenue rise

Satellite communications firm Inmarsat’s China maritime business will grow by 8 percent annually for the next few years amid strong demand for satellite phones and systems.

London-based Inmarsat, whose constellation of satellites covers more than 85 percent of the globe, expects strong demand from China’s export and fishery sectors, told Lisa Wagner, head of enterprise business. Satellite systems can help extend the boundaries of wireless networks to areas with unreliable, insecure or non-existent telecoms infrastructure, such as at sea or in remote land areas. These applications can also help fishing vessels communicate among themselves via encrypted messages. Inmarsat, which started in 1979 as an inter-governmental organisation to provide safety and distress communications for the maritime community, makes about 60 percent of its revenue from its maritime business.
Read More