Text : Capt Kees Pronk Master SMITWIJS SINGAPORE

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER : Thursday 20-06-2002

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

BONGA PROJECT Photo’ s / Text : Capt Kees Pronk – Master SMITWIJS SINGAPORE Left : The 3 tugs , DE-DA , SMITWIJS SINGAPORE and JOHN ROSS awaiting the readiness of the BONGA in the Port of Masan in South Korea. In front is Capt Kees Pronk of the SMITWIJS SINGPORE watching the scene.

The contract of the towage of the BONGA FPSO from South Korea towards the Tyne (UK) was awarded to SMITWIJS TOWAGE BV which is using tugs SMITWIJS SINGAPORE , DE-DA and JOHN ROSS out of the Global Towing Alliance pool to execute this operation.

PSi-Daily Shipping News

Page 1

6/19/2002


After a few weeks waiting in Masan final underway with the Bonga The trip will follow the following route : South China Sea > Karimata Strait > Java Sea > Sunda Straits > Indian Ocean > Gulf of Aden towards Suez where the transport is expect to arrive during the end of August. At present the transport is making 5 knots speed, and when the transport passes Singapore all tugs will leave one by one the transport to take fuel and before the Sunda Straits are passed the trio will be back again in front of the BONGA for the Indian Ocean passage. The transport is due to arrive in Newcastle-on-Tyne early October.

New order brings Brazil yard fear BRAZIL'S state oil company Petrobras has awarded a $244M contract for an offshore oil platform to Singaporean company Jurong, which owns Mauá shipyard in Rio de Janeiro. The contract will provide work for 8,500 workers, and underscores a long-hoped for revival of Brazil's shipbuilding industry. Jurong is also awaiting final government approval for another $244M Petrobras tanker newbuilding order at its Eisa shipyard. The contract win has renewed concerns over growing foreign control of Brazil's core shipbuilding activities. Three of its top yards are controlled by Singapore, with Fels controlling Brasfels and Jurong taking stakes in CNN/Mauá and recently acquiring EISA.

Lines call for Japan pilotage cut THE Japan Foreign Steamship Association (JFSA), representing foreign lines, has written to the government and the Japanese Pilots’Association asking for a major cut in pilot charges, which it says are the highest in the world. JFSA managing director Yasuaki Aikawa said its survey had revealed that pilotage in Tokyo, at ¥1,113 ($9) per TEU for a 4,500-TEU ship was 11 times higher than in Busan (¥99) and 20 times higher than in Singapore (¥55). Comparable costs in Hong Kong are ¥164, in Hamburg ¥872, in Southampton ¥372, and in New York ¥972. “The current tariffs have been unchanged since the days when the dollar was worth ¥360,”Aikawa said, adding the rates should be cut by two-thirds. Maersk VP Hiroyuki Kataoka said: “A pilotage cut is urgently needed, together with a review of various practices, such as the compulsory employment of a pilot and a legal clause discriminating against foreign shipping lines


Page 2

6/19/2002


Officers lose on penalties THE master and chief engineer of a Panama-flagged vessel have been fined in China for remaining ashore overnight, after falling asleep in a Shanghai bar where they were watching the World Cup. Kim Ilwan, the master, and the chief engineer left a vessel reportedly named the Baolang at about 1600 on June 1. After drinking and watching football at a bar in the Hengshan Road, they reportedly fell asleep and did not wake up until 0600 the following morning. They rushed back to their ship by taxi, but were found guilty of violating the Chinese law that bans foreign seafarers from staying ashore overnight. They were fined CNY 400 (about $50).

Brilliance hits submerged object THE 90,090-GT cruise ship newbuilding Brilliance of the Seas has hit a submerged unidentified object while on sea trials in the North Sea and will undergo dry-docking and inspection at Lloyd Werft at the end of this week. Shipbuilder Meyer Werft said the incident happened during the second of the trial runs, which started on June 15, after the first was carried out “successfully”. The ship is the second in a series of four newbuildings for Royal Caribbean International and had been moved from Papenburg to Eemshaven last week following several days’delay caused by low water in the Ems river. Delivery is scheduled for the beginning of July, after more trial runs and final fitting out at Eemshaven. Its christening is planned for July 13 at Harwich, UK.

Greeks seek Turkish seafarer AN air-sea search was launched this morning in the north Aegean Sea for a Turkish seaman who is believed to have fallen overboard from the Turkish-flag dry cargo vessel Fikret Atasoy. The incident was reported to the Greek SAR centre while the ship was sailing to the west of Lesvos island, en route from Koper, Slovenia, to Gemlik in Turkey. The search, which involves three Greek coast guard patrol boats, one Greek navy frigate and one SAR aircraft, has so far failed to locate the missing crew member.

APL voted Shipping Line of the Year APL, the container carrier owned by Singapore's Neptune Orient Line (NOL), has been voted "Shipping Line of the Year" at the International Freighting Weekly (IFW) Freighting Industry Awards 2002. The TT Club is this year's sponsor. The panel of independent judges said in their citation that "APL provided clear evidence of improved and expanded services to shippers, with new route launches and new offices, as well as additional IT products." Singled out for praise was the line's investment in staff, in particular its "Global Campus" scheme. The Global Campus is an online university using a blended approach of face-to-face and web-based learning tools like chatrooms and online instructor-led courses. With it, NOL employees have access to learning anytime, from anywhere in the world. APL's intermodal developments in Europe were also considered impressive. Peter Hall, APL's managing director for the UK, when accepting the award, said: "It is a recognition not just of the progress made by the UK and European teams over the last 12 months, but also of the achievements of the whole organisation during what has been a difficult year for the liner industry."


Page 3

6/19/2002

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER The awards presentation was held in front of 650 guests at the City of London Headquarters of the Honourable Artillery Company. The ceremony was hosted by BBC broadcasting personality, John Humphrys.

Crew rescued off Somalia

TWENTY crewmen from a cargo ship reportedly named the Ali Bella have been rescued from the high seas off Mogadishu after the ship’ s engine broke down on May 29, according to the Gulf Times. Other media have reported the ship being named Bella 1, a 6,208-DWT Tongan-registered general cargo ship. The crew, comprising 19 Indian and one Sri Lankan seafarer, are said to have battled for their lives in the Indian Ocean for nearly a fortnight before being rescued by British naval vessel HMS Diligence. They reached Sultan Qaboos port in Muscat on June 17, the newspaper said. The fate of the cargo ship is not known to Fairplay but a Lloyd’ s Open Form is said to have been signed with salvor Tsavliris Russ.

Singapore tug crew abducted FOUR Indonesian crew members on the Singapore tug SM 88 were abducted by armed robbers on June 17 as the tug was towing a barge laden with coal from Indonesia to Cebu in the Philippines. The kidnapping took place off Tamuk island on June 17. The pirates, carrying rifles, intercepted the tug after firing warning shots indicating to the crew to stop. Seven men boarded the tug and ordered the master, chief officer, chief engineer and second officer to board their speedboat, which according to Singapore’ s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), sped off towards Jolo island. The kidnappers removed communications equipment and disabled the tug’ s radio, but the remaining crew managed to mend it and call for help. The tug is owned by Intone, a member of Singapore’ s Labroy group. Philippines armed forces suspect the gunmen are linked to the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which specialises in kidnappings for ransom. The Philippine coast guard has mounted a search with the aid of helicopters.

Theft hits Nigerian oil exports THEFT from Nigerian oil producing installations is losing the country 20,000 to 30,000 bpd in crude oil exports and is spawning illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta, oil industry sources have reported. According to the country’ s Guardian newspaper, those involved in the illicit trade initially siphon the crude into coastal barges, which is then transferred into light vessels anchored offshore. Oil products eventually find their way into neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, where refineries that have remained idle for months have recently been taking regular supplies for processing. The porous nature of Nigeria’ s coastal areas and the lack of effective patrol strategy in the Niger Delta swamp area continues to encourage the illegal activities, the report says. Nevertheless, the Nigerian Navy in Port Harcourt earlier this month arrested two ships and their crews for illegal crude oil bunkering in the area, said commanding naval officer Rear Admiral Anthonio Bob-Manuel, who also confirmed that nine oil barges had been arrested and destroyed. “We are going to make life even tougher for oil bunkerers with our strengthened fleet soon to be complemented by assault helicopters,”he declared.


Page 4

6/19/2002


Zeevaartschool sluipenderwijs de stad uit AMSTERDAM - De hogere zeevaartschool van Amsterdam, de oudste maritieme opleiding van het land, heeft in de hoofdstad geen praktijkonderdelen meer. Opleidingsschip de Gyrinus en de simulatoren waarop studenten in nagebootste omstandigheden leren varen, zijn verhuisd naar de zusteropleiding in IJmuiden. Deze week zijn de laatste onderdelen overgebracht. Nadat twee jaar geleden al de Kweekschool voor de Zeevaart was gesloten, het 215 jaar oude internaat aan de Prins Hendrikkade, leren de studenten in Amsterdam ook niet meer varen. De draagvleugelboot van het Centraal Station naar IJmuiden vaart voortaan drie kilometer verder door naar het gebouw aan de Noordzee, naast de zeesluis, waar ze van hun Amsterdamse docenten les krijgen. De opleiding hydrografie - dieptes meten en kaarten maken - verhuist naar de zeevaartschool van Terschelling. De maritieme hbo-opleiding van de Hogeschool van Amsterdam gaat nauw samenwerken met het mbo-equivalent van het Nova College in IJmuiden en de vmbo-zeevaartschool van het Noordzeecollege, verspreid over Kennemerland. Het samenwerkingsverband, onder de naam Maritieme Academie Amsterdam, moet leiden tot meer leerlingen. De afgelopen zes jaar is het aantal inschrijvers bij de nautische opleidingen gehalveerd. In Amsterdam schreven zich jaarlijks nog maar een handvol studenten in. Ook het doorstromen van vmbo naar mbo en van mbo naar hbo moet zo worden bevorderd. De 'Amsterdammers' moeten voortaan de eerste twee studiejaren, waarin ze leren varen, naar IJmuiden. Voor het derde jaar van de opleiding tot maritiem officier (marof) en verwante afstudeerrichtingen komen ze terug naar Amsterdam, voor het 'papieren gedeelte' rond onder meer management. Het laatste jaar studeren ze 'buiten de deur' af, bij een bedrijf. Maatregelen zijn hoognodig, aangezien het aantal studenten dat zich voor het eerste jaar van de zeevaartschool inschrijft, de afgelopen jaren gestaag is gedaald van ooit honderd, via 85 naar de uiteindelijke 25 tot dertig. ''Door de hechte samenwerking moeten we dat zien om te buigen,'' zegt directeur Aad van der Poel van de richting Industriële en Maritieme Technieken van de Hogeschool van Amsterdam. Of het niet erg is dat de hoofdstad van de VOC en het maritieme verleden van het land nu geen praktische zeevaartopleiding meer heeft? ''De historie brengt emoties met zich mee. Maar als je het niet kunt betalen op de oude manier, houdt het op. Wat weet de moderne jeugd nog van Piet Hein? Ze krijgen straks les in een prachtige nautische omgeving, met uitzicht over schepen op zee. Je hoeft niet op Jupiter te zitten om IJmuiden als één met Amsterdam te zien. Twintig kilometer, waar praten we over?'' Van der Poel ziet volop kansen. ''De scheepvaart is een zeer boeiend, dynamisch en modern bedrijf. We zien nu al dat door deze stap het aantal inschrijvers wellicht tot 35 stijgt. Wie weet komt het ooit tot een Maritieme Academie Nederland, samen met ook de andere drie hbo's in Rotterdam, Vlissingen en op Terschelling.'' Directeur Jan Wieger Hof van de unit Scheepvaart Transport en Logistiek van het Nova College is eveneens vol goede moed. ''In de nieuwe opzet kunnen de studenten beter doorstromen en werken we veel efficiënter. We staan al jaren onder druk, dus moeten we iets. De scheepvaartschool weg uit Amsterdam? Zie IJmuiden maar als Amsterdam-West.''


Page 5

6/19/2002


CASUALTY REPORTING Kustwacht Antillen en Aruba ingezet bij zoekactie naar vermiste boot

De Kustwachtcutter Poema van de Kustwacht voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba wordt momenteel ingezet bij een grote zoekactie naar een vermist bootje. Onder leiding van de Franse Autoriteiten op Sint Maarten wordt sinds zondagavond gezocht naar het bootje, met naar verluid 35 opvarenden, dat zaterdagavond gezonken zou zijn. De zoekactie begon nadat op zondag (16 juni) omstreeks 23.33 uur er ten westen van Sint Maarten drie personen in het water werden gesignaleerd. Daarvan is één persoon door een passerende zeilboot uit het water gehaald. De twee andere personen zijn tot op heden nog niet teruggevonden. De persoon die uit het water werd gehaald verklaarde dat de boot op zaterdagavond met ongeveer 35 personen aan boord vanuit Sint Maarten was vertrokken en dat de boot na een ontploffing aan boord was gezonken. Zondag werd een andere overlevende bij een baai in St. Martin, het Franse gedeelte Sint Maarten, aangetroffen. Door Fort de France, onder wiens Search And Rescue-gebied deze baai valt, werd vervolgens ook een verzoek ingediend om de Antilliaanse politiehelikopter van Sint Maarten en de Kustwachtcutter Poema in te zetten voor de zoekactie. Samen met het Rescue and Coordination Centre op Curaçao en Puerto Rico hebben de Fransen vervolgens een zoekplan ingesteld, waar een Franse marine vliegtuig, een Franse landmacht helikopter, een Amerikaanse marine vliegtuig van het type Hercules en een Amerikaanse marine helikopter aan meedoen. Voor wat betreft de zoekactie op het water word een Franse cutter van de Gendarmerie, een Franse cutter van de Douane en de Kustwachtcutter Poema van de van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba van het steunpunt op Sint Maarten ingezet. Beide overlevenden hebben volgens hun eigen verklaring de Haitiaanse nationaliteit en bevestigden dat er zich aan boord Chinezen en Dominicanen bevonden.


Page 6

6/19/2002


SHIPYARD NEWS Brazilian builders step up pressure BRAZILIAN shipbuilding lobbyists are putting pressure on the country’ s richest oil state to tax foreignbuilt oil platforms to protect the local industry. The pressure on Rio de Janeiro governor Beneditna da Silva has intensified since Friday’ s decision by federally-controlled oil company Petrobras to award a $244M FPSO conversion contract to Singapore’ s Jurong shipyard. Brazil’ s Fels Setal yard lost the bid to convert the VLCC Felipe Camarao, according to Petrobras, because it was six per cent more expensive. The Rio government has criticised Jurong for not opting to use its two Rio yards to fulfil the contract and says there is nothing to stop more Brazilian newbuilding jobs going offshore. Da Silva’ s office has received a number of submissions from ‘ local interests’urging him to use his executive power to tax foreign-built rigs entering his state’ s waters, where most of Brazil’ s oil is exploited. The governor has until June 21 to either veto or support a recently-passed draft law to impose an 18 per cent tax on such rigs, a tax that currently applies only to locally-built platforms.

ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES Tweede Zandkreekbrug geopend KATS - De Tweede brug over de Zandkreekdam bij Kats is geopend. De brug moet een einde betekenen aan de fileproblemen op de N256.


Page 7

6/19/2002


Greeks fear ferry chaos GREEK ferry services are threatened with indefinite standstill from tomorrow as seafaring unions prepare to launch a series of 48-hour strikes over demands related to pension and unemployment benefits. The Panhellenic Seamen’ s Federation (PNO) has called its 14 member-unions to action after an earlier agreement with shipping minister George Anomeritis on improved pensions and unemployment allowances met the opposition of the finance minister. The annual budget cost from the unions’demands is estimated at euro120M ($114M). PNO has despatched representatives to major Greek ports to make sure that all Greek crews take part in the action. Apart from the domestic ferry network, a large number of Greek-flag ferries on the Greece-Italy line are expected to be affected. The Union of Coastal Shipowners, representing Greek ferry operators, has appealed to the finance minister for a solution to avert the strike, saying that the sector faces a huge amount of booking cancellations from travel agents abroad.

Safmarine teams up with Unicorn in Africa service

SAFMARINE Container Lines and Grindrod Limited have announced a joint venture for African coastal liner shipping services. The new venture - Unifeeder (Pty) Limited - has been formed to better serve shippers trading in subSaharan Africa, the carriers say. The new company will commence operations subject to approval for the transaction from the Competition Commission. "We are delighted to have formed this joint venture with Grindrod," said Jan Scheck, Safmarine's Africa region executive. "Together, we have more experience than any other company in providing customised shipping solutions in the African coastal liner trade lanes, as well as containerised intermodal operations to and from a significant number of landlocked countries in the region." "The new joint venture, which will operate in the coastal range between Luanda in Angola and Mombasa in Kenya, is an exciting development for Grindrod Limited as it reaffirms our commitment to the region," said Ivan Clark, managing director of Grindrod Limited. The new company will independently market its services under the twin brands Unicorn Lines and Unifeeder, and will continue to provide coastal shipping services as well as feeder connections for international carriers within the port range. Dave Rennie, chief executive of Unicorn Lines, will head the new joint venture company from his Durban base, assisted by his existing team of colleagues.

Ferry merger talks break down MERGER talks between Athens-listed ferry operators ANEK Lines and Strintzis Lines have broken down three weeks after they started. A brief statement issued yesterday said the two companies, in the presence of their bankers Alpha Finance and Piraeus Bank, had decided to discontinue merger negotiations. No reason was given. However, according to ANEK chief executive Stelios Zampetakis, the talks ended after the two sides failed to agree on a common evaluation method for their assets. Some analysts attribute the development to the fact that the merger did not gather enough support from a powerful cluster of ANEK shareholders in Crete who are challenging the company’ s control at the June 30 annual meeting. Meanwhile, Hellas Flying Dolphins is still talking to NEL Lines regarding a possible absorption through which HFD will gain access to the Athens stock market. Both sides are quietly optimistic about the outcome.


Page 8

6/19/2002


Liner restructuring gets underway THE first of 12 container ships in the 3,500-4,000 TEU range for the Cosco/K Line/Yang Ming Pacific and Atlantic services berthed at Bremerhaven – the German port of call – for the first time today. The service restructuring means two of the group’ s North Atlantic services will be terminated and the three Asian partners will operate ships of smaller capacity than previously. The group will maintain a fourvessel service between the US East Coast and the Mediterranean and also deploy ships operated by Americana Ships and the Grand Alliance on the North Atlantic. The 12 ships operated on the Pacific/Atlantic service will call at the Chinese ports of Qingdao, Shanghai and Yantian, then Hong Kong before sailing eastbound to Charleston, Norfolk, New York and Boston and on to Antwerp, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, and Le Havre.

Durban crane collapses A TEN-ton crane at a dry-dock in Durban collapsed this morning while lifting a ship’ s gangway, resulting in the jib and main body, including the cab, crashing onto the quayside alongside the dock. The crane driver was injured in the accident and has been admitted to hospital, where he is reported to be in a stable condition. Dockyard manager Rob Twelves told Fairplay he could not confirm that the slewing ring bearing had sheared causing the crane to collapse. “We have our suspicions, but they will have to wait the results of a full investigation.”Twelves said that work on the two ships in the dock – China Shipping’ s 6,700-DWT asphalt tanker Ping An Hai and Columbia Shipmanagement's 16,231DWT tanker Nino – would not be interrupted as there was another eight-ton crane that would be relocated from elsewhere in the dockyard.

Delta Queen passenger vessels to roll on the river again The Mississippi Queen, Delta Queen and American Queen, prominent overnight passenger vessels for American Classic Voyages Co. before it filed for bankruptcy in October, are under new ownership. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Delaware North Companies Inc. bought the vessels at auction in Chicago on May 3. The winning bid was $80 million.

Delaware North, with strong roots in the hospitality industry, runs food services in the U.S., Canada and the Pacific Rim, and also operates lodging facilities at national parks including Grand Canyon and Yosemite. In addition, the company owns the Fleet Center in Boston. Delaware North will continue to manage the boats under the brand name Delta Queen Steamboat Co., which was part of the deal. The company said its base of operations would be in New Orleans, with most of the existing employees there expected to be retained. “We were very impressed with the local management and talent,”said Dennis Szefel, president of Delaware North Hospitality and Entertainment Group. “Our hope is that we can preserve this operation’ s most valuable resource— its employees. Their knowledge of the rivers and the company’ s history, along with the exceptional skill it takes to operate these vessels, is incredibly important to the ongoing success of these operations.” Szefel said Delaware North was one of five active bidders for the boats. Federal regulatory approval of the sale is expected in late May. “I don’ t see any negatives,”said the Passenger Vessel Association’ s regulatory affairs consultant, Pete Lauridsen. “Certainly there is going to be a steep learning curve.”


Page 9

6/19/2002

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER The Mississippi Queen, built for the nation’ s bicentennial in 1976, resumed sailing May 7 with a sevenday trip from New Orleans to Memphis, Tenn. It was at 90 percent capacity. The vessel had halted operations right after the bankruptcy. The Delta Queen, which was built in 1927, is scheduled to resume sailing Aug. 26. It ceased operating in January. The American Queen was built in 1995. No date had yet been set for that boat to sail as WorkBoat went to press. The Columbia Queen, which operated in the Northwest and was also slated to be auctioned, was pulled from the bidding. There was no reason given. Jeff Kindl is vice president of RiverBarge Excursion Lines Inc., which operates the 732' River Explorer, an overnight passenger vessel based in New Orleans that can accommodate 198 guests in 99 staterooms. Kindl said he doesn’ t expect the return of the steamboats to adversely affect his company’ s business: “There’ s plenty of room for all of us. Our focus is outward, toward the towns we visit and the culture. They have an inward focus on the vessel and Victorian times. We didn’ t expect the boats to go away.” Kindl said his boat is operating at an average of 70 percent capacity and expects to hold its own once Delta Queen’ s boats are fully operational again. American Classic Voyages began running into financial difficulty soon after a billion-dollar expansion program in 1999, which extended its business base to a lock it had on Hawaii. The company also aimed to increase service along the East and West coasts with small coastal vessels. A year later, the parent company consolidated its operations and moved from Chicago to south Florida. AMCV’ s home base in New Orleans also went there, at a cost of 300 jobs in the area. “A shift in the focus of the business probably was the primary reason”AMCV began to suffer, said Cornel Martin, former vice president of corporate affairs for AMCV who now owns a consulting firm in New Orleans. “What happened is, American Classic Voyages started gearing up for the coming of the Patriot (for Hawaii). Focus shifted from river water to blue water. And, the shift to south Florida led to a lot of distractions.” “The main thing is to get financial backing and get them up and running,”said Lauridsen. “When you get too many irons in the fire, you tend not to attend to business.” Delaware North had revenues last year of $1.6 billion.

NAVY NEWS USS VICKSBURG In monsoon seas of almost 20 feet, USS Vicksburg (CG 69) and its embarked thelicopter detachment, "Proud Warrior," responded to a distress call and effected the rescue of all 16 crew members of a merchant vessel yesterday off the coast of Oman. The vessel, Al Murtada,


Page 10

6/19/2002

DAILY SHIPPING NEWSLETTER was adrift without propulsion or electrical power and was believed to have been drifting for 11 days, before depleted food and water supplies, coupled with poor sea and weather conditions necessitated the crew abandon ship. Al Murtada was directed to remove their forward mast light pole, to permit safe hover over the forward portion of the vessel. Within nine hours, all 16 crew members were successfully transferred to Stolt Spray who reported they would debark their passengers at Kandla, India

USS PEARL HARBOUR USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) returned to her namesake port in Hawaii last Friday after a deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Pearl Harbor was part of the USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which included the lead ship -- USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) -- with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) embarked, and USS Ogden (LPD 5). The three ships and Camp Pendleton's 13th MEU(SOC) have been deployed since Dec. 1. "When entering Pearl Harbor, I always think about what an honor it is to be assigned to Pearl Harbor," said Cmdr. Ronald W. Kennedy, commanding officer, USS Pearl Harbor. "I also know that many of the Sailors I serve with have expressed similar feelings." Pearl Harbor, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship, was commissioned May 30, 1998, and made her inaugural visit to Pearl Harbor on Aug. 17 later that year. The ship has since visited its namesake port once, last December for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. By the photo : Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Diego Gamboa from San Diego, CA, proposes to fiancée Seaman Renee Sanchez from Witchita Falls, KS, on the pier in front of USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52). Sanchez (who accepted the proposal) is a deck seaman aboard the amphibious warfare ship and Gamboa is stationed at Naval Station San Diego. USS Pearl Harbor is part of the USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and stopped in Pearl Harbor for a port visit after a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom

Last section of "Kursk" wreckage raised

The Russian Navy has raised the last parts of the wrecked nuclear submarine "Kursk" which went down nearly two years ago, following an explosion. The Russians now hope to find the cause of the explosion, which sent the sub to the bottom, killing all the 118 sailors onboard. The experts are particularly interested in the launching tubes for the torpedoes.They believe a faulty torpedo may be the most likely cause of the explosion. The major parts of the wreck were raised in October last year. Norwegian deep sea divers and rescue ships were heavily involved both in the initial attempts to save the crew and later in the prparatory work to remove the bodies of the Russian sailors from the wreck


Page 11

6/19/2002


MOVEMENTS PASSENGER LINERS IN AMSTERDAM All pictures by : PIM BOLT – SMIT PIONEER

The last few weeks several passenger liners visited the Port of Amsterdam, Top : the ARCADIA of P & O entering the port Below : the BLACK WATCH of Fred.Olsen departs again.

The BLACK WATCH was build under de name ROYAL VIKING STAR during 1975 under which name she sailed until 1991 when she was renamed to WESTWARD, under this name she sailed until 1994 when her named changed again in STAR ODYSSEY and finally she was sold to Fred Olsen during 1996 and renamed BLACK WATCH


Page 12

6/19/2002


Top : the Finnish KRISTINA REGINA This in 1960 build vessel was original named BORE under which name she sailed until 1979 when she was renamed in BOREA , the name was finally changed during July 1987 in KRISTINA REGINA Below: The VICTORIA of P & O

The VICTORIA was build by John Brown at Clydebank and commissioned during 1975 under the name KUNGSHOLM, she sailed under this name until 1978 when she was renamed SEA PRINCESS , during 1995 she was renamed VICTORIA


Page 13

6/19/2002

Text : Capt Kees Pronk Master SMITWIJS SINGAPORE

Recommend Documents