BOURBON Confirms Kidnapping of Crew

BOURBON confirms the kidnapping of 3 French crewmembers from the Addax offshore oil field off the Nigerian coast. In the night of the Tuesday 21st to Wednesday 22nd September 2010, the BOURBON ALEXANDRE and its 16 crewmembers, were subject to a joint assault from several speedboats. Three crewmembers, of French nationality, have been kidnapped; the 13 other crewmembers remain on board and no injuries have been reported.

Bourbon Alexandre, carrying a French flag, is an AHTS Vessel (Anchor Handling Tug Supply).

 
BOURBON has contacted all families and will keep them informed. The Crisis Unit of BOURBON in Marseilles, in coordination with the Emergency Unit of BOURBON in Nigeria, is evaluating the situation and working to obtain a rapid liberation in the safest security conditions. BOURBON is working in close collaboration with the French and Nigerian authorities.

BOURBON will continue to disclose any new information when available and verified and will not make any comment, which could adversely affect the liberation of the crewmembers.

Passenger Jumps to Death After Gambling Away $650k

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

A 51-year-old man leapt to his death from the 13th deck of a Star Cruises gambling ship, Sunday, after losing 5 million HKD ($650,000 USD) playing baccarat.

 
The Chinese man known as Xu, began playing baccarat on Saturday after dinner and played until the table closed at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. After accumulating huge loses during his all night gambling binge, Xu was seen climbing to the top deck of the ship. Witnesses report seeing him wander around the top deck for more than an hour. Around 9:50 a.m., when the ship was south of the Kwo Chau islands, Xu was seen jumping off the 13th deck.

Marine police and the Fire Services Department dispatched rescuers to the area and the Government Flying Services sent a helicopter. After an hour of searching, the man’s body was found. The ship returned to port in Hong Kong, arriving at 12:30 p.m. with the body.

 
Star Cruises gambling vessel carries passengers out of Hong Kong to international waters, not subject to the gambling restrictions of China.

New Royal Navy Warship Damaged in Collision

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

The HMS DARING collided with a tug Tuesday the 14/09/10 in Hampshire, resulting in damage to the warship. 
The 7,500 ton Portsmouth based warship is thought to be the most advanced warship in the world, and was only recently declared ready for action earlier this month. The Type 45 destroyer was returning from routine operations and was being towed into Marchwood by the tug, SWITZER SUSSEX. Officials believe the tug lost power just as it was about to start towing the HMS Daring and was unable to move out of the way.
The Royal Navy has launched an investigation into the exact cause of the collision and will be assessing the extent of the damage to their new warship.

Cost of Piracy Escalating Despite Navy Surveillance Efforts

Contributor: IDGA Editorial Staff

A group of eight suspected pirates were apprehended after the US Navy foiled an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Aden this month. The suspects were taken aboard a destroyer, the USS Farragut, following the successful navy surveillance operation undertaken by a counter-piracy taskforce, which was set up in January 2009.

USS Farragut sent out a helicopter to the aid of the MV Barakaale 1 after the Tanzanian-flagged vessel came under attack in the gulf and alerted others in the region by radio. The taskforce operates in the Gulf of Aden and nearby waters off the eastern coast of Somalia, where piracy has been particularly rife in recent years. Another navy surveillance and counter-piracy operation saw the cargo ship MV Ariella rescued by Danish Warship HDMS Absalon after pirates attacked the vessel on February 5th. HDMS Absalon was working as part of NATO's counter-piracy mission codenamed Operation Ocean Shield. Since the navy surveillance operations began in the area, there has been a 50 percent drop in piracy attacks.

While these navy surveillance operations were a success, there have been many more incidents in recent months where the victims of pirate attacks have not been so lucky. Paul and Rachel Chandler have been held captive by Somali pirates over 120 days after being kidnapped by pirates from their sailboat when heading towards Tanzania on October 23rd. Their captors have demanded a $7 million ransom and threatened to kill the couple if they do not receive the money.

Rise in Piracy Attacks
The number of piracy attacks worldwide rose by nearly 40 percent last year, with a total of 406 incidents reported according to International Maritime Bureau figures. It is the third successive year that the number of reported incidents has increased and the last time figures exceeded 400 was in 2003. Navy surveillance is increasingly important for combating the problem, which is in turn leading to escalating costs for those in the industry.

At a recent meeting of the East African Community Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology in Arusha, Tanzania, ministers noted that piracy off the Somali coast is having a serious impact on the local economy and transportation. They urged partner states to support efforts of the International Maritime Organization, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other international initiatives geared towards fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Insurance is also being affected by the issue. Lloyds insurers recently reported that ransoms can be as high as $3 million, with the cost to insurers often doubling that once legal expenses and delivery have been accounted for. On average, ransoms stand at between $2 million and $3 million, and the money earned through piracy has injected an estimated $90 million into the Somali economy up to November last year, when the report was published. The typical cost of a hijack is $1 million per ship, according to the report, with these expenses currently being incurred by the shipping and energy sectors. But if the problem persists then ship owners will eventually pass on these costs, according to the report.

Navy Surveillance Operations
Thomas Countryman, principal deputy assistant secretary of political-military affairs, this month spoke about the anti-piracy efforts being made by the United States in terms of navy surveillance and military operations. He said that both the military and the industry had worked hard over the past year to combat the problem. The number of nations contributing to the maintenance of an international navy surveillance force in the Gulf of Aden has risen to about 20 in the last 12 months.

Countryman added, On any given day there are, on average, 17 ships patrolling in the gulf and conducting navy surveillance operations to provide security to the 30,000 cargo ships passing through the area every year. Countryman also highlighted the escalating cost of battling pirates off the coast of Somalia during his speech in Washington. "The locus of pirate activity has shifted and we are trying to deal with it. It's expensive, and that's why we feel strongly the need to pursue the lowest-cost options to deter piracy," he explained. Defensive measures taken by ship owners and crews are "the lowest-cost and most-effective way to deter pirate attacks."

Grounded Arctic Tanker Tries to Lighten Load

 

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

An attempt was underway Monday in the Northwest Passage to re-float a fuel tanker that has been stuck in a sandbar for nearly two weeks. The merchant vessel MV NANNY ran aground Sept. 1 in Simpson Strait, about 50 kilometres southwest of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut.

 
The tanker was carrying 9.5 million litres of diesel bound for Nunavut’s remote communities. The double-hulled tanker was not damaged when it ran aground, and no diesel has leaked from it to date.

A second Woodward’s fuel tanker MV Tuvaq arrived in the Gjoa Haven area on Sunday and began pumping fuel out of the MV Nanny on Monday. Government officials estimate that removing at least 2.5 million litres of diesel will float the tanker. The Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada are continue to monitor the operation.

Pirate Shot Dead

A suspected pirate has been shot dead as private guards repelled an attack on a cargo ship off Somalia.

The EU naval force (Navfor) says the suspect was found dead by a team from an EU warship which was responding to a distress call from the cargo ship.

Guards aboard the Panamanian-flagged MV Almezaan had returned fire after the ship was attacked, it added. Six other suspected pirates were detained by a Spanish Naval vessel. 

A Navfor spokesman stated  “All the evidence suggests that there was a fire-fight ” 

The ESPS Navarra found one pirate mother ship and two skiffs. The mother ship was destroyed after the suspects were taken into custody.

Navfor spokesman Cmdr John Harbour has stated, that he believed there was strong evidence to prosecute the six suspects detained.

"All the evidence suggests that there was a fire-fight," bullet-holes were found in the skiffs in which they were found, he added.

The owners of the cargo ship, which was en route to Mogadishu, were contacted and asked to comply with any subsequent prosecution.

The waters off Somalia are among the most dangerous in the world for shipping, despite patrols from Navfor and other foreign naval forces.

The Navarra received a distress signal early on Tuesday from a merchant ship off the Somali coast and sped to the area.

Pirates had launched an attack on the MV Almezaan. This was successfully repelled by members of an "vessel protection unit" on board the ship, who returned fire. A second attack was also repelled and the pirates fled the area.

A helicopter from the Navarra sighted the suspected pirates' boats and ordered them to stop, firing warning shots when they refused to do so.

When a team from the Navarra boarded the vessels, they found three suspected pirates in one skiff and three in the second, along with the body of a fourth man. The body was transferred to the Navarra and an investigation indicated that the individual had died from small-calibre gunshot wounds.

A number of suspected Somali pirates have been killed by international forces during rescue operations but this is thought to be the first time private security guards have killed a pirate in defence of a ship.

It should be remembered that merchant vessels do have a right to protect themselves if attacked on the high seas.

Castlebrae

       

 

It was a cold frosty morning on the 10th of January when I headed up through Belfast to catch the 07:30 hrs sailing to Scotland. Upon leaving Stranraer at around 10:30 am, I headed north towards Glasgow and it was not long before I encountered heavy snow which made the progress very slow. Glasgow was reached  by mid-afternoon and a well earned cuppa obtained at the “Garage Club”. The night was spent at the home of my friend, Douglas Wright during which his wife Kate provided a lovely 3 course meal and refreshments.

As i was preparing to leave to travel to Castlebrae the following morning, Dougz announced a surprise…….he was going to Castlebrae for a week also!

We left Glasgow and proceeded towards Auchterarder only to encounter heavy snow, but thankfully the main road towards Perth was still passable with care and we arrived just before lunch. Upon being shown to our rooms we got reunited with some of the staff who have worked there and over the last number of years since the home opened, and have become close friends to both Dougz and myself. These staff go beyond the call of duty to ensure that all of the patients in their care are well catered for at all times, and receive the medical care they require during their visit.  It was not long before we felt right at home!

Auchterarder had been subjected to some of the worst snowfalls of the year and approximately 8-10 inches of the stuff was lying underfoot. The pavements of the town were iced up and walking about was treacherous. Driving along the minor roads was out of the question, in brief we were snowed in most of the week and it was not until Friday past that things started to improve.

Despite the conditions the fool hardy decision was made to travel up to Aviemore on Sunday for some sightseeing. As we made our way North accompanied by a friend, bright sunshine lit up the mountain tops in the distance and we were subjected to a glorious day, well that was until we started heading home, during which we encountered freezing fog and snow showers for most of the journey but thankfully we made it safely back at around 9pm.

Monday morning brought yet more sleet and showers which for a time started to melt the snow before freezing over and turning some of the roads into ice rinks, but we made it to the main road and the start of our journey home. After leaving Dougz off at his home there was time for a cuppa at the garage club before heading for the 17:30 sailing to Belfast. I arrived safely home at around 21:30 hrs.

Once again the staff at the treatment centre have tried their very best to mend both mind and body and I would wish to thank them publically for all their efforts over the last number of years. Such dedication to duty and their endless quest for results and improvement is very difficult to find in today's world.

The treatment centre is run as a charity and all donations are helpful. Full details can be found at:  http://www.thepolicetreatmentcentres.org if you wish to find out more.

   

A New Year Brings New Plans

Well the holidays are now behind us and many of you have settled in back at work, well if the weather let you get there. It will not be long before we all start to plan our trips away over the summer on the bikes. Sadly it looks as if I will be unable to do any long distance touring this summer given my health problems, but only this morning some German friends invited me across to a ride-out in September and that caused me to think about some of the trips I have already been on.

Trawling through an old hard drive I came across some photos of my 2006 tour which happened just after I had received my first course of cancer treatment at Belvoir Park Hospital in Belfast. My Scottish friends planned the trip and accompanied by my neighbour, Eddie Gregory I we set off on this much talked about trip, a trip that I had thought I would never be about to do! How wrong I was, and although I found it very tiring it was the trip of a lifetime.

Sadly i find myself in a very similar situation this year again, but I am not going to let my health problems stop me planning for this year, even though I realise I have to be realistic. So here's hoping I will be able to make Germany again in September, hope gives me  faith and with that faith I might find the strength to get there, here goes anyway!

 

A few of the photos taken during our 2006 trip around Europe. Pictured is Tom McInally, Eddie Gregory, James Cairns, Dougz Wright and myself.