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Sea Turtles are living in the oceans for more than 110 million years. Though the sea turtles have survived mass extinctions due to natural disasters, threat to sea turtles from fishing industry is increasing. Trawl fishing gear are becoming death traps to sea turtles. Efforts to reduce threat to sea turtles started from 1970s by designing and testing Turtle Excluder Device (TED). It is disturbing to note that all the fishing trawlers are not using either TEDs or properly functioning TEDs to protect sea turtles.

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Sealegs Amphibious Boats can travel on land and can be parked like a car in addition to being used as speed boats. Sealegs Amphibious Boats are bound to be an attraction in water sports tourist spots. Sealegs amphibious boats are going to be displayed for the first time in the United States at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show from October 30 to  November 03, 2008. Free demonstrations of Sealegs amphibious boats will also be available.

Some of the interesting features of Sealegs Amphibious Boats are:

• a product of Auckland, New Zealand.
• on land: Sealegs is driven hydraulically by a 16 hp, Honda, 2 cylinder, 4 stroke air-cooled motor, which uses the same petrol as the outboard. Can move in reverse direction also. Being air cooled engine, can not be run for more than 10 minutes continuously.
• are equipped with retractable wheels like that of an aircraft and can safely move on a beach and also into the water.
• while in water, at the touch of a button the wheels fully retract and the craft transforms into a conventional speed boat.
• are having fully EPA compliant ‘clean technology’ outboard engines of up to 150hp.
• fuel tank is under the floor and has a capacity of 80 litres.
• speed on land:10km/hour.
• speed on water: 30-35 knots.
• Sealegs boats are all certified to comply with CE category C, which is safe to operate up to 2 metre swells and Beaufort wind scale 6.
• over 300 Sealegs amphibious boats are already in use in more than 14 countries worldwide.

Here are some photographs of Sealegs Amphibious Boats.

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World’s largest airship Zeppelin NT, built in Germany is being transported to US. Being rigid in structure, the 75 metres long, 19.5 metres wide, 17.4 metres in height airship is being transported in its full length through Combi Dock I (Semi submersible) of Combi-Lift Shipping. Only the two engines mounted on the side and the tail unit of the airship were dismantled for shipping. The ships data of Combi Dock I is at Combi - Lift as pdf document. Also a video clip of Combi Dock II is here. More shipping details of Zeppelin NT are at Airship ventures blog.

Zeppelin NT bound for US, is the fourth airship in series production. Other Zeppelin NT airships are positioned in Germany and Japan. Zeppelin NT airship will be operated by Airship Ventures at San Francisco for daily sight seeing flights, advertising operations, corporate and event occasions and scientific missions from November. Facts and Figures about Zeppelin NT is at Airship Ventures. More photographs of Zeppelin NT are here.  Here you can view landing of Zeppelin NT in a video clip. At any time you can view Zeppelin NT through webcam from the manufacturer zeppelinflug.

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The India Shipping Summit (ISS) 2008 is ready to start on September 29. The fourth edition of ISS is set to draw the global attention of maritime business community. Last year the Summit attracted 600 senior delegates from 22 countries.

Some of the interesting features of ISS 2008 are:

• to be held from September 29 to October 01.
• to be held at Grand Hyatt Mumbai
• Some of the interesting subjects to discussed are:
  • India’s Future as a Global Maritime Player
  • Finance for Helping India Enter a New Era in the Maritime Sector
  • The Charterers’ Voice
  • Offshore Oil and Gas Developments and Energy Transportation for Sustaining Growth: New Challenges for Ship owners
  • Maritime Technology in a Changing Regulatory Environment
  • Solving the Manning Crisis in the Maritime Industry
  • Shipbuilding in India – Managing the Future
  • Delivering World-Class Maritime Infrastructure: Tapping Opportunities, Old-Fashioned Mindsets and Other Bottlenecks

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Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy known as Fusion Man, has flew across the English Channel successfully on September 26 with his self made jet propelled wing.

Some of the interesting features of the weekend flight are:

• 49 year old Yves Rossy is a former military pilot.
• he crossed the 35.4 kilometre wide English Channel in less than 10 minutes, from Calais, France to Dover, UK.
• he had to commence his flight at 2,500 metres altitude by jumping from an aircraft to fire his jet propelled wing.
• as the jet propelled wing had no rudder or tail fin, he had to steer using his head and back.
• on reaching Dover, he made a soft landing by opening his parachute.
• the jet propelled wing
  • spans 2.4 metres
  • is made of lightweight carbon composite
  • weighs about 55 kilograms including fuel
  • has four kerosene burning jet turbines
• he wore a heat resistant suit to protect him from the heat of the jet propelled wing.
• Yves Rossy has now set a record to be the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing.

You can view 10 amazing photographs of Yves Rossy crossing the English Channel from Spiegel online photo gallery.

Here is a video clip of Yves Rossy crossing the English Channel.

Read more and also watch an interesting video clip from BBC News.

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Press release by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the occasion of World Maritime Day on September 25 is reproduced below:

IMO: 60 years in the service of shipping

Today (25 September 2008) marks the 31st celebration of World Maritime Day, the annual occasion when the International Maritime Organization (IMO) leads the world in honouring shipping. This year the theme for World Maritime Day is IMO: 60 years in the service of shipping.
The year 2008 contains a number of key milestones and anniversaries for the Organization. March 6th was the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the IMO Convention by a conference held in Geneva in 1948 under the auspices of the United Nations; March 17th was the 50th anniversary of that Convention entering into force in 1958; and June saw the convening of the 100th session of the IMO Council, the executive organ of IMO responsible for supervising the work of the Organization in between sessions of the Assembly.
In his World Maritime Day message to the international maritime community, IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said,

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National Defence Academy (NDA), a premier tri-service training institution of India will be completing 60 years of glorious service on January 16, 2009. As part of Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of NDA, Indian Navy’s Sail Training Ship INS Tarangini has commenced her four nation voyage on September 22 from Kochi.

Here are some interesting features of the voyage:

• Two officers and 60 cadets of NDA in two groups are taking part in the voyage after completing a one week training capsule in INS Tarangini prior to commencement of the voyage.
• She will visit the ports of Salalah (Oman), Port Victoria (Seychelles), Male (Maldives) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The first batch of 30 cadets have commenced their voyage from Kochi. At Seychelles, second batch of 30 cadets will join to relieve the first batch.
• She is scheduled to return to Kochi on November 24.
• She is expected to complete 4900 nautical miles in 65 days.
• Major General BS Grewal, Deputy Commandant & CI of NDA shall be accompanying the cadets in the last leg of the voyage from Colombo to Kochi.

Read more about INS Tarangini from Global Security.

Read more about the voyage from Press Information Bureau and The Hindu.

Here is a video clip of INS Tarangini.

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Everyone knows that piracy in Somali coast is increasing. This is happening despite the presence of Combined Task Force 150 in the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA). The Panama-owned oil tanker MT Stolt Valor bound for Mumbai from Suez was hijacked by 15 pirates in the Gulf of Aden on September 15. MT Stolt Valor registered in Hong Kong has 22 member crew. The ship’s master is Captain Prabhat Kumar Goyal and out of the 22 member crew, 18 are from India, two are from Philippines, one is from Bangladesh and one is from a Russia. More details about the hijack of MT Stolt Valor is here at Bob Couttie’s  Maritime Accident Casebook.

The Times of India dated September 19 reports that pirates have demanded a ransom of INR 60 million. Meanwhile there are reports that the captain’s wife Mrs Seema Goyal has received a call from one of the crew members about the crew being ill-treated and kept under poor living and working conditions. How long the crews have to wait for their release ?

Now almost a week has passed after the hijack and significant actions are not seen from India. Here are the Indian actions so far:

• Press Information Bureau news report dated September 17 reports that 18 Indian crew members are safe.
• To reduce piracy attacks, Express India dated September 18 reports that Indian Navy has sought permission from the Indian Government to patrol pirate infested Somali coast and take necessary actions to protect Indian citizens.
• The Hindu dated September 19 reports that the District Magistrate, Rakesh Kumar, visited the family of P.K. Goyal, captain of the MT Stolt Valor hijacked by Somali pirates, and assured them of all possible efforts by the Uttarakhand Government to secure a safe release of all crew members.
• The Times of India dated September 20 reports that the Indian government has virtually ruled out granting any “blanket permission” to the Indian Navy to undertake “hot pursuit” of pirates on the high seas.

Present global efforts to deal with piracy in the coast of Somalia:

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Danish Warship Absalon(L16) has become a nightmare to Somali pirates. The Command and Support Ship Absalon left Frederikshavn on August 17 to join Combined Task Force 150 in the Gulf of Aden. The New Zonka Blog gives the details of departure.

Here are some interesting activities of Absalon in the Gulf of Aden:

• During the first week of September Absalon reached the area and was meticulously carrying out her task in chasing the pirates of Somalia with her armed Lynx helicopter.
• On September 17, Absalon captured ten pirates in two speed boats. Weapons used by pirates like handguns, automatic rifles and rocket launchers along with boarding ladders were seized.
• On September 20, again Absalon chased three pirate boats and successfully caught two boats loaded with rocket launchers and a large number of handguns. The weapons were seized and this time the pirates and the boats were released. The reason for leaving the pirates and their boats may be purely legal issues to deal with pirates.

Here are the photographs of weapons seized by Absalon available at Danish Fleet website:

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The 23rd Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine technology (SMM 2008), an International Trade Fair will be ready for visitors at Hamburg on September 23. Over 1950  exhibitors from 55 countries are expected to display the latest technologies and products for shipbuilding and marine equipment at SMM 2008. Around 47,000 visitors are expected to attend. SMM 2008 will be opened at 1900 hours on September 22, by Economics and Technology Minister Michael Glos.

Some of the interesting features of SMM 2008 are:

• to be held at Hamburg, Germany
• from September 23 - 26
• a massive container ship propeller of 7.9 metres in diameter and weighing 57,760 Kg manufactured by Mecklenburger Metallguss GmbH (MMG) is placed in front of the Central Entrance to the New Hamburg Fair, Messeplatz 1 to act as sign post.
• A special attraction of SMM 2008 will be the first International Conference on “Maritime Security and Defence” (MS&D), to be held at the Hamburg Fair site on 24 and 25 September. Representatives from many navies, including the Royal Navy from the UK, the French, German and Malaysian Navies, experts from the security industry, and academics are expected to address the growing threats to shipping and ports from piracy and armed attacks, and from terrorists.
• First-time exhibitors at SMM are Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico and Serbia, and Vietnam is back at SMM after some years of absence.

Video clip of the 58 ton propeller is here. Exhibitor directory of SMM 2008 in 261 pages as pdf document is available here.

For more details on SMM 2008, log on to Hamburg-Messe.

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The number of ships getting hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden is increasing. BIMCO press release dated September 18 urges the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations for real and immediate action against brazen acts of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery, carried out with increasing frequency against ships in the Gulf of Aden, by pirates based in Somalia.

Lloyd’s List is also conducting a online polling to gather world opinion on “Ship operators should arm their vessels to protect them against piracy ?”

As per the world opinion as on September 21, 71 percent agree that ship operators should arm their vessels to save themselves from pirates.

Spare some time to participate in the polling.

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Ilulissat Glacier in Greenland is melting at an alarming pace due to global warming. You can view the present status of Ilulissat Glacier through the webcam set up by Sermitsiaq. 110,000 years old ice cap now moves at a speed of 22 metres per day and the size of the ice disintegrating is to the extent of 1000 metres in height and several hundred metres wide.

You can watch the images of ice cap and also video clips from Sermitsiaq.

Click the image below to view Ilulissat glacier.

At night, as there is no light images will be dark.

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This morning Chennai Marina was giving a festive look. As part of International Coastal Cleanup 2008, this weekend Indian Coast Guard took the initiative to cleanup Chennai beaches. Hundreds of college students, government and private agencies participated in the event from early morning with the rising sun watching the events from Bay of Bengal. The collected trash was assessed and the best team was given prize. A coast guard helicopter also demonstrated Search and Rescue (SAR) on the Marina beach. Light refreshments were provided to the participants.

Inspector General, Surinder Pal Singh Basra, Commander, Coast Guard Region (East) thanked all the participants and the event finished around 1030 hours.

Here are some photographs of the cleanup operation:

Students on trash collection drive, a dead dog on the beach

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This is to remind everyone to participate in the Ocean Conservancy’s 23rd annual International Coastal Cleanup scheduled to start on Saturday, September 20 around the world. Since 1986, the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) has gathered six million volunteers to remove more than 100 million pounds of marine litter from 170,000 miles of beaches and inland waterways.

Last year, International Coastal Cleanup was carried out worldwide meticulously on September 15, 2007. The Cleanup saw an increase in international representation in 2007, with 76 countries holding a cleanup event compared to the 66 who participated in 2006. Volunteers not only clear trash and debris from beaches, lakes and rivers but record everything they find. Ocean Conservancy uses this data to highlight the problem of trash in our ocean, identify sources of the debris and recommend solutions to reduce threats to humans and wildlife.

The Coca-Cola Foundation has pledged $1 million to Ocean Conservancy to help eradicate ocean litter. Also, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have decided to participate in the cleanup.

Here is a video clip on International Coastal Cleanup 2008.

For more information on International Coastal Cleanup, log on to Ocean Conservancy.

Update: September 19

Coastal Cleanup activities in India.

Pune: The Indian Maritime Foundation (IMF) will run a clean-up drive on the banks of the Mula and Mutha river on September 20 with the help of over a thousand volunteers from schools and colleges in the city. Read more from The Times of India.

Chennai: The Indian Coast Guard, in association with the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Loyola College and the Tree Foundation, will organise a coastal clean-up day on September 20. Read more from The Hindu.

Goa: Coast Guard personnel with their families, school children, personnel from central state government organizatons, five star hotels, NGO`s and volunteers will be participating in the Coastal Cleanup being conducted at all major beaches of Goa from September 20. Read more from DaijiWorld.

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Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander, U.S Pacific Fleet has now launched Rat-Pac blog. For the last one year, the Admiral has been podcasting Rat-Pac Report.

The Admiral has now given a easy way to provide feedback for the podcasts, through this blog to open discussion on topics already broadcast and on topics the audience selects for upcoming programs.

The blog is open to all service members and/or civilians to comment on recent postings, or ask questions that are on their minds. Here are the Standing Orders (guide lines) to interact in the blog and the Welcome Message to the blog.

For more details about the blog, log on to Pacific Fleet Commander.

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