Vietnam starts large scale container manufacturing

Vietnam has kick-started its export business with the opening of its first container manufacturing plant - the second biggest of its kind in southeast Asia, according to the official Vietnam News Service.

The plant in the northern province of Hai Duong is expected to provide a yearly capacity of 45,000 TEU and is a joint venture between Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) and Toong Goen Enterprise (TGC).

Vietnam's ministry of transport says containers business shows a marked dominance of foreign shipping companies, which weakens the competitiveness of the country's exports.

Growth of container business has increased 50 per cent a year with the transportation business reaching US$1 billion.

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Samsung Heavy to Build 4 Rigs

South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Co, said it has secured new orders worth a total of $2.41b.

The company said it won a $1.15b dollar contract to build two semi-submersible floating drilling rigs by September 2010 for a Russian client. Separately, clients in Africa and in Americas ordered two oil drill ships worth 1.26 billion dollars which will be delivered by May 2011.
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USS Port Royal Visits Jakarta

USS Port Royal Public Affairs Indonesian naval officers stood in formation on the pier and a military band played patriotic songs Dec. 20 as USS Port Royal (CG 73) pushed away from her berth at Tanjung-Priok Port in Jakarta, after a four-day port visit to Indonesia's capital province.

The farewell show as Port Royal pulled away from Jakarta was only a small demonstration compared to the festivities during the first hours of her arrival Dec. 17. As local dignitaries welcomed Adler with flowers and fruit, while traditional dancers, fire-breathers and other performers entertained the crew on the pier.

Indonesia's hospitality did not stop at the pier. Local citizens embraced Port Royal Sailors as they ventured off the ship to explore the city and participate in athletic games and community relations events. On Dec. 19, a small group of Sailors loaded boxes of toys and hygiene items into a truck for delivery to the U.S. Embassy warehouse, where representatives from three non-governmental organizations received them for distribution to the city and in Indonesia's rural interior. The boxes were donations from Project Handclasp, which is a program that allows private organizations to donate toys and other items for forward-deployed military units to distribute overseas

U.S. Navy port visits such as Port Royal's visit to Indonesia represent an important opportunity to promote peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region of the world, demonstrate commitment to regional partners and foster growing relationships. U.S. 7th Fleet forces are tangible proof of the U.S. commitment to peace and stability in the Oceana region, and they directly support U.S. national goals of strengthening alliances, defeating global threats, and preserving the free flow of trade.

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Hopes fade for missing 14 seamen

South Korea today resumed an air and sea search for 14 seamen missing after their freighter sank but officials said it would be a miracle to find anyone still alive.

The chemical carrier Eastern Bright, carrying 2000 tonnes of nitric acid, went down in rough seas off the southern port city of Yeosu before dawn yesterday. A Burmese seaman was rescued about five hours afterwards but 12 Koreans and two Burmese remain unaccounted for. A total of 35 navy and coast guard vessels, including a navy minesweeper equipped with sonar, and four aircraft were searching the area. The navy said the minesweeper late yesterday detected what is thought to be the sunken ship, an 80-metre-long vessel resting on the seabed 60 metres below the surface and some 32km east of Geomun island. Apart from ships searching for the crew, eight vessels were cleaning up a thin oil slick around the shipwreck site from the vessel's fuel. Earlier this month, South Korea suffered its worst-ever oil spill when a tanker leaked 10,500 tonnes of crude off the west coast after being holed by a drifting barge. No one was hurt in that incident.

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Swimmers scatter after shark sighting

Swimmers were sent scurrying from the surf after a shark was sighted at Sydney's northern beaches today.

A lifesaver spotted the 1m-2m bronze whaler 200m from shore at Palm Beach at 10.40am (AEDT), forcing the closure of the packed beach. Palm Beach surf club president Jason Millett said there was up to 70 people in the water and about 200 more on the beach. The beach was reopened after lifesavers shepherded the shark out of the area. Mr. Millett said the shark sighting was routine and that there are no man-eating sharks off the northern beaches. "The water's really clean at the moment so we've got a lot of marine activity around the rocks and they just come in for the small fish they eat," he said.
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Stricken US ship pilot 'novice'

The navigator of a cruise ship that ran aground off Alaska was only 22, had no real knowledge of the area and no training on the boat.

Marino Cattiotti was put in charge for four hours because another navigator was ill, the National Transportation Safety Board report said. More than 200 people were evacuated when the Empress of the North hit a rock 25 miles (40km) from Juneau. It was his first voyage on the ship. The report said instructors believed that "placing a recent graduate of the school with no watch experience outside of a training environment, on watch, at night, in pilotage waters, in an unfamiliar vessel, without any additional preparation and/or supervision, was imprudent". The riverboat-style boat was on the second day of a seven-day cruise when it suffered the accident. The ship's hull was ripped in a number of places and the propeller damaged.
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New Vision VLCC Caught in Recent Atlantic Storm - The Situation is under Control

The tanker VLCC New Vision was caught in the recent severe North Atlantic storm offshore Ireland.

Built in South Korea and delivered in April 1994, the New Vision is a double-hulled VLCC flying the French flag. Operated by V.Ships France, it is time chartered by Total from Norwegian ship owner Viken. The tanker was en route from Mongstadt in Norway to Canaport in Canada. A bow compartment was damaged by the storm, taking the mooring system out of service. The rudder was also damaged. The vessel’s maneuvering ability is unimpaired, and the New Vision is now lying off Portugal, waiting to take on board equipment needed for repairs. The ship owner expects the repairs to be carried out next week. The vessel will then offload its cargo in a European port, where permanent repairs will be performed. The incident did not cause any injuries or pollution.

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