Maritime News.AEMC. 1.1.2014
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- Category: General
- Published on Wednesday, 01 January 2014 18:05
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Wednesday, 01.Jan.2014, 03:19 (GMT+3)
The Aurora Australis advised RCC Australia it would be at risk of becoming beset by ice itself if it continued to make further rescue attempts.
The Aurora Australis advised RCC Australia it would be at risk of becoming beset by ice itself if it continued to make further rescue attempts.
The Aurora Australis made attempts yesterday to reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy but was driven back into open waters due to adverse weather conditions such as winds up to 30 knots and snow showers resulting in poor visibility. The ship is currently located about 16 nautical miles east of the Russian vessel.
The helicopter on board the Chinese flagged vessel Xue Long will now be used to rescue the passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
This rescue will be a complex operation involving a number of steps and subject to factors such as weather.
The helicopter is unable to fly in the current weather conditions, and will hold off on the rescue until conditions improve. Weather conditions are unlikely to start improving until tomorrow and decisions related to carrying out the rescue may be made at short notice.
In preparation for the rescue, an area for the helicopter to land has been marked on the ice near the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
RCC Australia has been advised that all 52 passengers will leave the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. All 22 crew members are expected to remain with the vessel.
The passengers are expected to be rescued by helicopter in groups of 12 and will be initially transported to the Xue Long. The Aurora Australis will then use its barge to transfer all 52 passengers on board their vessel. The barge can take up to 22 people at a time.
RCC Australia continues to coordinate the incident and is in regular contact with all vessels involved and continues to monitor the situation. The vessels involved are also in close contact with each other via VHF radio.
The search and rescue operation commenced on Christmas morning AEDT after the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in the United Kingdom received a distress message via satellite from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. The distress message and subsequent coordination of the incident was passed to RCC Australia, who is the responsible search and rescue authority for this area.
2.- A 108-metre bulk carrier registered in Bermuda is drifting 33 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in Co Cork in high winds and heavy seas.
Wednesday, 01.Jan.2014, 03:40 (GMT+3)
A 108-metre bulk carrier registered in Bermuda is drifting 33 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in Co Cork in high winds and heavy seas.
The vessel, Abuk Lion, is en route from Aughinish in Co Clare to St Petersburg in Russia. She is fully laden with bauxite. The vessel raised the alarm at around 3pm after its main engine failed.
The Coast Guard has sent a tug from the port of Cork to assist the Abuk Lion. The tug is expected to rendezvous with the vessel at around 3am.
In the meantime, the Coast Guard is monitoring the situation and the Coast Guard helicopter in Waterford remains on stand-by.
Conditions at sea are bad, with Force 8 winds and swells of up to six metres. There are 13 people on board the Abuk Lion. They are not believed to be in any danger at this stage.
3.- Sener’s Design Software Chosen in Singapore and Canada
By MarEx December 29, 2013
Marine Cadcam, a well-established design office headquartered in Singaporewith a workforce in Batam, Indonesia has chosen Sener’s Foran System to replace their former CAD/CAM application.
The Foran solution is based on the integration of all the design stages and disciplines, thanks to a single database, which moreover permits the implementation of collaborative engineering and guarantees the information integrity. The main advantage of the topological definition, where geometrical data are not stored but calculated on-line, is that changes in the main hull surfaces are automatically incorporated in the modified elements, just by reprocessing them.
Foran includes tools that facilitate the direct transition from basic to detail design, by means of simple operations that include blocks splitting, the assignment of parts to blocks and the completion of the model with attributes for the manufacturing phase.
STX Canada Marine has also signed a contract with Sener for the use the Foran after the implementation of Foran in its headquarters in Vancouver. STX has acquired Foran licenses covering hull forms, general arrangement, naval architecture, hull structure, machinery and outfitting and drafting and drawing.
In an ongoing development process, STX selected Foran as the system enables the company to offer a total 3D ship design process which is fundamental to improving productivity and quality.
December 30, 2013
Australia: Cyclone Batters Iron Ore Ports
30-12-2013
Australia's Pilbara iron ore shipping and mining region, the world's largest, faced cyclonic winds and torrential rains on Tuesday after a cyclone made landfall after intensifying over the last few days in the Indian Ocean.
The key shipping ports of Dampier, Cape Lambert and Port Hedland bore the brunt of the storm after clearing dozens of iron ore freighters and evacuating staff over the weekend. Reports of damage were not immediately available.
Cyclone Christine, the second to batter Western Australia in the Nov. 1-April 30 cyclone season, forced mining companies Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals to suspend loading until emergency authorities sound the all-clear, expected over the next day or two.
Winds with gusts exceeding 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph)are possible near the center of the cyclone over the next few hours, easing only slightly as Christine moves inland during Tuesday, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
A red alert - meaning residents must seek shelter - has been issued for the mining hubs of Tom Price and Paraburdoo, the weather bureau said. The area is home to some of Australia's biggest iron ore mines, including ones owned by Rio Tinto and Fortescue.
"There is a threat to lives and homes," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in a statement. "You are in danger and need to act immediately."
About 56,000 people live in the Pilbara, which is about the size of Peru.
Cyclones typically cause disruptions to mining operations of between two and five days.
Top Australian supplier Rio Tinto, which is relying on Cape Lambert and Dampier to ship 290 million tonnes of ore next year, halted port activities on Sunday.
Exports from Port Hedland, The world's largest iron ore export terminal and used by BHP and Fortescue, reached 28.1 million tonnes in November alone. The majority of the ore is shipped under contract to steel mills in China.
Copyright Reuters 2013.