Good day Mariners

Hyundai Heavy Industries has signed the largest number of shipbuilding orders this year of all South Korean listed companies, according the Korea Exchange.

The company racked up KRW4.8231 trillion (US$3.9 billion) worth of new orders up to June 16.

courtesy : baird maritime

The Royal Malaysian Navy’s Scorpene submarine KD Tun Razak, which is on its maiden journey home from Toulon in France accompanied by corvette KD Lekiu call at the port here for a four-day visit on Friday.

Malaysia’s Defence Attache in New Delhi Colonel Yusri bin Haji Anwar will be in Kochi in connection with the port call of Tun Razak.

Colonel Anwar, along with Tun Razak’s Commanding Officer Commander Mohamad Azuwan bin Haroun and Lekiu’s Commanding Officer Commander Baharudin bin Wan Mohamad Nor will call on Rear Admiral S.S. Jamwal, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, on Friday.

a game of football has been organised between the Indian and the Malaysian Navies

Courtesy : Hindu

Libya’s General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) has announced plans to break into cruise shipping though the construction of a 1,739-cabin cruise ship for delivery in December, 2012.

GNMTC has signed a letter of intent for the order with STX France after having consulted a number of European builders.

GNMTC, which announced the signing of the letter of intent on its website, said that the new vessel would be comparable to the ‘MSC Fantasia’ and ‘MSC Splendida’, built by STX France for MSC Cruises, but bigger and with greater passenger capacity.

Tripoli-based GNMTC is best known as an operator of crude, product and liquid petroleum gas tankers. It has a fleet of 15 owned and managed vessels.

courtesy : Baird Maritime

The French Navy’s amphibious landing helicopter dock (LHD) ‘Tonnerre’ dock at the port here on Wednesday.

The ship, which is on a training cruise for about 120 midshipmen, was successfully involved in an anti-piracy operation when it was about 450 nautical miles off the Somali coast in early May.

The ship is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including amphibious and air support operations, crisis management, command and control and medical support.

LHD Tonnerre, a 21,600 tonne Mistral-class vessel, has the versatility to carry up to 12 medium or 16 light attack helicopters; 110 armoured vehicles or 13 tanks; and troops numbering about 650, depending on its type of mission. In case of need, it can be converted into a fairly big hospital with surgery and X-ray rooms.

coutesy : The Hindu

“Environment Friendly Ships by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries”

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) intends to return to luxury passenger shipbuilding following ten years of no activity in the sector.

Working out of Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, MHI will employ 700 designers to develop more environmentally friendly ships, particularly luxury liners, despite claims in the industry that shipbuilding will exceed demand three times over by 2015.

Cruise passenger numbers have increased four to five percent, year on year, with expected orders for passenger cruise ships to be 10 to 15 per year, according to the Yomiuri Daily. MHI said it aims to receive US$654 million in orders over the next four years.

MHI will be entering a tight market, now dominated by South Korea, which has built 28.93 million tonnes or roughly 10 million tonnes more than Japan. China too, is increasing its lead over Japan due to its huge domestic demand.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

Ecovision Asia is celebrating World Ocean Day with the support of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong from June 4 to 8.
The celebration brings together key stakeholders in the Hong Kong community, the Asia premier of the award-winning film ‘Sharkwater’ and the launch of the 10th Annual Hong Kong International Coastal Cleanup Challenge.
World Ocean Day, which falls on June 8 this year, recognises that oceans are “essential to food security and the health and survival of all life, power our climate and are a critical part of the biosphere”.
It was initiated by environmentalist David Suzuki and is now supported by the United Nations.

courtesy : baird maritime

Fincantieri and the US cruise group Carnival Corporation have announced a new order to build two prototype ships for the Princess Cruises brand. The contract confirms a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February.

At 141,000 gross tonnes, the two new vessels, which will have a maximum passenger capacity of 3,600, will be the largest cruise ships ever built by Fincantieri and the flagships of Princess Cruises fleet.

Scheduled for delivery in spring 2013 and 2014, these ships, as prototypes, will be two of the most exclusive and innovative in the world.

courtesy : baird maritime

Tensions deepened on Thursday on the Korean peninsula as South Korea accused North Korea of firing a torpedo that sank a naval warship, killing 46 sailors in the country’s worst military disaster since the Korean War. President Lee Myung-bak vowed “stern action” for the provocation following the release of long-awaited results from a multinational investigation into the March 26 sinking near the Koreas’ tense maritime border.

North Korea called the results a fabrication, and warned that any retaliation would trigger war. It continued to deny involvement in the sinking of the warship Cheonan.

An international civilian-military investigation team said evidence overwhelmingly proved a North Korean submarine fired a homing torpedo that caused a massive underwater blast that tore the Cheonan apart.

While 58 sailors were rescued from the frigid Yellow Sea waters, 46 died.

Since the 1950-53 war on the Korean peninsula ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas remain locked in a state of war and divided by the world’s most heavily armed border.

Cortesy : Hindu

“Women break gender barrier in US”
Midshipman Jessica Wilcox, who graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis this month is among the first group of women to be tapped for the elite force, one of the military’s last all-male bastions.

She is ready to break into the fraternity, though it means being submerged for three months at a time in a space no wider than a motor home

The Navy announced last month that it would place women on submarine crews. By January 2012, after 15 months of training, 19 women will be assigned to four ballistic missile submarines.

The women will share a bedroom so small that only one person can stand up at a time.

When they want to use the bathroom — just two showers and two toilets for 15 officers — they will hang a sign on the door that says “women only.” To move from bedroom to bathroom, they will walk corridors so narrow that two sailors cannot pass without pressing against each other.

Inspite of such decision opens a prestigious career path to women and increases the Navy’s recruiting pool for submarine postings there are about 550 retired and active-duty military personnel, as well as their spouses — all of whom argue that submarines are no place for women.

“Cochin Port Trust suffers loss”
Cochin Port Trust employees (CPEO) advises the management of Cochin Port TRust to raise compensation clause against the dredging company for the loss suffered by the port due to non-completion of of dredging work after extension of contract period.

Mr C.D Nandakumar, General Secretary and Labour Trustee mentioned in his letter mentioned in his letter to the Chairman of Coshin Port Trsut to raise compensation immediately based on the original terms from February 2010.

He also added that the dredging contractor was scheduled to complete work of dredging operations to provide 14.5 metre draft for International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) by end of January this year.

The sub. committee extended the time for completion of dredging operation till April 30. But as per the latest information the contractor had not completed the work even after the expiry of the extended date.

Courtesy : Hindu

Second largest Croatian port to be ready in 2013

Vienna-based construction company Strabag has said that construction of a port in Croatia will be completed in 2013.
The new port is located in Gazenica in the Dalmatian city of Zadar. Construction work began in May 2009. The overall
cost of the construction is estimated at US$302 million.

The project has received major backing from the German KfW banking group and the European Investment Bank.

When completed, the port will be the second largest after the port in Split.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

The government issued a tsunami warning following an earthquake in Sumatra (Indonesia) on Sunday afternoon. Fisheries Minister S. Sarma said in an official release that sea level could rise. So, fishermen should not venture out into the sea and those living on the coast should keep vigil.

“Construction on Asia’s largest cruise terminal ending”
Construction on Asia’s largest cruise terminal is scheduled to be completed in May ahead of receiving two large vessels ‘Costa’ and ‘Legend of the Seas’ in June.
Work on a large harbour to accommodate cruise ships will draw to a close in Tianjin, becoming the largest artificial deepwater port of northern China.

Last year, Tianjin received 50 calls from international cruise liners, a 56 percent year-on-year growth.

Courtesy : Baird maritime

With the airspace of most northern and western European countries being closed due to the fallout of ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland, air transportation has been severely disrupted and many passengers have decide to choose an alternative way of travelling: by ferry.

German-Danish Scandlines called in extra catering staff to serve all stranded air passengers. Scandlines records showed a clear increase in passenger, car and bus volumes, especially on their traffic machine routes of Helsingør – Helsingborg, Gedser – Rostock and Rødby – Puttgarden.

“We are effectively operating at the level of peak summer days, on what is normally a quiet weekend in April,” said Michael Speckenbach, Corporate Communications Director at Scandlines.

In other news, John Steen-Mikkelsen has resigned his position of COO of Scandlines in Denmark to take up the position of CEO at Bornholmstrafikken. Scandlines CEO Michael Hassing also recently resigned.

German-Danish Scandlines called in extra catering staff to serve all stranded air passengers. Scandlines records showed a clear increase in passenger, car and bus volumes, especially on their traffic machine routes of Helsingør – Helsingborg, Gedser – Rostock and Rødby – Puttgarden.

“We are effectively operating at the level of peak summer days, on what is normally a quiet weekend in April,” said Michael Speckenbach, Corporate Communications Director at Scandlines.

In other news, John Steen-Mikkelsen has resigned his position of COO of Scandlines in Denmark to take up the position of CEO at Bornholmstrafikken. Scandlines CEO Michael Hassing also recently resigned.

“An intimate cruise ship in Cochin ”

MS Costa Allegra is a cruise ship owned and operated by the Italy-based Costa Cruises. She was built in 1969 by the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland as the container ship In 1990 the ship was acquired by Costa Cruises and rebuilt into a cruise ship at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. She entered service as the Costa Allegra in 1992.

The eight decks on the Costa Allegra are named after famous impressionist painters. A three deck high glass atrium is the centre of the ship. All throughout the ship, elegant works of art can be found.[2]
The play of light on glass and water transforms this magnificent ship into a floating work of art. Carrying The intimate Costa Allegra cruise ship is a vessel of imagination and opulence. Peach and rose hand cut Carrara marble, walls finished in the finest woods and decks named after famous impressionist painters. There is a glass atrium three decks high, and a dome that opens up to a 360 degree view of the sky — day or night. Fountains stream into pools that are at the same time, exquisite skylights for the public rooms below. On the Costa Allegra cruise ship, you will find art and artistry around out every corner.

“Cat fight between China and Korea”

Chinese shipyards took full advantage of their low-cost edge over rival shipbuilding nations Korea and Japan. In 2009, China beat Korea to the shipbuilding top spot, having won 44.4 percent of all new orders compared with Korea’s 40.1 percent.

With the world now recovering from the global financial crisis, analysts said that they expected the trend towards building in China to continue. Asiasis commented that this shift was “revolutionary”, since Korea has been at the global shipbuilding top spot for over two decades.

However, while China claims the highest rank in terms of order in take for 2009, Korean builders are more frequently named in the world’s top ten shipbuilders, taking seven spots in total.

For now, Korea continues to hold its own as it focuses on high technology building of vessels such as LNGs, which most Chinese yards are not yet capable of achieving.

Courtesy : Baird Maritime

“Kerala to invest in the ‘business of ports”

The Kerala Government is sailing to emerge as one of the leading maritime States, if the action plan prepared by the Department of Ports for the maritime development of the State is any evidence.
The Government, with its clear vision on the future maritime development, has identified the port sector as a major thrust area to promote industrial activity in the State. By identifying this sector as a potential source of generating revenue, the Government has initiated steps to encourage setting up of new port facilities, support infrastructure and upgrading of existing facilities along with installation of modern and efficient handling equipments.
A committee constituted by the Department of Ports has recommended investment in the “business of ports”, which has the potential to drive the economic development of the State. Business of ports includes development operations of the port infrastructure as also port-related industries, the committee observed.
Before coming out with the action plan, the Committee visited all prominent locations in the State, including non-major ports from Manjeswaram in the North to Vizhinjam in the South and interacted with various trade bodies and stakeholders.
It had also made a study on the canal and inland water bodies to ascertain the possibilities of integrating the movement of cargo through the canals and inland waters with coastal shipping by developing a new mode of water transport in the form of canal-cum-coastal shipping to maximise the movement of cargo by water transportation.

Non-major ports

Dr Jacob Thomas, Director of Ports, told Business Line that the objective of the study is to establish a network of non-major ports along the 580-km Kerala coast for effectively handling major portion of the cargo, which is now being handled by road and rail networks, thereby enhancing the economy of the State and creating more job opportunities.
With the setting up of such a network, he said it would be possible to achieve 25 per cent of Kerala’s total cargo movement through water transportation by 2020.
The Government, he said, proposed to develop the port sector through the PPP mode and separate companies would be established for development and operations by holding 26 per cent stake.
The investment in the port development is expected to be around Rs 2,000 crore in the next three years and the first phase will come mostly as private investment.
At present, there are 17 non-major ports in Kerala, which are under the Government’s control.
These ports have to be developed and sufficient infrastructure has to be provided to handle medium and small-sized vessels throughout the year.
The State has also come out with a policy on ports to increase its share in the maritime trade by setting a target of becoming the top three maritime States in the country in terms of cargo handling in the next 10 years.

Focus on SEZ

Stressing the need to provide more focus on the need to develop SEZ in the port areas, the committee suggested creation of at least four SEZs at Azhikkal, Ponnani, Kodungallur and Vizhinjam by March 2015 so as to create a hassle-free environment for the promotion of exports.
The Committee also recommended to commence the development projects of Azhikkal, Beypore, Ponnani, Alappuzha, Kollam and Vizhinjam ports by January 2011 and complete all stages of the projects in a time-bound manner by 2016.
There is also a need to initiate action for the development of Kasargode, Badagara, Thalassery, Kodungallur and Neendakara ports by January 2011 to facilitate coastal shipping.
The 580-km Kerala shoreline is also an international border having security implications. The coast is proposed to be benefitted under the Kerala Maritime Board soon. For the coastal security, a separate budget allocation has been made in the State Budget for the first time.
Modern coastal security and port security arrangements are also planned, Dr Thomas said.

Three died and six others were injured while repairing a Liberian cargo ship when it caught fire at a shipyard in eastern China’s Shanghai Municipality, said China Shipping (Group) Company Tuesday, the owner of the shipyard.

The local fire department said they received a call reporting the fire at 9 a.m., and had it under control by 12 o’clock noon.

The fire was completely put out shortly afterwards. All the dead and injured were Chinese workers, said local fire authorities.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident, said the company.

COURTESY : CHINA DAILY

“The longest rail bridge of India built in Kerala”
Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Ministry of Railways, was entrusted with the job of CONSTRUCTION OF RAIL CONNECTIVITY FROM IDAPALLI TO INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TRANSSHIPMENT TERMINAL- VALLARPADAM with a target to complete the rail connectivity work by 31st of March 2010. By taking the engine through the completed track on this day, that promise stands fulfilled. We thank the District Administration, Cochin Port Trust, Contractors, the workers, the media and the public for their support for this project.

The final cost of the project, on completion, will be around Rs.350 crores, funded by Govt. of India through Ministry of Shipping.

The total length of the Rail connectivity is 8.86 Km and starts from the existing Southern Railway Network at Idappalli Railway Station and runs parallel to the existing Track for a length of around 3 Km by constructing earthen embankment and Minor bridges / Culverts upto Vaduthala. Then it passes over the longest Railway Bridge in India of 4.62km, and passes through inhabited area of Vaduthala and its Backwaters; cuts across Idyakkara Island, Mulavukadu Island and finally reaches Vallarpadam where a new Railway station is being constructed. This line is a dedicated line ONLY for goods traffic.

The project has the longest Railway Bridge and other 4 small bridges. The bridges are on 1.2 diameter piles and are taken to an average depth of about 55 metres. There are such 1275 piles (1239 on major bridges and 36 Nos on minor bridges) made for the project totaling to about 65000 metres of pile length. The superstructure is of I and U girders. All put together, there are 99 spans of 40 m and 33 spans of 20 m U girder.

A new and novel Railway station was constructed at Idappalli and the new Railway station at Vallarpadam is nearing completion, as this work is linked to the construction of ICTT by Dubai Port.

Adventure has always been second to nature for the Indian Army. The Indian army engineers were the pioneers in introducing sailing both as a sport and as an adventure.

The Indian army engineers have taken a challenge to cruise a total distance of around 3000 nautical miles on “Trishna” that is bereft of any technological wonder devices. THis sailing expedition will travel from Mumbai to Colombo through Male in Maldives across the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea.

Trishna is a 36 feet swan class yacht of a 1970 vintage yacht and has undertaken number of sailing expeditions. This yacht is an asset of the sappers adventure foundation and was procured from own generated resources of the corps of engineers of Indian Army for undertaken expedition by the men from sappers.

Brigadier Sunil Gaopande(chief engineer-navy) would flag off the kochi-colombo leg of the expedition from south jetty, naval base

This expedition is likely to be completed by 20th April 2010 in Mumbai

“Is Titanic to break its own record”
Filmmaker James Cameron has confirmed he will bring Titanic back to the big screen in 3D.

The director recently joked about updating the 1997 blockbuster using the same technology that brought his Oscar-winning epic Avatar to life.

And now he has confirmed he is serious about plans to rerelease the historical film in 3D — but the new version won’t hit theaters until 2012, to mark 100 years since the legendary ship sank.

He tells USA Today. “We’re targeting spring of 2012 for the release (of a 3D version of Titanic), which is the 100-year anniversary of the sailing of the ship.”

Cochin Shipyard to bolster capital base via IPO

A brimming order book, which includes an aircraft carrier, is prompting public sector Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to increase capacity. The shipyard has plans to go in for an IPO to divest stake to raise funds for expansion, which includes a new dry dock. The proposal is to go in for fresh equity of 10%, which would also help increase the capital base of the company.

CSL has currently a capacity to make vessels of up to 110,000 deadweight tonne and the expansion will allow CSL to build and repair vessels of up to 200,000 deadweight tonne.

Expertise of building an aircraft carrier and timely delivery of vessels have helped CSL carve a niche in the market, despite severe competition from the Far East and Southeast Asia for commercial shipbuilding.

Presently, the shipyard has orders worth Rs 4,500 crore,.

That’s not all the yard delivered two of India’s largest double-hull Aframax tankers.

It has been quite a turnaround for them…

“Jewel of Muscat” arrives at Cochin
Is it humanly possible to recreate ‘time’? Though it seems utterly illogical, that question always incites and excites human imagination, the only thing I know, needs no ‘time machine’ to travel beyond the eternity of space and time. When ‘Jewel of Muscat’ reached the Queen of Arabian Sea, this is the very first thought that hit my mind.
Jewel of Muscat is a stupendous effort to reconstruct a glorified 9th century sailing ship in Oman and retrace the sea trade route between Arabia and the Far East. The ship was made after the enlightening exploration on the past that opened up the mysteries such as the Belitung Wreck, discovered in 1998. The ship was made completely with the techniques and materials that were used during that period in history. The 18 metre ship was built without nails and the planks were sewn together with coconut fibre. The planking on the ship was made from Afzelia africana timber from Ghana and protected by a layer of goat fat mixed with lime. It’s quite amazing when we come to know that these centuries old techniques can keep the ship cent percent water tight. The whole construction was done in a specially made ship yard at a beach in Qantab, Oman. During this adventurous voyage the crew is using 9th century navigation systems. The project is a joint venture of the governments of Oman and Singapore.

“147,000 sq km of China’s sea below clean water standard”
State Oceanic Administration announced Thursday that nearly 147,000 square kilometers of China’s sea was below the clean water standard in 2009, up 7.3 percent from the previous year.

The country’s marine environment, particularly the coastal waters in Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay, Hangzhou Bay, the mouths of the Yangtze River and Pearl River, was not good, according to the Administration’s bulletin.

The offshore eco-systems have kept deteriorating because of environment pollution, habitat loss, biological invasion and low bio-diversity, and around 76 percent out of 21 offshore eco-systems under monitoring were reported “sub-healthy” or unhealthy in 2009, it said.

The data also showed 73.7 percent of 457 sewage outlets went over their pollutant discharge limits, with those in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangxi the worst.

Also, the total pollutants carried into sea by rivers increased considerably in 2009 compared to the previous year, it said.

Courtesy : China Daily

“Celebrating 100 years of Hollywood movie magic”

THIS week marks the centenary of Hollywood and 100 years of movie magic. The 17-minute silent film In Old California was the first to be shot in the then village of Hollywood and was released on March 10, 1910.

The movie, an adventure set in Spanish colonial days, was an overnight success.

Director DW Griffith discovered Hollywood on his trips to sunny California and loved the stunning scenery and friendly people.

By the late 1910s, Hollywood had become synonymous with cinema and its burgeoning glamour. We take a look at some of the most iconic movies through the decades…

1910s

Intolerance (DW Griffith, 1916)

This film is considered one of the great masterpieces of the silent era. Stung by criticism of his film The Birth Of A Nation (1915), Griffith added three stories to his feature about modern social inhumanity to create a vast epic discourse against the evils of intolerance. The film moves through tales of injustice – the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 16th century France, the crucifixion of Christ, a modern workers’ strike, and a story of ancient Babylon.

1920s

The Jazz Singer (Alan Crossland, 1927)

This was a landmark as the first “talkie”. For the £250,000 investment, the studio raked in £2million and its success established talkies as the future. In fact, only about one quarter was “talkie”, which means sound-synchronized dialogue was used.

The first all-talking feature-length picture was the gangster film Lights Of New York made in 1928.

1930s

The Wizard Of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)

The story of Dorothy, a midwestern farm girl swept away to the land of Oz, was an established national favourite when the expertise of MGM transformed it into a magical musical that moved from the dustbowl of the Depression years to a Technicolor future. Its songs made Judy Garland a star then an icon.

1940s

It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)

Starring James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel Clarence Odbody. Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and contributions he had made to his community.

1950s

The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)

Stars Humphrey Bogart – who won the Academy Award for Best Actor – and Katharine Hepburn. It’s a war movie that tells the tale of how a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship in Africa during WWI.

1960s

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Hitchcock’s powerful psychological thriller is the mother of all modern horror suspense films. It depicts the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who is in hiding at a motel after stealing from her employer, and the motel’s owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and the aftermath of their encounter.

1970s

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

Set in New York, Robert De Niro is the star as a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran who works night time as a taxi driver. Becoming isolated, he lashes out at his perceived decadence and filth of the city. Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.

1980s

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

Robert De Niro won an Oscar for his portrayal of Italian-American middleweight boxer Jake La Motta. The film was made in black and white and showed the depth and intensity of which Hollywood films were still capable. It has since been voted the best American picture of the 80s in a number of critics’ polls.

1990s

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

Won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and revived the flagging careers of Bruce Willis and John Travolta. Pulp Fiction joins the intersecting storylines of LA mobsters, smalltime criminals, and a mysterious briefcase. Considerable screen time is devoted to conversations and monologues that reveal characters’ perspectives on life.

2000s

Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)

Hollywood’s centenary is being marked by James Cameron’s Avatar, the most expensive film ever and the most profitable. Made in 3-D, its story is a mish-mash of borrowings from all over, and almost every frame is indebted to an army of special effects technicians. It’s a picture economically dependent on being shown to a global audience.

This year Oscar nominees will be offered the most expensive goody bag in the event’s history.

The £61,000 of treats include an African safari, tickets to a £10,000 stay at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel and a £5000 three-night getaway to a luxury hotel in Connecticut as well as a chance to relax on a private island in the Caribbean.

More bizarre presents include a year’s supply of mints and new mattresses.

Courtesy : dailyrecord.co.uk

Traditional and emerging maritime markets from Asia look set to firm their grip on world shipping through an all-time record participation at, the world’s most prestigious shipping trade exhibition.

The trade shipping event will be held for the 22nd time in Greece, June 7th to 11th at the Hellenikon Exhibition Centre.

India will make its Posidonia debut with a 300 sqm Pavilion of the Shipyards Association of India. The committed Far East presence at Posidonia 2010 is already 45 percent larger compared with the 2008 Exhibition bringing the total floor space of Asian participation up to 3,166 sqm, an increase of 1,000 sqm from two years ago. Korea will display its biggest ever Posidonia exhibitor participation, with KOSHIPA and KOMEA creating an impressive Korean Pavilion. Equally important is the increased stand alone presence of their major shipyards, which will include STX Business Group, Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd and SPP Shipbuilding Co LTD.

The Monaco Yacht Show brings together professionals from the international luxury yachting sector; ship-builders and designers, equipment suppliers, brokers and service providers. The MYS is renowned throughout the sector for being the show that must not be missed in the luxury yachting sector because it is the only yacht show exclusively devoted to Superyachts of at least 25 meters in length.

The only boat show in the world devoted exclusively to international luxury yachting.

- Stands held by 500 leaders in the international yachting industry and related businesses: 85 shipyards, including the best customized yacht builders in the world.

- The most prestigious assembly of big vessels on the planet: 100 exceptional yachts in the water, including 30 to 40 motor and sailing yachts on their world premier launches or being launched in 2009.

- Quality rather than quantity. 27 400 participants in 2009 including a decision-making private clientele with extremely high purchasing power, plus international professional visitors.

- 4 days of intensive networking punctuated with cocktail parties, evenings, conferences, etc.: the ideal opportunity to make new contacts in a festive, friendly context.

- The pleasure of returning to Monte-Carlo to stay in one of the Principality’s magnificent hotels, many of which have been renovated.

“Tall Ship Race 2010.”

Kristiansand is delighted to be hosting the 2010 Tall Ships’ Races and with an expected 300,000 visitors, it will be the largest event ever to take place in this region.

This national celebration with non-stop entertainment and not least the maritime festivities in the harbour area will ensure that Kristiansand is the hub of Norway during these exciting days from July 29 to August 1 2010.

The Tall Ships´ Races is an international event with young people, and for young people under the direction of Sail Training International. It is the annual regatta for small and large sailing ships, which is organized in different European cities. The regatta’s aim is to promote good relationships between young people through different activities whilst the ships are alongside.

The host cities also organise events for hundreds of thousands of people who join in this festive extravaganza. In 2010, all of Sørlandet (Southern Norway) will be invited to create the largest event ever to be held in our region. Kristiansand is the homeport for the beautiful sailing ship, Sørlandet, a favourite icon for our maritime connections as well as a symbol for us as the host city.

The vessel will, of course, be our ambassador for the Tall Ships’ Races 2010 and will naturally be at the centre of the event. The arrangement is to be held over four days and will offer an extensive cultural programme for participants and visitors. Local and regional businesses are invited to contribute and consequently will have the possibility of profiling themselves to a large section of the public. The huge interest in the Tall Ships` Races ensures that the run-up period to this event will also be of interest to potential sponsors. The host cities enjoy great attention and interest far and wide and profit enormously from the focus that the city attracts. Our focus in Kristiansand will be on the environment and the whole event will be carried out with the highest possible environmental profile.

Tall Ships` Races demand very high standards for the environment programme from the host cities. Kristiansand will strive to show ourselves as the environmentally friendly city we want to be known as, with future-oriented solutions within transport, waste disposal, energy and in recruitment. Our sponsors and partners will have the possibilities of marketing themselves locally and regionally, as well as internationally. There will be a great need for suppliers before and during the event. The environmentally friendly profile will lead to the Tall Ships` Races in Kristiansand being a very attractive arena for marketing products and services.

Drawing attention and attracting interest to the host city Kristiansand will bring great benefits from the international interest in the opportunities offered by our region. We will have the chance to show the enormous growth in our business and commercial life and highlight the need for more workers. Tourism will also play a key role in contributing to communication with the vast numbers of potential visitors. We will ensure that arrangements will be in place for valuable and meaningful activities before and during the event and that there will be high levels of participation by children and young people. The maritime environment, school sector, institutions, associations and individuals will have the possibility of using the Tall Ships` Races as an inspiration in their work.

Visitors will experience Kristiansand as an attractive and exciting city. Opportunities for formal and informal meetings will be organized where crews, visitors and locals can get to know each other and develop friendships. This event will impact on the whole region, especially the harbour area. More than 100 sailing ships will create a flamboyant framework for putting our city on the map. The celebrations in the centre of the city will be on a grand scale with entertainment the whole daylong. This is a celebration involving everyone in Sørlandet, and held on a scale never before experienced in our region. It is a party for the people by the people and is set to have far-reaching influence in the future.

Can shipping comapnies recover by slowing down their vessels?

After a brutal 2009 in the shipping industry, companies are taking things a little slower in 2010 – and saving their bottom lines from drowning.
Shipping companies, such as Danish carrier Maersk, are taking the slow boat to China, reducing their speeds and cutting their expenses. By halving its top speed, Maersk has cut its fuel consumption by almost 30% on certain routes, sacrificing time spent in transport for a more fuel-efficient trip.
The added benefit of the slowdown is the lowering of carbon emissions. As noted in The New York Times, transport emissions have soared in the past 30 years with the advent of long-haul shipping. Container shipping alone saw its emissions grow eightfold since 1985. According to the Times, more than 220 vessels are now practicing “slow steaming.”
Two countries are not fans of this new trend in shipping: They’re China and India.

“Coral reefs on the verge of mass destruction”

Recent studies have found that coral reefs are facing a serious threat from the rising acidity of the oceans. If acidity increases with the current rate, all tropical coral reefs will vanish by the end of this century.

Global warming is the major reason behind the increasing level of acidity in oceans. The rise of carbon dioxide in atmosphere causes to increase the amount of carbonic acid in the water and thus affects the ability of coral organisms to produce calcium carbonate shells which form coral reefs. The shells start to disintegrate due to this phenomenon.

The decaying of coral reefs begins when the acidity of the oceans rises beyond a certain threshold, and this point is likely to be reached before 2100, said Jacob Silverman of the Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington.

The study found out 9,000 coral reefs from around the world showed signs of disintegration to rising levels of carbon dioxide and increasing ocean acidity. “A global map produced on the basis of these calculations shows that all coral reefs are expected to stop their growth and start to disintegrate when atmosphere CO2 reaches 560 parts per million – double its pre-industrial level – which is expected by the end of the 21st-century,” Silverman explained.

It has become very obvious that these treasures of oceans, the highest in biodiversity of marine ecosystems, may move close to extinction within less than ten years.