VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd. - Ibiblio

DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS 2006 – 268 

Number 268* COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS ***Sunday 24-12-2006 

News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites. 

THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : 

VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd. 

wire ropes, chains, hooks, shackles, webbing slings, 

lifting beams, crane blocks, turnbuckles etc. 

Binnenbaan 36 3161VB RHOON The Netherlands 

Telephone: (+31)105018000 

(+31) 105015440 (a.o.h.) 

Fax : (+31)105013843 

Internet & E-mail 

www.vlierodam.nl 

info@vlierodam.nl 

The ARTEMIS seen moored at Cape Town at Sunset 

Photo : Ian Shiffman © 

PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 1 12/23/2006


SMITWIJS TOWAGE B.V. 

Westplein 5b 

3016 BM Rotterdam 

The Netherlands 

Telephone: +31 10 412 6969 

Telefax:+31 10 436 9587 

E-mail: SmitWijs@SmitWijs.com 

DO YOU HAVE PICTURES OR OTHER SHIPPING RELATED INFORMATION FOR THE 

NEWS CLIPPINGS ?? PLEASE SEND THIS TO : 

newsclippings@gmail.com 

EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS 

PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT THE NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL BE 

PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 27 TH 

THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR WISHES EVERYBODY AN ENJOYABLE 

CHRISTMAS. 

Christmas over Maassluis Tugboat Museum harbour with 

the tug HUDSON with the Christmas tree in the mast 

Photo : Jan Oosterboer © 



NEW TUGS FOR KEPPEL-SMIT IN SINGAPORE 

The tugs are having a length of 27.9 mtr 

and beam of 9.0 mtr and are powered by 

2 Niigata 6L25HX main engines of 1800 

hp each which are driving both a Niigata 

ZP-21 Steerable Azimuth thruster for a 

total output of 45 tons Bollard Pull and 

are giving the Pusher-Harbour tug a free 

running speed of 12 knots. 

PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 3 12/23/2006 

In Singapore KEPPEL-SMIT took 

delivery of 2 of new tugs - Maju 

Solar and Maju Solitaire in August 

2006 

Both 3.600 bhp tugs with fire-fighting 

capability are built for KEPPEL-SMIT at 

the Keppel Philippines Marine yard in 

Manila (Philippines).


Jordanian ship under pirate attack in Sri Lanka 

Tamil Tiger rebels have seized a Jordanian merchant vessel drifting in waters off the island’s northeastern coast, the 

defence ministry said Saturday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil eelam (LTTE) boarded the vessel identified as “Farha 

III” off the coast of the rebel-held Mullaitivu district, the ministry said in a statement. 

It said a maritime distress message indicating that the vessel was “under armed pirate attack” was received by the 

Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre, in Britain, which conveyed it to the Sri Lankan naval authorities. 

The vessel with a 25-member crew of Jordanian and Egyptian nationals was on its way from an Indian port to Durban, 

the ministry said adding that the nearest Jordanian embassy, in India, had been informed. 

The vessel was carrying 14,000 tonnes of rice from Kakinada, India to Durban in South Africa. “This armed pirate act 

by the LTTE is a clear violation of the international maritime laws and the Navy has found it difficult to react due to the 

presence of the ship’s crew,” the ministry said. 

Better safety checks on bulkheads needed 

BARELY two years after the UK government called on vessel owners and managers to improve the safe operation of 

'portable bulkheads' (movable walls in cargo holds), it last week reported into another death of a seaman for the same 

reason - namely, the improper securing of the top pins of portable bulkheads. 

The report into the first incident in April 2005 found that the aft bulkhead of the UK-flagged coaster Norstrand fell 

because its two main upper bolts were not properly secured. 

When the bulkhead was just clear of the bottom of the hold, it began to tip forward and eventually crashed onto the 

deck of the cargo hold, killing a seaman and seriously injuring the vessel's chief officer. That incident prompted the 

UK Marine Accidents Investigation Branch (MAIB) to call on the International Chamber of Shipping, to alert its 

members to ensure that officers and crew adhere to safety instructions when moving bulkheads. 

The second incident occurred on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged coaster Neermoor. Two seamen jacked up both 

bulkheads by about 4cm, and supported them on wood packing. They then cleaned the cargo hold before leaving to 

assist with the anchoring of the vessel off the loading port. 

On returning to the cargo hold, the two seamen began to lift the aft bulkhead using two hydraulic jacks in order to 

remove the wooden packing, before lowering the bulkhead back into its working position. After giving the jacks several 

pumps to raise the bulkhead, one seaman stopped pumping, picked up the vacuum cleaner and stepped through the 

access opening in the bulkhead, to the other side of the bulkhead. 

As the wood packing could not be removed, the other seaman gave one more pump of his jack. Almost immediately, 

the bulkhead began to topple and its top edge tilted towards the first seaman. As it did so, its lower securing pins 

became disengaged and the bulkhead fell, crushing to death the seaman who had stepped across the opening with the 

vacuum cleaner. The other seaman ran in the opposite direction of the falling bulkhead, and was not injured. 

The MAIB found that the bulkhead fell because the upper securing pins - that should have secured it in the upright 

position - had become disengaged. It also found that these pins had not been checked for some time, and that there 

was no procedure to ensure this check was made. The upper securing pins were also difficult to see and their latches 

were not well maintained, said the MAIB report. The report also found that the bulkhead was sitting lower than 

designed, which meant that the securing pins were not latched properly onto their latches. 

The lifting method used was not in accordance with the designer's instructions, said the MAIB, which also found that 

there was no formal survey or inspection regime that covered Neermoor's portable bulkhead systems. 

As was the case in the earlier Norstrand incident, Neermoor's safety management system had covered neither the 

operation nor the maintenance of portable bulkhead systems, and the crew was neither properly trained nor 



sufficiently supervised to operate or maintain the system safely. 'The checks and balances that should have been 

provided by an effective survey and inspection regime were not in place, and so there was a failure to detect and 

prevent an unsafe operation,' said the report. 

The MAIB has called on Neermoor's German owner/operator to conduct a full review of its safety management 

system covering all aspects of the requirements relating to portable bulkheads systems for all vessels in its fleet. 

The vessel's classification society, Germanischer Lloyd, has been urged to review survey and certification requirements 

relating to portable bulkhead systems, and disseminate its findings through the International Association of 

Classification Societies. 

The MAIB also called on the Secretariat of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control to ensure 

that portable bulkhead systems are checked, whenever possible, during Port State Control inspections. 

WORLD’S LARGEST BULKER ARRIVED 

IN SALDANHA BAY 

The 364.764 DWT m/v Berge Stahl, the largest bulk cargo ship in the world with a length of 343 mtr was the first 

officially nominated vessel for GAC Saldanha Bay since they officially opened their office on 1st December 2006. A 

fact that GAC is very proud of as reported to the Shippingnews clippings. 

The vessel has arrived in Port to part-load 141.500mt Iron Ore. This is also most probably the only time she will ever 

call at Saldanha Bay. 

Photo : Eric Barnard - Operations Manager - GAC Shipping (S.A.) (Pty) Ltd © 

Some more facts of the Berge Stahl, which is most probably the most photographed vessel in the world, the vessel is 

fully loaded having a draft of 23.5 mtr and she can only call at two ports in the world whilst fully loaded, Rotterdam 

and Ponti da Madeira in Brazil, the 20 year old vessel carried upto now 68 million tons of cargo. 



WALLENIUS SHIP RESCUES FOUR SWEDES 

IN DISTRESS 

SSG-GOTEBORG. The Wallenius car carrier Don Pasquale has rescued four Swedes from their sinking yacht off the 

Namibian coast. The call from MRCC in Cape Town came at 9.10 in the morning on 15 December and the Wallenius 

vessel rescued the Swedes just before 2 p.m. in the afternoon. 

The rescued sailors rested onboard and left the ship in Cape Town after which the Don Pasquale continued on her 

voyage to Australia 

DANICA WHITE CAPTAIN BACK IN DENMARK 

SSG-RINGKOBING. The Danish captain Villy Larsen was released on Monday, this week, from the jail in 

Wilmington, North Carolina, and arrived in Copenhagen last Tuesday. He was released after signing a document 

admitting his guilt in behaving badly towards the boarding party from the US Coast Guard at the beginning of 

September, this year. He was captain on board the coaster Danica White approaching Sunny Point, Wilmington, 

when a discussion began with the boarding crew. He was later taken into custody and put in jail. His union, Danish 

Maritime Leaders, is worried about the tendency to take captain on board ships as "hostage" in simple cases like 

accidents. Currently, a German captain is in jail for a simple accident during harbour manoeuvres. His offence can 

result in up to 10 years in prison if he is found guilty in the USA. Danish Maritime Leaders wants a discussion at ITF 

and IMO in order to improve the legal position for seafarers in foreign countries. 

Underprivileged children gets Christmas 

party onboard cruise ship 

It's Christmas on the "Ship of Love" for 72 needy children this year. These children are from lower-income families in 

the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng constituency. (Singapore) 

Together with CTC Holidays, the constituency's Citizen's Consultative Committee (CCC) organised a Christmas Charity 

Party on board the Costa Marina. 

For most of the children, it is their first time onboard a cruise ship. A tour of the ship by "Santarinas" kicked off a day 

of games, skits, and performances. They also received goodie bags and Christmas presents. 

Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng CCC hopes that this event would spread festive joy to the children who would otherwise not be 

celebrating Christmas. 

Riau Islands ferry capsizes 

Two passengers died and two others were missing after the Sentosa 89 ferry capsized near Mapur Island in the Riau 

Islands province Wednesday morning. 

The boat was carrying 15 passengers from Letung Island in the Natuna regency to Tanjung Pinang. The head of the 

Tanjung Pinang search and rescue team, Lukas Maliki Conto, said he heard about the incident only Wednesday 

evening through the boat's owners. 

"The information came through a mobile phone, and the service is far from satisfying in the area," Lukas said. 

No details of the accident were available. The Sentosa 89 ferry belongs to the Riau Islands province and is operated 

to ease the isolation of the outer islands in Natuna regency. 



NAVY NEWS 

THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : 

ANGLO DUTCH SHIPBROKERS bvba 

Waterstraat 16 

2970 SCHILDE 

BELGIUM 

Tel : + 32 3 464 26 09 

Fax :+ 32 3 297 20 70 

e-mail : anglodutch@pandora.be 

The RMAS tug A 201 SPANIEL seen moored in Greenock 

Photo : Tommy Bryceland – Scotland © 



SHIPYARD NEWS 


RENERGI 

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>> RENERGI will increase the efficiency of the combustion process. 

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> Reduced fuel consumption. Postbox 1082 

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> Easy and simple dosing system. E-Mail : info@westmark.nl 

LADY MELINDA COMPLETED 

DRYDOCKING PERIOD 



Anton Pretorius of NAMDOCK in Walvis Bay (Namibia) reported that the 2003 built 71 mtr long LADY MELINDA 

completed successfully her drydocking period and was put back into the water again. 



ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES 


TOTAL VESSEL MANAGEMENT 

K.P. van der Mandelelaan 34 - 3062 MB Rotterdam (Brainpark) - The Netherlands 

Telephone : (31) 10 - 453 03 77 

Fax : (31) 10 - 453 05 24 

E-mail : mail@workships.nl 

Website : www.workships.nl 

The Pilot tender GOVERNOR KING seen operating in the port of Sydney 

Photo : Martin Grant © 

Gentse haven doet het opnieuw beter 

De trafiek in de haven van Gent is in 2006 naar schatting gestegen met 9 procent (3,5 miljoen ton) tot 42,3 miljoen 

ton. Dat blijkt uit ramingen op basis van de cijfers tot 15 december, die vrijdag werden gepubliceerd door de 

havenautoriteiten. Daarmee is het verlies van vorig jaar quasi goed gemaakt. "De Gentse haven heeft in 2006 een 

belangrijk inhaalmanoeuvre gemaakt, daarmee de neerwaartse trend van de jongste jaren ombuigend in een 

afgelijnde groei". 



Zowel de zeevaart (+8 procent tot 24 miljoen ton) als de binnenvaart (+10,4 procent tot 18,3 miljoen ton) tekende 

een stevige groei op van het goederenvervoer, "waarmee het strategische karakter van de Gentse haven als overslaghub 

wordt aangetoond". Zowat 40 procent van de groei is te danken aan de uitvoer. 

Per goederengroep bekeken scoorden negen van de tien hoofdcategorieën beter dan in 2005. De sterkste stijgingen 

werden geregistreerd in de landbouwproducten (+ 45,4 procent), de producten van de metaalindustrie (+ 23,5 

procent) en de chemische producten (+ 20,5 procent). 

De overslag van ertsen en metaalresiduen steeg met 4,9 pct, voertuigen en fabrikaten met + 15,5 pct, meststoffen 

met +17,6 pct, ruwe mineralen en bouwmaterialen met + 7 pct en de voedingsproducten met + 13,5 pct. De overslag 

van petroleumproducten bleef nagenoeg stabiel (+ 0,7 pct), die van de vaste brandstoffen viel licht terug (- 0,6 pct). 

Dat is te wijten aan de hoge energieprijzen, zegt het havenbestuur. 

De verdere groeiperspectieven voor 2007 zijn bemoedigend, onder meer door de recente opening van het Kluizendok, 

luidt het nog. Vorige jaar was Gent de enige Vlaamse haven die haar trafiek zag dalen. Het havenbestuur moest een 

daling van de overslag met 9 procent rapporteren. De behandelde vracht daalde van 41,87 miljoen ton in 2004 tot 

38,2 miljoen in 2005. Met een verwachte stijging van 9 procent dit jaar, zit Gent dus ongeveer terug op het niveau van 

2 jaar geleden. 

Het aantal zeeschepen steeg, na een daling vorig jaar, in 2006 met 276 tot 3.070 schepen. Die schepen waren 

bovendien gemiddeld 8 procent groter. Het aantal binnenvaartschepen dat in de Gentse haven aanmeerde voor los- en 

laadactiviteiten steeg spectaculair met 2100 tot 15.700 (+ 15,5 pct). (belga) 

Tallink extended the charter period of Fantaasia 

AS Tallink Grupp extended the charter contract of M/S Fantaasia with Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation until 

March 2007. 

The charterer declared its option to extend the charter period for additional two months. Compagnie Marocaine de 

Navigation operates with Fantaasia on the Mediterranean Sea. 

******* www.vanbeest.nl ******** 

Sextet for XMas 

Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skipsrederi of Bergen has reportedly ordered up to six 115,000-dwt products tankers at 

Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). 

The deal initially specifies four firm units to be delivered in 2010. The contract price is not known. The standard price 

for products carriers of this size is about $67m, but Jebsen is likely to be building to higher than average specifications. 

Jebsen operates more than 10 aframax combination carriers (OBOs), partly employed in carrying petroleum products. 

The owner has been one of few ordering OBOs in recent years, and the new order could indicate a shift away from 

combination carriers. 

Jebsen also has ordered its OBOs at HHI. 



The tug CHEK CHAU seen assisting the tanker PING CHI when arriving in the port of Sydney 

Photo : Martin Grant © 

Maersk to up rates 

Maersk Line has blamed increasing costs for its decision to increase rates on its Asia to West Africa service next year. 

Customers in Japan and Korea shipping to West Africa face an initial increase of $200 per teu effective 1 April 2007. 

From 1 October 2007 rates from Korea and Japan to West Africa will increase by a further $200 and $100 respectively. 

Between 1 July and 31 December 2007 these same customers will also be faced with a peak season surcharge of $200 

per teu. Maersk says clients in Mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia face total increases of $500 per teu next 

year. This increase will be come in three stages, a $100 per teu increase from 1 April followed by increases of $200 

per teu on 1 June and 15 September. 

Those same three regions also face a $200 per teu peak season surcharge in August 2007 during the Chinese New 

Year. “Transportation costs have increased significantly these last years. The rate increases will assist in compensating 

for these increase,” Maersk said. 



The COSTA CLASSICA arrived in Dubai 

Photo : Reinier Meuleman © 

MOVEMENTS 


MULTRASHIP Towage & Salvage 

Scheldekade 48 

4531 EH Terneuzen 

The Netherlands 

Tel : + 31 – 115 645 000 

Fax : + 31 – 115 645 001 

Internet 

commercial@multraship.com 

http://www.multraship.com 

DANISH TUG CALLS AT CAPE TOWN 

WITH A TOW 

SSG-RINGKOBING. Towing company Jens Alfastsen in Horsens set a record this week, when their tug Luna A 

arrived in Cape Town, South Africa. Never in the company´s history has one of their tugs been so far away from its 

home port! 



The CAPE ESMERALDA seen enroute Rotterdam 

Photo : Frits Janse © 

PSi-Daily Shipping News Page 14 12/23/2006 

The Luna A arrived with the 

15,000 DWT bulk carrier Lai 

King, which was picked up in 

the middle of the South Atlantic. 

The Hong Kong flagged bulk 

carrier, suffered engine trouble 

in the early days of November 

on a voyage from Brazil to 

Europe, but soon realized that it 

needed a tug. The Luna A 

sailed nearly 800 nautical miles 

to pick up the ship. The Danish 

tug came from Dakar after 

delivering a tow of two inland 

tankers to Lagos, Nigeria. 

Photo : Ian Shiffman ©


The VIKING SWAN seen discharging cargo at the Ekofisk complex 

Photo: Jacco van Nieuwenhuyzen © 

OLDIE – FROM THE SHOEBOX 

The SHELL tankers ZARIA and VIANA seen in drydock at Valetta (Malta) during 1980. 

Photo : Hans ten Kate Sr. © 

The 42.550 ton ZARIA was built at the NDSM yard in Amsterdam during 1960, with her length of 213 mtr she was 

powered by One NDSM/Pametrada steamturbine of 16.000 hp which was giving the 36 tanks tanker a speed of 16 

knots, the ZARIA was decommissioned September 28 th 1984 and sold for scrap to Kaohsiung (Taiwan) 

The 33.030 DWT VIANA (PIGS) was built at the Wilton Fijenoord yard in Schiedam during 1960, this 202 mtr long 

tanker was equipped with 36 tanks from which wing tank 1,6,7 and 8 were used for Ballast only, the tanker was 

completely built at the Wilton Fijenoord yard, which means everything was home made at the yard, Boilers, turbines, 

stairs in the engine room ( with yard name casted in) wood of the accommodation etc all in house made on the yard, 

the tanker was powered by a Pametrada steam turbine of 11.500 hp which was giving the tanker a maximum speed of 



15 knots , the VIANA conducted together with the Shell UK tanker VARICELLA during 1974 some test in carrying 

grains, the VIANA was taken out of service December 19 th , 1981 and was sold for scrap at Gadani Beach (Pakistan) 

were the scrapping started during December 1981. 

MARINE WEATHER 


Internet: www.spos.nl Tel : +31 317 399800 E-mail : sposinfo@meteo.nl 

Today’s wind (+6Bft) and wave (+3m) chart. Created with SPOS, the onboard weather information & 

voyage optimisation system, used on over 500 vessels today. 

…. PHOTO OF THE DAY ….. 



Installation of the starboard part of the Stinger Handling Frame on the bow of the Allseas pipelayer 'Audacia', with 

the assistance of the floating sheerlegs 'Matador 3'. 

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