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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 16, 2009 3:03:58 GMT -8
marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/331880.aspx Trinidad and Tobago Order Ferry FleetIn its third significant commercial order for the year, Austal will design and construct four 134.5 ft high speed passenger catamaran ferries for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Designed to carry 405 passengers at a speed of approximately 37 knots, the aluminium vessels are intended to help reduce road congestion in Trinidad and Tobago by establishing a water taxi service between San Fernando and Port of Spain in southwest Trinidad. The water taxi service is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Government’s “Vision 2020” strategy plan, which aims for an efficient, integrated, multi-modal public transport system. When fully operational the water taxi service is expected to facilitate the transport of approximately 8,000 to 12,000 passengers in a normal working day and will be integrated with other transport systems. Construction of the four ferries will be shared across Austal’s Tasmanian and Western Australian shipyards, with delivery scheduled for late 2010. Included in the contract is a maintenance and training package which will see Austal deliver crew familiarisation and planned maintenance management. Austal’s latest contract continues a recent run of commercial orders for the company, which has included two large high speed vehicle ferries for leading European operators Nordic Ferry Services and Virtu Ferries. Austal Managing Director Bob Browning said recent orders had underlined the importance of diversity within the company’s product range and production facilities. The vessels will be owned by Trinidad and Tobago’s National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO) - a government statutory authority - and operated by external consultants. The international tender process undertaken by NIDCO called for proven vessels that could be customised to best meet the proposed service and be delivered within 12 months of contract effective. Austal’s design is based on its 134.5 ft catamaran platform, two of which have been successfully operating in Norway with leading operator OVDS since 2003. With a combined capacity of 1620 passengers, the four Austal high speed catamarans will reduce travel times between North and South Trinidad by almost two thirds. The reduction in the number of cars on the road will also deliver environmental benefits including reduced vehicle exhaust and noise emissions, and reduces the need to maintain and expand major roads and highways. Austal Director – Global Sales and Marketing, Andrew Bellamy, said the order reaffirmed Austal’s commitment to the passenger ferry market. Passenger seating onboard each vessel is split over two levels, with the main passenger deck featuring four passenger entry points, a central kiosk and dedicated baggage compartment and bike racks. The vessels will be powered by four MTU 16V2000 M72 engines driving Kamewa waterjets and will be fitted with Austal Ride Control to ensure passenger comfort. As well as performing an important water taxi service, the ferries will provide emergency backup for the existing inter-island service between Trinidad and Tobago. To meet this secondary function, Austal configured all four vessels with the capability to retrofit a forward mounted T-foil ride control system at short notice, allowing the vessels to operate in open, unprotected seas. The four vessel order is set to expand Austal’s presence in the Caribbean country, which currently includes the design and construction of six fast patrol craft for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, due for delivery in early 2010. Attached to the fast patrol craft order is a comprehensive five year maintenance and training package to be undertaken by Austal’s Trinidad and Tobago–based service representatives. Austal also has a further five vessels operating in the greater Caribbean region, including four high speed ferries in Guadeloupe.
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 18, 2009 5:49:27 GMT -8
www.fairplay.co.uk/login.aspx?reason=denied_empty&script_name=/secure/display.aspx&path_info=/secure/display.aspx&articlename=dn0020090918000006 Five Aboitiz ships sailing againFIVE ro-paxes belonging to Aboitiz Transport System are sailing again today in the Philippines. The ships have been held at ports for re-inspection and audits since the sinking of Superferry 9 on 6 September, in which 10 people were killed. The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) said the inspection on Superferries 2, 12, and 19, and Cebu Ferries 1 and 2 showed showed only minor problems. However, five other Aboitiz ro-paxes – Superferries 1 and 5, Our Ladies of Good Voyage, Rule and Mt Carmel – are still held at ports to confirm seaworthiness. “We are concerned that Marina’s decision [to ground the fleet] will have unintended consequences on the country’s travellers and on industries that depend on shipping,” Negros Navigation chairman Supicio Tagud Jr said during the inquiries.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 18, 2009 9:07:43 GMT -8
www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/17/bc-phillipines-ferry-sinking-survivor-jeff-prepchuk.html B.C. survivor recalls Philippine ferry sinkingA man from Surrey, B.C., who survived a ferry sinking in the Philippines that killed 10 people is back home and speaking out about his harrowing voyage. Jeff Prepchuk, 47, was on a sabbatical sponsored by a local church group on Sept. 6 when the ferry he was on capsized 24 kilometres from shore. He was one of 958 people on board. Prepchuk said he was sleeping in his cabin when he heard a loud bang and felt the boat start to tip. "I did not hear anybody bang on the door. Nobody come around to say, 'Abandon ship.'" Prepchuk said he did his best to help as many people get off the boat as he could, lowering them into the water using ropes. "I was helping people, you know, lowering people that had physical conditions, special needs, mothers with children and senior citizens," he said. "I yelled at them, motivated them, 'Get off, swim, don't just stay there.'" Prepchuk said another wave then came crashing down on the boat, blocking a door. Prepchuk said he swam as fast and hard as he could to get out of the way. He and the other survivors were in the water for about an hour and a half before search-and-rescue crews came to their aid. The ferry was carrying fuel, and the coast guard is investigating whether loose cargo played a role in the sinking. Prepchuk said he felt a huge sense of relief when he returned to Canadian soil this week. " got two teenagers … I mean, I love my boys and, you know, we hugged each other and same with … my wife. She was mad and she was happy at the same time."
He said his heart goes out to those who lost their lives.
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 21, 2009 3:21:13 GMT -8
finance.yahoo.com/news/Finnish-ferry-drifted-for-45-apf-53282483.html?x=0&.v=1 Finnish ferry drifted for 45 minutes in Baltic SeaFinnish ferry carrying 1,200 drifted for 45 minutes in the Baltic Sea after power lossHELSINKI (AP) -- A company official says a Finnish passenger ferry carrying almost 1,200 people drifted for about 45 minutes in the Baltic Sea after suffering a power failure. Viking Line spokeswoman Helena Kneck says there was never any danger for passengers or crew of the M/S Mariella and that the ferry continued on its route after power was restored in the early hours of Saturday. The ferry lost power near the Aland Islands archipelago just before midnight Friday after problems with the fuel supply to its electric motor system. Weather conditions were calm as the ferry drifted while the crew worked to get the system back up. Emergency lighting was supplied to the passengers. The Mariella was en route to Sweden from Finland, with a short stop in Mariehamn on Aland.
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 22, 2009 3:52:48 GMT -8
www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=507558 Ferry probe: Who left door open?MANILA, Philippines - Did someone let in the water that sank the ship? The Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) is investigating the possibility that the side door of the M/V SuperFerry 9 was left open when the ship left the harbor and sank off Zamboanga del Norte, killing 10 people last Sept. 6. This was disclosed yesterday by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vice commandant for administration Rear Admiral Alejandro Flora. He said the side door of the SuperFerry 9, which is located on the lower portion of the ship, serves as the entry and exit point of harbor pilots whenever they have to come on board to help steer the vessel in and out of the port. They also use the side door when they have to load bunker fuel. He said when the vessel left General Santos City port at 9:45 a.m. on Sept. 5, it did not load bunker fuel but a harbor pilot reportedly passed through the side door to get to the bridge. Habor pilots who are familiar with the port and know the shallow areas usually assist the vessel in maneuvering in and out of the port. “The side door should always be closed. In the M/V SuperFerry 9 this is the door closest to the water. If it was not closed or sealed tight and as the vessel listed 25 degrees, it would have been exposed to the water,” said Flora. “Even if it was listing 25 degrees it would not have sunk for as long as there was no ingress of water, it would not have caused the weights to shift,” he added. The members of the BMI are traveling to General Santos City and Iloilo this week to interview the survivors of the sea tragedy, Flora said. He said they would also try to look for the Gen. Santos harbor pilot who assisted the vessel in its last voyage, hoping to verify whether the side door was closed tightly when he disembarked. Probers also want to know who among the crew was in charge of closing the side door of the vessel, which is owned by the Aboitiz Transport Services Corp. Initial investigation showed that the SuperFerry 9 left General Santos port last Sept. 5, for a two-day voyage to Iloilo. The ship was expected to arrive at the Iloilo Port at around 1 p.m. the next day. The PCG said at around 3:30 a.m. last Sept. 6 the vessel tilted 25 degrees toward its starboard side. The ship captain reportedly ordered the crew and passengers to abandon ship, but some of the passengers refused to leave the ship to wait for sunrise before jumping into the water, believing that it would be easier for the Search And Rescue (SAR) vessels to see and rescue them. The vessel sank at 9:30 a.m. or six hours after the people were ordered to abandon ship. More than 900 people survived and 10 were reported dead.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 23, 2009 4:02:17 GMT -8
From Fairplay:
GA Ferries ships arrested
CREDITORS have arrested all eight ships of GA Ferries of Greece, which has fallen behind on accumulated debt of €19M ($28M).
The money is owed to banks, bunker suppliers and the Piraeus Port Authority. GA’s fleet is made up of seven ro-paxes built in 1969-80 and one newer but smaller vessel, the 1995-built Jet Ferry I.
Competition in the Aegean market from more modern ferries has forced GA out of some lucrative routes. For the past two years, it has operated subsidised lines to remote islands.
In addition, owner Gerassimos Agoudimos had a fierce dispute over subsidy money he alleged is owed to him
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 24, 2009 3:06:22 GMT -8
marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/331941.aspx Hong Kong Passenger Ferry Fleet CompleteAustal is celebrating the completion of fourteen high speed passenger ferries for Hong Kong’s Venetian Marketing Services Limited (VMSL) following the successful, on-schedule delivery of the final four vessels. Recognizable for their exciting electric blue livery, each of the 155.8 ft aluminium CotaiJets are now in operation between Hong Kong and Macao, servicing the entertainment, gaming, convention and hotel facilities on The Cotai Strip. Combining speed, comfort and outstanding interior finishes, each vessel has the capacity to carry 413 passengers at a speed of 42 knots. Currently performing more than 60 sailings each day, the vessels provide a first class ferry service along what is now the world’s largest route in terms of passenger numbers. Since construction began in 2007, the speed of the project has demonstrated the advantages of Austal’s newly-introduced Advanced Shipbuilding (ASB) design and construction techniques. The Cotai Strip vessels represent the most extensive use of these techniques to date. Austal Director – Global Sales and Marketing, Andrew Bellamy, said Austal’s large facilities, skilled workforce and ongoing improvement in production techniques enables the company to continue to offer short delivery times, even for large projects. “Increased modular construction and the automation of specific construction tasks across Austal’s shipyards worldwide have seen significant improvements in our efficiency and productivity, as demonstrated by this project,” Bellamy said. “Austal prides itself on meeting or exceeding customer requirements and we are very pleased to be able to facilitate the on-time delivery of these vessels,” he said. Passenger facilities befitting of a luxury entertainment complex, including Beautreaux Club and Executive seating with leather finish, are spread across two separate levels and cater for up to 413 passengers. A passenger-friendly seating density is achieved by limiting rows to no more than three seats. The fourteen CotaiJets are each powered by 4 x MTU 16V4000 M70s producing 2,320kW at 2,000 rpm, driving four Kamewa 63 SII waterjets. Each ferry is additionally fitted with transom mounted SeaState Interceptors providing active high speed ride control for maximum passenger comfort. The latest four vessels have been further enhanced with the addition of forward mounted T-foils and aft mounted, T-Max, an auxiliary steering system proprietary to Austal. The provision of a regular, reliable, fast, high quality ferry service has contributed to the popularity of the Venetian Macao entertainment complex, which recorded a 7.1 per cent increase in visits during the second quarter compared to last year’s second quarter. Completion of the The Cotai Strip vessels means Austal has now delivered over 50 vessels into the Pearl River Delta region.
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Post by M/V LeConte on Sept 24, 2009 3:44:39 GMT -8
"Recognizable for their exciting electric blue livery" Now that is an understatement! Looks like a paint-scheme that would have been created by Disney. And at 42kts I am sure all you see is a bright blue flash. Checked out the Austal site and found the same press release. www.austal.com/index.cfm?objectid=C6009C8F-65BF-EBC1-22ADE4BF2A12E56B However it contained some interior shots. The seating looks to be in the style of a passenger airliner, with the overhead bins. Nice looking boats. Thanks for the post D'Elete!
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 24, 2009 3:59:32 GMT -8
Heh heh...as long as we are on the topic of quirky choices for ferry related design elements, with a slight nudge and wink to Mill Bay... www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=430&storycode=3147432&channel=430&c=2 Liverpool Ferry Terminal wins Carbuncle Cup 2009Despite strong competition from a record number of entries, this year’s winning building by Belfast-based Hamilton Architects is a shining example of bad architecture and bad planningwww.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/468xAny/h/d/v/mersey_ferry3.jpgThis year architecture’s only prize for sheer downright ugliness has seen a record number of entries: buildings so drab, hostile, or puffed up with their own self-importance they made you queasy, angry and depressed. Many of you wailed at opportunities lost, egos gone unchecked, or sheer downright laziness, while others wanted the prize to go not simply to the architect but to the clients and the local authority that waved these hideous schemes through planning. “An utter eyesore on the skyline of Belfast,” said the reader who nominated Woodlands Manor, while Poundbury Fire Station was described as a collection of “pasty sand-coloured brick and inelegant glazing”. And what about Westfield Shopping Centre in west London, nominated by Darren Lewis, who described it as “an oversized box of artificial spending”. But are these three villains really good enough to win this year’s Carbuncle Cup? No. To win takes more than distaste at Westfield’s admittedly ugly, green, metal-panelled exterior and its crude red “Westfield” logo the size of a bus; or anger at Woodlands, which reflects badly on Belfast, where design standards are lower than the UK mainland. The winner is the building that shows how bad architecture and bad planning can combine to produce something truly awful — a building so ugly it can turn human flesh to stone or at the very least make grown men cry. The long list had been picked over many times especially by readers in those historic cities where anything new is put in the spotlight. This was the case in Edinburgh, where Allan Murray Architects’ Hotel Missoni had been nominated on the grounds it was “an unimaginative lump in a sensitive area”, but would anything please the city’s conservationist lobby? Probably not, said the judges, who felt the hotel was the least offensive building on the list. But is it fair that a project in Edinburgh Old Town be treated more harshly than one in a business park, and is a building designed for a university perhaps inherently more objectionable than a bad luxury housing scheme? www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/y/j/f/Jubilee_Campus_2_ready.jpgSecond Prize: Make’s Amenity building at the University of Nottingham.These arguments only got going when it came to deciding an order for the final three: Make’s Amenity building for Nottingham University, Belfast-based Hamilton Architects’ Ferry Terminal in Liverpool and Queen Margaret University campus, Lothian by Dyer Associates. In the end the three judges, BD’s buildings editor Ellis Woodman, BD columnist and critic Owen Hatherley and architect Sean Griffiths of Fat were split between the Nottingham and Liverpool buildings. Both buildings are appalling, they said, but after much deliberation they decided that, given the damage inflicted by the ferry terminal on what is a Unesco world heritage site, it was the more worthy recipient. “It is such an amazing site, directly in front of the Three Graces, but the architects seem barely to have noticed. It is like letting a bad second-year student build next to St Peter’s,” said the judges despairingly. “This is bad patronage by an ignorant council which thinks having jazzy architecture is putting the city on the map again.” Completed this summer by Hamilton Architects (not to be confused with Hamiltons) the £9.5 million building incorporates ferry operations, a Beatles museum and a rooftop restaurant. It is cantilevered on two sides and clad in limestone to complement the new Liverpool Museum next door. “The architect evidently once looked at a Zaha building in a magazine,” said the judges. “It is essentially a horrible sectional idea that has been extruded like a stick of rock. The long elevations couldn’t be more tedious, the Dr Caligari end facades no more grotesque. When you go there you think: oh no, I can’t believe they’ve done that.” www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/j/k/Queen_Margaret_ready.jpgThird Prize: Queen Margaret University campus by Dyer Associates.The judges felt that this year’s winner, and Make’s technicolour campus were “very much of a type in that they are both in thrall to some horribly misconceived idea of the avant–garde,” they said. Make, has actually, pursued its bad ideas rather more energetically than Hamilton Architects, which is a recommendation of sorts. The Nottingham project suggests that, in trying to put some blue water between himself and his former boss, Ken Shuttleworth has got catastrophically out of his depth.” It was certainly the nomination that provoked the most hostile comment from readers. “A tribute to starchitect cleverness. Just how hostile, arbitrary and ugly a construction can you talk a client into and sneak past the community,” said one reader. Make’s efforts were shocking said the judges about its three Nottingham buildings, while they said the Aspire public sculpture was noticeable only for its “insufferably punning name implying Blairite vacuity”. Least known of the three finalists was Queen Margaret University campus in Edinburgh. No hallowed spires of academia here but instead a building of such depressing PFI drabness, “it needs to be slapped down”, said the judges, who were torn between awarding this third place, and another nomination from Aberdeen, Union Plaza by Halliday Fraser Munro — a building “so ugly, so simple and unimaginative so out of scale that is has become a scar in the landscape of the granite city,” said Andrew Mackintosh, who nominated it. Hang your head in shame Hamilton Architects, but for everyone who was nominated — don’t worry, there is always next year. LIVERPOOL GIVES PELLI’S BUILDING A ‘HUG’www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/w/h/d/Pelli_Liverpool_JDav_1044CA.jpgOne love: Pelli’s building is central to the masterplan.Grosvenor, the developer of Liverpool One, must have been delighted when the masterplan for the city’s new retail scheme made a surprise appearance on this year’s Stirling shortlist. The client is described as having “vision and commitment to delivering design excellence and urban coherence”, according to this year’s judging panel. But not everyone agrees that the individual buildings match the quality of the masterplan. Particular objection has been raised to Cesar Pelli’s One Park West partly because of its location alongside the Albert Dock and within the Liverpool World Heritage site and partly because, given its importance in the overall masterplan, it is seen as a lost opportunity that fails as the icon it’s so clearly striving to be. www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/g/o/h/Hug_on_stairs_9_ready.jpgLiverpool came out in support of Pelli’s architecture.But Grosvenor hit back at the nomination, claiming that the building was in fact greatly loved and to prove it organised a “group hug” in the form of a human chain around the building last week, a day before the final judging. Guy Butler, Grosvenor’s senior development manager, said the developer was proud the building could provoke debate. “Love it or hate it, One Park West is here to stay and I’m proud to say will continue to provoke debate for many years to come as any landmark building should.” But, despite attracting media interest, the event was met with cynicism by critics who said that the stunt was a “desperate rearguard action by a group of people rolled in to make up the numbers for the occasion”. AND THE OTHER NOMINEES WERE...www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/l/n/e/missoni_ready.jpgAllan Murray’s Hotel Missoni.Allan Murray’s Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh had readers arguing over whether it was “oversized crud” or simply “bland”. “Every time I walk past it it makes my heart sink,” was just one of the many negative comments about the luxury hotel opened last month by the Italian label Missoni, best known for its multicoloured zigzag pattern jumpers. The judges agreed it was the “least offensive” of all the buildings on the shortlist but highlighted “the problem with Edinburgh”, saying: “It’s a building caught between two stools trying to be modern and respectful to the historical context, but no one has worked out how to do it.” www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/u/o/t/Poundbury_Fire_cut_ready.jpgPoundbury Fire Station.Poundbury Fire Station, by Carden Croft, also split opinion with some arguing that it fits in with the rest of the town, while others tore into it — “unimagin-ative, dull, historicist, inefficient, a relic: and that’s just the landowner/client, never mind the building,” said one. The judges, while agreeing that in a different year it could have made the top three, said the Carbuncle Cup was not there to “hit out at pastiche”, concluding: “It’s offensive but not that offensive.” They reached a similar verdict on Shrewsbury Theatre by Austin-Smith Lord, agreeing with one reader who said: “It adds nothing to the architectural dialogue of the town”, but feeling it fell short of being a carbuncle. One Park West, Pelli Clarke Pelli’s contribution to Liverpool One, while popular with locals missed making the final three. “It has big architectural aspirations but ends up playing tired fashionable games,” said the judges. www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/l/d/q/Woodlands__Belfast_ready.jpgWoodlands Manor in Belfast.Woodlands Manor in Belfast by Coogan & Co also had architectural aspirations, said the judges, but they rather wished it hadn’t. “It is a bloody awful eyesore but it has aspirations to be something. The architect is looking for an architectural precedent and seems to have settled on Broadway Malyan’s scheme for St George’s Wharf in London.” Also shortlisted were Westfield Shopping Centre by Westfield’s in-house team and the Union Plaza, Aberdeen. Thanks to all BD readers who nominated buildings.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 3, 2009 3:01:04 GMT -8
Two reports today: marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/332046.aspx Another Double-Ended Ferry on the GaronneThe double-ended ferry La Gironde has been in service at Europe’s largest river mouth, the Garonne estuary, since 2002. With the sister vessel L’Estuaire even more tourists will now be able to pass the popular river mouth in order to reach the sea faster by car. Each of the structurally identical ships is fitted with four Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP) class 21 GII/135, driven by four 1080 kW diesel engines. Both vessels have to meet draught limits of just 8.5 ft but still reach a speed of 13.6 knots. Other external obstacles that the ferries have to overcome are the tidal differences in the estuary caused by strong tidal currents. La Gironde excels by its high sailing stability and reliability. The operator Conseil Général de la Gironde therefore ordered a structurally identical second vessel, which has been built by Chantier Piriou shipyards in Concarneau in Brittany. L’Estuaire has a total length of 256 ft and is 60 ft wide. Apart from 600 passengers, 138 cars or six trucks and another 93 cars can be accommodated on the crossing from Verdon sur Mer to Royan. In the near future, another two double-ended ferries with VSPs will enter service. On the Rhone, it will be the Barcarain V, measuring 141 ft in length and 46 ft in width, fitted with two VSPs size 16R5 EC/120-1. The new ferry is driven by two 520-kW engines and can carry a maximum of 200 passengers and 36 cars (or 24 cars and four trucks). The ferry operates on 22 hours every day and has to comply with strict environmental regulations in the conservation area of the Camarque. The Bac 23, another VSP-driven double-ended ferry, is about to enter service on the Seine. It features four VSPs type 12R4 EC/75-1 and is driven by four 260-kW engines. At a length of 104.6 ft and a width of 57.4 ft, it can hold 200 passengers and 28 cars. Both ferries are operated by public authorities. ( www.voithturbo.com) marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/332045.aspx UK Report, Truck Breaks Loose on Ferryhe UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of its investigation of the shift of an articulated road tanker on board a roll-on roll-off high-speed sea service cargo ferry in Loch Ryan, Scotland on 28 January 2009. The truck driver left the truck out of gear and did not apply the parking brake. Neither the ferry’s deck securing points nor the truck’s ferry securing points accorded with applicable international or national standards. The lashing straps were of insufficient strength. The truck broke loose as the ferry accelerated on departure from port and trimmed by the stern. The semi-trailer portion of the vehicle crashed through the stern door of the ferry and came to rest on the vessel’s port water jet units. The ferry was able to return to port. Report No. 21/2009 (10/1/09).
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 14, 2009 4:47:47 GMT -8
marinelink.com/en-US/News/Article/332146.aspx Nathans Auditor of Swansea-Cork Ferry OpsIreland-based accountant and consultant Moore Stephens Nathans has been appointed auditor to the group of companies recently set up under the name Fastnet Line to operate a new passenger and freight ferry link between Swansea in Wales and Cork in Ireland. The service is scheduled to begin on March 1, 2010, providing the first crossing since 2006. The cessation of the old Swansea-Cork ferry operation in 2006 caused an estimated annual loss of $51.7 to businesses in Ireland, which relied on the service to bring large numbers of UK and EU tourists into the south-west of the country. Since the service ended, a number of lobby groups in both Ireland and Wales have been campaigning for a return of the ferry link, the absence of which has involved an additional three-to-four hours’ travel from Rosslare, the closest alternative port to Cork, for motorists and hauliers. The new year-round service will take approximately ten hours and will offer most hauliers and motorists a round-trip saving of more than 600km over alternative sea crossings. To operate the service, Fastnet Line has acquired the 1982-built ferry Julia at a cost of $11.5m, $9.3m of which was funded by Aktia Bank in Finland. The 505.2-ft long vessel has capacity over ten decks for 1,860 passengers, 440 cars and 30 trailers, with more than 300 passenger cabins. It has most recently been operating between Helsinki and St Petersburg. Ned Murphy, a partner with Moore Stephens Nathans, said, “There has been a strong and growing demand for the Swansea-Cork ferry operation to be resurrected, and we are delighted to be involved in the project as auditors on behalf of the investors. Approximately Euros2.5m was raised as equity from a share subscription in the West Cork Tourism Co-op, with each member contributing Euros10, 000. An additional Euros2.5m is expected to be raised, primarily for working capital purposes, by way of secured bonds in slots of Euros50, 000, each returning a coupon (interest payment) of ten per cent per annum, repayable after four years. “The Fastnet Line is set to have a very positive impact on the economy of south-west Ireland when it begins operating in March next year. Provisional projected turnover for 2010 is Euros8.9m, rising to Euros12.1m in 2013.”
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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 16, 2009 10:22:23 GMT -8
Sea France has taken the big step of no longer carrying foot passengers. The falling volumes, partially due to the Chunnel and the economy were the likely cause. I read an article in either Shipping Monthly or Ship Review to that effect. When you go to their website there is no foot passenger option. It means reduced expenses dealing with the foot passenger bridge, cleaning of the waiting lounges and other associated costs.
From their website, "Can I travel as a foot passenger? From 1st October 2009 SeaFrance will no longer take foot passengers on their services to Calais. Demand for this type of ticket has been falling steadily over the years to a point now where it is no longer viable to run the buses needed to get the foot passenfers to and from the ship.
SeaFrance will continue to offer a service for foot passengers travelling in groups who can use their own coach services to get from the terminal to the ship and to those travelling by bicycle."
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 19, 2009 8:31:04 GMT -8
fairplay.co.uk/login.aspx?reason=denied_empty&script_name=/secure/display.aspx&path_info=/secure/display.aspx&articlename=dn0020091019000005 New crew ends Oz stand-offA BASS Strait inter-island ro-pax company is expected to resume trading today after the owners replaced crew who last week tied the ship up over a back-pay claim. Southern Shipping owner Geoffrey Gabriel said he has recruited 12 seafarers from the Australian mainland to enable the vessel Matthew Flinders III to resume its government-subsidised contract service between Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. Crew members, chasing A$30,000 ($27,500) in allegedly unpaid wages, walked off the ship at Lady Barron on Flinders Island and refused to move it.
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 26, 2009 11:53:09 GMT -8
Okay, tough one to classify...things you don't usually hear or ferries abroad... www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/091026/K102608AU.html Norwegian ferry passenger accused of skin-crawling snake smuggling schemeOSLO, Norway - A man has been arrested in Norway trying to smuggle two dozen snakes and geckos into the country by hiding them under his clothes. Customs agent Helge Breilid said Monday the 22-year-old Norwegian citizen was apprehended in the southern town of Kristiansand after getting off a ferry from Hirtshals, Denmark. He said the man had 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos under his clothes. Breilid said the non-venomous snakes - the smallest species in the python family - were hidden in stockings duct-taped to the man's abdomen. The geckos were in boxes taped to his thighs. Customs officials found the reptiles, which are not endangered, Sunday during a search following the discovery of a tarantula in one of the man's bags.
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Post by whidbeyislandguy on Oct 30, 2009 18:39:48 GMT -8
Okay, tough one to classify...things you don't usually hear or ferries abroad... www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/091026/K102608AU.html Norwegian ferry passenger accused of skin-crawling snake smuggling schemeOSLO, Norway - A man has been arrested in Norway trying to smuggle two dozen snakes and geckos into the country by hiding them under his clothes. Customs agent Helge Breilid said Monday the 22-year-old Norwegian citizen was apprehended in the southern town of Kristiansand after getting off a ferry from Hirtshals, Denmark. He said the man had 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos under his clothes. Breilid said the non-venomous snakes - the smallest species in the python family - were hidden in stockings duct-taped to the man's abdomen. The geckos were in boxes taped to his thighs. Customs officials found the reptiles, which are not endangered, Sunday during a search following the discovery of a tarantula in one of the man's bags. OH MY GOD!.. Talk about a body crawling with critters!
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M/V LeConte
Chief Steward
~ I believe in Ferries! ~
Posts: 147
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Post by M/V LeConte on Oct 31, 2009 0:26:07 GMT -8
Sounds like the plot for the long-awaited sequel to that wonderful movie Snakes on a Plane
This gives me the Heebies and the Jeebies!
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Nov 4, 2009 12:14:59 GMT -8
From Fairplay:
Lost ferry was full of holes
A SAFETY inquiry has listed a catalogue of serious safety hazards in the sinking of the Tongan ferry Princess Ashika.
Included were: holes in the decks, heavily corroded hull and deck sections, blocked scuppers and vents, worn safety rails and ropes, damaged access gates and fresh paint over badly rusted areas.
The 1972-built vessel capsized and sank in calm weather on 5 August, 280km from the Tongan capital of Nuku‘alofa while on an inter-island voyage.
At least 75 people, including many children, were lost in the casualty and remain entombed in the wreck, which is unlikely to be recovered.
Royal Commission investigators have examined graphic photos of its unseaworthy condition, which were introduced into evidence by government marine engineer Mosese Fakatou.
Mosese told investigators that he “stepped carefully” around the ship for fear of falling through: in one instance he could see the ocean through a hole in the vehicle deck.
John Jonesse, general manager of the government-owned Shipping Corp of Polynesia, originally told the panel that he honestly believed the ship was in “good mechanical condition”, but later conceded that the evidence was to the contrary.
Jonesse personally oversaw the ferry’s purchase from Fijian owners but told investigators that he had relied on advice from surveyors. Its passenger certification had already been reduced from 405 to 160 under Fijian control, but it was carrying 180 on the night of the disaster.
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Post by Retrovision on Nov 13, 2009 22:54:49 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 15, 2009 20:26:17 GMT -8
Not news, but on the CBS TV show "The Amazing Race":
- the racers travelled by ferry from Stockholm to Tallin (Estonia), on Silja / Tallink line.
It was a 16-hour trip, and the ferry looked like a jumbo NorEx.
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M/V LeConte
Chief Steward
~ I believe in Ferries! ~
Posts: 147
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Post by M/V LeConte on Nov 22, 2009 4:09:23 GMT -8
File this one under "Things that go bump in the night!" The M/V Marko Polo (former Stena Nordica) went HARD aground. www.cargolaw.com/2009nightmare_marco-polo.htmlAwesome photos. Cargo Law is a great website that chronicles a lot of "bad days at work." ~LeC
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Mill Bay
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Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
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Post by Mill Bay on Nov 25, 2009 11:01:45 GMT -8
File this one under "Things that go bump in the night!" The M/V Marko Polo (former Stena Nordica) went HARD aground. www.cargolaw.com/2009nightmare_marco-polo.htmlAwesome photos. Cargo Law is a great website that chronicles a lot of "bad days at work." ~LeC The Marko Polo actually looks eerily similar to the Queen of the North. Definitely a common design lineage. Maybe there is some feature built in to that design style that is very attractive to reefs and islands which tend to want to reach out and grab the ships.
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Post by Barnacle on Nov 26, 2009 9:44:15 GMT -8
The Marko Polo actually looks eerily similar to the Queen of the North. Definitely a common design lineage. Maybe there is some feature built in to that design style that is very attractive to reefs and islands which tend to want to reach out and grab the ships. Or at least attractive to crews that aren't paying attention, as has been heavily alleged in the QotN incident.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Dec 4, 2009 5:13:14 GMT -8
I'm still looking for more info on this, but I heard a report on BBC this morning that a small passenger vessel collided with a ferry either this morning or last night with the loss of 30 lives. EDIT: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8394891.stm Bangladesh ferry sinks - at least 46 are dead
A river ferry has capsized and sunk in Bangladesh, killing at least 46 people - the second such incident in a week. Half of the victims of the latest accident were children, and most of the rest were women. The boat they were travelling on collided with another vessel on the Daira river, about 100km (62 miles) north of the capital Dhaka. According to police, the boats struck each other on a bend in the river in foggy conditions. As many as 100 people were travelling on the vessel which sank and it is feared the number of dead will rise. Rescue operations are continuing. The BBC correspondent in Dhaka says ferry accidents are fairly common on Bangladesh's vast river network. Last week more than 80 people drowned when an overcrowded ferry capsized.
The previous incident referred to in the story above. news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8380000/newsid_8385000/8385040.stm Dozens killed as ferry capsizesA crowded ferry has capsized in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 51 people. The MV Coco-4 ferry is thought to have been carrying up to 1,500 passengers when it ran aground as it arrived at the town of Lalmohan on Bhola Island. It's thought the weight of passengers rushing to get off the ferry may have caused it to tip and start to sink. Rescuers are still searching for dozens of people who are feared to be trapped inside the triple-decker vessel. Emergency workers have now got the ferry upright again, making it easier for rescuers to reach the cabins inside. Most of the passengers had been going home to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid. It's not uncommon for disasters like this to happen in Bangladesh where lots of people travel on ferries. The accidents are often blamed on unsafe, ageing boats and overcrowding.
As a really off track aside, I found this link on BBC's site very interesting news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_2330000/newsid_2333800/2333893.stmThe second story I posted is on a section of their website which is aimed at kids...there is no sugar coating of the facts, but BBC apparently has realized children may need additional attention to deal with/process some of the harsh realities of life. I did a quick, slightly random survey with Google, and didn't really see anything quite like BBC's approach to children's news services. Most of the sites I looked at really seemed to favour a sticky sweet approach to world news...I just found BBC's approach refreshing...
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 4, 2009 7:32:53 GMT -8
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Post by Scott on Dec 23, 2009 21:04:10 GMT -8
www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/12/23/manila-bay-accident023.htmlAnother Philippine ferry accident. This one hit a fishing boat in Manila Bay. It was a wooden-hulled ferry, so it sank as well. So far 47 people missing. I don't think it was one of the "major" ferry lines in the Philippines, but they have not been exempt from disaster in the past. The article mentions another ferry disaster that happened in the Philippines 22 years ago - maybe the worst ferry disaster of all time. The Dona Paz of the Sulpicio Lines (very bad accident record) collided with an oil tanker which caused a massive fire and both vessels to eventually sink. There were 24 survivors from the ferry. Survivors said that the life jacket lockers were locked and that that water all around the ship was on fire. It took 8 hours for the Philippine authorities to hear about the disaster and another 8 before a rescue was operational. The Wikipedia article states that 4,375 people died in the accident. The official passenger manifest claimed there were only 1,493 passenger, but most official and government sources concede that there were likely more than twice that many. Wikipedia references an article that says "of the 21 bodies identified 5 days after the accident, only one of the fatalities was listed on the official passenger manifest." This happened 22 years ago this past Sunday - December 20, 1987.
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