Good day Mariners

“From Antarctica to New Zealand, more than 130 Icebergs drift”

Hundreds of fleets of icebergs split off from Antarctic ice shelves has started to drift toward New Zealand and could pose a risk to ships in the south Pacific Ocean, officials

The nearest iceberg measures about 30 yards (meters) tall, lies 160 miles (260 kilometers) southeast of New Zealand’s Stewart Island, Australian glaciologist Neal Young said. He couldn’t say how many icebergs in total were roaming the Pacific, but he counted 130 in one satellite image alone and 100 in another.

Large numbers of icebergs last floated close to New Zealand in 2006, when some were visible from the coastline — the first such sighting since 1931.

Maritime officials have issued navigation warnings for the area south of the country.

“It’s an alert to shipping to be aware these potential hazards are around and to be on the lookout for them,” Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman Sophie Hazelhurst said.

No major shipping lanes or substantial fishing grounds are in the area, but most ships there have little hull protection if they collide with an iceberg — which typically has 90 percent of its mass under water. Very few adventure sailors would be in the waters in November, when it is still the southern hemisphere’s spring.

Maritime New Zealand safety services general manager Nigel Clifford said as the icebergs drift closer “the more the potential risks grow of them posing a hazard to shipping” as they break up and float lower in — or just under — the ocean surface.

The agency was “keeping a close eye on the increasing risk … it’s tracking iceberg positions and has begun initial planning for any incident,” he told The AP.

New Zealand oceanographer Mike Williams said the icebergs are drifting at a speed of about 25 kilometers (16 miles) a day and he expects most won’t reach New Zealand, as happened during the last major flotilla in 2006 when “a lot of them went out east (carried by ocean currents and wind) away from New Zealand.”

“Scientist reveals new species in dark ocean dept.”

Ten years of research by a team of 2000 scientists from 80 countries reveals the intricate existence of species like a translucent giant octopus to a fish bearing barbed fangs, living in total darkness at least 5km beneath the surface of the world’s oceans.

Nearly 17,650 species of animal, including corals, crabs and starfish, were identified living in the depths untouched by sunlight, a marine survey found.

The researchers discovered 5,600 new marine species on top of the 230,000 animals already known to live in the world’s oceans and they hope to add several thousand more when the final census is released in London on October 4, 2010.

Robert Carney, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University, who co-leads the study of the ocean depths as part of the wider international Census of Marine Life (COML) said, “The abyss is not the dark hole anymore.”

“The diversity of life in the deep sea is much, much greater than we believed,” he said.

Scientists predict that there could be more than one million species which remain undiscovered.
Odd Aksel Bergstad, an oceanographer based at the University of Bergin in Norway, told Al Jazeera: “There is a huge number left to discover especially in the vast muddy areas of the deep sea floor.”

“The reality is that the deep sea is a frontier that hasn’t been studied very much, but with modern technology and still after 10 years we’ve only scratched the surface of this huge environment,” he said.

Among the creatures identified in the deep sea areas were luminous jellyfish and gelatinous creatures known as finned octopods, or “dumbos,” because they flap earlike fins and look like the cartoon elephant.

“Most of the organisms in the deep sea depend on the steady rain and transport of material from the sunlit upper layers and this comes in many forms from small organic particles and dead animals,” Bergstad said.
“But one of the main problems for all these deep sea creatures is the scarcity of food, the darkness and the huge volumes they have to cope with. However, these animals are uniquely adapted.”
Experts also found a tubeworm at a depth of 990m on the seafloor in one part of the Gulf of Mexico.

After using a robotic arm to lift the tubeworm from a hole on the seabed, oil gushed out and they discovered it was consuming chemicals from the decomposing oil.

Carney said that oil companies focused mostly on geological surveys to find deposits but that the presence of tubeworms could also be a marker.

“You certainly have a source or methane or liquid petroleum nearby if you find these tubeworms,” he said.
Another trip to the seafloor of Antarctica recorded the Osedax, a whalebone-eating worm.

Although the ocean depths are permanently black, many animals create their own light with luminous markings to help spot or attract prey or a mate. Scientists also said many have working eyes.

A few creatures that normally live in the sunlit zone visit the abyss, such as the southern elephant seal which was registered at a depth of 2,388m.

“Pirates does it again….”
Pirates have attacked a Monrovia-flagged oil tanker off the coast of the West African country of Benin, killing one seaman, officials said on Tuesday.
According to Benin’s naval forces, the attack on the 230-meter long Cancale Star took place some 18 nautical miles off the country’s coast. The vessel’s chief engineer, a Ukrainian, was killed in the attack, which also left four other crew members injured.
Local reports indicated that Benin’s naval forces have escorted the tanker to the port of Cotonou, where it is currently berthed. It is understood that the crew of the vessel managed to capture one of the pirates and have handed him over to authorities in Benin.
The chief of Benin’s naval forces were quoted by local news agencies as saying that an investigation has been launched into the attack. Though the nationality of the pirates who attacked the Cancale Star is not clear, officials said there were indications that they were from Nigeria.
The attack follows a recent warning from the International Maritime Bureau that piracy is on the rise along the coastline of oil-rich West Africa, with at least a 100 such cases reported last year.

“China, The Biggest Shipbuilder On The Planet”
China has surpassed South Korea as the world’s largest shipbuilder. Currently, Chinese firms have orders for 54.96 million CGT of ships, compared to 53.63 million CGT of Korea. Thus China has 34.7
percent of the world market. Since 2000, South Korea has had the largest share of the world shipbuilding market. South Korea took the leadfrom Japan.
CGT stands for Compensated Gross Tons. This is a new standard for measuring ship yard effort. Gross tons is a measure of the volume within a ship, which CGT adds adjustments for the complexity of
the ship design. Thus a chemical tanker would end up with a value four times that of a container ship. China is producing far more ships, in terms of tonnage of steel and internal volume, than South
Korea, mainly because a much larger portion of Chinese ships are simple designs. South Korea has, over the years, pioneered the design, and construction, of more complex ships (chemical, and
Liquid Natural gas carriers.) Three years ago, China produced about a quarter of the world’s merchant shipping, while South Korea was in first place, producing about a third. It was then believed that China would take first place in the next 5-10 years. China grabbed the lead in market share for commercial shipping partly because it became more difficult for South Korean builders to expand. There were more restrictions on land use in South Korea, in addition to higher labor costs. South Korean builders, seeing that they could not match
the expansion of Chinese ship yards, expended more effort on building more complex, and expensive, ships. Japan was following a similar path
when it lost the lead to South Korea a decade ago. China also gained more market share by offering generous loan terms to foreign buyers of Chinese ships and cheap loans for their own shipbuilders.

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has registered a trademark – Cadalmin – for the products and services of the institute.

The trademark will be launched by C D Mayee, Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board on November 19. Anwar Hashim, National President of Seafood Exporters Association of India, will be the guest of honour.

The centre for ocean electronics in the department of electronics of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) will conduct the Symposium on Ocean Electronics (SYMPOL) on November 18.
A biennial event, SYMPOL was started in 1991 to mark the formal opening of the centre for ocean electronics in the university.
The centre for ocean electronics in the department of electronics of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) will conduct the Symposium on Ocean Electronics (SYMPOL) on November 18.
A biennial event, SYMPOL was started in 1991 to mark the formal opening of the centre for ocean electronics in the university.
The papers presented in SYMPOL 2009 will be published in IEEE Explore.

Here’s a chance for you to enter a warship. Learn about torpedoes, missiles, radars and machine guns, for Navy Fest 2009 is here. If you have always wanted to know more about life at sea and the risk naval officers take to keep our country safe, then the fest at the Naval Base is the place to be.
The open-to-all fair features inaugurated by Vice-Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding- in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, has nearly 25 stalls dedicated to the different schools of the Navy. INS Dronacharya, the gunnery school, has machine guns and other rifles on display.

Each stall has a display board detailing the various activities of each school. Officers and cadets in these stalls are ready to help you understand the working of the mind-boggling equipment on display.
If you are in a mood for fun and games head straight to the section where amusement rides await you.

The festivities are on till November 22.

The India International Aqua Show, 2010, Kochi, is an Ornamental Fish & Accessories Exhibition and Trade Fair Organised by the Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala in association with the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. It is a unique opportunity for exhibiting and marketing ornamental fish and accessories.

The event, scheduled to take place at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium,Cochin,Kerala State, India, and is expected to attract exhibitors, breeders, traders and visitors within India and outside the country.

“Fashion beckons Cochin-Navarasa all set to roll out”

Aries telecasting Pvt. Ltd announces Navarasa, the fashion extravaganza on 10th January 2010 at Gold Souk Mall, Cochin in association with the upcoming Hollywood project DAM 999.

The fashion fiesta portraying various moods,emotions & their colors will be announced by the designer known for her diffusion line in Wills Life Style Fashion Week and Lakme Fashion Week and the stronger designer label in Southern India – Rehane Yavar Dhala.

Orginality and Creativity the most important assets of a designer
make their presence felt by Rehane Yavar Dhala, Chennai’s
numero uno designer. Rehane currently the strongest designer in
the south retails from her flagship store in chennai and also from
select outlets across India. “Evoluzione” in Bangalore, “Kimaya”
in Mumbai and Dubai, “Indomix” in NewYork and “Chubara”in
Washington.

Her designs enhance everyday life. An ideal refignment for females to conquer chic city life and timeless elegance. Rehane specialises primarly in diffusion wear, but her label is also highly sought after for trousers for the modern bride.Rehane gives her clients a look that is feminine, elegant and chic all at once and that is what keeps her clientelle coming back for more.

Rehane’s sampling unit has 30 machines and most of her diffusion wears and high fashion clothes are made here, for bulk production she has tied up with the medium sized export house in chennai. Bulk production has been done by her in the past, has supplied clothes to giant companies like West side and Lifestyle for a couple of seasons.Rehane is cued on to international trends and designs for the global apparel market. Rehane’s strategy for the future growth is not only to retail from well profiled stores across the world, but more importantly to have her brand franchise stand alone stores as she has full confidence in her production capacity, finish, price and delivery. As global competition grows Rehane’s market share has also grown equally proving that she understands the global client.

“Hamburg Sud container vessel named in Antwerp.”
The fifth in a row of six identical Hamburg Süd container vessels, ‘Rio Bravo’ was named in the Port of Antwerp. The vessel was named after ‘Rio Bravo del Norte’, the Spanish name of river Rio Grande, which flows through the USA and Mexico.
The ‘Rio Bravo’ was christened on November 12 in the Port of Antwerp was sponsored by Laura Madeleine von Schubert, daughter of Roland Oetker, Managing Partner of ROI Verwaltungsgesellschaft and member of the advisory board of the Oetker Group.
The vessel shall be serviced between Asia and South America East Coast before being phased into the Europe – South America East Coast Service in mid-October.
The final built in the series, ‘Rio Madeira’, is said to be delivered before November end and to deliver service in Hamburg Süd’s Europe – South America.

“Japan’s economy post strongest growth since 2007.”

Japan announced Monday its best economic growth in more than two years during the latest quarter, boosting hopes the global economy is getting back on its feet after the worst recession in decades.

“SMM India 2009 enters the Valedictory Day III”

The SMM India 2009, the biggest International Maritime Conference and Expo in Mumbai, reaches its valedictory day. The event, one of its kinds in India had started on November 12 and closes by today evening.

There are two conference sessions for the day. The paper presentation on Safety of Navigation – Technology Update is expected to be delivered by Tarun K. Mathur (Capt.), Director – Sales Transas Marine Pacific, Singapore.

The final session of the 2009 expo is about Training & Human Resources. Capt.S. Bhardwaj ,Vice Chancellor, AMET University, India and K.N.Deboo (Capt.), Chairman GlobalMET – India Chapter and Director-Principal, Anglo Eastern Marine Training Centre, India spoke on the topic.

The first day of SMM India 2009, ended on a high note with who’s who of the global maritime industry. Two sessions on vital aspects of marine industry were discussedon the day, viz. on Maritime Policy and Economic and Financial Crisis – Its Impact on Shipping Finance Markets.

Day two discussed on “India’s Shipbuilding – Opportunities, Challenges & Imperatives” in the first session followed by “Infrastructure, Support Services & Logistics” in the second session and the topic “Maritime Security” in the third session.

The event will be a remarkable milestone in the maritime history of India.

Thiruvanthapuram: The vigour and verve of Kerala, the snake boat race is all prepared for its debut at 2012 London Olympics.
Embodying the team spirit, dynamism and heartiness of Gods Own Country, Kerala, the snake boat race may be held on River Thames as per the plan drawn by the Thiruvananthapuram-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Keraleeyam. According to the plan, the top five chundans or snake boats known for their long hull and steep stern will be ferried to London by ship for a highly competitive demonstration in Thames. More than 500 oarsmen apart from helmsmen and singers will be needed, remarked N. R. Harikumar of Keraleeyam.

Along with the complete support from Keith Vaz, Member, British House of Commons., the organisers have submitted detailed project report to Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Olympics Committee and have also approached Union Ministers Kumari Selja, M.S. Gill and Shashi Tharoor for their support and assistance.

Keraleeyam had planned for a snake-boat race demonstration as part of the Cambridge-Oxford University water sports festival next year when the members of Olympic committee would be witnessing the event to grant permission for the demo race during the Olympics.

“SMM India 2009 unfolds vital views on Maritime Policy and Economic Crisis.”
SMM India 2009, the three-day expo and maritime conference from 12-14 November which had commenced at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, concluded its Day1 sessions effectively.

The event with the theme, “Maritime India- Path Ahead” was initiated today morning with an inaugural address, followed by two enlightening sessions on Maritime Policy and The Economic and Financial Crisis – Its Impact on Shipping Finance Markets respectively.

“Somali Pirates Seize Cargo Ship With 22 Crew ”

Somali pirates on Wednesday seized a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean with 22 crew members on board, the European Union Naval Force said. Naval spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said that there are three Greeks and 19 Filipinos among the crew of the Greek-owned Filitsa. The ship is registered in the Marshall Islands. A press release by the EU said the ship was taken 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of the island nation of the Seychelles. It had been heading for the South African port of Durban but has now turned around and is heading north.
Pirates have increased their attacks since the end of the monsoon season last month. They are now holding at least 12 ships and more than 200 hostages. Three ships have been seized in the last week alone.
Pirates can often command multimillion-dollar ransoms for the release of the vessels they capture, a fortune in impoverished Somalia. The failed state has not had a functioning government for a generation and its lawless coastline provides a perfect pirate haven.

“Somali pirates say have seized two more vessels ”
Somali pirates said on Wednesday they had hijacked a fishing vessel and another ship in the Indian Ocean believed to be carrying oil. Pirate Hassan said by telephone from the coastal town of Haradheere that three gunmen were wounded while seizing the second vessel overnight on Tuesday.
“They hijacked it from the Indian Ocean and its 24 crew are safe. There was brief fighting before we captured it. Three of my friends were injured,” Hassan told Reuters. “We think it is carrying fuel.”
Heavily armed pirates from Somalia are holding at least 11 vessels and more than 200 crew hostage, including a British couple whose yacht was hijacked off the Seychelles.
The presence of a multinational naval force patrolling the strategic shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia, has failed to curb their attacks.
Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme and a pirate called Osman both said a fishing vessel had been hijacked off the northern Somali coast earlier in the week.
“Our colleagues hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat near Hafun on Monday night,” Osman told Reuters.
On Sunday, pirates seized a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo ship loaded with weapons bound for Somalia, maritime experts said.
Then on Monday, the gunmen launched their longest range hijack attempt yet — opening fire on a giant Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.

“Cyclone Phyan spares Mumbai.”

Cyclone Phyan crossed India’s west coast just north of this metropolis on Wednesday evening and weakened into a tropical storm, but shed a huge amount of rain water over the area with winds blowing at 85 km per hour. No damage was reported in the initial hours.

The Met department has said on its cyclone alert website that the cyclone is now likely to move further north by northeast and weaken into a deep depression overnight.

It said strong winds at a speed of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph are likely along and off north Maharashtra and adjoining south Gujarat coasts till midnight. “Sea condition will be high to very high.”

The authorities warned that the winds were still strong enough to damage huts and break tree branches, causing damage to power and communications lines in coastal areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Before Phyan weakened, people scurried home in pelting rain as schools, colleges and offices shut here in the early afternoon.
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Johny Joseph said: “All disaster control agencies like the district administration, police, civic and traffic authorities, fire brigade, Home Guards, Coast Guard, and the Indian Navy have been put on high alert to tackle any eventuality arising out of the weather conditions.”

Non-stop rain and heavy cloud cover led to a number of flight delays in and out of Mumbai. According to an official of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, incoming flights were getting delayed by an hour and departures were around 15 minutes behind schedule.

Though there were traffic jams on the main roads in the city, suburban train services were operating normally. Central Railway and Western Railway ran special services to clear the rush of passengers, especially those bound for far-flung suburbs.

Fishermen in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, besides the LakshadweepIslands, have been advised not to go out to sea. But about 60 fishing boats remained missing at sea, with the Indian Navy and Coast Guard planes and ships searching for them.

“Moolathara dam, a regulator and bridge in Pallakad broke”

The bank protection structures of the Moolathara dam, a regulator and bridge in Chittur taluk, broke on Sunday morning due to heavy inflow of water released from the Aliyar dam in Tamil Nadu, causing overflow of water from Moolathara check dam,flooding the Chitturpuzha and the Bharathapuzha.

There was a huge deposit of garbage into the dam, due to which all the shutters were not being able to open due to which the dam burst.

“Another boat tragedy in Kerala”

Eight school children were drowned on Wednesday in yet another tragedy in Kerala when the boat they were travelling in capsized in Chaliyar river

The victims included seven boys and a girl of the Moorkanand Higher Secondary School near Areekode in Malappuram, around 25 km from Kozhikode.

The final rites were conducted on Thursday morning. Minister for Revenue K P Rajendran, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Education Minister M A Baby visited the place and paid their respects. Devasom Minister Kadanapally Ramachandran, Industries Minister Elamarem Kareem and Health Minister P K Sreemathi also visited the home of the deceased and the accident spot.

“Boat capsizes in Mahanadi river.”
Boat capsized in Mahanadi River taking a toll of 5 lives. The devotees were traveling to Lord Dhabaleswar temple when the incident occurred near Mancheswar Ghat of Athgarh.

A crew of 25 was on the way to Lord Dhabaleswar temple to celebrate Kartik Purnima yesterday when the mishap had occurred. The report stated that an argument between the passengers and the boatman over fare had lead to capsize.

Though search operations had continued for the missing five persons till yesterday evening , it went in vain.

“Boat sinks in Indian Ocean.”
A death toll of more than twenty was reported with the boat capsize of a suspected asylum seeker in Indian Ocean.

The boat carrying around 40 people onboard had started to capsize between Indonesia and Australia when a merchant vessel had located the distress signal.

Merchant vessels that responded to a distress call managed to pluck 17 survivors from the Indian Ocean late Sunday and were searching for others, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor said.

“ It is too early to say whether those on board were asylum seekers trying to reach Australia, though aspects of the emergency — such as an unseaworthy boat carrying so many people in waters sometimes used by human traffickers — signaled that may be the case” added O’Connor

A large flow of boats carrying asylum seekers were lately found in Australia. Some 35 boats with around 1,770 asylum seekers from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka were lately reported.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received distress signals on Sunday from the boat, and the authority asked any vessels in the area to respond, authority spokeswoman Rhianne Robson said.

Both Taiwanese fishing trawler and the merchant ship LNG Pioneer reached on spot on Sunday saving the victimized while an Australian military plane and Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service was on its way.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the chief of Australia’s defense forces, said the boat that sent the distress signal was intact when the rescue vessels first arrived.

“Somehow or other during the process of the interaction between the ship and the trawler and also the stricken vessel, there’s been a capsize and people have ended up in the water,” Houston told reporters.

“Disney dream to come true with water coaster”

Disney Dream, the post-panamax cruise liner building for Disney Cruise Line at Meyer Werft, Germany at the time of its debut in 2011, looks to add more fun and excitement with water coasters.

Disney takes a step forward with its innovative ideas of water coasters apart from the animated turtle letting children know more on the life of ocean.

The Disney Dream is preparing to feature adventure filled AquaDuck Water Coaster and Virtual Portholes.

AquaDuck Water Coaster in concise, ensures to be a splendid ride with twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration and river rapids above the upper decks of the ship while Virtual Portholes is all about real time video view of life outside the ship using high definition cameras.

“Yemeni fishing vessel under Somali Attack.”

Somali pirates hijacked a Yemeni fishing vessel after an open fire attack taking away a minimum of one of the hijackers’ life.

“We have attacked a Yemeni fishing boat. It was taking fish near Eyl last night,” pirate Bashir told Reuters by phone from Eyl. “They had weapons and fought against us. They killed one of us and injured another one but we have hijacked it at last. It’s in our hands now.” He added.