BOW WAVE 437

Bow Wave Issue 437--Sporting Edition

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(c)2008 WavyLine.com	Issue No 437 07 Apr 08
Published free of charge to Readers
Editor: Sam Ignarski
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In this issue:

1. Welcome
2. The Month of March 2008 in Marine
3. Singapore Marine Risk Forum 08-09 May 2008
4. Zhen Hua 23 at Felistowe 01MAR08 Loss of Cranes
5. Shipping Emissions News
6. And Finally...

1. Welcome

Poem of the Week

Assignment #1: Write a poem about Baseball and God

And on the ninth day, God
In His infinite playfulness
Grass green grass, sky blue sky,
Separated the infield from the outfield,
Formed a skin of clay,
Assigned bases of safety
On cardinal points of the compass
Circling the mountain of deliverance,
Fashioned a wandering moon
From a horse, a string and a gum tree,
Tempered weapons of ash,
Made gloves from the golden skin of sacrificial bulls, Set stars alight in the Milky Way,
Divided the descendants of Cain and Abel into contenders, Declared time out, time in, stepped back,
And thundered over all of creation:
"Play ball!"

Philip E. Burnham, Jr. from Housekeeping: Poems Out of the Ordinary (2005)

New Readers this week include:-

Group Insurance Manager Fiona Hobbs of DP World
Siegfried Deutscher of Weser Shipping
General Manager Peter Sandal of FP Marine in Melbourne Wallace Yeung of the Gard in HK
John.StLeger Of Northerm Marine Underwriters

News of Readers

Mike Bowles has recently started working for Sail Training International (STI), the organisation which produces the Tall Ships Races. This year's principle race starts from Liverpool on 21JLY08 with around 100 ships from 30 countries taking part. The parade will sail down the Mersey towards the race start, Liverpool being the centre of much current attention as the European city of culture

contact him at:

johnmikeb@yahoo.com

Our good friend John Guy will be in the chair for the London Conference of the International Institute of Marine Surveying will be held on 14-15APR08 on HQS Wellington. Click below for a brochure

http://www.iims.org.uk/news.asp?aID=70

Readers Write

From DR Garbutt:-

Would you be so kind as to give the CILT, Humber Groups', Annual Dinner Dance on 25APR08 a mention in your next issue.

http://www.ciltuk.org.uk/pages/iesearchres?_region=North%20East

Attracting some of the major Transport and Logistics Companies in the region this event has proved a great success over the years. This Black tie occasion creates the opportunity to meet with those in the Transport and Logistics sector in a relaxed atmosphere with fine food, great entertainment and, this year, supporting the East Yorkshire branch of Seafarers UK through the charity raffle.

A warm welcome is extended to join us for what, we are sure, will be a wonderful evening.

Please contact me through:-

russ@mill37.orangehome.co.uk

Note from the Editor

A slightly sporting quality about the zine this week

Enjoy!

2. The Month of March 2008 in Marine

Jason Copland writes:-

Having been deprived on one hour's worth of sleep over the weekend, here's the slightly delayed Month of Marine for March

3 Mar All is not well at Aker Yards as the CEO is forced out following a reported loss for the year 2007, full details here:
http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=211067

4 Mar The next chapter of the never ending "MSC Napoli" story opens with the start of an official Public Enquiry into the incident. Representatives from various involved parties met on the beach at Branscombe, the site of the beaching to start the collection of evidence.

6 Mar The Norwegian Shipowners Association appoints Elisabeth Grieg of Grieg International AS as the first female president of the association.

6 Mar Japanese steelmaker, JFE Holdings announces the intention to expand its involvement in shipbuilding by increasing its share ownership of Universal Shipbuilding to 85%. Universal is a 50/50 joint venture between JFE and Hitachi Zosen. This increase in shareholding will turn the joint venture into a JFE subsidiary.

6 Mar On a similar vein, an analysis by CITIC shows that shipbuilders manage to maintain profits despite high steel prices by using partnerships and cross-share ownership, more details here:
http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=211131

6 Mar Axa continues its UK expansion and announces plans to purchase SBJ Group. The deal will include all SBJ companies including the Lloyd's Broker SBJ Limited and the claims consultant and training unit Helix UK.

7 Mar Staying with Axa for a moment, the company has announced the creation of Axa Yachting Solutions, intended to write well, yacht business I suppose.

7 Mar Havyard Invest AS, a shareholder in Aker
Shipyards, calls for an extraordinary shareholders meeting to appoint a new board of directors for Aker.

7 Mar Hoping to help whales, Senator Allen introduces a bill designed to reduce the number of incidents of whales being struck by vessels in the North Atlantic by proposing (amongst other items) introduction of speed limits.

8 Mar Maersk holds a naming ceremony for its latest fleet addition at Odense Shipyard. The 7,000 TEU "Margrethe Maersk" is the first in a line of six new vessels to come and features environmental measures including a waste heat recovery system.

10 Mar On a visit to Mitsubishi Yard in Nagasaki, the Yemeni minister for oil and minerals announced that he expects Yemen will take delivery of the two LNG vessels currently under construction by Mitsubishi by mid May with a total capacity of 150,000 cubic metres.

11 Mar Korea's Daiwoo Shipbuilding has apparently won an order from a European shipping company for 8
container vessels to be delivered by January 2011. The deal is worth an estimated US$ 602 million.

11 Mar Global warming is not all bad news it seems as Norilsk Nickel plans to buy a fleet of strengthened vessels to transport its cargoes through the arctic waters above Siberia. The vessels will be able to force their way through the thinning polar ice. More details here: http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=211179

12 Mar Some good news for Aker as it wins a contract to build an LNG powered supply vessel for DOF ASA of Norway to be delivered in 2010. This new design vessel will be "Dual Fuel" - the Toyota Prius of the seas, able to run on LNG or marine diesel fuel.

12 Mar The once knight in shining armour of insurance policy holders becomes knight errant as the Spitzer Affair becomes public, subsequently forcing Eliot Spitzer to resign.

13 Mar Vietship - an exhibition of the nation's
shipbuilding capabilities in Hanoi turns out well for Vinaship as it achieves 22 contracts (domestic and foreign) worth around US$ 2 billion. The contracts include one for 16 cargo vessels for Jebsens of Norway.

13 Mar The Greek tourist ship "Giorgis" runs aground near the island of Poros causing an evacuation and rescue of 313 people.

13 Mar The US Navy has a month of celebrations marking the centenary of women's involvements in the navy which started with the Nurse Corps in 1908.

14 Mar Wartsila's shipdesign company Schiffko has won the design contract for the new European polar exploration vessel "Aurora Borealis". More details of the ship specifications here:
http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=211220

14 Mar As reported in Fairplay, Royal Caribbean's cruise vessel project "Genesis" will be so large that it will require the expansion of all the port
facilities that it uses. "Genesis"' custom-built
homeport terminal in Port Everglades will have to handle over 36,000 pieces of luggage in the
space of a few hours on turnaround days. Space
requirements for luggage and passenger waiting areas will be immense, requiring that the "Genesis"
terminal is 200,000 square feet (20,000m²) in size. Its berth will handle 1.2M passengers per year, more than double the volume of other cruise berths. Royal Caribbean commercial development vp John Tercek said that the "Genesis" deployments from Port Everglades will call in St. Thomas, St.Maarten and San Juan on the Eastern loop, and Labadee (Haiti), Falmouth
(Jamaica), and Cozumel on the Western loop. Labadee is currently a tendering port, but a new pier will be built to accommodate "Genesis", said Tercek. The Jamaican port of Falmouth will be built from scratch.

14 Mar Reuters reports that the credit crunch triggered by the subprime situation is having an effect on shipbuilding with a number of newbuilding order cancellations and share prices of some yards falling: Hong Kong's Guangzhao Shipyard has fallen 38% in the last three months and Yangzijiang losing 55% in the same time period.

17 Mar Hamburg Sue names the "Rio de la Plata" container ship at Daiwoo Shipbuilding. At 5,900 TEU the vessel is the largest in the company's history and is the first in a series of 6 vessels on order.

17 Mar Divers off Australia discover the wreck of the "HMAS Sydney" which was sunk in 1941 with the loss of all hands.

17 Mar The annual "Green Ships" conference took place in Rotterdam on 11 and 12 March and examined the question of making ships more environmentally friendly. Full report here:
http://www.lloydslistevents.com/logo/LM1974/newpressrelease.pdf

19 Mar The decommissioned aircraft carrier "John F Kennedy" is taken under tow by the US Navy from Norfolk to its possibly final resting in Philadelphia. More information on this remarkable ship available on Wikipedia - well worth reading.

22 Mar 7 crewmen were rescued but 18 Ukrainian sailors are trapped inside their vessel after the "Naftogaz 67" capsized and sank after colliding with Chinese cargo vessel "Yao Lai" near Hong Kong.

20 Mar Unbelievably, detritus from "MSC Napoli" continues to come ashore as reported by Devon County Council in their latest situation update available at their website on www.devon.gov.uk (search for Napoli and you'll find a surprisingly high number of hits on that website)

25 Mar The London P & I Club reports growth of almost 2 million GT in entered tonnage bringing the total mutual tonnage to 37.5 million GT during the 2007/8 policy year.

31 Mar "Ventura" sets sail from Fincantieri for its home port of Southampton. Full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7323081.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. Singapore Marine Risk Forum 08-09 May 2008

Jon Chaplin writes:-

What is the outlook for the marine insurance market and how are shipowners and underwriters adapting to the changing environment

Increasing world trade and the shortage of qualified and experienced crew appear to be leading to a sustained increase in navigational claims and with this year’s tough round of P&I renewals completed, will shipowners now also be facing more costly hull insurance premiums?

These and other hot topics, including prospects for the shipyard and offshore insurance sectors, will be expertly examined and openly discussed by a top-level line up of shipowners, risk managers, underwriters, P&I club managers and brokers as the industry meets for the 2nd TradeWinds Marine Risk Forum 2008 in Singapore on 8-9 May 2008.

The Forum is sponsored by DLA Piper, DNV, Shoreline Mutual (Bermuda) Ltd, ABS, Norwegian Hull Club, and Rightship and supported by MPA,SMF Singapore Maritime Foundation, Singapore Shipping Association, CEFOR and the Norwegian Shipowners’s Association.

Speakers & Panellists include:-

Keith Denholm
Director, Pacific Carriers Ltd
Dev Hildebrand
Director Marine Insurance & Claims, Teekay Corporation Arne Birkeland
COO, Norwegian Hull Club
Richard Turner
Business Manager, Royal & Sun Alliance
Simon Stonehouse
Hull Underwriter, Brit Insurance
Nick Sansom
Head of Marine, Asia, Marsh (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Nick Berry
Partner, Jardine Lloyd Thompson
Lewis Hart
Executive Director, Willis Marine Asia Pacific
Capt. Jonathan Stoneley
Environment & Compliance Manager, Cargill - Ocean Transportation Jan Eidsaa
Risk Manager, Aker Yard ASA
Douglas Jacobsohn
Chief Executive, Skuld
Paul Hinton
CEO, A. Bilborough & Co. Ltd
Lars Rhodin
Managing Director Designate, The Swedish Club
BS Park
Executive Managing Director
Korea P&I Club
Thya Kathiravel
Director, NIML
J. Timothy Woodard
VP & Chief Risk Officer
McDermott International Inc
Martin Lanting
Non Executive Director & Chairman, Raets P&I
John Reily
Director of Underwriting, Standard P&I Association Martin Hubbard
Director, Marine Division, Tysers
Helle Lehmann
Vice President, Insurance, TORM
Noel MacKenzie
Managing Director--Marine Ins Div, Global Management Limited Chris Wildee
Chief Executive Officer, Chaucer Singapore Pte Ltd Joseph E. M. Hughes
Chairman & CEO, SCB Inc., Managers of the American Club Geir Skoglund
VP, Loss Prevention, Norwegian Hull Club
Ragnar Nielsen
President, Masterbulk Pte Ltd
Robert Drummond
General Manager/Underwriter, Charles Taylor Asia
Richard Loo
Managing Director, LCH (S) Pte Ltd
Darren Kirkham
Marine Production & Marketing, Cooper Gay (HK) Limited Dato' Jude Benny
Managing Partner, M/S Joseph Tan Jude Benny
George A Tsavliris
Principal
Tsavliris Salvage Group
Richard Walker
Chief Executive, Risk Exchange Ltd

The recent growth of Singapore as a maritime centre is now being mirrored by the marine insurance sector with a matching growth in underwriting and P&I activities. The 2nd TradeWinds Marine Risk Forum will maintain its focus on the global hull and P&I market while including an Asian focus, with dedicated sessions on builders risk and offshore energy.

http://www.nhstevents.com/multimedia/archive/00093/TMRF08_5pg_020408v3_93911a.pdf

4. Zhen Hua 23 at Felistowe 01MAR08 Loss of Cranes

Readers of previous editions of Bow Wave may be interested to know how this case is going. Janet Porter has written this report in Lloyds List on 31MAR08

ZPMC face legal action over crane crash

CHINESE crane manufacturer ZPMC may face legal action over extensive damage to Felixstowe’s Landguard terminal when one of its ships smashed into the berth during a storm earlier this month, writes Janet Porter.

The converted tanker was carrying five post-panamax cranes to be delivered to Felixstowe and other ports when it broke free of its moorings. One crane on the ship hit two quay cranes that were toppled and wrecked beyond repair.

Mutual insurer TT Club, which covers Felixstowe for equipment losses and liability risks, is holding the ship responsible for the accident and will be pursuing a claim against the owner ZPMC, said the club’s chief executive Paul Neagle.

He would not reveal how much the club will be seeking from ZPMC, but acknowledged that there was a potential for litigation.

The cranes on the ship were not insured by the TT Club, but the pair of elderly Felixstowe cranes are covered and will be replaced by new equipment.

The loss was one of several incidents across northern Europe caused by Windstorm Emma that struck at the beginning of March. All claims resulting from that storm will be aggregated into a single loss for reinsurance purposes, rather than being treated separately.

TT Club chairman Sir David Thomson revealed in his annual review that Windstorm Kyrill, responsible for extensive damage across Europe in January 2007 and very nearly caused the containership MSC Napoli to break up before being towed to a refuge in Lyme Bay, accumulated total industry-wide insured losses of more than $5bn. That was the costliest storm in western Europe since 1999, although losses were less than a tenth of those resulting from Hurricane Katrina.

Speaking at the publication of the TT Club’s annual results last week, Mr Neagle said it was unclear at this stage whether the ZPMC accident, which occurred shortly after a sistership grounded in very windy conditions off Rotterdam, was the result of human error.

Although there have been two incidents in the space of a few weeks, the safety record of the ZPMC ships has been quite good. It may be though, that with cranes shipped erect on the deck, ships become difficult to manoeuvre in bad weather, Mr Neagle speculated.

Human error has been ruled out in the case of another crane accident at Southampton earlier in the year when an extended boom collapsed on to the containership Kyoto Express, creating weeks of disruption at the UK’s second largest container terminal.

The crane driver escaped injury and the crushed containers in the hold, which were mostly carrying low value cargoes such as wastepaper and scrap metal, did not pose a major insurance claim.

The Morris-manufactured crane was a total loss, but the cause of the accident has not yet been identified.

"It was a windy day but in the tolerances that would be expected," said Mr Neagle.

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has already inspected other cranes of similar design and vintage, and cleared some for return to service. The TT Club is conducting its own inquiry that should be completed in the next week or two, and will be issuing a loss prevention bulletin to members if necessary.

But preliminary findings suggest that two or three factors may have contributed to the accident, rather than a single cause, said TT Club claims director Phil Nichols.

The two multi-million dollar losses have raised fresh concerns about waterfront safety amid an upwards trend in claims, in terms of cost and frequency.

This could reflect pressure on ports to work faster to avoid berth congestion, and the temptation "to cut corners", said Mr Neagle.

The TT Club is predicting a tough year for the whole insurance industry, with both claims from man-made and natural disasters on the rise while insurance premiums are falling. In some cases, they are now back below rates prevailing at the time of Hurricane Katrina.

5. Shipping Emissions News

Peter Carlo Lehrel has sent in this item which appeared as part of MLex:-

IMO misses boat on substantive talks on CO2 emission reductions 4 Apr. 2008 | 10:54 GMT

IN BRIEF
The International Maritime Organisation will shortly announce a road map for talks in June on carbon dioxide emission reductions, meaning it has missed the boat this time around for substantive discussions.

By Emma Davis

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will shortly announce a road map for talks in June on carbon dioxide emission reductions, meaning it has missed the boat this time around for substantive discussions.

At an IMO meeting in London, a working group on greenhouse gas reductions for the shipping industry, responsible for 4.5 percent of such emissions, has been undermined in its discussions by shipping giants from developing countries.

The result will be a statement that simply states the terms of reference for the June meeting which will be held in Oslo, falling far short of what is needed and hoped for by at least some of the delegates.

Shipping is under pressure to show it is well on the road to forging a global agreement on carbon dioxide emissions after European Union regulators threatened to otherwise include the industry in its emissions trading scheme.

Inclusion in the EU scheme would be detrimental for the industry in Europe with shipping lines switching flags to states without such regulations. They could also divert to nearby ports outside of the trading bloc.

But shipping states such as Panama and Liberia have a special status under the UN climate convention - as non-Annex I countries - are insisting that any global measures to cut emissions should not be applied to them.

Meanwhile, other shipping nations say this would be unacceptable because of the loss of business to states with less strict regulations. The same problems raised by an EU system would apply to the developed countries globally.

The meeting ends this afternoon.

6. And Finally...

Thanks for these amusing and not invariably rude terms from Sydney lawyer Frazer Hunt who has been on tour in London last week speaking and meeting contacts. Lux Gentium Lex may be but a good joke adds to the gaiety of nations all the same.

New Golf Terms

(1) A "Paris Hilton,"-- an expensive hole
(2) A "James Joyce,"-- an impossible read
(3) A "Rock Hudson,"-- looked straighter than it was (4) A "Cuban,"-- needed one more revolution
(5) An "Elton John,"-- a big bender that lips the rim (6) A "Monica Lewinsky"-- all lip, no hole
(7) A "Lou Gehrig,"-- a dead Yank
(8) A "German,"-- a hookenflecker
(9) An "Adolf Hitler,"-- two shots in the bunker (10) A "Saddam Hussein,"-- from one bunker straight into another (11) A "Yasser Arafat,"-- ugly and in the sand
(12) A "Kate Winslett,"-- little bit fat but otherwise perfect (13) A "John Kennedy, Jr.,"-- didn't make it over the water (14) An "Elephant's Ass,"-- it's high and it stinks (15) A "Rodney King,"-- over-clubbed
(16) An "O.J. Simpson,"-- got away with it
(17) A "Princess Grace,"-- should have taken a driver (18) A "Princess Di,"-- shouldn't have taken a driver (19) A "George W.,"-- steadily fading
(20) A "condom,"-- safe, but didn't feel very good (21) An "Anna Kournikova,"-- looks great, but unlikely to get a result (22) A "Brazilian,"-- shaved the hole
(23) A "Rush Limbaugh,"-- too far to the right
(24) A "Nancy Pelosi,"-- too far to the left
(25) A "Nelson Rockefeller"-- died in the hole

P.S.

This joke was submitted by Sophie Ignarski:-

A young blonde Portsmouth girl, down on her luck, decided to end it all one night by casting herself into the cold, dark waters off Gunwharf Quay. As she stood on the edge, pondering the infinite, a young sailor noticed her as he strolled by. "You're not thinking of jumping, are you babes?" he asked. "Yes, I am." replied the sobbing girl. Putting his arm around her, the kind sailor coaxed her back from the edge. "Look, nothing's worth that. I'll tell you what; I'm sailing off for America tomorrow. Why don't you stow away on board and start a new life over there. I'll set you up in one of the lifeboats on the deck, bring you food and water every night and I'll look after you if you look after me - if you know what I mean. You just have to keep very quiet so that you won't be found". The girl, having no better prospects, agreed, and the sailor sneaked her on board that very night. For the next 3 weeks the sailor came to her lifeboat every night, bringing food and water, and making love to her until dawn. Then, during the fourth week, the captain was performing a routine inspection of the ship and its lifeboats. He peeled back the cover to find the startled blonde, and demanded an explanation. The girl came clean, "I've stowed away to get to America. One of the sailors is helping me out. He set me up in here and brings me food and water every night and he's screwing me."

The puzzled captain stared at her for a moment before a grin cracked his face and he replied, "He certainly is pet. This is the Isle of Wight Ferry!"

The Way We Live Now

A rather good piece appears this week in World Wide Words a very good weekly zine cocerned with the meaning of terms edited by Michael Quinion:-

Nomophobia

Our times are hardly short of issues that can induce fear, anxiety and dread, so do we need any more, let alone words to describe them? These worried musings were induced by a survey (that word might better be in quotes, since it was an online one, whose respondents were self-selected) for the Post Office in the UK. It found that 55% of the 2,000 people who contributed said that they never switch off their mobile phone as they want to keep in touch with friends or family; 9% said that having their phone switched off makes them anxious. The Post Office has coined a term for this fear: "nomophobia", which only makes sense in a country that calls the devices mobile phones, as it's short for "no mobile phobia". It's a dreadful term, doubtless fated to vanish together with the papers it was printed in this week, but then there's no classical Greek term for being without a telephone that could have been used instead (Julane Marx suggests the rather neat "atelephobia", which does have Greek roots, though presumably it would refer to a fear of losing access to any kind of telephone). The term "cellphobia" is known online, but hasn't yet reached the print media; we also have "crackberry" for BlackBerry addicts. Stewart Fox-Mills of the Post Office was quoted in the Glasgow Daily Record as saying that "Being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century's latest contribution to our already hectic lives. Whether you run out of credit, lose your phone or are in an area with no reception, being phoneless can bring on panicky symptoms." The Post Office press release claimed hyperbolically that nomophobia "now ranks alongside traditionally stressful situations such as getting married, starting a new job and going to the dentist."

http://www.worldwidewords.org

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