A NewsLink service for Dole Chile

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Skipper blamed for having passengers
stay in sinking ferry
The skipper of a South Korean ferry that sank in
April had ordered passengers not to leave the
sinking vessel, a court heard Wednesday.
Survivors of the disaster have spoken
previously of the order, which cost many
passengers their lives.
But this was the first time such evidence had
been given in the murder trial of captain Lee
Jun-Seok and some crew members, Yonhap
news agency reported.
As the vessel was rolling over, commands
were repeatedly barked over loudspeakers for
the passengers, most of them high school
students, to stay put.
Asked by a prosecutor whether the skipper
told the crew to have passengers stay where they
were, a helmsman only identified by his surname
Cho replied: "Yes".
The captain and crew are on trial at a court in
the southern city of Gwangju for fleeing the
ship, leaving passengers trapped in the sinking
vessel.
Video footage released previously showed Lee
making his escape in his underwear. He and
some crew members were among the first to flee
to safety.
The court last Saturday heard results of a test
using a simulator, which showed all the victims
might have been able to escape had they been
told to leave the ship immediately.
Captain Lee and three senior crew members
are accused of "homicide through wilful
negligence" -- a charge that can carry the death
penalty.
Eleven other crew are being tried on lesser
violations of maritime law.
As well as abandoning the ferry while
hundreds were trapped inside, the crew are
accused of ordering passengers to remain where
they were when the ship began listing, AFP
reported.
SAFETY
NATO, JAPAN CONDUCT
COUNTER-PIRACY DRILL
NATO and Japan jointly conducted a
counter-piracy drill in the Gulf of Aden on
September 25, 2014 to test communications
and tactical skills. The exercise, involving the
Japanese destroyer JS Takanami and the
Danish frigate HDMS Esbern Snare, was the
first such joint naval exercise between the two
maritime fleets. The drills included a range of
tasks including boarding and securing of ships
and communication procedures. NATO ships
have patrolled the waters off the Horn of
Africa since 2009 as part of a broader
international effort to crack down on
Somali-based pirates who continue to pose a
threat to world shipping.
NATO's Ocean Shield operation along with
other counter-piracy missions have
significantly reduced attacks in the region.
However, pirates have continued their
relentless attack on ships.
It is to be noted that NATO Secretary
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed an
agreement in May 2014 to enhance political
dialogue and practical co-operation between
NATO and Japan, including in the areas of
counter piracy, disaster relief and
humanitarian assistance.
Source: NATO
Canada identifies long lost
British explorer ship
Experts identified a shipwreck uncovered last
month in the Arctic as the HMS Erebus, the ship
British Rear Adm. Sir John Franklin was likely
sailing on when it vanished along with another
vessel 170 years ago, Canada's prime minister
announced Wednesday.
Experts believed the shipwreck was either the
HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, both of
which sailed under the command of Franklin on
an unsuccessful search for the Northwest
Passage
Stephen Harper said in Parliament that experts
have identified the wreck as the HMS Erebus,
which Franklin was believed to have been
aboard and perhaps died on, The Associated
Press reported.
Harper's office said confirmation was made by
underwater archeologists, following a
meticulous review of data and artefacts observed
from the Arctic Ocean's seabed and using
high-resolution photography, high-definition
video and multi-beam sonar measurements.
ICTSI 'on the double' in Laguna
ICD construction
A 21-hectare inland container depot (ICD) is
being worked out by the International Container
Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) to help decongest
the Manila International Container Terminal
(MICT).
According to Christian Gonzales, ICTSI head
for Asia, Pacific and the Sub Continent, the new
ICD in the Philippine province of Laguna will
provide an extra 250,000 twenty-foot equivalent
unit or an additional 20% of static yard capacity
to the MICT, which are being hampered by
congestion.
Gonzales said that the company is expediting
the construction of the ICD, which will have its
first phase available for use in February 2015.
The official disclosed that the ICTSI also
plans to construct new yard facilities at the
MICT to provide additional space for shipments.
He added that the firm has enough resources to
build such structure.
ICTSI plans to set up a minimum of six rubber
tired gantries in the MICT expansion. With
these establishments under construction, it will
open an adjacent temporary empty handling area
at the MICT on November 1.
Indonesia seeks to boost
maritime sector
The Indonesian government expects to see
flourishing investment in the maritime sector,
both from domestic and foreign investors, in the
coming years following the passage of a new
maritime law that provides legal certainty to
businesspeople.
More legal certainty and huge potential in the
maritime sector are expected to draw in
businesspeople, according to Maritime Affairs
and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo.
"We are trying to tidy up contradicting
regulations to attract business. The new law is
the result of cooperation between 14 ministries
and relevant agencies that have 32 laws relating
to the maritime sector," he said during the 2014
Indonesia Ocean Investment Summit in Jakarta
on Wednesday.
The summit provides business insights for
prospective investors and players from other
sectors. It is a follow-up to the Marine and
Fisheries Expo and Conference in August,
which also saw panel discussions on, among
other topics, sea transportation, maritime
industry and marine tourism.
Sharif said input and suggestions from the
event would be handed over to the incoming
administration under president-elect Joko
"Jokowi" Widodo as a road map contribution for
policy-making in the maritime sector.
PAGE 2 - Thursday, October 2, 2014

SHIPPING DATA
BALTIC EXCHANGE
Market snapshot: (October 1)
Dry Index BDI 1055 -8
Capesie Index BCI 185! -"#
$ana%ax Index B$I 85& '#8
()pra%ax Index B(I 10&5 -"
*andysie Index B*(I 5!1 '#
EXCHANGE RATES
+e, -ork (.ed C/s)
01n C)rrency 2(D in 01n
in 2(D C)rrency
Britain ($o)nd) 13"144 03"181
Canada (Do//ar) 0385&5 131145
China (-)an) 031"#5 "31!85
6)ro 13#"05 0345!1
India (7)pee) 0301"# "13"100
Indonesia (7)piah) 0300008# 1#145300
8apan (-en) 03005155 10531500
+or,ay (9rone) 0315&5 "3&5&"
$hi/ippines ($eso) 030##! &&38500
$o/and (:/oty) 03!0#0 !3!100
7)ssia (7)b/e) 030#5# !53"8"0
(in1apore (Do//ar) 03485& 13#4!#
2kraine (*ry;nia) 03044# 1#35"00
The minister emphasized that the new
maritime law was one of the efforts aimed at
reducing obstacles that often made business
people reluctant to enter the sector.
Sharif said marine spatial management,
bilateral and multilateral cooperation as well as
legal certainties for investors wereonly a few of
the important points mentioned in the law, The
Jakarta Post reported.
ECA compliance concerns
under spotlight at IBIA forum
The bunkering industry and its shipping industry
customers will be gathering in Hamburg from
November 3 to 7 for the International Bunker
Industry Association (IBIA) annual convention
and forum.
Taking place just weeks ahead of the
implementation of European laws on the sulphur
content of marine fuels, the event features over
30 expert speakers who will be looking at new
fuels, emerging markets, quality and integrity
and compliance with the latest regulations.
"The management of marine fuels is at the top
of every shipping company's agenda with so
many questions surrounding new fuel types,
ECA compliance, quality and testing. Our
unique four day event takes place during the
week of the Hamburg Eisbeinessen, a huge
maritime industry gathering and will help to
clarify many of the issues facing shipping
company executives," IBIA chief executive
Peter Hall said in a press release.
PIRACY
China submarine to join Gulf of
Aden anti-piracy patrols
Security at the coast of East Africa is expected
to get a boost with a Chinese submarine joining
anti-piracy patrols in the area.
The diesel electric Type 039 Song class
submarine docked last month at Colombo, Sri
Lanka, and is now headed to the Gulf of Aden.
Aside from helping in the fight against piracy,
the Chinese submarine will also conduct escort
tasks while assigned at the coast of East Africa.
China has been a consistent contributor to the
Gulf of Aden's security measures, deploying
anti-piracy task forces since 2008.
RESEARCH
Experts to use lasers, optic
fibres in copying rogue waves
A four-person team have launched a study on
how lasers and optical fibres are effective in
investigating rogue waves on the ocean.
The group, composed of John Dudley
(University of Franche-Comte), Frederic Dias
(University College Dublin), Miro Erkintalo
(University of Auckland) and Goery Genty
(Tampere University of Technology), have
utilised optical fibre systems to mimic the action
of ocean waves.
According to Erkintalo, the study is aimed at
giving sufficient inputs on how to understand
the movements of the giant waves through the
use of optic fibres and lasers.
Erkintalo and his team believed that optical
systems can provide a test-bed to measure the
waves under controlled situations.
Optical physicists have been intently
observing the movement of rogue waves. They
hypothesise that the light emitted by laser is
similar to the movements of sea waves. Experts
point out that in some situations, there are
similarities in the calculations of light and ocean
waves.
The freakishly strong waves are considered as
threats to ships and are suspected as causes of
maritime disasters.
SHIPWRECK
Steamship wreck from 1926
found in Lake Ontario
The wreck of a 253-foot British-built steamship
that sank off Lake Ontario's western New York
shore after colliding with another vessel nearly
90 years ago has been found, a team of
underwater explorers said Tuesday.
The four-man team from the Rochester area,
Ohio and Texas said it found the wreck of the
Nisbet Grammer in more than 500 feet of water
about eight miles (12.8km) off Somerset, The
Associated Press reported.
The ship was hauling a load of grain from
Buffalo to Montreal when it collided with the
steamship Dalwarnic in dense fog early on the
morning of May 31, 1926. The stricken ship
sank in less than 15 minutes, but all aboard were
saved by the crew from the other steamer.
A six-year search for the sunken ship ended in
August when the team's side-scan sonar detected
the wreck, said Jim Kennard of Fairport.
The other team members are Roland Stevens
of Pultneyville, New York; Craig Hampton of
Lorain, Ohio; and former Rochester resident
Dan Scoville, who lives in Houston.
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WORLD TRAVEL
KENYA
Kenya is well known for fantastic safari
holidays but the country has so much more
to offer than safari. It is the pride of Africa
and there is a plenty to see and do in
Kenya. It offers a huge variety of activities
to keep everyone entertained and it is the
perfect destination for an all-round holiday.
THINGS TO DO IN KENYA
Walking Safari: Walking Safari is one of the
most exciting and in-demand activities. It is
a totally new way to develop an
understanding about the surroundings.
Walking safaris were the original safari and
it offers a chance of a close encounter with
an elephant, lion or a buffalo. Being on foot
it offers the purest form of experiencing the
nature and the wild-life.
Swimming with the Dolphins: The warm
tropical waters of the Kenya's coast provide
the travellers a unique opportunity to swim
with the dolphins. It is an irresistible draw
for the tourist and swimming with the
dolphins has been recognised as one of
the life's special moments. To enjoy
swimming with the Dolphins one do not
need to be a strong swimmer as the waters
of the Kenya's coast is safe. Even
non-swimmers derive pleasure from this
most natural and uplifting experience.
OTHER ADVENTURES IN KENYA
Elephant Parks: Kenya is a country where
elephants roam and big cats prowl. The
elephant park is a popular tourist sport. The
daily mad bath of the baby elephants
between 11am and noon is one of the big
attractions. The tour operators also
organise elephant rides around the park.
Nightlife: Kenya offers a vibrant nightlife.
Many exciting events take place on the
beach and various nightclubs around
Nairobi and Mombasa.
The night clubs in Nairobi and Mombasa
stay open until dawn and casinos have
increased the attraction of nightlife in
Kenya. The casinos, nightclubs and cafes
make nightlife in Kenya a different and
lively experience.