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Fast Ferry News

Irish Weather

The latest spate of bad weather and high winds has caused a disruption to the fast ferry service across the Irish Sea . All companies have had to cancel certain sailings due to poor weather conditions over the last week .
21st October 1998

Seacat

Rumours abound about a new service for SeaCat next year . It is thought that the new service will be from Belfast ( N.Ireland ) to Heysham ( England ) . Sea Containers , the parent company of SeaCat , own the port of Heysham . It is not known if the service will ever come into fruition and if so what vessel SeaCat may use . Earlier this year SeaCat announced the impending arrival of the SuperSeacat 2 , a fast monohull , for the Belfast service early in 1999 . The new craft , if it arrives , may be used on the new service . It may also be possible that Secat will decide to concentrate on their existing service from Stranraer ( Scotland ) to Belfast and scrap any ideas for a new service . Time will tell so watch this space .
16th October 1998
Latest reports state that Seacat may be looking at the possibility of a Belfast to Glasgow service sometime in the future .
21st October 1998

Malta to get a cat

Virtu Ferries in Malta has been reported to have ordered a FlyingCat TM50 from Kvaerner Fjellstarnd for about US$12 million . The new cat will carry 418 passengers and up to 21 cars at speeds up to 40 knots . The new service between Malta and Sicily is set for mid 1999 .
4th October 1998

Lighthouse Landings acquires Fast Ferries Inc (New York)

Lighthouse Landings president Anthony Cappaze has acquired Fast Ferries Inc of New York . Two high speed ferries are set to make 2 trips daily from New Jersey to New York city . Each ferry will be capable of carrying 340 passengers at speeds up to 40 knots . Mr Cappaze has plans for his company and hopes to build the largest fast ferry service in the USA .
4th October 1998

Wash and Wakes

Fast ferries have often been blamed for causing hughe waves which can ;
  1. cause environmental damage when they break on the shores .
  2. cause problems for other shipping particularly when in shallow water or alongside .
  3. cause problems to an unsuspecting public on the beach or shoreline .
Designers and operators are being urged to try and do something to minimize the effects of wash from waves and engine emmisions . Operational permits in Denmark are not going to be issued by the Danish Maritime Authority unless waves fall below pre-set limits . It is likely that many other regions will fall into line with this policy .
In the USA Halter Marine are designing a new Fast Ferry with low wash characteristics . This new craft is called the "E-Cat" . Carrying 300 to 500 passengers at a speed of over 40 knots tests have shown a resultant wave hieght of only 12 inches .

Catalonia

After winning the Hales Trophy the Buquebus's Incat "Catelonia" has now entered service in Spain between the ports of Barcelona and Palma .
25 August 1998

New Hovercraft service in Canada

The hovercraft "Tenacite" is now operating on a two hour route that calls at Cheticamp (Nova Scotia) , N. Rustico (Prince Edward Island) and Iles de la Madeline (Quebec) . The Hovercraft can carry 76 passengers .
25 August 1998

Superseacat 2

Reports have come in that the Dublin - Liverpool Superseacat 2 is running on only 3 of her 4 engines after experiencing difficulties with the fourth engine . It is said that she will maintain the route on 3 engines until suitable repairs can be made .
(10th August 1998)

FastShip A Threat To Airfreight Industry?

Ocean cargo ships may have the potential to recapture more than 3/4 of the trans-Atlantic airfreight market, warned Jean Godart, Ex. V.P. of airfreight for Kuehne & Nagel, at the Int'l Air Cargo Forum in Paris. He expressed concern that airfrieght operators specializing in the US/Europe market could go under if fast ships gain a big enough slice of the market. FastShips are twice as fast as conventional ships and reported to be targeting the door to door market and highly priced, time sensitive cargo. U.S. based "FastShip Corp.", has the potential to move the equivalent of 22 Boeing 747-200 freighters a day if all goes to plan, Mr. Godart told conference members. He warned that a number of very large shippers were reported to be interested in fast ship projects, as well as certain ports in Europe. FastShip will move goods between the US & Europe in about a week and at a fraction of the cost of standard airfreight, which takes between 4 & 6 days. The vessels are capable of travelling at 37 knots, can be turned around in less than 6 hours.

Channel Hoppers

Channel Hoppers started operation on its daily service between the Channel Islands and Portsmouth on June 5th . However the vessel on this service has been given a 1.0m max. waveheight limitation by the MCA.

Washington State Ferries order second AMD385

WSF have confirmed an order for a second Advanced Multihull Design 385 catamaran for a cost of US$ 9.7million with Dakota Creek Industries. The new catamaran is sheduled to be delivered in the fall of 1999 . The cost will be covered partly by US federal grants .

German order for an Austal 52m catamaran

AG Reederei Norden-Frisia has ordered a 52m catamaran for delivery in May 1999 .

P&O

P&O's Jetliner is out of service from Tuesday 4th August and due back in service on Friday 7th August . The Jetliner has been operating on 75% power for the past few days. Essential repairs are being carried out at Liverpool . On the positive side passenger figures for the last few weeks have seen a marked increase .
P&O report that their chartered Fast Ferry running from Portsmouth (" Superstar Express " ) is doing well .

Sea Containers

In line with new legal requirements , Sea Containers has organised a crew workshop to deal with passenger control in an emergency .The workshop involves role play by the crew which is recorded on video and then analysed by other team members . The workshop is being run for the crews of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company , Seacat Scotland, Hoverspeed and the Argyle and Antrim Steam Packet Company.

The Bahamian registered Seacat Danmark lost its stability foils on 6 July when it hit a basking shark off the Isle of Man. A sailing from Douglas, Isle of Man, to Dublin, Ireland, was delayed from 1430 to 1900.

Irish Ferries

Irish Ferries has placed an order with Austal Ships in Australia for a £23.7 million high speed ferry ( Austal Auto Express 86 catamaran ) . The new ferry will have a capacity of about 800 cars and 1200 passengers . Service speed is expected to be around 39knots . The ferry is to run on the Dublin - Holyhead service and is expected to cut crossing times to just under 2 hours .

Hoverspeed

Hoverspeed have installed a new dedicated fast track check in at Dover . New traffic systems and traffic signs are also designed to shorten the booking in time .

New Record

Buquebus become the latest holder of the Hales Trophy when their Incat Tasmania 91m wavepiercing catamaran Catalonia set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a commercial vessel . The previous holder was the Incat Tasmania 74m wavepiercing catamaran Hoverspeed Great Britain

Buquebus

Buquebus have placed an order for a second AMD 1130 catamaran.

Channel Islands

P&O and Hoverspeed have lost in their bids to take over the fast ferry Channel Islands service . Condor has been awarded the exclusive contract for 3 years from Jan 1999 .

Hitachi Superjet-40m

"Sea Max" the first Superjet-40 foil assisted catamaran built by Hitachi Zosen has entered service running between Matsuyama and Moji . Scheduled crossing times are 2hrs 30 mins .

Hovercraft

The Canadian Coastguard have just recently received the first of two AP.1-88 / 400 hovercraft . The "Sipu Muin" is set to operate on the St Lawrence River and adjacent areas . The second hovercraft will be destined for Vancouver .

Small Caribbean Cat

Austal have delivered a Austal Auto Express 49 catamaran to L'Express des Iles . The ferry is named " Jade Express " and is set to run in the Caribbean . It has a capacity of only 10 cars and is the smallest cat yet to be delivered by Austal .

Goutos Lines

Goutos Lines has added a new high-speed ferry, the Athina 2004, to its Greek route calling the Cyclades Islands. The 375-passenger ferry is 45 meters/148 feet long and was built on the Isle of Wight by FBM Marine Ltd.
It has rounded bilge hull forms and a third bow for stability. Propulsion comes from two Solar Taurus gas turbines providing 9,000 kilowatts/12,240 brake horsepower to KaMeWa waterjets. It sails twice a day between Rafina and the islands of Andros, Mykonos and Tinos. It is the first TriCat built by FBM Marine to be operated in Europe.

Red Jet III on trials

The Red Jet III, a new 190-passenger high-speed ferry for Red Funnel Group, has started trials. Built by FBM Marine Ltd. on the Isle of Wight and at a cost of UK£3 million , the Red Jet III will enter service between Cowes and Southampton on 27 July. It will be one of two ferries on a 30-minute route. The Red Jet III has reached 37.5 knots in Force 4 winds.
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Ferry News

Irish Sea

It has been reported that overall passenger traffic on the Northern corridor of the Irish Sea is down from previous years . The political situation and the poor weather this year are among the reasons being blamed on the poor figures . P&O hold the majority of the passenger figures with their services from Larne to Cairnryan and Fleetwood . Stena is reported to be still making a loss due to the high cost of operating some of their vessels . SeaCat has also seen a fall in passenger figures partly due to the increased competition on the Southern and Central Irish Sea services . All the ferry companies are hoping for a better summer season next year . Freight has remained buoyant and once again P&O appear to have the majority of the traffic .
All the ferry companies on the Irish Sea are presently offering low fares and special offers to attract custom at a tradionally slack time of the year .
Stena Line are offering fares from £79 for a four day return for a car and 5 people on the HSS or £69 on the convetional ferries .
Irish Ferries have fares over the Christmas period starting from £119 for a five day return for a car and 5 adults on both their crossings .
Norse Irish Ferries have fares from £150 for a midweek return for a car and 4 adults .
Seacat have fares from £85 for a 3 day return for a car and 4 passengers or £105 for a 6 day return .
P&O have fares from £68 for a car and 5 on a five day return
16th October 1998

Belfasts' New Passenger Terminal

Built at the Victoria 2 ferry terminal the new facility accomodates Norse Irish Ferries RoRo freight and passenger traffic on their Belfast to Liverpool service .
16th October

Officer Dies

An electrical flashover onboard P&O's "Pride of Le Harve" injured two and killed one officer . The MAIB is looking into the accident .
12th September 1998

P&O Stena Line

Results published from the newly merged company show a better than expected figures showing a 38% share of the passenger market and a 48% of the freight market .
12th September 1998

Cal Mac

Cal Mac have now brought into service their new ferry the "Clansman" operating a service between Oban , Coll , Tiree , Castlebay and Lochboisdale . The new ferry replaces the older ferry "Lord of the Isles" . The new vessel can carry 634 passengers and 90 cars at a service speed of 16.5 knots .
12th September 1998

Litorina Line

Litorina Line are to start a new ferry service on the Vastervik-Visby-Ventspils route . The service is due to start on 15th September with the chartered ferry Holger Stjern .

Stena Ferry returns with passengers

A Stena ferry enroute from Holland to Harwich (24th August) had to return to Holland after problems occured with her loading / discharge ramp at Harwich . Irate passengers were told that the vessel would have to return to Holland because there was no other ramp available in the UK that the vessel could discharge on . Passengers were told that they would have to travel down to France and catch a ferry from there .
25 August 1998

P&O European Ferries (Irish Sea) Ltd

The Buffalo now named the European Leader has returned from dry-dock at Falmouth . The ship is now longer and looking good with her new paint job .
16th August 1998

P&O Stena

During a regular LSA drill the crew of the Stena Empereur saved a swimmer in difficulty in Calais . The P&O ferry Pride of Calais spotted the swimmer in trouble off the West enterance to the harbour during her port entry . The P&O ferry dropped 2 lifebuoys into the water and raised the alarm . The two lifebuoys kept the swimmer afloat until the lifeboats from the Stena Empereur arrived . The lifeboat crew recovered the swimmer and ferried him to the awaiting ambulance .
16th August 1998

King Orry

The Isle Of Man ferry was reported to have had a minor accident with the Merchant Bravery on Monday 03rd August. After a stormy crossing from Douglas the King Orry was caught by strong winds during berthing at Heysham and made contact with the Merchant Bravery . Damage was reported as slight .

Stena

Stena Ferries have bought the former Ostende Line Ship "Prins Filip" for US$ 50 million. The ship has been renamed the Stena Royal and it is said that she will operate on the Rosslare - Fishguard route .

During the first half of the year Stena Line carried 3% less passengers than last year but carried 3% more cars . Freight cargo was also down by 1 % . The disruption caused by the damage to the HSS and the subsequent re-shuffling of ships is being blamed on the drop in figures .

On 11 July, a man fell overboard from the Stena ferry " Koningin Beatrix " 10 miles off Fishguard . A search by lifeboats from Saint David's, Wales, and a rescue helicopter failed to locate the man.

Sea France

Sea France are offering a short break package to Paris from £68 per person . Offer includes 2 nights in a hotel and return car crossing for 2 persons .

EU Ferry Safety Checks

EU ministers have agreed that all Ro/Ro ferries will be required to undergo safety checks prior to introduction and will also be required to carry voyage data recorders often known as a "black box". The UK Government has said that the new EU Directive will apply to ferries of all flags on both international and internal routes within Europe .

Ferry Casualties

Collision in Malta
June 19th : The Belize registered Ro/Ro "Atlantic Highway" (24,325 grt) collided with the Panamanian registered passenger vessel "Captain Zaman I" whilst departing Malta dry-docks .

Swedish Ferry Grounds
June 25th : The Swedish registered ferry "Beda" experienced engine problems before missing the entrance to the port of Gothenburg , Sweden and grounding . The "Beda" was re-floated later that day and towed into port .
Alas Strait Ferry Sinks
June 25th : 5 people died and 37 are reported missing after a ferry sank in 30 meters of water between the Indonesian Islands of Lombok and Sumbawa .
China
On the 9th July a ferry sank in the Chongqing area on the Yangtze River killing 5 people . There were 25 survivors.

On the 12th July a passenger ferry capsized in the Yangtze River in southwestern China . It is reported that it collided with another vessel in high water levels . 57 persons were rescued but 14 people died and 40 are missing The vessel in Jiang'an county of Sichuan and its owner, identified as Zhao, has been arrested..

Aegean Sea Ferries Collide
On 12th July , in position 39 30N 019 27E the 10,583grt Ro/Ro "Iskenderun" collided with the 7,593grt Ro/Ro "Valentino" . Both vessels were slightly damaged but able to proceed on their voyages .
Ro/Ro and Tanker Collision off Japan
On the 15th July Wallenius Lines Swedish registered 52,288grt "Aida" and the Panamanian registered chemical tanker "Golden Asia" collided east of Saeki, Japan, at 32 58N 132 09E. Each vessel suffered only slight damage.
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Other News

Harland & Wolf

The Belfast yard has been named by the UK government as a possible place to build the new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy .
21 st October 1998

Kvaerner Boss Forced to Resign

The president and CEO of Kvaerner .Erik Tonseth, has been forced to resign following recent poor performance of share prices .
21 st October 1998

IMO SAR Plan Completed

An IMO conference in Australia have completed the 13th and final provisional search and rescue plan for the Indian Ocean . The plan , however , relies on the full implementation of GMDSS by 01st Feb 1999 .
21 st October 1998

Oil Spill Fine

A £250,000 fine was levied against Danish owners of the "Weser" , a feeder containership , by a Southampton court last month . The "Weser" was spotted by a passenger aircraft leaving a trail of oil of 6 miles long and reported to the authorities . The MCA ( Maritime and Coastguard Agency ) , after dispatching a spotter plane , prosecuted the owners .
16th October 1996

Hong Kong

The government has launched a pilot scheme to train unemployed men as GP ratings in a course lasting 14 weeks . It has beeen reported to have has a good response .
16th October 1998

P&O's New Superliner

The 76,000 ton cruise ship has been named "Aurora" . Set to enter service at the begining of the new Millenium the new vessel is said to have four decks of cabins with private balconies , a 24 hour bistro , a swimming pool with a retractable dome and interconnecting family cabins .
16th October 1998

Cruise Line

The Norwegian company "Cruise Line" are to use Seattle as their base for summer cruise to Alaskan waters in 2000 . It is thought that the new 3 year agreement will generate somewhere in the region of US$4.2million in state and local taxes as well as create up to 400 new jobs .
16th October 1998

Cunard

The Cunard cruise ships Royal Viking Sun, Sea Goddess I and Sea Goddess II are to be switched across to the Seabourn Fleet leaving Cunard with only the QE2 and Vistafjord . The Vistafjord is to be renamed later next year to the Caronia .
16th October 1998

Broken HillL Proprietary

It has been reported that one of Austrailias largest companies , BHP , may be selling off its fleet of 11 ore carriers due to the high cost of running .
16th October 1998

Cammell Laird Buys Tyne Dock

The UK yard has bought the troubled Tyne Dock Engineering company for a reported £500,000 . The yard has 12 vessels on the books . This purchase comes on the back of the acquistion of the Wear Dockland Group for £32.7 million and the re-opening of the naval dockyards at Gibraltar.
16th October 1998

New Steel Terminal for Liverpool

It has been reported that the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company are to develop a major steel terminal within the port, at Birkenhead's Vittoria Wharf .
16th October 1998

New dry dock for Swan Hunter

It has been reported that English based yard Swan Hunter is considering building a new dock some 350m long and 75m wide , wich will require an investment of up to US$70 million . It has been suggested that Swan Hunter may be trying for the 2 new aircraft carriers to be built for the Royal Navy in the near future . The yard has had experience building RN ships in the past including the carriers Illustrious , Ark Royal and Invincible . It is likely , however , that the other ship building yards in the UK ( Harland and Wolf - Belfast and Cammell Laird - Merseyside ) would be interested in bidding for the contract .
4th October 1998

SuperStar Leo completed sea trials

Star Cruises new 78,000 grt vessel "SuperStar Leo" is due to be delivered in the next few weeks ( around Sept 25th ) after successfully completing sea trials off Norway . It is expected that the ship will appear in Southampton to allow agents and the media get a good look at her before she sets sail for Port Klang , Malaysia . Her home port is said to be Singapore .
12th September 1998

mv Star Florida

The Norwegian ship ran aground after suffering steering problems whilst enroute from LA to Antwerp . With the assistance of 7 tugs the vessel was refloated on the River Scheldt and is reported to be enroute to Antwerp . The grounding occured on the 08th August .
( 10th August 1998 )

Polar

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) - whose members class over 90 per cent of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage - is developing Unified Requirements for Polar Ships. It is intended that draft Unified Requirements for structures and machinery of polar ships will be produced by the end of 1998. Subject to review and adoption by the IACS Council, possible implementation, through the Rules of the individual IACS members, could be achieved by 2001.

The proposed Code aims to ensure the safety of navigation and the prevention of pollution in polar waters. The code will make provision for navigation, communications, lifesaving, main and auxiliary machinery. The code will also emphasise the need to ensure that all ship systems are capable of functioning effectively under the anticipated operating conditions.

The proposed Code, which was submitted to the IMO in March 1998, is being developed as a supplement to existing IMO Conventions, including SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW. It consists principally of three parts:

Part A: Construction: structures, subdivision and stability, accommodation and escape
measures, directional control systems, anchoring and towing arrangements, main
machinery, auxiliary machinery, electrical installations;
Part B: Equipment: fire safety, life-saving appliances and survival, navigational
equipment, communications;
Part C: Operations: operational requirements, crewing, emergency equipment,
environmental protection and damage control.

Philippines

Two bills have been introduced in the Philippine Senate to grant "tax holidays" to domestic shipping and shipbuilding and repair services.

Sea Land

Sea-Land Service Inc. is transferring its Asian office from Hong Kong to the Philippines.

Maersk Line

Maersk Line will start a fixed-day weekly service in September calling at the Israeli ports of Ashdod and Haifa from Gioia Tauro, Italy.

Four missing after vessel sinks north of Morocco

The Austrian registered 1,935grt bulk carrier "Rautz" sank on the 13th July in 35 05N 009 31W . The vessel was enroute from Morroco to Poland . The "Rautz" was built in 1976 and operated by Alster Ship Chartering .
Six crewmembers were rescued and four are missing.

New Sailing Record

The monohull trans-Atlantic sailing record was unofficially broken on 7 July by a French crew led by Christophe Auguin. The 18-meter/60-foot sloop Geodis sailed from New York to Lizard Point, England, in 9 days 22 hours. The official record, set last year by the 24-meter/80-foot Nicorette, is 11 days 13 hours.

Collision in Copenhagen

June 26th : The Norwegian registered bulk carrier "Sunrana" loaded with wheat from Rostock collided with a barge near the new bridge across the Copenhagen Sound , Denmark . The "Sunrana" sustained a hole above the waterline on its port side . The ship sailed to Copenhagen for temporary repairs before resuming passage to Tilbury , England .

Collision in St Lucia

June 23rd : German registered containership "Stadt Cuxhaven" (3,978 grt ) collided with the motor vessel "Anina" (885 grt ) in Castries St Lucia . The "Stadt Cuxhaven" then ran aground near the Geest facilities before being re-floated with damage to her stern . The "Anina" starboard bow sustained a large dent .

Titanic No Go Zone

June 23rd : A US judge issued an injunction in Norfolk , Va. ,barring anyone from coming within 12 miles of the Titanic or taking images of it without the permission of RMS Titanic Inc .

Engine room fire

June 20th : The Cypriot dry cargo ship " Paris " had an engine room fire sailing from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Medway Ports , England . After the fire was extinguished, the "Paris" was towed to Sheerness, England, by the tug "Lady Madeleine" .

Weapons Find

27 tons of weapons including thousands of rounds of ammunition were found onboard a Romanian registered ship by the Greek Coast Guard . The vessel was moored off Drapetsona in Piraeus on June 23rd . The master denied any knowledge of the weapons .

Farewell to Bell Bottoms

June 18th : The US Navy has replaced the traditional bell bottomed uniform dungarees with straight legged trousers .

Tug Sinks

After a collision with an un-named naval vessel the tug sank off Pioneer Beacon , Singapore . The master and two crew members are reported safe .
25th August 1998

Palm Beach building new cruise terminal

The port of Palm Beach is to build a five storey cruise terminal complex costing US$12 million . Work is scheduled to begin in January and the work is expected to be complete by the end of January 2000 .
25th August 1998

Windstar

Windstar have announced that due to the current political state of Asia the sailing vessel "Wind Star" will not now operate in Asia as planned .
25th August 1998

QE2 carries out safety exercise

Earlier this month the Cunard Liner QE2 carried out an emergency response exercise with Lloyds Register . The vessel was simulated to have been in a collision with another vessel with atotal of 9 spaces being flooded. For more information visit Lloyds site .
25th August 1998

Polar Star

The USCG Icebreaker Polar Star is investigating the sinking of a whaling fleet in 1871 off the NW Alaskan coast . 39 ships sank , thankfully without loss of life . For more information check out the website at ;
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/artic
23rd August 1998

Trash Boat crosses the Atlantic

Crossing the Atlantic in 63 days the 4 man crew complete with 2 Rottweilers and a Mexican Terrier arrived in Ireland after having braved the waves , gales and icebergs . The boat , " The Son of Town Hall " , is made entirely of recycled trash ( Plywood and netting from New Yorks rivers ) and measures 15 meters in length . Help to stay afloat by pieces of foam , the boat was also capable of self righting if capsized . The crew now intend to build a hot air ballon from scrap and fly home to the USA .
21st August 1998

Tall Ships Due At Dublin

The Tall ships are due to be in Dublin for the conclusion of the Tall Ships Race from the 22nd August to the 25th August 1998 .
16th August 1998

Panama Canal Inspections

The authorities controlling the Panama Canal have announce new inspections on shipping intending to transit the canal . The inspections are to begin on the 17th August 1998 . Any vessels not meeting the required international standards will not be allowed to transit the canal .
( 16th August 1998)

Trawler Gaul

Lying in some 300 meters of water , automated unmanned midget submersibles (ROV's) operated from the UK's goverment survey ship Mansal 18 have taken video pictures of the wreck . The survey vessel is on a mission to find out what exactly happened to the fishing vessel . Rumours and stories of spying and being sunk by the Russian military abound . However an inquiry shortly after the sinking in 1979 blamed the accident on bad weather . The investigation continues ...
( 10th August 1998 ) Following the reports back from the Mansal 18 the UK government is re-open the inquiry into the sinking of the Gual . Images from the ROV's have shown open hatches casting doubt on the original verdict of sinking due to foul weather .
( 16th August 1998)

mv Star Florida

The Norwegian ship ran aground after suffering steering problems whilst enroute from LA to Antwerp . With the assistance of 7 tugs the vessel was refloated on the River Scheldt and is reported to be enroute to Antwerp . The grounding occured on the 08th August .
( 10th August 1998 )

Fire on mv Perseus

The 10,658 grt Maltese ship caught fire on the 6th August 1998 . The fire broke out in the engine room and the vessel was later abandoned and still buring in a position of 12 19N 046 32W . All crew were rescued and landed safely in Aden .
( 10th August 1998 )

Star Cruises moves base port

From October this year the Star Cruises' US$350 million flagship "SuperStar Leo" will be based in Singapore replacing the "Star Aquarius". The luxury cruise ship "MegaStar Asia" is reported to set Singapore as its base in June next year.
The move to base its flagship vessels at Singapore instead of at its Port Klang terminal was probably due to the relatively buoyant market in Singapore despite the regional economic downturn. In order to accommodate the "Superstar Leo" and other mega-ships operated by the European and American cruise giants the existing pier at Singapore will have to be extended by 50 m to accommodate mega cruise ships of up to 270 m.

Carnival Cruises

It has been reported that Carnival Corp has ordered construction of two ships modelled after its most profitable vessel, the "Carnival Destiny", for US$450 million each. Each will have a capacity for 2,758 passengers and are expected to be launched in 2002 and 2003 . Carnival said Italian shipyard Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiania SpA will build the vessels. The shipyard is already building two other ships , the "Carnival Triumph" and the "Carnival Victory" , to be delivered in 1999 and 2000.

Kvaerner in the USA

It has been reported that Kvaerner ASA has begun building the company's first US shipbuilding facility by converting the Philadelphia US Naval Shipyard . It has been reported that the project will cost US$445 million . The redevelopment has been financed with investments from the US government to the region of US$400 million . Kvaerner will cover the rest and try to minimise costs by using robots to do much of the work . The new yard is expected to create about 1,000 shipbuilding jobs.

Nouvelles Frontieres

The French firm are to start cruises again after chartering the Panamanian registered " Princess Danae "

Festival

Festival has announced an order for 2 additional ships from the same French yard that built the Mistral . The new ships are due for delivery in 2001 and 2002.

Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Llyod will be launching their new ship "Europa" in the autumn of 1999 . It is said that the 28.600 t Europa will offer the largest amount of space per passenger .

Ecstasy

It has been reported that the source of the fire might have been the result of welding work which may have set alight laundry lint from a nearby exhaust vent . The fire then spread to the aft mooring ropes giving off dense smoke . Following the fire onboard the vessel , which was only 2 miles off Miami , passengers are to be fully refunded and will get a free cruise at a later date . Damage to the vessel has been reported by the company to be mainly superficial and less than originally thought . However the NSTB have claimed that structural damage had occured and would require major repairs .

Statistics

Panamas fleet has grown by 11% over the last year according to a recent survey done by Lloyds Registrar. 17% of the worlds fleet are now registered in Panama .
The Bahamas has seen a steady rise in its register while Hong Kong and Greece have fallen .

According to Lloyds the average of ships is 19 years .
Container ships average age 10 years .
Passenger/general caro ships average age 30 years .
Tanker ships average age 18 years

Germany Crewing Regulations

Germany changes crewing rules . As of 1st Jan , two to five crew members onboard a German vessel will have had to have completed their training in Germany . On ships over 3,000 grt a German trained mechanic , if available , must be onboard . The rules vary a little depending upon the type of ship , cargo carried , area of operations and equipment .

RMS Queen Mary In Sights of Russian Sub

A Foxtrot Class former Russian submarine will now be permanently moored astern of "The Queen" in Long Beach Harbor as a tourist attraction.

UK Marine Trade Show

With over 150 exhibitors reported to have reserved sites this years UK Marine Trade Show looks likely to be a great success . The show will run from 7 to 8 October 1998 at Windsor Racecourse and companies will be exhibiting a broad range of products including safety equipment, clothing, construction materials, electronics, engines, accessories and services.
The Marine Trade Show sees the return of a stand-alone trade exhibtion in the UK for the marine industry. It is open to trade visitors only who will be able to register in advance.

London Boat Show

The 45th anniversary of the London International Boat Show is to be held at Earls Court Exhibition Center from Friday January 8 to Sunday January 17, 1999 . The exhibition center is to be transformed to house an Olympic sized central pool and over 1000 boats . It is expected that over 600 exhibitors will be at the show offering a wide range of marine and boating accessories .
SHOW DETAILS
Dates : 8-17 January (Press and Preview day on 7 January)
Opening times :10am - 7pm daily (Except late opening on Thursday 14 January until 9.30pm and Sunday 17 January when doors close at 6pm)

Topless danger

A Liberian bulk carrier loaded with 67,000 ton of coal ran aground in March 1994 after the officer of the watch altered course to get a better view of topless women ashore . The sight seeing trip cost US$2 million in damages .
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Disclaimer
All the news provided here is accurate to the best of my knowledge . No responsibility or liability is accepted by the author .

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This page was last updated on 12th December 1998