Crews Assess Damage On Navy Ships That Collided

The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Essex arrived to cheers in San Diego Bay on Thursday, 24 hours after it collided with a refueling tanker in the Pacific when the warship's steering apparently failed. Families of the ship's crew celebrated as the big ship pulled in. Andi Farquhr, wife of a 36-year-old sailor, said her husband called her from the ship and said something bad had happened. She said he told her there was a collision but gave no details. "I'm pretty sure it was scary," Farquhr said. The Wednesday morning accident between the Essex and the oiler USNS Yukon occurred about 120 miles off the coast of Southern California as the Essex was approaching the Yukon to be refueled, said Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the 3rd Fleet. There were no injuries or fuel spills, military officials said. Brown said the steering apparently stopped working on the 844-foot-long Essex, which was carrying 982 crew members on its way to San Diego for scheduled maintenance. It had spent the past 12 years based in Sasebo, Japan, as command ship for the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group 7. The Essex was traveling with a new crew that came aboard for the trip to California. The ship recently underwent a crew swap with another amphibious assault ship, the Bonhomme Richard, as part of a standard procedure in the Navy to keep its ships operating. The Essex and Yukon were both able to continue toward San Diego despite the damage, which the Navy said did not compromise their fuel tanks or systems. The Yukon arrived at the Navy base in San Diego after 3 p.m. Wednesday with its crew of 82, including 78 civilian mariners and four military crew members. Brown said the damage was being assessed. He said he couldn't say how fast the ships were moving at the time of the crash because the Navy is still investigating the cause.

The accident occurred as the USS Essex was approaching the USNS Yukon to be refueled.The standard speed for ships lining up to refuel at sea is about 13 knots, or 15 mph, Brown said. No lines or hoses had been connected because the two vessels were just approaching each other. The ships likely just bounced off each other, said maritime safety consultant James W. Allen. Even so, he said, with massive ships, it can be "a pretty hard bump that can bend metal" and cause dents. The Essex, known as the Iron Gator, resembles a small aircraft carrier, while the Yukon is 677 feet long. Navy ships routinely refuel at sea while under way. "They were probably so close there was no time to respond when the steering went out," said Allen, who served 30 years in the Coast Guard. Navy officials said it was the Essex's first collision. The ship, however, has had mechanical problems. The military publication Stars and Stripes reported in February that twice over a seven-month period, missions were scrapped because of mechanical or maintenance issues involving the 21-year-old flagship commissioned in San Diego. Navy spokesman Lt. Richard Drake at the time blamed it on wear and tear. 3rd Fleet officials said they could not comment on that since at the time the Essex was in the 7th Fleet in Japan. 7th Fleet officials could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. The Yukon, which was launched in 1993, has been involved in at least two previous collisions, including on Feb. 27, 2000, when it collided with a 135-foot civilian cargo ship while trying to enter Dubai's Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates. The Yukon sustained minor damage. Less than five months later, it was hit by the USS Denver during refueling off the coast of Hawaii. Both ships sustained heavy damage.

Discovered Wreck May Have Been First Ship To Bring Coconuts To Ireland

A merchant ship that sank in the 1600s, and which has been discovered off the West Cork coast, could have brought the first coconuts to Ireland. The Irish Examiner has learnt that marine archaeologists were called to an area near Schull after the remains of the vessel were found in recent days close to shore and embedded in silt in about 30ft of water. It’s understood the wreck was spotted in the seabed by workers who were laying underwater ‘outflow’ pipes for the new multimillion-euro Schull waste water treatment plant. Marine archaeologists were called in and a diving exclusion zone had been put in place to protect it from looters. Work has since been postponed on the underwater pipe-laying to allow archaeologists to fully explore what is described by sources as "a significant find".

It’s believed the merchant ship was returning from the Caribbean, because remains of coconuts have been found in her wreckage. Because coconuts were considered very exotic at the time they would have been a valuable commodity. The vessel may have pulled into Schull to trade and get supplies and may have sank after bad weather forced it onto rocks, which will become clearer when archaeologists complete their work. It is possible the ship sank around the same time as the sack of Baltimore by Algerian pirates and Ottoman Turks. They captured hundreds of locals and took them as slaves. Only two ever returned. Local sources say that some pottery has also been retrieved from the wreck. They also indicate that diving operations are likely to continue in the area for at least a couple of weeks.

Tug Reaches Ship Adrift Off Barrier Reef

An Australian tug boat yesterday reached a cargo ship which had been drifting off the Great Barrier Reef, as environmentalists warned that greater shipping traffic could harm the world’s biggest coral reef. The Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier ID Integrity broke down north of the Queensland city of Cairns on Friday, sparking alarm that the 186m, 45,000 tonne bulk carrier would smash into a reef near the World Heritage-listed site. Simon Meyjes, who heads the century-old marine group Australian Reef Pilots, said it was “sheer luck” that the Integrity had not run aground at the dive site Shark Reef or nearby. He said it appeared an environmental disaster had been averted by the crew dumping some of the Integrity’s sea water ballast so it passed over Shark Reef. “I don’t know what the actual under keel clearance would have been as it went over the reef,” he told AFP. “But certainly it would have been a very, very uncomfortable situation. They were at the mercy of the weather completely. I think that they have been very, very lucky.” Meyjes said had the Townsville-bound Integrity drifted slightly further to the north, it could have hit Osprey Reef, an exposed coral outcrop. “So it’s just sheer luck,” he said. “We’re all breathing a huge sigh of relief I can assure you.” The ship, which suffered an engine breakdown en route from Shanghai, was reached yesterdya by a commercial tug, PT Kotor, as it drifted in open water in the Coral Sea. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the tug had connected a towline to the Integrity and they were travelling slowly away from the Outer Reef and awaiting the arrival of the larger tugs.

The ship’s owner, Hong Kong-based ID Wallem, said its vessel was empty and there had been no pollution spills, adding it would “take measures to avoid any environmental impact in Australian waters”. But the incident has angered conservationists who have long raised fears about the impact on the Great Barrier Reef, particularly from shipping, from Queensland’s coal and gas boom. The Chinese-registered coal carrier Shen Neng 1 foundered in April 2010 leaking tonnes of heavy fuel oil and threatening an ecological disaster. A major catastrophe was ultimately avoided but the huge ship gouged a 3km long scar in the world’s biggest coral reef and was stranded for nine days before salvagers could refloat it. Environmental group WWF Australia said in the latest incident, a major disaster had been averted by only a matter of metres. It said the forecast increase in shipping traffic in the waters off Queensland was “a risky game of Russian roulette that is destined to end in disaster”. The independent activist group GetUp! said the stricken Integrity proved it would be reckless to increase traffic in the region. “The incident should be of concern to all Australians. It’s more likely to occur in the future as we see more and more ships use the Great Barrier Reef to export coal,” national director Simon Sheikh told ABC Radio. But Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said the theory that more ships would necessarily result in more accidents near the reef did not stand up. “If that was the case then people would be involved in far more plane crashes today than we saw 20 years ago, and clearly that’s not the case,” he said. Earlier this year representatives from Unesco visited Queensland to inspect the reef to check for any impact from coal and gas projects, which use ports near the Great Barrier Reef to export their products. They have yet to report.

Future Naval Force May Sail With Strength Of Titanium

Steel may have met its match: An Office of Naval Research (ONR)-funded project will produce a full-size ship hull section made entirely with marine grade titanium using a welding innovation that could help bring titanium into future Navy ship construction, officials announced April 3. The contractor team building this section recently completed the industry's longest friction-stir titanium alloy welds and aims to complete the ship hull section this summer. Friction-stir welds more than 17 feet long joined the titanium alloy plates for the section's deck. "This fast, effective friction-stir weld technique is now an affordable manufacturing process that takes advantage of titanium's properties," said Kelly Cooper, the program officer managing the project for ONR's Sea Warfare and Weapons Department. Titanium metal and its alloys are desirable materials for ship hulls and other structures because of their high strength, light weight and corrosion-resistance. If constructed in titanium, Navy ships would have lighter weight for the same size-allowing for a bigger payload-and virtually no corrosion. But because titanium costs up to nine times more than steel and is technically difficult and expensive to manufacture into marine vessel hulls, it has been avoided by the shipbuilding industry. But perhaps not for much longer. Researchers at the University of New Orleans School of Naval Architecture and Textron Marine and Land Systems are demonstrating the feasibility of manufacturing titanium ship hull structures. Using lower cost marine grades of titanium, they fabricated a 20-foot-long main deck panel-composed of six titanium plates, joined together by friction-stir welding, as part of technology studies for an experimental naval vessel called Transformable Craft, or T-Craft. Since antiquity, blacksmiths have joined iron or steel parts together by heating them in a forge, placing them on an anvil and striking the two pieces repeatedly with a heavy hammer. After several repetitions of heating and striking, the two pieces were "hammer forged" or "forge welded" together.Friction-stir welding joins metals using the heat of friction produced by a spinning pin tool pressed down on both pieces of metal at their common joint. Friction heating produced by the high-speed rotation causes both metal pieces to heat up to a "plastic" condition, but not to melt. As the tool passes down the common joint line, the heated, plasticized metal from both pieces is kneaded together in the rotating tool's wake, forming the weld between them. Friction-stir welding works well for most aluminum alloys. Titanium, however, is difficult to join by the same process because of the high temperatures required, and pin tool materials that erode and react with titanium, weakening the weld. The researchers overcame that problem by using new titanium friction-stir welding methods developed by Florida-based Keystone Synergistic Enterprises Inc., with funding from both ONR and the Air Force. The processes were scaled up and transferred to the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM), which is a partnership between the University of New Orleans, NASA and the state of Louisiana. To fabricate the ship hull structure, more than 70 feet of welded linear joints were made, the longest known welds in titanium made with the friction-stir process. This friction stir welding achievement showed a noticeable improvement from previous similar processes. It was made at a high linear speed, indicating reduced manufacturing time; showed excellent weld penetration, indicating a secure connection; and had no distortion of the titanium adjoining the weld. Experts attribute the success to an effective design of the pin tool, process parameters that emphasized pin tool life and exact duplication of the process steps from facility to facility and machine to machine. ONR funds collaborative projects investigating novel shipbuilding materials and improved processes for titanium friction-stir welding, especially its affordability, as part of the Sea Base Enabler Innovative Naval Prototype program.

Navy Jet Crashes In Virginia

A Navy jet has crashed near a major road in Virginia Beach, an official with the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Fox News. The pilot is believed to have ejected safely from the jet, the official said. There is no word on injuries. Emergency crews from the military, Virginia State Police and Virginia Beach police are all responding to the scene of the crash. Virginia Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed black smoke rising from the Birdneck Road area of Virginia Beach at 12:30 p.m. local time.

US To Sink Ghost Ship Dislodged By Japan Tsunami

The lonely voyage of a rusting, unmanned Japanese ship that has floated thousands of miles since it was dislodged by last year's tsunami appeared to be coming to an end in the Gulf of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard was gearing up to use cannon fire to sink the shrimping vessel, which was floating 180 miles southwest of the southeast Alaska town of Sitka Thursday morning. "Something like this hasn't been done, based on the tsunami," Coast Guard spokesman Paul Webb said. "It's a new one for all of us." The 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, which has no lights or communications system, has a tank that could carry more than 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel, but officials don't know how much, if any, is aboard. Either way, the government says the move is safer environmentally than letting the ship continue to drift. "It's less risky than it would be running into shore or running into (maritime) traffic," Webb said. The vessel had been destined for scrapping when the Japan earthquake struck, so there is no cargo on board, according to Webb. He said it's likely there is little or no fuel on board because the ship has been traveling high in the water, indicating a light ballast. Webb said he doesn't know who owns the Ryou-Un Maru, which has been traveling about 1 mile per hour in the past days.A Coast Guard cutter was at the location of the ghost ship Thursday with plans to fire cannons loaded with high explosive rounds to sink the vessel in calm seas and clear weather. Webb said the cutter would fire the cannons from several hundred feet away. The goal is to punch holes in the Ryou-Un Maru and sink it. A Coast Guard C-130 plane crew will monitor the operation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship and let the fuel evaporate in the open water. The Coast Guard will warn other ships to avoid the area, and will observe from an HC-130 Hercules airplane. The vessel has been adrift from Hokkaido, Japan, since it was launched by the tsunami caused by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck Japan in March 2011. About 5 million tons of debris were swept into the ocean by the tsunami. The Japan earthquake triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, but Alaska state health and environmental officials have said there's little need to be worried that debris landing on Alaska shores will be contaminated by radiation. They have been working with federal counterparts to gauge the danger of debris including material affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild game could be affected. In January, a half dozen large buoys suspected to be from Japanese oyster farms appeared at the top of Alaska's panhandle and may be among the first debris from the tsunami.

Aussies Aboard Stricken Cruise Ship

Eighty-nine Australians are aboard a cruise ship that drifted for 24 hours off the Philippines after being disabled by a fire. The Philippine coast guard said the ship, with 1000 people on board, had been repaired and is heading slowly to Malaysia. The Azamara Quest, which had embarked on a 17-day cruise of south-east Asia, was left drifting in southern Philippine waters after a fire broke out on Friday night. The flames engulfed one of the ship's engine rooms but were quickly extinguished, the ship's operator said. Five crew members suffered smoke inhalation, including one who was seriously injured and needed hospital care. The ship informed the coast guard late yesterday Saturday that its power and propulsion had been restored and it was moving slowly toward Sandakan on the east coast of Borneo, its next destination after it left Manila last Thursday. Azamara Club Cruises, the ship's operator, said in a statement that the ship was sailing at a top speed of only six knots (11km/h) and was expected to reach Sandakan "within 24 to 48 hours". It said company president Larry Pimentel would meet personally with the passengers and crew in Sandakan. The company said the rest of the cruise would be cancelled. It said it would fully refund the passengers as a "gesture of goodwill" and provide each guest with a future cruise certificate for the amount paid for the aborted voyage. It was the latest in a series of accidents hitting luxury cruise liners since January, when the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy, killing 32 people. The Azamara Quest is carrying 590 passengers and 411 crew members. Operator Azamara Club Cruises is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. More than one-third, or 201, of the passengers on board are American, and nearly one-third, or 119, of the crew are Filipinos, according to lists of passenger and crew nationalities provided by the ship captain to the coast guard.The Azamara QuestThe vessel had left Hong Kong on Monday. The ship made a port call in Manila and left for Sandakan on Thursday. It was scheduled to make several stops in Indonesia before arriving in Singapore on April 12. But instead the stricken ship drifted yesterday in the Sulu Sea, about 130 kilometres south of the Philippines' Tubbataha Reef, Ricafrente said. The area lies between the Philippines and the island of Borneo, which is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia. A woman from Kailua-Kuna, Hawaii, who said she was one of the passengers, posted an entry on Azamara's Facebook page after internet service was restored on the ship, praising the crew's handling of the situation. "No A/C yet but everyone is fine," she said. "Cannot say enough about this Captain and the crew. They have been absolutely wonderful keeping us updated constantly with the good or the bad. ... Sorry that we cannot finish our cruise, but we will back ASAP." She said the crew worked with very little rest "to keep us all in good spirits, well fed and comfortable". There was a jar where passengers could place donations to help the injured crewman who was in serious condition, she said. Ricafrente said that no distress call was received and there would be an investigation. A Philippine coast guard vessel approached the Azamara Quest, but the ship's captain sent an email to the coast guard saying that it needed no assistance and that everything was "under control". Engineers yesterday restored electricity in the ship to re-establish air conditioning, running water, plumbing, refrigeration and food preparation, the company said. The ship's senior physician, Oliver Gilles, said that the crew member who was in serious condition suffered "prolonged heat and smoke exposure". A month after 32 people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized off the western coast of Italy, a fire on the Costra Allegra left that ship without power and adrift in waters known to be prowled by pirates in the Indian Ocean for three days. Both Costa ships are part of Costa Crociere, SpA, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp, the world's largest cruise operator.

Ship Seized Over US Legal Action

US marshals briefly seized a cruise ship in coastal Texas under a judge's order in a 10 million dollar (£6.25 million) legal action filed on behalf of a German woman who died in the Costa Concordia disaster. The Carnival Triumph was seized for several hours at its port in Galveston, where it was scheduled to leave with 2,700 passengers. Both sides said they reached a confidential deal that released the ship for its five-day cruise to Mexico. A Texas judge had ordered the seizure to secure the plaintiff's claims against Carnival, the Miami-based parent company of the Italian cruise line whose ship hit a reef and sank off an Italian island in January. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday on behalf of a German woman who died in the Costa Concordia incident, which killed 32 people. Plaintiff lawyer John Eaves Jr said he did not file the lawsuit to inconvenience passengers of the Carnival Triumph, but rather to emphasise to Carnival the need for improved safety. He said terms of the agreement were confidential. Carnival released a statement noting that the lawsuit was related to a European-based sister cruise line. The company said "the matter involving the Carnival Triumph" was resolved and the ship departed early on Saturday evening.Deputy US Marshal Alfredo Perez confirmed that marshals had seized the vessel. Passengers were allowed on and off the ship, which was not allowed to leave its port while the deal was negotiated. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the estate of Siglinde Stumpf, claims that Carnival shared responsibility for Ms Stumpf's death for not preparing and maintaining proper safety programs for all vessels under its control, including the ill-fated Costa Concordia. The Italian captain of the Costa Concordia when it sank, Francesco Schettino, is under investigation for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship during the evacuation. Schettino has denied wrongdoing and claimed that the reef was not marked on charts. Mr Eaves argued that the company's training for captains and crew members is inadequate. He said a major aim of the lawsuit is to persuade Carnival to improve safety standards and to join in a campaign to update maritime law, which he said has some good elements but should be brought "into the modern age".

Crew Member Missing After Fire On Stolt Ship

Stolt Tankers, a subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen and owner and operator of MT Stolt Valor, has reported a fire on the ship. The company says that the fire has been contained but that one crew member is still missing. The ship is under tow approximately 45 miles off the coast of Qatar. There has been no spillage of fuel oil from the ship, nor any reported or visible spillage of cargo.Stolt Tankers is working in close co-operation with the authorities, salvage experts and insurers to salvage the ship and its cargoes and to avoid any environmental impact. Full investigations into the cause of the accident are being conducted by the flag state and the company. MT Stolt Valor is a 2004-built chemical tanker of 25,268 dwt. The ship has been declared a constructive total loss for insurance purposes. At 10:43am: (LON:SNI) Sygen International share price was -0.13p at 62.88p

First Tow Boat Head Up Mississippi River

The shipping navigation season has started a bit earlier than normal as the first tow boat and barges traveled north on the Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the MV Deana Ann tow boat out of Kentucky opened the season Saturday. The Deana Ann moved seven barges through the lock and dams in Red Wing and Hastings before arriving in St. Paul on Saturday night.Over the last 30 years, the average opening date is March 20. Last year, the navigation season didn't open until March 31. The earliest opening date has been March 4, which happened in 1984, 2000 and 2001. The latest was April 7 in 1978.

Dying Cattle Stranded at Sea

Compassion has been informed of a horrific situation unfolding near Eritrea. Right now, thousands of cattle are dead or dying, stranded on a converted cargo ship in the Red Sea. The recently converted livestock vessel Gracia Del Mar is carrying cattle from Brazil to Egypt. Reports suggest that one of the ship’s engines has broken down and this has led to ventilation failure resulting in extreme suffering and the death of many animals. More than 2,750 cattle are thought to have died on board already, and the situation is worsening with every hour that passes.The ship has been refused permission to dock at a number of ports, including in Egypt, due to the large number of dead and dying animals. The surviving animals desperately need veterinary care or, where necessary, to be humanely euthanized. Reports suggest that conditions onboard are desperate. Back in 2005, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) issued guidelines on animal welfare during transport at sea. Both Brazil and Egypt signed up and, as the exporter and importer, they have clear responsibilities for the welfare of these animals.

Canadian Sailors Rescued From Sinking Ship In Stormy Pacific

Three Canadians whose sailboat was caught in a violent squall in the Pacific Ocean have arrived safely in Honolulu after the crew of an American container ship saved them during a dramatic night-time operation Wednesday. Amid rain and 90 kilometre-per-hour wind gusts, the rescue was made even trickier after giant waves heaved the sailboat Liahona into the freighter. The Liahona sank within seconds, forcing the three Canadians, including a nine-year boy, to swim into the cold water for up to 90 minutes. Aboard were Calgary entrepreneur Brad James and his nine-year-old son West, along with Bradley’s brother Mitchell. As their boat started taking water, Bradley heard his son say, “We’re sinking! We’re going to die!” he recalled at a televised press conference Thursday morning. “We’re not going to die. But we’re going to sink,” he told West. The trio had set sail a month ago from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, heading for Hawaii. Mitch had owned the boat for four years and the brothers grew up sailing a catamaran on a lake at the family’s cabin in Alberta. They ran into rough weather a week ago and toughed out a first storm before things got worse Tuesday. The second storm destroyed the main mast and the boat engine broke down, said family friend David Butler, who spoke to Brad after the rescue. While trying to save the mast, Mitch fell into the water. Brad got him back on board and decided to make a Mayday call. Luckily, Brad later said, the trio had a Global Positioning System device and had borrowed a satellite phone from a friend before they sailed out. They reached the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii and gave their GPS position. The Coast Guard asked the nearest ship, the freighter Horizon Reliance, to veer from its course. The freighter caught up with the sail boat around 2 a.m. Wednesday, about 760 kilometres east of Honolulu. At the time of the rescue, there were wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour and waves swelled to 6-metre heights. The waves were washing over the Liahona, Brad recalled. As the freighter approached, signalling at the Liahona with lights, the James brothers strapped on harnesses. The initial plan was for the freighter, which is the length of a football field, to sidle along the Liahona to shield it from the wind. The Horizon crew then would use rockets to shoot rescue lines towards the sailboat and the three Canadians would be winched over to the larger ship.Suddenly, two big waves tossed the Liahona onto the bow of the Horizon Reliance. The sailboat rolled down the starboard side of the larger ship and began sinking. The Canadians jumped into the water wearing life jackets. Brad also had a life saver ring for his son. He tried to swim and push his son as he told West that “you’ll go in shock if you panic. Relax.” West, who was tucked in a ball in the life saving ring, worried that he was getting hypothermia. As a cub scout, he had been taught to recognize those symptoms. The Horizon Reliance plucked out Mitch first but it took another 90 minutes before the freighter could make another pass at the other two. Three crew members on the bridge were tasked with keeping an eye on Brad and West. Struggling in the water, Brad saw a yellow light and swam toward it, but it was only his flashlight that was bobbing in the sea. Finally, the freighter was able to throw a line at Brad and they pulled him and his son towards a ladder. With the ship heaving up and down, Brad timed his moves so he could push his son as a wave came up. Brad let go as the water came down and it felt like his son just shot up in the air. “Start climbing,” he shouted at West. “Don’t climb, we’ve got him,” the Horizon crew shouted at him as they pulled the ladder up. When it was his turn, Brad remembered seeing crew members in tears as he stepped up and saw his son safely wrapped in a blanket. Someone handed Brad a phone to call his wife. “It didn’t go exactly as planned but we’re fine,” he told her. The Horizon Reliance sailed into Honolulu shortly before 4 a.m. Hawaii time (9 p.m. Eastern time). “They’re safe and sound and in good spirits,” said Ali Nikhoo, a Horizon executive in Hawaii who met the Canadians aboard the ship. “This could be a very different day for everyone if it wasn’t for your ship and company and crew,” Ryan James, a brother of Bradley and Mitchell, said in an email to the shipping company, Horizon Lines. “I’ve spoken to my brother Brad a couple times today and heard the crazy story and rescue. He can’t tell me enough how great the captain and crew has been and the efforts you have made.”

Firemen Find Two Alive On Wrecked Ship

Fire brigade crews have found alive two people on an Italian cruise ship that hit rocks and keeled over off the coast of the island of Giglio, ANSA news agency reported on Sunday.Rescuers have managed to speak to the man and the woman but have not yet reached them as they are stranded two decks below on the half-submerged ship. A fire brigade spokesman could not immediately be reached for confirmation.

Ship Capsizes In Kenya Causing Victims

The casualty toll of the capsized ship near Lamu Island in Kenya is of at least 8 dead and numerous people missing. The boat was overturned by the fury of the waves while it was heading to the mainland from Lamu Island, a world-famous tourist resort: the news was reported by police sources which said that 12 survivors have been rescued up to now.The survivors in turn reported that at the time of the sinking, there were nearly 50 people on board but as there is no passenger list, it is impossible to know the precise number or their nationality. During this period, Lamu Island is particularly crowded with foreign visitors attracted by the New Year's celebrations.

Army To Deploy Vertical Take-Off UAS

The U.S. Army is using a hybrid-type acquisition approach to develop a helicopter-like, Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing Unmanned Aerial System with a so-called ARGUS wide-area surveillance sensor suite designed to beam back information and images of the surrounding terrain, service officials said.Beginning in May or June of next year, the Army will deploy three Boeing-built A160 Hummingbird VTOL UAS to Afghanistan as part of a Quick Reaction Capability, an acquisition approach aimed at delivering cutting-edge and emerging technologies to theater to add capability and inform requirements while simultaneously developing a formal Program of Record approach, said Lt. Col. Matthew Munster, product manager, UAS Modernization. "These aircraft will deploy for up to one full year as a way to harness lessons learned and funnel them into a program of record," Munster said.

Military Recognizes Nurse For 50 Years Of Service

Doctors, nurses, corpsmen, friends and family gathered Dec. 16 at U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Guam to celebrate the 50-year nursing career of Guadalupe Mafnas. "Ms. Mafnas, who is so beloved, has dedicated so many years to taking care of people, being drawn to the profession of nursing, and serving the people of Guam, both here at Naval Hospital Guam and at [Guam Memorial Hospital]," said USNH Guam Commanding Officer Capt. Kevin Haws. "[She is] such a wonderful member of our staff."Capt. Elizabeth Swatzell, director of nursing services, USNH Guam, spoke of the tremendous effect Mafnas' knowledge, skills and teaching abilities have had on the command and its staff.

Cargo Ship Crashes In Turkey

A ship transporting goods from Turkey to Israel crashed, Turkish CNN Turk TV channel reported on Tuesday. Two out of 12 crew members died as a result of the accident. Other crew members were evacuated. The ship crashed as a result of technical failure.

Ship Reaches Leaking Russian Boat Near Antarctica

An icebreaker vessel has reached a leaking Russian boat with 32 crew members aboard off the coast of Antarctica, New Zealand officials said. The South Korean polar research vessel reached the 48-meter boat, called Sparta, in Ross Sea, according to a statement from Maritime New Zealand. On Tuesday, the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand said "very good progress" was being made to repair the damaged shell plating on Sparta, which sustained a 30-centimeter (1-foot) hole in the side more than a week ago. The Sparta issued a distress call on December 16. A cement box will be secured to the inside of the shell plating, which will make the vessel seaworthy, according to Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Mike Roberts. "For safety reasons, it is not possible to access the exterior damage in Sparta's current location," Roberts said. Roberts said crew from both ships will attempt to weld a "doubler plate" on the external plating of the ship and another plate inside.Officials said the South Korean vessel, called Araon, is expected to stay with the Sparta during repairs before escorting the Sparta to an ice-free area of open ocean. Both vessels are expected to leave their current location at midnight New Zealand time on Wednesday, the statement said. Roberts said the Araon began transferring fuel from the Sparta to change the Sparta's alignment in an attempt to elevate the damaged area from the water. The affected part was 1.5 (4.9 feet) meters below sea before the fuel transfer, officials said. By Tuesday, a second hole was discovered in the Sparta, "but this has only caused localized flooding in a small, contained space in this area," Roberts said. "It should not affect her making safe passage. This second hole can also not be repaired at her current location."

Coast Guard Begins Icebreaking Activities

The U.S. Coast Guard has begun ice breaking operations in response to colder temperatures and ice growth in the western Great Lakes region. The Coast Guard said Wednesday that Operation Taconite is being coordinated out of the Coast Guard's Sault Ste. Marie sector and covers lakes Superior and Michigan as well as the St. Mary's River, the Straits of Mackinac and northern Lake Huron.A second ice breaking operation will begin later this winter. Operation Coal Shovel will cover the eastern Great Lakes region, including lakes Erie and Ontario, the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, Lake St. Clair and southern Lake Huron. The U.S. Coast Guard says it works closely with the Canadian Coast Guard and maritime industry representatives to ensure critical shipping paths are open when needed.

Satellite Takes Picture Of Chinese Carrier On The Move

DigitalGlobe Inc., a commercial satellite company, said Wednesday that it took a photograph of China’s first aircraft carrier during a sea trial in the Yellow Sea, off the Chinese coast. The Pentagon did not confirm the image, but Stephen Wood, the satellite company’s director, said he’s confident about the Dec. 8 photograph due to the carrier’s location. Although China insists the carrier is intended for research and training, its use has raised concern about the country’s military strength and its increasingly assertive claims over disputed territory. While the development of carriers is driven largely by bragging rights and national prestige, China's naval ambitions have been brought into focus with its claims to disputed territory surrounding Taiwan and in the South China Sea. Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy claimed by China as its own, has responded to the growing Chinese threat by developing missiles capable of striking carriers at sea. An illustration at a display Wednesday of military technology in the capital Taipei showed a Hsiung Feng III missile hitting a carrier that was a dead ringer for the former Varyag. Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in spats with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam and had its relations strained with South Korea -- all of which have sought support from Washington, long the pre-eminent naval power in Asia.China defends its carrier program by saying it is the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that has not developed such vessels and that it has a huge coastline and vast maritime assets to defend. Beijing has also said its carriers would be employed in international humanitarian efforts, although the ex-Varyag's ski jump-style flight deck severely limits the loads its planes can carry. As the world's second-largest economy, China says it lags behind smaller nations such as Thailand and Brazil, as well as regional rival India, which have purchased carriers from abroad. While Chinese carriers could challenge U.S. naval supremacy in Asia, China still has far to go in bringing such systems into play, experts said. The U.S. operates 11 aircraft carrier battle groups and its carriers are far bigger and more advanced. The former Soviet Union started building the carrier, which it called the Varyag, but never finished it. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the carrier ended up in the hands of the Ukraine, a former Soviet republic. China bought the ship from the Ukraine in 1998 and spent years refurbishing it. It had no engines, weaponry or navigation systems when China acquired it. Beijing is believed to be years away from being able to launch and recover aircraft from it as part of a carrier battle group.

Chinese Ship Sinks Off Philippines, 1 Crew Member Dead

A Chinese crew member has drowned and another is missing after they abandoned their sinking cargo ship in the northern Philippines. Philippine coast guard officer Mr Ernesto Renon says the 13 other crew members of the Changda 216, including 12 Chinese and an Indonesian, reached shore aboard two lifeboats early Sunday off Aparri town in Cagayan province.But the other two crew members' lifeboat overturned. One of the men drowned, while a search is under way for the other. Coast guard officer Mr Jay Tariella says the 2,993-tonne steel-hulled ship steered away from Aparri after being loaded with iron ore. It then sank in shallow waters after being lashed by huge waves.

Fire Crews Mobilised After Reports Of Ship Fire

Fire crews from across west Cornwall raced to Falmouth this morning after reports of a fire on board a 25,000 tonne ship in the Docks. An alarm went off on the vessel at 10.40am, prompting a frantic race to the area for crews from Falmouth, Truro, Redruth and Camborne. However, when they arrived, no sign of a fire could be found, and it was eventually discovered that water had got into the alarm system, prompting the alert.