Topics

1

Shipping News and information / HMS Illustrious and HMS Albion to go

« on: December 15, 2010, 05:21:42 PM »

HMS Illustrious will be axed one year early and amphibious flagship HMS Albion will be mothballed next autumn after details of the Strategic Defence and Security Review were thrashed out. No Type 22 frigate will fly the White Ensign beyond April 2011 and three RFA support vessels are also being paid off that same month, Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has told MPs. His announcement follows October

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Shipping News and information / Factory ship on Fire Mid English Channel

« on: October 27, 2010, 09:33:59 AM »

Ship fire crew rescued from lifeboats in Atlantic Ocean

The Athena was rebuilt this year after another fire
About 80 people who were on board a ship which is on fire in the Atlantic Ocean have taken to lifeboats.

The Athena, a factory fishing ship, was carrying 111 people when the fire started 230 miles (370km) south-west of the Isles of Scilly.

The fire is now under control and there are no reports of any injuries.

Falmouth coastguards are co-ordinating an air and sea rescue operation and a cargo vessel is also alongside helping to rescue those in lifeboats.

Ships responding
Thirty people have stayed on board the ship to help fight the fire.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: "We are co-ordinating a search and rescue mission, but it's a long way from either the UK or French coast.

"We put out a broadcast action, which means we sent out a message to any ships in the area that could assist.

"We have got some ships that have responded and are proceeding to the area.

Continue reading the main story

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Shipping News and information / HMS Astute submarine Skye aground

« on: October 22, 2010, 10:28:47 AM »

Date: 22/10/2010 11:32:08

HMS Astute submarine Skye aground


A nuclear-powered submarine has run aground off the coast of a Scottish island, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.

The incident involving HMS Astute happened near the Isle of Skye. There were no reports of any injuries.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident involving one of our submarines off the Isle of Skye. This is a not a nuclear incident.

"We are responding to the incident and can confirm that there are no injuries to personnel and the submarine remains watertight. There is no indication of any environmental impact."

It is understood that the submarine's crew is waiting for high tide so they could free the vessel.

In June 2007 the mammoth

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Shipping News and information / Why ?

« on: August 16, 2007, 05:29:55 AM »

Why does it appear after numerous attempts to edit this page I have had to write this dribble in an attempt to delete the earlier information that I had posted on this page?
:-(

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Shipping News and information / Vessels crew stranded after fire.

« on: July 06, 2007, 09:19:52 AM »

BBC News today. 6/7/07

Vessel's crew stranded after fire  
A rescue operation has been launched after a vessel with 23 crew members suffered an engine fire.
The fire wiped out power on board the Russian trawler Marginella about 16 miles (26km) off the Isle of Wight.

The crew managed to put out the fire early on Friday but were stranded in the English Channel without propulsion and called for help.

Two French warships, Lynx and Gepard, picked up the alert and were sent out to watch over the 1985-built trawler.

Communication difficult

French Coastguard tug Abeille Liberte was due to tow the vessel and its 23 crew members, who are all safe and well, to Cherbourg, in France.

Mike Greiner, Solent Coastguard watch manager, said: "Fortunately weather conditions in the area are not particularly challenging this morning with a moderate sea, 30 knot winds (force 7) and visibility of three miles.

"Although communication with the vessel has been difficult at times, we have been grateful to other nearby vessels that have had Russian speakers on board.

"We also now have the services of a local translator, should the need arise."

The fire started in the exhaust stack, leaving the vessel with just enough electricity for its navigation lights.

Hampshire Fire Service's Marine Incident Response Group was put on standby in case the fire reignited.

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Shipping News and information / Two sailors killed on submarine BBC News

« on: March 21, 2007, 07:05:50 PM »

Two sailors killed on submarine  
 
One injured sailor was airlifted to hospital
Two British sailors have died in an accident on a nuclear submarine.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed an incident had taken place on HMS Tireless during an exercise under the Arctic icecap at 0420 GMT on Wednesday.

One other member of the crew of the Devonport-based submarine was injured and is receiving medical treatment.

Air-purification equipment is thought to have caused the accident. The MoD expressed its "deep regret" and said the vessel was safe and on the surface.

The SSN Attack Submarine was on a joint British-American exercise in the Arctic. The MoD said the reactor was unaffected by the accident and stressed it was not one of the submarines that carries Trident missiles.

  I very much regret that this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their live

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent

A piece of air-purification equipment in the forward section of the submarine was thought to be responsible for the accident, the MoD spokesman said.

The dead sailors' next of kin have been informed.

An injured sailor was airlifted to a US military hospital with non life-threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.

In a statement, the MoD said: "The two members of the crew died as a result of the initial accident.

"Their next of kin have been informed and our sympathies are with them and their friends at this difficult time."

 HMS TIRELESS
Trafalgar class submarine
Crew: 130
Length:85.4m
Armament: Can carry Spearfish Torpedoes and Tomahawk Missiles
Source: Royal Navy


Military fact file  

The MoD said the ship's company dealt with the incident "quickly and professionally" and, as a result, there was only superficial damage to the forward compartment.

"The submarine was never in any danger, its nuclear reactor was unaffected, it quickly surfaced and is completely safe," the MOD added.

Tireless was launched in 1985, but the piece of air-purification machinery thought to have failed was fitted as part of an update in 2001.

The piece of equipment which malfunctioned is fitted to all Trafalgar Class submarines.

Safety checks

The MoD said it had a 100% safety record to date but, as a precaution, its use on other boats would be restricted until safety checks could be carried out.

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Commander-In-Chief Fleet, said: "I very much regret that this incident has occurred and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of the men who have lost their lives.

"I also wish to pay tribute to the crew of HMS Tireless that this incident has been dealt with and contained so professionally."

The Tireless has caused controversy in the past.

In May 2003 it was taken to Scotland for repairs and prompted a MoD inquiry after it collided with an object at sea.

In 2001, its presence in Gibraltar put a strain on relations with Spain and caused outrage among environmentalists.

7

Shipping News and information / BBC Reports Indonesian ferry suddenly sinks 25/2/07

« on: February 25, 2007, 10:11:56 AM »

Indonesian ferry suddenly sinks  
 
The burned out ferry was sitting in waters just off Jakarta
An Indonesian ferry involved in a deadly mid-voyage fire on Thursday has sunk with several safety investigators, police and journalists on board.
Medical workers said a TV cameraman had died, two people were seriously hurt and an unknown number are missing.

It is not known how many were aboard when the Levina I ferry suddenly leaned over and sank off Jakarta's port.

Earlier, the death toll from Thursday's fire rose to 41 after rescuers found 21 bodies drifting at sea, officials said.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says that the charred hulk had been towed to waters just off Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port so officials trying to uncover the cause of Thursday's fire could begin their examination.

'Fighting for life'

"It had been anchored at the time, but it was tilting on one side," Lieutenant-Colonel Hendra Pakan told the Reuters news agency.

Medical workers at the port said a cameraman working for Indonesian television had been confirmed dead and another was in emergency care after being rescued from the sinking ship.

An investigator who was examining the ferry when it sank was also said to be fighting for her life.

 RECENT INDONESIAN DISASTERS
 
Ferry fire 22 Feb 2007: At least seven die as Bangka ferry catches fire
Train crash 16 Jan 2007: At least five die as train falls from bridge in Java
Landslide 12 Jan 2007: Landslide kills at least 16 on island of Sangihe
Plane crash 1 Jan 2007: Passenger plane carrying 102 people crashes in sea west of Sulawesi island
Ferry sinks 30 Dec 2006: More than 350 lost as ferry sinks between Borneo and Java
Stampede 20 Dec 2006: 10 killed, dozens injured in a stampede at Java pop concert
Earthquake 18 Dec 2006: Seven killed, about 100 injured in a quake in Sumatra


Indonesia's public perils  

Thursday's fire was the latest in a string of deadly transport incidents in Indonesia, leading to concern over its safety record.

The Levina I ferry was 80km (50 miles) from port Tanjung Priok when a fire broke out.

Some 250 passengers are known to have survived, but there are fears that some people are still missing.

Navy officials said the bodies found earlier on Sunday were discovered by navy vessels and fishing boats. The previous figure for the dead was 20.

"Some [bodies] were picked up directly from the sea by the warships while others were found by fishermen around two nearby islands," Indonesia's navy spokesman Lt Col Hendra Pakan told the Associated Press news agency.

"They were all discovered about 30 miles (48km) away from the scene," the spokesman said.

Navy ships are still continuing the search for survivors.

Officials fear there could have been many more people on board than the 307 registered passengers, as Indonesian ferries regularly have stowaways, trying to avoid paying fares.

Transport perils

The Levina I was on its way from Jakarta to Bangka island off Sumatra when the blaze broke out on Thursday morning.

Many of the survivors from the fire hurled themselves off the blazing vessel into the sea, to escape the flames.

Yas Rijal, 33, was with his wife and son on the upper deck when the fire broke out.

"Suddenly flames burst from the lower deck. The crew ordered us to put on yellow life vests and we jumped," he told the AP news agency.

The accident is the most deadly sea disaster since a passenger ferry carrying around 600 people capsized in late December off Java island, killing more than half of the passengers.

Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands, relies on ferries to provide a cheap and extensive passenger network.

But many vessels are badly maintained, and there have been a number of recent accidents.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has recently formed a team to look into transport safety.

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Shipping News and information / Tug boat missing, four crew aboard

« on: November 12, 2006, 12:42:15 PM »

Tug boat missing, four crew aboard 12/11/06

THE South African air force, navy and sea rescue vessels are searching the country's west coast for a tug boat carrying four crew that has been missing for two days.
The 16m tug boat was on route from Richards Bay, north of the east coast port city of Durban, to Cape Town.
An empty life raft, believed to be from the vessel, was recovered off South Africa's Wild Coast, a notoriously rough stretch of sea between Durban and East London.
Name of boat unknown at present.

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Shipping News and information / Tug boat missing, four crew aboard

« on: November 12, 2006, 12:41:43 PM »

Tug boat missing, four crew aboard

THE South African air force, navy and sea rescue vessels are searching the country's west coast for a tug boat carrying four crew that has been missing for two days.
The 16m tug boat was on route from Richards Bay, north of the east coast port city of Durban, to Cape Town.
An empty life raft, believed to be from the vessel, was recovered off South Africa's Wild Coast, a notoriously rough stretch of sea between Durban and East London.
Name of boat unknown at present.

10

Shipping News and information / Tankers Collide off south coast of England

« on: June 09, 2006, 02:02:44 PM »

Tankers collide off south coast  
 
A coastguard helicopter has been monitoring the situation
Two oil tankers were damaged when they collided in the English Channel 20 miles off the coast of West Sussex.
One of the tankers, the MV Shakhdag, was carrying 44,000 metric tons (44,000,000kg) of diesel oil while the MV Willy was unladen.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there were no reported leaks from the Maltese-flagged Shakhdag, but the MCA counter pollution team was on alert.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, which took place south of Shoreham.

Dover Coastguard identified a collision between two vessels on its radar screens at about 1120 BST on Friday.

An MCA spokesman said only "minor" damage was caused.

Marine surveyor

The Willy, carrying 13 people, suffered a split midships in its cargo tanks and is now returning to Amsterdam for repairs.

It had been en route to a refinery at Stanlow on the River Mersey.

An MCA surveyor has been airlifted on board the Shakhdag by the coastguard helicopter Victor Alpha from Lee-on-Solent.

The 145ft-long (44.2m) vessel, with 21 people on board, "sustained some superficial damage to her main deck on the stern and some upper deck equipment".

It is being inspected to ensure it can continue to Portland in Dorset to discharge its cargo.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed of the incident and the area of the collision will continue to be monitored for any signs of oil leakage.