9,000 Filipinos given STCW papers By Alec Almazan in Manila-Thursday March

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER : Thursday 22-03-2001

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS 9,000 Filipinos given STCW papers By Alec Almazan in Manila-Thursday March 22 2001 THE Philippines announced that 9,000 ratings have been issued certificates of competency in compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’ s 1995 Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping convention. This represents about 5.6% of around 160,000 ratings employed on international vessels. The certificates were issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (which has been issuing the certificates since January 16). Before that it was the Maritime Industry Authority which issued the STCW certificates of competency for ratings. The Tesda said that at present it had 33 assessors for deck ratings and 37 assessors for engine ratings and three skills testing centres where the competencies of ratings are being assessed. The Philippines crewing industry, however, has expressed concern on whether the Tesda with its limited resources was up to the task of renewing the more than 150,000 remaining seafarers’ documents in time for February 2002 when the STCW convention takes effect. The Tesda assured that industry, however, that it was adding more assessors and assessment centres to cope with the backlog. The Philippines which recently made it to the ‘ 'white list’of STCW ’ 95 compliant countries, is the largest supplier of seafarers to the world commercial fleet. It has about 200,000 officers and ratings on-board foreign vessels.

Boom in Newbuilding orders forecast A boom in newbuilding is forecast for LNG as the market for natural gas soars, reports say. Now some 28 LNG vessels are on order worldwide. In 2000, the cost of a newbuilding LNG carrier was at an all time low, at just over half the US$280 million peak of the early 1990s, Drewry’s shipping consultants reported. Orders are continually increasing, in what is perceived to be a strong market with low ship prices, leading to the first time large gas carriers were built without any pre determined employment being secured. Nigerian National Petroleum has ordered three 77,000 dwt VLGCs with Hyundai HI and BP Shipping has two 75,000 dwt contracts at Samsung. Mitsui OSK also has four gas carriers on order with yards in the Far East. Two 69,000 dwt at Daewoo are to be delivered in 2003. A 68,200 dwt ship expected to be delivered from Mitsubishi's works in September and a 75,000 dwt vessel is contracted at Kawasaki HI. Japan is a major player in LNG and Asia generally is expected to be a forerunner for growth in the sector. Yards in South Korea and Japan that are predicted to reap the rewards of for newbuilding orders. -

PSi-Daily Shipping News

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Nightmare Voyage Survivors of a ghastly shipwreck ate the bodies of fellow passengers who had died, during a nightmare voyage that lasted three-weeks, reports said. Only two out of the 60 people survived the attempt to enter the Dominican Republic from nearby Puerto Rico. The illegal immigrants packed onto the boat, which drifted for weeks after suffering engine problems. It then hit a coral reef off Haiti and sank last Thursday. Each night someone died and in the morning people would cut them up to eat, a survivor said. The two survivors were dehydrated and dazed on arrival at the town of Barahona on the Dominican border. Both will be transferred to the capital, Santo Domingo, this week. A third person died in a Haitian hospital last Friday. Two captains organised the trip for $240 per passenger. Later on the captains deserted the group in a boat alongside a pier in the resort town of La Romana. The group were then forced to go it alone. The boat's engine gave out on the second day at sea within sight of Puerto Rico. They began drifting west and finished up hundreds of miles away. Without any sustenance, people started to dehydrate and die after several days adrift. First the bodies were thrown overboard but afterwards the group started eating them. On Thursday when the boat sank, only three had survived. Sixteen bodies washed ashore on an island off Haiti, thirteen were buried in a common grave and about forty others remain missing. Thousands of Dominicans seeking a better life in nearby Puerto Rico, set out every year.

Syrian vessel sinks Three crew were reported missing after the Oula Queen, a Syrian-flagged vessel built in 1969, sunk off Turkey's Black Sea coast. Eight other crew members were rescued by passing vessels. The 2,000 gt general dry cargo vessel is understood to have been sailing for Syria from Russia laden with timber.

Olieplatform verdwijnt toch in de golven Rio de Janeiro _ Bergers van Smit Tak hebben 's werelds grootste olieplatform P-36 niet kunnen redden door een weersverslechtering voor de kust van Brazilië. Het platform maakte gisteren volgens de Braliaanse oliemaatschappij Petrobras 'plotseling een heftig beweging', waarna het snel zonk. Door een enorme golfslag liepen delen van de accommodatie van het platform vol water. Ook via ontluchtingspijpen stroomde het water binnen. De twintig reddings- en bergingsvaartuigen moesten zich snel wegspoeden. Het Rotterdamse bergingsbedrijf Smit Tak had haar negen werknemers gisteren wegens het slechte weer al van het platform gehaald. ,,De weersomstandigheden waren zo slecht dat we het niet verantwoord vonden onze mensen op het wankele platform te laten,'' zegt Smit Tak. Het is nog onduidelijk welke rol Smit Tak verder gaat spelen bij de berging van het gevaarte. Voorlopig blijven de werknemers en de apparatuur in Rio de Janeiro. ,,Zo kan het bedrijf direct inspringen wanneer het nodig is,'' klinkt het op het hoofdkantoor in Rotterdam. Smit Tak verwacht geen milieuramp. ,,Maar we weten nu even niet wat er verder gaat gebeuren.'' Over de financiële gevolgen voor het bedrijf, nu de reddingsoperatie niet is gelukt, wil Smit Tak geen uitspraken doen. In de branche is het gebruikelijk dat een bedrijf geen geld krijgt uitgekeerd indien een operatie mislukt. De P-36 was vorige week donderdag na drie explosies in één van de poten in problemen geraakt. Onder leiding van de Rotterdamse bergingsinspecteur Cees van Essen was de P-36 zondag gestabiliseerd door compartimenten in de beschadigde poot, vijftig meter onder de waterspiegel, vol te pompen met lucht en stikstof.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Het platform P-36 lag ter hoogte van Macaé, zo'n tweehonderd kilometer ten noordoosten van Rio de Janeiro. Het platform leverde elke dag 83.000 vaten olie en 1,3 miljoen kubieke meter aardgas. Petrobras had plannen om de winning tot 180.000 vaten op te voeren. De maatschappij leidt met de ondergang van het platform een verlies van zeker 450 miljoen dollar. Critici zeggen dat Petrobras, waarin de Braziliaanse overheid een controlerend belang heeft, te drastisch bezuinigt, wat ten koste zou gaan van de veiligheid. Vorig jaar heeft het bedrijf na een reorganisatie een recordwinst van vijf miljard dollar geboekt. Volgens Petrobras bestaat er, nu het platform is omgevallen, geen gevaar voor vervuiling door olie. De P-36 heeft zo'n 1,5 miljoen liter olie en dieselbrandstof aan boord. De twintig olieputten op de zeebodem, die met flexibele slangen met het platform verbonden waren, zijn de afgelopen dagen al afgesloten. Bovendien zegt Petrobras voldoende schepen te hebben om olie op te vangen.

CASUALTY REPORTING MARINE BALU (Malta) London, Mar 20 — A press report, dated today, states: M chemical tanker Balu, carrying sulphuric acid, sank in the Bay of Biscay, off the northern coast of Spain, today, but the risk of pollution seemed minimal, authorities said. All 23 crew members were rescued when the vessel sank en route from Frederikssund to the south of Spain. The police port authority in the western French town of Brest said the vessel was carrying about 8,000 tons of sulphuric acid when she sank about 136 miles north of the Spanish coast. Winds of around 37 mph were blowing in the region this morning, and waves were swelling up to 16.5 feet. No efforts could be made to retrieve the cargo. A spokesman for rescue services dispatched to the region said the risk of pollution was minimal because sulphuric acid dilutes quickly on contact with water. The spokesman said there was a possibility that some slight residue might evaporate and be blown north by the winds. The French Transportation Ministry said it had ordered its Accident Inquiry Office to investigate why the vessel, which it said could carry 6,000 tons of sulphuric acid, sank. The crew members, all from Malta, were lifted off the sinking vessel by a Spanish rescue helicopter and transferred to two vessels nearby, the port authority said. (See issue of Mar 21.) London, Mar 21 — Information received from Sandnes, dated Mar 20, states: M chemical tanker Balu sailed Fredrikstad for Huelva, not Frederikssund as before reported. BRITISH VALOUR (Isle of Man) London, Mar 21 — Following received from Bermuda RCC, timed 1445, UTC: M tanker British Valour is now in lat 31 05N, long 62 31W. Vessel has drifted 52 miles over the last two days. Vessel is drifting south-east away from Bermuda. M tug Powhatan has been been delayed due to bad weather and is now due on scene tomorrow morning. BP personnel have arrived in Bermuda and will be taken out to the vessel by Powhatan. No final decision has yet been made regarding repairs. (See issue of Mar 21.) CHOYANG PARK (Panama) London, Mar 21 — A press report, dated Mar 20, states: M container vessel Choyang Park, which lost 90 containers while crossing the Atlantic in a winter storm earlier this month, sailed from the Port of New York and New Jersey this morning after being in port for more than a week undergoing repairs. The Coast Guard had detained the vessel under its port state control authority. Coast Guard officials said they discovered about 50 containers on board that were damaged and declared some of them unfit for further service. The contents of one container had spilled out into the vessel's interior, rupturing a fuel line and creating an internal fuel leak, the Coast Guard said. There was damage to hatch covers and other on-deck fittings, and two cargo bays had collapsed, the Coast Guard said. (See issue of Mar 19.) COASTAL ST.MARKS (U.S.A.)


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER London, Mar 21 — A press report, dated today, states: Twice in a month, tugs owned by Coastal Tug & Barge Co have reported hitting a submerged object near the mouth of the Miami River, the Coast Guard said yesterday. The Coast Guard is trying to determine if the object hit Feb 16 is the same sewer pipe split open last week, said Lt. Mark Hammond, a senior marine investigator. "The report we received last month of a Coastal tug hitting a submerged object took place in an area very close to where the pipe was ruptured," Hammond said. Also in question is whether the same tug master, Robert Hutchinson, was behind the wheel in both instances. Records to be reviewed today by investigators will identify the tug masters. After the Feb 16 report by tug Pensacola, the Coast Guard broadcast a notice to all mariners in the area, warning them of a submerged object that had been struck. Pensacola, pulling a barge to the Port of Miami-Dade, said she had struck something in the water. The tug master tentatively identified the object as a dredge head, an instrument used to dig up mud. No other vessel reported such an encounter. "We are looking to see if they might have hit the same riser pipe," Hammond said. In Thursday's accident, m tug Coastal St.Marks, piloted by Hutchinson, was guiding an empty tank barge back to the Port of Miami-Dade from Turkey Point when she struck the sewage pipe. It split open and spilled 12 million gallons of raw sewage into Biscayne Bay. Hutchinson could be cited for the accident. Kim Wallace, spokeswoman with El Paso Corp, the Houston-based company that recently acquired Coastal, said yesterday that she had no details about the earlier accident. "We have sent our people to Miami to assist the Coast Guard in its investigation," Wallace said. Hutchinson may not be familiar with the channel around the Port of Miami-Dade, Hammond said. "I understand that he mainly works in the Gulf of Mexico, and to his defence, the pipes are marked in navigation charts, but only as an alleyway extending from Virginia Key to the port," he said. "They're in no specific spot in the chart showing where rising pipes are located." Coastal St.Marks sustained damage to her bottom, rudder and propeller and is undergoing repairs at a local shipyard, Hammond said. Also, a bolt lodged in her rudder could be from the damaged sewer pipe, he said. The damaged pipe has been shut down by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. Cost of repairs has not been determined, said Marlen Preston, spokeswoman for the department. (See issue of Mar 20.) DOUBLE STAR (Belize) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred between m container vessel Harbour Bridge (34,285 gt, built 1985) and mv \i\Double Star\r\ (1,100 gt, built 1989) at Tachiura offshore port of Kanmon, North Kyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, at 2130, Mar 15. No personal injury nor water damage, nor oil spill. — Lloyd's Agents. FINNMASTER (Finland) Hull, Mar 21 — Ro-ro mv Finnmaster arrived Hull Mar 18 from Hamina. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 14.) GAZ BARAKA (Panama) Marseilles, Mar 17 — M LPG carrier Gaz Baraka sailed Port de Bouc Mar 15 bound Marseilles. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 17.) GRAND SUCCESS (Panama) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred at 0720, Mar 13, between m bulk carrier Grand Success (23,263 gt, built 1995), loaded with 40,153 tonnes of salt, and fv Hanei Maru (four gross tons) 112 degs, 7.5 miles from Himeshima lighthouse, Oita Prefecture. Grand Success sustained slight scratch damage to her bow and was brought to port of Tokuyama. Hanei Maru was overturned and was towed to the fishing port of Tafuse, Yamaguchi Prefecture, to be landed. — Lloyd's Agents. HANEI MARU (Japan) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred at 0720, Mar 13, between m bulk carrier Grand Success (23,263 gt, built 1995), loaded with 40,153 tonnes of salt, and fv Hanei Maru (four gross tons) 112 degs, 7.5 miles from Himeshima lighthouse, Oita Prefecture. Grand Success sustained slight scratch damage to her bow and was brought to port of


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Tokuyama. Hanei Maru was overturned and was towed to the fishing port of Tafuse, Yamaguchi Prefecture, to be landed. — Lloyd's Agents. HARBOUR BRIDGE (Panama) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred between m container vessel Harbour Bridge (34,285 gt, built 1985) and mv \i\Double Star\r\ (1,100 gt, built 1989) at Tachiura offshore port of Kanmon, North Kyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, at 2130, Mar 15. No personal injury nor water damage, nor oil spill. — Lloyd's Agents. INABUKWA (Indonesia) London, Mar 20 — Following navigation warning was broadcast today: In vicinty of lat 00 37S, long 105 25E, at 1155, UTC, Mar 15, while underway, armed pirates boarded a general cargo vessel (mv Inabukwa) and hijacked her. Soon after, the pirates tied up and blindfolded the 22 crewmembers and dropped them on Pulau Sayap, an uninhabited island in Riau Waters. Local fishermen picked up the crew on Mar. The vessel along with her cargo of tin plates plus concentrates and pepper worth US$2.1 million are missing. Vessels reqested to be caution advised. (See issue of Mar 21.) LU JIANG (Peoples' Republic of China) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred at 0530, Mar 15, between m tanker Tenyoshi Maru (3,384 gt, built 1985) and m container vessel Lu Jiang (2,752 gt, built 1994), 99 degs, 1.54 miles from Mutsurejima lighthouse, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Both vessels continued navigation. — Lloyd's Agents. SAN MATEO (Greece) London, Mar 20 — M chemical tanker San Mateo (8,003 gt, built 1988) experienced overpressurisation of cargo hold at 1915, Mar 17, while discharging a cargo of phenol at Quebec. Vessel sustained structural damage in centre holds Nos 2 and 4, as well as a blown booby hatch. (Note — San Mateo arrived Quebec Mar 17.) TENYOSHI MARU (Japan) Yokohama, Mar 21 — Collision occurred at 0530, Mar 15, between m tanker Tenyoshi Maru (3,384 gt, built 1985) and m container vessel Lu Jiang (2,752 gt, built 1994), 99 degs, 1.54 miles from Mutsurejima lighthouse, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Both vessels continued navigation. — Lloyd's Agents. XL (Malta) Singapore, Mar 21 — M bulk carrier XL sailed Singapore Mar 19. Destination not known. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 9.) OFFSHORE P-36 London, Mar 21 — A press report, dated today, states: The world's biggest offshore oil platform, P-36, where at least 10 workers died in blasts a week ago, sank yesterday in rough seas 120 miles north-east of Rio de Janeiro. Now it is leaking up to 1.5 million litres of crude oil and diesel fuel into the ocean. Henri Philippe Reichstul, president of Petrobras, the state agency that owns the structure, said an oil spill was "inevitable" because the tanks could not withstand the pressure on the seabed 1,360 metres down. The first signs of oil have surfaced but bad weather is hampering attempts by 26 rescue boats to contain the slick with floating booms. Brazil's Environment Ministry sent disaster specialists yesterday. The team, including a naval engineer and biologist, were making flights over the site. A ministry spokesman said: "The slick will be monitored


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER by radar. [But] the chances of it reaching Rio's beaches is very remote. The wind would have to change direction completely to carry it there. At present, it's blowing out to sea." Yesterday morning, P-36 capsized and took 10 minutes to sink to the bottom of the Campos Basin, off the coast of Macae. Relatives of the missing wept. One broke down and had to be driven from Petrobras's base in Macae by ambulance. The nine crewmen are presumed dead, believed trapped in the platform's submerged chambers. A surviving worker is in hospital, with second and third-degree burns on 98 per cent of his body. A Petrobras spokesman, said navy divers, Dutch consultants and engineers tried to refloat the sinking platform by injecting 4,000 tons of nitrogen into the damaged support pillar. But it continued to list because it was flooded with seawater and further efforts to salvage the 40-storey platform stopped early yesterday. (See issue of Mar 21.) PIRACY INDONESIA London, Mar 20 — Following navigation warning was broadcast today: In vicinty of lat 00 37S, long 105 25E, at 1155, UTC, Mar 15, while underway, armed pirates boarded a general cargo vessel (mv Inabukwa) and hijacked her. Soon after, the pirates tied up and blindfolded the 22 crewmembers and dropped them on Pulau Sayap, an uninhabited island in Riau Waters. Local fishermen picked up the crew on Mar. The vessel along with her cargo of tin plates plus concentrates and pepper worth US$2.1 million are missing. Vessels reqested to be caution advised. (See issue of Mar 21.) SEIZURES & ARRESTS SAMARA (St. Vincent & Grenadines) Mumbai, Mar 21 — Mv Samara arrived Mumbai Mar 13 from Jamnagar Terminal. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Jan 8.) SEABREEZE (Sao Tome & Principe) Trieste, Mar 20 — Refrigerated mv Seabreeze is still under arrest at Trieste. — Lloyd's Agents. (Note — Seabreeze arrived Trieste May 11, 1999.) PORT CONDITIONS ITALY Genoa, Mar 20 — Genoa: One container vessel awaiting berth. Average berthing delay one to two days. La Spezia: No vessels waiting for berth. Savona: No vessels waiting for normal berth and one vessel waiting for special berth. — Lloyd's Agents. (See issue of Mar 14.)

SHIPYARD NEWS Optimism over Nils Holgersson delivery date By Sabina Casagrande in Cologne-Thursday March 22 2001 THE new pod for the 34,000 gt ferry Nils Holgersson was expected in Bremerhaven yesterday giving shipyard SSW Fähr und Spezialschiffbau hope that her trial run can take place next week. “If all goes well, we will deliver the ship at the beginning of April,”a yard spokesman told Lloyd’ s List. This would be a welcome start for SSW’ s new managing director, Jürgen Wischer, who will take up his position on April 1. He replaces Fritz-Jürgen Fründt, who only joined the management in January last year. The vessel for Baltic ferry operator TT-Line was originally due for delivery at the end of February. A material fault in the first pod, developed by the Siemens-Schottel consortium, caused the delay. But the spokesman said all was proceeding as scheduled with her sistership Peter Pan . She is expected for delivery in August.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER According to the spokesman, Mr Fründt ’ s appointment had been a “temporary arrangement”following the sudden departure of Michael Teller in 1999. “It was planned this way from the very beginning,”he said. Mr Fründt will be retiring. Mr Wischer, who will be responsible for the commercial side, joins Eckart Knoth on the technical side. Mr Knoth is a trained shipbuilding engineer and came to the yard in October 1998. Mr Wischer is in charge of controlling and finance at SSW.

Dragados wins contract to build Pemex oil platform Thursday March 22 2001 Dragados Offshore, a part of Spanish company Grupo Dragados, has been awarded a contract to build an oil platform for Pemex Exploración y Producción, part of the Mexican Pemexgroup. The Ptas6.5bn ($365m) contract calls for completion within 547 days, starting this month. The oil platform will be installed in the Campeche well in Cantarell Field in the Gulf of Mexico. This turnkey project consists of performing the engineering, acquisitions, construction, assembly and installation of a 1,100 ton platform with 1,330 ton living-quarters module and bridge connecting it to Pemex’ s Akal-G production platform already in operation. Dragados Offshore is the only Spanish company specialising in building jackets, oil platforms, process and service modules, living modules, turrets, anchor and distribution buoys and modular plants. Its most recent projects include the Britannia jacket — the largest plant to be delivered from the group’ s yard in Cadiz, weighing in at 21,000 tons and measuring 158 metres high — and the Öresund Bridge, for which Dragados built 49 deck slabs with a total length of 6.8 kilometres.

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES Uitbreiding van Scan Baltic Express OOCL gaat haar wekelijkse Scan Baltic Express (SBX) uitbreiden. Vanaf medio mei wordt een schip met een capaciteit van 860 teu toegevoegd aan de dienst. Op dit moment opereert OOCL al met twee schepen van 600 teu op de SBX-service.

NAVY NEWS Newport News wins Contract Newport News Shipbuilding has awarded Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, a subcontract to provide the warfare system for the US Navy's next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, CVN 77. The contract, valued at around $446 million, comes after a yearlong competition conducted by Newport News that ended in January 2000. Since that time, NNS and Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER Surveillance-Surface Systems, the lead operating company for this subcontract with Lockheed Martin, have been working together under an Advance Planning Contract to prepare for the full-scale detail design and construction of CVN 77. The warfare system will be delivered as part of Newport News Shipbuilding's $3.8 billion contract from the Navy for CVN 77 that was signed in January 2001. The award to Lockheed also includes an additional $40 million option for exterior communication equipment. Warfare system integration includes improving the interoperability between the sensors, communications systems, aircraft control systems, armaments and other electronics systems on the ship. Enhanced integration of the warfare system is key to reducing man-power requirements on future carriers, which will make them more affordable to the Navy during their planned 50-year service life. With the inclusion of the warfare system as part of the company's prime contract for the CVN 77, NNS is expanding its role as total ship integrator. "This is a first for Newport News Shipbuilding," said Irwin F. Edenzon, vice president, Technology Development and Carrier Fleet Support. "For previous carrier programs, the Navy has provided the warfare system as Government Furnished Equipment . We look forward to continuing our work with Lockheed Martin to provide the Navy the most capable and costeffective ship." CVN 77 is the first step in the Navy's three-ship evolutionary strategy for developing the next class of carriers. "The CVN 77 warfare system will be the first building block to the next class of carriers. We are working with Lockheed Martin to deliver an open architecture, COTS-(commercial-off-the-shelf) based system that will allow us to readily support and upgrade the system over its 50-year service life."

ADSB bids For $500M Contract Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company looks forward to a deal with the UAE navy to provide up to 12 missile patrol boats worth over $500 million. A design concept for a 58m vessel has been developed in conjunction with the French company, Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie and the AUE navy, said William Saltzer, marketing manager of ADSB. Saltzer spoke at the fifth International Defense Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where around 850 international companies from 42 countries exhibited products. He estimated the cost of 12 vessels at over $500 million, adding that that final amount would depend on the equipment installed. He said the project would the biggest undertaken at the yard. America’s Newport News Shipbuilding has a 40 percent stake of ADSB, with the remainder being held by UAE investors and the government. France's CMN is currently acquiring a 10 percent stake of Newport News Shipbuilding in ADSB. The two foreign companies are providing expertise to strengthen the naval shipbuilding industry in the UAE. ADSB won a contract for the UAE navy early this year worth $13.6 to upgrade six missile vessels

USS Constellation CVBG, USS Boxer ARG begin six month deployment San Diego (NNS) -- Nearly 12,000 Sailors and Marines recently began a scheduled six-month deployment while attached to the USS Constellation (CV 64) Battle Group (CVBG) and USS Boxer (LHD 4) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).This will be Constellation's 20th deployment in its 40-year history. The entire battle group has trained the past six months in preparation for this deployment through a series of increasingly challenging exercises and operations. These pre-deployment exercises culminated in February with the successful completion of Joint Task Force Exercise 01-1. In addition to Constellation and the embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, other deploying units


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER included USS Chosin (CG 65), USS Benfold (DDG 65), USS Kinkaid (DD 965), USS Thach (FFG 43), the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg (FFH 338), USS Rainier (AOE 7), and the attack submarines USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) and USS Columbia (SSN 771). Benfold, Kinkaid and Thach left their San Diego homeport March 15. Constellation and CVW-2 departed San Diego March 16. Rainier, based in Bremerton, Wash., and Chosin, Sante Fe, and Columbia, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, departed the following week to join the battle group. The Boxer ARG, which departed San Diego March 13 with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit(Special Operations Capable) embarked, also deployed as a major component of the battle group. Besides USS Boxer, the ARG is comprised of USS Cleveland (LPD 7), and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49). Over the next six months, battle group ships will conduct multinational and joint operations with the navies of various allied countries and visit ports in Western Pacific and Persian Gulf nations. The ships and squadrons are scheduled to return home in September.

GROUNDING OF USS LEYTE GULF NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The commanding officer of the Norfolk-based Aegis cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), Capt. William H. Dunn, was relieved of command March 14 as a result of his ship's momentary grounding off Norfolk, Va.,on Jan. 18. Rear Adm. Michael Malone, commander of Carrier Group 8, issued a punitive letter of reprimand to Dunn following an Article 15 UCMJ administrative hearing on March 7, citing his culpability in the grounding that a Navy investigation determined was caused by significant lapses in navigational procedures and shipboard watchstanding organization. As a result, and due to a loss of confidence by the 2nd Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Mike Mullen, in his ability to remain in command, Dunn was relieved. In a brief ceremony held aboard the ship, Capt. Richard C. Ingram became Leyte Gulf's new commanding officer. Leyte Gulf briefly touched bottom while conducting Shipboard Electronic Systems Evaluation trials in the vicinity of Navy buoy "B" near Chesapeake Light earlier this year. The calibration trials are designed to test the accuracy of naval electronic sensors, such as those used to jam incoming missiles. An underwater inspection of the hull conducted two days after the grounding revealed no significant damage, but the follow-on investigation found that Dunn had failed to take the proper steps to fully prepare his ship for that day's events, which were conducted in the vicinity of shallow water. Some of the ship's nautical charts were not fully annotated, and the ship's watchbill was not being thoroughly adhered to in accordance with standard procedure

… .AT LAST BUT NOT LEAST … .. Hyundai founder Chung dies aged 85 End of rags-to-riches story of the delivery boy who built a mighty industrial empire in the aftermath of a bloody civil war-Thursday March 22 2001 CHUNG Ju-yung, the rags-to-riches founder of South Korea’ s mighty Hyundai industrial empire, died yesterday aged 85, Reuters reports . Born into a poverty-stricken farming family in 1915 in what is now North Korea, Chung helped propel South Korea from the ashes of civil war into an industrial powerhouse. Chung died at 2200 hrs (1300 GMT) in hospital from complications from pneumonia, hospital officials said. Hospital sources said Chung’ s family had gathered at Seoul’ s Asan Medical Centre yesterday as his condition deteriorated and the decision to take him off life support was made in the evening. He is survived by his wife, six sons and a daughter. Mr Chung left home at 18 to seek his fortune against the will of his father who wanted his first son to feed his family.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER He earned his first wage as a rice delivery boy. His first step on the road to riches came with his first ventures, a lorry firm and car repair company in the waning days of Japan’ s 1910-45 occupation of Korea. After the Second World War, he branched out into the construction business, building Hyundai Group into the country’ s largest conglomerate, manufacturing everything from microchips to tankers, mobile phones to cars. Mr Chung’ s drive was legendary, and is characterised by his sale of a ship before Hyundai had even built its shipyards. Hyundai Group was an $80bn global giant until it started to splinter last year, with the spin-off of its auto units and nagging cash shortages at construction, financial and semiconductor affiliates. As problems mounted, Mr Chung declared he would retreat from managing the conglomerate, which includes the world’ s largest shipbuilder, second largest memory-chip maker and South Korea’ s largest construction firm. Earlier this month, affiliate Korea Industrial Development, an apartment builder, collapsed becoming the group’ s first bankruptcy. Two of his sons now run the Hyundai Group and the spun-off Hyundai Motor Group. Mr Chung’ s passion for hard work helped the construction firm and heavy industry affiliates flourish as South Korea industrialised through the 1960s and 1970s. “Hard work, creativity and a capacity never to give up — this is the essence of Chung’ s life,”said Richard Steers, the author of his biography, ‘ Made in Korea’ . Mr Chung also wrote an autography, in which he said work is ageless. “There is no such thing as getting old in work. There is always new work for the best worker and passion,”he said. A Seoul court sentenced Mr Chung to three years in jail for embezzlement and fraud during his campaign for South Korea’ s presidency in 1992, later suspending the sentence. He often complained the government was too heavy-handed with big business and petitioned for a freer business environment under a succession of dictators. “Chung Ju-yung was a businessman but he was also a revolutionary,”said journalist Mark Clifford in his book on South Korea, ‘ Troubled Tiger’ . Chung’ s ties to what is now North Korea made him a strong advocate of doing business with the long isolated north and prompted Hyundai to sign a $942m investment pact with Pyongyang in 1998. He also visited the North, shepherding hundreds of cattle to his homeland.

Zelfbestuur 22 Mar 2001 Dan doen we het zelf, zo riep havenwethouder Hans Simons, het gedoe in den Haag over onze nieuwe Maasvlakte zat. Het signaal naar het Rijk is overduidelijk: 'Jullie mogen blíj zijn als jullie mogen meedoen met het uitbreiden van de grootste haven ter wereld. Graag of niet, hoor.' En het signaal naar Rotterdam is nog duidelijker: we gaan het zelf doen. We gaan zelf besluiten, zelf bepalen wáárom en hóe we het willen doen, zelf voor het geld zorgen en zelf bepalen hoeveel we daarmee willen verdienen. Allereerst: zelf besluiten. Geen vage projectgroepen meer, geen ambtelijke voorportalen, onder- en nevenraden van de ministerraad, nee, zélf besluiten. Eindelijk gaat de Rotterdamse gemeenteraad, ons stadsbestuur, regelmatig overleg voeren met partijen in Rotterdam en daarbuiten over hoe de haven er in de toekomst er uit zal gaan zien. Het is maar goed dat we het Gemeentelijk Havenbedrijf Rotterdam niet op afstand hebben gezet, want dat zullen we nog hard nodig hebben als uitvoerende dienst voor de besluiten van onze volksvertegenwoordigers. Nog net op tijd hebben we dus ook een openbare, zelfs Europese, aanbesteding van de uitvoering van onze strategische plannen weten te voorkomen. Zelf doen: geen nieuw praatcircus starten, maar wel heel helder en overtuigend met elkaar, met de hele Rotterdamse gemeenschap, nog eens bepalen wáárom we het ook alweer doen.


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER We willen de haven uitbreiden omdat we de beste van de wereld willen zijn, omdat we de eeuwig lijkende tegenstelling tussen bedrijvigheid en leefbaarheid willen verzoenen. Daar hebben we ruimte voor nodig. En met de ruimte die we hebben, de fysieke ruimte en de milieuruimte, zullen we uiterst zorgvuldig omgaan. Het is tenslotte onze eigen achtertuin. Zelf doen: we kunnen dan ook zelf bepalen hóe we het doen. Dankzij het rijk, dat treuzelend en aarzelend heeft afgehaakt, zijn we verlost van het moeilijke vraagstuk hoe we de bestaande haven kunnen beheren naast dat nieuwe stuk zand-met-kades. Het havenbeheer is en blijft een en ondeelbaar. Want we gaan het zelf doen. Zelf doen: dan moeten we dus ook zelf voor het geld zorgen. Ai. We moeten dan wel zelf een paar miljard gulden ophoesten. Of lenen. Genoemd wordt een mogelijke opbrengst van 1,5 miljard uit de verkoop van aandelen ENECO. Is die beer al geschoten dan? Als we daarna botje bij botje leggen, bijvoorbeeld door een pakket aandelen van 300 miljoen in ECT te verpatsen en de rest netjes bij te lenen, komt de twijfel. We doen het zelf. We willen er dus ook zelf wat aan verdienen. Maatschappelijk rendement staat voorop, financieel rendement moet ook, want de leningen moeten afbetaald. De stad heeft zich van oudsher uit de verdiensten van de haven kunnen ontwikkelen, maar de vraag is of de stad het rendement van haveninvesteringen op den duur voldoende blijft vinden. De aarzelingen van het rijk zouden dan wel eens onze eigen aarzelingen kunnen worden. En de Rotterdammers? Zijn we het er al over eens dat we al die bij elkaar geschraapte reserves van de stad in zand en kades gaan steken? De spaarcenten van de stad kunnen tenslotte in nog veel meer mooie dingen gestoken worden: een tiptop CS-gebied ('we gaan het zelf doen !'), het terugkopen van de Oude Haven-omgeving van projectontwikkelaar NS, een nieuwe stadsbrug van Kralingen naar Feijenoord ('we gaan het zelf doen !'), een eigen letterenfaculteit, noem maar op. Een moeilijke, spannende, en voor de toekomst van de stad bepalende keuze. Wordt ons nog iets gevraagd, bijvoorbeeld in een referendum ? Wie heel goed weet wáárom we het doen, en ook hóe we het op de beste manier kunnen doen, kan de uitslag van zo'n referendum vol vertrouwen tegemoet zien: Rotterdam gaat het zelf doen !

'Jammerverhalen' vallen verkeerd PvdA-kamerlid wordt beroerd van klaagzang over Tweede Maasvlakte Politiek Den Haag moet meer oog hebben voor de belangen van de Rotterdamse haven die al geruime tijd tegen een dreigend ruimtetekort aanhikt. Dus moet er ook eindelijk eens vaart komen in de plannen voor de aanleg van de Tweede Maasvlakte, is een veelgehoorde klacht van onder meer het Gemeentelijk Havenbedrijf Rotterdam. Desnoods legt de gemeente Rotterdam die extra haventerreinen zelf aan, sprak de deze week vertrekkende havenwethouder Hans Simons eerder deze maand. PvdAkamerlid Jaap Jelle Feenstra lijkt niet onder de indruk van de woorden van zijn partijgenoot. Den Haag ; De Haagse politiek treuzelt te veel met de aanleg van de Tweede Maasvlakte en het kabinet trekt te weinig geld uit voor de uitbreiding van de Rotterdamse haven. Kritiek die bij het PvdA- kamerlid Jaap Jelle Feenstra volkomen verkeerd is gevallen. ,,De Rotterdamse jammerverhalen zijn onterecht, het is een klaagzang waar ik echt beroerd van wordt. Het ligt níet aan de Kamer en zeker niet aan de PvdA. Wij zijn juist zeer behulpzaam geweest.'' Feenstra wijst op twee door hem ingediende moties die door de Tweede Kamer zijn aangenomen. ,,Wij willen met het tijdig aangeven van een helder kader voorkomen dat de Tweede Maasvlakte in eenzelfde moeras komt als luchthaven Schiphol,'' legt hij uit. ,,Enerzijds zorgen we ervoor dat de economie én de leefbaarheid in het Rijnmond-gebied beter wordt, de zogenoemde dubbele doelstelling. Daarnaast willen we de 750 hectare groen zeker stellen.'' Volgens Feenstra wordt daarmee gewerkt aan een akkoord over het Project Mainportontwikkeling Rotterdam (PMR), de organisatie die een kabinetsbesluit over het Rotterdamse ruimtetekort voorbereidt. ,,Een overeenkomst levert een hoger uitvoeringstempo


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DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER op dan onenigheid, ook dat leert Schiphol. De beide moties zijn kamerbreed gesteund.'' Volgens Feenstra staat minister Netelenbos van Verkeer en Waterstaat (ook PvdA) te trappelen haar plannen te presenteren. Een zogeheten planologische kernbeslissing (PKB) wordt in de loop van de volgende maand verwacht. ,,Maar kennelijk is er weerstand, ik vermoed bij het ministerie van Financiën.'' De Haagse PvdA'er zou het waarderen als Rotterdammers in hun kritiek man en paard zouden durven noemen. ,,Maar dat gebeurt nu niet.'' Feenstra stelt vast dat de problemen op dit moment liggen bij de financiering van het miljardenproject. ,,Het kabinet wil een volwaardige constructie van publiek- private samenwerking, PPS. Een opzet waarbij de overheid en het bedrijfsleven samen betalen. ,,Van mij mag PPS best, maar het hoeft niet. Bepalend is dat de goedkoopste oplossing voor de belastingbetaler wordt gebruikt. Nu wordt PPS opgehemeld tot een soort geloofsartikel en daar voel ik niks voor.'' Voor Feenstra is infrastructuur een publieke zaak, net als de haventerreinen. ,,PPS kan interessant zijn, maar we kunnen de uitbreiding ook geheel financieren met publiek geld van Rotterdam en het rijk. Dat moet vervolgens uit de verkoop van de grond terugkomen.''

Traag Het kamerlid ontkent dat de voorstellen voor de Tweede Maasvlakte te traag lopen. ,,Pertinent niet waar. Het eerste Kamerdebat over PMR was in december 1997, de planning gaat uit van een eindbeslissing in december van dit jaar. Dat is vier jaar en internationaal gezien allesbehalve langzaam. Nederlanders praten zichzelf traagheid aan, maar in bijvoorbeeld Duitsland zijn ze stinkend jaloers op ons tempo en doorzettingsvermogen.'' Feenstra meent dat de voortgang niet ten koste mag gaan van kwaliteit en zorgvuldigheid. ,,We maken daarom een maatschappelijke kosten-baten-analyse, er komt een PKB met een milieu-effect-rapportage en we onderzoeken een gefaseerde aanleg. Beter kan toch niet.'' De parlementariër gaat er vanuit dat het huidige kabinet nog een besluit neemt over het ruimtetekort in de Rotterdamse haven. ,,Dat hebben we in het regeerakkoord vastgelegd. Als er in april een voorstel ligt, dan kunnen we met de inspraak eind dit jaar een uitgewerkt plan hebben.'' Feenstra gelooft niet dat de Tweede Maasvlakte nog een hobbel kan vormen voor het paarse kabinet. ,,Dat geld moet gevonden kunnen worden, bovendien is er een mainport-notitie uitgebracht waarin het belang van de haven is onderstreept.'' Het kamerlid vindt dat er nu eindelijk eens over inhoud gesproken moet worden. ,,Het is tot dusverre vooral een bestuurlijke discussie geweest tussen de verschillende lagen, over geld en over hectares. Rotterdam verdient de ambitie om ook de schoonste haven van de wereld te worden. Daarom moet nu centraal staan hoe we die haven schoon én veilig inrichten en hoe we een optimale ontsluiting organiseren per water en spoor.''

Rotterdam ziet af van schadeclaims na blokkade vissers ROTTERDAM (ANP) - De gemeente Rotterdam zal geen schadeclaims indienen tegen vissers die betrokken waren bij de blokkade van de haven op 1 maart. Dat heeft wethouder H. Simons (havens) woensdag laten weten. Hij sluit overigens niet uit dat de gemeente claims die derden bij haar leggen, alsnog probeert te verhalen op de betrokken organisaties. In een brief aan de Federatie van Visserijverenigingen en de Nederlandse Vissersbond noemt Simons de acties disproportioneel. De actie leidde tot grote problemen en soms tot gevaarlijke situaties, schrijft de wethouder. Hij wijst er verder op dat de gemeente noch de betrokken bedrijven partij waren in het conflict.


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The hunt for fraudulent certificates THE USCG has tracked down three-quarters of the 650 blank seafarer licences found to be missing from its San Juan, Puerto Rico branch licensing office. Coastguard teams throughout the US have checked every mariner’ s licence during every commercial vessel boarding or inspection since investigations kicked off last year. Meanwhile, the IMB this week warned ship owners to scrutinise crew documents closely, especially on crew changes in politically unstable regions. "There is now great concern over authenticity of certificates," it told the Malaysian press. Fairplay’ s cover story this week looks at just how widespread fraudulent certification is and what can be done to prevent it. It highlights how easy it was for the ITF to buy a fraudulent certificate from a maritime administration, and how a PSC inspection uncovered a 20-year-old with a master’ s licence


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9,000 Filipinos given STCW papers By Alec Almazan in Manila-Thursday March

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