Passenger Ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, Sinks Off Papua New Guinea

Posted on by February 2, 2012

MV Rabaul Queen at the port of Kimbe

Between 5 and 6 AM Thursday morning, the passenger ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, capsized about 10 miles off Finschhafen on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea.  The ferry had a capacity for 300 people, but as many as 350 people are believed to have been aboard. More than 200 have now been pulled from the sea by rescuers. At least one hundred remaining unaccounted for. The ferry was sailing between the ports of Kimbe and Lae when it sent a distress call.  The cause of the sinking has not been determined but there were reports of strong northwesterly winds and sea swells of up to 5 meters.    The MV Rabaul Queen is reported to have been a 1983-built, 259 gross ton, Papua New Guinea-flagged passenger/ro-ro ferry operated by PNG’s Star Ships.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on the news.

More Than 200 Rescued After Ferry Sinks Off Papua New Guinea

Atlantic Odyssey Rowers Rescued After Boat, Sara G, Capsizes

Posted on by February 1, 2012

These are busy days in ocean rowing. As the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is finishing up and the Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012 is getting started, an attempt at breaking an ocean rowing record as failed, ending with the rescue of six rowers from a life raft raft after their boat, the Sara G, capsized and sank. The six men, five from Britain and one from Ireland, were rowing from Morocco to Barbados in the “Atlantic Odyssey challenge,” an attempt to row across the Atlantic in thirty days or less.  After 27 days and still 520 miles from their destination, their boat was capsized by large waves. The a Panamanian container ship, the Nord Taipei, was diverted to pick up the rowers after their EPIRB signal was picked up by Falmouth Coastguard.   Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing along the news.

Atlantic Odyssey rowers rescued after capsizing

145 Australian Water Skiers Try for World Record

Posted on by February 1, 2012

I am not entirely sure why anyone would decide to go water skiing with 150 of your closest friends. Then again, why not? Last Friday, one hundred and forty five water-skiers in Australia’s Tasmania skied for a nautical mile inside Macquarie Harbour at Strahan in an attempt to break the world record for the number of skiers pulled behind one boat.  One hundred and fifty four skiers began the attempt, but nine fell. The same group previously set the record in the same location with one hundred and fourteen skiers.

Australian water skiers try for record

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing along the news.

Costa Concordia Update: Search for Missing in Flooded Ship Ends, Salvage Could Take a Year, Cost Could Reach a Billion

Posted on by January 31, 2012

The search for the missing in the submerged portions of the Costa Concordia has ended due to concerns for the safety of the rescue workers.  The estimated toll from the sinking stands at 33 dead or missing.  The bodies of 17 passengers and crew have been recovered since the ship grounded and capsized on January 13th.  An additional 16 people are still missing and presumed dead.  Salvage crews continue to be delayed by bad weather in their efforts to pump the 2,300 tonnes of marine diesel oil and gas oil from the ship.
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SS Port Nicholson – Sunk Off Cape Cod in 1942, a $3 Billion Shipwreck?

Posted on by February 1, 2012

The Portland, ME based, Sub Sea Research (SSR) recently sent out a press release announcing that they had located what they claim to be “the worlds richest shipwreck,”  the British freighter, SS Port Nicholson, carrying a secret cargo of 71 tons of platinum, sunk by the German submarine U-87 on June 16th, 1942 Northeast of Cape Cod, MS.  From the press release: SSR first discovered the Port Nicholson in 600-800 feet of water off Cape Cod in 2008. In 2009 SSR obtained legal recognition from the US Courts as the legal owner and salvager of the ship.  The company also posted a Youtube video documenting their discovery.
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From Nantucket to Spain, the Incredible Voyage of the Fishing Boat Queen Bee

Posted on by January 31, 2012

We have previously posted about “the original social network, “messages in bottles, as well as lobster pot tags from New England that broke loose during the “Perfect Storm” which drifted to a beach in Ireland. Now, we hear of a fishing boat named the Queen Bee, from which two men were thrown from off Nantucket, Massachusetts in 2008. The men swam a mile to shore and the Queen Bee apparently disappeared. Or not. Recently, the boat was found 3,500 miles away, off the coast of Spain. Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the story along.

Boat lost at sea surfaces four years later

Ocean Rowing Round-up, Part 2: Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012

Posted on by January 30, 2012

Photo: Eric Rousseau

Twenty three boats set off this weekend in the the third Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012 in a 2,600 mile race between between Senegal and Guyana.  All solo rowers are competing in identical 8 meter long boats.  One major challenge of the race will be crossing the equatorial counter currents. The route passes through the Intertropical Convergence Zone where sporadic and unpredictable winds can be violent. Also in the approach to Guyana,the rowers must cope with where powerful coastal currents.

Ocean Rowing Round-up, Part 1: Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Setting Records

Posted on by January 30, 2012

The Row to Recovery team

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which bills itself as the “world’s toughest rowing race,” is winding down. Of the 17 boats which set out on December 4th, seven boats have crossed the finish line in Barbados, four are still rowing, and six boats have pulled out of the race.

The racers have set several new world’s records. Andrew Brown, the only solo rower in the race, came in second overall and set a new world record for the fastest solo row across the Atlantic, completing the voyage in 40 days, nine hours and 44 minutes. He also raised £88,080 for two children’s charities.
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Carnival’s Micki Arinson Faces the Heat, More or Less & American Express Costa Concordia Offer

Posted on by January 30, 2012

Arinson watching the Heat

Carnival’s CEO & Chairman, Micki Arinson has been criticized for maintaining a low profile following the sinking of the Costa Concordia where over 30 passengers and crew are dead or missing.  Last Friday, he made what was believed to be his first public appearance following the sinking.   The 62-year-old billionaire sat court-side in Miami to watch the Miami Heat play basketball. Arinson owns the team along with roughly half of the global cruise line industry. Arinson’s team won the game. The Heat beat the New York Knicks 99-89.

In related news, the American Express offer, which arrived in the mail to certain card holders in Florida, offered a seven night cruise through France, Italy, and Spain on the Costa Concordia, for only $749 and encouraged cardholders to ‘immerse yourself in a truly European experience.’  American Express spokeswoman Christine Elliot said: ‘The mailing was already underway when the accident occurred. We apologize for any inconvenience to those who received it.

Nelson’s Sword Discovered in Wreck of HMS Victoria

Posted on by January 30, 2012

Wreck of HMS Victoria

While on peace time maneuvers off Libya on June 22, 1893, Vice Admiral George Tryon, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, gave a series of orders that resulted in HMS Camperdown ramming his ship, HMS Victoria, which sank with the loss of 358 lives, including that of the vice admiral.  Also believed to have been lost in the sinking was Admiral Tryon’s collection of Nelson’s personal effects, which he had purchased at auction, including Nelson’s sword.  The wreck of  HMS Victoria was discovered in 2004 in 150 metres of water.  Now, Diver Mark Ellyatt says that he discovered Nelson’s sword and other artifacts in Tryon’s cabin.

Nelson’s £1million sword is discovered at the bottom of the Med (but the shipwreck it’s on is called the Victoria, not the Victory)
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MV Delta Mariner in Wrong Channel in Bridge Collision, on a Long, Winding Voyage to the Gulf

Posted on by January 29, 2012

Photo: Sandy Joseph/ULA

The investigation is ongoing as to why the MV Delta Mariner  collided with the Eggner Ferry Bridge on the Tennessee River in Kentucky last Thursday night, taking out over 300′ of the span, but reportedly, the ship was in the wrong channel.  It apparently was in a recreational channel where the bridge had a lower clearance rather than the  shipping channel where the clearance would have been adequate. Sam Sacco, a spokesman for Foss Maritime, said the ship made the trip many times in the past 10 years and had an experienced captain and local river pilot on board.
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NYC’s East River Water Turbine Energy Licence Awarded to Verdant Power

Posted on by March 5, 2021

Verdant Power Water Turbine Being Lowered into New York’s East River

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued its first license for a tidal energy project to Verdant Power.  The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) Project is located in New York’s East River just west of Roosevelt Island.

Since 2006, Verdant Power has been testing six underwater turbines installed on the river bed to generate electricity.  Under the new ten year license, Verdant will build and install turbines with a total generating capacity of 1 MW of electrical power. Five turbines are expected to be operating by the fourth quarter of 2013 and a total of 30 generators should be installed by 2015. The pilot project is intended to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology and to study the environmental impact on fish and the river’s sediment.   The East River is not actually a river, but a tidal estuary through which powerful tidal currents ebb and flood daily.  The turbines will now tap some of the energy from these currents to produce clean and renewable energy.

Costa Concordia Update – 17th Body Found, Fuel Pumping Delayed & Salvors Line Up to Bid

Posted on by January 28, 2012

The body of a woman, believed to be a member of the crew, has been found in the wreck of the Costa Concordia, bringing the body count to 17. An additional 15 are missing and presumed dead. The Dutch salvor Smit has been delayed in the pumping of the 2,300 tonnes of diesel fuel from the ship due to bad weather. They hope to start pumping toward the middle of next week, when weather conditions are forecast to improve.  In the mean time, Dutch, US and Danish marine salvage firms are preparing to bid on either refloating or breaking up the stricken cruise ship.  Smit Salvage currently only has the contract to remove the fuel from the ship.  Companies bidding on the larger salvage job are expected to be Smit, an arm of Dutch group Boskalis-Westminster,  Titan Salvage, owned by the US’s Crowley Maritime Corp and Denmark’s Svitzer, owned by Maersk.

Jarle Andhoy – Berserker on Another Illegal Trip to Antarctica

Posted on by January 28, 2012

Jarle Andhoy after his failed Antarctic expedition in February, 2011, in which three people died. Photo: AFP

Jarle Andhøy calls himself as a “Wild Viking.”  He has been the subject of the Norwegian television series Berserk mot Nordpolen (“Berserk to the North Pole”), Berserk til Valhall (“Berserk to Valhalla”) and Berserk gjennom Nordvestpassasjen (“Berserk through the Northwest Passage”) which aired on NRK in 2003, 2005 and 2007.   Andhøy is best known for controversial voyages in polar regions usually without permits, or insurance, which have run afoul of the authorities in Norway, Finland, Russia and New Zealand.  He was deported from Canada in 2007. His voyage last year to the Antarctic also got three of his crew killed when his yacht Berserk II sank.

Andhøy appears to be at it again. He has on another illegal voyage to Antarctica and is wanted by the authorities in several countries.
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“Rocket Ship,” MV Delta Mariner Takes Out Eggner Ferry Bridge

Posted on by January 27, 2012

Last night around 8PM, the supply ship, MV Delta Mariner, operated by Foss Maritime, struck the Eggner Ferry Bridge on the Tennessee River in Kentucky, taking out a 300′ span.  The MV Delta Mariner is a 312-foot long and 8,000 horsepower supply ship,  designed to transport rocket booster cores for Boeing’s Delta IV rocket program. Four cars were on the bridge when the ship hit but there are no injuries reported on the bridge or aboard the ship.  The ship was not seriously damaged. The bridge normally handles around 2,800 cars per day.

Ship carrying space rocket parts to Cape Canaveral crashes into Ky. bridge, causing collapse
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Costa Concordia – The Legal Battle Begins, Lawsuits Filed, Settlement Offered

Posted on by January 27, 2012

Micky Arison, the chairman, chief executive and part owner of Carnival Corp. has been keeping a very low profile since the grounding and sinking of the Costa Concordia two weeks ago.  He has stayed in Miami and let Pier Luigi Foschi, CEO of Carnival’s Italian unit, Costa Crociere SpA, serve as the public face of the sinking, which resulted in over 30 dead or missing.  Any attempt he has made to distance the parent company, which in total operates over 100 ships, of which Costa represents only 15, has met with limited success.  A lawsuit was filed in Federal court in Chicago seeking at least $100 million in damages, naming Carnival Corporation and Costa Crociere. The suit which alleges negligence and breach of contract was filed by a crew member of the Costa Concordia and seeks class-action status to represent all victims of the Jan. 13 disaster off Giglio Island.
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Seafarers Held Hostage in Somalia – Invisible and Ignored

Posted on by January 26, 2012

The last paragraph of the Associated Press article Navy SEAL Raid in Somalia Shows Campaign Ahead, reads: Several hostages were still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.

Based on the AP, there appear to be only four hostages held in Somalia. But what of the seafarers being held for ransom?  According to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, 28 ship were hijacked and 470 sailors were taken hostage in Somalia in 2011. 151 are still being held hostage.

As is so often the case, sailors are too often invisible and ignored. To learn more go to Save Our Seafarers.

USS Laffey, the Ship That Would Not Die, Returns to Patriot’s Point

Posted on by January 26, 2012

The World War II destroyer, USS Laffey, has returned home to Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, near Charleston, South Carolina after a two year $9 million dollar shipyard period to repair her hull plating. The USS Laffey was commissioned in 1944 and participated in the D-Day invasion of France. In March of 1945, while serving in the Pacific near Okinawa, she was hit by was hit by four bombs and five kamikaze planes. She would later serve in the Korean war. She continued to operate in various missions until 1963. Her lengthy period of service, as well as her actions on D-Day and her survival of the onslaught at Okinawa have earned her the nickname “the ship that would not die.” Now after after winning a battle with time and rust the USS Laffey returns to service as a museum ship alongside the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point.  Thanks to Alaric Bond and Phil Leon for passing on the news.

USCG Air Station Kodiac Rescues 11 from Two Fishing Boats

Posted on by January 26, 2012

In two separate incidents, US Coast Guard Air Station Kodiac crews rescued eleven fisherman from two boats on Wednesday. The 58-foot fishing vessel Kimberly ran aground on Portage Bay southwest of Kodiak on the Alaska Peninsula Tuesday night around 8 p.m. but severe weather prevented the Coast Guard from rescuing the four fishermen.  As the crews returned Wednesday morning to the Kimberly, they received a Mayday call from the 68-foot fishing vessel Heritage which was sinking south of Kodiak Island.
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