MarineBuzz.com

PNS Shamsheer has now joined the Pakistan Navy fleet.

PNS Shamsheer (F 252), type F22P frigate built by China, was commissioned on December 19 at Shanghai. Before reaching Pakistan, the frigate visited Colombo on January 16. Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy visited PNS Shamsheer and was warmly received by the Commanding Officer Captain Neimatullah.

Here are some photographs.

Commissioning of PNS Shamsheer at Shanghai, China. (Photograph taken from Pakistan Navy News Vol 23, December 2009)

PNS Shamseer at Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photograph from Sri Lanka Navy)

Continue Reading…

January 26 is celebrated as Australia Day.
HMAS Stuart (FFH 153), the sixth Anzac Class Guided Missile Frigate is presently on deployment in the Gulf of Oman, carrying out counter terrorism and counter narcotic smuggling operations. The crew celebrated Australia Day at sea by playing cricket on the flight deck. On completion of the match, the crew had a steel deck barbecue dinner by witnessing Arabian sunset.

The crew also collected $700 as charity and the proceeds will be donated to Gran’s Van, a food van based in Burnie Tasmania which provides meals to the homeless and needy.

Here is a photograph from Department of Defence, Australia.

Continue Reading…

Commander Dilip Donde of Indian Navy commenced his solo circumnavigation voyage in INSV Mhadei from Mumbai on August 19, 2009. After sailing 14000 Nautical miles, INSV Mhadei arrived at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom on January 16 (see photograph below).  Presently the vessel is undergoing essential repairs and maintenance. Indian Defence Attaché Commodore Bannerjee flew from UK to meet Commander Dilip Donde on his arrival. Commodore Bannerjee and Commander Donde also visited HMS York and HMS Clyde.

On January 26, the 60th Republic day of India, Commander Dilip Donde would unfurl the tri-colour on his 56 feet yacht INSV Mhadei. He is scheduled to continue with his fourth leg of the circumnavigation voyage to Cape Town in South Africa on February 01.

Here is the photograph of INSV Mhadei at Port Stanley.

Continue Reading…

Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane flight ET- 409 with 90 people on board crashed into the Mediterranean Sea about two kilo metres from the sea shore shortly after take-off from Beirut airport on January 25. Eye witnesses report that the aircraft crashed into the sea as a ball of fire. Nobody has survived and rescue operations are going on to recover the dead. Divers are trying to recover the black box of the aircraft.

The aircraft Boeing 737-800 with registration number ET-ANB involved in the accident had undergone regular maintenance service last on December 25, 2009 and was declared safe and fit to fly. The pilot of flight ET409 had over 20 years of experience in flying various aircrafts over the expanded network of the airline.

Some disturbing reports available regarding the crash are:

• Ethiopian flight ET- 409 bound for Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) lost contact with the Lebanese air controllers shortly after take off from Beirut (Lebanon). The flight departed at 02:35 Lebanese time from Beirut International Airport.
• Aircraft carried 82 passengers and 8 Ethiopian Crew members. Out of the total passengers 23 are Ethiopian, 51 Lebanese, 1 Turkish, 1 French, 2 British, 1 Russian, 1 Canadian, 1 Syrian, 1 Iraqi nationals.
• A team comprising of 14 people from Ethiopian’s Safety & Emergency Response department, Medical Unit, Flight Operations, Maintenance & Engineering, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation and Ethiopian’s Chief Airline Security office has reached Beirut to provide additional support to the team in Beirut.
• The Lebanese Government is providing all support for the rescue operations carried out by Ministry of Transport including Lebanese Navy and the UN peace keeping force in the region.
• A team of Aircraft Accident Handling and Crisis Management experts will be traveling to Beirut from London. The team consisting of 8 people from BLAKE Emergency services is proceeding from London to Beirut to assist with the rescue mission and establish a family assistance center to help the families.

Continue Reading…

A model of INS Shivalik is part of the tableau of Indian Navy to be displayed during the Republic Day Parade – 2010, at New Delhi on January 26. INS Shivalik (F 47) is getting ready for commissioning in a few months.

Here is the photograph from Press Information Bureau, taken during the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day Parade-2010, in New Delhi on January 23.

View the big picture from Press Information Bureau.

Commander in Chief of Israel Navy, Vice Admiral Elizer Marom came on a three day visit to India on January 19.

He completed the IDF Naval Officers Course in 1975. He has further completed: Israel Navy’s Advanced Command Course, U.S. Navy Senior International Defense Management Program, MBA in Social Sciences. He became Commander in Chief of Israel Navy in 2007.

He had discussions with Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of Naval Staff in New Delhi on January 19.
Here is a photograph of his visit from Press Information Bureau.

Continue Reading…

Here is the tragic story on the death of 23 year old Neha Chhikara, who was reported missing from Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Monarch of the Seas on December 31, 2009 near the Bahamas in the Atlantic on New Year’s Eve.

More disturbing information available are:

• Neha Chhikara, a former air hostess was the wife of Ankit Dalal, a crewmember of the same cruise ship.
• Later it was found from the vessel’s security camera footage that she jumped overboard from the 11th deck of the vessel.
• Indian press reports that
  • the reason for her death as dowry harassment by Ankit Dalal who married her in 2008.
  • few hours before going overboard, she had sent an e-mail to her brother Anuj Chhikara in India that reads: “Ankit has been beating me up every day… I have lost the strength to live and am very depressed. I do not think he wants me to work on this ship. He has threatened me that he would get my appointment cancelled… I am under extreme torture…”
• U.S Coast Guard launched a search operation by deploying their aircrafts and Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant but she could not be located.
• Ankit Dalal reported about her disappearance only after nine hours of the incident, a possible reason for the unsuccessful search operations.

Continue Reading…

Scarlet Knight is the first submersible robotic glider to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The glider Scarlet Knight reached the port city of Baiona, Spain on December 09, 2009 by remaining at sea for 221 days to cover a distance of 7,389 km.

Some interesting features of Scarlet Knight are:

• A joint project by Rutgers University (The Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences) New Jersey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• The glider was launched on April 27, 2009 off the coast of Tuckerton, NJ and was recovered on December 04, 2009 by MV Investigador of Spain.
• The glider collected data on ocean temperatures and currents while crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
• Scarlet Knight is the latest version of Slocum Electric glider series, designed by Teledyne-Webb Research.
• Also known as RU 27, an advanced version of RU 17.

View amazing photographs of Scarlet Knight recovery in Spain from sea.

View an interesting documentary video clip: Atlantic Crossing – a robot’s daring mission – Dena Seidel

Continue Reading…