DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 –...

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 047

PSi-Daily Shipping News 24-03-2006

Number 047*** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS ***Saturday 25-03-2006 News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites.

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EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS

Full steam ahead for spring break 2006. Photo taken March 13th 2006 in Nassau Harbor, Bahamas. Photo : Mark Pertuiset ©

Coast Guard sends investigators to fire damaged Star Princess

The U.S. Coast Guard has reportedly sent investigators and fire engineers to Jamaica to confirm that Princess Cruises Star Princess can safely return to Fort Lauderdale after a fire broke out that cost the life of one passenger and damaged a number of cabins. According to a statement issued by Princess Cruises, this morning at approximately 3:10 am local time, as Star Princess was en route from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, a fire broke out in the passenger accommodations, and spread to adjacent cabins.




STAR PRINCESS – Photo : Piet Sinke ©

The statement says that passengers were immediately notified of the fire using the public address system and requested to report to their muster stations. Princess Cruises subsequently completed a full check to account for all passengers and crew. "We deeply regret having to confirm that there has been one passenger fatality following a cardiac arrest, two passengers with significant smoke inhalation injuries and nine passengers with minor complications resulting from smoke inhalation," says the statement. The ship is carrying a total of 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members. A full damage assessment is being carried out now that the ship has arrived in Montego Bay. According to later media reports, two people were hospitalized in Montego Bay on the ship's arrival in Jamaica. CNN reports that more than 100 cabins were damaged in the fire. Another report puts the number of damaged cabins at more than 150 and say that 550 passengers whose cabins were damaged will be moved to two hotels in Negril and Ocho Rios. One report says that the fire was apparently caused by a cigarette and started on a balcony.

Arrested Russian trawler Opon convoyed to port of Tromso, probe is underway

Norwegian coastguards convoyed the Russian trawler Opon, to the port of Tromso. The crew have been charged with violating fishing rules in the Norwegian economic zone of the Barents Sea, the service motoring the fleet of the Northern basin, told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. The Opon`s captain is accused of failing to notify the Norwegian coastguard service about his leaving the fishing area in the economic zone of this country. However, the captain claims he radioed this message to the Norwegian department for fishing on Tuesday evening. Norwegian authorities are now finding out why the information did not reach the coastguard service. Norway is likely to dismiss the incident if the Russian sailors' claim is confirmed.

More Ships to Leave James River Fleet



Two more ships are leaving the James River, headed for disposal facilities in Virginia and Maryland, in what has become a regular occurrence since the Bush Administration took over management of the nation’s ship disposal program five years ago, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced on March 23. The Howard W. Gilmore, one of the last World War II-vintage ships still at the fleet, is scheduled to leave the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis, making it the 50th ship to leave the river since January 1, 2001. The next ship set to leave is a barge, the UEB, sold to North American Ship Recycling of Sparrows Point, MD, for more than $76,000. MARAD maintains the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis as a reserve of ships for defense and national emergencies. When ships are no longer considered useful for defense or aid missions, MARAD arranges for their responsible disposal. The presence of deteriorated ships in the fleet has been a point of controversy in the past.

Liners 'in shock' over plunge

The VICTORIA BRIDGE seen in the Red Sea, passing the Dahlak Bank, with a slightly hazy sky a NW'ly breeze and a nice 28 degrees Celcius enroute Singapore

Photo : Paul Kroonenburg – Prinsendam © PANIC-driven behaviour by carriers has exacerbated the container sector’s rate plummet, with the deepening down cycle to last 2-3 years or longer, Marsoft partner Costas Bardjis told the Connecticut Maritime Association conference yesterday. It’s fair to say that the liner industry today is literally in a state of shock, he said, expressing surprise that carriers were not better prepared for a fall that was clearly foreseeable from the orderbook. Rates have been driven sharply downward by an influx of larger boxships entering the Asia-Europe trade, with panicking competitors seeking to ensure employment by undercutting each other, he explained. Bardjis offered a grim forecast ahead given the sector’s massive orderbook, noting that scrapping will have a negligible impact. Meanwhile, last year’s merger and acquisition activity in the liner industry will come to a temporary halt, believes Bardjis, citing both the lack of acceptable acquisition candidates and the downward trend that would require buyers to pay a premium versus future returns for any fleet purchases in the near future. Container line M&A activity will resume as the market bottoms, he predicted.

Salvors tackle HMM blaze Salvage company SvitzerWijsmuller has started to tackle the devastating blaze on the Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) boxship off Yemen. The AP Moller-Maersk group company said the firefighting tug Wadi Hassan had arrived on site on Wednesday following the incident on Tuesday. It has seven experts on board.



Photo : Courtesy Royal Dutch Navy ©

The team carried out an initial inspection of the 5,550-teu Hyundai Fortune (built 1996) and then began fire fighting activities. It said the work was concentrated on the first line of containers in front of the bridge, with the fire having progressed from the stern through the accommodation to the containers on the fore ship. “The aim at the moment is to stop the fire progressing before actually attacking the fire in the accommodation and the stern when further resources are on site,” the company added.

Another two of its tugs, Rakhyut and Smitwijs Rotterdam, arrived in the Gulf of Aden area on Friday. The SMITWIJS ROTTERDAM took the HYUNDAI FORTUNE under tow on Friday evening. And another tug will be mobilised from Hodeida to Aden in order to possibly be transferred into a fire fighting tug with mobile equipment being flown in. SvitzerWijsmuller added: “Further teams and salvage and fire fighting equipment are being mobilised as the need arises.” All of the 27 crew were rescued by the Dutch navy on Wednesday and were being repatriated on Thursday.

No official cause of the fire has been revealed as yet.

CMA CGM eyes Atlantic opportunities CMA CGM is watching the Europe-North America trade for further opportunities after the launch of its first trans-Atlantic service. Jean-Philippe Thenoz, vice-president North America Lines at the French carrier hinted yesterday that



more initiatives would be announced in the next two or three months. He was speaking to shippers and freight forwarders in Bremerhaven, Germany, at the inauguration of the group’s Liberty Bridge trans-Atlantic service. Thenoz said CMA CGM is considering a capacity increase on the service through the introduction of slightly larger vessels in autumn. The loop, which was jointly set up with China Shipping Container Lines, is operated with four 2,250-teu vessels on a 28-day round trip. Previously the French carrier’s trans-Atlantic activities had been confined to a slot charter agreement over 250teu a week with MSC. Thenoz stressed that the US trades are now developing rapidly for the Marseille-based company after after playing only a marginal role for us for a long time. CMA CGM carried 1Mteu to and from the US last year, one-fifth of the group’s overall 20-ft container movements.

Bunkers costs no fun

The aft swimming pool of the COSTA CLASSICA seen here whilst cruising the Mediterranean Sea enroute from Ancona to Pireaus

Photo : Piet Sinke ©

The biggest of the cruiseship operators reports a net profit of $280m down from $345m through the same period of last year. Carnival’s fuel costs rose 63% but chairman and chief executive, Micky Arison, said that otherwise the company had performed well with revenue yield outpacing rising operating costs. Micky ArisonArison is also upbeat about the outlook for the rest of 2006 noting that bookings for the peak “wave season” were ahead of last year in terms of both berth occupancy and price. There was a solid start to the year in January but February brought a decline although there has been a catching up in March. "Although this year's wave season may not have been as protracted as the 2005 wave, our bookings for the year are in good shape and we expect to see positive yield growth for the year," Arison added. Ticket sales of $1.9bn through the first quarter were ahead of the $1.84bn of the same period of last year. The forecast for the remainder of the year is that revenue yields will be up a couple of percent on last year. First quarter earnings of $0.34 a share were reduced by two cents by a $10m investment write down on a non-cruise sector investment and a $5m litigation reserve. The quarter however also benefited by $7m from a gain following settlement of litigation.



Carnival Corp operates a fleet of 80 ships under a dozen brands and has 15 newbuildings on order that are due to enter service between the middle of this year and the autumn of 2009.

Queen of the North: What happened Photo : Courtesy of Steve Simmons

In better times the elegantly profiled vessel took Prince Charles and Princess Diana from Nanaimo to Vancouver to open Expo 86. More recently, critics singled out, and BC Ferries acknowledged, its single-compartment structure that doesn't prevent

rapid flooding. The ferry corporation studied replacement options for years and Transport Canada issued an order for replacement by 2012. It now lies in waters between 200 and 800 metres deep. A graphical look at the sinking of the Queen of the North.

HOW IT UNFOLDED 1. 8 p.m., Tuesday

The Queen of the North leaves for a routine 450-km overnight journey between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy through the Inside Passage. 2. 12:26 a.m. Wednesday Mayday goes out from Queen of the North. It has struck a rock at the top end of Gil Island, about 130 km south of Prince Rupert. Four minutes later, the Canadian coast guard begins retransmitting the mayday, searching for ships nearby. Less than an hour later the ship sinks in about 350 metres of water. 3. 12:35 a.m. The Lone Star, out of Hartley Bay, radios that it will arrive in 20 minutes. At 12:53 a.m., the Queen of the North's captain announces he is abandoning ship. Minutes later, the Lone Star and five or six other vessels from Hartley Bay arrive on scene.

4. 1:30 a.m. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a Canadian coast guard vessel that has to pull up a heavy anchor, advises it will be under way in 20 minutes. It is 25 km away, at anchor in Barnard Harbour. The vessel launches Laurier 1, a rapid response boat. 5. Coast guard vessels arrive 1:59 a.m. The coast guard's Laurier I, a 7.3-metre rigid-hull inflatable boat, arrives. 2:10 a.m. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier arrives at the scene. 4:30 a.m. A rescue helicopter begins airlifting out the most injured and elderly. 8:45 a.m. Lifeboats from the Sir Wilfrid Laurier begin loading survivors onto the vessel. 10:10 a.m. The remaining crew and passengers board the Sir Wilfrid Laurier. It departs for Prince Rupert.



Deaths feared on sunken Canadian ferry Mystery surrounded the fate of two people on Thursday who went missing and are now feared dead after an ocean-going ferry sank when it strayed onto the rocks on Canada's Pacific coast. Police have begun a missing-persons investigation for the couple, who witnesses reported they saw on shore with the other 99 people rescued from the ferry Queen of the North on Wednesday, but have not been seen since. BC Ferries now fears those reports were wrong and that the couple from the town of 100 Mile House, British Columbia, went down with the ship. The Queen of the North is believed to have gone off course and struck a rock shortly after midnight local time, about 75 miles (120 km) south of Prince Rupert, on a trip down the Inside Passage on the northwest coast of British Columbia. Police searched an island near the wreck and boats scanned the water on Wednesday, and there was no evidence the couple found their own transportation home from Hartley Bay -- the remote aboriginal fishing village that helped rescue survivors. "I think we're left with one conclusion, which is that we now have to begin the very difficult process of finding if they are on the ship, " BC Ferries President David Hahn told CKNW radio in Vancouver. "I would have to believe there is no other place for them to be at this time," Hahn said. Hahn said the passengers who reported seeing the couple in Hartley Bay may have made a mistake because of the trauma of the accident in the early morning darkness Investigators are trying to determine what caused the ship to veer off course on its scheduled 15-hour journey from Prince Rupert, which is near the southern tip of the Alaska panhandle, to Port Hardy on northern end of Vancouver Island. The rugged wilderness of the Inside Passage is viewed by thousands of tourists every summer on cruise ships that run from Vancouver and Seattle to Alaska. On Thursday, environmental crews were trying to contain a fuel spill from the 410-foot (125-metre) ship, which disappeared completely below the water, and the 16 vehicles that were on board. The sinking of the Queen of the North is also causing economic concern for communities along the coast and on the Queen Charlotte Islands, which depend on ferries for transportation and to deliver most supplies. A replacement vessel was undergoing several weeks of scheduled repairs at the time of the accident, but is now being rushed back into service. The sinking happened on same day the province was scheduled to approve funding to replace the Queen of the North, which was built in 1969 and has a hull design that is considered less safe by modern shipbuilding standards.

Further fire fear for Carnival Carnival's 70,000-gt Sensation was briefly detained in Port Canaveral with defective fire-control and flood-control systems. Cruise giant Carnival Corporation has been hit by another fire safety scare, following hot on the heels of a blaze which broke out on board one of its vessels in the Caribbean. The 70,000-gt Sensation (built 1993) was cited for safety violations at Port Canaveral, Florida on Thursday with defective fire-control and flood-control systems.



The 2,000-passenger vessel underwent emergency repairs in the port and was allowed to leave after a six-hour delay on Thursday night. The inconvenience was enough for Carnival to offer all passengers $50 in shipboard credit and a 25% discount on any future three- to five-day cruise with the company. Problems on-board included inoperable fire screen doors and fire hoses, as well as a malfunctioning watertight door. Earlier on Thursday a blaze on-board Princess Cruises’ 109,000-gt Star Princess (built 2002) off the coast of Jamaica claimed one life and left 11 passengers requiring treatment. The fire, which may have been caused by a smoldering cigarette, started in one of the ship’s cabins and quickly spread to neighbouring berths. The Sensation will continue on its four-day voyage to the Bahamas, taking in Freeport and Nassau before returning to Port Canaveral on Monday. The Sensation was one of the vessels which Carnival chartered out to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of the devastation caused along the US Gulf coast by hurricane Katrina in September. The ship, which was based in New Orleans at the time of the hurricane, joined Carnival’s 70,000-gt Ecstasy (built 1991) and the 46,000-gt Holiday (built 1985) on six-month charters to assist with relief operations. It was used to house police, firefighters and relief works involved in the clean-up operation in New Orleans.

Drunken master jailed The master of a Swiss vessel that ran aground off the east coast of England has been jailed for seven months for being four times over the legal alcohol limit. The Kathrin is part of the fleet of Enzian Shipping.Romanian Adrian Fericel (45) was found to have the highest breath alcohol level the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency has so far encountered. The master of the 5,050-dwt multipurpose ship Kathrin (built 1999) was sentenced to seven months for the drinking offence and four months for grounding his vessel by Grimsby Crown Court. The sentences are to run concurrently. Fericel who fell asleep while on the bridge of the vessel operated by Enzian Shipping of Berne came to the attention of the authorities in mid-February after almost colliding with a light ship and then running aground on the Goodwin Sands off the Humber estuary. “It is a serious dereliction of your duty to fall asleep whilst on the bridge of your ship, and you have pleaded guilty to failing to discharge your responsibilities. This is so serious only a custodial sentence is suitable,” the recorder (judge) Simon Jackson told Fericel.

Norway Sold - Again A story in today's online edition of the Star newspaper reports that the Norway, former flagship of Norwegian Cruise Line, has been sold to a Bangladeshi businessman for $12 million dollars. If true, this will be the second time the ship has been sold within the past three months. Back in January, the ship's owner, NCL-parent Star Cruises announced the ship had been sold and was headed for a scrap yard in Chittagong. That plan took an unexpected turn when Star learned that it might be subject to significant environmental-related fines if the ship was broken up because she still contained more than 3,000 tons of asbestos. Environmental groups have for a long time been targeting the ship breaking activities in India and Pakistan claiming that the largely manual process of scrapping a ship releases hazardous materials into the environment. Most recently, they joined local groups to seek a court order in an attempt to block the scrapping of the former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau. Sources have indicated that fines related to the large amount of asbestos on board could range as high as $10 million. Those of you that have been following this saga from the beginning may remember that sceptics claimed Star's announcement that it was moving the ship from Germany to Asia last year to become part of a resort was nothing more than a way for the company to dodge European environmental laws.



While the sale announced today has all the earmarkings of a sale for scrap, it is not clear how the new owner will overcome the asbestos-related issues. Following the uproar in January, the Bangladesh Environment and Forest Minister issued an order preventing the ship from entering Bangladesh territory. It is possible, although unlikely, that the new owner will attempt to convert the ship into a hotel or resort facility. At this point however, there is no indication that this is part of the plan.

CASUALTY REPORTING Cruise passengers die in bus crash

Twelve cruiseship passengers have died after a bus carrying them from a visit to a national park plunged into a ravine near Arica in Chile. The Celebrity Cruises customers were killed on an independent tour on Wednesday, having arrived in the 90,000–gt Millennium (built 2000) the same day. The aftermath of the accidentAn Arica official said the driver may have lost control avoiding a truck. The crash happened as the bus was returning from the Lauca national park to Arica, about 2,000 kilometres north of the capital, Santiago. The Royal Caribbean Cruises subsidiary said it was working with Chilean and US authorities to help the families of the dead. Two more people were hurt in the incident and are in a serious condition. "Our deepest sympathies go out to all of our guests impacted by this terrible event, as well as their family members,” said Celebrity president Dan Hanrahan. The shipowner is flying family members of those killed and injured to Chile on Thursday. Millennium left Valparaiso in Chile on 19 March on a 14-night sailing, scheduled to conclude at Fort Lauderdale in the US on 2 April. Now the ship will stay in Chile until further notice. It was carrying 1,536 passengers and 920 crew.

CAMEROON: 130 West Africans feared drowned after boat capsizes

At least 127 people heading from Nigeria to Gabon in search of work are believed to have drowned when their wooden boat sank off the coast of Cameroon, state-run television said on Thursday. It was unclear when and why it went down, Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV) said. The boat, believed to be carrying some 150 passengers, was sailing from the eastern Nigerian town of Oron to Gabon when it capsized off the coast of the town of Kribi, it added. Senior District Officer Gregoire Mvongo told IRIN from Kribi, which is located some 400 kilometres south of Yaounde, that "fishermen found bodies floating toward the coast of Kribi last night and began transporting them to the shores." Mvongo said that fishermen had rescued some 20 passengers alive and that efforts were continuing to seek survivors. The boat went down in heavy seas, some of the survivors said. Officials said some of the migrants were identified as Beninese, Ivorian, Nigerian and Burkinabe nationals. West Africans seeking jobs in oil-producing Gabon and Equatorial Guinea often travel through the Gulf of Guinea. It was the third boat to capsize in the Gulf of Guinea in the past eight months.

Bulker strikes ferry in China



Passengers escaped unscathed but a dock has been put out of action in China after a clash between a bulker and a ferry. The 10,900-dwt bulk carrier Sen Hai 1 (built 1980) was in collision with the passengership, named as Huhangke 63, at Jiangbian Road dock in Huangpu on Wednesday, leaving 10,000 regular commuters without transport at least until Monday, local media reported. Maritime officials have begun looking into the cause of the accident. The ferry had nearly 300 passengers on board as it prepared to cross the Huangpu River. The cargo vessel hit the driver's room on the ferry, and then smashed into the dock. A few passengers received minor bruises during the incident, but no major injuries were reported. Sen Hai 1, owned by China Shipping Tramp of Guangdong, received no major damage in the collision.

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The improved Nimitz class aircraft carrier CVN 76 RONALD REAGAN seen here passing the Singapore Straits enroute the Middle East Photo : Sivaratnam ©

Coast Guard Cutter Enters Service




Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is welcomed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin by its crew in Bellingham, Wash., after the Terrapin officially entered service. During the ceremony Gov. Gregoire became the Terrapin's sponsor and will serve as a civilian advocate for the cutter and its crew.

Taiwanese Naval Vessel Damaged in Palau The Navy on March 22 dispatched a Lafayette-class frigate and two tugboats to escort s warship back to Kaohsiung, after it was damaged in Palau when carrying out a naval friendship tour. According to Taipei Times, no one was hurt in the accident. Another Cheng Kung-class frigate was also ordered to go to sea to replace the damaged warship and continue the mission. The damaged ship was currently around 93km from Palau, escorted by Palauan vessels. The damaged warship, accompanied by a supply ship, left for Palau on March 16. The warship had planned to stay in Palau for two days, and then sail to other diplomatic allies in Oceania. The warship may have hit a coral reef, as these are abundant in Palau. The navy has not decided whether to ask Palau to compensate the navy for the damage caused by the incident, as it occurred in a Palauan harbor while the ship was under the control of Palauan pilots.

India rejects wrongdoing in submarine deal The Indian government has strongly defended a $2 billion submarine deal with France that the opposition party is calling the nation's biggest defense scandal. Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament Tuesday there was "no irregularity" in the arrangement with two French firms to provide six Scorpene submarines, the BBC reported Wednesday. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the government of paying $113 million in commission to middlemen, and demanded that the contract be scrapped. Commissions in defense deals are prohibited by Indian law. Mukherjee denied the claims of corruption. "On the contrary, the government successfully negotiated a reduction in submarine prices and managed to save more than $70 million of public money," he said. The deal was part of an agreement finalized during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to France last September. It is the latest in a series of military purchases by Delhi aimed at modernizing India's armed forces.

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Maersk Signs Aker's Biggest AP Moller-Maersk is shelling out $495m to build eight anchor handling tug and supply (AHTS) vessels at Norway's Aker Yards in the largest ever specialized vessel contract won by the shipyard. Aker is set to deliver the vessels in 2008 and 2009, and has also signed options for two more sisterships with the Danish giant. All of the ships will be built to the Vik &

Sandvik design VS 472 and around 73m in length.

SeaDrill to Build Jack-Up Rig with Keppel FELS

SeaDrill Limited has declared its option to build a fourth jack-up rig with Keppel FELS Ltd in Singapore. The rig will be of the KFELS B Class design, capable of operating in water depths of up to 400 feet and drilling depth of 30,000 feet. The contract price for the unit is US $132 million and is composed of a basis price of $117M, plus additional upgrades on the specification of USD 15 million in order to make the unit to a sister rig of SeaDrill 1 (Hull B-277) presently under construction by the same yard. The delivery of the rig is expected to take place in the second quarter 2008. This order was secured via an option given to Odfjell Partners Ltd (Odfjell) when it ordered its first rig in March 2004. Odfjell placed an order for its second rig in March 2005. In mid 2005, SeaDrill acquired Odfjell Invest Ltd. and was given the right to exercise Odfjell's option with Keppel FELS

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The IRAKLIS STAR is operating in the port of Rhodos Photo : Wim van Noort ©

Lamnalco continues fleet expansion with new support vessels at ABG

Lamnalco Group Ltd in Sharjah is continuing the expansion of its fleet with an order for five 53m Marine Terminal Production Support Vessels at ABG Shipyard in India. The vessels, designated APS 90 (Azimuth Production Support), are of Conan Wu, Singapore, design, in conjunction with Lamnalco Project Department. The vessel concept was developed and built upon from Lamnalco’s operational experience with their five 47m 'C' Class Offshore Terminal Support Vessels which are all operating successfully. The ability to carry out tanker assist operations in adverse weather conditions was an area of prime concern for Lamnalco and the APS 90, being Azimuth Propulsion has the ability to carry out tanker towing using either a forward or aft deck winch giving the operator the advantage of continuing tow back operations in adverse weather conditions and increasing the terminal operating envelope.

Alcan sells crewboat Broker Marcon reports that Alcan Inc of Kitimat, British Columbia, has sold its 122ft high-speed, aluminum crew boat Wachwas to Global Marine Logistics of Kirkland, Washington, for future employment in the oilfield support service sector. Alcan had been using the vessel on the Northern British Columbia coast to provide a year-round marine link to the outside world for their employees and families living in the isolated Alcan power generating community of Kemano.



The vessel was originally built in 1981 for Canadian Marine Drilling as the Canmar Tigneak by Swiftships of Morgan City, Louisana as a triple screw oilfield crew/fast supply boat as well as serving medi-vac functions in the Canadian Arctic. She was converted to twin screw and repowered in 1993 when the original three MTU turbo-charged diesels were removed.

Stena cuts Irish route The 19,600-gt Stena Explorer will soon be making only two round trips a day from Wales to Ireland, Rising fuel costs and falling passenger numbers have finally taken their toll on Swedish ferry operator Stena Line. Photo : Rob de Visser © The company is to reduce the

number of sailings of the 19,600-gt Stena Explorer (built 1996) from Holyhead in Wales to Dun Laoghaire on the east coast of Ireland from three to two round trips a day. Stena Line points to a doubling of bunker costs in the last 18 months and passenger defections to budget airlines such as Ryanair as reason for the service reduction, but cost-cutting measures at rival Irish Ferries must also be considered a contributory factor. In a move which prompted strikes and massive disruption at ports in Britain and Ireland, Irish Ferries decided to replace its on-board staff with cheaper crew from Eastern Europe, flagging its vessels to Cyprus to smooth the process. Head of the ferry and ro-ro services division at Drewry Shipping Consultants, Bill Moses, had previous warned that competition with Stena Line on the Irish Sea and no-frills airlines meant “the figures no longer add up”, adding that if one operator succeeds in reducing crew costs, competitors are duty-bound to follow suit. With fears escalating that the change could see wholesale job losses akin to those at Irish Ferries, Stena Line is quick to point out that any losses will be absorbed through natural wastage, voluntary redundancies and leaving vacancies unfilled. Whereas a general upsurge in the movement of freight in Europe has given Stena Line some cause for optimism, passenger numbers on the route from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire have fallen 8% in the past year. From 2 May the company will make two round trips a day on the route from Monday to Thursday, maintaining the current daily rate of three sailings Friday through Sunday until September, when a twice-daily service will be implemented all week long. The twice-daily service from Holyhead to Dublin Port on the 43,500-gt Stena Adventurer (built 2003) will remain unaffected.

Trasmed bid for Euroferrys accepted SPANISH ferry operator Euroferrys has accepted a takeover bid from rival operator Acciona Trasmediterranea. Left : Euroferrys Pacifica seen arriving in the port of Algeciras. Photo : Piet Sinke © The companies are now awaiting

approval on the deal from Spain's competition authority, a Trasmed spokesman told Fairplay today. Euroferrys chairman Joaquin Gonzalez was unavailable for comment but managing director Manuel Jiminez said yesterday the



operator would maintain its corporate name and ships and maintain employment levels if the takeover bid is approved. Euroferrys was set up in 1998, and runs ferry services from Algeciras to Tangiers and to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa. Besides Acciona Trasmediterranea, Euroferrys competes wth Buquebus and Balearia, the Denia-based company that has threatened to speak out against the takeover at the hearing. Acciona Trasmediterranea would not say how much it offered for Euroferrys when the proposal went to the competition authority last Wednesday.

J Lauritzen charts further growth DANISH shipping group J Lauritzen has been encouraged by a "very satisfactory" 2005 to seek further growth of its operations, currently comprising of 24 vessels. Photo : Johnny vd Velde © The company reported a pre-tax profit of $232M last year, slightly down from $239M in 2004, with the dry bulk operations that employ eight ships contributing $166M to

the bottom line. The Lauritzen Kosan LPG carrier business generated a profit of $32M, using six vessels, while the reefer business, which was restructured as NYK LauritzenCool from the beginning of 2005, made a profit of $36M. Lauritzen has a 50% stake in the reefer and logistics group, with NYK owning the other half. Lauritzen Tankers posted a profit of $4M as the company continued to build up its business in its second year of operations. Lauritzen's board says the company plans to grow the owned and long-term-chartered fleet, with its business partners due to add four bulkers and three product tankers in the fleet operated by it. Investment in new tonnage rose to $155M last year from $147M the year before, while divestments soared to $213M from $67M. However, some of the vessels sold were leased back

STADT TUG and STAD ASSISTER ARRIVED IN MAALOY

The single screw tug STADT TUG (ex- MONTADO of Lisbon tugs, ex- SUN KENT of Howard Smith) was delivered from Lisbon to Maaloy (Norway) by Redwise Maritime Services BV with the single screw tug STADT ASSISTER (ex- NEIVA of Lisbon tugs) in tow. Tug and tow arrived safely at their new home port on 21 March 2006. Redwise was responsible for all aspects of the delivery voyage, including registration, upgrading of the Lloyd’s classification for this voyage, tow preparations, manning, bunkering, etc. – Photo : Redwise ©



Sea Containers to quit ferries, delays filing 10-K Sea Containers Ltd is to delay filing its 10-K annual report with the SEC. The news comes just days after the company's founder and president, James B. Sherwood, announced his retirement. The company is now to withdraw completely from the ferry business. It will take charges for the fourth quarter of 2005 that will reduce its net worth by $475 million. It will thus be out of compliance with various bank borrowing requirements, which must now be renegotiated. Back in November, 2005, Sea Containers announced it was restructuring its ferry division, and had put its Helsinki-based Silja Oy Ab up for offers. It also announced its intention to sell or charter out several additional ferry vessels and to entertain offers for its SeaStreak business in New York. As a result of this restructuring, the company announced an impairment charge of $99 million, of which $19 million was recorded in the 2005 third quarter results. It says these amounts were preliminary and subject to adjustment, based on changes in the restructuring plan. "At the time of the November announcement," says Sea Containers, "it was uncertain whether Silja would be sold and, if so, what price could be obtained for the business. Subsequent to the announcement, the sale process was begun. Indications of interest and independent valuations of the Silja business were received, and preliminary bids for Silja's core business were received in January." Sea Containers also announced in November that it had identified specific containers to be sold, obsolete spare parts and manufacturing machinery no longer required and stated that, as a result, it would take an asset impairment charge of $30 million. As a result of the proposed Silja sale, the management of the company began to consider the possibility of withdrawing completely from the ferry business and "engaged in the process of evaluating the recoverability of all of its long-lived ferry assets." It also "began a process to evaluate the recoverability of all of its container assets." At a board meeting on March 20, 2006, management proposals were approved as result of which the company will recognize a non-cash pre-tax charge of approximately $500 million in the fourth quarter 2005, which includes the previously estimated fourth quarter 2005 impairment charge of $112 million. Of the $500 million, approximately $415 million relates to the ferry business, and $85 million to the container business. Sea Containers says it has obtained an indication of the range of sales prices likely to be achieved for the Silja business, which will now be classified as "held for sale" at December 31, 2005; the related assets will be written down to fair value, less cost to sell. The operations of the Silja business, including related impairments, will be presented as discontinued operations in the company's 2005 financial statements. Because of the possibility of withdrawing completely from the ferry business, it was more likely than not at December 31, 2005 that there would be disposals of the company's other six vessels in the ferry division prior to the end of their previously estimated useful lives. For this reason, an impairment review of these vessels was undertaken and impairment charges will be recorded on these vessels at December 31, 2005. The total impairment of ferry assets to be recorded in the fourth quarter 2005 is estimated to be approximately $415 million on a pre-tax basis. The write-down is non-cash in nature. Subsequent to its November announcement, the company has identified additional containers being held for sale at December 31, 2005, which has increased the previously estimated charge to approximately $40 million. The expected loss on these sales initiated an impairment review on the Company's entire container fleet. This review was done at a container-class level and determined that the carrying amount of one class of containers, refrigerated containers, was not fully recoverable. It has been estimated that an impairment charge will be recognized on these containers of approximately $40 million. In addition, $5 million of goodwill relating to container operations will be written off. The total impairment of container assets to be recorded in the fourth quarter 2005 is thus estimated to be approximately $85 million on a pre-tax basis. The write-down is non-cash in nature.



The asset impairment charges will reduce the company's net worth by approximately $475 million a, with the result that it will not be able to comply with certain net worth covenants in certain of its bank borrowing agreements. Sea Containers says it is currently in discussions with the bank lenders regarding appropriate covenant waivers or amendments. and that professional advisors have been appointed to assist it. On March 20, 2006, the Sea Containers concluded that it would restate its condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2005, the six months ended June 30, 2005 and the nine months ended September 30, 2005 to correct the accounting related to the sale in March 2005 of shares in its Orient-Express Hotels investment, which was accounted for in the company's financial statements in accordance with the equity method of accounting. The correction reduces the gain on the sale of Orient-Express Hotels shares by $10.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005, the six months ended June 30, 2005 and the nine months ended September 30, 2005 from the previously reported $41.1 million to $30.8 million. The company says the correction is "the result of an error in the accounting for the release of accumulated foreign currency exchange reserves related to this equity method investment. The change increases net losses in these periods, but has no impact on previously reported shareholders' equity and is a non-cash charge." As a result of the correction, says Sea Containers, "the condensed consolidated financial statements for the interim periods ended March 31, 2005, June 30, 2005 and September 30, 2005, previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, should no longer be relied upon." Sea Containers says it expects to reflect the effects of these restatements in the comparative unaudited quarterly financial statements presented in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2005 and in the comparative financial information for March 31, 2005, June 30, 2005 and September 30, 2005 which will be included in the company's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q during 2006. Robert MacKenzie, President and Chief Executive of Sea Containers, said, "The additional write-downs announced today reflect decisions made by the Sea Containers Board following a rigorous management-driven process of analyzing the company's businesses, in the light of changing market conditions, recent trading performance and with a focus on future sustainable cash flows. Our objective is to reduce the central cost structure and direct management attention on the core independent businesses of marine container leasing, including GE SeaCo, and our GNER rail franchise. The Board will continue to review opportunities for the disposal of its non-core activities. "We are in dialogue with the company's banks in order to amend or waive compliance with covenants. Management has been encouraged by the initial response from these institutions to work with us to resolve these matters. "At a commercial level there is progress. Silja's core business has attracted a range of highly qualified bidders with the second round of bids due shortly. Indications are that a sale of the core business can be completed in the second quarter, with the sale of most or all of the remaining ferry assets contemplated during the course of the year. "The filing of the Company's 2005 Form 10-K annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will be delayed into April in order to allow adequate time to resolve the various bank covenant issues and finalize outstanding accounting matters. The report will be filed as soon as practicable," he concluded.

Vestdavit davits for Normand Titan Vestdavit in Norway has announced that it has installed a Vestdavit PLR-3250 system onboard Solstad's Normand Titan. The PLR-3250 will be used to launch and recover the ship's rescue craft. Normand Titan is on a charter for Norsk Hydro's Troll Beredskap for a limited period. The equipment was supplied by Vestdavit in a very short period of time - in just two days - with testing successfully carried out at the Mongstad Base a day later. The vessel is now back in service. To meet the extremely short delivery timescale, the davit was supplied skid-mounted, as a 'plug and play' unit, and the installation work was all carried out at Fedje Mek north of Bergen.



Chambal, Hyundai Sign Shipbuilding Contract

Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd. has signed a shipbuilding contract with South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Ltd. The contracts are for two Aframax tankers. Hyundai, the world's biggest shipbuilder, is expected to deliver one in the last quarter of 2008, and the other in the first quarter of 2009, Reuters India reported.

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The GIANT 4 departed in tow of the UNION DIAMOND, the GIANT 4 is loaded with 2 container barges and a tank barge enroute from Fos-sur-Mer bound for Le Havre

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OLDIE – FROM THE SHOEBOX

As requested in newsletter 045, several readers responded with a picture of the LEKHAVEN, I have sent the pictures which I received to the persons who asked for it.

On behalf of him thanks very much for your support, he is happy with a picture of the vessel he sailed on in the past. The above photo was send by Bram Belder.

AIRCRAFT / AIRPORT NEWS Plane Crashes in Ecuador With 14 aboard

A plane carrying 14 people crashed into a tire factory near an airport in southern Ecuador on Friday. The fate of the passengers and crew was not known. Red Cross spokesman Galo Verdugo said the plane hit the factory in an industrial park in Cuenca. A reporter for Radio Quito, speaking from the crash site, said there apparently were survivors in the wreckage of the plane, which was stuck in a factory wall. Other witnesses told local radio stations that workers were having lunch in another area of the factory when the plane hit, and so none was injured. The plane was carrying 12 passengers and two crew members from Cuenca to Macas in Ecuador's southeastern jungle.

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DON JON’s ATLANTIC SALVOR moored in Venice (La) Photo : Piet Sinke ©



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DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 –...

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