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The Leise Mærsk, built 1921, made the first sailing on Maersk Line’s Panama service, departing from Baltimore on July 12, 1928. Photo: Odense Steel Shipyard.
Maersk Line passes 80 years of service in changing waters
In July, the Danish giant Maersk Line made it to a remarkable milestone: 80 years of service. Maersk Line is amongst the oldest operators in the world. It is also the largest liner operator in the container business after a slow start in the 1970’s.
The Oasis of the Seas in the building dock. Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström.
All about neighbourhooding: Oasis completed to more than 50 per cent
The world’s largest cruise vessel Oasis of the Seas is soon ready for launching at Aker Yards Turku shipyard. Neighbourhooding is the keyword in this innovative new design.
Svitzer Ran getting ready for work at Fredericia shortly after the arrival in Denmark. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen.
Italian tug under Danish flag
Svitzer A/S has added a brand new tug to its Scandinavian fleet. It is the Italian-built Svitzer Ran that is taken on bareboat charter from an Italian shipowner for a period of three years with options for further periods.
Extract from the IMB live piracy map 2008. Red markings represent attempted and actual attacks in the Gulf of Aden.
PIRACY SPECIAL: Piracy spiralling out of control
The record of today’s piracy is violent and sophisticated – and the Gulf of Aden is a true nightmare for shipowners. “Today the majority of the hijackings are aimed at kidnapping the crew and holding them until a ransom is paid. The frequency and level of violence directed at seafarers is cause for alarm”, says IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan.
The crew of Absalon before departing from Denmark to the Gulf of Aden. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen.
PIRACY SPECIAL: The chosen ones – ready for the hotspots
From September 15, Flotilla Admiral Per Bigum Christensen takes over the command of the UN Combined Task Force 150, which conducts maritime security operations over a huge area ranging from the Gulf of Suez to the Hormuz strait and to the East African coast line on behalf of the United Nations.
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Frank Trojahn and Per Bigum Christensen. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen.
PIRACY SPECIAL: “We have experts for all kinds of situations”
“We are so ready for our coming task after 12 months of intensive training”, says the captain on the Danish naval vessel Absalon, Commander Frank Trojahn, shortly before he and his crew left the base port of Frederikshavn for deployment in the Gulf of Suez and the Indian Ocean.
Think before texting
The use of the AIS text facility is on the rise in ship-to-ship communications. A study published this summer by the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC) in Cardiff highlights this and that here are risks involved in changes in communication behaviour.
The LRIT information that ships will be required to transmit includes the ship’s identity, location and date, and time of the position. Photo: Pär-Henrik Sjöström.
Vessel tracking systems – good but vulnerable
Since the events of 9/11, the arena of maritime security regulation is complex and crowded for commercial ship owners, operators and authorities alike. As with ISPS and SSAS, the problems can escalate as compulsory compliance kicks in and voluntary participation becomes regulation.
TransAtlantic’s vessel TransPaper will assist SMHI in the collection of marine data. Photo: Corsman & Co/Transatlantic.
FerryBox: Takes water samples while en route
This autumn the technical system FerryBox will be installed on board TransAtlantic’s vessel TransPaper. The ship operates on timetable and on long-term contract and is therefore suitable when the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI, wants to gather information about the marine environment.
The Jytte Dania. Photo: Håkan Sjöström.
The orange mountain traders
It was considered unserious business, when the German contractor Helder & Francke A/G in 1967 sent out a quotation for 8–10 coasters to trade with stone in the Persian Gulf. The German contractor acted on behalf of the sheik of Abu Dhabi, who had earned so much money that he wanted a harbour and a small mountain close to the harbour.
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2008
