Maritime Monday 35

Welcome to this weeks edition of Maritime Monday.

This Week's Photos:
Here is an example of some out of the box thinking. A sea-based rocket launching platform. It takes less energy to launch a satellite into space at the Equator because you can take the most advantage of the Earth's rotation. As you can see from the map below, there are some countries where it could be possible to launch from the equator, but why limit yourself to those choices, when you can just build your own spaceport at sea and control all the factors without having to deal with a possible questionable Government. (The vessels are home-ported in Long Beach.)

(SEA LAUNCH COMMANDER and the ODYSSEY at the Equator)

(Diagram of the converted oil platform turn ODYSSEY launch platform)

(Launch site at left)

(Launch of XM Radio's 'XM-4' communications satellite on October 30, 2006)

More photos and a summary of this launch mission here at the Sea Launch Mission page.

More at the Sea Launch Homepage.


This Week's Items:
Eagle Speak covers the concerns of the anti-nuke crowd over the shipment of nuclear fuel by the ATLANTIC OSPREY which happens to be a single-hull vessel.

Sustainable Shipping has the must-read assessment that double-hull tankers ARE NOT less likely to have oil spills, and in some cases are even more likely. Ever hear of a mid-deck tanker? It is a design where the cargo tanks are separated top and bottom with a bulkhead. This way, if the bottom is holed, the pressure of the water pushing up is greater than the pressure of the oil pushing down through the hole, resulting in very little leaked oil. More here.

BBC News has the story of the capture of a homemade submarine captured off of Costa Rica carrying three tons of cocaine. Marine Log has more details on the homemade craft captured off Costa Rica and how the submarine was not a submarine at all.

The Star, Canada covers the still-unfolding story of two solo "around the world" sailors who are in serious trouble in the southern ocean. Surely, not the last either before the face is over. (As a professional sailor, I consider this race the ultimate act of irresponsibility for a sailor.)

Forbes.com has the news of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (in Canada for those not familiar) agreeing to purchase Cargo Terminals in New York and in Canada. No comment so far from Senator Schumer on yet another foreign group purchasing port infrastructure. (The self-proclaimed libertarian-socialist-communist author of the LE REVUE GAUCHE Blog expects the right to start frothing at the mouth over the news of Canadian teachers purchasing port facilities in New York. The author, Eugene Plawiuk, claims to be an 'investigative researcher'. So I wonder how he overlooked the simple fact that it was Democrats who first went ballistic over the foreign purchase of US port facilities.)

Yahoo news carried the story that "The perception that there is a long list of unimplemented 9/11 recommendations [concerning port security] is simply not accurate." As the story explains, don't expect the Democrats to do much (anything) to improve port Security.

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League has coverage of the collision of surfacing Japanese sub ASASHIO with the Panama Flag cargo ship SPRING AUSTER.

The Salt Lake Tribune has this week's other must-read by MARCEL RODRIGUEZ, Lt. USNR (Ret.) who writes about serving in the merchant marine during WWII.

PortWorld has the comment by Ton Dufresne, President of the Canadian International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who said that the proposal to have background checks on port workers' criminal records was based on an "urban myth" that there was organized crime within the ILWU.

The ILWU has a press release explaining that background checks of their workers in the US is not needed as there are no terrorists in their ranks. (What about criminals?)

The LA Times has the news of over 800,000 TEUs moving through the Port of Los Angeles in October, a record. No other US port has even managed to hit the 700 thousand mark, other than the Port of LA. (The story refers to 800 thousand containers, but later does clarify 'to the equivalent of 800,064 20-foot containers.' One 40 Footer equals 2 Twenties. So if every container handled was a 40 footer, that would be 400,000 actual containers handled.)

Kathimerini.com has the story of the Greek Coast Guard firing on a sailboat carrying illegal immigrants. (Come on, please tell me that the Greek Coast Guard can manage to stop a sailboat without having to shoot it to pieces. Or is the the new policy after they were caught dumping illegals in the waters off Turkey, to drown.)

Cargo Law has finally obtained a full set of photos of the amazing 2002 grounding of the M/V ALVA STAR.

The Nor'wester notes Canada's discrimination against Canadian fishermen as foreign fishermen are not prosecuted for violating Canada's fishing laws.

Navy Newsstand has the story of the USS JUNEAU making a port call at the Maxie Naval Base in Zhanjiang, China.

Greenpeace is pissed off at Iceland for 'harpooning' a moratorium on high-seas bottom trawling, accussing it of acting instead to protect it's own interests. (As if any country would do that.)

Lloyds Agency has a summary of the salvage operation of the ROKIA DELMAS that is aground off France. Latest entry is from 9 November noting that it will take several weeks to remove containers from the vessel.

Venezuela Analysis covers CITGO's first delivery this season of home heating oil at a 40% discount for low income families in New York City. While I will not be filling up at a CITGO anytime soon, I highly encourage anyone eligible to take advantage of the offer of below-cost fuel. This way you can finally 'stick-it' to the oil man.

Haight's Maritime Items has:

Sailor jumps from sinking boat to barge - In a story too strange to have been invented, the US Coast Guard issued a press release stating that a man was found on a barge under tow in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of northern Florida. It appears that the man jumped from his sailboat to the barge after the two vessels collided at night. The sailboat sank. The crew of the tug was unaware of the collision. When they first noticed the man on the barge the next morning, they thought he was a stowaway and called the Coast Guard. Agents from the Coast Guard and the Customs and Border Patrol initially handcuffed the man, until they verified his identity and situation. (11/18/06). Holland + Knight

Fairplay Daily News has:

P&O Cruises re-flags more ships - LONDON - 22 November – P&O Cruises, the Carnival Corp subsidiary, is to transfer its 69,153-gt Oriana from the British to the Bermuda flag because weddings on board a British-registered cruise ship are not legally recognised. As the cruise liner will still fly the Red Ensign but under Bermuda registry, no UK seafarers will lose their jobs or any loss of conditions and pay. P&O has already re-flagged the Arcadia, Oceana and Artemis, all operating cruises out of Southampton, understandably for the same reason. The 115,000-gt newbuilding Ventura, despite the focus on its British pedigree, will also fly the Bermuda flag. This means a loss of 390,000gt from the British register. Andrew Linington of seafarer union Nautilus UK told Fairplay: “we have talked to the UK government but with no success.” Nautilus representatives were meeting P&O today over this issue. A P&O spokesman confirmed to Fairplay that the wedding issue was the only reason for transferring the ships. All five P&O ships will offer a Weddings at Sea package. A Department for Transport spokesman said the issue had been considered but the complexities of four different wedding processes made it too difficult. - Fairplay

Submissions for future editions:
Please submit articles for inclusion in next week' edition using the following submit form at Blog Carnival. You are also welcome to email photos for inclusion in future editions.

Sponsorship:
Send me an email (address in the sidebar) if you would like to sponsor an edition of Maritime Monday. I accept money and gear.

Previous Editions:
Here.

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Being Less Poor: Playstation 3 Flatscreen Christmas Edition

It is Christmas time again and once again we have a perfect example of why many people in the US are poor. Because they are blowing money on things like the Playstation 3 video game system by Sony. That sucker sells for over $600 and it does not even include any games with it. Sure, if you can afford the thing, then that is your problem where to cram it in with the other stuff around the TV. However, there is all this talk of 'the poor' in America. I can only guess at how many poor were lined up waiting to get their hands on one of these things.

Now, I am not talking about the poor who were paid to wait in line by some moneybags who has better things to do than stand outside a store for days for something he can order online a couple months from now once the insanity wears off. Nor an I talking about those who purchased one to resell on Ebay. I am talking about almost everyone else who is getting ready to waste $600+ for a game while at the same time complaining that they never have any money. That's basically almost everyone that was waiting in line. No wonder you guys are poor. Not only were you waiting to purchase an overpriced product, but you were also not working to do it. Did you call in sick, or perhaps took a vacation day or two. Maybe you are unemployed and see the game as something that you deserve. No matter the situation, most of the people who purchased this thing probably deserve to be poor, just for the stupidity of the purchase.

Now there is some good to be found in all of this. First, if you were able to find the $600, then you can surely find another $250. And if you were prepared to buy one but were not quick enough to get one, then you have $600 that you can use to make yourself richer. That is by making a direct investment in stock.

Many stocks permit you to make a direct purchase through their websites. Stocks such as General Electric and Exxon Mobil among many others. Many (but not all) pay a dividend every three months. This can be given as either cash or as more stock. The price to open an account it not so great. The fee for the two I listed above is only $250. So for the price of a Playstation 3 you could instead open an account for both GE and XOM and still have $100 left over to purchase one $50 monthly investment for each afterwards. That's right, once the account is open, you can purchase additional stock for as little as $50. That amount should be easy to find, since by not buying a Playstation 3, you won't be buying games for it, or Blu-Ray DVDs. See, you'll be saving a ton in no time.

So which stocks to buy. I have listed two above that I own, but they may not be the right ones for you or the reasons that I purchased them might not be relevant for you. One way that you can narrow down the possible list is to limit your choices to those stocks that issue a dividend. They tend to be more stable and should be making a profit, which is where the dividend comes from. If you want my opinion about a stock, ask in the comments, even anonymously if you wish.

Now, just imagine what you could do by not spending a couple thousand on a flat screen TV! (and then the additional cable fees to get a high definition TV signal and hundreds more for a HD DVD player and disks.)

As always, keep in mind that there are two reasons why people are poor:

- They do not earn enough money
- They spend too much money

People dwell too much on reason one and tend to ignore reason two.

Keep in mind that direct investment makes a great Christmas present and allows you to purchase additional stock each Christmas, birthday or other celebration.

Of course you could also use the $600 to pay off part of your credit card debt......

Read more in the Past Issues:

Being Less Poor - 27 October 2005
Being Less Poor: Update - 18 June 2006

BE SMART

Europes Newest, Crushing 'Feel-Good' Taxes

Global warming is all the rage in Europe. When they are not busy blaming the US, they are thinking of ways to fight it themselves. Well, not really fight it. More so to punish the average person, by forcing them to pay the 'actual cost' of their actions, including their share of the environmental damage that their actions create. This is mainly done through taxes. For the longest time, gasoline in Europe has been heavily taxed, to the point of 60% and more of the total price, resulting in gas being twice as expensive in Europe as it is in the US. Of course, there are other ways to travel and other ways to damage the environment.

Take this new tax proposal that is being debated in the UK:

CONSUMERS could be hit by steep price rises for a range of goods from food to hotel breaks under plans to tackle climate change being considered by David Miliband.

The Environment Secretary is consulting taking sweeping powers to extend curbs on greenhouse gas emissions so that they cover many more businesses, including supermarkets and hotel chains — curbs that at present apply only to the big industrial users. The costs incurred are potentially huge and are likely to be passed on to the consumer. - Times Online

This is a different tax than this next one that the Times Online reported on in July of this year:

AIR passengers will be charged up to £40 extra for a return ticket within Europe to pay for the environmental impact of their journeys, under plans approved by the European Parliament yesterday.

MEPs voted in favour of the “immediate introduction” of a tax on jet fuel for flights within the 25 member states of the EU. The charge would double the cost of millions of budget airline flights. - Times Online - July

Looks like flying around Europe is going to get much more expensive. Not that its cheap now with all the taxes that are already levied on airfare tickets. The tax on jet fuel above would be in addition to this proposed requirement for airlines to purchase permits for their CO2 emissions:

Brussels aims to include the rest of the world in the European Union's latest green policy plan set to impose CO2 emission controls on all flights within and entering Europe, according to a leaked draft proposal from the European Commission.

The plan, which will require all flights arriving or departing from EU airports to buy permits to cover their carbon dioxide emissions, will be presented just before Christmas and is crucial to the bloc's fight against global warning and climate change.

The report estimates that passengers on flights within Europe would pay an extra €9 for a ticket, with the actual sum depending on the price of the permits. Those flying long haul would pay up to €39.60, according to The Times. - Business Weekly

This plan will not permit airlines to purchase unused CO2 permits from other industries, because they are not expensive enough, and because Eastern Europe and Russia have many unused credits since Soviet industry was particularly dirty and of course, Kyoto measured pollution from 1990, when Soviet factories were still spewing pollution like there was no tomorrow. No, there will be a limited amount of credits available for purchase, with the industry as a whole, capped at how much CO2 it can emit. (Taken from the July story.)

Keep in mind that the amount of the taxes appear to be set arbitrarily with no link to the cost of the actual 'damage' created by their actions. Notice that there is no mention what this tax revenue is going to be used for.

Europe has been so concerned about global warming that they were eager to sign up for the Kyoto Accord to cut Greenhouse gases. Never mind that most of these countries have utterly failed to meet the requirements that they have agreed to, they are now getting ready to punish those countries that have refused to sign up to Kyoto.

FRANCE has threatened to tax imports from countries that have not signed the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.

Its Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, told a meeting on sustainable development yesterday: "Europe has to use all its weight to stand up to this sort of environmental dumping.

"I would like us to study now with our European partners the principle of a carbon tax on the import of industrial products from countries which refuse to commit themselves to the Kyoto Protocol after 2012." - Sydney Morning Herald

One of the countries that this tax is aimed at is Australia. They are understandably upset. Take this comment from the Australian Sunday Telegraph:

THE country that spent 30 years testing its nuclear weapons in our region wants to punish Australia for not signing off on a voluntary greenhouse agreement.

France has outraged everyone from the Prime Minister to industry bodies for suggesting European taxes should be introduced on imports from countries that have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, including Australia. - Sunday Telegraph

It was accompanied with this graphic:

Not that the French are ones to care about criticism. But wait, the EU is not the only ones planning to tax the rest of us for their own feel-good 'pet projects'.

There is a UN airfare tax that is attempting to take even more from your pockets:

GENEVA, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Countries around the globe are rallying to the idea of taxing air travel to fund provision of cheaper drugs to poor countries fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, France's foreign minister said on Monday.

But Philippe Douste-Blazy said it was essential for many more to come on board to ensure the success of the drug purchase programme through a new U.N.-backed project, UNITAID.

"Other countries are going to join us. We are already seeing that a genuine globalisation of solidarity is under way," he told the first session of the governing board of UNITAID, launched in New York last month by five nations.

"But there must and can be many more of us," he told a news conference later.

The five launch nations were France, which is to contribute some $250 million next year, Brazil, Britain, Norway and Chile. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. President Bill Clinton joined them in the September launch. Nineteen rich and poorer countries have already agreed to levy the tax -- applied since July in France, whose President Jacques Chirac first proposed it -- and others say they will raise funds for the new body in other ways.

The tax is also already enforced in Brazil, Chile and Gabon, with several others to follow by early next year, but it has been fiercely opposed by airlines which say it hits them unfairly and will reduce tourism to developing countries.

But Douste-Blazy, who was elected as president of UNITAID on Monday, dismissed this argument at the news conference, saying the tiny levy involved was unlikely to deter anyone.

In France, the tax amounts to one euro ($1.26) a ticket on a domestic or European economy class flight and four euros on a business or first class seat. These figures are multiplied by four for transcontinental journeys.

In all, 44 countries have joined the pilot group that set up UNITAID, which will operate out of the U.N.'s World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva and aims through bulk ordering to buy vital medicines at low cost.

Its declared aim is to bring about a reduction in the price of medications and to encourage drug companies to develop new treatments by ensuring competition among them for its custom.

Some 90 percent of new cases of AIDS -- which kills 3 million people a year including 570,000 children -- are in developing countries where few can afford the drugs. Malaria kills between 1 and 3 million people a year, mainly in Africa. - Reuters

So what if the tax is only 1 Euro (5 Euros for trans-Atlantic flights.) They are still taking it from you instead of asking. The UN has been wanting to directly tax citizens for a while now and it seems they are using this route to do it. It might only be one Euro now, but as we all know taxes normally only go up. How long until some UN bureaucrat has a presentation or 'White Paper' on all the good that they can do if the tax is raised to only 2 Euros. Eventually all these taxes do add up.

Anyway, nobody asked me if I want to donate to help fund cheap drugs in the third world. Probably because my answer would be no, not one penny. It is not that I am a heartless bastard, so what if I am, but because it is not my responsibility to ensure that the third world receives cheap medicine. It is the responsibility of their own governments to look after them. Many do not because their leaders are corrupt and pocket the money that should be used to take care of their citizens. So now we have the UN come in and PAY BRIBES to these very same corrupt leaders so that they can be permitted to treat these people. This in effect perpetuates corrupt governments. And they want to use money taken from me in taxes to do it with. No thank you. How about forcing these leaders to act like they should?

Anyway, this is just a taste of what is coming in the near future. It is a shame and I believe very short sighted. Europe could actually reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions by lowering taxes. As it is now, Alcohol is being shifted all around Europe to low tax jurisdictions so that citizens from high tax jurisdictions, like Finland, the UK, and Norway, can travel and purchase cheap alcohol and return it back to their home. Many Finns travel to Sweden solely to purchase alcohol while on the ship. Many never even leave the vessel when it's in Stockholm. They also travel to Germany, taking the van or trailer with them to stock up with cases of booze. Yes, it's that bad, and it is contributing to global warming. What a waste.

Alcohol is not the only item moved around Europe creating greenhouse gases. The European Parliament itself moves between Brussels and Strasbourg every month:

Moving various files and equipment between the two cities takes 10 large trucks and the costs for two locations are estimated at € 200 million a year. A force of 30 men loads the trucks for the 400 km journey between the two locations. Around 5,000 people attached to the European Parliament, such as parliamentarians, advisors, clerks and journalists, also move between Brussels and Strasbourg. - Wikipedia

Face it, none of these taxes is really being proposed to fight greenhouse gases or even to help the poor in the third-world. They are just being imposed to take more money from you for the purpose of sustaining big government.

Update: 9 December 2006

Take the Tobin Tax. This is a proposed tax that in effect would limit the possibility of currency traders speculating in the currency markets.

The Tobin tax is an almost deceptively simple idea: a tax levied on every currency change, set on a low enough level not be a hindrance on any transactions needed to finance real trade in goods and services or long-term capital investment but high enough to discourage the bulk of destabilising speculative money movements. Given the vast amount of daily currency transactions - almost 1500 billion dollars - a tax of just 0.1 percent could generate more income than the total amount of official development aid from the industrialised to the less-developed countries. The introduction of a Currency Transaction Tax could, at a stroke, solve all the problems of development financing. - Erkki Tuomioja Blog

Of course the tax would be applied to every transaction, not just large ones. After all, you can't rake in the big bucks unless you take a slice of the pie out of every transactions. It's kind of like those scams where they only plan to steal the part that would have been rounded away. (Office Space, Superman, etc.) Then again, numbers are sometimes are rounded up. The fact that you round both up and down makes it neutral to the person who is effected by the rounding. Sometimes you win, and sometimes not. In the case of the Tobin tax both the sending and the recipient are penalized. the sending by raising his cost to send the funds. The recipient in that his product has now become more expensive.

Tobin tax - Wikipedia
Zero Tuomioja and the Tobin Tax - Finland for Thought

Air fares 'to double' as Europe votes for green tax - Times Online - 5 July 06
Green tax on holidays and food splits Labour - Times Online
Nations rally to air travel "medicines" tax- France - Reuters
Airlines Hit By EU's CO2 Emissions Plan - Business Weekly
French promise revenge for not signing protocol - Sydney Morning Herald
Hopping Mad Over French Sneer - Sunday Telegraph

Maritime Monday 34

Welcome to this Thanksgiving Week edition of Maritime Monday.

Please submit articles for inclusion in next week' edition using the following submit form at Blog Carnival. You are also welcome to email photos for inclusion in future editions. You are also encouraged to submit suggestions on stories that you would like to see covered.

This Weeks Photo:
This is a photo of the 106,000 Deadweight ton supertanker MOSCOW RIVER that is operated by the Novorossiysk / NOVOSHIP Shipping Company.

Details of the vessel here.


This Weeks Items:

Eagle Speak has a welcome development in scanning shipping containers for nuclear materials.

Coming Anarchy has news of an oil pipeline from the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to Greece in an effort to bypass the Bosporus Straits of Turkey.

The Daily News Canada has the announcement of required background checks for Canadian port works. As is typical, the unions are up in arms that their members are being targeted, like "former crane operator Paul Matthew Arthur (who) received 12 years in prison for helping to smuggle almost $100 million of drugs through the port of Halifax several years ago", for example.

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League has coverage of the vessel WESTWOOD POMONA, which suffered damage from a rogue wave.

NoisyRoom.net has news of France inspecting the North Korean Flag vessel AM NOK GANG in off Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

One News New Zealand has coverage of the French seizure of 4 tons of cocaine found during an at-sea inspection of a Panama Flag cargo ship.

Jennifer Marohasy notes the start of Japan's whaling season. 850 minke whales are to be targeted this time around. For science, of course. (Those scientists must be pretty lousy to need so many. I was only allowed one fetal pig in my science project in high school.)

The Torch notes the likely US request for Canada to assist in patrolling in support of the UN embargo against North Korea. Maybe they can spare 1 ship. Maybe.

Marex Newsletter has the story of CITGO's downfall, thanks to Venezuela's President. (Note: Keep in mind that Venezuela's crude oil is of a kind requiring specialized refining. Their US refineries are constructed specifically to handle Venezuela crude. Shipping the crude to China is possible but causes problems when they want to refine it. Then there is the fact that it takes longer to ship to China, so more tankers are needed than shipping to the US. Then again, nobody up here wants Venezuela crude, not even for free so they just might have to ship it to China.)

Cruise Bruise has news of the intentional dumping of a half million liters of used lube oil and sludge into pits dug into the ground onto the Pacific Island of Vanuatu. (Most interesting read.)

The Sir Robert Bond Papers has coverage recent offshore Oil Rig security concerns in Canada.

SeattlePI Blog asks "Will LNG liquefy American cities? And why the secrecy?"

Neo Commons covers the setback to the Cabrillo Port LNG project in California due to the demands that the offshore facility meet landside air quality standards.

Offshore Shipping Online has news of the European Parliament voted to increase protection of European waters and called on member states to clean up their waters by 2017.

Helsingin Sanomat has a follow-up to the Tallink Directors drunken escapades onboard their newly-acquired SILJA SYMPHONY. The directors will be making an 'Apology Tour'. (The Estonian Directors are being persecuted for what Finns and Swedes normally do daily in Tallinn, Estonia every day. They consider it their Riviera. It does not excuse the act, but does give it a little context. So the next time your in Tallinn and wonder about all the drunk Estonians, just remember, they are Finns and Swedes.)

Malta Media has news of the death of the Chief Officer of the RoRo JOLLY BLU when he was run over by a truck trailer onboard.

Cruise Ship Law Blog has coverage of 2 passengers stranded in Kusadasi, Turkey after being forced to disembark from the GRAND PRINCESS cruise vessel.

Divester has the story of Truk Lagoon's WWII Japanese wrecks are increasingly becoming an environmental disaster.

Santa's Sleigh? No, that's just the EMMA MAERSK arriving in the UK, to the horror of members of the Green Party who can't help themselves from guessing wildly about the amount of environmental damage that the vessel leaves in it's wake. Story at the BBC.

The Age, Australia, seems to think that Santa's sleigh is named the CSCL NEW YORK. (It also mentions that the EMMA MAERSK is too big for any Australian Port.)

Containership-Info has high resolution photos of the EMMA MAERSK.

Murdoc Online has an image from space of a US Aircraft Carrier, landlocked in China.

Beyond Katrina has news of environmentalists suing to end bluefin tuna fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Petrobras Oil of Brazil has an interactive diagram of a fixed offshore oil platform.

This (Bulgarian?) website has photos in a post titled "Lords of the Logistic."

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, go to Cape Cod Today and read a summary of the voyage of the MAYFLOWER that brought the pilgrims to the new world.

Haight's Maritime Items (Homepage) has:

Right to maintenance and cure lost through concealment - The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that a mariner forfeits his right to recover maintenance and cure for personal injury when he knowingly or fraudulently conceals his condition from the vessel owner at the time of employment. In the instant case, plaintiff seaman applied to employment with defendant shipowner. As part of the hiring process, the shipowner required new employees to complete a medical history questionnaire. On the questionnaire, plaintiff indicated that he had never had back, neck, or spine trouble or received chiropractic treatment. In fact, plaintiff had injured his back several times, most recently in a work-related incident six months earlier, for which he sought treatment from both an orthopedist and a chiropractor and filed a workers’ compensation claim. Evidence showed that defendant would not have hired plaintiff if it knew of his medical history. Plaintiff suffered back injury one week after being hired as a deckhand. He then brought suit seeking maintenance and cure, as well as damages under the Jones Act for personal injury. The court held that recovery for maintenance and cure was barred where plaintiff actively concealed material facts relating to his physical condition and medical history from his prospective employer. Jauch v. Nautical Services, Inc., No. 05-30466 (5th Cir., November 9, 2006).

and:

UK – maritime forger removed from country - The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a press notice stating that a foreign national residing temporarily in the UK has been removed from the country after twice attempting to gain approval to study at a UK marine college. Both applications included forged documents purporting to show that the applicant had maritime experience qualifying him for such training. (11/9/06).

Fairplay Daily News has this amusing story:

Grimaldi blasts Finnlines hypocrites - Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of Italian ro-ro operator Grimaldi Naples, has questioned the intentions of the two members of the Finnlines board seeking to block the proposed takeover. “The two board members who advised colleagues not to recommend the offer to other shareholders because the price was too low are the same hypocrites who earlier sold us their shares at the same price,” he said. He described the offer as “fair and reasonable” but the outcome would only become clear on 1 December when the offer is closed. “Those who wish to stay as shareholders, thereby showing great faith in our capacity to manage Finnlines, are certainly welcome,” Grimaldi added, blaming the disruption to the complexities of Finnish commercial law. “We are in transition between the national and EU ruling for this kind of operation; this is probably the first case in this sector to go under a transitional law.” Grimaldi pointed to Finnlines’ presence in St Petersburg, a strategic port for Moscow, where the growth of car and truck traffic is expected to be rapid.Lloyd's Register - Fairplay

Finally, Senator DeMint has introduced legislation to phrohibit the issuance of Transportation Worker Identity Cards (TWIC) to 'serious Felons'. As he mentions, this was the original plan, but some unnamed Congressman/men stripped the provision out of the bill before both Houses approved the version sent to the President. Here is the Senator's Press release:

DeMint Introduces Bill Banning Serious Felons from Working at US Ports - Senator urges Congress to pass Secure Port Workforce Act

November 14th, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) introduced The Secure Port Workforce Act, a bill that would prevent serious felons from having access to secure areas at American ports. U.S. Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada) is an original cosponsor.

“We can spend all the money in the world screening cargo but if we don’t screen the people working at our ports, we can’t expect to prevent a terrorist attack,” said Senator DeMint. “A serious felon is a prime target for those trying to smuggle a nuclear device or chemical weapon into our country. Trusting convicted murderers and weapons smugglers with secure access to our ports allows the fox to guard the henhouse and this legislation will put a stop to it.”

In language nearly identical to prohibitions at American airports, The Secure Port Workforce Act would deny access to secure areas in our ports to serious felons who have been convicted of: Espionage; Sedition; Treason; Terrorism; Crimes involving transportation security; Improper transport of a hazardous material; Unlawful use of an explosive device; Murder; Violations of the RICO Act where one of the above crimes is a predicate act; Conspiracy to commit any of these crimes.

It would also bar convicted felons who have been convicted in the last seven years (or incarcerated in the last five years) of: Assault with intent to murder; Kidnapping or hostage taking; Rape or aggravated sexual abuse; Unlawful use of a firearm; Extortion; Fraud; Bribery; Smuggling; Immigration violations; Racketeering; Robbery; Drug dealing; Arson; Conspiracy to commit any of these crimes.

This language passed the Senate unanimously as part of The SAFE Ports Act. Unfortunately, the language was quietly gutted in conference leaving only a prohibition on convicted traitors, spies and terrorists from having access to the secure areas of our ports. This population of criminals is so small it doesn’t begin to address the security problems at our ports. No legislator took credit for this change in conference, however the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced it lobbied Congress to remove the DeMint language:

ILWU’s The Dispatcher, October 2006: “Congress will return after the election in a ‘lame duck’ session and work through part of November and December. We have heard rumors that Senator DeMint (R-SC) is particularly angry with the ILWU’s successful lobbying effort to strip his anti-labor provision. He may attempt to amend another piece of legislation, so the union will stay on guard to protect its members’ interests.”

“The Secure Port Workforce Act will be the first test of the new calls for bipartisanship on critical issues facing our nation,” said Senator DeMint. “Leaders of both parties are on record fully supporting this measure and it deserves immediate passage. The safety and security of our nation’s ports is far too important to push off to another Congress.”

Law enforcement officials recently underscored the threat our ports face when traditional crime, particularly organized crime, works with terrorists. Only weeks ago, the FBI apprehended a member of the Russian mafia attempting to sell missiles to an FBI agent he thought was acting as a middleman for terrorists. Joseph Billy Jr., the FBI’s top counterterrorism official, commented that the FBI is “continuing to look for a nexus,” between organized crime and terrorists and that they “are looking at this very aggressively.”

Joseph King, a former Customs Service agent and now a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, outlined the concerns of serious felons looking the other way when suspected cargo enters U.S. ports. “It’s an invitation to smuggling of all kinds,” he said. “Instead of bringing in 50 kilograms of heroin, what would stop them from bringing in five kilograms of plutonium?” A criminal in one of our ports may think he is just helping smuggle in drugs, but inadvertently be helping smuggle a weapon of mass destruction into the United States.

Senator DeMint is a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation which has jurisdiction over the program that regulates who can access secure areas in ports.

Don't hold your breath that this will be passed any time soon.

Sponsorship:
Send me an email (address in the sidebar) if you would like to sponsor an edition of Maritime Monday. I accept money and gear.

Previous Editions:
Here.

Shocking: Warrantless Search at Airport Naps Suspected Terrorist Entering the US

While the Democrats drone on about the US listening in on international phone calls made by suspected terrorists without warrants, perhaps they should expand their 'terrorist protection agenda' to include those crossing into and out of the US:

A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.

Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.

When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $59,000. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files. - BreitBart

This was all done without a warrant as he was returning to the US and of course Customs has a free hand with everyone coming back to the US. It gets better:

At a court hearing Wednesday, Dinssa was ordered held in custody until at least until Monday at the request of prosecutors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller argued Dinssa was a potential risk to the community and federal agents want to get a warrant to search his computer more thoroughly, The Detroit News reported Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Donald Scheer approved Feller's request to detain him.

Dinssa, who is from Dallas, arrived in Detroit from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam and was headed for Phoenix, Feller said. He is charged with concealing more than $10,000 in his luggage, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the Detroit Free Press reported. - BreitBart

So now that he has been identified as a possible threat or criminal (He lied and was caught with undeclared cash.) they will obtain a warrant to go completely through his laptop and hold his ass in jail until they better understand what he was up to. So the system works as it should.

No mention on whether he was a muslim or not. Nigeria does have a substantial muslim population and chances are good that he has some connection to more radical elements of the Nigerian muslim population based on three facts; he is unemployed, was caught with larges amounts of cash, had in his possession documentation about nuclear materials and poison.

So why is this important? Well instead of bringing back the files on a computer, he could have faxed it back or explained the relevant parts of the documentation via a phone call. Currently the US can snoop in on international calls without a warrant. The Democrats want to change that. While they are at it, why not just require warrants for each of the millions of people coming back to the US if the Government wants to search them. Of course that's ridiculous, as is requiring warrants for international phone calls, faxes and mail.

There is now additional information from Little Green Footballs:

Oddly enough, the AP wire story leaves out some important facts; namely, that he was born in Ethiopia, and that he had just spent four months in Nigeria: Airport arrest turns up nuclear info.

And even more oddly, not one of the news agencies thinks we need to know his religion. - Little Green Footballs

I am going to go out on a limb and bet that this guy was up to some terrorist related activities. Lets see how quickly the muslim community comes to his defence. At least he is looking at five years in prison for the hidden cash. That's a good start.

Update: 17 November 06

Someone thought this story was important enough to email it to a person in Nigeria. The real interesting part is that they used a Satcom link to check out the post. Just who in Nigeria uses Sat communication? Might it be the same type of people who hand out tens of thousands to 'unemployed Americans'? There was a real interest in the story here, they wasted 5 minutes on it. (OK, unlikely, but possible.)


Also:

Signs That Allah is Not on Your Side

Update: 29 November 2006

Here is a link to view the Official Criminal Complaint.

Maritime Monday 33

Welcome to this weeks Maritime Monday.

Please submit articles for inclusion in next week' edition using the following submit form at Blog Carnival. You are also welcome to email photos for inclusion in future editions. I know there's a boatload of interesting photos out there!

This Weeks Photos:

Think containers are big. Here is a Lighter Aboard Ship (LASH) Vessel. One of the great benefits of this type of vessel was the simple fact that it did not need access to a dock. The barges are lowered from the stern and tugs take them to the final customers. In places like Africa, the barge can be moored right to small dock or even a riverbank where it can be unloaded with the best means available.

There were a number of interests that did not like this idea both at home and abroad, like stevedore unions for one, and some legislation (I think in Japan) severely limited the viability of this type of transport. As you can see, some are still around, thanks to a simple fact that many things do not fit inside standard shipping containers.

(The LASH vessel ATLANTIC FOREST in Port Canaveral, Florida)

Photos from the Port Canaveral Website.
More information available at GlobalSecurity.org.

This Weeks Items:

Marex Newsletter covers the death of a vessel pilot in Boston. The third pilot death in the US this year.

EagleSpeak has a Veteran's Day tribute, including the heroic story of US Merchant Marine Academy Graduate Edwin O'Hara last defensive acts on the merchant ship SS STEPHEN HOPKINS during WWII. He also points out that USMMA is the only Federal Academy authorized to carry a Battle Standard and the only Academy whose students are regularly ordered into war zones. (Federal law prevents students form other academies from being in warzones.)

The Ledger has the story of a WWII Merchant Mariner who was at Iwo Jima.

In yet another example of how Shipping Companies treat their crews like crap poorly, Helsingin Sanomat has coverage of the drunken escapades of Estonia's Tallink Board of Directors during a cruise on their newly acquired SILJA SYMPHONY.

In From the Cold has India's detention of the North Korean mystery vessel, the M/V OMRANI-II after it suffered mechanical problems off the Indian Coast. Turns out, the vessel was empty, adding to the mystery surrounding the vessel.

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League covers the grounding of the tanker KRISTIN POLING in New York.

This French Blog has photos of the Panama-Flag ROKIA DELMAS hard aground in France. I have no update, but from the recent photos, it appears that the vessel is not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Monitor has a summary of the kidnapping (and release) of two western oil workers from the ship they were working on offshore.

Neptunus Lex has the story of the US Navy coming to the rescue of yet another Iranian dhow.

Lawhawk at A Blog For All notes that the US Navy has agreed to assist in the removal of the USS INTREPID from it's mud prison on Manhattan's upper West Side. The Aircraft Carrier/Museum was headed for shipyard renovation until the mud around the vessel turned out to be a bigger problem than expected.

Nothing to do with Arbroath covers the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service's orders to a Containership to either capture of kill a rogue monkey seen onboard prior to docking. (I guess the Australians are not familiar with the adventures of 'Curious George')

Alaska Report has news of the Panama-Flagged GLOBAL HAWK whose cargo of logs has shifted in a storm. The vessel is now listing.

Divester has coverage of the project to sink the USNS GENERAL HOYT S. VANDENBERG in order to turn it into an artificial reef. They are trying to raise the remaining funds by selling the right to names the reef on ebay. Opening bid received $900,000. Auction here. Here is the homepage of the Artificial Reefs of the Keys, which is organizing this sinking. You can make a smaller donation here.

Fredrik and Crew on MAIKEN has great eyewitness coverage and photos of the birth of an island off Tonga. More at Matangi Tonga Online.

Thomas Paine's Corner covers Ship Breaking in Bangladesh. (Explore the rest of that blog at your own risk.)

Avant News explores 'what if' the Airbus A380 was retooled into a jet-powered, wide-bodied superboat.

Haight's Maritime Items has:

In memoriam – sinking of the EDMUND FITZGERALD - On this date in 1975, the S.S. EDMUND FITZGERALD sank in Lake Superior during a strong storm. All 29 crewmembers died. The tragedy resulted in several books, numerous Internet sites, and a hit song for Gordon Lightfoot – The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. (11/10/06).

Fairplay Daily News has:

Le Joola: French judges close in - PARIS 08 November – French judges investigating on the sinking of the Senegalese ferry Le Joola are hoping to be able to issue international arrest warrants soon against those responsible. More than 2,000 lives were lost in the tragedy, which occurred off Gambia in September 2002. "Even with the lack of co-operation of Senegal and Gambia, the French judges working on behalf of the victims' families have now collected sufficient documents and testimonies to say who bears some responsibility in the disaster," said Me Etienne Rosenthal, a lawyer representing the victims' families. A number of high profile political figures in Senegal at the time of the accident are likely to be prosecuted. Among them are the former armed forces minister, the chief of the army, the navy chief (Le Joola was managed by the navy), the former transport minister and the former prime minister. However, one observer commented that arresting these people could prove sensitive from a diplomatic point of view as the action is being taken by French judiciary, not Senegalese. Nevertheless, France – which lost 22 citizens in the sinking – has been left with little choice because Senegal closed all investigations into the accident simply on the grounds that the captain went down with his ship. Local families were poorly compensated. French judges have highlighted the incredible amount of negligence surrounding the loss of the ferry and say people who bear responsibility will be sued for severe negligence, involuntary homicide and failure to assist persons in danger. Lloyd's Register - Fairplay

Lloyds List has:

Crew die after waves slam crude carrier - TWO seafarers were killed and another seriously injured after huge waves hit the crude oil tanker FR8 Venture near Orkney, off Scotland's coast on Saturday.

The incident happened shortly after the Singapore-flagged, 74,065 dwt vessel left the Pentland Firth, near Orkney, en route to Houston, Texas, in heavy storms. Shetland coastguard received a call from the vessel at around 12.40pm and a rescue helicopter was rushed to the scene.

Both men however were already dead, while the other was airlifted to hospital, according to news reports. The men were believed to have been standing on the deck when a huge wave, more than 20 feet high, struck the tanker. It was loaded with 75,000 tonnes of crude oil.

The vessel, built this year, is owned by Singapore-based FR8 Shipmanagement. It was steered back to port at Scapa Flow and investigations are underway. The area had been experiencing severe weather conditions over the last year days. - Lloydslist

Rantburg points out that the US Congress is running out of time to pass legislation easing offshore oil drilling restrictions. (Because we all know that the next Congress won't do it.)

Finally, this is also the last moments for the US House and Senate to pass the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2005" during their lame-duck session of Congress. This is not likely to happen as Senator Larry Craig (Chair of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee) and Congressman Steve Buyer (Chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs) have refused to let the bill (S1272 and HR 23) out of their respective committees for a vote. Why, because the estimated cost of $36 million the first year "is too expensive." And this from people who have no problem allocating over a billion dollars for two bridges to nowhere in Alaska (Yes, two bridges). Just one more reason why the Republicans lost this last election.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Just Compensation Committee, a non- profit unincorporated committee of Veterans representing the interests of World War II Merchant Marine veterans, announced today that Congressman Buyer (R-IN) is withholding a full committee vote on H.R. 23 , a proposed bill that would compensate remaining World War II Merchant Marine veterans that were denied the G.I. Bill of Rights that the other military services received following the conclusion of World War II. H.R. 23 has been awaiting a full- committee vote for the past several months, but has been road blocked by Congressman Buyer for political purposes. Currently, H.R. 23 has 267 co- sponsors and is allocating $1,000 a month for remaining Merchant Marine veterans and their widows.

"The Merchant Mariners of World War II sacrificed their lives in order for troops, ammunition, gasoline, military equipment and supplies to reach the war front overseas, and to still prevent these remaining veterans from being compensated for their service in the name of politics by Chairman Buyers is devastating," said Ian Allison, co-chair of the Just Compensation Committee.

"It's not only wrong but also unethical to spend billions of dollars on the Iraq War and still refuse a committee vote for thousands of World War II veterans from an entire auxiliary service that have been trying for over 60 years to gain some compensation for the G.I. Bill of Rights they were denied. How you treat your veterans from yesteryears is a good indication on how you plan to treat veterans from today's wars." As of October 2006, H.R. 23 has collected 267 co-signers while the Senate companion bill S. 1272 has collected 41 co-signers. - Full Press Release

This is not surprising. Don't expect the Democrats to pass this one next year either.

John Bolton's Replacement: John Kerry

President Bush is pushing to get John Bolton Confirmed as the US Ambassador to the UN before the Democrats take control of Congress and kill his nomination. I am not sure of his chances of getting confirmed now, but the Democrats have basically said that they will not let him pass once they are calling the shots:

Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the expected chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a Democrat-led Senate, said on Wednesday he thought Bolton's nomination was "going nowhere."

"I never saw a real enthusiasm on the Republican side to begin with. There's none on our side," Biden said. Reuters

Redstate has the following comments:

Prior to the election Bolton had begun to draw praise from some of his past detractors, seemingly winning them over. This includes the alleged “unenthusiastic” Republicans.

Mr. Bush will now attempt to get Bolton confirmed before the new Congress begins. Look for some ignominious delay from committee Democrats to stall Bolton’s nomination until next session. Perhaps even some political horse trading from the few “moderates” that will be around in January. - Redstate

Bolton has been doing a great job at the UN (when you comment otherwise, please include facts!) so there might be enough to get him nominated now. At least the 'thumping' the Republicans got might encourage them to leave one last parting present for the Dems before they hanover the keys. However there is always the possibility that the bipartisanship really means once they have control bipartisanship. Which in the way that DC works is fine. It's their right.

So who should President Bush consider nominating next? Maybe nobody. Not for anything, but we have not been getting anything useful out of the UN so perhaps we see how leaving the seat empty for a while works. Would that leave Bolton to continue on until someone is confirmed to take his seat? Not sure, but lets assume that the President must appoint someone. Why not John Kerry? He has long proclaimed about his good relationship with foreign leaders. I would think that being America's Ambassador to the UN would be a perfect position for him. Of course he would have to give up his Senate seat, but he really doesn't need that any longer as his Presidential aspirations died when he failed to beat George Bush. sure the seat will go to another Democrat, but who cares. If Kerry is not interested, then Bush should work his way through the Dem ranks in the spirit of bipartisanship. They have critized Bolton being at the UN, surely they can do better. But first, one of them needs to step forward for the job.

Hopefully, Bolton will be confirmed, leaving this whole post as an excercise in theory.

Bush makes push for approval of UN envoy Bolton - Reuters
Democrats to Oppose Bolton - Redstate

.

Hamas Declares War on US

It seems that the mainstream media,MSM, missed this little piece of news while covering the Democrats victory in the recent elections.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas' military wing called Wednesday on Muslims around the world to attack American targets following reports that an Israeli tank strike killed 18 people in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. The Hamas-led Palestinian government distanced itself from the call, saying its fight was with Israel. Hamas terrorists have historically directed their suicide bombings and rocket attacks only against Israeli targets.

"America is offering political, financial and logistic cover for the Zionist occupation crimes, and it is responsible for the Beit Hanoun massacre. Therefore, the people and the nation all over the globe are required to teach the American enemy tough lessons," Hamas' military wing said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

But Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said the group had no intention of attacking American targets. - NY Sun

Notice how they are trying to differentiate between the Hamas Government and the Hamas Military wing. This is like the Pentagon declaring war on North Korea and the White House 'distancing itself' from the statement. It might work that way when you are a terrorist group, but it does not work that way when your also the Government.

But who is really in charge here?

Hamas' political wing, led by Prime Minister Haniyeh, tries to distinguish itself from the military wing. But the two entities both report to the group's exiled leadership, based in Syria, and frequently coordinate with each other. - NY Sun

In other words the call to attack American targets around the world was approved by the Hamas leadership in Syria and both the Hamas Government and the Hamas military wing have the same bosses.

The whole point of having any distinction at all is to provide some sort of plausible deniability to their terrorist actions as well as permit some of the group to operate in the open, in support of the terrorist wing, of course.

At the end of the day, I read the statement by Hamas above as a declaration of war. I am not sure why they would do that as they have things 'relatively good' at the moment with the US limiting action against them to finantial sanctions. I am not sure they want to really get the US's attention. After all, there is available cell space in Gitmo and the US can target them with air strikes as well.

Previouse posts about Hamas:
Be Careful What You Ask For: HAMAS - 28 January 06
Be Careful What You Ask For: HAMAS UPDATE - 11 July 06
HAMAS: Child Abuse - 19 July 06
Hamas: Child Abuse - Staged? - 26 July 06
Signs that Allah (God) is not on Your Side: - 28 July 05

Hamas

Election Day 2006 Update (Updated Post Election)

Just got back from Voting in McLean, VA. Over 600 people have voted in the first half of the alphabet (last names) and the line for the second half of the alphabet was much bigger. With this being Northern Virginia, I am not sure if that is good or bad, but I will take it as a good sign.

I waited ten minutes in line to vote. There were at least six machines and they were electric touch screens. Once my turn was up I had my two-year old daughter work the machine without any problems.

There was still a steady stream of voters as we left just before 6. There is just an hour left of voting.

I still feel confident to stand by my earlier prediction that the Republicans will retain both houses of Congress, and that the will be a general meltdown within the Democrat Party. Lets see what happens. It should be interesting. Time to pop the corn and pop open the sparkling wine.

POST ELECTION UPDATE:

Seems that my prediction was a little off. No matter, it's all good. I look forward to the Democrats explain just what their new direction is.

Pelosi, Murtha, Conyers, Rangel and 'Freezer' Jefferson (yes, he won too) will provide no end of amusing material to blog about.

God help us if the terrorists attack us again. Strange that the areas most likely to be attacked by terrorists are those who voted Democrat. Isn't that ironic.

As for the Republicans. Time for you guys to clean out the dead wood. It should not be hard to find good people to run against some of these Democrats.

CNN finds two Lamont Voters in Connecticut

By all accounts Senator Lieberman will retain his Senate seat, being elected as an Independent over millionaire Democrat Ned Lamont. But somehow CNN managed to find not one, but two people who declared that they voted for 'Ned' today:

Unsurprisingly, the chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties talked optimistically as voters went to the polls Tuesday. "I believe we're going to defy the experts and maintain our majority in the House and the Senate," GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman said on CBS's "The Early Show."

Countered Howard Dean, his Democratic opposite number: "If you want change, we can give you change." That's just what 60-year-old Ron Bowman, a Democrat from Windsor, Connecticut, had on his mind when he went out to vote first thing Tuesday.

"It was a chance for a change," he said, after casting his ballot for Democratic senatorial candidate Ned Lamont over incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman, running as an
independent.

Another voter who echoed Bowman's sentiment, Shirley Swanson of Windsor, said that she, too, voted for Lamont. "He's not Lieberman. Joe isn't listening to us," she said. - CNN

I just wonder how many voters the reporter had to interview in Windsor, Connecticut to find these two? At least now Connecticut Democrat voters are giving 'Joe' a reason not to listen to them. They better hope that they don't need to count on his seat to take over the Senate.

Election Day 2006

Finally, one last day of electioneering before all hell breaks loose on Wednesday when the Democrat leadership has to explain to those that they sold a victory to just how they failed to pick up either house of Congress despite an 'unpopular' President and Republican Congress.

Either way, it's over as of Wednesday, until they start the race for President.

I will leave you with this piece of propaganda from a favorite store of mine, Patagonia:

Don't forget to vote on November 7

What does your vote on November 7th mean? It could mean the difference between a protected Arctic for those that depend on it, or a Refuge opened to an oil industry that could gain from it. It could mean new protections for ocean ecosystems, or more pollution and overfishing. Your vote could keep your favorite stretch of river, backcountry climbing crag or secret camping spot just as you love it today, or make them vulnerable to logging, drilling and other destructive activities. Our world stands on a tipping point. Decisions made today about renewable energy, ocean protection, public lands and more will determine the future health of our planet and significantly affect the wild places we play in and the sports we love. Next Tuesday, your vote will decide which path we follow. Nearly 130 critical Governor, Senate and House of Representatives seats, not to mention countless state and local races, hang in the balance. Each one will help chart our future course. Be sure to know your candidates' environmental voting records before going to the polls, and then get out and Vote the Environment next Tuesday, November 7th. Learn about your candidates' environmental records 'Nuff said. Photo: Amy Kumler

I can't really say that Republicans are worse for the environment than Democrats. It is kind of like being at the grocery store and the clerk asks "Paper or plastic?" What kind of choice is that? I can either kill a tree or damage the environment. Lets not give President Bush any credit either. He created the world's largest marine reserves off the Hawaii Islands.

Establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a strictly protected marine reserve, which Bush is slated to announce this afternoon, could prove to be the administration's most enduring environmental legacy. The roughly 100-mile-wide area encompasses a string of uninhabited islands that support more than 7,000 marine species, at least a fourth of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

The islands include almost 70 percent of the nation's tropical, shallow-water coral reefs, a rookery for 14 million seabirds, and the last refuge for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the threatened green sea turtle. The area also has an abundance of large predatory fish at a time when 90 percent of such species have disappeared from the world's oceans. - Slate

Both parties do both good and bad for the environment. Members of both parties have been busted for driving to and from Eco events in SUVs only to hop into a hybrid just around the corner from the events. Many of them are too lazy to walk short distances instead opting to burn more gas. Unfortunately, there is little talk on actually making our use of energy more efficient, which is the best, easiest way to reduce our need for foreign oil.

Then there are the terrorists that the Republicans are fighting. I bet that suicide bombers are bad for the environment. So the republicans are helping in that way as well.

Back to the article above. The worst part is the photo. Their bias is showing. I am not outraged. I am paying attention, but I take it that I am not paying attention the way they want me to. So thanks Patagonia for calling me a stupid dumbass and environment killer. Thanks much. I feel so good about buying your products. I wonder how many more conservatives who got your message and feel the same way I do. Did you get any feedback? I bet you did and I bet others were not as considerate as I am here.

The real shame here is that Patagonia puts out these great catalogs with wonderful pictures of nature. They could have gone positive and used one of them. Instead they took a protest picture and went negative. That's too bad.

I will leave you with a picture of a downy woodpecker that I took last week while bird watching. See, conservatives can appreciate nature too!

P.S.

REMEMBER TO VOTE!

Maritime Monday 32

Welcome to Maritime Monday 32!

Please submit articles for inclusion in next week' edition using the following submit form at Blog Carnival. You are also welcome to email photos for inclusion in future editions. I know there's a boatload of interesting photos out there!

This Weeks Photos:

The Swedish-Flag RORO FINNBIRCH was one of a number of vessels to go to the bottom around the world this week. This sinking took the lives of two seamen, one from Sweden and the other from the Philippines. This sinking appears to be weather-related. Accidents do happen and when they happen at sea people get hurt and die.

Last moments of the FINNBIRCH


FINNBIRCH during better times
This Weeks Items:

Wikipedia has a summary of the life of the RORO vessel FINNBIRCH which sank last week in a storm.

EagleSpeak has coverage of the dramatic decline in pirate attacks, except in Bangladesh. Also covered: "U.S. Navy captured Somali pirates get jail time instead of death."

Think sailors are rough. DieselDuck at The Monitor provides a shocking example of how rough it can be on a fishing vessel:

As the subject of a bet on whether sharks would attack him, Paulo Romero Cedeno was stripped naked, washed in fish blood and thrown into the ocean. There in the dark water, in the black of night, the young man heard the crew of the fishing vessel laughing at him. Then the captain snapped on a light and, after a few moments, dragged him aboard. He was later beaten by crew members who'd lost money betting he would die. - The Monitor

Go read the whole thing. (I would have bet that he would have lived but I would not end up on a ship that treats it's crew like bait.)

The BBC has news of the International Community delivering a letter of protest to Iceland over its resumption of commercial whaling. (Which will take nowhere near the number of whales that Japan takes for 'scientific' purposes like the 35 whales recently caught by Japan.)

Taipei Times covers the Governments pressure on their Coast Guard to stand up to Japan.

The Seattle Times has the story of the coming end of fish as food due to overfishing within the next 50 years.

A Lady's Ruminations covers the stowaway incident in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, resulting in one dead from jumping overboard to avoid capture. (That he managed as his body has yet to be found.)

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League has news of the hijacking of the UAE-Flagged M/V FISHANA off the coast of Somalia.

The Vancouver Sun covers the suspension of two former crewmembers of the ferry QUEEN OF THE NORTH after they refused to be interviewed about the vessel's sinking.

Chaotic Synaptic Activity has a Sea Story involving conservation of fresh water aboard.

Marine Log has news and images of the approval of a new type of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) Carrier that stores the gas inside huge coils of small diameter steel pipe. Interesting concept. It's call the Sea NG Design.

EcoGeek has coverage of the shark's fin design Generating electricity from wave power.

Not bad for a Cubicle explains the problems of calculating the insurance risk in relation to rogue waves.

The Stupid Shall Be Punished remembers the Soviet sub running aground while spying in Swedish waters 25 years ago.

Neptunus Lex discusses the naming of vessels, namely aircraft carriers. Seems that Congress is not too keen on naming the new series of carriers the AMERICA class instead suggesting that they be named after President Ford. (America's first carrier was named the AMERICA.)

Do you know what was the worst maritime disaster in history? One might be the sinking of the German passenger ship WILHELM GUSTLOFF during WWII. The vessel's website calls it the "the greatest unknown single disaster in modern history" with between 7 and 10 thousand lives lost. (TITANIC has about 1500 victims.)

Marex Newsletter has news of China ordering four VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers).

In the Merchant Navy has a list of different types of fog.

Posters on the Cruise Critic message board discuss some questionable behavior of a group of 500 gay men ('Bears') who sailed on RCCL's MARINER OF THE SEAS which according to some posters including the filming of gay porn. If that's not enough for you, then check out the comments about hundreds of 'swingers' who shared Carnival Cruise's INSPIRATION with about 1,000 other passengers. (Just in case you ned yet another reason not to take a cruise.)

Haight's Maritime Items has:

Indefinitely moored vessel not subject of admiralty jurisdiction - In an unpublished opinion, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that an indefinitely moored gaming vessel is not a vessel for purposes of general maritime law and not subject to the admiralty jurisdiction of federal courts. In the instant case, the gaming vessel was afloat, but had not moved since arriving at its Lakes Charles mooring in 2001. The owners had no intention of moving the vessel. Plaintiff alleged personal injury from a slip-and-fall on carpeting outside the elevator. The court held that there was no jurisdiction to hear the case in admiralty. De La Rosa v. St. Charles Gaming Company, Inc., No. 05-41563 (5th Cir., October 31, 2006).

Lloyd's List has:

‘Unrealistic’ crew demands lead to stress and fatigue - CASUAL labour arrangements for seafarers and unrealistic demands for fast port turnrounds combine to subject a majority of the world’s seafarers to high levels of stress and fatigue, the Nautical Institute president has complained.

Speaking at a joint meeting of the Solent Branch of the NI and the Royal Institute of Navigation, serving shipmaster Captain Nicholas Cooper said that ruthless cost-cutting, commercial pressure and a tenfold increase in legislation and administration have eroded the possibility of rest and recreation and greatly increased the pressure on seafarers. The Nautical Institute president also suggested that the stress levels and fatigue are also added to by unsympathetic shore authorities, such as customs, immigration and port state inspectors in many parts of the world. These officials he accused of being “arrogant, over-zealous and aggressive”, treating those aboard ships “with suspicion and even contempt.” In such circumstances, he said, it is easy to see why morale aboard so many ships is “at rock bottom”.

Masters in particular, in so many companies, said Captain Cooper, feel that despite all the legislation apparently deferring to the master’s authority, they work under constant fear of dismissal if they are late on schedule, because of fog or heavy weather, or they record hours of rest violations which could put them under the scrutiny of port state control. The majority of masters, he points out, can be put in an impossible situation, being told by owners to manage their time more efficiently, if they wish to go to anchor to catch up on rest. The owners, who have instructed the master to comply with STCW procedures are “off the hook” and can blame the master for any subsequent problems. The NI president accuses owners, operators, charterers, managers and terminals of putting unrealistic pressures on ships. He also foresees little improvement in the seafarer’s lot over fatigue and stress problems as long as casual labour arrangements prevail in so much of the world’s shipping. - (Michael Grey)

Fairplay Daily News has:

Germans show short-sea frustration - HAMBURG 02 November – German port and terminal managers are frustrated at how slowly shippers and shipping lines are committing to the EU's ‘motorways of the sea’ programme. Speaking at the annual press conference of the Association of German port companies in Hamburg, Heinrich Ahlers, managing director of short-sea terminal operator Rhenus Midgard, said the company has not yet received any additional business from the EU initiative. Ulrich Bauermeister, head of port development in Rostock, echoed this view. “Traditional short-sea services, for example between the continent and the UK, have exhibited fantastic growth rates. But we have not witnessed any meaningful action on motorways of the sea projects towards Spain or the Mediterranean, as envisaged by the programme,” he explained. Ahlers highlighted two major obstacles. First of all, exporters of white goods and similar consumer products are very reluctant to shift from road to sea, he said, because they regard ship transit times as insufficient compared with land transport. Secondly, there is a lack of fast modern ro/ro vessels suited for the motorways of the sea. These tend to be rather high-spec and expensive, Ahlers said. - Fairplay

German Coast Guard Video:
Enjoy this short video of the German Coast Guard.




Finally:

We have all heard what Senator Kerry thinks about those who choose to serve in the US Military. I can image how lowly he regards those who choose to sail in the US Merchant Marine. Keep that in mind, with the fact that all the major US Maritime unions endorsed him for President in 2004.

Sponsorship:
Send me an email (address in the sidebar) if you would like to sponsor an edition of Maritime Monday. I accept money and gear.

Message From IT: Please Archive your 6.8 Gigs of Email

I have been fingered as the number one email abuser in a company of over 100 employees. Over 97,000 message items taking up over 6.8 gigabytes of the email server's storage space. The messages go back to the latter part of 2003 when I changed departments. At the time I archived almost 800 megabytes of email related to my old position.

I have put off archiving until now because it is not possible to search the archived messages remotely. That can be a problem since I often deal with issues that have been unraveling over the course of a couple of years. It is not a problem when I am in the office, but can be a huge inconvenience when I am out traveling.

Just remember, the email that you delete is the email that you will need later on. Of course it can also be the email that prosecutors will use to send you to jail, but only if your doing something illegal.

One lesson learned in all of this is that outlook does not let you cap mailboxes that are already over 2 gigs in size.

I hate emails. Worse yet, the replies sent out to clients addressing their problems are not even read by those sending the original messages. This must be one of the rings of hell.

German Army NOT Using the Nazi Afrika Corps Symbol.

It is in the news that soldiers of the German Army are digging up old Nazi Symbols.

An inquiry has been launched following claims that German soldiers preparing for a tour of duty in Afghanistan displayed a Nazi-era emblem on an official vehicle. Today's edition of the magazine Stern contains a picture which allegedly shows the car with a palm tree and iron cross on it being used at a holding camp in Oman five years ago. Its believed to be a clear reference to an emblem used by the "Afrika Corps" during the Second World War, under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. - EuroNews

Here is the photo:

Now here is the old Nazi Afrika Corps Symbol.

Sure, if you really want to stretch your imagination, then just possibly it might be the same Nazi symbol. However, I just don't see it. And did you catch that, the photo is five years old! (It might be that the Afrika Corps logo was the inspiration for the new logo, but militaries are steeped in tradition, and you can bet that some Nazi traditions can still be found in their modern military with some other traditions pre-dating the Nazi Period. Anyway, if you don't look back, then you can never learn from your mistakes.)

I bet however that their are symbols all over Germany that can be connected in some way back to the Nazi past. Take Lufthansa (or Volkswagen for that matter.) They were around, or created by the Nazis. However, they were completely rebuilt as new entities after the war. So this news is more propaganda, surely put out by those in Germany who are against German Forces in Afghanistan, nothing more.