BOW WAVE 398

Bow Wave Issue 398--Wave Chart Edition

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(c)2007 WavyLine.com	Issue No 398 09 Jul 07
Published free of charge to Readers
Editor: Sam Ignarski
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In this issue:

1. Welcome
2. The Month of June 2007 in Marine
3. Wave Forecasting on the Web
4. World Shipping Council goes European
5. Public Sale of Vessel at Barcelona
6. And Finally...

1. Welcome

Poem of the Week

Love We Must Part

Love, we must part now: do not let it be
Calamitous and bitter. In the past
There has been too much moonlight and self-pity:
Let us have done with it: for now at last
Never has sun more boldly paced the sky,
Never were hearts more eager to be free,
To kick down worlds, lash forests; you and I
No longer hold them; we are husks, that see
The grain going forward to a different use.

There is regret. Always, there is regret.
But it is better that our lives unloose,
As two tall ships, wind-mastered, wet with light, Break from an estuary with their courses set,
And waving part, and waving drop from sight.

Philip Larkin

New Readers this week include:-

Ken Owen
Markus Schmucki of CNA
UK marine surveyor David Arnold
Raymond Komorowski of Marsh New York
Steven Pallett of UIB
Prasad Niroshan in the Yemen
Emma Jones of the UK Hydrographic Office

News of Readers

Martin Stone of Alston Gayler has retired

Lucien Lesuis has moved from underwriting with
Raets P&I to the world of broking as Executive
Client Manager at Marsh in Rotterdam

lucien.lesuis@marsh.com

John Dawes after 42 years in the industry, the last 18 as National Marine Claims Manager at Allianz is moving to a similar role at Lumley Marine in Sydney.

jdawes@lumley.com.au

This week marks the anniversary of the launch of Seatradeasia online which has now acquired over
1000 subscribers

http://www.seatradeasia-online.com/

Readers Write

From Mike Harrison, the MD of Cory Brothers:-

Cory Brothers Shipping has been awarded a three year contract to provide agency services throughout the UK to leading coastal tanker operator James Fisher Everard.

It is anticipated that the combined fleet of James Fisher Everard will provide an additional 3,000 port calls per annum for Cory Brothers. A key factor in the awarding of the contract is the availability of the data interchange from ship to shore through the Fisher and Cory web-based systems.

Cory Brothers is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Braemar Shipping Services plc.

mike.harrison@cory.co.uk

AvoArchive.Com

The archive of our sister publication the Maritime Advocate online contains back issues of the online weekly and country and case summaries from supporting firms.

This week the firm of Wang Jing in China has agreed to supply both country and case summaries for the jurisdiction and we look forward to featuring their work in the future.

http://www.avoarchive.com

Note from the Editor

Rather a long edition this week but with plenty of interesting fare.

Enjoy!

2. The Month of June 2007 in Marine

Jason Copland writes:-

Thanks perhaps to Global Warming, the previous "flaming" month of June has become the start of the European monsoon season, wind rain and floods and in addition, earthquakes featuring in this month's issue:
-->1 June Official start of the 2007 hurricane season and Insurance Day publishes a worrying report that rising sea levels could destroy a trillion dollars worth of risks in Florida.

-->1 June The Indian coastguard is recommending that ships bound for scrapping at Indian ports should be inspected for seaworthiness - this is in the wake of the loss of the "Mariam Trans" (1966 built 1,260 GCC vessel) whilst en route from Dubai to Alang

-->1 June According to Lloyd's Casualty Report, the Korean Register will introduce "flying squads" of 23 surveyors to carry out inspections of Korean registered vessels in an effort to reduce the number of such flagged vessels which fail port state control inspections.

-->1 June Candidates for the annual Thor Heyerdahl award announced with Wallenius nominated, full story here: http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=207363

-->3 June A 6.4 Richter scale earthquake hits southern China's Yunan province causing widespread damage to infrastructure and massive evacuations. Thankfully few deaths reported.

-->4 June Gard achieves a surplus of US$ 86 million in 2006/7 year allowing a reduction in deferred calls. Gard wrote a total of US$ 647 million in premiums for the period.

-->5 June Fitch rating agency grants Scottish re an upgrade to BB+ and removes the company from its watch list, giving it a stable outlook following completion of the US$ 560 million investment with Mass Mutual Capital Partners.

-->5 June The wind starts blowing into Oman causing thousands to evacuate from coastal areas and Muscat as tropical cyclone "Gonu" starts making its presence felt. More details here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6727883.stm

-->5 June Indian registered Tug "Aakash" (built 1984, 394 GT) sinks off the coast of Gujarat, crew of 14 all rescued.

-->5 June Echoes of the Selby rail disaster when an Australian V/Line train collided with a lorry at a level crossing causing 11 deaths. Initial reports indicate that the lorry driver may have been at fault.

-->6 June Cyclone Gonu heads for Iran leaving behind extensive damages in Oman. Gonu is the worst cyclone for 60 years to affect the region. Swells of 2 to 3 metres noted in the Straits of Hormuz.

-->7 June The Man from the Pru is heading east as the UK Prudential plans to launch Takaful Ta'awuni in Saudi Arabia acquiring a 39% holding with partner Saudi Arabian Bank Aljazira.

-->7 June It's Jobs Day in the Insurance Day with plenty of positions available in the marine world, trainee marinos now being offered over GBP 25,000 - that's double what I earned back in London (although that was quite a few years ago now).

-->7 June CGM CMA's "Cape Fulmar" 1400 TEU feeder vessel arrives at DCT Gdansk - marking the first time that the brand new port is included in one of the major container shipping companies' schedules.

-->8 June The waves from Katrina continue to roll on with a panel of judges in New Orleans set to rule on whether insurers are liable for flood losses as a result of failed levees during Hurricane Katrina. If held liable, insurers would have to pay around US$ 1 billion.

-->8 June Ratings in the news: Russia's Ingostrakh gets BBB from S&P, up from BB+, Neftopolis (again in Russia) goes from stable to positive and has its A+ confirmed following a merger with Sogaz Insurance Group, Dubai's Arab Orient Insurance has its B+ confirmed with stable outlook and QBE's Regional Insurance group gets an upgrade to A from A-

-->8 June AIMU publishes its Weekly Bulletin - interesting reading on cargo losses for the 1st quarter 2007: truck losses are the major cause of losses in North America with 73.6% of all reported incidents accounting for US$ 244 million. Stolen items mainly from the IT industry.

-->8 June A new Heavy Lift vessel is on its way, Holland's Merwede announces it has received an order for such a vessel from Seaway Heavylift. The new vessel will have a 5,000 MT crane capacity.

-->11 June Going down: following the announcements of SCOR's takeover of Converium, Inga Beale, Converium's current CEO is expected to stand down at the end of August - according to Insurance Day

-->11 June Going up: France's SpaceCo (AGF) announces plans to open up a branch office in Dubai to handle, well Space Risks from new market entrants.

-->11 June Cyclone Gonu (see above) now reported as the strongest storm since records began. Gonu reached the equivalent of a Catagory 5 hurricane with winds of almost 140 mph hitting Bandar Abbas. Some shipping losses reported and at least 12 dead reported in Oman which suffered massive flooding. Heavy losses expected from infrastructure and motor with an estimated total of US$ 1 Bn.

12 June Panama flagged M/V "Pasha Bulker" (2006 blt 40,042 Bulker) runs aground near Newcastle, Australia during severe storms - one of 15,000 claims reported to the Insurance Council of Australia

-->12 June More rating: S&P grants former Axa Re company Paris Re and Paris Re Switzerland "A-" ratings.

-->13 June SCOR's long awaited bidding on Converium officially opens after delays caused by the Swiss take-over investigations. The offer is open until July 9th.

-->13 June Bureau Veritas announces it has achieved a 12% increase in revenue for 2006, more details here: http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=207535

-->15 June A warning of things to come as the UK's Met Office (Meteorological) issues a flood warning with "heavy and prolonged rainfall" expected for the coming weekend.

-->18 June More choice of reinsurers in Zurich to come, Aspen Re announces its plans to open an office here.

-->18 June Ghost Ships story re-appears. I noted last month that Able UK had abandoned its plans to scrap the so-called ghost ships but now it appears that was wrong, Hartlepool council has admitted that it can no longer block planning permission which in effect gives Able the green light to go ahead with the scrapping job.

-->18 June Cunard's once flagship, the QE2 (1967 built, 70,000 GT) is to become a floating hotel and will be sold to Dubai World Company. It will be delivered to Dubai in November next year.

-->19 June The Met Office got it right, large parts of the UK affected by flooding with more rain still falling.

-->19 June Greek shipping minister, Manolis Kafaloyannis states he will sue the owners and captain of the "Sea Diamond" (sank 6 April) EUR 1.17 million for pollution and damage to the island of Santorini. The ship sank with about 450 tonnes of fuel oil on board and about two-thirds are believed to have surfaced so far. Owners Louis are still to provide a wreck removal plan and have to pay EUR 17,000 for every day of delay - on top of this, the Greek government announced a month ago that it plans to sue Louis and the P&I insurer West of England for EUR 1 bn.

-->19 June Paris MOU ranking of classification societies makes interesting reading: DNV, RINA and GL come out as the best, Register of Shipping (DPRK - North Korea), The Register of Shipping (Albania) and International Register of Shipping (USA) . NB International Register of Shipping (USA) is NOT American Bureau of Shipping.

-->20 June Maersk Line wins recognition as Shipping Line of the Year according to International Freighting Weekly magazine.

-->20 June Possible good news from the UK's Met Office? The office states that it expects only 10 named storms to occur up to November, this number is far lower than other estimates which range up to 17 storms.

-->20 June Shipboard slavery still present, port state inspectors in Ireland arrest a 30 year old vessel "Lillian" (1977 built, 1982 GT, Belize flag). The inspectors found 15 structural deficiencies. Port workers alerted Ireland's Siptu union to the crew's working conditions and Siptu discovered two sets of books were being kept on board. ITF-registered
agreements aboard showed the Russian seafarers had not been paid since they boarded at the beginning of April. The crew were absolutely terrified and afraid to speak out.

-->21 June Daiwoo announces that it has won orders for US$ 800 million in orders from Europe for 3 bulk carriers and one offshore drill ship, the vessels to be delivered by June 2010.

-->25 June Munich Re is set up a new agency in Cologne to write Marine and Aviation business and attracts staff from Talanx to man the office.

-->29 June Keep a close watch out as the Vikings are set to return - see story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6248978.stm

Disclaimer Any opinion expressed in this newsletter should be regarded as the personal opinion of Jason Copland and not one made in his capacity as an employee of Swiss Re and any such opinion is not the opinion of Swiss Re, of any of its affiliated companies or of any of its officers or employees. Accordingly, Swiss Re hereby expressly disclaims any liability, loss, cost or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the content or expression of views of this newsletter or of other Websites to which this Newsletter may provide a link.

3. Wave Forecasting on the Web

This item was featured by Andrew Kirkham's E News which is a monthly round up of recent industry news items, club circulars and press releases from the North of England.

andrew.kirkham@nepia.com

Global wave height predictions can be downloaded free of charge from the US Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Centre in Monterey California. The on site supercomputer provides wave height and direction forecast charts for every 12 hour interval up to 6 days in advance. The types of chart available include:

--> Significant wave

--> Swell wave

--> Wind wave and

--> White cap probability charts

Charts are produced in a low resolution format enabling them to be easily transmitted electronically. A useful tool to enhance weather routing capabilities on board and ashore

Click here for the US Navy FNMOC Homepage

https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/index.html

Click here for Wave Charts

https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/WW3/index.html

4. World Shipping Council goes European

Anne Marie Kappel writes:-

The World Shipping Council announced today that it will open an office in Brussels, Belgium in September of this year. For the last several years, the Council has been working on security and customs issues arising from legislation being developed by the European Community without the benefit of a full time office in Brussels.

Adolf Adrion, Chairman of the World Shipping Council and CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Container Lines said: "The security, Customs, and related issues facing the liner shipping industry that are arising from the Community’s regulations and policy decisions continue to increase in scope, complexity, and importance. A WSC office in Brussels will improve the liner industry’s ability to be of assistance to the European institutions and to keep its Member companies informed of these developments."

Christopher Koch, President & CEO of the Council agreed. "We look forward to working more closely with the European Community as it pursues its supply chain and cargo security policies. The opening of the Brussels office is a demonstration of the liner shipping industry’s commitment to cooperate with the European Community in furtherance of the shared objective to enhance cargo security while facilitating legitimate international trade."

The new Brussels office will be lead by Senior Vice President Lars Kjaer, who has been with the World Shipping Council since its establishment in 2000 and has provided expertise to Council members on European issues for some time.

akappel@worldshipping.org+1 (202) 589-1235.

5. Public Sale of Vessel at Barcelona

Cristina Martinez at the Barcelona Port Authority writes:-

On 30 July 2007 we are selling a vessel at our premises by means of a public auction, which vessel has been declared in abandonment by this PA, in accordance to International Convention 1993 on Maritime Liens and Privileges.

Details of the vessel to be sold are:

CLAUDIA TRADER, OMI: 8223098 Flag: Antigua & Barbuda Type: General cargo Gross Tonage: 1,300 tons 74,81 mts x 10,60 mts Year of construction: 1983 Classification society: Not classifed, before with GERMANISCHER LLOYD Inscribed at: REGISTRY OF ANTIGUA & BARBUDA under Nº 2576. No crew on board.

For any advice in how to participate in the public sale and documentation required to participate -which offers have to be presented before 27 July 2007-, 14:00 hrs., a written request can be sent to:

cristina_martinez@apb.es.

6. And Finally...

Thanks to Frazer Hunt for this one

Natal Curry Contest

For those of you who have lived in Natal, South Africa, you will know how typical this is. They actually have a Curry Cook-off competition about June/July. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Royal Show in PMB.

Judge #3 was an inexperienced food critic named Frank, who was visiting from America.

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a Curry Cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Beer Garden when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Natal Indians) that the curry wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted".

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CURRY # 1 - SEELAN'S MANIAC MONSTER TOMATO CURRY...

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick. Judge # 2 -- Nice smooth tomato flavour. Very mild. Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy.

CURRY #2 - PHOENIX BBQ CHICKEN CURRY...

Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of chicken. Slight chili tang. Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who Wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver! They had to rush in more beer When they saw the look on my face.

CURRY # 3 - SHAMILA'S FAMOUS "BURN DOWN THE GARAGE" CURRY.. .
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse curry. Great kick. Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of chili peppers. Judge # 3 -- Call 911. I've located a uranium pill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drain Cleaner. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting pissed from all the beer.

CURRY # 4 - BABOO'S BLACK MAGIC BEAN CURRY...

Judge # 1 -- Black bean curry with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a curry. Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Shareen, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 200kg woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

CURRY # 5 LALL'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...

Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong curry. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive. Judge # 2 -- Average beef curry, could use more tomato. Must admit the chili peppers make a strong statement. Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Shareen saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw them.

CURRY # 6 - VERISHNEE'S VEGETARIAN VARIETY...

Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety curry. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I am definitely going to shit myself if I fart and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Shareen. I Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone ice-cream.

CURRY # 7 - SELINA'S "MOTHER-IN-LAW'S-TONGUE" CURRY...

Judge # 1 -- A mediocre curry with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. (I should take note at this stage that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably).
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with curry which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least, during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing- it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CURRY # 8 - NAIDOO'S TOENAIL CURLING CURRY...

Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending. This is a nice blend curry. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced curry. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the curry pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor man, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot curry?
Judge # 3 - No Report.

P.S. from Jeff Blum:-

Bureacracy In Action

MUNICH, Germany -- A researcher in Munich, Germany, has been given a speeding ticket and fined $120, even though he doesn't drive.

Even more puzzling, the ticket and fine are from Somerset, England, 800 miles away from where researcher Christopher Reynolds, 30, lives in Munich.

Confused? You should see Mr. Reynolds. He was notified by letter that he had broken the 30 m.p.h. speed limit on a highway near Somerset on May 31st, and faces a £60 ($120) fine, and threatened with penalty points. Reynolds maintains he was at work in Munich at the time, has not driven for years, and never owned the car involved in the alleged speeding violation.

"There must be another Christopher Reynolds," he said. "It means their system is flawed."

You would think that would be the end of the matter, but no. With all the stubborness of a Missouri mule, Britain's Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Agency (DVLA) said, "If a driver says he was out of the country he has to prove he was not driving."

Poor Mr. Reynolds, it's enough to drive a man to drink. It seems to me it should be up to Britain's DVLA to prove that Mr. Reynolds was in Somerset, driving a car he never owned, when he hasn't driven in years. Unless, of course, Mr. Reynolds' research is in an area that defies space and time and the laws of physics, which is doubtful, hehehe! The city of Munich should come to Reynold's aid by suing the DVLA in the E.U. court for harrassing a Munich resident and making unfounded claims against that resident. Or the DVLA could simply admit its mistake and let the matter drop

P.P.S.

A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. When he gets up to leave, he asked for the check. The bartender replied, "No charge."

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