Good day Mariners

Hundreds of people have attended a wedding in central Somalia between a man who says he is 112 years old, and his teenage wife.
Ahmed Muhamed Dore – who already has 13 children by five wives – said he would like to have more with his new wife, Safia Abdulleh, who is 17 years old.
“Today God helped me realise my dream,” Mr Dore said, after the wedding in the region of Galguduud.
The bride’s family said she was “happy with her new husband”.
Mr Dore said he and his bride – who is young enough to be his great-great-grand-daughter – were from the same village in Somalia and that he had waited for her to grow up to propose.
“I didn’t force her, but used my experience to convince her of my love; and then we agreed to marry,” the groom said.
The BBC’s Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says the marriage, in the town of Guriceel, is being described by Somali historians as the first of its kind in the Horn of Africa nation for more than a century.
In 1941 he joined the British colonial forces as a soldier for 10 years and then served as a police officer after Somalia won independence in 1960.
Altogether, Mr Dore has 114 children and grandchildren. His oldest son is 80 years old and three of his wives have died.
He says he hopes his new bride will give him more children.

“Yachts under Somali Threat.”

Somali Pirates attacked a personal yacht ‘Lynn Rival’, with a British couple from Indian Ocean.
The British couple, Paul Chandler (59) and Rachel Chandler (55) was kidnapped before they had given a distress signal on Friday. The yacht was 150 nautical-mile south-west to the Amirante Islands, en route to Tanzania, when the incident occurred.
But family of the couple is now concerned over the ransom demanded, though Somali Government vows to locate them.
Dr Alvarez, the hostage negotiator said: “The bad news is [the family] will have to pay a ransom.” He said being white, it will be assumed the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, are rich.
“These guys don’t understand about mortgages and having to pay rent and, of course, comparatively, the hostages will be wealthy from their point of view,” Dr Alvarez added.

“The World’s Biggest and most Expensive Cruise Ship, Oasis of the Seas set for sail.”

After six long years and a glittering $1.47 billion, Royal Caribbean International proudly received the world’s biggest cruise vessel, Oasis of the Seas in Turku, Finland
The Oasis of the Seas enjoying the peak of luxury and comfort can house 6360 passengers and 2160 crew with 21 swimming pools, an aqua park, casino, real trees, six layers of state room, golf course, restaurants and much more.
Oasis of the Seas, 16 decks high or 65 metres above the waterline, measuring 360 metres long and 47 metres in width offers the biggest suite of 156 square metres featuring 78.3-square-metre balcony with a Jacuzzi.
Topping the finest cruise ships and giving a tough competition to even the recent pride in cruising industry, Queen Mary 2, Oasis of Seas offers elite packages of fun, excitement and adventure with its onboard casino, spa, shops and with options ranging to even pool surfing, rock-climbing and boardwalk on a zip line.
“Part of the thought process of the ship is to overcome the old myths people have about cruising,” Royal Caribbean executive, Richard Fain, said.
“It’s very hard to look at a vessel like this and think that cruising is secondary when you can choose rock-climbing, surfing or zip-lining.” he added
According to Mr Fan, Oasis of the Seas cruising in Caribbean has received extensive pre booking orders apart from the crucial global crisis which had earlier affected the industry.

Illegal fishing threatens Indian ocean.”
According to Kenyan Fisheries Development Minister Paul Otuoma, the rise in illegal fishing activities in Indian Ocean is threatening tuna stocks along the eastern and southern African coast.

Somalia targets Cosco this time????

Cosco became the pirates target this time. Cosco Qingdao’s 76,432 dwt Chinese panamax De Xin Hai was hijacked 550 miles north east of the Seychelles, 550 miles from the Somali coast.
The EU naval task force reported to have a crew of 25 onboard and are now monitoring the ship’s progress continuously. The task force have stated that the ship wasn’t registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa.

“DP world handles first vessel at SPCT”
Cosco became the pirates target this time. Cosco Qingdao’s 76,432 dwt Chinese panamax De Xin Hai was hijacked 550 miles north east of the Seychelles, 550 miles from the Somali coast.

The EU naval task force reported to have a crew of 25 onboard and are now monitoring the ship’s progress continuously. The task force have stated that the ship wasn’t registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa.

Bollywood goes underwater and comes up a winner. Blue is fresh and fulsome, boasting of some great deep sea shots ( by Pete Zuccarini, cinematographer, Pirates of the Caribbean fame), stunning above sea level action sequences, a crackling background music score and sound design by India’s two Oscar winners (AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty), a short and engaging reel length that keeps the proceedings pithy, two hot girls (Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif too in a glam guest role) and a whole lot of guy stuff….Like, bare-bodied Akshay swimming with the sharks and stingrays, lean and mean Zayed blasting away on designer bikes, Sanjay Dutt, sadly with a paunch, sparring with Akshay in the boxing ring and the threesome donning their diving gear to discover a hidden treasure in picture postcard Bahamas.

“USS New York on its maiden voyage.”
The USS New York, ship made of steel from the ruins of World Trade Center sailed its first voyage on Tuesday from Louisiana, where it was built, and is set to arrive in New York harbour on 2nd November.

“Kota Wajar hijacked in Indian Ocean.”
Pacific International Lines (PIL) container vessel, “Kota Wajar”, 1,550-teu vessel was positioned at Lat 01o33′S Long 54o52′E on 15 October 2009 when it was hijacked by unidentified men north of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

“Aries group presents Technical Analysis on Thekkady Boat Mishap.”
Mr.Sohan Roy, CEO, Aries Group presented a significant Technical Analysis on the Thekkady Boat Tragedy on a Press Meet held on 13th October 2009 at Cochin.

“A large shipyard in the city of Vladivostok.”
The city of Vladivostok is to see a large shipyard amidst them soon after the agreement signed between Russia and China.

“Jewel of Muscat” and Oman Project nearing completion.
The Sultanate of Oman, at the Eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is going through a renaissance of its maritime heritage. Taking it one step closer to their goal is the Jewel of Muscat project, which now nearing completion.
Ten Key Facts about the Jewel of Muscat:
1. The project involves the reconstruction of a 9th-century sailing ship in Oman.
2. The Jewel of Muscat is based on a range of historical sources, including the findings of the Belitung Wreck, which was discovered in 1998.
3. The 18 metre ship will be built without nails. The planks will be sewn together with coconut fibre, and will have to fit perfectly so as to ensure that the ship is watertight. The wood will be protected by a layer of goat fat mixed with lime.
4. The planking on the ship is made from Afzelia africana timber from Ghana.
5. The Jewel of Muscat is being built in a specially constructed ship yard at a beach in Qantab, Oman.
6. Once built, the ship is expected to embark on a voyage from Oman to Singapore, retracing part of the historic maritime trade route between Arabia and the Far East.
7. During its voyage, the team will use 9th-century navigation techniques.
8. Construction should take between ten and twelve months. The voyage is expected to begin in February 2010, with the Jewel of Muscat reaching Singapore by June 2010.
9. The project is being funded and supported by the governments of Oman and Singapore.
10. Every stage of the Jewel of Muscat’s construction and voyage will be covered on this website. The site contains videos, photographs and interactive features. The project will also be filmed for a television documentary.

“First open boat Artic circumnavigation.”

Danish exploration team has become the first to successfully travel all the way around the Arctic Ocean by open boat. The 26,000km journey was made over the course of eight summers, during which the ‘POCA 600’ carried a team of four who witnessed both the beauty and culture of the Arctic, as well as the changes wreaked by global warming.

“Maritime shows shrug off downturn.”

The region’s premier maritime event for specialised vessels concluded this week, shrugging off the impact of the economic downturn with a 70% increase in the number of exhibitors and a 60% increase in exhibition space compared with last year, according to the organisers.

“Boat with over 35 people capsizes in Orissa.”

A boat carrying more than 35 people, including school students, capsized while crossing the Budha river at Champachhanda ghat in Orissa’s Jajpur district on Wednesday evening, officials said. Twenty-five people have been rescued so far.

“Pirates hit navy ship in error.”

A group of Somali pirates has been captured after attacking a French navy ship by mistake, apparently thinking it was a harmless cargo vessel. French military spokesman Admiral Christophe Prazuck said the pirates attacked in skiffs late at night some 500km (310 miles) off the Somali coast.

“DNV opens new office in Abu Dhabi.”
Risk management specialist DNV has brought its business units under one roof in Abu Dhabi with a newly opened office in the Al Mushrif area. On the maritime front Liam Carroll is appointed station manager for the new office employs over 40 staff who deliver specialised risk management services for over 50 customers, primarily in the energy and maritime industries in the Middle East.

“Habbeke delivers new crew boat to KRVE.”
Habbeke Shipyard, of The Netherlands, has delivered a new crew tender vessel to the KRVE in Rotterdam. The boat, named the ‘KRVE58’ will operate as a very rapid tender to take pilots and crew members to merchant marine vessels in the harbour complex and North Sea.

“OOCL raises rate from china.”
Ocean carrier OOCL will increase its rates on all dry and refrigerated cargo from Hong Kong, Macau and South China to New Zealand, effective Nov. 1.

“Indonesians wants Camillo Eitzen.”
Indonesian BLT, owner of about half of Eitzen Chemical, has launched a bid for all the outstanding shares in Oslo Listed Camillo Eitzen.

Bisso marine acquires news SAT system.”
Bisso Marine, provider of energy and maritime support services, has acquired a 12-man portable Saturation Diving System.

“Dolphin India’s national aquatic animal”
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said that like the tiger as the national animal and peacock as the national bird, the government had declared dolphins as the national aquatic animal as it represented the health of the rivers, particularly the Ganga.

Bharati Shipyard ups stakes in Great Offshore bidding race.”
Mumbai: Private sector shipbuilder Bharati Shipyard on Monday said it has hiked the open offer price to acquire stake in offshore service provider Great Offshore to Rs 560 per share.

“SCI’s single hull phase out continues.”
Shipping Corporation of India plans to scrap seven single-hull tankers by the end of this fiscal year to meet the global deadline to phase out single-hull tankers by 2010.

“Gruesome boat mishap in Thekkady “
A tourist boat carrying 76 people has capsized in a lake in the southern Indian state of Kerala, killing at least 37 people, officials said.
The state-owned double-decker boat was travelling in the remote Thekkady forest reserve when it went down.The boat tipped over after the tourists rushed to one side as they spotted some elephants, officials said.
Fifteen people are missing and 24 have been rescued. Survivors said the boat had few lifejackets and no lifeguards.Rescuers have pulled out 37 bodies and are still searching the area for survivors, state home ministry official Abhiraj Basheer told the BBC.

“Tsunami rescue begins in Pacific.”
A major relief operation has begun in the Samoan islands, which were hit by a tsunami that killed at least 119 people and wiped out villages and resorts.

“Yacht catches fire in Turkey.”
Last week, a fire on board a 50m Black Sea yacht Princess Zeyneb, quickly spread into a major disaster. The yacht – moored in Marmaris, Turkey – was in such a position that access by the fire brigade was very difficult, resulting in fire-fighters working hard to stop the fire spreading, rather than putting out the flames on board.

“Toll from Typhoon Ketsana climbs.”
he death toll from Typhoon Ketsana in Vietnam has risen to at least 85, a relief official has said.
The official from the national flood and storm control committee said 24 of the deaths occurred in the mountainous inland province of Kon Tum.
There were also 16 people missing and 124 injured, across the central region. The powerful typhoon that fatally hit the Philippines and Vietnam is now weakening over Cambodia, where several people died and hundreds lost homes.

“Shipowning companies Intership Navigation and Athena Marine: Five stars for Excellent Quality.”
Cyprus based shipowning companies Intership Navigation Co. Ltd. (ISN) and Athena Marine Co. Ltd. received the “GL Excellence – 5 Stars” certificate of classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL).

“Francis Joyon inaugurates new route.”
World record holder Francis Joyon, the fastest man to sail solo around the world, is to set a new record/reference time on an inaugural route between France and Mauritius. The record will be approved by the WSSRC and join the 20 courses listed as World Oceanic Records.

“Drydocks world opens Batam Training Centre.”
Drydocks World – Southeast Asia has announced the official opening of its Training Centre in Batam, with facilities to develop the technical skills of the local workforce.

Vladimir Shtrambrant, the Chief Deputy of the Shipbuilding and Repair Yard of Rosmorport has said that the Russian Government plans to open a tender to build a series of icebreakers.
“Russia to build more icebreakers by 2015.”