Ports tax rebate saving threatened industry
Ports tax rebate saving threatened industry Local Government Minister Bob Neill today reaffirmed the industry saving action taken by the new Government to help many port-based businesses that faced the very real threat of balance sheet insolvency after being hit with significant and unexpected port taxes in 2008....

More time for Port of Dover sell-off consultation
More time for Port of Dover sell-off consultation Dover The Port of Dover is the largest passenger port in northern Europe. The government has ordered a further public consultation into controversial plans to privatise the Port of Dover....

Somali pirates hold 21 foreign vessels: maritime body
Somali pirates hold 21 foreign vessels: maritime body. NAIROBI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates are holding at least 21 foreign vessels plus one barge with at least 387 seafarers, an international maritime body, Ecoterra International said on Tuesday....

Container lines divert ships, port says, while CN suspends rail service
Container lines divert ships, port says, while CN suspends rail service. Employers at the Port of Montreal locked out the 850 members of the longshore union Monday morning, bringing cargo handling at terminals to a standstill....

Somali pirates release two ships.
Somali pirates release two ships. pircay_flag_sea.jpgSomali pirates have released a chemical tanker and Kenyan-flagged fishing vessel which were seized in early March this year, a regional maritime official confirmed on Tuesday. Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program said the pirates released the Kenyan-flagged fishing boat, MV Sakoba with European and African crew and The Marshall Islands-flagged UBT Ocean late Monday. "We received the reports on Tuesday but it seemed the pirates released the two vessels on Monday and the owners wanted to delay the announcement," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa....

VLCC ceased oil discharge before Dalian incident
VLCC ceased oil discharge before Dalian incident tanker_oill22.jpgThe Very Large Crude Carrier "Cosmic Jewel" chartered by PetroChina has stopped discharging crude at northeast China's Dalian port hours before an explosion occurred, shipowner Tanker Pacific Management said on Monday "She was not discharging any cargo and had her manifold valves shut tight at the time of the reported fire incident," the company said in a statement....

Maersk to Add Congestion Charge at Port Nehru.
Maersk to Add Congestion Charge at Port Nehru....

Dry bulk shipping market finding some support, as owners take Capesizes off the market
Dry bulk shipping market finding some support, as owners take Capesizes off the market

capesize_cargo1234.jpgWith the Baltic Dry Index finally having reached bottom, at least according to market analysts, the dry bulk industry is looking to begin its long road of recovery in terms of hiring rates. After the first glimmer of hope received Friday with the halt of the BDI’s 35 day slide, Monday’s session was again on the positive side. The BDI ended at 1732 points, up by 12, with gains noted both in the capesize and the panamax end of the market. Still, shipbrokers’ reports have warned that demand from China remains subdued, which means that no particular “rally” should be expected in the near term. In its latest weekly report, Commodore Research & Analysis said that “recent spot chartering activity has decreased sharply from moderate levels seen at the start of the month. Two weeks ago, the steady increase in available vessel supply was largely responsible for the continued decline in freight rates. Last week’s decrease in freight rates, however, was largely due to the recent decline in spot cargo demand. A sharp week-on-week decrease in iron ore fixtures put additional pressure on capesize rates - but owners have reportedly begun to take their Capes out of the market in order to artificially reduce vessel supply, which would help capesize rates find support. This ploy might be working - capesize rates increased by 3.5% on Friday, after previously falling for 11 consecutive days and during much of June.
Panamax freight rates have also been finally able to find support. A moderate amount of South American grain fixtures and Indonesian and Australian coal fixtures continue...

Container shortage hits shipping lines
Container shortage hits shipping lines Maersk container ship The rise in trade took ship owners by surprise. The recent and unexpected surge in international sea cargoes ought to be nothing but good news for the world's shipping lines. Yet the industry has hit an unexpected snag....

Jurisdictional Disputes Leave Foreign Crew Members In No Man’s Land
Jurisdictional Disputes Leave Foreign Crew Members In No Man’s Land A number of articles published this weekend reveal the plight of young women sexually assaulted on foreign flagged cruise ships and cargo vessels....

Norway launches AISSat-1 to monitor shipping in its territorial waters
Norway has launched the innovative AISSat-1 spacecraft to monitor shipping in its territorial waters. The small satellite will track vessels over 300 gross tonnes by picking up the signals from their AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders. AIS is a safety and navigation tool, and can be used by the authorities near the coast to keep watch on cargo, passenger and fisheries activity....

BP installs new sealing cap on leaking Gulf oil well
BP has successfully installed a new sealing cap on the leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well, company officials say. It is hoped the new cap will stop the leak and help capture all the oil before it can pour into the sea. But BP warned the cap system had never been deployed at such depths and said "its efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured"....

Damen Shipyards sells first Stan Tug 1205 within days of arrival at Seawork Show
Damen Shipyards sells first Stan Tug 1205 within days of arrival at Seawork Show...

Alarm at Panama Canal fee increases
Alarm at Panama Canal fee increases The Panama Canal Authority’s (ACP) new charging regime planned for January 1 has caused serious alarm among global shipping operators. Hong Kong flagged ‘Jakarta Express’ passes through the Panama Canal in 2009...

The first Norwegian satellite is to be launched this summer
The first Norwegian satellite is to be launched this summer in order to keep track of maritime activities in the High North. The AIS (Automatic Identification System) is used by ships and Vessel Traffic Services around the world as a short-range coastal traffic system....

Hijacking of MV Golden Blessing in the Gulf of Aden
In the early hours of 28 June, pirates took control of the MV Golden Blessing approximately 90 nautical miles off the northern Somali coast. On notification from the Master of the MV Golden Blessing that pirates were on board, the EU NAVFOR German warship Schleswig-Holstein immediately launched their helicopter and reported sighting suspected pirates on board the MV Golden Blessing....

Netherlands court convicts Somali pirates
Netherlands court convicts Somali pirates In the first piracy case to go to trial in Europe in the present century, a Dutch court in Rotterdam today convicted five Somalis of piracy and sentenced them to five years in prison. A statement from the Rotterdam court issued after the verdict said:...

Australia. Austal launches Wind Express Series
Australia. Austal launches Wind Express Series Austal has unveiled its new range of high speed transfer vessels specifically designed for the burgeoning offshore wind farm industry. The company’s Wind Express series of vessels combine fuel efficiency with advanced sea keeping characteristics to deliver a premier transportation solution for offshore wind farm operators....

No easy fix for cod recovery shortcomings, say Scottish Government
No easy fix for cod recovery shortcomings, say Scottish Government THE SCOTTISH Government have told Cod Crusader Carol MacDonald that they understand her “frustration and concern” over the process involved in trying to improve the Cod Recovery Plan....

Sky-high demand for big haddock as quota worries continue
Sky-high demand for big haddock as quota worries continue GOOD size haddock have been able to command good prices at North-east of Scotland markets this week as pressure continues to build on the UK’s North Sea saithe and whiting quotas....

Senate passes historic cruise safety bill: Smith family applauds measure
Senate passes historic cruise safety bill: Smith family applauds measure. An historic bill requiring tighter security and transparency on cruiseships was passed by the United States Senate last night after a five-year fight that began after George Smith of Greenwich went missing from his honeymoon cruise. The bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in October, and is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama, according to Ken Carver, chairman of International Cruise Victims (ICV)....

US teenage sailor Abby Sunderland rescued.
US teenage sailor Abby Sunderland rescued. Abby Sunderland began her voyage in January A 16-year-old US girl who ran into problems trying to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world has been rescued in the Indian Ocean. Abby Sunderland was picked up by a French fishing vessel some 2,000 nautical miles off the Australian coast, maritime authorities said....

Gang tries to smuggle coke into Britain on Navy warship.
Gang tries to smuggle coke into Britain on Navy warship. A gang tried to smuggle £2million of cocaine into Britain on a Royal Navy warship, a court heard. Wren Teresa Matos, 36, picked up the drug stash when HMS Manchester docked in Colombia and carried it aboard the Type 42 destroyer. The haul was found in linings of clothes from her locker when the ship reached Plymouth....

Detained Italian cruise ship, the Vistamar, sets sail.
Detained Italian cruise ship, the Vistamar, sets sail. The Vistamar The vessel is expected to leave Belfast on Saturday. Most of the passengers from an Italian-registered cruise ship which was kept in Belfast because of safety concerns are being flown home....

Swansea to Ilfracombe ferry launch delayed to 2011.
Swansea to Ilfracombe ferry launch delayed to 2011. Severn Link 'fast cat' ferry Crossings between Swansea and Devon would take about 50 minutes. The launch of a passenger ferry service connecting south Wales and Devon has been put off until 2011....

Radioactive scrap vessel sinks.
Radioactive scrap vessel sinks. UPDATED: The former transport vessel for spent nuclear fuel Severka reportedly sank at the naval shipyard in Aleksandrovsk on the Kola Peninsula in late May. Officials at the shipyard confirm that the vessel went down. The information about the sinking of the nuclear waste ship was first published by the regional portal blogger51.ru and is based on the words of what is said to be an employee at the shipyard No. 10 in Aleksandrovsk....

A lone fisherman had to be rescued after his mackerel boat capsized off the coast of Peterhead.
A lone fisherman had to be rescued after his mackerel boat capsized off the coast of Peterhead. He was picked up by another fishing boat, Darcie Girl, and his vessel, Alert, was towed into the harbour by the Aberdeenshire town's RNLI all-weather lifeboat. The fisherman had to stand on his upturned boat until help arrived....

Sixteen feared dead in Bangladesh ferry
Sixteen feared dead in Bangladesh ferry UP to 16 people, including 13 children, drowned when a packed river ferry capsized in northeastern Bangladesh, as rescuers searched for more bodies. The accident happened on Tuesday morning in remote Sunamganj district, 140km north of the capital Dhaka, district administrator Kamrul Alam said....

SPLICE THE MAINBRACE AND AHOY ME HEARTIES
It is Seafarer’s Awareness Week and the fact that it is 70 years since Dunkirk gives it a poignancy. THE sea has always defined us, carried us and protected our islands. It is a part of us. It is Seafarer’s Awareness Week and the fact that it is 70 years since Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain gives it a special poignancy....

Inmarsat grabs the MacRobert engineering prize.
Inmarsat grabs the MacRobert engineering prize. BGAN relies on a network of satellites in geostationary orbit The UK's top engineering prize has been won by Inmarsat, for its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service. Inmarsat's team was awarded the prize for having successfully overcome "formidable" engineering challenges....

Hanjin to Launch Massive Container Ship
Hanjin to Launch Massive Container Ship Hanjin Shipping announced Sunday that it will operate a 10,000 TEU container ship on its Pacific and European routes from as early as late June. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries, the super-large container vessel is 350 m long, 45.6 m wide and 62 m high and can carry nearly 10,000 containers....

Half Five Star’s crew abandons shipping line
Half Five Star’s crew abandons shipping line. Thursday, 03 June 2010 22:57 Salai Han Thar San .
New Delhi (Mizzima) – About half of the total workforce at Burmese shipping’s Five Star Line have quit their posts as of Tuesday, saying they would seek better pay as crewmen for foreign lines....

Containment cap offers hope even as oil spews on.
Containment cap offers hope even as oil spews on. NEW ORLEANS — A device that's now sucking up significant amounts of the oil spewing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico offered a measure of optimism Sunday even as the government's point man on the spill warned problems would persist for months....

Pirates shot dead as crew regain control of ship
Up to nine people, including some Somali pirates, reportedly died after crew retake cargoship Rim...

Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill
Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill? No Way, U.S. The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well? Energy Secretary Steven Chu is not considering a bomb. Decades ago, the Soviet Union reportedly used nuclear blasts to successfully seal off runaway gas wells, inserting a bomb deep underground and letting its fiery heat melt the surrounding rock to shut off the flow. Why not try it here?...

Breaking news - Somali Pirates hijack a Panama flagged ship.
2nd June 2010 @ 1212GMT Somali pirates hijack a Panama-flagged cargo ship and its 24 crew in the Gulf of Aden, E.U. anti-piracy taskforce says. More information as it is available....

NASA Satellites Keep Watch on Gulf Current Near Spill
NASA Satellites Keep Watch on Gulf Current Near Spill NASA satellite altimetry data are being used in combination with data from other satellites to track changes in a huge warm ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico that could transport oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig far away from the Gulf. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado...

Declares Privatization Of 90.25% Of Black Sea Shipyard Illegal.
Court Declares Privatization Of 90.25% Of Black Sea Shipyard Illegal. The Kyiv Business Court ruled on may 28 that the privatization of 90.25% of the shares in the Black Sea shipyard (Mykolaiv) worth UAH 116.6 million was illegal. The press service of the Prosecutor-General's Office announced this in a statement. The court upheld a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor-General's Office and invalidated the agreement under which the State Property Fund chairperson Valentyna Semeniuk-Samsonenko sold the 90.25% of the shares in the Black Sea Shipyard....

Cochin Shipyard delivers supply vessel to Vroon Offshore.
Cochin Shipyard delivers supply vessel to Vroon Offshore. The public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) delivered a platform supply vessel to Vroon Offshore Division, a leading maritime offshore services supplier. This is the 16 {+t} {+h} platform supply vessel being built at CSL and the eighth in the Rolls Royce UT 755 LN series....

ABA breaks into Asian market Aluminium Boats Australia (ABA)
ABA breaks into Asian market Aluminium Boats Australia (ABA) has broken into the Asian market with an order for a passenger ferry for Chinese owners. The vessel is designed as a catamaran platform for crew transfer operations in Papua New Guinea. With capacity for 52 passengers plus two crew, the 19-metre craft will operate at a service speed of 22 knots with a full load deadweight of 6.95 tonnes....

Boskalis to construct LNG port in Poland
Boskalis to construct LNG port in Poland. Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. has been awarded a contract for the construction of a new LNG (liquefied natural gas) port at Swinoujscie near Szcecin, Poland. The total contract value is approximately € 170 million with Boskalis’ share amounting approximately € 75 million. The contract was awarded by the Maritime Office of Poland and Boskalis will act as the lead contractor in a consortium including Hochtief Construction A.G. (Germany), Per Aarsleff A/S (Denmark) and Doraco (Poland). Work is set to commence mid 2010 and is due to be completed by the end of 2012....

Groundbreaking $110m, DP3 “CSS” Vessel Ordered
Groundbreaking $110m, DP3 “CSS” Vessel Ordered. Hallin Marine has commissioned a new, $110m, groundbreaking semi-submersible, subsea operations vessel to be named the CSS Derwent. “The CSS (compact semi submersible) delivers big ship capability in a low cost package,” said John Giddens, Hallin’s CEO. “It will support the oil operators’ desire to improve production and reduce costs.”...

Germany Says Flooding on the Oder River Halts all Shipping
Germany Says Flooding on the Oder River Halts all Shipping. May 26 (Bloomberg) -- German authorities said rising waters have halted shipping on the Oder River along the country’s eastern border and may cause “catastrophic” flooding by tomorrow, as damage from heavy rains spreads from Poland. The Oder was closed to shipping as of yesterday from Ratzdorf, Germany, where the Neisse River meets the Oder, up to almost the Baltic Sea coast, according to a police order posted on the website of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Agency in Eberswalde....

Fisherman of the Year 2010 Semi Final images
The Fisherman of the Year 2010 ran by Crew 2 Crew with the Fishermens Mission was held on Friday at the Glasgow SECC. It was a new competition designed by Graham Duncan, CEO of Crew 2 Crew Ltd. The prizes on offer were worth over £4000, so there was a lot to play for! The Semis were held on the main stage of fishing Expo 2010, in front of a suprisingly large crowd. This crowd really got behind the competitors & the noise levels grew, with each competitors supporters trying to out cheer each other....

Despite international efforts, Somalia pirate attacks grow
Despite international efforts, Somalia pirate attacks grow Somali pirates stand in the dock during their trial in Sanaa on May 18, 2010. A Yemeni court sentenced six Somali pirates to death and jailed six others for 10 years each for hijacking a Yemeni oil tanker and killing two cabin crew in April last year.

Pirates have stepped up their attacks off the coast of Somalia this year despite a large international naval flotilla designed to protect merchant shipping in the Horn of Africa region.
"The pirates are becoming more brazen," said Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker, a spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain....

Ships recreate Dunkirk journey for 70th anniversary.
Ships recreate Dunkirk journey for 70th anniversary. The flotilla was cheered by crowds when it set off at around 0700 BST. The fleet of "Little Ships" which rescued Allied troops from Dunkirk in 1940 has set sail from the South Coast to mark the 70th anniversary of the event. More than 50 vessels are heading to France to commemorate Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of some 338,000 soldiers from Dunkirk's beaches....

2nd Place in the Fisherman of the Year competition.
David E Stevens was the runner up at the Fisherman of the Year Competition 2010. David did amazingly well. In the Semi Finals on Friday he only lost by under 1 second. He was by far the fastest splicer in the competition both in the Semis & in the Final. On finding out that the finals were to be at 1230 on the Saturday his was prepared to attend & risk missing his flight from Glasgow Airport at 1430! It was a close call, with David having to leave the SECC as soon as the competition had finished....

‘thrilled’ john buchan scoops trip to the faroes. skipper wins fisherman of the year award.
‘thrilled’ john buchan scoops trip to the faroes. skipper wins fisherman of the year award. Peterhead skipper John Buchan was crowned fisherman of the year at the Fishing 2010 industry showcase in Glasgow on Saturday. Mr Buchan, who is skipper of the Ocean Venture, also picked up the winner’s £1,000 cheque along with an expenses-paid trip to the Faroes in August to participate in the world net-mending championships....

Fishupdate article on Fisherman of the Year John Buchan & Crew 2 Crew
JOHN Buchan Jnr from Peterhead was named commercial ‘Fisherman of the Year’ on Saturday following a tough competition at the Fishing 2010 exhibition in Glasgow. With prizes totalling £5,500 on offer, the inaugural three-day event sought to find the UK’s most experienced and proficient commercial fisherman through a series of challenges against the clock that tested their skills and practical knowledge....

FISHERMAN OF THE YEAR 2010 WINNER
The winner of the Crew 2 Crew in association with the Fishermen's Mission is JOHN BUCHAN. John won a very closely fought contest, managing to pip to the post David E Stevens from St Ives. John is well known in the fishing community for his charity work & indeed he donated half of his cash prize to the Fishermen's Mission....

Top EU diplomat Ashton begins anti-piracy tour
Top EU diplomat Ashton begins anti-piracy tour Catherine Ashton wants a more unified approach to tackle piracy the EU's top diplomat is to visit East Africa at the start of a tour aimed at curbing piracy off Somalia's coast. The EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, has said she wants to encourage a regional approach to the problem....

Action needed on fishermen deaths A fisherman died when he fell overboard from the Osprey III Urgent action is needed to help cut the number of fishermen killed in accidents at sea, a report has said. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) recommendation follows three deaths - two in Scottish waters - within a two-week period last year....

Crew 2 Crew at Fishing Expo 2010
Some images from Fisherman of the Year competition 2010 at the Glasgow SECC. Crew 2 Crew started setting up for Fishing Expo 2010 at the Glasgow SECC today, Tuesday 18th May. There was alot of work to do, as you can see by the images. This topic will be updated as soon as we get new images in from the Show. Crew 2 Crew will be hosting live streaming shows of all the heats, Semi finals & final live from the SECC....

Nato warship destroys pirate boats in Somali Basin
Nato warship destroys pirate boats in Somali Basin HMS Chatham HMS Chatham is Nato's counter-piracy flagship A Royal Navy warship on Nato anti-piracy operations has destroyed two pirate boats in the Somali Basin, Nato has said. HMS Chatham's helicopter spotted a larger vessel towing the two attack boats in the Somali Basin, about 150 miles off Tanzania, on 14 May, it said. After monitoring the vessels overnight, a Royal Marine team launched a "well-planned operation" at dawn, it said....

Salmond calls on Lib Dems to press for fishing policy reform
Salmond calls on Lib Dems to press for fishing policy reform, first minister urges msp to talk to westminster chiefs ALEX Salmond has called on Scottish Liberal Democrats to urge the new coalition government in Westminster to make reforming EU fishing policy a priority. Scotland’s first minister hit the ball into the Lib Dems’ court as he was questioned on what action the Scottish Government is taking to support Scotland’s fleet and avoid early closures of fisheries....

Don-Mor Safety
Don-Mor Safety has kindly agreed to sponsor Fisherman of the Year Competition 2010 at the Glasgow SECC. Aberdeen-based Don-Mor Safety has introduced an innovative new life-saving product to the commercial fishing market – fishermen’s oilskins with built-in buoyancy.
The traditional style of bib & braces trousers has 50 Newtons of flotation in the front and back bibs and is practical, hard-wearing, light and comfortable. There are no mechanical parts to maintain or bits to snag on machinery, nets, lines etc....

Somali pirates free UK-flagged tanker after ransom paid
Somali pirates free UK-flagged tanker after ransom paid. The St James Park was seized in the Gulf of Aden Somali pirates have released a British-flagged ship with 26 crew on board after a ransom was paid, the EU anti-piracy mission (Eunavfor) says. Its statement says the ransom was dropped to the pirates holding the St James Park chemical tanker at Somalia's port of Garacaad on Thursday. The statement did not say how much money was paid. The vessel was on its way from Spain to Thailand when it was seized on 28 December in the Gulf of Aden....

Somali pirates seize Greek ship The Eleni P
Somali pirates seize Greek ship The Eleni P was sailing to China when it was boarded by pirates Pirates have seized a Greek-owned ship with 23 people on board in the Gulf of Aden, the ship's managers say. The Eleni P, which is managed by Eurobulk, was carrying a cargo of iron ore from the Black Sea to China. Eurobulk's Marcos Vassilikos told the BBC that pirates fired shots when they took the ship, but that the crew were not thought to have been injured....

Cruise ship impounded in Portsmouth for hours
The vessel was delayed at Portsmouth Harbour for four hours A cruise ship was impounded for several hours in Portsmouth amid safety fears.The Prince Albert II, operated by Silversea Cruises, was held at the Hampshire port on Monday after inspectors found it was overloaded. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was also concerned that senior officers had not had enough rest. V.Ships, which manages the vessel, said although officers had rested, records had been incorrectly recorded. The excess load was also removed....

Fisherman took unexploded mine home to Shandwick
Fisherman took unexploded mine home to Shandwick Mr Innes said he did not realise the mine was dangerous A village was evacuated after a fisherman netted an unexploded wartime mine and took it home with him. Prawn fisherman Andrew Innes, 54, said the live part of the mine had been in his garden shed since he pulled it from the Cromarty Firth last Thursday. Police were alerted after noon on Tuesday, and cordoned off Mr Innes's home in Shandwick....

Fred. Olsen Launches 2012 Grand Voyages
5/12/10 - Fred. Olsen Launches 2012 Grand Voyages Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has announced two longer cruises for 2012. Balmoral has an epic voyage around South America, departing January 5, 2012 for 89 nights, while Black Watch undertakes a 106-night World Cruise departing from Southampton on January 11, 2012....

Somali pirates free hijacked ship after ransom paid
Somali pirates free hijacked ship after ransom Somali pirates have released a Bermuda-flagged ship they hijacked in the Indian Ocean two months ago. Pirates left the 11,000-tonne refrigerated cargo vessel MV Talca after a ransom was paid, the EU anti-piracy force Navfor said. the ship with a crew of 22 was seized off the coast of Oman. The mostly Sri Lankan crew is reported to be well. Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships this year, despite the presence of international naval forces....

Construction Continues on New Carnival Magic, Set to Debut in May 2011
Construction Continues on New Carnival Magic, Set to Debut in May 2011 Construction of Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest “Fun Ship,” the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, continues at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, in preparation for the ship’s May 2011 debut. The 130,000-ton vessel is scheduled to operate an inaugural series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona May 1 – Oct. 16, 2011...

Carnival Cruise Lines’ New 130,000-Ton Ship to be Named Carnival Breeze
Carnival Cruise Lines’ New 130,000-Ton Ship to be Named Carnival Breeze Posted on 10 May 2010 Carnival Breeze has been selected as the name for the line’s new 130,000-ton cruise ship scheduled to enter service in spring 2012. To be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the 3,690-passenger Carnival Breeze will be the third in the line’s Dream class. The series’ namesake vessel, Carnival Dream, entered service in 2009 and a sister ship, Carnival Magic, is currently under construction at Fincantieri and is scheduled to debut in Europe in May 2011.
Carnival Breeze will offer many of the popular innovations featured on Carnival Dream as well as some exciting and unique new elements created just for this vessel that will be detailed at a later date, along with homeport and itinerary information....

China's cruise liner makes first trip to Kaohsiung Kaohsiung
China's cruise liner makes first trip to Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, May 10 (CNA) A luxury cruise liner from China made its first voyage to Kaohsiung Monday, an event expected to usher in a new era of direct scheduled cruise services between the southern Taiwanese port and China. The Cosco Star cruise liner, with 300 passengers aboard, arrived at Kaohsiung Harbor at 7 a.m. after a nearly 10-hour voyage from Xiamen in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian....

Russia jails 'pirate' over Arctic Sea ship mystery
Russia jails 'pirate' over Arctic Sea ship mystery. The Arctic Sea disappeared in a busy European shipping lane last July A Moscow court has handed down a five-year jail term to one of the eight men detained over the mysterious seizure of the cargo ship Arctic Sea. Andrei Lunev, from the Estonian capital Tallinn, is the first to be sentenced over the incident last July. He was found guilty of piracy....

CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC ADDS ADMIRAL SIR JONATHON BAND TO BOARDS OF DIRECTORS
MIAMI (April 14, 2010) – At the annual shareholders meeting of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) held yesterday in Coral Gables, Fla., shareholders elected a new member to the company’s boards of directors - Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, recently retired First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the British Navy....

Princess Cruises orders 2 new ships.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC FINALIZES CONTRACTS FOR TWO NEW CRUISE SHIPS FOR ITS PRINCESS CRUISES BRAND; VESSELS TO ENTER SERVICE IN 2013 AND 2014 MIAMI (May 4, 2010) – Princess Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), today announced that contracts to build two 3,600-passenger ships have been finalized with Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard....

British Merchant Fleet decline & the Volcano
The Icelandic Volcano these past 2 months has really given the Maritime Community an opportunity to highlight their cause. Unfortunately, I really have not seen anyone from the Maritime Industry pushing the fact that freight is still being moved around the world with no issues what-so-ever. All the news stories highlight how “travel around Europe etc” as been paralyzed....

Fisherman of the Year competition launched
Fisherman of the Year competition launched. An exciting new ‘Fisherman of the Year’ competition will be staged at this year’s Fishing 2010 exhibition in Glasgow with prizes worth at least £5,000 on offer in a three-day event to seek out the UK’s most experienced and proficient fisherman. The tough competition aims to find the UK’s top commercial fisherman through a series of challenges against the clock that will test their skills and practical knowledge....

Problems Encountered by Women Seafarers On Board Ships as Perceived by MAAP Midshipwomen:
Problems Encountered by Women Seafarers On Board Ships as Perceived by MAAP Midshipwomen: Its Implications to MET Innovations ...

'Profound' decline in fish stocks shown in UK records
Landings into UK ports in the 19th Century were four times higher than today Over-fishing means UK trawlers have to work 17 times as hard for the same fish catch as 120 years ago, a study shows. Researchers used port records dating from the late 1800s, when mechanised boats were replacing sailing vessels. In the journal Nature Communications, they say this implies "an extrordinary decline" in fish stocks and "profound" ecosystem changes....

Emergency services in Devon and Cornwall help seaman
Emergency services in Devon and Cornwall help seaman A helicopter from RMB Chivenor airlifted the sick seaman to hospital Emergency services from south-west England have been involved in the rescue of a seaman on an oil tanker 250 miles off the west coast of Ireland....

Sea cadet, 14, dies after falling from ship in Solent
The boy was taking part in the 2010 Sea Cadet Festival in Portsmouth a 14-year-old sea cadet has died after falling overboard in the Solent. The boy, from Kent, was on the training ship TS Royalist which was anchored at Stokes Bay south of Gosport, Hampshire. He was climbing the rigging to bring in the sails when he fell 25ft (7.5m) into the sea on Sunday night. The crew retrieved him and sent a Mayday call....

Falling company values in the UK Fish Merchants industry
Falling company values in the UK Fish Merchants industry NEW research by analysts, Plimsoll, shows that 128 companies in the UK Fish Merchants industry have lost over a third of their value in a year. In fact, out of the top 347 companies analysed and valued in a special edition of the Plimsoll Analysis – Fish Merchants, 215 companies are worth less than they were last year....

The 2010 cruise season gets underway April 26
The 2010 cruise season gets underway April 26 with the arrival of Holland America Line's ms Amsterdam at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal. A record 223 vessels are expected this season, bringing an estimated 858,000 passengers to Seattle. The Port's vibrant cruise business creates thousands of jobs and millions in revenue, boosting the economy while using new technology that protects the environment....

Lochhead to tell CFP meeting that Europe must seize the day
SCOTLAND’S Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead will today warn that Europe must seize the best chance in a generation to deliver a fit-for-purpose fisheries policy. Mr Lochhead will issue his warning at a meeting in the European Parliament on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), co-hosted by the vice-chair of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee, Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, and Ian Hudghton, SNP MEP....

Sunderland Clipper ship is thrown lifeline
Sunderland Clipper ship is thrown lifeline The ship has been in Scotland since 1992 A campaign to save the world's oldest passenger clipper ship from being broken up has been thrown a lifeline. A firm has been appointed to review options for the future of the City of Adelaide, built in Sunderland in 1864....

Man rescued off Isle of Sheppey after sailing blunder
Man rescued off Isle of Sheppey after sailing blunder. A lost sailor has had to be rescued after running out of fuel circling a small island when he thought he was sailing around the UK coast. The Sheerness lifeboat and the Thames Coastguard assisted the man who ran aground off the Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey on 19 April. With only a road map for directions, he set off on the river Medway, from Gillingham, and headed for Southampton....

Irish research reveals widespread mislabelling of fish products
ACCORDING to research published by the Ecological Society of America, 1 in 4 (25%) of fish products labelled and sold as cod and haddock in Ireland belong to entirely different species of fish. When only smoked fish products were included in the sample, the University College Dublin scientists who completed the study claim that 8 in 10 (82%) were mislabelled under EU regulations....

Skippers can play key role in vital days issue, says Park
Skippers can play key role in vital days issue, says Park...

Maritime Communications
Shore side Communications technology has improved dramatically in the last 20 years but maritime Communications has always struggled to keep up with the changes at the same pace. This is due to a number of factors, from cost of the systems to amount of work required to refit a ship with a new communications system. Work that can only been completed when a ship is available to go into an extended period alongside, ie drydock....

Port Kembla docks: seafarer leprosy case confirmed
Port Kembla docks: seafarer leprosy case confirmed Health authorities have confirmed a foreign seafarer whose ship docked at Port Kembla has tested positive for leprosy. A spokeswoman for South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health yesterday declined to elaborate on the condition of the man, who was admitted to Wollongong Hospital with skin lesions on April 2 after leaving a Greek-registered vessel....

Marine Engineer builds own boat.
Owen, 66, first started work on the 40ft long sloop in 1982 because he could not afford to buy his own vessel. He told mum Edith it would only take five years but after suffering "a few problems" it spiralled into a mammoth project spanning nearly three decades. When he finally finished, he was left with the head-scratching task of getting the 18-tonne yacht out of the back garden....

IMB piracy figures indicate increased threat and range of Somali pirates
IMB piracy figures indicate increased threat and range of Somali pirates The International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest quarterly report on Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships recorded a total of 67 incidents of piracy worldwide in the first three months of 2010. twenty-six vessels were boarded, 18 were fired upon, there were twelve attempted attacks and eleven vessels were hijacked. A total of 194 crewmembers were taken hostage with twelve injured....

This is an extract from a fantastic blog I have been following by Clay Maitland....

Eat More Fish - Scottish Government.
What is the Fishing Industry doing to help in this campaign? Eat More Fish. Fish is packed with healthy essentials such as protein, minerals and vitamins. Oily fish is also rich in omega 3 which has shown to help protect against coronary heart disease. By eating at least two portions of fish a week, consumers can get a major health boost. And with over 60 species caught sustainably off Scotland's coast they're spoilt for choice....

First female captain of a cruise ship in Britain.
Sarah Breton, 45, from Essex, is also understood by the company to be the first female captain of a cruise ship in Britain.
Captain Sarah Breton, who set sail on the 1,200 passenger ship Artemis, said: “Growing up near the water I always loved boats
and the ocean, so it really does fulfill a lifelong ambition of mine to be a Captain with P&O Cruises. It is made even more
special to be Captain of the first cruise ship I ever served on, after joining P&O Cruises as third officer back in 1989.”...

Grieg Seafood acquires Northern Aquaculture Limited in Shetland
Grieg Seafood acquires Northern Aquaculture Limited in Shetland ...

Scottish seafood sector looks forward to world’s largest seafood fair
Scottish seafood sector looks forward to world’s largest seafood fair
A STRONG Scottish contingent is heading for the world’s largest seafood show, the European Seafood Exposition (ESE) in Brussels, (27-29 April 2010), where companies exhibiting on the Scottish Pavilion expect to generate sales leads in excess of £20 million. A record year is forecast as demand for quality Scottish produce continues to outstrip supply. The value of business generated from the exhibition has increased year-on-year recently, rising from £16m in 2007 to £20m in 2009....

@gentedimare Twitter reporter Fatigue report
@gentedimare Twitter reporter Fatigue report.
@gentedimare is a great Twitter feed, who cares for the Seafarer.
They highlighted this great report on Fatigue which I want to share with
you all here....

Emma Pontin to be Godmother of Celebrity Eclipse
Emma Pontin to be Godmother of Celebrity Eclipse
Celebrity Cruises today announced the appointment of Emma Pontin, an inspirational UK-based yachtswoman, to serve as Godmother of Celebrity Eclipse, the third in a series of five stunning Solstice Class ships. Pontin will name the ship in Southampton, England, during the ship’s formal naming ceremony April 24, which will conclude with a magnum of champagne, custom-made by The Corning Museum of Glass, commemoratively crashing against the hull of the 2,850-guest ship....

Fishing 2010 looks set to attract visitors
Fishing 2010 looks set to attract visitors and exhibitors from around the world
Fishing 2010 in Glasgow, which is being staged from 20-22 May, looks set to be one of the best ever UK fishing exhibitions with the new organisers keen to attract as many fishermen as possible from around the world. Organisers QD Events consulted closely with the fishing industry on the type of content fishermen would like to see at an exhibition of this kind. Using this feedback, they have put together a format that they believe will reinvigorate one of northern Europe’s most successful commercial fisheries exhibitions....