DAILY COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS

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1 Number 006 *** COLLECTION OF MARITIME PRESS CLIPPINGS *** Sunday News reports received from readers and Internet News articles taken from various news sites. Tian Bai Feng sailing from Lyttelton,New Zealand for Richards Bay, South Africa. While at Lyttelton the ship loaded around tonnes of coal for discharge at Richards Bay. Photo : Alan Calvert Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 1 1/5/2008

2 DO YOU HAVE PICTURES OR OTHER SHIPPING RELATED INFORMATION FOR THE NEWS CLIPPINGS?? PLEASE SEND THIS TO : newsclippings@gmail.com EVENTS, INCIDENTS & OPERATIONS SVITZER OCEAN TOWAGE Jupiterstraat 33 Telephone : HC Hoofddorp Telefax : The Netherlands smitwijs.sales@svitzerwijsmuller.com Andalucian Parliament rejects Opposition demands for explanation on New Flame The Permanent Committee of the Spanish Andalucian Parliament has rejected a petition from all regional Opposition Parties including the PP and IU for it to provide answers on the New Flame incident. The Committee stated that the issue is the responsibility of the Gibraltar Government alone, and therefore an explanation by them is superfluous. The PSOE continued by questioning why, if the PP had wished to make such as demand, had not been done through the Central Congress in Madrid. The motion was made before the Permanent Committee, which is a temporary committee that stands for the Andalucian Parliament during the festive season. Meanwhile, lifting operations continue on the New Flame. Ministerie verkleint Nederlandse kottersvloot De Nederlandse vloot van vissersschepen krimpt met 23 kotters. Tot de sanering is besloten door het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit. Het gaat om 23 kotters die platvissen vangen, aldus het departement. Na de sanering zullen iets minder dan honderd Nederlandse platviskotters in de vaart blijven. De saneringsregeling kost het ministerie 27,5 miljoen euro. Dat geld wordt gebruikt om de vissers die stoppen schadeloos te stellen. Volgens het ministerie is de sanering nodig omdat de vissers nu het hoofd nauwelijks boven water kunnen houden. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 2 1/5/2008

3 Tsavliris Salvage Group wins the Lloyd s List Greek Shipping Safety & Environmental Award Apostolos Poulovassilis of Lloyd's Register (centre right) presenting the award to Tsavliris principals George, Andreas and Nicolas Tsavliris for the Group's success in preventing possible pollution disasters this year. Tsavliris Salvage Group walked away with the highly coveted Safety & Environmental Award 2007 at the lavish Lloyd s List Greek Shipping Awards Ceremony on December 7th, 2007 in Athens. whenever possible. As a professional salvor, no greater recognition by the shipping community can be bestowed on Tsavliris Group who pride themselves on both saving lives and protecting the environment against marine pollution. The three brothers Nicolas, George and Andreas Tsavliris were all there to accept the award and in his speech, Mr. Nicolas Tsavliris was quick to praise the salvage men who put their lives at risk to save others and keep the seas void of pollution wherever and A big THANK YOU also went to their father and founder, Alexander G. Tsavliris who instilled the values of protecting the marine environment as well as those who work for Tsavliris Group for their tireless dedication to the cause. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 3 1/5/2008

4 Tsavliris Salvage Group after winning the Award for Achievement in Safety and/or Environmental Protection Duits onderzoek naar incident met Evergreenschip De Bundesstelle für Seeunfalluntersuchung gaat de stranding van de LT Cortesia onderzoeken. Het schip, varend voor Evergreen, kwam eerder deze week met ruim containers in de buurt van Dover op een zandbank terecht. Het schip is van een Duitse owner en is in dat land geregistreerd. Britse autoriteiten werken aan het onderzoek mee. De LT Cortesia (capaciteit teu) was van Thamesport op weg naar het Suezkanaal, toen het bij goede weerstomstandigheden aan de grond liep op de Varne Bank, negen mijl uit de Engelse kust bij Dover. Drie slepers trokken het schip weer vlot, waarna het in de buurt van Dover werd geankerd. Persoonlijke ongevallen deden zich niet voor, schip en lading bleven onbeschadigd. Dat bleek uit inspecties op de ankerplaats door classificatiebedrijf Germanischer Lloyd en de Britse Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The tug BB OCEAN seen departing with the ANNA-4 from Portland enroute Rotterdam Photo : Piet Sinke Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 4 1/5/2008

5 U.S. judge dismisses Spanish Prestige case suit against ABS Reuters reports that U.S. District Judge Laura Swain has dismissed damage claims filed by Spain against classification society ABS in relation to the 2002 loss of the tanker Prestige. ABS argued that it was protected from Spain's pollution damage claims under the rules of the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC)exempts third parties unless they acted recklessly. "Spain, as a signatory to the CLC, is bound by CLC's provisions and, therefore, must pursue its claims under that convention in its own courts," the judge ruled. Source : MarineLog The new platform supply ship BOURBON PEARL seen arriving in Singapore. She was delivered on the 18/12/07 from her builders Zhejiang Shipyard,Ningbo grt,91.10 m loa owned by Bourbon Offshore Norway AS. Photo : Ian Edwards Port of Rotterdam, India's L&T in JV talks The Port of Rotterdam Authority is in talks with India's Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) for a greenfield port in India, the Mint paper said, citing officials from both firms. A deal could be announced later this month, it reported. 'We are exploring opportunities for port business in India and are in talks with L&T,' an unnamed port of Rotterdam executive told the paper. 'We believe that 2008 will be a critical year for the project, when we may make an announcement,' the executive added. A delegation from the Netherlands would be in India this month to work out the details, the executive told the paper. The Port of Rotterdam had done an appraisal, and planned to develop the project along the lines of its venture with Oman's government for the Sohar port in Oman, the executive told the paper. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 5 1/5/2008

6 L&T told the paper that talks had started. 'They have initiated talks with us, but it is too premature to comment,' M V Kotwal, L&T's senior executive vice-president and member of the board, told the paper. The port, Europe's biggest, has said it was looking at investment opportunities in India as it looks to expand its facilities to accommodate increased traffic from Asia. L&T, India's biggest engineering and construction firm, said recently a unit had signed a deal with Sohar Industrial Port Co to make equipment for refineries and fertiliser firms. Indian ports are struggling to keep pace with the country's booming economy, with port officials saying capacity needs to be increased by 130 per cent to meet an expected doubling in shipments over the next five years. Source : Reuters CASUALTY REPORTING Tel: Drama in Barents sea Master of the disabled trawler rejected assistance, one crewmember seriously injured, owner declared bankruptcy January LT - JRCC Bodoe, Norway, fax to MRCC Murmansk. Trawler Nemanskiy adrift in N E due to engine failure, one crew member got heavy legs burns from overheated steam. Norway CG ship Stalbas standing by, trying to render assistance, but evacuation of the injured crewmember impossible due to weather cinditions. Master of f/v Nemanskiy rejected towage, shipowner declared bankruptcy, provisional manager told to authorities trawler went to sea illegally. No connection with the vessel, no distress call or requiring assistance JRCC Bodoe informed doctor and CG officer boarded trawler JRCC Bodoe informed trawler will be towed to Norwegian port, estimated time of towage 30 hours. Trawler Nemanskiy dwt 414, built 1987, flag Russia, port of registry Kaliningrad, IMO , owner OOO Goldfish. Source : Mike Voitenko Thai-Flagged Bulker Loses Power and Effects Repairs in Bering Sea A 554-foot, Thai-flagged bulk carrier is on its way again to Japan after suffering a major engine failure in the Bering Sea, ultimately passing just 110 miles from the island of Attu, Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a call for assistance from the disabled freighter, when it was said to be about 180 nautical miles northeast of Attu. According to a U.S. Coast Guard Command Center spokesman, the M/V Mathawee Naree lost power to both of its diesel engines due to burnt out lube oil pumps. The Mathawee Naree became disabled late Monday night with a full cargo said to consist of approximately 28,000 tons of copper concentrate on board. The vessel remained without power for about 24 hours while its crew effected repairs. During that time, the Coast Guard monitored the situation and dispatched the Cutter Jarvis to the scene. They additionally launched a Coast Guard C-130 to examine the situation. At the time of the incident, weather conditions Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 6 1/5/2008

7 were very poor, with 20-foot seas and 50-knot winds. According to the Coast Guard spokesperson, We were initially concerned for the safety of the crew. The vessel has 24 people on board and carries 760 metric tons of fuel. With the vessel reporting that repairs had been completed and with its position moving farther out to sea on its way to its eventual discharge port in Japan, the Coast Guard stopped monitoring the vessel s progress on Thursday morning. Before that time, the Juneau Coast Guard Command Center kept a 2-hour communication schedule with the ship in order to monitor the continuing operation of the freighter. Previously, the M/V Matthawe Naree had called upon the ports of Vancouver, BC and before that, Portland, Oregon, according to Coast Guard sources. A Coast Guard spokesman told MarEx on Thursday that the vessel had undergone a port state control inspection in Portland on December 11, 2007, but no deficiencies had been found by the inspecting team. Before that, the vessel s last recorded inspection in U.S. waters occurred at Wilmington, NC in August of There were no recorded deficiencies during that inspection. The 28,364 DWT vessel, according to Coast Guard records, is classed by NKK. NAVY NEWS Ketelaarstraat 5c B-2340 Beerse Belgium Tel : + 32 (0) info@disamaritime.com Fax : + 32 (0) info@disacivil.com Navy Ordered 12 Miles Offshore According to SignOnSanDiego.com, a federal judge ordered the Navy to stay at least 12 miles off the California coast when using a type of sonar that causes irreparable harm to numerous marine mammals. The ruling puts several other immediate constraints on the Navy, but allows it to continue a Southern California training program that was jeopardized when environmental groups sued to safeguard whales and dolphins. Navy officials have fought restrictions on their war games saying national security However, the order by Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said the Navy s own scientific studies indicated the Southern California operations would cause some 170,000 harassment exposures and 466 permanent injuries to marine mammals, including five endangered species. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 7 1/5/2008

8 The RFA WAVE KNIGHT seen departing from Portland Port Photo : Piet Sinke Technical details WAVE class D: 12,500 tons light (31,500 fl) S: 18 kts Dim: A: 2 single 30-mm 75-cal. DES-30B AA; 4 single 7.62-mm mg provision for: 2 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx gatling CIWS Electronics: Radar: 2 Kelvin Hughes 6000 ARPA nav. (E/F and I-band) M: diesel-electric drive: 4 Wärtsilä 12V32E diesels (6,290 bhp each), 4 GECLM generator sets; 1 prop; 18,776 shp KaMeWa bow and stern-thrusters (10-ton thrust each) Range: 10,000/15; 8,000/18 Crew: 80 RFA + 22 RN aircrew Remarks: Request for proposals was issued ; is replacing together with her sister Wave Ruler the Olwen and Olna and are RFA-operated. Final design and construction order, placed for about $160 million each, was for a slightly larger and slower design than originally planned. The WAVE KNIGHT was contracted for delivery during A 389 s stern section was built by Cammell Laird, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and was attached to the ship beginning Harland and Wolff, Belfast, built the cargo tankage. Piping and other defects delayed sea trials for A 389 from to Two further units of the class may be ordered to replace the four Leaf-series oilers. The WAVE KNIGHT is having 16,500 m 3 total tankage for diesel (15,000 tons) and aviation fuel (3,000 m 3 ), lube oil, and cargo water; 500 m 3 dry cargo; and space for eight 20-ft. refrigerated provisions containers offloadable with a shipboard crane. There are three replenishment stations per side. Built to commercial standards, except for naval intact and damaged stability criteria. Double-hull construction. Have helicopter hangar and flight deck capable of handling one Merlin HM.1 helicopter. Superstructure and replenishment-rig kingposts are sloped 6 degrees from vertical to reduce radar return. Have totally enclosed bridges with integrated controls, simplified replenishment rigs. One emergency diesel alternator set is provided. Note: All Royal Fleet Auxiliary liquid replenishment vessels employ 6-inch (152-mm) hoses and pump at 100 p.s.i. and can transfer about 500 tons per hour per station. An Invincible-class carrier requires only about 2 hrs to refuel and frigates about 40 min. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 8 1/5/2008

9 SHIPYARD NEWS Seaspan Signs Contract for Five Ships Seaspan Corp has signed contracts for Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd to build five new 4,520 TEU container ships. Seaspan has also completed more than $900 million in debt financing with a long-term fixed interest rate of less than 6 percent. The company has signed 12-year time charters for the vessels with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd, Japan's third-largest liner operator. The five new vessels are due to be delivered in 2010 and Source : MarineLog VeKa draait op voor schade No Limit Het knikken van het beunschip No Limit in de middensluis van IJmuiden (juli 2004) heeft in juli 2007 geleid tot het faillissement van VeKa Scheepsbouw BV, een werkmaatschappij van VeKa Group Werkendam. In april dit jaar stelde de rechtbank in Breda VeKa grotendeels in het ongelijk in een rechtszaak, die verzekeraar Schepen Onderlinge Nederland, Duikersloot en Zandtrans BV hadden aangespannen ROUTE, PORTS & SERVICES VLIERODAM WIRE ROPES Ltd. wire ropes, chains, hooks, shackles, webbing slings, lifting beams, crane blocks, turnbuckles etc. Nijverheidsweg GJ RHOON The Netherlands Telephone: (+31) (+31) (a.o.h.) Fax : (+31) Internet & info@vlierodam.nl Tugboat festival at the Pakkade in Rotterdam this weekend Photo : Richard Wisse Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 9 1/5/2008

10 AGREEMENT FOR THE SALE OF RoRo MARIN Attica Holdings S.A. announces that it has contracted to sell its RoRo vessel Marin, built 1991, trading between Greece and Italy for a total cash consideration of Euro 8,450,000. The delivery of the vessel and final payment will take place in February At the time of conclusion of the transaction, Attica Group is expected to book capital gains of approximately Euro 2.2mln. The Group+IBk-s cash balances are expected to increase by approximately Euro 5.8mln after the repayment of the ship+ibk-s debt of Euro 2.3mln and payment of various expenses related to the transaction PQA to spend Rs 300 million on 'turning basin' extension: KPT dredger hired The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) would carry out dredging of the 'turning basin' at Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) from 450 metres to 600 metres at a cost of Rs 300 million. A dredger of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), 'Karamat', reached Port Qasim early on Friday to carry out the dredging operation, sources in PQA told Business Recorder. They said that PQA would pay to KPT Rs 600 per cubic metre dredging, and added that total dredging area could be amount to 0.5 million cubic metres. The KPT dredger, they said, would start work within a month, and is likely to take six months to complete the job. Sources said that when completed the capacity enhancing measure would enable the PQA to accommodate larger vessels at the QICT, having 310-metre length and 42-metre beam. They said that currently the Terminal can accommodate 33-metre beam ships. The project would cover overall area of 600x150 sq metres", they said. Proposals have been longstanding for a PQAowned dredger which could cater to the ever-increasing dredging needs at Port Qasim. Source : Imran Farooq Westerkade 7a 3016 CL Rotterdam The Netherlands Tel : (+31) Fax : (+31) info@tos.nl Transport & Offshore Services TOS is a world wide supplier of nautical technical personnel. CMA CGM verhuist Nemo-dienst naar Antwerpen De wekelijkse lijndienst van CMA CGM naar de Indische Oceaan en Australië/Nieuw Zeeland loopt vanaf de tweede helft van deze maand Antwerpen aan in plaats van Rotterdam. In deze dienst - New Europe Mascarena Oceania, oftewel Nemo - varen dertien containerschepen met een capaciteit van tot teu. CMA CGM levert er twaalf, de Duitse partner DAL het dertiende. Volgens CMA CGM heeft de havenwissel in de Benelux te maken met de problemen die de schepen ondervinden om hun schema's aan te houden. Omdat er op de ECT Home Terminal niet altijd voldoende flexibiliteit bij de afhandeling was, wil de Franse rederij Antwerpen een kans geven. Die haven heeft beloofd flexibeler te werken dan Rotterdam. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 10 1/5/2008

11 Alle schepen worden met ingang van de afvaart van de CMA CGM Charcot op 21 januari door Antwerp Gateway aan het Deurganckdok behandeld. CMA CGM is overigens voor 10 procent aandeelhouder van die terminal. De havenwissel speelt ook in op de wensen van Franse verladers. Zo is veel lading voor Réunion en Port Louis van Franse oorsprong. De Franse rederij Delmas heeft om die reden voor deze bestemmingen slots op de Nemo-dienst. Om de Nederlandse lading efficiënt naar Antwerpen te brengen, begint Antwerp Gateway een directe binnenvaartdienst tussen de Waalhaven en de eigen terminal op de Antwerpse Linkeroever. Die dienst zal ook lading voor derden, bijvoorbeeld de Israëlische rederij Zim, vervoeren. Bron : Nieuwsblad Transport BUNKER PRICES Last updated: 02-Jan-08 PORT NAME - COUNTRY IFO 380 IFO 180 MDO Rotterdam - Netherlands Seattle - United States Singapore - Singapore Suez El Suweis - Egypt S.I Tokyo, Tokyo - Japan Montreal - Canada New Orleans - United States New York - United States Panama Canal - Panama Philadelphia - United States Piraeus - Greece Pusan - Korea (South) Rio De Janeiro - Brazil Durban - South Africa N/A Freeport - Bahamas Fujairah - United Arab Emirates Gibraltar - Gibraltar Houston - United States Jeddah - Saudi Arabia Lagos - Nigeria S.I. S.I. S.I. Los Angeles - United States Antwerpen - Belgium Buenos Aires - Argentina Cape Town - South Africa N/A Damman - Saudi Arabia N/A Solstad orders dive/construction vessel Solstad Offshore has contracted Bergen Group for a newbuild diving/offshore construction vessel for delivery in September Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 11 1/5/2008

12 Skipsteknisk in Aalesund designed the 120 m long (394 ft), 23 m (75.5 ft) beam ST 256 L CD vessel. Features will include a 200 ton (181 metric ton) offshore crane, a diesel electric propulsion system, a DP-3 dynamic positioning system, a 24-man diving system, and ROV handling capability. A yard in Poland will build the hull, followed by outfitting at Bergen Group's facility in Bergen. The contract value is around $134 million 'Haven Amsterdam uitbreiden aan de kust' De haven van Amsterdam moet uitbreiden langs de Noordzeekust. Dat heeft commissaris van de koningin Harry Borghouts gezegd in zijn nieuwjaarstoespraak. Als het bestaande havengebied wordt uitgebreid, dreigen natuur- en recreatiegebieden zoals de Wijkermeerpolder en de Houtrakpolder te verdwijnen. Het is volgens Borghouts daarom beter om een nieuwe haven langs de kust aan te leggen. Volgens de Noord-Hollandse commissaris biedt zo'n nieuwe haven meerdere voordelen. Doordat grote zeeschepen niet meer door sluizen hoeven, kan Amsterdam beter concurreren met andere sluisvrije havens, zoals Hamburg en het Franse Le Havre. KORANUI SOLD Photo : BJ Browne The sale has been reported of New Zealand s principal coasting tug to Seaways International LLC, of Dubai UAE. The 4630 bhp/70 tonnes bollard pull KORANUI (491gt) was built in 1997 as SEA-TOW 25 for Sea-Tow Ltd, by Ship Constructors Ltd, Whangarei, to a design by G Breekveldt of Auckland. Under both names the tug became well known over a wide area of New Zealand and Australia, moving a diverse range of materials carried in barges, including coal, scrap metal and prefabricated sections of naval vessels under construction. When delivered to Seaways in March 2008 it will be renamed SEAWAYS 18. Source : BJ Browne Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 12 1/5/2008

13 Shanghai Int'l Port posts 3.6b yuan earnings Traffic in first 11 months jump 20.5% to 23.9m boxes Shanghai International Port (Group) Co, operator of the world's second-busiest container harbour, has reported 3.6 billion yuan (S$710 million) in 2007 net income. Sales reached 16.3 billion yuan while earnings per share were 0.17 yuan, Shanghai Port said in a preliminary earnings statement to Shanghai's stock exchange yesterday. The company said it changed accounting methods so 2006 figures aren't comparable. Shanghai, aiming to surpass Singapore as the world's busiest port this year, boosted traffic by 20.5 per cent to 23.9 million 20-foot cargo boxes in the first 11 months of China's exports have tripled in the past five years as low wages attracted investment from overseas manufacturers. About 90 per cent of world trade moves by sea. 'Profitability will be supported by higher rates and traffic volume this year,' said Ji Lijun, an analyst at Shanghai Securities Co. 'The company will also benefit from its investment in Yangshan port.' Traffic in Shanghai may rise to more than 30 million 20-foot cargo boxes a year by 2010 from an expected 25.5 million in 2007, Xu Peixing, director of Shanghai Municipal Port's Administration Bureau, said on Oct 24. Yangshan port outside Shanghai will have a total of 16 berths after construction is completed in 2008, Mr Xu said. Singapore boosted traffic 13 per cent to 25.5 million boxes in the first 11 months of last year. Shanghai Port rose 1.1 per cent to 9.21 yuan yesterday in Shanghai Stock Exchange trading, after the earnings announcement on Wednesday. The stock gained 30 per cent last year, trailing the benchmark CSI 300 Index, which more than doubled. Source : Bloomberg The EFDIM HOPE seen outward bound from Rotterdam Photo : Jan Oosterboer Ferry released after crew paid The ro-ro ferry Celtic Star, a chartered vessel operating on the Dublin-Liverpool service of Seatruck Ferries, has resumed sailing following a period of detention. The Irish maritime authorities detained the ship to force payments of arrears due to nine members of the crew. The Greek-registered 11,086gt ro-ro is owned by Jay Maritime of Piraeus. Seatruck paid arrears totalling 26,000 ($38,000) to nine Romanian crew members before Christmas and they returned home. However the ship remained under detention at the request of the ITF because another five Ukrainian crew members claimed they were too scared to claim back pay. The ship went through a port state control inspection after Christmas and as a result it resumed operation yesterday. Seatruck only became involved with the ship in Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 13 1/5/2008

14 October when it purchased the route from CelticLink Ferries. It will be replaced by a Seatruck owned newbuilding when it is delivered from Spain later this year. Source : Lloyds / Fairplay daily news Fighter vooral bekend van Herald of Free Enterprise door Wout Bareman Het lijkt symbolisch. Sleep- en bergingsbedrijf Smit uit Rotterdam lijfde eerder deze week de Unie van Redding- en Sleepdienst (Union) in Antwerpen in en zie, een paar dagen later wordt de Fighter, ooit het officieuze vlaggenschip van de Belgische berger op de Westerschelde, naar Rotterdam gesleept. Foto : Richard Wisse De dertig jaar oude sleper, op de werf in Terneuzen al grotendeels gestript, werd door de Union Emerald en Union Jade, vanuit Terneuzen naar de Parkkade in Rotterdam gesleept. De sleepboot dient straks als decor voor podiumkunsten. Het ensemble Intorno, de nieuwe eigenaar van de sleper, heeft een mooie vaste ligplaats voor de Fighter op het oog: de Schiehaven. Want, zegt bestuurslid Cor Flach: "Dat is vlak bij Delfshaven, waar al een hele trits creatieve instellingen zit." De sleepboot wordt eerst door leerlingen van het Albeda College opgeknapt. Het ensemble heeft plannen om de rijke historie van de sleepboot levend te houden met een kleine expositie aan boord. Daarover is inmiddels contact gelegd met Zeeuwse sleepbootliefhebbers. De Union-kleuren blijven behouden. De Fighter kan ontegenzeglijk bogen op een rijk verleden. De Union nam de zusterslepers Fighter en Boxer in 1977 in gebruik. De sleepboten (42 meter lang, 11 meter breed met een vermogen van 4079 PK en een trekkracht van 55 ton), gebouwd op de werf in Rupelmonde, werden ingezet op de Westerschelde en de zuidelijke Noordzee. De Fighter lag jarenlang op station in de Buitenhaven in Vlissingen, met afwisselend de Terneuzenaren Piet Oppeneer en Maarten van der Eijk als kapitein. Die twee waren onlosmakelijk verbonden met de Fighter en droegen op die manier een beetje bij aan Zeelands Glorie, de stoere wereld van de sleep- en bergingswereld. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 14 1/5/2008

15 Voor de doorsnee walbewoner, wel te verstaan, want zelf bleven ze altijd broodnuchter onder de lofuitingen. De Fighter werd ingezet bij honderden bergingen, soms eenvoudig, vaak spectaculair. De sleepboot kwam bijvoorbeeld in actie bij de stranding van het Spaanse schip Paloma, op eerste kerstdag 1980, maar ook bij de brand aan boord van de tanker Olympic Dream in Maar ook het optreden van de sleper bij brand in de machinekamer van de Viola Gorthon in 1988 in de Sloehaven, bij de stranding van de ammoniaktanker Hesperus bij Borsele, een jaar later, en bij de vastgelopen bulkcarrier Viva in 1990 op een plaat in het Scheur sprak vooral de 'mannen van de waterkant' tot de verbeelding. The UNION EMERALD seen with the FIGHTER enroute from Terneuzen to Rotterdam Photo : Maar écht geschiedenis schreef de Fighter bij de reddingsoperatie na het kapseizen van de veerboot Herald of Free Enterprise op 6 maart 1987 voor de haven van Zeebrugge. De Fighter, met op dat moment Piet Oppeneer aan boord, was er als een van de eerste bij. De bemanning nam negentig drenkelingen aan boord; later werden ook 34 stoffelijke overschotten naar de wal gebracht. De bemanning werd ontvangen op het koninklijk paleis in Brussel, kreeg een plaquette van de rederij en een bedankje van Margaret Thatcher. De meeste indruk maakte echter het eenvoudige bedankbriefje van een veertienjarig meisje uit Welwyn Garden City. Nicola Simpson, een van de drenkelingen op de Fighter, verloor bij de ramp haar moeder. In het briefje kondigde ze aan dat ze terug zou komen om haar redders te bedanken.,,but I don't really want to go by boat, not at night anyway", eindigde ze. Niet meer met de boot dus. Jarenlang hing het briefje in de stuurhut van de Fighter aan de wand. Oud-kapitein Maarten van der Eijk:,,Op een bepaald moment heb ik het mee naar huis genomen, omdat ik bang was dat het in de prullenbak zou verdwijnen.'' Hij was er niet bij, toen de Fighter Terneuzen verliet. Emoties? "Neuh. Die twee boten waren aan vervanging toe." MOVEMENTS HIGH DEEP HEAVY EURO DEMOLITION BV Lijndenweg 5, NL 1948 ND BEVERWIJK Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 15 1/5/2008

16 The Danish AHT BB OCEAN seen operating the port of Portland Photo : Piet Sinke Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 16 1/5/2008

17 The ALDEN J. LABORDE seen towing the semi-submersible oil rig ATWOOD HUNTER entering Valletta Friday 4th January 2008 bound to Malta Shipyards assisted by local tugs FELICA, LIENI, SEA SALVOR & WENZINA. Photo : Lawrence Dalli - Malta Ship Photos MARINE WEATHER THIS SECTION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY : Internet: Tel : sposinfo@meteo.nl Today s wind (+6Bft) and wave (+3m) chart. Created with SPOS, the onboard weather information & voyage optimisation system, used on over 1000 vessels today. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 17 1/5/2008

18 . PHOTO OF THE DAY.. The Polish tug HERAKLES seen arriving with the VOS TRAVELLER in Stellendam Photo : Huib Trommel Correction In yesterdays newsclippings a photo of the VOS TRAVELLER could be found, the maker of the photo was HUIB TROMMEL, not as mentioned underneath in the captioning HUIB LIEVENSE. Sorry for this mistake made!! The compiler of the news clippings disclaim all liability for any loss, damage or expense however caused, arising from the sending, receipt, or use of this communication and on any reliance placed upon the information provided through this free service and does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information. If you want to no longer receive this bulletin kindly reply with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Distribution : daily copies worldwide Page 18 1/5/2008