Maritime Monday 55

Welcome to this weeks edition of Maritime Monday.

You can find Maritime Monday 5 here. (Published 16 April, 2006)

This Weeks Photos:
Here are some photos of the M/T TEMPERA, which is an oil tanker that has the ability to travel through ice without the need for an icebreaker escort.

The 105,000 dwt M/T Tempera, built in Japan for Fortum Shipping, which has now arrived to its home waters for the first time, as well as M/T Mastera that will be completed later, are the first cargo ships of this double-acting type in the world. In open water, they can reach a speed of 17 knots, and thanks to their efficient icebreaking capacity that can be achieved while running with stern first, they are entitled to the highest IA Super Ice Class with their engine power of 16 MW. Using conventional technology they would require as much as 25 MW. These vessels are able to navigate independently in the Baltic Sea area. - Marine Link, November, 2002

Click on the link above to read about the vessel's Azipod Propulsion system.



(Bow-first. Notice the shape of the bow.)
(Stern-First in Icebreaker Mode)

The images can be found at Neste Oil, here.

This Weeks Items:

Eagle Speak has ""Al Qaeda's Maritime Threat" an essay by Akiva Lorenz of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism"

Millard Fillmore's Bathtub has the 60th anniversary of the Texas City disaster when ammonium nitrate fertilizer cargo on the SS GRANDCHAMP and then the SS HIGH FLYER exploded causing the worst industrial accident in the US, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League has the fire and abandon ship of the Argentine-Flag icebreaker ALMIRANTE IRIZAR.

Lawhawk at A Blog For All has the WWII Aircraft Carrier USS ENTERPRISE entering drydock for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Alaska Report has questions over why some beaches still have oil from the EXXON VALDEZ spill that happened 18 years ago.

Marine Log has Royal Caribbean's order for a second 5,400-passenger GENISIS-Class passenger ship.

The Space Review has a critical look at the EU's Galileo satellite Navigation System, knocking the 'official' reasons brought forward for building it. (And points out the similarities to the (initially) failed Iridium Satellite Communication System.)

RigZone has the discovery of oil off the coast of Vietnam.

American Shipper has the promise that the Port of New York and New Jersey will be one of the ports to test TWIC readers. There is no mention if these card readers will also be checking the card-holder's biometrics. (I hope this is not true. You test in small ports and deploy in big ones. Anyway, rule #1, never be a guinea pig!)

Julie has a great photo album with commentary of the accident and her evacuation of the SEA DIAMOND in Santorini. (Be sure to click through them.)

Cruise Bruise has the nightmare of cruise vessel calls on the small town of Bar Harbor, Maine.

The International Herald Tribune has the start of construction on the world's largest LNG Carrier at Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea.

National Geographic has as 'photo of the day' for 9 April: "Arctic Ocean, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1983 - Photograph by Emory Kristof"

PilotOnline.com has serious problems for the US Navy's new amphibious ship SAN ANTONIO.

The Blog of Big Boss Lee has the US Postal Service ending the international shipment of mail, by sea and the substantial impact on US-based booksellers.

Helsingin Sanomat has the secret collision in 1963 of the Soviet Nuclear Submarine K-33 and the freighter FINNCLIPPER, only being made public now. (Dear Finland, what other secrets might you be holding about one of the worst regimes to ever see the light of day?)

Hundreds of Fathoms has Submarine Crew Retention Problems for Australia.

Bellona has the upcoming launch for Russia's prototype Fourth Generation Submarine, the YURY DOLGORUKY.

The Japan Times has the extension of Japanese Sanctions including a ban on port calls for North Korean Vessels for another 6 months.

Japan Probe has Japan's spending of hundreds of millions of dollars to keep islands above the waves, in order to protect territorial claims.

The Stupid Shall be Punished has Diego Garcia: "A Crappy Place To Do A Crew Swap", for submarines. (I would think that having all those ships concentrated there would be of interest to other navy's submarines, making the waters off Diego prime hunting grounds. Swapping out there would give more time to hunt them, which I would think is the fun part.)

The European Commission has the new Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the Ivory Coast, noting "an overall reduction in fishing possibilities."

Think sinking is the only danger faced on a cruise ship? The Arizona Daily Star has a warning concerning onboard 'art' auctions.

Ships & The Sea has a scheduled drydocking for THE WORLD, an Apartment Cruise Liner, at the Lisnave shipyard at Setubal.

Freaque Waves has a lighthouse keeper's account of a freak wave at the Mucle Flugga Lighthouse in Scotland.

JT's Gallery has photos of the CAP MELVILLE.

Haight's Maritime Items has:

Sinking of the TITANIC - On April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner RMS TITANIC sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, Canada, less than three hours after striking an iceberg. Approximately 1,500 people died. The sinking led to establishment of the International Ice Patrol (operated by the US Coast Guard), to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, and to requirements for radio communications on ships. (4/15/06). - Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

Fairplay Daily News has:

Australian queues hit headlines - BRISBANE 11 April – The huge queues of coal carriers off Australia's east coast today attracted national media attention and renewed calls for the federal government to take control of the nation's ports. Local news indicated that 153 bulk carriers were waiting to load off New South Wales and Queensland coal ports. A total of 71 vessels were waiting to load at Newcastle alone late today. Prime minister John Howard blamed the port bottlenecks on the strength of Australia's commodity exports. He said that co-operation between the federal government and the individual states was preferable, "but if co-operation doesn't work we have to look at some alternative.” A meeting between the state and federal governments on Friday is reportedly due to discuss the issue of a single national regulator for the country's ports. Mining companies have complained bitterly about the demurrage they are paying, although some experts claim they are largely to blame for over-ordering ships. However, federal transport minister Mark Vaile today accused the state governments for failing to invest in port infrastructure to ensure they keep pace with the minerals boom. - Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

Sea Diamond rescue plan 'overruled' - SANTORINI 12 April – Louis Hellenic Cruises, owner of the cruise ship Sea Diamond which sank off the Greek island of Santorini on 5 April, claimed yesterday that the ship could have been saved if the master had been allowed to implement the company's rescue plan. Speaking at a press conference, Louis superintendent George Koubenas revealed that Capt Yannis Marinos had been instructed to secure the vessel at a nearby floating dock as soon as the last passenger had disembarked. "But the ship was towed to the place where it sank contrary to the master's orders," he asserted. Koubenas did not name the authority that decided on the ship's final move, saying the investigation of the accident will reveal that. Vital evidence in this respect, he said, was the ship's voyage data recorder, which now lies inside the wreck at a depth of 120m. "The last crew team on board the sinking vessel was instructed to retrieve the VDR before disembarking, but at the time that was beyond their reach," he said. A Louis announcement to the Cyprus Stock Exchange says the company's financial results will not be affected by the loss of the Sea Diamond. The ship's itineraries have been taken up by the Cyprus-flagged Thomson Spirit. - Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

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 as well as suggest area of coverage.

** 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 or click on the label below 'MaritimeMonday'.

.

Holding a Global Warming Concert is like having a barbecue while your house burns down

Mr. Gore, as part of his Global Warming Crusade, is planning the world's largest concerts in support of Fighting Global Warming.

For a smart guy, he just doesn't get it. You don't hold a party like this. The party has already been held. Now it is time to pay. If anything, how about holding the concert over the internet so that there is no mass migration of people to attend these concerts. Really, how many tons of carbon are going to be emitted by all the people traveling to attend these concerts? Just think, these concerts that are ‘designed’ to bring attention to Global Warming, are going to contribute to Global Warming.

Purchase of Carbon Credits is not going to cancel the damage done by these concerts. Worse, purchase of credits undoes whatever good is being done by those who are creating the carbon Credits in the first place as there is a good chance that that carbon credit would remain unused, resulting in a reduction in Greenhouse Gasses. Selling the credit undoes the reduction.

We are never going to seriously tackle this problem (if it even is a problem at all!) as long as this sort of half-assed activism is not confronted.

Go to the concert if you want to listen to the music. But if you want to fight Global Warming, then the biggest contribution you can make to the event, is to not go at all.

Did Speaker Pelosi Review Classified Material on Syria Prior to her Trip?

So Speaker Pelosi goes off to Syria to offer her own version of Foreign Policy despite objections from the White House, which is the only Branch of Government authorized to conduct Foreign Policy. (OK, the House of Representatives has the power to declare war.)

Now that the trip is over, the feedback is almost unanimously negative, including from the normally Democrat-friendly/loyal press. Of course, conservatives are taking a tougher stand, including calls for her resignation. (At least one Democrat is calling for her resignation as well.)

Clearly, Syria is a bad player in the Middle East. Even the Washington Post calls Syria's President Assad "a corrupt thug". Recently, Syria is responsible for the instability in Lebanon, and provided assistance and shelter to Saddam Hussein's Regime during the post Gulf-War sanctions and as they fled during Gulf-War, Part II. Then there is their long history of supporting terrorists.

(The Useful Idiot Highway passes through Damascus)

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) shakes hands with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in Damascus April 4, 2007. REUTERS/SANA (SYRIA) - Yahoo News

Now there is plenty of information available in the public domain about Syria, it's leadership, and their support of terror groups Hezbollah, Hamas, and others.

Now don't take my word for it, check the facts for yourself. For starters, here is a part of the State Department's background note on Syria:

Syria has been on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism since the list's inception in 1979. Because of its continuing support and safe haven for terrorist organizations, Syria is subject to legislatively mandated penalties, including export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most forms of U.S. aid or to purchase U.S. military equipment. In 1986, the U.S. withdrew its ambassador and imposed additional administrative sanctions on Syria in response to evidence of direct Syrian involvement in an attempt to blow up an Israeli airplane. A U.S. ambassador returned to Damascus in 1987, partially in response to positive Syrian actions against terrorism such as expelling the Abu Nidal Organization from Syria and helping free an American hostage earlier that year.

However, relations since the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri have considerably deteriorated. Issues of U.S. concern include the Syrian government’s failure to prevent Syria from becoming a major transit point for foreign fighters entering Iraq, its refusal to deport from Syria former Saddam regime elements who are supporting the insurgency in Iraq, its ongoing interference in Lebanese affairs, its protection of the leadership of Palestinian rejectionist groups in Damascus, its deplorable human rights record, and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. In May 2004, the Bush administration, pursuant to the provisions of the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, imposed sanctions on Syria which banned nearly all exports to Syria except food and medicine. In February 2005, in the wake of the Hariri assassination, the U.S. recalled its Ambassador to Washington.

On 12 September, 2006 the U.S. embassy was attacked by four armed assailants with guns, grenades and a car bomb (which failed to detonate). Syrian Security Forces successfully countered the attack, killing three of the attackers and seriously wounding a fourth in front of the Embassy. The Syrian government publicly stated the attack was a terrorist attack. Given the lack of a formal channel to cooperate on security, the USG has not received an official Syrian Government assessment of the motives or organization behind the attack, but security was upgraded at U.S. facilities. Both the Syrian ambassador to the US, Imad Mushtapha, and president Bashar Asad, however, blamed US foreign policy in the region as contributing to the incident. - US Department of State

I would like to think that Speaker Pelosi was at least given the opportunity to read this. If not, then surely her staff must have. Makes you wonder what they discussed after reading it. After all, Syria does not come out smelling like roses, and this was written by a part of the Government that is not friendly to President Bush and is certainly more open to the idea of What Speaker Pelosi intended. Makes you wonder why they still bothered to visit Syria after reading this. Clearly little good could have come from her visit.

Worse, (if) Syria is meddling in Iraq and Lebanon to the point of assisting in the attacks on US Troops, visits like this do nothing to end the attacks. They only encourage them to attack more, simply because the visit confirms that they are making an impact. After all, the visit is in a way asking them to stop the violence. But why should they? The point is to get the US to quit Iraq and we won't do that if the violence stops.

Anyway, this Public Information is nothing compared to the Classified Information that is available to Speaker Pelosi. Since the goal of the trip was to get Syria onboard as part of stabilizing Iraq, I wonder if she bothered to read the Classified Reports on where Syria fits into Iraq's instability.

If she hasn't reviewed the Classified Information then I too think she should resign. It is her duty to do to review that information, especially when she decides to act as she did. Bloggers surely are willing to review the information, but we have not been the ones entrusted with it. She has. Now President Bush might be labeled as the Cowboy President, but it is Speaker Pelosi who is acting like one.

Video Link
Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy - Washington Post

-

Maritime Monday 54

Welcome to this weeks edition of Maritime Monday.

Maritime Monday 4 can be found here.

This Weeks Photo:
This is a photo of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Bulk Carrier KOHYOHSAN.

Here is a press release by the builder about the vessel:

The Society of Naval Architects of Japan has presented the Kohyohsan, a 172,000-dwt Capesize bulk carrier built by NKK, the "Ship of the Year 2001" award. The society granted the title to the vessel in recognition of its unique ax-shaped bow that greatly reduces wave resistance under rough sea conditions.

The Kohyohsan is the first carrier to adopt the Ax-Bow, which NKK developed in response to growing demand from shipping operators for a ship with greater propulsion, particularly in wild seas. Working with Osaka University marine engineers, NKK focused on reducing ship resistance on the bow above the still water surface. Conducting model ship tests, the NKK design team confirmed that a sharp-edged Ax-Bow can reduce a ship's sea margin by 20-30% compared to conventional bows. Fuel oil consumption can also be reduced by some 4%, even under fully loaded conditions.

The Kohyohsan was delivered from NKK's Tsu Works to Erica Navigation S.A. of Panama in June 2001, and is now in service under charter by Mitsui OSK Lines. To date, NKK has delivered five vessels fitted with the Ax-Bow, which it plans to adopt in its standard design for future Capesize bulk carriers. - NKK Press Release

Wikipedia has a good overview of Bulk Carriers here.

This Weeks Items:

There were two big stories over the last week; the sinking of the SEA DIAMOND and the apparent end of the Royal Navy Iran hostage situation. With this in mind, I have altered the format slightly to give more coverage to these events.

-------------------------------
Royal Navy Prisoner/hostage Items:

Red State has an un-cropped photo of the 15 British hostages and has some questions concerning the Sailors and Marines conduct during their captivity.

EU Referendum questions whether there is now a cover up underway.

Eagle Speak has accusations of complacency.

The Astute Bloggers wonders what has happened to the Royal Navy's standard of martial conduct. (Of course you never know how you would act in such a situation, but my main fear, if I ever ended up in a similar situation, would be of returning back home and having anyone question by actions, or worse, TV footage of me 'performing' like this group appeared to do. Then again, I would probably believe that they were going to kill me anyway, so why speed up the process by giving them what they want.) The Astute Bloggers has a follow-up post noting dire consequences if the military fails to punish the 15.

Yankee Sailor notes that the UK has suspended Boarding OPS in the Northern Gulf. He also notes that the captured Sailors and Marines had no training on how to behave if captured. (Funny, part of required STCW 95 Training for Merchant Sailors was a course called 'Personal Safety and Social Responsibility'. The US Coast Guard approved a three hour training course for American seafarers to cover the course requirements such as how you can catch AIDS, why you need to wash your hands after going to the bathroom, etc. The standard course is three days. The Brits did the US one better. I have been told a couple times, that UK Merchant Mariners met the training requirements for PSSR simply by being brought up British. I would think that the same would hold true to some extent on how to behave if captured.)

CDR Salamander reminds ex-Iranian prisoner, Royal Navy LT Felix Carmen that he is no longer a hostage and should shut up and stand up. (How is it that the Iranians managed to control him much better than his own commanders seem to? It's called FEAR.)

American Thinker has "The Almighty Euro beats the Royal Navy"

Little Green Footballs has what is surely the best example that the lights are on at the Royal Navy HQ, but nobody is home: "British Hostages Sell Stories for Big Cash" (I am sure that this is going to go over real big around their fleet.)

In general, I agree with all the criticism presented by the above bloggers. I wonder, did the UK really send this lot to search Merchant Ships? How did they perform their job when searching Merchant Ships? (I bet the CIA would love to know the names of the Iranians who 'turned' most of this group, so that they can offer them jobs, at Gitmo. Clearly, the Iranians have the better interrogation program, or worse reputation.)

-----------------------------------
SEA DIAMOND Sinking Items:

This is certainly the biggest Maritime story of the week. Over the next couple of weeks there should be concentration on three issues:

1. Events leading to the accident
2. Evaluation of the evacuation and the ship's safety drill at the start of the cruise
3. Efforts (or lack of an effort) by the crew to keep the vessel afloat. (Damage Control)

One group that is surely going to come down hard on the crew and company is the insurance companies. They will be the ones most interested to deem the vessel unseaworthy. A ship can be declared unseaworthy from the point it sails if it was not properly manned. This can be as simple as an unfilled Deck or engine position, or a seafarer with an expired document. It makes no matter that the deficiency may have had no effect on the outcome of the accident. But it will relieve the insurance company of having to payout money. It would also remove any limits on the amount of liability that the company may be forced to payout, as it was their responsibility for the ship to be seaworthy at the time it sailed.

It seems that the IMO's 'Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines and Fishing Vessel Safety' met this last July and one of the items for discussion was "Proposals on inclusion of principles to apply when Administrations grant permissions to leave watertight doors open" An Administration is the Government whose flag the ship flies. So, did this vessel have permission to leave watertight doors open?

Louis Cruises Lines Incident Announcement page.

EllasDevil profiles two passengers she saw interviewed on the news. One was a furious American man who was pissed that the crew would not give him a Life Jacket, until he found a child-sized one. The other was of a Canadian woman who gave her life jacket to a passenger who could not swim. (I have also seen a number of news reports where passengers were complaining that there were not enough life jackets. My question to all of them is just what did you do with the lifejacket that the ship's crew assigned to you when you boarded? Did you have a lifejacket during the Abandon ship drill held on the first day? What did you do with that one? Did you even pay attention during the drill, or were you busy taking pictures?)

Former passenger fairy_dreamer_e departed the ship hoping that it would sink, after having a miserable cruise. She is feeling a little bad that her wish came true, but only because it appears that two passengers died in the process.

Blue Donkey Man posted some raw footage at YouTube from the SEA DIAMOND sinking in Santorini.

My Way News has good coverage and photos of the sinking of the Cruise Ship SEA DAIMOND.

Former passenger La Dolce Vita expresses some disbelief that the vessel they sailed on last July has sunk. Their cabin was on the lowest deck.

Urban Greeks wonders if the press is unfair judging Greece over this accident.

Now imagine if this vessel had gone aground and then sank somewhere more remote, like Antarctica.

There seems to be little in the press about efforts by the crew to keep the ship afloat. Did the ship sink in 15 hours do to inaction of the crew to stop the flooding, or did they manage to control the flooding thereby delaying the sinking?

-----------------------------
This Weeks Other Items:
Eagle Speak has a great post on the amazing history of US Navy Coffee. (Coffee is as important in the US Merchant Marine.)

Shipping Times (UK) has the sinking of the cargo vessel HARVEST after it collided with the bulk carrier JIN HAI KUN. 20 sailors are currently missing.

Fiber Dreams takes a tour of the Matson Lines SS MATSONIA and has photos of the tour here.

RigZone has the 20% decline in oil output from Mexico's Cantarell Offshore oil field over the last year. This is one of only four oil fields in the world to produce over a million barrels of oil per day.

The Globe and Mail (Canada) has Alaska's interest in the planned container port development at Prince Rupert, Canada.

Anchorage Daily News has Alaska's second look at cruise laws passed last year, with an eye at undoing some of what was passed.

The MarEx Newsletter has a TDC Maritime Security Alert for the Persian Gulf. (This confirms my post on Iran's threat to Vessels n the Gulf.)

The American Chronicle investigates claims of a shortage of American Merchant Mariners.

These Go To Eleven has a photo of fertilizer aid for North Korea.

Ocra Marine Services Limited has the EU's approval for Slovakia to provide state aid to Slovak's 'Slovenské lodenice Komárno' shipyard.

The Pilot Boat has "Busy days at Viana Yard..."

Greenpeace's Defending Whales Blog has the arrival of their vessel, the M.Y. ESPERANZE at Yokohama, Japan.

The Discovery Channel's 'Deadliest Catch' has a Crab-Fishing 101.

Haight's Maritime Items has:

UK – SAR statistics 2006 - The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a press notice summarizing its search and rescue (SAR) statistics for 2006. Both the number of incidents and the number of deaths from maritime accidents rose from the previous year. (4/3/07). - Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

NOAA – GPS affected by solar radio bursts - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a news release stating that solar radio bursts can have a serious impact on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other communication technologies. A solar flare on December 6, 2006 caused a huge number of receivers to stop tracking the GPS signal. Note: This reminds us that mariners should not rely solely on one means of fixing position. (4/5/07). - Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

Fairplay Daily News Has:

Asia faces single-hull influx - SINGAPORE - 04 April – Asia is set to be flooded with single-hull vessels, but not necessarily sub-standard tonnage, Intertanko managing director Peter Swift observed at the Sea Asia conference in Singapore today. Europe and the US have already indicated that only double bottom and double side tankers will be allowed to trade in their waters beyond 2010. Single hulls including Panama-flagged vessels will, however, be allowed to trade as per the IMO timetable in countries such as Japan, Singapore and India until they are 25 years old or 2015, whichever is earlier. “Quality is not an issue. There are many good single hulls,” Swift told reporters. He also strongly defended Intertanko’s radical, but controversial proposal to switch to distillate fuels. The proposed move is said to reduce significantly major elements of air emissions from ships. “If Intertanko had not placed the distillate fuel option on the table at the IMO, it would not be part of the discussion,” he pointed out. But actual implementation could be as far away as 2015. “Even that may not be sufficient for abatement technology to catch up,” he told Fairplay. - Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

AND:

LNG 'creaming off senior officers' - SINGAPORE 04 April – Rapid growth of LNG shipping has forced vessel operators to cream off senior officers from other ship types, causing a serious shortage of trained and quality crew, warned Anglo Eastern Ship Management quality and training director Pradeep Chawla today. Speaking after a presentation at the Sea Asia conference in Singapore, Chawla said monthly wages for masters of LNG ships now stand at $18,000-20,000, with some even being offered $22,000. “There is no fresh pool of officers to man LNG vessels. The entire LNG crew today have been recruited from other ships (mainly LPG vessels) and re-trained,” he told Fairplay. Anglo Eastern manages four LNG vessels and is set to take on more. However, Chawla noted that the manager has an average crew retention rate of 10 years. The vicious circle of shortage has seen rapid promotions with the result that many senior on-board personnel have no hands-on experience, he said. Training methods have to change to adapt to this worrying position, Chawla observed. - Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

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 as well as suggest area of coverage.

** 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 or click on the label below 'MaritimeMonday'.

.

Are Banks Skimming International Money 'Wire Transfers'?

I deal with payments from customers all over the world on a daily basis.

Many of these customers pay by sending an international bank wire payment. I have to say that sorting out messed-up wire payments is the most annoying part of my job and problems with wire transfers sent to us eat up a good portion of my workday. And I am not even in the Accounting Department.

The main problem has always been incomplete wire reference details. It is this reference that tells the recipient (in this case us) what the money is intended for. It is very helpful when you are receiving hundreds of payments every month for the same amount to know which invoice the sender intended to pay. All too often the bank has cutoff the reference entirely, not bothered to type in the reference details provided or instead of using the reference the client provided, sends some idiotic note like:

"A PAYMENT FROM ONE OF OUR CLIENTS"

Lately, however, I have seen a growing problem with short payments. This is when the money received is less than the amount sent by the customer, and of course less than the invoice they are trying to pay.

Traditionally, to ensure that the recipient receives the correct amount, the sender would mark the wire payment as 'Charges ours' meaning that the sender would be responsible for all charges and the sending bank would bill the sender for all fees that would be charged to send the money to the recipient's bank account. The end result is that the full amount sent is received. Send $1,000 to client A's bank account. Client A receives $1,000. This is no longer the case.

Enter "Intermediary Bank Fees"

Often, a bank will need to route the money through a middle bank (Sending Bank - Middle Bank - Recipient's Bank). Of course this middle bank needs to be compensated for passing on the money. Most of the time, the middle bank has a working relationship with the sending bank, then there is no intermediary charge. The bank's fee is included as part of the sender's fee.

However, if the bank does not have a working relationship with this middle bank, then they will deduct anywhere from $5 to $45 from the payment. Essentially doubling the cost of sending the money, and this does not include any fee the recipient's bank is going to charge. So instead of a wire payment costing $30, it is really costing over $70 in many cases. So, to make sure that you are paying for all charges you should be telling the bank that you would like to pay all bank fees/bank charges separately, including those charged by Intermediary banks.

Now there is a reason why they are not interested in telling you the true cost. After all, would you spend $70 to wire $200 to anyone? It costs half as much to purchase a bank draft. Hell, even Western Union does not charge that much and PayPal is also a much cheaper valid option.

In addition to these Intermediary Bank Charges, are side agreements between banks. Take this explanation from a client who actually received a truthful explanation from his bank:

We have spoken to [our bank] with regard to the charges deducted from the payment for Fiduciary. They are the USD correspondent bank for [bank x], and there is a bank to bank agreement that [our bank] take a charge from the amount remitted, and the fact that the payment was sent as charges "OUR" has no relevance. Unfortunately there are many banks like this nowadays, some people include ancillary charges in their payment to cover for these anomalies.

I removed the specific bank names as other banks do this as well.

One thing I do not understand is why are International Bank Transfers still so messed up. I can be halfway around the world, but to get money, I only need to find an ATM. I just stick my bank card into an ATM and get local currency and my bank deducts the US equivalent from my bank account or adds it to my charge card balance, at no charge. (I understand that this is not true for all banks, but the point is that the international bank transfer infrastructure already exists for ATMs.)

Even odder is that many national banking systems allow you to make all sorts of transfers without a hassle. I lived in Finland and they have a great system for moving money. I was paying for bills electronically there already in 1998 because they had no checks. Back in the US, the only bill I pay for by check anymore is my rent.

So why does the system fall apart when it comes to international bank transfers? Is it some sort of Wild West where banks take advantage of customers as the money moves from one jurisdiction (and legal oversight) to another? Even better is that the sender almost always accuses our bank as the one that is responsible for the short payment and I get an earful from angry customers. It takes a good deal of time and effort to convince them otherwise and is hardly worth the effort given the amounts involved. I’m sure that is what the banks are banking on.

-

Video: Real Estate Prices illustrated via a Roller Coaster Ride

This is pretty amazing: (Although not surprising)

US Home prices adjusted for inflation plotted as a roller coaster the graph is here: Speculative Bubble.com

Still think there is no housing bubble?

If so, then your in luck, because there are houses for sale on every corner!

Real Estate Roller Coaster - Google Video (http://www.speculativebubble.com/)

-

Nancy Pelosi Submits to Islam in Syria

Speaker Pelosi arrives in Syria with a nice scarf.

Which can handily 'convert' into an Islam-complaint head covering.

You are looking at the main reason why Syria was looking forward to Speaker Pelosi's Trip:

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wears a scarf inside Ommayad Mosque during her tour at a popular market in downtown Damascus, Syria, Tuesday April 3, 2007. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Syria on Tuesday, the highest-ranking American politician to visit the country since relations began to deteriorate four years ago. President George W. Bush criticized the trip, saying it sends mixed signals to President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

She could have taken a stand for women's rights and stood as an example for all women, but opted to sacrifice her own rights, as to not upset Islam or her guests. It should not have been a problem since Syria has signed the UN's "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women New York, 18 December 1979". Then again, 'All Forms of Discrimintation' does not always mean what the UN had intended:

..... subject to reservations to article 2; article 9, paragraph 2, concerning the grant of a woman's nationality to her children; article 15, paragraph 4, concerning freedom of movement and of residence and domicile; article 16, paragraph 1 (c), (d), (f) and (g), concerning equal rights and responsibilities during marriage and at its dissolution with regard to guardianship, the right to choose a family name, maintenance and adoption; article 16, paragraph 2, concerning the legal effect of the betrothal and the marriage of a child, inasmuch as this provision is incompatible with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah; and article 29, paragraph 1, concerning arbitration between States in the event of a dispute. - OHCHR

Pretty handy that Sharia Law. Equal Rights for women as long as it does not conflict with Islam, which essentially exempts the entire Muslim World from this UN Convention. Yet they get to sign it so that the UN can claim it a success.

Now I am advocating that Speaker Pelosi go into a Mosque uncovered if they object to that. More so that she should have explained upfront that she was not wearing a head-covering and that her tour around Damascus should be arranged with that in mind. Better yet, she should have refused to visit Syria as they fail to protect the equal rights of women. How about forcing Assad to visit her in Washington instead.

To tell you the truth, I am surprised that she did this. It all too easily opens her to attacks, like this one.

Update: 4 April

Photographer Jamal Saidi calls it as he sees it. Pelosi is wearing a veil.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wears a veil as she visits the tomb of John the Baptist inside the Umayyad mosque in Damascus April 3, 2007. Pelosi met President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday, against White House wishes, to urge Syria to help stabilize Iraq and stop supporting Washington's adversaries in the Middle East. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi - Yahoo News

This is how the rest of the Muslim world will see it. It would be useful for Speaker Pelosi to explain how this is going to help in the fight against terro.

One piece of advice, next time, skip the tour of the mosque, or leave it to the men to tour it.

Jobs That Muslims Cannot Do

Forget about jobs that Americans will not do. You know, the common excuse as to why all these illegal aliens are in the US.

In reality, there is no such thing as a job that an American will not do. The show 'Dirty Jobs' has great examples every week to prove that no job is too dirty for an American. Sure, we might bitch and moan about the job, the pay, the boss, everything, but when compared to (certain) Muslims, Americans are a pretty damn flexible, and great workforce.

Take the Airport Taxi Drivers in Minnesota who are refusing to carry passengers that have alcohol or dogs with them, including service animals.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- For Abdi Mohamed, it's not a question of whether he'll carry passengers with alcohol in his cab. The question is whether he'll get punished for refusing to do so.

"I am Muslim. I'm not going to carry alcohol," Mohamed, a driver for Bloomington Cab, told a Metropolitan Airports Commission panel that gathered public opinion Tuesday regarding proposed penalties for cabbies who refuse service to passengers carrying alcohol.

Dozens of cab drivers showed up for the hearing at a hotel near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Commissioners are charged with setting a new policy by May, when airport licenses for cab drivers are set to expire. Under the proposal, drivers who refuse service for any reason would have their license suspended for 30 days. A second refusal would mean a two-year revocation of the license.

According to airport officials, about 80 percent of their cabdrivers are Somali, who are commonly Muslim. Islam religious law strictly forbids the carrying of alcohol. - Boston.com

I am sure your reaction is somewhat similar to mine in that this guy should not be driving a taxicab in America. Now take a look at that last sentence which mentions that it is against their religion to carry alcohol. That is incorrect. It is against their religion to drink alcohol. There is a difference.

This problem comes from propagandizing the Islamic concept of najis by religious extremists:

In Islamic law, najis (Arabic: نجس‎) are things or persons regarded as ritually unclean.^[1] There are two kinds of najis. The essential najis which can not be cleaned and unessential najis which becomes najis contact with another najis and one of them are wet.[2]

Contact with najis things brings a Muslim into a state of ritual impurity (najasat), which requires undergoing purification before performing religious duties, such as regular prayers.

According to the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, as systematised by al-Nawawi in his book Minhadj, the following things are najis: wine and other spirituous drinks, dogs, swine, dead animals that were not ritually slaughtered, blood, excrements, and milk of animals whose meat Muslims are not allowed to eat. Spirituous drinks are not impure according to the Hanafi school, while living swine are not impure according to the Malikis.^[1]

To the list of impure things enumerated by al-Nawawi, Shi’a jurists traditionally add dead bodies and kafirs.^[1][2] According to Ruhollah Khomeini, the entire list of things that are considered najis in Shi’ism includes: “urine, excrement, sperm, blood, a dog, a pig, bones [of a dead body], a non-Muslim man and woman, wine, beer, [and] perspiration of the camel that eats filth.”^[3] Khomeini further specifies that “[t]he whole body of a non-Muslim is unclean, even his hair, his nails, and all the secretions of his body.… A child below the age of puberty is unclean if his parents and grandparents are not Muslims; but if he has a Muslim for a forebear, then he is clean.… The body, saliva, nasal secretions, and perspirations of a non-Muslim man or woman who converts to Islam automatically become pure. As for their garments, if they were in contact with the sweat of the body before their conversion, they will remain unclean.”^[3] - Wiki

Good luck trying to put some common sense and reason into the above 'law'.

As you can see, alcohol is not 'clean' in their world-view and this is the basis of the taxicab driver's refusals to allow alcohol in their cabs. Fine, but according to their own list, the whole body of non-muslims is equally unclean, so they should be refusing to carry these alcohol-carrying passengers for being non-muslims, not for carrying alcohol.

One alcohol-related issue that I have not seen them complain about is why are they not complaining about picking up customers after they leave a bar? Wouldn't it be worse to carry a person in their taxi who has just imbibed large quantities of alcohol instead of a person simply carrying alcohol?

Now dogs are also 'unclean', but for some reason the cabbies claim that there is no problem carrying dogs, as long as the law requires them to:

Much of the hearing was dedicated to concerns over whether Muslim cabbies would also refuse service to blind passengers with trained guide dogs, because of Muslim prohibitions against interacting with dogs.

Several blind people voiced their concerns, but cabbies at the hearing said such worries aren't warranted. Refusing service to blind passengers is against federal law.

"I am a Muslim and I have taken many guide dogs," Abdi Mohamed said.

But the cabbies and their supporters left no doubt that they aren't flexible on the alcohol issue. - Boston.com

Too bad there was no follow-up question on how many non-guide-dogs he has taken in his cab. And if they can be flexible on the dog issue to comply with the law, then why not have the law require them to carry all passengers that demand service at the airport, and elsewhere. (Why does the law not require this now?)

The concern about activist muslim drivers refusing to accept service dogs is a valid one. Take this recent post at Little Green Footballs documenting muslim taxi driver's refusal to assist blind people with service dogs:

Blind woman Gry Berg, accompanied by her guide dog, was denied entry into four taxis in the center of the city of Oslo, Norway, this March. Three of the drivers claimed that their unwillingness to accept her dog was due to allergy, while the fourth one simply locked the car doors and refused to give an explanation for why he wouldn’t let Ms. Berg into his cab. - Little Green Footballs

Lets see if this alergy spreads to muslim taxi drivers in the US as well, or if the law is written to prevent that type of excuse.

A number of countries in the Middle East have huge populations of foreign workers. When I was there, the initial impression that I had was that the locals were lazy and preferred to just import others, from India, Pakistan and other countries in the region to do their work for them, all paid by the proceeds of oil revenue. (Allowing the unemployed locals to go off on jihad.) Now I wonder if part of the reason is that also do not want to be put in a situation of being unclean.

So, taking into account the above restrictions, one would think that Muslims are not able to work in the following positions:

- Taxicab Driver
- Bus driver
- Airline Pilot (Alcohol, dogs onboard)
- Flight Attendant
- Overnight Delivery service (UPS, Fedex, etc.)
- Mailman
- Garbage man
- Anything in the food industry
- Any job in a hospital
- Grocery Store clerk
- Pharmacist (pork derived medicines, ie insuline)
- Most any job not in a mosque or halal butcher

Think this is not realistic? Take this story which covers a new attack by some muslims on American culture:

MINNEAPOLIS (Kansas City Star) - Beryl Dsouza was late and in no mood for delays when she stopped at a Target store after work two weeks ago for milk, bread and bacon.

So Dsouza was taken aback when the cashier - who had on the traditional headscarf, or hijab, worn by many Muslim women - refused to swipe the bacon through the checkout scanner.

"She made me scan the bacon. Then she opened the bag and made me put it in the bag," said Dsouza, 53, of Minneapolis. "It made me wonder why this person took a job as a cashier."

In the latest example of religious beliefs creating tension in the workplace, some Muslims in the Twin Cities are adhering to a strict interpretation of the Quran that prohibits the handling of pork products.

Instead of swiping the items themselves, they are asking non-Muslim employees or shoppers to do it for them. - Jawa Report

Oddly enough, these controversies have resulted in an backlash from muslim groups who are fearful that these actions will result in Americans racially-profiling and avoiding muslim workers.

So according to them, you should still use the muslim taxi drivers and checkout clerks, but be sure to not carry alcohol or buy pork products because you'll offend them.

Sorry, you cannot have it both ways. I will give the muslim groups credit. They are right in thinking that these examples will encourage others to profile muslims negatively. Now I don't avoid muslims at the supermarket checkout and have yet to have one treat any pork products I'm buying any different from anything else on the belt. But you can bet that I am looking for a reaction. If anything, muslims are now handling more pork products and carrying more alcohol because many others are also fishing for reactions and refusals to do their jobs.

These rouge muslim workers are doing serious damage to those of their faith who are unemployed and looking for work. Who in their right mind, knowing of these refusals to do work, would hire a muslim?

In light of the examples above, if I had a muslim woman show up from the temp office with a head covering, that would be her last day. If she showed up with a veil, I would ask her to remove it when talking to me, to respect my beliefs, or leave immediately. This has not happened yet, and I doubt it would be a problem as any muslims that faithful to their religion would not walk through the office's front door as there is a Mezuzah affixed to it. This indicates to all that this is a Jewish business. (in this case the company I work for is owned by a Jew.)

I am not targeting all Muslims. This is aimed at all the extremist, activist, no-good muslims whose only purpose in life seems to be starting trouble. Really, maybe they were not paying attention when they first arrived here when it was pointed out that all new arrivals to this country were and are treated like sh*t, and that they will be judged and accepted as a direct result of their ability to contribute to society. Their response is to contribute nothing of value while at the same time, attempting to poison other muslims who have, until now, managed to find a way to be part of America’s melting-pot. Really, do they they really think that they are the first muslims to live in the US?

And by the way, if alcohol is prohibited by Islam, why is it permitted in some muslim countries?

Dubai - Drinking or possession of alcohol without a Ministry of Interior liquor permit is illegal and could result in arrest and/or fines and imprisonment. Alcohol is served at bars in most major hotels but is intended for guests of the hotel. Persons who are not guests of the hotel, and who consume alcohol in the restaurants and bars, technically are required to have their own personal liquor licenses. Liquor licenses are issued only to non-Muslim persons who possess UAE residency permits. Drinking and driving is considered a serious offense. Penalties generally are assessed according to religious law. - US State Deparment

Qatar - Qatari customs authorities enforce strict regulations concerning importation into Qatar of items such as alcohol, narcotics, pork products, firearms, or anything deemed pornographic by Qatari authorities. While importation of religious material for personal use is acceptable, importation of religious material for the purpose of proselytizing is not. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, D.C., or the Consulate General of the State of Qatar in Houston for specific information regarding customs requirements. - US State Deparment

Recently, there was news of a drug and alcohol bust in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Sure alcohol is illegal there, and Mecca is a Muslim-only City. But There is a damand for alcohol in Saudi Arabia. So much so, that Saudis go places like Bahrain for a drink, and think it is OK.

Bahrain is a country where there are the very, very rich and the very poor -- there is nothing inbetween. Money flows from the pockets of the reveling Saudis, who cross the bridge they built to Bahrain in order to escape the extreme strictures of their homeland. In Saudi Arabia, alcohol is positively forbidden; in Bahrain, it is not. The Bahraini look on the the loud, pretentious Saudis with contempt -- but take their money. - Jennifer Tyson

So if the Saudis have no problem with alcohol, why should any other muslim?

Najis - Wikipedia

Maritime Monday 53

Welcome to this weeks edition of Maritime Monday.

Maritime Monday 3 is located here.

This Weeks Photo:

National Geographic does a photo of the day here. This is the 24 March photo:

(Gulf of Alaska, Alaska, USA, 1998 - Photograph by Karen Kasmauski)

Click on the photo to go to the photo's download page.

This Weeks Items:

Eagle Speak has Another View of Port Security by some of those who depend on ports.

Eagle Speak also has an edition of his 'Sunday Ship History' dedicated to Liberty Ships. (You can catch up on the series here. Yesterday the USS LIBERTY was covered, including Israel's strike on the vessel during the Six Day War.)

(WWII Liberty Ship JOHN W. BROWN)

Sailors, Mariners & Warriors League wonders "How Easy (Or Hard) Is It To Fall Overboard On A Ship?"

The UK Ministry of defence's 'Defence News' documents that the Iranians ventured into Iraqi Territory to seize the UK sailors and Marines, in effect violating Iraq's sovereignty, while claiming the reverse was true. (Not that there was any doubt of this.) Clearly, Iran targeted these sailors. The question is, what, if anything will the UK do the next time Iranian Forces sail into Iraqi waters?

EU Referendum has more details on the UK sailor kidnapping by Iran, mentioning that the US might have been asked to assist (this was a coalition Operation) but that it was already too late.

The Yankee Sailor covers what should have been seen a nautical mile away with the rapidly shrinking Royal Navy; News that there will be no officer promotions for the next five years. Understandably, the fleet is not happy.

The Boston Herald has the kidnap of a British oil worker by gunmen in Nigeria as the total of foreigners kidnapped this year approaches 50.

On vacation, Tim at Tims Times does what many merchant sailors do on vacation; He goes to firefighting school. (Yes, you train during your 'off-time'.)

Marex Newsletter has "Kongsberg Maritime Signs to Increase Training Activity in the Philippines"

Marine Log has it's March Edition available online:

GreenPeace's Ocean Waves Blog has their agent's refusal to help clear their vessel ESPERANZA to enter the Port of Tokyo.

Fogonazos has photos of one of the largest ship graveyards in the world, in Mauritania.

Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation is off to Europe to explain to them that their "Seal Hunt Is Humane and Sustainable."

The International Herald Tribune has the Japanese arrest of a Chinese Captain, Liu Mingguo, for violating Japan's sanctions against North Korea for attempting to deliver 55 tons of Clams. (As mentioned here last week.)

Mata Star.com has the story of the Bulgarian ship M/V SMOLYAN, bound for Libya, stranded in Malta. This is as a result of Libya's sham sentencing of five Bulgarian Nurses to death for the HIV infections of 400 children. All direct trade between the two nations has been grinding to a halt since the trial.

UPI has the other Iranian hostage story of German Donald Klein, who was just released from serving 15 months in an Iranian prison. He was accused of fishing in Iranian waters. The French skipper Stephane Lherbier was released earlier this year. (See my post on this item.)

"Germany has on repeated occasions tried to free Klein, with German President Horst Koehler intervening unsuccessfully. Iranian diplomats have recently hinted that a release of an Iranian agent in German custody would help Klein's case.

However, it is unclear whether Berlin has accepted that deal; observers say such a move is highly unlikely." - UPI

The Ledger.com has the intentional grounding of the Panama-Flag ANTILES II, as ordered by the Harbor Pilot in response to the vessel losing its main engine as it approached the Tampa Skyway Bridge. (The old Skyway bridge was hit in 1980 resulting in a number of deaths.)

shipping Times (UK) has the launch of the car carrier HOEGH BANGKOK at Croatia's Uljanik shipyard.

Macsmind has the Natural Resources Defense Council's FIFTH lawsuit against the US Navy's use of Sonar.

The Stamford Advocate has an article on the alternative to sailing on a cruise ship by sailing as a passenger on a containership, with one cruiser calling it the "un-cruise".

The Sydney Morning Herald has sailing on cargo vessels as a green alternative to flying. (If you are really concerned about this, then why on earth are you taking a ten-month adventure around the globe? Sure, YOU might conserve a little for the environment, but there is not room enough for more than a handful of passengers each year, so what is really happening is that some seats on the planes are going unused.)

Break.com has video of the cruise ship VOYAGER caught in a cyclone in the Med in 2005.

Haight's Maritime Items has:

Canada – QUEEN OF THE NORTH – BC Ferries investigation - BC Ferries released its Divisional Inquiry into the sinking of the ferry QUEEN OF THE NORTH. The ferry sank, with the loss of two lives, on March 22, 2006, after grounding off Gil Island. The 28-page internal investigation reveals that no alterations of speed or course were made during the ship’s transit of Wright Sound until the ship impacted Gil Island at the end of the Sound at a speed of 17.5 knots. Poor watchkeeping was found to be the primary cause of the casualty. The investigation was impeded by the refusal of some crewmembers to participate in the inquiry. BC Ferries also released the Attachments, consisting of 77 pages. (3/26/07). - Dennis Bryant Holland & Knight homepage (Used with Permission)

The Monitor also has comments on the QUEEN OF THE NORTH sinking.

Fairplay Daily News has:

Princess mum on 'double dip' - GULF OF MEXICO - 27 March – Princess Cruises knows why two passengers fell overboard from the Grand Princess early on Sunday morning, but it’s not telling. According to a statement by Princess, “At the request of both passengers, we are not providing any information about the circumstances of the highly unusual incident. We have concluded that their going overboard was an accident, and we consider the matter closed.” Furthermore, a US Coast Guard source told Fairplay today that there will be no investigation, because the ship is Bermuda-flagged and the incident occurred in international waters. The Grand Princess was en route from Galveston to Cozumel when an unidentified 20-year-old woman and 22-year-old man fell from a balcony at around 0130 on Sunday. They were rescued by Princess search boats at around 0530, with a USCG helicopter aiding the search. The woman was found first and the man was subsequently spotted by the USCG copter, which kept a search light on him to aid Princess search boats; according to the USCG source, the male passenger was naked when rescued. Princess said the male was treated in the ship’s medical facilities and is continuing his cruise vacation, while the woman disembarked in Costa Maya to “undergo further precautionary testing at a local hospital before travelling home”. - Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)

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 as well as suggest area of coverage.

** 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 or click on the label below 'MaritimeMonday'.

.

McLean Housing Bubble - Auction

I have been covering the housing bubble in McLean, VA through covering one house located on Great Falls Street. It has been over a year and the house remains unsold. (The last post on that house can be found here.) The house has not been listed in the MLS for months, but remains unsold.

There is a similar-sized house two doors down also for sale, but about $100,000 cheaper since they reduced the price in February. Also, on the corner of the same block is a house that has been for sale for a month or so. The price was reduced once already after the first weekend's open house and now, it is scheduled to be auctioned this Sunday.

Don't be fooled by the sign. The owners never lived in this 'home'. They bought it a couple of months ago and after doing a quick renovation, are now trying to flip it. I am sure that it does not help having the house next to it up for sale, for less. In fact, the neighbor appears to have reduced their price in response to the auction being held next door. Those familiar with the area will agree that an auction in this area has been until now unheard of.

To their credit, it seems that for good or bad, they are very motivated to exit this property. Lets see if they accept an offer, if anyone bothers to give one.

Iran's Other Hostages

Hostage-taking is part of the Iranian Government's culture. The current Government, born out of the Iranian Revolution, started with the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage. The most recent incident is the capture of 15 Royal Navy Sailors and Marines while they were operating under a UN Mandate in Iraqi Waters. They pulled a similar stunt in 2004.

There is another mostly unknown case from 2005, that was only just recently resolved. German Donald Klein chartered a fishing boat captained by Frenchman Stephane Lherbier out of Dubai in the United Arab Emerates. They were captured by an island, Abu Musa, that is claimed by both Iran and the UAE, although Iran currently occupies the island.

The two on the boat were accused of fishing in Iranian waters. The French skipper Stephane Lherbier was released earlier this year. Mr. Klein was just released this month after serving 15 months in an Iranian prison of an 18 month sentence. Not to give the impression that the Iranians were totally heartless in this matter, they did offer the German Government a way to end the issue:

"Germany has on repeated occasions tried to free Klein, with German President Horst Koehler intervening unsuccessfully. Iranian diplomats have recently hinted that a release of an Iranian agent in German custody would help Klein's case. However, it is unclear whether Berlin has accepted that deal; observers say such a move is highly unlikely." - UPI

Nice guys right? I can understand detaining people illegally in your country, but then releasing them, especially when the act is clearly unintentional. (Imagine the international outcry if the US put everyone who illegally crossed into the US in jail!) After all, it is not like they were caught along the coast with spy gear or anything. Then again, according to Willisms, Iran has placed silkworm missiles on the island, which is something that a person fishing off the coast might spot. And why would Iran not place weapons on the island, since it is in a perfect position in the middle of the Gulf.

As you can see, the international Shipping Lanes go right through Iranian Waters. All vessels have the right to transit through the shipping lanes under the right of innocent passage.

Innocent passage is a concept in Admiralty law which allows for a vessel to pass through the territorial waters of another state subject to certain restrictions. The United States Department of Defense defines innocent passage as:

"The right of all ships to engage in continuous and expeditious surface passage through the territorial sea and archipelagic waters of foreign coastal states in a manner not prejudicial to its peace, good order, or security. Passage includes stopping and anchoring, but only if incidental to ordinary navigation or necessary by force majeure or distress, or for the purpose of rendering assistance to persons, ships, or aircraft in danger or distress." - Wikipedia

This works fine, provided that the 'Coastal State' acts in good faith. This is surely not the case with Iran. Also, the shipping lanes provide Iran with no shortage of targets that they can pick and choose from and when they strike, they can claim that the vessel was actually spying and in violation of the right to innocent passage. It does not matter that it is a lie, as in the current UK hostage situation, since they would be holding the vessel and crew, and have assumed that the UK will not resort to force.

Not happy to have control of the Northern and mid Gulf, Iran has taken the southern half of the Strait of Hormuz, which belongs to Oman:

One of the key developments that has absorbed Washington’s attention deeply, and resulted in the very significant personal involvement of Vice President Dick Cheney, was the fact that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have invaded and seized almost all meaningful control of the strategic Masandam Peninsula in Oman - a peninsula that covers the Southern mouth of the Straight of Hormuz. (Note: See map above) Occupying this peninsula solidifies Iran’s complete control of the straight. The Northern chokepoint has long been Iran’s; the Southern chokepoint has long been Oman’s. They are now both Iran’s. - Pat Dollard (As found from this Eagle Speak Post)

Kidnapping crews of vessels (and pleasure craft) is a huge threat, and Iran has a history of kidnapping people. This post provides one more example. I wonder how many more hostages Iran is holding that we are not aware of.

And now that they have increased their 'footprint' to cover both halves of the entrance to the Persian Gulf by taking Omanian territory hostage, giving them a free operating area to catch anyone of interest entering and leaving the Gulf, making sure that they will not target anyone who might actually retaliate. (For now.)

When will the Global community stop giving Iran a free pass for their belligerent behavior? The fact that Germany was part of the EU3 negotiating with Iran over Iran's nuclear program and they were not able to free this poor German through the normal course of negotiations does not bode well for any peaceful conclusion to whatever Iran has planned, nuclear or otherwise.