DAILY COLLECTION OF MAR ITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2012 –...

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2012 – 019

Distribution : daily to 20750+ active addresses 19-01-2012

Number 019 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Thursday 19-01-2012

News reports received from readers and Internet News articles copied from various news sites.

The SEVEN EAGLE departed from Amsterdam – Photo : Willem Harlaar ©

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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

The Hanjin Buenos Aires passing Terneuzen enroute Antwerp

Photo : P., M. & Ph. van Luik - www.shipsoffterneuzen.nl ©

Need for Caution in Navigation as Fog Season Approaches, Mardep

As the fog season is approaching, the Director of Marine, Mr Francis Liu, reminded all masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels to make significant speed reductions in restricted visibility. Speaking at the opening of the 2012 Navigational Safety Seminar at the Hong Kong Space Museum January 11, Mr Liu cautioned that in these days of erratic climate change, it is not surprising if mists or fogs appear out of season. Consequently, navigators should post extra lookouts even when moving at low speed.

Mr Liu said, "In order to ensure the safety of lives at sea in a range of different weather conditions experienced during the year in Hong Kong, vessel owners, operators and responsible personnel on board must take adequate safety precautions and have in place contingency measures for every intended voyage."

Over the past few years, serious or fatal marine accidents involving various types of vessels have occurred at different locations in Hong Kong and in nearby waters. Investigations into the causes of these accidents reveal that most of them can be attributed to inadequate safety preparations or contingency measures before and after the commencement of the voyage concerned.

Mr Liu also took the opportunity to remind vessel owners, operators and responsible personnel on board to exercise particular caution when operating in areas of Hong Kong waters and the Pearl River estuary where marine works are taking place. These include reclamation works in the basin of the ex-Wan Chai Public Cargo Working Area and in the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter; large scale marine works associated with the development of a new cruise terminal and Southeast Kowloon off Kai Tak; and the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Marine safety measures are ineffective without the awareness and co-operation of marine users and associations. To address this,

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the Marine Department is putting together a series of education seminars and publicity campaigns to highlight proper safety precautions so that marine accidents can be reduced to a minimum.

This annual seminar, hosted by the Marine Department, was attended by more than 170 representatives from the shipping and fishing industries, as well as masters, coxswains and operators of local and river-trade vessels. Topics discussed include the application of collision regulations in Hong Kong waters; analysis of marine accidents and their implications; maintenance and safe operation of ship engines, and the relationship between weather information and navigational safety. Apart from speakers from the Marine Department and Hong Kong Observatory, staff from the Marine Police, Fire Services Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department also joined the discussions. Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

The Ill-fated PACIFIC DAWN passing the Noordzee Kanaal enroute Urk for repairs under tow of the tugs

WATERPOORT and WATERSTAD – Photo : Joop Marechal ©

Potential Punitive Damages from Costa Concordia Cruise Crash in Millions

Lewis S. “Mike” Eidson, partner at the nationally recognized trial law firm Colson Hicks Eidson and former president of the American Association for Justice – the world’s largest association of trial lawyers – believes punitive damages will be appropriate for the Costa Concordia accident which resulted in loss of life and countless injuries to thousands of passengers in an unexplainable and completely avoidable accident. The cruise ship is operated by Costa Cruise Lines, Inc. and its subsidiary, Costa Crociere S.p.A., located in Hollywood, Florida. Both companies sail under the banner of

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their owner Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest cruise company in the world, which is located in Miami-Dade County. According to Eidson, all three corporations could be liable for the passengers’ damages and for violation of laws and industry regulations.

“At this time we know of 6 dead and 29 unaccounted for. There are serious physical and psychological injuries to the thousands of passengers who were fortunate enough to escape with their lives,” says Eidson.

The Costa Concordia ran aground on Friday after hitting rocks off the coast of Italy with more than 4,200 passengers and crew on board. Costa Chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi blamed human error stating,

“The captain did not follow the authorized route that is used by Costa ships.” The Captain, Mr. Schettino, told Italian television he was not to blame for the ship, built in 2006, crashing into the rocks. “I don’t know if it was detected or not, but on the nautical chart, it was marked just as water…”

“In addition to loss of use of the vessel and potential criminal charges, Carnival will face enormous costs associated with personal injury and negligence lawsuits,” says Eidson. “Lawyers and safety investigators will examine issues like safety procedures and negligence such as failing to perform the safety drill, policy failures that allowed a captain to abandon ship before the passengers, and lack or failure of a warning system to notify the crew they were off course, which could have prevented such a foreseeable accident from occurring. In addition, they will examine the fundamental question of how Carnival and Costa would employ a captain who would knowingly sail their ship into such dangerous conditions and allegedly tamper with the ship’s safety detection equipment.”

“Airplanes have ground proximity warning devices that emit an audible warning but pilots must listen and take action. Why wasn’t the crew monitoring their course? Who was controlling this vessel with 4,200 lives on board? This is preposterous with today’s technology. This is not the era of the Titanic when you couldn’t see an iceberg. Passengers feared for their lives and many are still unaccounted for,” says Eidson. In a career that spans 25 years, Eidson has handled numerous cruise ship and aviation disasters, involving the operation of cruise ships, cases involving off shore accidents, and medical malpractice matters aboard vessels. He has handled accidents occurring throughout the Caribbean, Cabo San Lucas Mexico, Alaska, among others. “Carnival may try to isolate and place total blame for the accident on the captain to minimize punitive damages, which could be in the millions of dollars, to protect their industry, and their position of leadership in the industry,” says Eidson. The cases could be litigated in Miami, the home base of Carnival Cruise Lines and Costa Cruise Lines, even though the accident occurred in Italy. Eidson also warned passengers that their ticket may contain a venue selection provision and a short one year statute of limitations in which to bring a claim for their losses. Also, most such tickets require passengers to make a claim for their losses within six months of the incident. Carnival Cruise Lines is the world’s largest cruise line with brands including Carnival, Costa, Princess, Holland America and Cunard. Source : www.colson.com.

Italy accident could hit cruise industry Consumer attitudes may sour on safety concerns, freezing plans for boat trips



The spectacular cruise liner accident off the coast of Italy is not just a disaster for the ship's owners, but could inflict wider damage on an industry already facing stiff headwinds. Turn for the worst: The Costa Concordia, with more than 4,000 people on board, flipped on its side after hitting a rock last Friday night close to the island of Giglio, off Italy's west coast, leaving six dead The Costa Concordia, with more than 4,000 people on board, flipped on its side after

hitting a rock last Friday night close to the beautiful island of Giglio, off Italy's west coast. At least six people died in the accident.

Left : File photo of the COSTA CONCORDIA in

Malta Photo : Gejtu Spiteri ©

The luxury 114,500 tonne ship was operated by Costa Crociere, a unit of Carnival Corporation & Plc, the world's largest cruise company. The stricken vessel was one of the group's main assets in the lucrative European cruise

market. 'This is a PR (public relations) nightmare for the Costa brand,' said Jaime Katz, equity analyst from investment research company Morningstar in Chicago. 'The question is, when that's been stripped out, whether the Carnival brand will be tarnished.'

'I think the important factors are that this adds insult to injury, with struggling economic markets in Europe and all the unrest you've seen in the Middle East,' Ms Katz said, noting that the accident came at the peak season for the industry. The company on Sunday said that the grounding will cost the company as much as US$95 million, or between 11 US cents and 12 US cents a share in fiscal 2012. The vessel will be out of service for at least the current financial year ending Nov 30, the company said in a statement. In addition, Carnival anticipated other costs to the business that are not possible to determine at this time. 'It seems that the commander made errors of judgement that had serious consequences,' said a statement from the liner's owner Costa Crociere, referring to Francesco Schettino.

The prosecutor leading the investigation, Francesco Verusio, told reporters that Capt Schettino, who was arrested Saturday, had left the stricken liner 'well before' the last passengers were evacuated. Coast guard officials also said that the captain ignored repeated requests from them to return to his ship as the rescue operation continued. Prosecutors have also said that the crew mishandled the emergency, delaying the start of the evacuation until an hour after the accident.

Carnival's share price will react negatively and remain volatile while the commercial consequences remain unclear, said Wyn Ellis, an analyst at Numis Securities in London. Sharon Zackfia, a research analyst with William Blair & Co, a global investment services company, said that it was too early to know the full costs for Carnival but they would include passenger refunds, potential litigation and repairs. There is also the problem of consumer attitudes souring on the industry as a whole because of safety concerns - a mindset that, along with consumer fears over the sluggish US economy and the European Union debt crisis, could freeze some people's plans for overseas travel.

Another potential problem for the shipowner and insurers is environmental damage. Local officials have expressed concern that the ship's fuel, a full load as it had just begun the cruise, could spill into the pristine waters off the island, which is in a marine reserve. However, by early Sunday, there was no sign of pollution. The world cruise industry has seen exponential growth over the last 40 years. According to the Italian Cruise Watch report of tourism think tank Risposte Turismo, the number of people taking cruises rose from 500,000 in the early 1970s to about five million in 1990 and about 19 million in 2010.

To attract customers, the industry has changed face since the 1970s, offering liners with more space, comfort and entertainment, and creating scale economies in an effort to cut fares. As a result, ships have grown in size with swimming pools, restaurants, movie houses, discotheques and much more - floating cities such as the 290m long Costa Concordia, the biggest of the Costa Crociere fleet. Source : Reuters, Bloomberg



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The AIDAdiva moored at the Singapore cruise terminal last Monday afternoon – Photo : Piet Sinke ©

New heavy lift joint venture launched A new joint venture covering transport, shipping and installation of heavy and/or 'out-of-gauge' cargo has been established by three industry veterans. Transport Shipping Installation (TSI) solutions, based in Svendborg, Denmark has brought together the talents and expertise of two Danish and one UK forwarder: Peter Gottwald Engineering of Denmark, the UK’s Damo and Porthos Independent Maritime of Denmark. Each of the trio of companies brings a particular skill to the TSI solutions joint-venture. Master mariner Eskild P. Kristensenis is an expert in logistics in offshore projects, co-ordination and liaison MWS, ports, agents and owners, vessel suitability assessments and reports including chartering, on/off-hire reports & condition surveys, HSE assessments and method statements, manuals and description of transport solutions. Maurice Race of Damo has engineering and project management experience in the movement and/or installation of heavy lifts associated with the construction of refineries and chemical plants; offshore developments; power stations at various locations around the world, while Peter Gottwald is focused on engineering of heavy lift transports on seagoing vessels and barges for various clients including offshore operations. Source: Porthos-Maritime

The MUNTEBORG arrived in Vlissingen-Sloehaven – Photo : Willem Kruit ©




Russian Renda tanker delivers oil products to ice-locked Nome

Diesel fuel, gasoline and heating oil flowed from a Russian tanker to Nome, Alaska, Tuesday, ending a suspenseful mission to supply fuel to the ice-locked city, UPI reports. The fuel started flowing around 5 p.m. local time (9 p.m. EST) Monday, after crews safety-tested two 4-inch transfer hoses with pressurized air -- "so just about sunset -- just in the nick of time to make things very dramatic," Stacey Smith, spokeswoman for the fuel transport firm Vitus Marine LLC, told the Los Angeles Times.

Alaska law requires such pumping begin in daylight but lets it continue throughout the night. Nome has just 5 hours of daylight this time of year. The offload of fuel from the tanker Renda, moored about a half-mile from Nome's harbor, to a fuel-transit hookup at the Nome causeway, should take about 36 hours, Vitus said. The U.S. Coast Guard ice breaker cutter Healy, based in Seattle, had cleared a path through 300 miles of Bering Sea ice so the 370-foot tanker could reach the western Alaska city of nearly 3,600 on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. The voyage was the first attempt ever to supply fuel to an arctic Alaska settlement through sea ice, CNN said.

The Renda traveled about 5,000 miles to Nome from the Russian Pacific port city of Vladivostok, not far from Russia's borders with China and North Korea, the Coast Guard said. Nome normally gets fuel by barge and was supposed to get a shipment in November. But a severe storm followed by a bitter cold snap flash-frozen shipping lanes, preventing that, The Nome Nugget reported. If the Renda had not been able to deliver the fuel, Nome would have likely run out of fuel in March or April, Coast Guard Capt. Craig Lloyd said. But delivery then would probably have been more difficult than now, he told CNN. Barge delivery would also not yet be possible, due to bitter cold still expected at that time.

The area is suffering from its most severe winter in nearly 40 years, with double-digit sub-zero temperatures and snow two stories high in some places. Source: upi.com

Mariniers slaan aanval piraten af Het militaire beveiligingsteam aan boord van het valpijp steenstortschip Flintstone heeft in de Arabische Zee een piratenaanval afgeslagen. Met gericht vuur pareerden de mariniers de directe dreiging van een granaatwerper. De zeerovers naderden het schip van exploitant Tideway rond 6.00 uur Nederlandse tijd met een vissersboot. De dreiging van deze verdachte dhow werd snel opgemerkt, waarna de mariniers het vaartuig scherp in de gaten hielden. Aan boord van de Flintstone werd alarm geslagen en de bemanning verschanste zich in de citadel, een veilige ruimte van het schip. De dhow liet ondertussen een skiff te water, die met hoge snelheid op het Nederlandse zeetransport af voer.

Om de 6 piraten in hun snelle bootje te stoppen, gebruikten de mariniers tevergeefs lichtkogels als waarschuwing. In het vaartuig namen ze verscheidene wapens waar, waaronder een zogenoemde rocket propelled grenade (RPG). Kort daarop werd deze granaatwerper op het schip gericht. Vanwege deze directe dreiging brachten de mariniers van het Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) ter zelfverdediging gericht vuur uit. Daarmee sloegen ze de aanval af en keerde de skiff terug naar het moederschip. Het is niet uitgesloten dat bij de actie slachtoffers zijn gevallen onder de piraten. Schepen in de omgeving zijn door de mariniers gewaarschuwd voor de aanwezigheid van de piraten.

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The FLINTSTONE departing from Singapore earlier this month enroute Schiedam – Photo : Piet Sinke ©

De Flintstone vervolgde zijn weg richting het Suezkanaal, onderweg van Singapore naar Malta. Het valpijp steenstortschip van offshore aannemer Tideway wordt gebruikt in de olie- en gaswinning om pijpleidingen en kabels te beschermen met brokken steen. Om zeer kwetsbare en grote Nederlandse zeetransporten te beschermen tegen piraten, stuurt Defensie militaire beveiligingsteams mee op verzoek van een rederij. Deze VPD’s bestaan uit zwaarbewapende mariniers. Bron : defensie.nl

CASUALTY REPORTING

Hercules Offshore Announces Liftboat in Nigeria Likely Lost in Fire

Hercules Offshore announced that the Mako, a 175' class liftboat in Nigeria, was engulfed by a fire that originated on a third-party rig, the KS Endeavor, during the early morning hours on January 16, 2012. The Mako was providing excess storage services adjacent to the KS Endeavor drilling rig at the time of the incident. The incident occurred off the coast of Nigeria, approximately 250 kilometers west of Port Harcourt. All 27 personnel aboard the Mako were safely rescued and transported to a local clinic for medical evaluation and treatment. No major injuries have been reported. At this time, the Company has not been able to confirm the extent of the damage to the Mako, although visual indication from Company employees at the site indicated that the vessel sustained significant damage. The vessel has an insured value of $8.0 million, subject to a $1.0 million deductible. The deductible would not apply in the event the vessel is a total loss. The Company also carries removal of wreck insurance, subject to a $250,000 deductible. The Company has notified the appropriate authorities, including the United States Coast Guard.

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Aanvaring op rede Hoek van Holland Gisteren avond 21.15 uur meldde de Verkeerscentrale Hoek van Holland dat twee tankers in aanvaring waren gekomen op de rede van Hoek van Holland. Het betreft de schepen ‘Sloman Themis’ en de ‘Athiri’, beiden varend onder de vlag van de Marshall Eilanden. De ‘Sloman Themis’, met 24 opvarenden, lag ten anker en heeft schade aan de boeg en tevens een gebroken ankerketting. De ‘Athiri’, met 21 bemanningsleden, meldde schade aan de opbouw te hebben. Alle schade bevindt zich boven de waterlijn. Inmiddels liggen beide schepen ten anker en hebben zich geen persoonlijke ongelukken voorgedaan. Ook is er geen uitstroom van lading waar genomen. Een sleepboot is inmiddels ter plaatse. Voordat de schepen de haven van Rotterdam binnen mogen, zullen ze worden geïnspecteerd. Bron : Kustwacht

NAVY NEWS Carrier Ready for India After Eight Year Wait

A Russian aircraft carrier which is being refurbished for the Indian Navy will begin sea trials in May for the first time in two decades and is to be handed over to India by December 2012, a shipyard official said on Tuesday. The purchase of the Soviet-built Admiral Gorshkov was agreed in 2004 with delivery initially due for 2008. The delivery date slipped on numerous occasions and the final price for the ship has more than doubled.

The cost of refurbishing Gorshkov, to be renamed

INS Vikramaditya, has gone up from $947 million to $2.3 billion. The vessel is expected to undertake sea trials at the end of May,” Sergei Novosyolov, deputy director of the Sevmash shipyard in the far northern port of Severodvinsk, which is refitting the 45,000-ton ship which Russia took out of service in 1992.

Russia is one of India’s largest suppliers of military hardware. Ninety-six Indian specialists are currently being trained to operate the ship, Novosyolov said, adding that the final number of those to be trained is 1,401. Last week, a Russian military source said Russia would hand over the nuclear-powered Nerpa submarine to India by the end of the month. Source : RIA-Novosti

Royal Navy captures 13 Somali pirates http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXKPiKQHTqY

Vietnamese navy launches first domestically built warship

Vietnam has launched its first domestically built warship, local media reported Tuesday. The vessel was constructed by Hong Ha Shipbuilding Company under the Ministry of Defence, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. The ship is 54 metres long and 9 metres wide. It has an operational range of about 2,200 nautical miles (4,075 kilometres). The warship is equipped with weapons capable of destroying other vessels, protecting bases and escorting naval patrols. It was handed over to the navy in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam on Monday. The Soviet Union and then Russia have been the usual suppliers of Vietnam's warships. Source : Monsterandcritics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXKPiKQHTqY�



SHIPYARD NEWS

Vripack’s 177’ Research Vessel Yacht can’t wait to sail out With new builds being rare Vripack is proud that their solid 177’ Research Vessel Yacht is brought to live by her Owner. Project named Chuggaboom the American yard New Castle Marine, well known for their expedition yachts,

is progressing smoothly with the built.

Bart Bouwhuis Director of Design from Vripack: “This globetrotting family yacht is a true dedication to the original philosophy of our Research Vessel design. She is outrageously spacious and has been designed for a very experienced yachting family with the typical no-nonsense attitude we love. Even we have difficulty holding her down on our drawing tables, as the adventure that goes together with her design makes the drawings come alive.” “Besides all the effort our Design Studio has put into this yacht’s powerful appearance”, Bart continues, “Vripack’s naval architects captured an excellent sea going comfort. A rigorous Hydrodynamic Research program, in combination with our 50 years of in-house knowledge are the key components in the development of her

lines plan.” “Her robust and masculine appearance is accompanied by a softer and luxurious Andrew Winch interior, Chuggaboom really provides her family with the best of both worlds.” “A special feature of this semi commercial yacht is the dedicated motorbike store with workshop. The shop is directly connected to the forward boat deck enabling the bikes to be rolled on a tender with integrated ramp giving easy transport of their motorbikes onto the mainland to explore back lands on remote islands.” “Once back on the yacht, the owner is able to relive the adventure on his full owners deck with extensive panoramic windows and a front facing observation launch. With this new yacht the owner will have the freedom to navigate without any restrictions, and thus explore and admire multiple remote areas of the world, just as he asked the design team to do.”, concludes Bart.

Technical Specifications: LOA : 54 meter | 177ft BOA : 11,50 meter | 37,09FT Cruise speed : 12 knots Designer : Vripack Naval Architect : Vripack Engineering : Murray & Associates Interior Designer : Andrew Winch Designs Yard : New Castle Marine



The POSH MULIA received a new coat of paint at the JSML yard in Singapore (Benoi)

Photo : Piet Sinke ©

Damen Dredging delivers full option Cutter Suction Dredger “Conchas”

In the last week of 2011, Damen Dredging Equipment delivered, as the very last cutter suction dredger of the year, the CSD500 “Conchas”. Its owner, the UK based company Marina and Ports Services, ordered the dredger mid October. In a mere 2 months the standard dredger was taken from Damen’s stock and has been fitted out with a large number of customised options. The standard CSD500 has a maximum dredging depth of -14m. A separate wedge piece was added to enable the dredger to work at a minimum dredging depth of 1.5 m. Other functional additions are,



for example, a spud carriage pontoon enhancing the efficiency of the dredgers movements due to a cylinder stroke of 4 m. Moreover anchor booms of 14 m length were added.

Other distinctive features are day accommodation (including a galley, a sanitary space and a day room); a 35 kVA harbour generator set, a 4 t jib crane facilitating servicing the dredger’s engine room area, a non-return valve in the discharge piping, a stern swivel for a smooth connection to the floating pipe line, and - as most radical addition - supplementary fuel, fresh water and sewage tanks in the fore pontoons. At the spacious operating cabin a full communication package is available, plus the required dredge pump performance monitoring instrumentation, Dredge Pack position visualisation versus chart data and navigation lights. The full option CSD “Conchas” has been shipped the first week of 2012, towards an industrious future.

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES

RAPIDLY GROWING SWIRE OILFIELD SERVICES OPENS ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL HUB

Raymond Lim Siang Keat, Member of the Singaporean Parliament for East Coast GRC, officially opened Swire Oilfield Services Regional headquarters for Asia Pacific in Singapore today (Tuesday 17 February, 2012). The establishment of the new regional office in this key strategic hub for the oil and gas industry is part of the company’s long term growth plan and will see Swire Oilfield Services develop an important presence in South-East Asia and beyond.

The company, which is the leading global provider of offshore cargo carrying units, modular systems and associated services, has made an investment of £5million in the region during the past 12 months. Swire Oilfield Services is investing a further £20million, as part of a £100million global

spend on new equipment and infrastructure this year, to support its ongoing expansion. The company currently employs 75 people across the region and over 650 worldwide. It expects to add a further 100 staff this year, with a strong focus on local recruitment.

Strategically located in the Loyang supply base, the new headquarters will act as a hub for all operations, whilst providing its existing and prospective customers with a full suite of services including cargo carrying units, aviation services and modular systems across Asia Pacific including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, India, Middle East, Sakhalin, Australia and New Zealand. The hub will house all management, financial, engineering, design and operational teams for the region, and is expected to take on a major role designing and procuring the next generation of Swire Oilfield Services’ equipment. Mr. Raymond Lim Siang Keat, Member of the Singaporean Parliament for East Coast GRC, said:

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“The opening of Swire Oilfield Services’ regional office once again demonstrates the importance of Singapore as an oil and gas hub. I am sure that Singapore will provide the perfect spring board for Swire Oilfield Services’ impressive growth plans in the region.”

Rupert Bray, chief operating officer for Swire Oilfield Services, said: “The wider Swire group has a long association with Singapore and the surrounding region. The opening of the regional office and significant investment we are making highlights the global importance of Singapore as an oil and gas hub.” Troy Brice, Asia Pacific general manager for Swire Oilfield Services, added: “From humble beginnings in 2010, we now have over 5000 rental units in the region, making us the largest operator. Along with the establishment in Singapore of Swire Modular Systems and our Offshore Aviation Services division, we are looking to double turnover in the region in the next two years.”

The PETREL BULKER in Rotterdam-Waalhaven – Photo : Joop Bartels ©

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Paragon Shipping Announces New Employment for a Panamax Bulkcarrier

Paragon Shipping Inc., a global shipping transportation company specializing in drybulk cargoes, announced that it has entered into a fixed rate time charter agreement for its Vessel, M/V Calm Seas, with Intermare Transport GMBH.

The M/V Calm Seas, a 1999 build, 74,047 dwt Panamax bulkcarrier, has been fixed to Intermare for a period of 19 to 24 months at a gross daily rate of $11,800. As a result, the Company's fixed revenue days have now increased to 94% from 89% in 2012, to 73% from 66% in 2013 and to 38% from 37% in 2014 based on latest redelivery dates. The new time charter contract is anticipated to contribute approximately $6.8 million of gross revenues to the Company. Commenting on these developments Michael Bodouroglou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Shipping, stated, "We are pleased to announce this new chartering agreement with a respected charterer in the industry. The new agreement was concluded at a competitive rate and increases our charter coverage at these challenging times."

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The local ferry DUMAI EXPRESS 21 departing from the Sekupang ferry terminal at Batam (Indonesia) –

Photo : Piet Sinke ©

Subsea 7 Wins $60M Contract with Santos London-based oilfield engineering firm Subsea 7 announced Tuesday that it has been awarded a $60 million SURF (subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines) contract on the Fletcher-Finucane development offshore Western Australia.

The contract, which is with Australian oil and gas firm Santos, involves the project management, engineering and installation of approximately 34 miles (55 kilometers) of flexible flowlines, more than 37 miles (60 kilometers) of umbilicals and associated structures to connect the wells to the existing Exeter Mutineer facilities. The contract also includes pre-commissioning activities and other associated services. Project management and engineering will begin immediately with offshore operations scheduled to commence late 2012 using Rockwater 2. "We are pleased to have been awarded this contract which provides an excellent opportunity for Subsea 7 to build upon our long standing track record of working on significant subsea projects for Santos in Australia," said Subsea 7's senior vice president for the Asia Pacific Region, Barry Mahon. Source : Rigzone

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MALTA MARITIME SERVICES FOR YOUR AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFF MALTA

MALTA MARITIME SERVICES are proudly to announce that they have a Schweizer Helicopter available for charter including Aerial Photography, Stores on vessels, etc.

For more information please contact : Capt. Lawrence Dalli on 00356 79468637 or

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LNG long-term tanker rates hit record high Liquefied natural gas (LNG) spot tanker rates have climbed to $150,000 per day this month as growing import needs from consumers in Asia and South America reduce numbers of available vessels, brokers said, Reuters reports."The LNG freight market is currently quite strong due to increasing LNG demand in both Europe and Asia and less availability of prompt available tonnage," LNG shipping analyst Pranay Shukla at Drewry Shipping Consultants said.

"Short-term freight rates in December 2011 averaged at $125,000/day, up from $68,000/day averaged in December 2010," he said in a note via email. "There are reports that short-term freight rates have strengthened further over the December figures, with vessels now fixed in the range of $150-155,000/day," he added. Norwegian shipper Stena Bulk extended the leasehold on its two 2011-built Stena Clear Sky and Stena Crystal Sky tankers for a further four years, securing a rate of $140,000/day, Drewry said.

The past two years of rising demand for LNG shipments have boosted tanker earnings by more than five times compared with the rate in mid-2010 and are expected to remain strong throughout this year, shipping brokers said. While charterers may find some shelter from sky-high rates in 2013 as shipyards add 14 vessels to the global fleet, over the next 12 months just two tankers are scheduled to hit the water.

Long-term charter rates also set a new record on Friday at $137,000/day, further underlining the scale of demand as importers scramble to secure shipping capacity. The all-time high was set after Golar LNG agreed to lease one of its modern tankers to a major Japanese energy firm for three years from March, boosting the company's second-quarter earnings. Japanese trading house Marubeni has fronted the charter on behalf of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which has a three-year deal to import LNG from Abu Dhabi, trade sources said. Long-term rates are discounted to the spot market to reflect the 50 to 60 new tankers that are expected to start operating over the next three years, which should ease shortages and lower the cost of chartering.

According to several shipping brokers, Golar is targetting a spot rental rate of $200,000 per day. On top of booming demand in Asia, a recent tender by Argentina for 80 cargoes through 2012 has helped to drive tanker rates higher, a broker said. Source : PortNews

Rotterdam port bunker volume up to 12.2 million tonnes in 2011




More bunkering has taken place in the Port of Rotterdam in 2011. The bunker volume increased from 11.9 to 12.2 million tonnes. The increase was entirely attributable to bunkered fuel oil. This increased from 11.3 to 11.6 million tonnes. The volume of marine gas oil remained the same, around 500,000 tonnes. Half of the almost 12,000 bunkers of fuel oil sold are attributed to container ships, but they comprise some three-quarters of the total quantity of bunkered fuel oil. The growth in the number of bunkers remained the same, but the volume increased. This is because container shipping sails more efficiently today (slow steaming); larger and more fully-loaded ships which sail more slowly; instead of 25 knots, 18 knots. Ten per cent less service speed saves 20 per cent fuel and 20 per cent saves 35 per cent. For a usage of 250 to 300 tonnes per 24 hours at US$ 670 (9 January 2012) this makes a big difference.

The Svitzer/Coess oceangoing tug DE DA spotted in the port of Zhoushan China January 17th

Photo : Christine van der Hoek-Broeders ©

Revenues of Bulgaria's Port Burgas Up 37% in 2011

One of Bulgaria's three Black Sea ports, Port Burgas, saw its revenues grow by 37.5% in 2011 year-on-year, the port authority announced. Thus, in 2011, Port Burgas Jsc had total revenues of BGN 33 M, up by BGN 9 M compared with its revenues in 2010. Port Burgas's total profit before taxes amounted to BGN 8 M; in 2011, the Black Sea port processed a total of 3.5 million metric tons of cargo, which is an increase of about half a million metric tons compared with the total freight amount it got in 2010. Port Burgas has seen an increase of its general cargo by 475 000 metric tons, most of that – 291 000 tons – coming from the transportation of processed metals. The bulk of the other goods

http://www.vlierodam.nl/�



and materials that passed through Port Burgas in 2011 is made up of oil, coal, sugar, grain, fertilizers, construction materials, lumber. In 2011, the port processed 108 000 tons more in terms of container traffic than it did in 2010. The port authority said Sunday that the "good rate of work" is persisting into the new year; on January 16, for example, the port expects a container vessel, Estebroker, which will bring in 65 containers (of those, 63 refrigerating), and will load up 125 containers (of those, 123 transit) The 208-meter long container vessel Estebroker is serving container trade between South American, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. "The good financial and economic results as well as the constant efforts of the port management to apply various marketing techniques have led to increasing the volume of trade, attracting new clients, and retaining existing ones," the Bulgarian Transport Ministry said regarding the work of Port Burgas. Source: Novinite

The 1992 built IND flag and owned offshore tug/supply vessel ADINATH ONE leaving Grand Harbour, Malta with FJELL moored at Bighi Bay in the background on Wednesday 11th January, 2012 on her way to India. She’s the

former BOA FORTUNE; HAVILA FORTUNE; STIRLING PEGASUS and STAR PEGASUS. Photo : Cpt. Lawrence Dalli - www.maltashipphotos.com ©

Oil-Tanker Rates Gain Most in Two Months Amid Hormuz Tensions

Charter rates for supertankers hauling Middle East oil to Asia rose the most in two months as tensions persisted over a possible closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Hire costs for very large crude carriers on the benchmark Saudi Arabia-to-Japan voyage advanced 6 percent to 56.10 industry-standard Worldscale points today, according to the London-based Baltic Exchange. That’s the largest increase since Nov. 10. Stronger demand from Asian refineries before China’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday starting Jan. 23 contributed to the gain. Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi threatened Dec. 27 to block the strait in response to a proposed European Union embargo on the country’s oil aimed at forcing talks on the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. The waterway is the biggest world chokepoint for crude cargoes, handling about 20 percent of oil traded globally, according to the U.S. Energy Department. “Increasing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are positive in the short term for VLCC rates in the Persian Gulf,” Martin Korsvold, an analyst at Pareto Securities AS in Oslo, said by phone today. Each of the ships can haul 2 million barrels of oil. Daily income for VLCCs on the benchmark route jumped 32 percent to this year’s high of $18,492 after surging 24 percent on Jan. 13, according to the exchange. Its estimates don’t reflect speed changes. Owners can curb fuel costs, boosting returns, by reducing a ship’s pace on a return journey after unloading of cargo. The price of ship fuel, or bunkers, rose for a ninth straight session, advancing 0.3 percent to $699.21 a metric ton, data compiled by Bloomberg from 25 ports worldwide showed. Worldscale points are a percentage of a nominal rate, or flat rate, for more than 320,000 specific routes. Flat rates for every voyage, quoted in U.S. dollars a ton, are revised annually by the Worldscale Association in London to reflect changing fuel costs, port tariffs and exchange rates. The Baltic Dirty Tanker Index, a broader

http://www.maltashipphotos.com/�



measure of oil- shipping costs that includes vessels smaller than VLCCs, advanced 1.8 percent to 805. Source: Bloomberg

The FLINTERMAAS enroute Amsterdam – Photo : Marcel Coster ©

Bumi Armada clinches charter contract Malaysia-based offshore services provider Bumi Armada clinched a four-year charter and operations contract from Brazil-based Petrobras for its anchor handling towing support (AHTS) vessel. The contract comes with an option for a further four years and the total award is estimated to be valued at MYR155m ($49.5m). The AHTS vessel Armada Tuah 102 is expected to be delivered to Petrobras by the first quarter of 2012 for works in the Brazilian continental shelf. “Our other vessel, Armada Tuah 104, has been working offshore in Brazil since mid-2011,” said Hassan Basma, executive director and ceo of Bumi Armada. Source : Seatrade Asia

The 2008 Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group Shanghai, China built JOSE MARIA ESPANA (ex ALASKABORG)

arrived in Willemstad (Curacao), note the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Gmbh & Co KG – Hamburg, Flag in the forward mast – Photo : Kees Bustraan ©



OLDIE – FROM THE SHOEBOX

The former Dutch coaster LUKAS M. was originally built as HOOGELAND. Her keel was laid down on 13 May 1948 by Scheepswerf ‘Doornbos’ Tjamsweer, Holland as yard nr 74. International registration: IMO 5214436 and national known as 2351 Z GRON 1948.

Her propulsion was a 4 stroke single acting 3 cilinder oil engine, type Industrie, of 120 HP. Her speed was not more than 8 knots. I remember this vessel from 1968, when I was engaged by Norfolk Lijn NV of Scheveningen as waterclerk and many times her entry into the port. Her crew was Captain Meertens and his brother as mate, an engineer, who was also cook on board and only 1 sailor. Additioned by a dangerous looking Alsation dog. This dog lived in a cartonbox under the table in the captain’s teahut. No gangway or other facility to come on board were in use, so that you must step on the railing or hatchcover plank. But…, than you met the Alsation dog. The local customs officer was not sure of his safety when he stepped on board and asked every entry of the ship’s master will close his tax-free locker to seal by him self !! It was horrible to see the cook/engineer, when he was peeling potatoes in the dooropening of the dingy engineroom.

The ship was on charter of Norfolk Lijn NV for trading between Scheveningen and Great Yarmouth. After some months Norfolk Lijn NV finished her charter after some troubles with the master/owner. In November 1970 she was sold to Venezuela, but remained as LUKAS M and trading further in the Caribbean area. In 1983 changed name in SHELLY MARIE and was registrated at the Bahamas. A year later she changed name in EXPRESS LINER. On 14 October 1991 she was arrested at Freeport, when she was underway from Miami to Haïti, because of her bad condition and engine troubles. This was her last position and detained at Freeport. It is unknown, what was happened after. In 2002 LR decided to cancel her entry, because her existence was in doubt. Photo : Capt. Frank Haalmeijer ©



…. PHOTO OF THE DAY …..

The Dutch pilot tender Apollo makes a highspeed pass through the Breediep enroute Hoek van Holland Berghaven

Photo : Ab Borg (c)

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