Archived NEWS - June 2006
6/30/06
GREAT LAKES-BASED COMPANY AWARDED CONTRACT TO REPLACE COAST GUARD'S AGING
RESPONSE BOATS
New Response Boats will improve USCG response, but boaters are reminded to
operate their vessels in a safe manner
CLEVELAND - The U.S. Coast Guard announced, on June 23, 2006, the award of the
Response Boat-Medium production contract, valued at approximately $600 million,
to Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, Wis.
The first boat is scheduled for delivery to the Coast Guard in late 2007.
The response boat-medium will replace the aging fleet of 41-foot utility boats
and assorted non-standard boats that have been the Coast Guard workhorses
throughout the United States for more than 25 years.
The response boat-medium will improve the Coast Guard's readiness and
responsiveness throughout the Ninth District Coast Guard, which is responsible
for more than 1,500 miles of international border and 6,700 miles of U.S.
shoreline spanning eight states and all five Great Lakes.
The response boat-medium will have increased maneuverability and will be capable
of speeds in excess of 40 knots (46 m.p.h.) with twin high-output inboard diesel
engines that will comply with stringent EPA and International Maritime
Organization emissions standards.
"These new boats will allow our Coast Guard men and women to provide a better
service to the regional maritime community and work better with all of the
federal, state, local and Canadian response agencies that service the Great
Lakes," said Rear Adm. John E. Crowley, Jr., Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard
District."
The new boats will improve the Coast Guard's response on the Great Lakes, but
nothing is a greater deterrent of a boating casualty than basic safe boating
practices:
Always wear a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD)
Always maintain and have on board signaling devices, and only use them if you
are in distress
Use VHF channel 16 for distress ONLY
Don't operate a vessel under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
Reported by USCG District 9
UPDATE: SAFMARINE AGULHAS.
The stranded Safmarine Agulhas moved a few meters in a salvage attempt at high
tide on Thursday afternoon, said the National Ports Authority (NPA). "We
have had limited success," said NPA East London spokesperson Terry Taylor.
Two tugs attached to the bow and stern of the 16 800 ton container ship would
keep a steady line overnight.
This meant there would still be a pull on the Agulhas and it was possible the
vessel could move off the sandbank overnight, said Taylor. He emphasised
that circumstances were changing all the time.
The Agulhas lost power after leaving harbour on Monday night and became grounded
on sand off the harbour breakwater.
The water had been calm, with hardly any of the swell salvors had been hoping
for to help the vessel move on Thursday afternoon.
"Unfortunately that didn't happen," said Taylor. The South African
Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) tug, Impunzi, was attached to the bow of the
Agulhas and the Samsa tug, Smit Amandla, to the stern. It was decided a
third tug would be more of a hindrance than a help. They would "give a
full effort again" at high tide at 6.25am on Friday. "We'll wait and see
what progresses overnight. The next high tide is a good opportunity."
Taylor said there was no pollution so far and the vessel remained structurally
sound.
The Agulhas was carrying 662 metric tons of fuel oil, 88 metric tons of marine
diesel and 37 metric tons of lube oils.
The operation was "quite something" to see, he said, explaining that any salvage
attempt was delicate.
"There are so many things that can go wrong and planning changes constantly".
Everyone in the team involved in the attempt to refloat the Agulhas was
confident it would work, he said.
However, if they did not succeed by Friday, they would go to the next plan which
was to commence with the offloading of the cargo on board.
Owned by FA Vinnen and Company of Germany, the Agulhas is on charter to
Safmarine Container Lines and is deployed between Europe and South Africa. There
are 469 loaded and 112 empty containers on board.
Five persons dead in ship collision at Kandla Port
At least five persons working in a dredging vessel were drowned and fifteen others injured when they fell into the sea after colliding with another ship at Kandla Port late on Thursday evening, the Port Trust officials said. The incident happened when the dredging vessel, in which they were working, collided with another ship, which was leaving the port, said HC Venkatesh, Traffic Manager, KPT. "The exact number of people working in the vessel owned by a Jeshu Shipping were not known but some of them fell into the sea from the impact of the collision," he said. All the bodies have been recovered, he said. The injured were rushed to a local hospital, where condition of four was stated to be serious, he added.
Press Trust of India
House gives go ahead on offshore drilling
Bipartisan legislation that would open up U.S. coastal regions after 25-year ban
moves to the Senate.
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a
controversial bill Thursday that opens up vast stretches of the U.S. coast to
oil and gas drilling, paving the way for a reversal of a 25-year ban on energy
exploration off a majority of the country's shoreline. Congressional
staffers say the bill will have a harder time in the Senate, which is currently
considering a much more modest proposal. Supporters said the measure
was necessary to help bring down near-record oil and gas prices and tap a vital
source of reliable domestic energy. Critics said it could pollute beaches, ruin
the tourism industry and take the focus off conservation while doing nothing to
solve the country's long-term energy needs.
The bipartisan bill, which passed by a 232 to 187 margin, will give individual
states the right to allow drilling in the federal waters that extend from 3 to
100 miles off the coast and permanently open the federal waters between 100 and
200 from shore. Currently, most drilling is allowed only in parts of the
Gulf of Mexico.
The bill also provides states an incentive to open waters under their control,
as it directs some royalties to state coffers. Currently all royalties from
energy extraction in federal waters go to Washington. The bill targets the
natural gas rich Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast and portions of Alaska, and
the west coast of Florida. The total amount of recoverable oil and gas
estimated in the areas currently closed is about 34 billion barrels of oil
equivalent, according to the U.S. Interior Department. The U.S. uses about 11
billion barrels of oil equivalent in natural gas and oil each year, according to
the Energy Information Administration. Critics of the bill said it takes
the focus off longer term solutions to the country's energy problem.
"It continues our addiction to oil in general," Karen Wayland, legislative
director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told CNNMoney.com Wednesday.
"What we need is a serious commitment to energy efficiency." Wayland
said stricter efficiency standards on appliances alone would yield savings
amounting to three times the natural gas reserves found offshore.
Legislators whose states are heavily reliant on tourism, such as Florida and
California, are also concerned unsightly rigs will blight the horizon or
pollution will foul the beaches. But supporters say that's exactly
why states will have control over the first 100 miles. They also say
technology to prevent oil spills has improved dramatically, and say the size of
the potential oil reserves could replace U.S. imports from the volatile Persian
Gulf for years to come.
"Obviously, this is a big deal," Lisa Flavin, a spokeswoman for the American
Petroleum Institute, said Wednesday. "It's a constructive step in the right
direction."
CNNMoney.com's David Ellis contributed to this story
M/V CONRAD OLDENDORFF Grounded in Danish Waters
The 39,727gt. Malta flag bulker M/V Conrad Oldendorff, bound from Gdansk for Alexandria with coal, grounded June 28, on Bornholm Island, south of Bornholm, in Danish waters. Lloyd's Standard Form salvage contract was signed with Tsavliris. Tugs M/V Stevns Icecap & M/V Stevns Iceflower are on scene.
UPDATE: CALCASIEU LAKE OPENS TO ALL TRAFFIC
LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Coast Guard has moved the southern boundary of the
safety zone north to light 92, which is just south of the Intracoastal Waterway.
This opens the Calcasieu Lake for recreational and commercial traffic.
The Intracoastal Waterway remains closed to recreational traffic between the
Calcasieu Locks and mile marker 242. A temporary Vessel Traffic Service, staffed
by Coast Guard personnel and industry stakeholders, is coordinating commercial
vessel traffic transiting the ICW.
Prien Lake and Moss Lake also remain closed. For additional information about
waterway safety zones please call the Public Information Desk at 281-854-1306 or
1307.
An estimated 11,000 barrels of oil were removed from the river, and another
18,000 barrels were removed from the Indian Marais, as of this morning, which
brings the total to 29,000 barrels removed to date.
Overall response information as of today:
* More than 1,600 response personnel are working around the clock to safely
remove the oil
* More than 240,000 feet of boom is deployed
* 49 skimmers, 50 vacuum trucks, 12 barges and 76 boats are cleaning the spill
* Seven high capacity pump systems are in use
* Air monitoring and site safety continues to be conducted by response personnel
There are 30 vessels in the safety zone and 9 waiting to enter the port, as of
this morning.
Response personnel continue to monitor the impact to the environment and
wildlife.
Any boater who comes across an animal affected by the spill should contact the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-213-5540. Members of the public should
not attempt to capture the animal under any circumstances, but try and identify
it and report its location.
CITGO has established a toll-free claims number for the incident. Affected
individuals may call 1-800-213-5540 for more information. A separate number has
been established for claims related to exterior boat cleaning. That number is
337-708-7177.
The cause of the spill remains under investigation. Reported by
USCG District 8
Emergency assistance provided to freighter off Yemen
SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage provided emergency towage and standby assistance
to a 26,780 ton DWT bulk carrier off the Yemen coast after she ended up
immobilized due to a limited engine room fire.
The 1977 build, 177 meter long vessel needed immediate assistance to prevent it
from drifting into pirate infested waters and possibly to tow her to a repair
port. Immediate tug assistance was arranged, which arrived on site within 24
hours and which connected up to tow the vessel closer towards the Yemen coast.
The operation continued for 5 days after which the tug was released and the
casualty could proceed again to the Persian Gulf region for permanent repairs.
Reported by Svitzer Wijsmuller Salvage
6/28/06
Sunken ships as barriers? Maybe in Louisiana
By Cain Burdeau
New Orleans - Marine scientists and Louisiana officials are floating the idea of
sinking some of the United States government's cast-off ships along the water's
edge to create a steel barrier against hurricane flooding.
The barrier would be made up of ageing and obsolete tankers, research vessels
and cargo ships.
Since Hurricane Katrina hit, Louisiana is looking at every option for shoring up
its storm defences - especially quick fixes. Levees take years to build, and
restoring lost marshes and cypress forests even longer.
"When you're in this desperate state, we can't afford to laugh at anything,"
said Paul Kemp with Louisiana State University's School of the Coast and the
Environment. Sinking ships could be done in a way that is safe for the
environment, he said.
In recent days, state Senator Walter Boasso has been talking up the idea on
radio and at forums.
"What I don't want to see happen is we have more studies and wait 20 years to
have something done," Boasso said. "I want to see something happen."
Boasso represents St Bernard Parish, 1 260 square kilometres of swamp, pasture
and towns south-east of New Orleans. Nearly every square metre of the parish was
inundated by Katrina, which broke levees.
The catastrophic flooding, St Bernard officials say, was due in large part to a
navigation channel that runs through the parish. Boasso said planting ships in
the channel would go a long way to plugging what has been dubbed a "hurricane
superhighway".
The channel, called the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, was dug in the 1960s as a
shortcut between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, but it soon turned into an
environmental horror story. The waterway tripled in width as tides and ship
wakes eroded its banks. The gulf's salt water encroached on cypress forest,
swamp and marsh, killing an estimated 7 200 hectares of marsh and 600 hectares
of cypress.
The channel did not spur much economic development, and today few ships use it.
John Laguens, a St Bernard community activist who has sought an end to the
channel for years, said closing the channel is "just as important as building a
levee system to protect St Bernard".
Shannon Russell, a spokesperson for the US Maritime Administration, said there
are about 125 ships on the government disposal list. Most often, ships are
bought by scrap metal companies. But recently, a retired Navy warship was sunk
off the coast of Florida to create an artificial reef.
It can take years to get approval to sink a ship in open waters, Russell said.
But Boasso's proposal takes a different approach and seeks to use the ships as
levees, something the US Army Corps of Engineers would have authority over, she
said.
Dan Hitchings, a top US Army Corps of Engineers official in New Orleans, said
the agency has not evaluated the idea.
Boasso said ships would be cheap to acquire, and the government might even give
them to the state. He added that draining ships' engines of oil and other
contaminants to make them environmentally safe to sink could cost up to $300 000
each.
"You can make big mounds out of them," Boasso said. "Plant some trees on it, and
cosmetically make it look nice."
Some coastal advocates, though, think seeding the coast with ships is a poor
substitute for more comprehensive restoration measures.
"Personally, I don't want to settle for a bunch of hulking, rusty ships. I'd
rather see a more natural solution," said Kerry St Pe, executive director of
Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program. "Our marshes aren't made of
rusting ships."
For years, Louisiana has been trying to restore its dying wetlands with river
diversions, marsh grass and other shoreline work. But that work has done little
to stop the loss of wetlands - about 5 00 square kilometres of it since the
1930s.
LSU's Kemp said he was unaware of ships ever being used as storm barriers.
Louisiana is looking at many options for saving its coast and blocking the gulf.
Some are conventional, such as the construction of floodgates and levees.
Others are more obscure. For example, some scientists want to barge mud from the
Midwest and dump it on southern Louisiana's sinking land.
Super Container Ship Docks in Pusan
PUSAN (Yonhap) - The Xin Los Angeles, the world’s largest container ship,
arrived early Wednesday in South Korea’s port city of Pusan, port officials
said. The 9,600-TEU-class vessel made the port call at Gamman Pier of the port
around 4:00 a.m. after thick fog delayed its arrival for 11 hours in waters off
Pusan, the Pusan Port Authority said. TEU stands for 20-foot-equivalent unit.
The ship which Samsung Heavy Industries has delivered to China Shipping Group,
the world’s No. 6 container shipping company, is 321 meters long and 46 meters
wide. It can carry 1.3 million 29-inchwide televisions or 50 million mobile
phones at the same time. It is the largest ship to dock in Pusan since the
9,200- TEU MSC Pamela, also built by Samsung Heavy, docked at the pier last
July.
After loading 2,350 TEUs of cargo, the Xin Los Angeles is scheduled to head for
China’s eastern port of Ningbo later in the day. Reported by Korean Times
CONTAINER SHIP STRIKES PIER IN COMMENCEMENT BAY
SEATTLE- The Coast Guard responded to a call that a 759-foot container ship had
struck a pier in Commencement Bay at the Pierce County Terminal Tuesday.
Sector Seattle ordered the Italian-flagged vessel, Aphrodite, to anchor in
Elliott Bay for an examination of damages by the Coast Guard Port State Control
officers and vessel class society. The Coast Guard Port State Control officers
and the vessel class society reported that there was no reportable damage to the
port or the ship.
An investigation into the cause of the accident is pending. Reported by USCG
District 13
Noble Corporation Announces Operator Commitment for New F&G
JU-2000E Jackup
SUGAR LAND, Texas. Noble Corporation announced the receipt of a letter of
award from Venture Production plc ("Venture Production") to enter into a
contract with the Company for a new F&G JU-2000E enhanced premium jackup
drilling rig to be constructed by China Shipbuilding & Offshore International
Co., Ltd./Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., Ltd ("DSIC") in Dalian, China.
The Venture Production commitment, which has been approved by both companies'
Board of Directors, will have a contract term of two years at a dayrate of
$210,000 per day. There are no extensions or options beyond the contract term.
The Company estimates the cost of the rig will be approximately $190 million.
Venture Production has informed the Company that it anticipates employing the
rig in the North Sea. Mark Jackson, President and Chief Operating Officer of
Noble Corporation, said, "We are pleased to continue to build on our long-term
relationship with Venture Production with this contract."
This rig is the third heavy duty, harsh environment (HDHE) F&G JU-2000E, a high
specification Friede & Goldman designed jackup, that the Company has scheduled
to deliver to customers over the next three years. The Company has previously
reported contracts with Shell E and P Offshore Services B.V. for the first two
such newbuild jackups, to be named the Noble Roger Lewis and Noble Hans Deul.
Each of these harsh environment jackups has a 75 foot cantilever reach, rated
water depth of 400 feet, and rated drilling depth of 30,000 feet.
An indirect subsidiary of the company, Noble Drilling Holding LLC, has entered
into a contract with DSIC for the construction of the latest F&G JU- 2000E
jackup. Based on its contract with DSIC, the Company expects delivery of this
jackup in the first quarter of 2009.
The Company also announced two new commitments for current rigs. In addition to
the third F&G JU-2000E newbuild jackup, Venture Production has extended its
commitment for the Noble Ton van Langeveld semisubmersible in the North Sea for
one year beginning in or about May 2008 at a dayrate of $360,000. Separately,
Anadarko Petroleum Company has agreed to a one year commitment for the Noble
Homer Ferrington semisubmersible, commencing in or about January 2008 offshore
Nigeria at a dayrate of $434,000 per day. Neither of these contracts has any
extensions or options.
Noble Corporation is a leading provider of diversified services for the oil and
gas industry. Contract drilling services are performed with the Company's fleet
of 63 mobile offshore drilling units located in key markets worldwide. This
fleet consists of 13 semisubmersibles, three dynamically positioned drillships,
44 jackups and three submersibles. The fleet count includes three F&G JU-2000E
enhanced premium newbuild jackups under construction, with scheduled delivery of
the first unit in the third quarter of 2007, the second unit in first quarter of
2008, and the third unit in the first quarter of 2009. As previously announced,
these units have been contracted. Approximately 84 percent of the fleet is
currently deployed in international markets, principally including the Middle
East, Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil, West Africa and India. The Company provides
technologically advanced drilling-related products and services designed to
create value for our customers. The Company also provides labor contract
drilling services, well site and project management services, and engineering
services. The Company's ordinary shares are traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol "NE".
This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" about the business,
financial performance and prospects of the Company. Statements about the
Company's or management's plans, intentions, expectations, beliefs, estimates,
predictions, or similar expressions for the future are forward- looking
statements. No assurance can be given that the outcomes of these forward-looking
statements will be realized, and actual results could differ materially from
those expressed as a result of various factors. A discussion of these factors,
including risks and uncertainties, is set forth from time to time in the
Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Reported
by Noble Corp.
Authorities & Salvors respond quickly to grounded container
vessel ‘Safmarine Agulhas’
Cape Town, 27 June 2006, 16h00
Authorities, salvors and other stakeholders are working together to facilitate
an effective response to the grounded container ship ‘Safmarine Agulhas’, which
ran aground on Monday night at approximately 21h15, shortly after exiting the
Port of East London en route to Durban. The ‘Safmarine Agulhas’ Joint Operations
Committee was convened this morning in East London and is chaired by the South
African Maritime Safety Authority, with the Department of Environmental Affairs
& Tourism, National Ports Authority and other stakeholders represented at
meetings. The Committee (or JOC as it is known) is a forum through which
authorities and stakeholders can communicate regularly and effectively so as to
ensure that all decisions made are informed and all parties consulted.
At present the vessel remains intact. No pollution has been reported and the
vessel’s structural integrity continues to be monitored by the salvage team, who
are in the process of undertaking preliminary inspections before a salvage plan
can be finalised. The ‘Safmarine Agulhas’ is a container ship owned by F.A
Vinnen & Co Gmbh & Co and deployed on the Europe/South Africa Intermediate
service. The vessel is currently on charter to Safmarine Container Lines N.V.
The vessel has 662 tonnes of heavy fuel on board and 88 tonnes of diesel oil.
She is carrying 469 loaded containers and 112 empty containers.
Of paramount importance during the ‘Safmarine Agulhas’ salvage operation in East
London is the protection of the marine environment and the safety and protection
of the public and salvage personnel. Both proactive and reactive environmental
protection measures are in place. The Department of Environmental Affairs &
Tourism, as the responsible authority for oil pollution combating, has sent the
Inshore Patrol Vessel ‘Victoria Mxenge’ to the site of the casualty. Oil spill
abatement equipment has been mobilized and will be deployed as and when
necessary. The SMIT salvage tug ‘Smit Amandla’ departed False Bay, Cape Town
this morning and is en route to East London. The tug is expected to arrive in
East London late tomorrow and will be used to assist in any refloating attempts
in the days to come. The SMIT oil pollution abatement vessel ‘Kuswag IV’ is
being mobilized to the area as an additional precaution and to bring her closer
for instant response should the need arise for additional abatement resources.
At present, the 22 ship’s personnel remain onboard the vessel and will be
brought ashore should it be deemed necessary. The salvage team was on site by
the early hours of this morning and equipment, additional personnel and other
resources including a powerful S61 helicopter are being mobilised. SMIT Salvage
operates according to strict safety policies and procedures and the safety of
its personnel is a top priority.
Members of the public are kindly requested to stay away
from the casualty for their own safety. The presence of wires, cables and
vessels being used in the salvage operation could pose a threat to the safety of
innocent bystanders not acquainted with this kind of operation. In addition,
salvage divers kindly request members of the public who use recreational boats
to stay away as the presence of boat propellers threatens their safety.
Reported by Smit Salvage Grounded
Safmarine Agulhas
6/27/06
Container ship still aground off East London
The container ship Safmarine Agulhas is still aground off the East London
harbour, said National Port Authority spokesperson Terry Taylor on Tuesday.
"There's no change. She's still aground about 50m off the breakwall," said
Taylor.
He said the ship was apparently aground on sand.
"We're awaiting a salvage crew from Cape Town which will work with our harbour
craft.
"They will go aboard by helicopter and assess the situation."
The Agulhas ran aground shortly after leaving harbour about 6.30pm on Monday
night, about two hours after high tide. The ship lost power and ran aground off
the harbour's western breakwall.
She was on her way to Durban.
AGROUND VESSEL FREED, WAITING INSPECTION
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - A 590-foot cargo ship that ran aground earlier today
has been pulled to deeper water and is being held offshore of Port Canaveral
until it is safe to enter port.
The Shenandoah Highway, a cargo ship carrying automobiles, left the Southampton,
United Kingdom, and attempted to enter Port Canaveral today at about 5:30 a.m. A
few minutes later the ship ran aground. Coast Guard inspectors from Marine
Safety Detachment Port Canaveral boarded tugs and a small boat crew from Station
Port Canaveral to assess the situation.
Crews didn't spot any pollution when they arrived at the Shenandoah's position
and started making preparations to remove the ship from the sandy bottom.
Using four contracted tugs, the blank was pulled from the bottom and is being
held offshore until divers can inspect the Shenandoah's hull to insure that
vessel is structurally sound. Reported by USCG District 7
TOWBOAT SINKS ON MISSISSIPPI
The towboat "Jeck" has apparently sunk in the Mississippi River, near Myrtle Grove LA, after being struck by the 37,000-dwt chemical carrier Stolt Perseverance.
6/22/06
American Steamship Renames new fleet
American Steamships recently purchased Oglebay Norton fleet has finally been renamed. The six Great Lakes ships were purchased by ASC earlier this month for $120 million dollars. This acquisition increases ASC's fleet to 18 vessels. The vessels will now sail under the following names: FRED R. WHITE Jr. is now AMERICAN COURAGE, COLUMBIA STAR is now AMERICAN CENTRY, OGLEBAY NORTON is now AMERICAN INTEGRITY, ARMCO is now AMERICAN VALOR, MIDDLETOWN is now AMERICAN VICTORY and the COURTNEY BURTON will now sail as the AMERICAN FORTITUDE. Boatwatchers in the Great Lakes Region, please send us your photos of these ships. Reported by Sea-Corps
Coast Guard Responds to Freight Ship Taking on Water off Miami
MIAMI - Coast Guard rescue crews are on scene and assisting with the dewatering
process of a 184-foot freight ship that was reported to be taking on water at
11:40 p.m. last night approximately 12 miles northeast of Miami Beach, Fla.
The Coast Guard received a mayday call by the captain that the Sea Taxi was
taking on water and his five-person crew needed immediately assistance. The
Coast Guard launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station
Miami, a rescue boat from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and the Coast Guard
Cutter Sitkinak.
The Sea Taxi was reported to be taking on approximately 120 gallons per minute
in the engine room. The crew of the Sitinak sent a damage control team on board
and has made temporary repairs to the vessel.
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has granted the ship to re-enter the Miami
River under strict guidlines. The ship must only enter the Port of Miami during
the daylight hours and must use tugboats to make way. The captain must also have
the vessel boomed off at the moorings and immediately have divers in the water
to inspect and make repairs to the hull.
It is not known what caused the vessel to take on water but it has been reported
the vessel may have hit the ground while leaving the Miami River or Port of
Miami yesterday. Coast Guard will investigate.
The Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Miami.
Reported by USCG 7th Dist.
UPDATE - OIL SPILL CLEAN UP CONTINUES, CALCASIEU SHIP CHANNEL
REMAINS CLOSED
LAKE CHARLES, La. - A five-mile section of the Calcasieu Ship Channel remains
closed today as clean up and recovery of the oil spill continues. An estimated
15,000-18,000 barrels of oil leaked into the channel late Tuesday.
Responders and Unified command personnel worked throughout the night staging
equipment and monitoring the spill. Presently, six miles of the river has been
impacted by oil, the majority of the oil is contained within the three mile area
between light 101 and light 109. The other three-miles have light oil sheen.
On Tuesday morning the Coast Guard closed approximately three miles of the
Calcasieu Parish Ship Channel to maritime traffic from light 101 to light 109.
Today, an additional two miles of the channel was closed. The channel is now
closed from light 113, near Rose Bluff, to light 94, just south of Moss Lake,
La. It is expected that the channel will remain closes for several more days.
The Unified Command is working at this time to complete the containment and
recovery of the oil and restoration of channel usage.
Recovery efforts began Tuesday night after receiving reports of oil in the
Calcasieu channel near CITGO's Clifton Ridge Terminal. The recovery operations
represent an expansion of activity that began in response to Monday's heavy
rainfall and partial flooding, which overwhelmed the CITGO's waste water storage
tank area and dikes. Approximately 30,000 barrels of oil was released into the
Indian Marais, CITGO's on-site drainage feature. Multiple contract oil recovery
organizations, boats, skimmers and containment booms are being utilized to
contain and recover the oil.
The cause of the spill remains under investigation. Clean up and containment
operations continue on the east and west banks of the Calcasieu channel. The
Unified Command is conducting continual on-site and aerial evaluations of the
area.
As of this afternoon there are six ships waiting to depart and 14 ships waiting
to come into port. Facilities affected by the channel closure include: the
Calcasieu Refinery, CII Carbon, CONOCO Clifton Ridge, CITGO Clifton Ridge, CITGO
Refinery, Bulk Terminal 1, Port of Lake Charles, PPG, CONOCO West Lake Refinery,
Bulk Terminal 4, Port Agragates, Pelican Refinery and Centeral Crude.
CITGO has established a toll-free claims number for the incident. Affected
individuals may call 1-800-213-5540 for more information. A separate number has
been established for claims related to exterior boat cleaning. That number is
337-708-7177
Freighter sinks off Indonesia; 73 rescued
JAKARTA, Indonesia - A freighter carrying more than 100 passengers and crew sank
in bad weather Thursday off Indonesia's Sumatra island, and 73 people were
rescued, officials said.
More than 40 were still missing in the accident, which occurred about 40 miles
off the port of Sibolga on western Sumatra, naval spokesman Lt. Col. Jaka
Sentosa told el-Shinta radio station.
He said the vessel sprang a leak in bad weather.
At least three foreigners were believed aboard the ship, which was heading to
the island of Nias, a popular spot for surfers, Sentosa said. It was unclear
whether they were among those rescued.
Two navy vessels dispatched to the scene and a passing freighter rescued the 73
survivors, Sentosa said.
Survivor Hutagalung, who asked to be identified only by her family name, said
most passengers had time to put on lifejackets and a passing ship picked up
scores of survivors within an hour.
"When the ship began tilting, children and elderly people became hysterical and
started to scream," she said. "Passengers were thrown overboard as the wave
shook the ship left and right."
The first group of survivors to arrive at Sibolga were taken to a hospital.
Hundreds of worried people waiting for news of relatives flocked to waterfront
and hugged their loved ones, a witness said.
Sibolga is 860 miles northwest of Jakarta.
Sea accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where boat travel is
the only way to reach many islands. Safety measures are poorly enforced, and
many crafts lack sufficient life jackets and other safety equipment.
6/21/06
Emergency crews await toxic ship's arrival
Emergency services are on stand-by at the Port of Brisbane, as a container
ship leaking toxic and highly flammable chemicals nears. Australian
Maritime Safety officers were advised several days ago when the Kota Pahlawan's
master reported two containers filled with toxic cleaning chemicals were giving
off a strong odour. The crew has used industrial tape in a desperate
attempt to seal the leak. Dean Summers, from the International
Transport Workers Federation, says that does not sound very safe. "I think there
has to be a bit of an investigation to find out exactly what has lead up to this
very, very dangerous and very hazardous situation," he said. The ship has
come from China via Singapore and is only nine-years-old.
It is expected to arrive at the Port of Brisbane about 3:00pm AEST.
The Queensland Fire Service's scientific and hazardous materials unit has
prepared a response plan.
Offshore Drilling Bill Advances in House
By H. JOSEF HEBERT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Legislation that would end a quarter-century ban on
drilling in most of the Outer Continental Shelf advanced in the House on
Wednesday. The measure would allow oil and gas development in restricted
offshore waters unless a state prohibited it. The House Resources
Committee approved the legislation in 29-9 vote, and its sponsors say it has a
good chance of being approved by the full House But the bill's
prospects in the Senate are poor as Florida's two senators - as well as others
from coastal states - have threatened to filibuster any legislation that would
end the drilling moratorium in most coastal waters outside the western Gulf of
Mexico. Waters within 50 miles of shore would still be protected by
the House bill. But oil and gas drilling would be allowed in areas beyond that
unless a state's legislature and governor act to preserve the ban.
The House bill also seeks to force oil companies to renegotiate some 1990-era
offshore leasing contracts in which the government mistakenly allowed a loophole
that lets the companies avoid royalty payments.
The leases involve deep water areas of the western Gulf of Mexico.
The bill would impose a $9 a barrel fee on oil companies seeking new offshore
oil drilling leases unless they agree to renegotiate the flawed 1998-99 leases.
The royalty issue also was the focus of a second House committee hearing on
Wednesday where executives from several major oil companies said they were
willing to discuss changes in the 1998-99 leases that would correct the error.
"It's time to resolve this issue," John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Co.,
told the House Government Reform subcommittee on energy and resources.
Executives from Chevron Corp., and ConocoPhillips Co., also said they are
prepared to discussed changes in the 1990s leases. But Exxon Mobil Corp., said
it opposed renegotiating the contracts and an executive from Kerr McGee Corp., a
major gas producer, said the issue should be left to the courts.
The Interior Department omitted language in the 1998-99 leases that would have
required royalty payments on oil and gas if prices reached a certain level.
Since then, oil and gas prices have soared well beyond the trigger, but oil
companies are not required to pay royalties because of the omitted language.
Some congressional estimates have put the loss to the government at up to $10
billion over the life of the leases.
A congressional drilling moratorium outside the western Gulf has been in effect
for 85 percent of U.S. coastal waters since 1981, approved each year by
Congress. But there has been growing pressure in Congress to lift the bans and
gain access to offshore oil and gas resources. The bill, pushed by
House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., would be the latest attempt to
open more of the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling. Current
restrictions "are based on the false notion that energy production and
environmental protection were mutually exclusive," argued Pombo. He chastised
lawmakers opposed to the bill, saying they "are opposed to any energy production
... no matter where it is or how it is done." Pombo and other
drilling advocates emphasized that the bill would permanently protect waters
within 50 miles of shore - instead of relying on annual congressional action -
and would give states the opportunity to protect waters up to 100 miles from
shore. However, the opponents - while in a clear minority on the
committee - didn't buy the argument. "This is pretty much a complete
rollback of drilling protection of our coasts," complained Rep. Edward Markey,
D-Mass., He said the bill amounts to bribing states by offering large shares of
royalty payments.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said he was concerned that his state's coastal
wasters - and a multibillion tourist business - could be harmed by a neighboring
state's decision to allow drilling.
Also, said Pallone, state legislatures and governors every five years would have
to make a declaration to continue protecting their own waters - something that
could be difficult.
The bill was worked out with the cooperation of a number of Republican lawmakers
from Florida, where talk of offshore drilling has sparked a political firestorm.
Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., strongly endorsed the legislation because it assures
protection of waters up to 100 miles from shore. As the Resources
Committee debated the legislation, however, five Florida lawmakers held a news
conference denouncing the bill. It puts Floridians "on the short end
of the stick facing disastrous legislation that threatens our state's
environment and economic well being," declared Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla.
"Imagine what a disaster like Exxon Valdez would do to Florida's coast. The
consequences are horrifying," said Wexler, alluding to the oil tanker accident
that devastated Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989.
Tankers Explodes
The lighter vessel M/T Tutuma, with 5,000mt petroleum product exploded at at the Obat Petroleum Depot, Beachland Estate, Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos on June 20. At least are reported 5 dead, others seriously injured. The explosion may not be unconnected with leakage of petroleum product which reportedly flooded the engine room for days. The flames ravaged the M/V Tutuma and forced her to pull out of the area for safety concerns.
In a seperate incident. The crude carrier that last month spilled 2,000 gallons of crude oil at the Tesoro terminal in Hawaii, the 150,000-dwt Front Sunda, exploded near Singapore on Sunday, with the loss of at least one crew member.
Lake Charles Oil Spill
LAKE CHARLES, La. - An oil spill is contained Wednesday, June 21, 2006, near a crude oil tanker at the Clifton Ridge terminal along the Calcasieu River here. The cause of the spill is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and CITGO Petroleum Corporation. USCG spill Photo Reported by USCG 8th Dist.
UPDATE - UNIFIED COMMAND ESTABLISHED TO OVERSEE OIL SPILL IN CALCASIEU SHIP
CHANNEL
LAKE CHARLES, La. - The CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex, the Coast
Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office have established a
Unified Command to manage the clean up and recovery of the oil spill in the
Calcasieu Ship Channel near Lake Charles.
Recovery efforts began Tuesday night after receiving reports of oil in the
Calcasieu channel near CITGO's Clifton Ridge Terminal. The recovery operations
represent an expansion of activity that began in response to Monday's heavy
rainfall and partial flooding, which overwhelmed the CITGO's waste water storage
tank area and dikes. A mixture of storm water and oil was released into the
Indian Marais, CITGO's on-site drainage feature. Multiple contract oil recovery
organizations, boats, skimmers and containment booms are being utilized to
contain and recover the oil.
At 3 a.m. today the Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Capt. Sharon Richey closed
approximately three miles of the Calcasieu Parish Ship Channel to maritime
traffic from light 101 to light 109. It is expected that the channel will remain
closed for several days. The Unified Command is working at this time to complete
the containment and recovery of the oil and the restoration of channel usage.
An estimated 15,000 barrels of oil leaked into the channel, impacting about two
and half miles of the river. By approximately 4:30 a.m. today, a large portion
of the oil had been contained. The Indian Marais area within CITGO's facility
has been secured with containment boom and vacuum trucks. The cause of the spill
remains under investigation. Clean-up and containment operations continue on the
east and west banks of the Calcasieu channel. The Unified Command is conducting
on-site and aerial evaluations of the area.
CITGO has established a toll-free claims number for the incident. Affected
individuals may call 1-800-213-5540 for more information. A separate number has
been established for claims related to exterior boat cleaning. That number is
337-708-7177.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. Reported by USCG 8th
Dist.
Maritime Administration Announces Disposal Contracts on
Four Ships in Suisan Bay
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD)
announced today that it has signed contracts for the disposal of four ships from
the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet at Benicia, CA, bringing to nine the number that
have left the facility for recycling since October 2005.
The four ships are World War II-vintage Victory ships: Hannibal Victory, the
Barnard Victory, the Occidental Victory and the Sioux Falls Victory. When ships
are no longer considered useful for defense or aid missions, MARAD arranges for
their proper disposal and works closely with the Coast Guard to ensure the safe
transport of the vessels to their final destinations. Before towing from the
fleet, all ships are inspected by an independent party. In addition, they must
meet extensive Coast Guard and international regulations regarding environmental
safeguards, seaworthiness, and watertight integrity.
“We continue to demonstrate our commitment to remove these obsolete ships from
our fleet,” said Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator Julie Nelson. “We are
recycling them in a way that respects their history and maintains the highest
safety and environmental protection standards.”
Marine Metal, Inc., of Brownsville, TX, will dismantle the Hannibal Victory and
the Sioux Falls Victory, under the terms of contracts each worth $978,698. All
Star Metals, Inc., also of Brownsville, will dismantle the Barnard Victory for
$1,202,949, and the Occidental Victory for $1,191,987. The steel from all four
ships will be recycled.
MARAD operates three National Defense Reserve Fleet Sites, one in the James
River in Virginia and one at Beaumont, Texas, in addition to the Suisun Bay
site. Reported by the US Maritime Admin.
6/20/06
Hurricane Ravaged Oil Platform to become dive site.
Gulf of Mexico oil platform Typhoon TLP was successfully scuttled by Chevron / BHP Billiton. The rig became disconnected from her moorings during Hurricane Rita last year & capsized. She floated upside down for a time before running aground. SMIT Salvage was contracted which completed the project. TYPHOON TLP is enroute to her final resting place to become an artificial reef / diving site.
COAST GUARD MEDEVACED CREWMAN FROM OFFSHORE PLATFORM
HOUSTON - The Coast Guard medevaced a crewman from an offshore platform Monday
evening approximately 65 miles south of Galveston, Texas.
A watch-stander at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at 4:13
p.m., from Tetra Applied Technologies reporting that a crewman on one of their
heavy lift tugs was suffering from vomiting, nausea, high blood pressure and was
going in and out of consciousness. The heavy lift tug was working on an offshore
platform.
A helicopter crew from Air Station Houston was dispatched to the offshore
platform where they medevaced a 32-year-old crewman and took him to the
University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, at about 5:45 p.m.
The crewman was reported to be in stable condition. Reported by USCG
8th District
Increase In May Coal Cargos Still Falls Short Of Fleet’s Capacity
CLEVELAND---Vessels’ inability to carry full loads again hampered the coal trade on the Great
Lakes. While May shipments totaled 4.6 million tons, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to a
year ago, tens of thousands of tons of coal were not carried because decades of inadequate
funding for dredging ports and waterways are often forcing vessels to light load.
The port of Green Bay, Wisconsin is a case in point. Vessels serving one of the coal-receiving
docks on the Fox River were leaving behind approximately 2,500 tons of coal because of draft
limitations. For the vessels in question, 2,500 tons is about 15 percent of their designed carrying
capacity when hauling coal.
Wyandotte, Michigan is another port where draft restrictions are reducing coal deliveries. A vessel
that has a rated capacity of 19,500 tons of coal per trip could only carry 15,490 tons on a recent
delivery to Wyandotte. In this instance, lack of dredging negated nearly 21 percent of the vessel’s
carrying capacity.
For the year, the Lakes coal trade stands at 12.3 million tons, an increase of 7.5 percent
compared to the same point in 2005. The trade is 13.8 percent ahead of its 5-year average for the
January-May time frame.
Lake Carriers’ Association represents 18 American corporations that operate 62 U.S.-Flag vessels
on the Great Lakes. These vessels carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: Iron
ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, limestone and cement for the construction industry, coal
for power generation.... Collectively, these vessels can transport as much as 125 million tons of
cargo a year when high water levels offset the lack of adequate dredging of Great Lakes ports and
waterways. Reported by the Lake Carriers Association
6/19/06
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) had approved three vessels sale and
transfer under section 9 of the Shipping Act, of 1916, as amended.
MARAD has given approval to Industrial Resources, Inc., of Clear Lake,
Washington to sale the fishing vessel MOMMA, to Front Street Management LLC of
Vancouver, Washington and transfer of said Vessel to Panamanian registry and
flag.
The fishing vessel built in 1945 and has a gross weight of 3,777 tons.
MARAD has given approval to Maersk Lines, Limited, of Norfolk, Virginia to sale
the container Ro-Ro’s MAERSK ALASKA and MAERSK ARIZONA, to Ignazio Messina and
C.S.P.A. of Genoa, Italy and transfer of said Vessels to Italian registry and
flag.
Both container ships built in 1976 and having a gross weight of 30,866 tons.
Reported by the Maritime Administration
6/17/06
Secretary-General receives Panamanian delegation
IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos yesterday received a
high-level delegation from the Republic of Panama on the occasion of its visit
to London to present the Government of Panama’s proposals on the future
expansion of the Panama Canal.
H.E. Samuel Lewis Navarro, First Vice President and Minister for Foreign
Affairs; Mr. Manuel Benítez, Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority;
and H.E. Miss Liliana Fernández Puentes, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama to
the United Kingdom and Permanent Representative to IMO were among those to visit
the IMO Headquarters to meet the Secretary-General and speak to an ad hoc
seminar.
The opportunity was taken to discuss matters of mutual concern in relation to
the Organization’s work and to address the potential impact of the proposed
Canal expansion on international shipping.
The meeting took place prior to a seminar on “Investment Opportunities and The
Canal Expansion Proposal”, during which both the Vice President and the Deputy
Administrator put the case for the expansion, explaining why it has become
necessary if the Canal is to continue serving shipping, trade and commerce
efficiently and effectively. In concluding his opening remarks to the seminar,
Secretary-General Mitropoulos thanked the delegation for coming to IMO to brief
the maritime community on the ambitious project, which, he added, represented
“an important development for the future of Panama – a development, which will
have a serious and most certainly a beneficial impact on international shipping
and trade as well”.
The people of Panama will be asked later this year to decide by referendum
whether to approve and go ahead with the proposed expansion and upgrade of the
Panama Canal, which has been a vital trade artery since its inception in 1914.
International Maritime Organization
6/16/06
Two ''Ghost Fleet'' ships will be scrapped
Two ships in the James River Reserve Fleet will be scrapped under contracts
announced today by the U.S. Maritime Administration.
The Saugatuck, a former Navy oil-refueling vessel built in 1942, will be
dismantled at Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, under a $550,000 contract.
The Orion, a submarine tender built in 1943, will be scrapped at North American
Ship Recycling of Sparrows Point, Md., under a $734,000 deal.
The Maritime Administration said the ships are to be removed within 30 days of
contract signings from the fleet, better known as the Ghost Fleet. It said their
removal will bring to 12 the number of ships the agency has trimmed from the
James River fleet since the current federal fiscal year began Oct. 1. The
Virginian-Pilot
6/13/06
Titanic shipyard to recycle ageing ships
The yard which built the Titanic is bidding to become the first in the United Kingdom licensed for the environmentally-friendly dismantling of aged ships and oil rigs once their time at sea comes to an end. It has joined forces with worldwide environmental waste management company Golder Associates to offer a new marine vessel and offshore structure recovery and recycling service. New jobs are likely to be created in the shipyard when the project gets under way. It is the latest phase in the `greening` of the once mighty shipyard. It recently completed two major renewable projects, the assembly of an offshore wind farm and manufacture of a wave-energy prototype generator. Vessel recycling in Europe is a rapidly growing industry which operates within tight environmental and health and safety controls, said the company. Tough new European regulations on the dismantling of old ships means owners can no longer have them driven onto beaches in the Far East where they are stripped for scrap without any safety or environmental checks. Instead of being paid for the scrap, owners will have to pay to have a ship dismantled. Harland and Wolff and Golder Associates say their alliance provides an unparalleled ship recycling capability in the UK. "The successful alignment of H&W and Golder Associates brings together best environmental practice and world-class facilities to foster environmentally-focused and sustainable recovery and recycling of vessels and offshore structures within the UK," said Martin Bjerregaard of Golder. Harland and Wolff chief executive, Robert Cooper, added: "We have applied to the Environment and Heritage Service for a waste management licence to allow us to expand our activities into this important area." He added: "We have the largest dry docks in Europe as well as unparalleled experience in marine design, construction and conversion. "Golder Associates have a global reputation as leaders in environmental engineering with a track record of successfully completing complex recycling and decommissioning projects under the most stringent environmental parameters." Mr Bjerregaard said the growing demand for environmentally sound methods of managing end-of-life ships meant Harland and Wolff was positioned to benefit. "Through this venture, Harland and Wolff and Golder Associates will be contributing to the economic development of the Belfast region through increased employment and income generation. "We are also able to support the shipping industry with a sound environmental solution to the growing waste management issue of what to do with vessels and offshore structures when they reach the end of their useful life." Reported by U.TV
BARGE HITS HOWARD FRANKLAND, AGENCIES RESPONDING
TAMPA, Fla. - Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg is trying to
find the owner of a 60-foot work barge that struck the northbound lanes of the
Howard Frankland Bridge, Interstate 275, at about 2:30 a.m. today.
The barge has two markings, MB54 and Jacksonville. It is believed that the barge
broke free of its moorings due to the high winds and seas of Tropical Storm
Alberto. Officials are working to find the owner of the barge and remove the
barge from causing further damage to the bridge.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Florida Highway Patrol and the
Tampa Police Department are working together to assess the damage. The bridge is
now open to traffic with only the right lane closed for bridge workers.
The barge is carrying no cargo and there have been no injuries. USCG
District 7
UPDATE: BARGE BEING
TOWED, OWNER IDENTIFIED
TAMPA, Fla. - A local salvage company is on scene at the
Howard Frankland Bridge attempting to tow the 60-foot work barge that struck the
northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge, Interstate 275, at about 2:30
a.m. today.
The owner of the barge has been identified as Mobro Marine in Jacksonville, Fla.
The barge is leased locally to M and J Construction in St. Petersburg, Fla., and
they've hired DMT Salvage out of East Bay, Fla., to tow the barge to safety.
It is believed that the barge broke free of its moorings due to the high winds
and seas of Tropical Storm Alberto.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Florida Highway Patrol and the
Tampa Police Department are working together to assess the damage. The bridge is
now open to traffic with only the right lane closed for bridge workers.
The barge is carrying no cargo and there have been no injuries. USCG District
7
Following extensive operations started early May SvitzerWijsmuller Salvage completed the ex-MSC YORKSHIRE container recovery operations off Cuxhaven. This concerned in total 7 containers loaded with cars and a jet-ski, of which one container had spilled its contents of 3 containers. In an operation spanning 17 working days only, the 7 containers, 22 cars and a jet-ski were recovered from waterdepths of 30-35 meters. The recovered goods were landed in Cuxhaven for disposal. Reported by Svitzer Wijsmuller
6/12/06
MACKINAW SIGNS OVER TO ICEBREAKER MACKINAW MARITIME MUSEUM
CHEBOYGAN, Mich. -- The commanding officer of the Mackinaw (WAGB-83) signed over
control of the cutter to the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum, Inc. at 2:00
p.m. on June 9th, in the Captain's cabin aboard ship.
The Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum will have official control in effect on
June 30, 2006 when it is delivered to Mackinaw City, Mich.
6/9/06
Two oil tankers collide off Britain
LONDON, - Two oil tankers collided on Friday in the English channel, one
of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes, but there were no injuries and
no sign of any oil spill, the coastguard said.
The vessels collided off the southern English port of Dover. There was no
immediate indication of what caused the collision on a clear day in calm seas.
"A helicopter ... has overflown the area. There is no sign of pollution, the
damage appears to be only slight and there are no reports of any injuries," a
spokesman for Dover coastguard said.
Lloyd's Casualty Reporting said it was "not a serious incident".
The coastguard said the tankers involved were the Willy and the Shakhdag. Willy
is Gibraltar-flagged and Shakhdag is Malta-flagged, according to Lloyd's
Casualty Reporting.
COAST GUARD RESCUES INJURED OIL-RIG WORKER NEAR SOUTHWEST PASS
NEW ORLEANS - A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew airlifted a male crewman
today from the oil rig South Pass 57, located approximately 10 miles east of the
mouth of the Mississippi River near Southwest Pass.
Search and rescue coordinators from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a
call that a crewmember aboard the oil rig sustained an injury on the helicopter
landing pad.
An HH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New
Orleans was dispatched and transported the crewman to Ochsner Hospital in New
Orleans. USCG 8th District
6/7/06
American Steamship Company Acquires Vessels from Oglebay
Norton
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y., -- American Steamship Company (ASC), a unit of GATX
Corporation (NYSE:GMT), today announced that it has acquired the majority of the
vessels from the fleet of Oglebay Norton Marine Services Company L.L.C.
ASC has been operating on the Great Lakes since 1907 and was purchased by GATX
in 1973. ASC transports a variety of dry bulk commodities including iron ore
pellets, coal, and limestone aggregates. Following this acquisition of these six
vessels, ASC will operate a fleet of 18 vessels, the largest U.S.-flag fleet on
the Great Lakes.
Jerome K. Welsch, president and CEO of ASC, said "This is an excellent
opportunity to expand and diversify our fleet, enabling ASC to continue to
provide the reliable and flexible service that our customers have come to expect
from us for nearly 100 years."
Brian A. Kenney, chairman and CEO of GATX Corporation, said, "This transaction
represents continued execution of our strategy to acquire long-lived,
widely-used assets at an attractive price, wrapping valuable services around
those assets."
The six vessels acquired by ASC, for a purchase price of $120 million, are the
M/V Oglebay Norton, the M/V Columbia Star, the S/S Armco, the S/S Middletown,
the S/S Courtney Burton, and the M/V Fred R. White. Reported by
American Steamship Co.
6/5/06
END OF AN ERA
CUTTER ACACIA'S DECOMMISSIONING
Charlevoix, Mich. - On June 7, 2006, the Coast Guard's final 180-foot WLB-class
sea-going buoy tender, USCGC ACACIA (WLB 406), will be decommissioned in an
official ceremony at Station Charlevoix at 10 am EDT.
The ACACIA is one of 39 180-foot seagoing buoy tenders built for the United
States Coast Guard between 1942 and 1944. ACACIA was commissioned on September
1st, 1944 in Duluth, Minn., and was one of the latter tenders built during the
Second World War. The cutter is named after the original Coast Guard Cutter
ACACIA that was sunk by a German U-boat off the British West Indies on March 17,
1942, and has been stationed in Charlevoix, Mich., since 1990.
ACACIA's area of operation extends from Chicago on the southern shores of Lake
Michigan to Alpena on Lake Huron, where the ship and crew perform aids to
navigation duties, search and rescue of lost or disabled vessels, and
icebreaking assistance during the cold winter months. ACACIA assisted
innumerable ice-bound commercial vessels and maintained the vital waterways of
the Great Lakes for over six decades, and now, after 62 years of distinguished
Great Lakes service, her final crew will walk down the gangway one last time and
the cutter's commissioning pennant will be lowered. ACACIA will sail to Chicago
at the end of the month, and will remain on the Great Lakes as a museum in the
Chicago area. Reported by USCG 9th District
Update: Nigerian kidnappers free 8 foreign oil workers
ABUJA (Reuters) - Kidnappers in Nigeria freed eight foreign oil workers on
Sunday, two days after they were seized in an unprecedented raid on a rig far
offshore that heightened fears in an oil industry hurt by a series of militant
attacks.
Gunmen had captured six Britons, one American and one Canadian from a rig 40
miles out to sea on Friday. Two Britons were freed early on Sunday and the other
men several hours later, local authorities and the British embassy said.
"They are all safe and well. We have handed them over officially to the
representatives from Peak," said Johnny Iganiwari, information commissioner for
Bayelsa state where the men were held captive. Peak Petroleum is a Nigerian
company that operates the Bulford Dolphin rig where the hostages were seized.
Iganiwari and a source from one of Peak's partner companies said the released
men were in the Bayelsa state capital Yenagoa and talks were under way to decide
where they would go next.
The abductions on Friday followed a series of militant attacks earlier this year
that have shut down a quarter of oil output from OPEC member Nigeria, Africa's
top producer.
Authorities declined to comment on whether a ransom had been paid, but a
security source close to the situation said money had changed hands.
Kidnappings for ransoms are common in the Niger Delta, a vast, impoverished
wetland that produces the bulk of Nigeria's 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) of
crude oil. Local people have seen few benefits from the industry.
RANSOMS
Oil companies deny paying money to secure the release of kidnapped staff, but
security analysts say they usually do pay up and this encourages abductions.
Poverty, graft, lawlessness and struggles over a lucrative trade in stolen crude
fuel unrest in the delta.
The militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), whose
attacks have forced the closure of about 550,000 barrels per day of oil
production since February, said on Saturday it was not involved in the latest
abductions.
The kidnappers had not listed specific demands but wanted to force the oil
companies to negotiate on a range of issues including employment for local
people, environmental impact and development projects, sources from the
companies involved said.
Attacks on facilities onshore or in shallow water are frequent in the Niger
Delta, but security sources said they were unaware of any previous raid as far
away from the shore as the Bulford Dolphin rig.
The sophisticated night-time attack by 20 to 30 gunmen in speedboats showed that
even deep offshore facilities are no longer safe in the world's eighth-biggest
exporter of crude.
The rig is owned by the Norwegian oilfield services group Fred Olsen Energy ASA
and leased to Peak, which operates it in partnership with Equator Exploration.
The attack had no impact on oil output as the facility is an exploration rig
that will not produce crude for years.
M/V Ocean Sekaya splits in two after running aground
UPDATE to May 31st story - Merchant vessel M/V Ocean Sekaya stranded on rocks off Karwar coast near Devgad Island, split into two halves late on June 2. An Indian Coast Guard helicopter, an aircraft & a vessel continued their operation to contain the oil spill. Riding on the westerly winds, the spill reached the shores of Goa after hitting Karwar and Devbagh coasts. The Goa Government has already alerted its coastal village panchayats & municipalities besides the Tourism Department to be vigilant on the coast.
M/V OCEAN SEKAYA splits in two
6/2/06
Hopes fade for missing crew in Aegean ship collision
By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS - Hopes of finding five missing crew of a Turkish-operated cargo ship
that sank after colliding with a Greek tanker in the Aegean Sea, were fading on
Friday after fruitless night-long rescue efforts, officials said.
The Morocco-bound, Panamanian registered "Han" cargo ship, which was operated by
a Turkish ship owner and had a crew of 13, collided on Thursday with a Greek
tanker off the island of Hydra, killing one Turkish sailor.
Authorities said it appeared that the collision was an accident. The tanker
safely plucked seven Turkish crew from the sea as well as the body of the
Turkish sailor.
Several rescue helicopters, coastguard vessels and dozens of fishing boats
worked through the night some 16 nautical miles southeast of the island, to
locate the cargo ship's missing five crew members.
"They have not yet found anything," a Greek Merchant Marine Ministry official
told Reuters. "Hopes of finding them alive are fading quickly despite this very
big rescue operation that has been ongoing for almost 24 hours."
The cause of the collision was not known but Greek officials said the Greek
tanker, which had left the nearby oil refinery of Agii Theodori, had blown its
horn to warn the cargo ship of the imminent collision but the ship did not
change course.
The Greek ministry official said the crash had not caused any oil leak.
Storms pull ship's skeleton from beach grave
Randy Boswell
CanWest News Service
A legendary Canadian passenger ship has emerged ghost-like from its sandy grave
along the Washington State coast, fascinating beachgoers but prompting fear
among ecologists who say the rusted, oil-engorged wreck of the S.S. Catala
threatens the habitat of an endangered shorebird.
The story of the Catala -- launched in Scotland in 1925 and for decades the
flagship of the venerable Vancouver-based Union Steamship Co. -- is woven into
the history of dozens of British Columbia's coastal communities. Tourists,
loggers, miners, native people, and everyday folk from Vancouver to Prince
Rupert, B.C., came to rely on the Catala as a comfortable, affordable way to
travel up and down the B.C. coast.
The Catala is even part of the province's cartographic identity. In September
1925 she became the first passenger ship to navigate a treacherous route between
McIness and Bray islands, now officially named Catala Passage.
Union shut down operations after its flagship's last Pacific coast run in 1958,
and a company archive -- along with Catala's bell and even a recording of the
vessel's much-loved whistle -- are among treasured holdings at the Vancouver
Maritime Museum.
"She is such a part of the people of Canada,'' says Gene Woodwick, a Washington
state historian writing a book about the ship. "The Catala served common,
ordinary people but treated them with class.''
The 70-metre vessel was sold to a U.S. company and served briefly as a floating
hotel -- with room for 80 guests -- at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.
Soon after, the Catala was docked at Ocean Shores, a coastal town in southwest
Washington, where the ship was used as a seaside restaurant-hotel and the base
for a 15-boat fishing fleet.
But on New Year's Day 1965, a severe storm drove Catala onto the shore and left
the vessel beached at a precarious angle. Stranded like a whale and impossible
to budge, local officials declared her a wreck -- and the former "queen'' of the
Union Steamship fleet was looted by locals and left to nature's fate.
For years, the abandoned ship was a place for children to play and explore. But
sand gradually engulfed the Catala. Eventually, fearing lawsuits, officials
ordered the exposed parts of the wreck be cut up for scrap and the rusty
remnants buried by bulldozers.
Decades passed. Grass grew atop Catala's grave. Then, in 1999, erosion began to
release the dismembered relic from its tomb. And this spring, after a series of
storms washed away many more tons of sand from the wreck site, much of the ship
was again visible to those visiting the beach and an adjacent state park.
"People had basically forgotten it was there, except for a few of us,'' said
Woodwick, who works as the curator at an Ocean Shores cultural centre. "There's
been a lot of interest.''
But as crowds of the curious began visiting the Catala again, several people
reported a pool of a thick black liquid could be seen through a hole in one of
the ship's exposed sides. State environment officials inspected the wreck in
April and discovered, to their dismay, the Catala still held thousands of litres
of oil.
Complicating the situation is the fact Ocean Shores is a critical habitat for
one of the Pacific coast's most endangered birds: the Western snowy plover. A
recent study estimated the total West Coast population of the species in the
U.S., from Baja California to its northern range in Washington, at less than
2,500.
"The situation is stable, but the oil is a threat to the environment and it
needs to be removed,'' Jim Sachet, a spills response manager with Washington's
ecology department, said after the grim discovery.
"We're very concerned and don't want to create a disturbance during nesting and
migration season for shorebirds, so we are planning accordingly.''
Woodwick told CanWest News Service Thursday that environment officials were
preparing for another inspection of the wreck with help from historic documents
on Catala's design that she had collected during research for her book.
The spectre of an old Canadian ship fouling the U.S. shoreline comes at a time
when Canadian officials are planning on how to deal with a sunken U.S. army
transport ship -- loaded with bombs and oil -- off the B.C. coast.
Last month, the Vancouver Sun revealed the potential threat posed by the wreck
of the Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski, a U.S. ship used in both world wars that
sank in a storm in September 1946 in the Grenville Channel, near the site of the
recent sinking of the BC Ferries vessel Queen of the North.
Remarkably, according to a 1946 newspaper report about the sinking, the men on
board the ship were rescued by a tug boat and a certain "passenger steamer''
that happened to be passing by.
"S.S. Catala landed the 48 U.S. Army personnel survivors at Prince Rupert last
night.''
Canadian among 8 workers kidnapped in night attack on oil rig in Nigeria
Canadian Press
ABUJA, Nigeria (CP) - A Canadian and seven other foreigners were kidnapped when an oil rig off Nigeria came under attack during the night by a group that later demanded negotiations, the rig's Norwegian owners said Friday.
The kidnapped workers - a Canadian, an American and six Britons - were among 84 people on the drilling rig Bulford Dolphin when it was attacked around 5 a.m. Friday. Their identities have not been released.
"Relatives of the abducted personnel have been contacted and informed of the situation," said the rig's Oslo-based owner, Fred.Olsen Energy ASA. "The remaining crew is safe onboard the rig and is making contact with their relatives directly from the rig."
The rig was about 65 kilometres off the Nigerian coast. It has suspended drilling operations. The company said the incident did not cause any damage or pollution.
"One of the abducted men actually made contact with the client's shore base in Nigeria," Sheena Wallace, a spokeswoman for Dolphin Drilling Ltd., which operates the rig, said in a telephone interview.
She had no information on what the abducted man had to say. Dolphin Drilling of Aberdeen, Scotland, is a subsidiary of Fred.Olsen.
"The group that are holding them are looking for negotiations with local representatives of the client company in Nigeria," she said, referring to Peak Petroleum and Equator Exploration. The rig is drilling for the Nigerian companies on contract.
"Obviously the companies are working at the moment with all the appropriate authorities and organizations to try and move this forward," Wallace said.
In Ottawa, Foreign Affairs spokesman Rodney Moore said the deputy high commission in Lagos, Nigeria, is aware of the situation and in contact with local authorities. He offered no further comment.
It was not yet clear what the kidnappers were seeking to get in negotiations. Nigerian police said earlier that no group had claimed responsibility and no demands had been made.
"Security agencies are trailing them to secure the release of the hostages as soon as possible," police spokesman Haz Iwendi said in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Iwendi said the attack occurred off the oil-rich southern delta of the Dodo River. Kidnappings by militants or criminals seeking money have been common in the region in recent years.
Nigerian militants have blown up oil pipelines and kidnapped foreign oil workers to press their demands for local control of oil revenues by inhabitants of the oil-producing south, who feel cheated out of the wealth produced in their region.
Other groups have kidnapped oil workers to use as bargaining chips to prod oil companies to increase jobs or improve benefits. The kidnappings usually end peacefully.
Last month, an unidentified gunman riding a motorcycle killed an American riding in a car to work at the offices of the U.S. drilling equipment maker Baker Hughes Inc. in the southern Nigerian oil industry hub of Port Harcourt.
Nigeria, which normally pumps 2.5 million barrels of crude a day, is Africa's largest producer and the fifth-largest source of imports to the United States. Unrest in the country has helped drive oil prices higher on international markets.
Following is a chronology of some major attacks on the Nigerian oil industry
in 2006.
-- Jan. 10 - Militants kidnap four oil workers at gunpoint from Shell's offshore
E.A. oilfield. The four are an American, a Briton, a Honduran and a Bulgarian.
Shell shuts 115,000 bpd E.A. platform.
-- Militants also blow up major crude oil pipeline, cutting supplies to Forcados
export terminal by 100,000 bpd.
-- Jan. 30 - Militants free the four hostages but threaten a new wave of
attacks.
-- Feb. 18 - Militants in speedboats storm an offshore barge operated by U.S.
oil services company Willbros and abduct nine workers. They are three Americans,
one Briton, two Thais, two Egyptians and one Filipino.
-- They also blow up a Shell crude oil pipeline and a gas pipeline operated by
state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., and bomb Shell's Forcados tanker
loading platform, forcing the firm to suspend exports from the 380,000 bpd
facility. Closure of Forcados impacts other companies, cutting a further 100,000
bpd output. Shell shuts 115,000 bpd E.A. platform as precaution.
-- March 1 - Militants release six of the hostages. The six are one American,
two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino.
-- March 18 - Unidentified attackers blow up oil pipeline operated by Italian
company Agip, shutting down 75,000 bpd. MEND says it was not involved.
-- March 27 - Militants release remaining three hostages, two Americans and a
Briton.
-- May 10 - A U.S. oil executive employed by Baker Hughes is killed in an
apparently targeted attack in Port Harcourt.
-- May 11 - An Italian is among three workers, employees of Italian oil
contractor Saipem who are kidnapped from a car under police escort in Port
Harcourt.
-- June 2 - Six Britons, one Canadian and one U.S. citizen are abducted from the
Bulford Dolphin oil rig about 40 miles off the coast of southern Nigeria
overnight. The exploration rig owned by Norwegian oilfield services group Fred.
Olsen Energy.
6/1/06
Turkish and Greek ships collide
A Turkish sailor has died and five others are missing after two ships collided in the Aegean Sea near the Greek island of Hydra.
Seven sailors were rescued from the water after a Turkish-operated cargo ship collided with a Greek tanker. The cargo ship, the Panama-flagged Han, sank after the collision. Navy ships and rescue helicopters are searching the area for the missing crew. A Greek official said the cause of the collision was being investigated. "All members of the crew of the Greek tanker are safe and the tanker has also rescued seven crew members from the cargo ship, all of them Turks," the official from the Greek Merchant Marine Ministry told Reuters news agency. The rescued crew members had been flown to an Athens hospital for medical check-ups, she said, but the search operation had not yet found any of the missing sailors. "This is a pretty large rescue operation," she said. "The weather is good, which will help the rescue effort, but I can't understand how this happened," Hydra Mayor Constantinos Anastopoulos told local media, the Associated Press news agency reported. The day-time crash occurred in an area known for heavy shipping traffic. The Han was carrying iron from Turkey to Casablanca, Morocco, while the tanker, the Alios Artemis, was transporting gasoline from the Greek mainland to Crete, AP said. The incident comes only a week after Greek and Turkish F-16 fighter jets crashed into the southern Aegean Sea after colliding in mid-air. The Greek pilot was killed, while the Turkish pilot was rescued after ejecting safely. The two neighbors have a long-standing territorial dispute over the Aegean. Reported by BBC
