Bryant’s Maritime Blog – 25 November 2009

Headlines: Philippines – attack on tug, three officers abducted; IMO – Secretary-General opens 26th Assembly; IMO – awards for exceptional bravery at sea; EP – emissions from transport must be cut; MARAD – Port Dolphin LNG DWP Record of Decision; Hydrographic Services Review Panel meeting; and Australia’s first major oil spill – November 28, 1903.

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Philippines – attack on tug; three officers abducted

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an Incident Alert stating that a tug taking shelter off Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines was boarded by nine robbers with high-powered firearms. The robbers abducted the master, chief mate, and chief engineer. They also took the tug’s electronic gear and some provisions. (11/21/09).

IMO – Secretary-General opens 26th Assembly

The IMO issued a news release stating that Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos officially opened the 26th IMO Assembly. He reminded delegates of the continuing challenges presented by piracy and climate change. He also noted that 2010 has been designated as the Year of the Seafarer. (11/24/09).

IMO – awards for exceptional bravery at sea

The IMO issued a news release stating that the 2009 IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea have been presented to a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer and to two amateur sailors. The rescue swimmer, in Arctic conditions, single-handedly rescued eight crew members of a foundered vessel in the Bering Sea. The amateur sailors rescued three people from a sunken yacht in very heavy weather off a remote South Pacific coral reef. Certificates for Exceptional Services Rendered to Shipping and Mankind were presented to the Commanding Officers, Officers, Petty Officers, and Crews of navy ships (from the EU and NATO member countries and several other individual countries from various regions), which participated in the international efforts to repress piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. (11/24/09).

EP – emissions from transport must be cut

The European Parliament (EP) issued a news release stating that Sweden’s Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren emphasized that, in order to meet the two degree target, emissions from aviation must be reduced by 10% by 2020 compared with 2005 and emissions from shipping must be reduced by 20% over the same period. He also proposed that these industries contribute financially so that measures to assist the poorest developing countries can be increased. (11/24/09).

MARAD – Port Dolphin LNG DWP Record of Decision

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a notice stating that the Record of Decision for the Port Dolphin Energy LLC deepwater port (DWP) liquefied natural gas (LNG) license application is available for public examination. 74 Fed. Reg. 61733 (November 25, 2009).

Hydrographic Services Review Panel – meeting

The Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP), sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will conduct a teleconference meeting on December 16. 74 Fed. Reg. 61662 (November 25, 2009).

Australia’s first major oil spill – November 28, 1903

The first recorded major oil spill (1,300 tons) occurred on November 28, 1903 when the tanker Petriana grounded on Portsea Back Beach in Port Phillip Bay. The tanker was carrying 1,330 tons of bulk oil from Borneo to Melbourne, as well as an unrecorded quantity of naphtha and benzene. The pilot decided to bring the ship into port in poor visibility, expecting the fog to lift before the ship reached the notorious Rip at the bay’s entrance. The fog did not lift and the ship grounded hard. When salvage attempts failed, the bulk oil was pumped overboard to lighten the ship. This too failed and the wreck was finally abandoned. Illustrating how times have changed, the press reports of the oil jettison described “a film of great beauty, radiating all the colours of the rainbow.” There were also difficulties when the crew of Chinese and Malay descent abandoned the ship. They were prohibited from landing ashore by Australian law of that era.

If you have questions regarding the above items, please contact the editor:

Dennis L. Bryant

Bryant’s Maritime Consulting

4845 SW 91^st Way
Gainesville, FL 32608-8135

USA

1-352-692-5493
dennis.l.bryant@gmail.com

http://brymar-consulting.com

© Dennis L. Bryant – November 2009

Redistribution permitted with attribution