FROM FCC

DNV warns of shiprepair bottleneck ‘in two years’

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 20th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.3.
Summary:
New research conducted by the classification society Det Norske Veritas suggests that the shipping industry is approaching a dangerous bottleneck in the availability of shiprepair facilities within the next two years.

Offshore vessels sail into prime position

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 20th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: pp.8-9.
Summary:
As existing onshore fields dry up, oil majors are heading into deeper waters - and this means more work for the specialised sector of offshore vessels.

Financial woes threaten top two container ports’ growth

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 19th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.3.
Summary:
The global financial crisis and exchange rate issues are likely to hit volume growth at the world’s two largest container ports, Singapore and Shanghai.


Indian firms target deepsea rig market

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 11th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: p.4.
Summary:
Two large Indian companies, Reliance Industries and Larsen & Toubro, have unveiled plans to get into the business of manufacturing rigs to overcome the international shortage of the deepsea drilling vessels.

Ferry Captain fired after near miss

Source: Fairplay Daily News
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The captain of the ferry Spirit of British Columbia has been fired after a ‘near miss’ between two vessels in Active Pass, the major ferry route between Vancouver and the British Columbia capital of Victoria on 17 March.

$250m to boost aircraft & shipbuilding

Source: Maritime Daily News
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The Russian government will pour $250m into modernizing the production of special steel alloys. It says that the lack of modern technology is holding back the production of ultra-strong alloys and steel currently used in aerospace and shipbuilding.

Bremerhaven studies to determine port siltation

Source: Maritime Journal News Update
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The port of Bremerhaven in Germany, now the fourth largest container harbour in Europe, is being used for several important dredging research studies and experiments. One study seeks to thoroughly assess the impact of dredging induced sediment plumes in the broader context of natural processes like storms, winds and changes of season, as well as other human activities like fishing. The other study aims to find technical solutions to discourage sedimentation caused by natural tidal flows in the harbours.

DOJ press release: ship operator pleads guilty to concealing vessel pollution

Source: MarEx Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 15
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The US Department of Justice has announced that Paccship, the operator and manager of approximately ten ships that regularly carry goods between Asia and ports in the United States, has been sentenced to pay a $1.7 million fine, after pleading guilty to the improper transfers and discharges of oil-contaminated waste from two of its ships.

IMO backing Antarctic ship review

Source: MarEx Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 15
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
The recent five-day meeting of the IMO's environment committee recognized campaigners' fears that the continent's waters are at risk from the rising number of ships coming to the area, and also approved plans to amend regulations to reduce emissions from ships.

Company investing to make Malta a hub in shipping industry

Source: Times of Malta
Source Date: 10th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: -
Summary:
In the wake of the acquisition of the majority shareholding of Tug Malta Ltd last July, Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group is looking to the future with confidence, investing €70 million (Lm30.05 million) in three vessels and adopting a vision of making Malta a hub of shipping-related services in the Mediterranean region.

EU ministers reject safety laws for maritime sector

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 9th Apr, 2008
Source Pages: p.1.
Summary:
Proposed European Commission directives on flag state control and civil liability for shipowners have received the support of fewer than seven of the 27 EU member states at a council of ministers meeting in Luxembourg. The flag state directive seeks to make International Maritime Organization flag state rules obligatory. The commission claimed it has the support of the IMO, but national governments said that it was an unnecessary sovereignty grab. The civil liability directive aims to increase liability for shipowners and to "harmonise" compensation payments, but the governments said it was unnecessary and confusing.





Sub: World Maritime Technology Conference & Exhibition – 21st/24th Jan 2009 in Mumbai – First Call for Technical Papers for Presentation at the Conference

Dear WMTC Global Partners,

Good Day and Happy New Year!

The third WMTC Conference will be held from 21st to 24th January in Mumbai, hosted by The Institute of Marine Engineers (India). The Theme of the Conference is “Perceptions and Visions” and the theme provides for discussions on all issues presently faced by the maritime industry.

George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX
October 15-17, 2008

The SNAME 2008 Annual Meeting features new and expanded conference programming. Based upon industry and SNAME member feedback, the 2008 Annual Meeting will expand its historical technical conference offerings to include a comprehensive technical program and educational offerings in a broader array of professional areas of interest.

World Maritime Technology Congress

The WMTC is held every 3 years, hosted by a member of the World Maritime Technology Congress in partnership with 25 of the world’s leading maritime associations. The First Conference (WMTC 2003) was organized in San Francisco by The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). The second Conference (WMTC 2006) was conducted in London by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST). The third Conference (WMTC 2009) will be hosted, for the first time in Asia, by The Institute of Marine Engineers (India) in Mumbai from January 21st to 24th 2009. The aim of WMTC 2009 is to bring professionals from various countries, organisations and disciplines of marine industry on a common platform to exchange ideas on the latest developments in the maritime world and seek a way forward for working together

SSK Kilo Class (Type 636) Attack Submarine, Russia
The Russian Kilo Class submarine first entered service in the early 1980s. It was designed by the Rubin Central Maritime Design Bureau, St Petersburg. Subsequent developments have led to the current production versions, the Type 877EKM and the Type 636. A successor, the Lada (Project 677) was launched in November 2004.
In September 2007, it was announced that Indonesia had placed an order for two Kilo Type 636 submarines, plus options to purchase up to eight more.
Type 636 is designed for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface-ship Warfare (ASuW) and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions. The Type 636 submarine is considered to be to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world. It is said to be capable of detecting an enemy submarine at a range three to four times greater than it can be detected itself.
Welcome to Knickerbocker Maritime
Knickerbocker Maritime (KM) specializes in commercial shipping projects in the tanker, dry bulk and ship management areas.
Knickerbocker Maritime's goal is to assist individuals and companies in achieving commercial and operational excellence by applying proactive and high quality processes as replacements or refinements within the existing structure. Projects for market development incorporate improvements and identification of markets and trades that particularly fit the client. Our efforts provide the client with greater efficiency, reduced costs, greater capability and greater profitability.


Zero tolerance warning on Baltic Sea spills

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.5.
Summary:
The director general of the Danish Maritime Authority, Jorgen Hammer Hansen, has warned shipowners that the industry faces a renewed crackdown in the event of a maritime spill in the sensitive Baltic Straits.

MEPC ‘could delay’ pollution rules approval

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.4.
Summary:
A senior oil industry executive has said he believes the Marine Environment Protection Committee could delay its approval of revisions to Marpol Annex VI, due to be given in April, until it meets again in October for MEPC 58. The MEPC was expected to make a final decision at MEPC 57 on a strategy to reduce SOx and NOx emissions after being given three alternatives by the International Maritime Organization’s Bulk, Liquids and Gases sub-committee in February.

Ferry sank because of ‘distracted’ crew

Source: Lloyd's List
Source Date: 14th Mar, 2008
Source Pages: p.26.
Summary:
A report by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, into the sinking of the ferry Queen of the North off the British Columbia coast late at night on March 22, 2006, has determined that the ship sank because the crew did not follow "sound navigational practice" while sailing down a narrow channel during a storm.