BOW WAVE 518

Bow Wave Issue 518--Consolations of Liberty Edition

news and views on trade, insurance and risk

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(c)2009 WavyLine.com	Issue No 518 19 Oct 09
Published free of charge to Readers
Editor: Sam Ignarski
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In this issue:

1. Welcome
2. The Month of September 2009 in Marine
3. Tyzer's P&I Review for 2009/2010
4. Way of the World: Super Injunctions
5. Rubbish-Powered Bus Reaches Asia
6. And Finally...

1. Welcome

Poem of the Week

Solstice

Draw near, draw near:
Inside the warm house
On the cold hill.

As the fire draws sustenance,
Spreading an ancient, sure cheer,
Draw near, draw near.

Stars burn with heat impalpable,
Light filtered through years.
Somewhere, the stars.
Closer, the moon reflects coldly
On our human condition.

Draw near, draw near.
As we sit our vigil
As we speak our vigil
We are another sure warmth:
Of breathing animals,
With minds alight.

Draw near, draw near
As we feast our vigil, knowing
Comfort of nurtured warmth, knowing
Blindly, knowing
The light will come.

Draw near, draw near:
Through the longest night
As we huddle through our vigil, knowing
Certainty of faith, even love (no certainty, some might say), Yet knowing:
Greater light will come among us:
Be with us, and always again,
After these nights,
Guiding journeys all of our days.

Draw near, draw near
As we sing this vigil.

Fran Migliaccio (2007)

New Readers this week include:-

Evelyn Soon
Gerry Diffley
Wouter Allegaert of Van Breda in Belgium
Paul Nedd of Pound Gates

News of Readers

Paul Lovell, formerly the ISS Commercial General Manager for Australasia, is moving on. He has a 30 year background in bulk shipping and is based in Melbourne.

Contact Paul at:-

mailto:PBLovell@itpartners.com.au

AfterOfficeHours News

After Office Hours, the Emergency Contact Directory for people who need help quickly is now being accessed 150 times a day. Do you provide services to marine and transport insurers and shipping companies? Should your company be listed?

Ask us for terms.

mailto:contactus@AfterOfficeHours.com

http:///www.AfterOfficeHours.com

Note from the Editor

This issue of Bow Wave arrives on the cusp of a difficult few weeks at a place where your editor contemplates the consolations of liberty in pastures new.

Enjoy!

2. The Month of September 2009 in Marine

Jason Copland writes:-

The hot air of summer has gone, partly replaced by heated discussion at some annual conferences as the Conference Season got under way in September, here’s some of the other happenings in this month of marine:

1 Sep A new voyage of discovery gets under as Charles Darwin’s great great granddaughter sets sail on board the clipper "Staad Amsterdam" to retrace her famous ancestor’s route

1 Sep The two Austal built high speed ferries "Cairo" and "Riyadh" officially commence operations in the ferry service linking Egypt to Saudi Arabia, offering six crossings per week.

2 Sep Transocean Ltd announces that it’s deep water drilling platform "Deepwater Horizon" has drilled the deepest oil and gas well ever working in the Gulf of Mexico. The well has a measured depth of over 10 kilometres.

3 Sep The Marine Accident Investigation Bureau’s report into the grounding of the "Riverdance" on 31JAN08 finds that load and stability calculations were not properly made and that some deck openings were not sealed. The full report can be found on MAIB’s website here:
http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/2009/riverdance.cfm

3 Sep Ever get that sinking feeling you’ve just made a mistake? The crew of the "Still Waters II" accidently transmit an emergency message "I am sinking" causing a coastguard alert and a full air and search and rescue operation to be launched by the Shetland Coastguard.

4 Sep Mitsui OSK line announces a General Rate Increase for all containers moving west from Asia and India to Northern Europe a nd the Mediterranean, the new rate is US$ 250 per TEU.

4 Sep The Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier "HMS Ark Royal" returns to the fleet after a GBP 12 million refit. Work carried out including upgrades to the main engines and gearbox, a new exhaust system and new paintwork designed to speed up the ship and make it more economical. Sounds like a Naval version of "Pimp my Ride".

4 Sep The BBC reporter Roger Harrabin publishes an article looking into the environmental impact of global shipping and visits the "Estelle Maersk". His report can be read on the BBC site here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8239118.stm

and a further update from 18 Sep here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8263084.stm

6 Sep Yet another Philippine ferry sinking, the "Superferry 9" with almost one thousand people on board begins listing and eventually sinks some 500 miles south of Manila. 931 are rescued, nine confirmed dead and 30 missing.

8 Sep Norwegian company StatoilHydro’s full scale floating wind generator "Hywind" is officially inaugurated. Hywind can produce 2.3 megawatts of power and will operate for a two year test period located 10 kilometres off the coast in the North Sea.

10 Sep The 1977 built 22,263 GT Mongolian vessel "Black Rose" laden with 24,000 tons of iron ore sinks near the Indian port of Paradip. 26 crewmembers were rescued, the Chief Engineer died.

11 Sep The sunny side of Global Warming? Beluga Group’s vessels "Beluga Fraternity" and "Beluga Foresight" transit the North East Passage, start out from Korea the vessels passed the Siberian Arctic coast with Russian icebreaker vessels and have now completed the route. Until recent times this route was impassable but shrinking ice means it could become commercially viable offering a huge short cut from Europe to the Far East. Beluga Group plan to introduce a regular service using the route.

13 Sep In a city famed for lace and chocolate the IUMI Annual Conference gets under way with the theme this year being "Mastering Rough Seas". Topics included the impact of the recession with annual Marine premiums for 2008 reportedly down 3.6% compared to 2007 at US$22.9 billion. All presentations and pictures of the event are now available at IUMI’s webpage here: http://www.iumi.com/index.cfm?id=7291

14 Sep The "M/V Irene", held by Somali pirates since it hijack 5 months ago has been released together with the 21 crewmembers. The pirates claim a ransom of US$ 2 million was paid.

16 Sep An ex-mafia informant claims that he was responsible for the sinking of three vessels alleged to have been laden with toxic waste. The Italian authorities are investigating and it is believed that up to 30 vessels may have met their end in this way.

16 Sep The famous River Tyne Swan Hunter shipyard that was forced to close in 2006 has been sold to redevelopers. Famous ships built at the yard include the "Mauritania" built in 1906 and countless Royal Navy ships including the "HMS Ark Royal". More vessels listed here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Hunter#Ships_built_by_Swan_Hunter

16 Sep Russia officially closes the investigation into the alleged hijacking of the "Arctic Sea" and plans to hand the vessel back to the Maltese flag state authorities. Rumours abound as to what really happened with this vessel including suggestions that it may have been employed for illegal arms shipments. A Russian journalist has gone into hiding after receiving threats.

21 Sep The monitoring organisation ReCaap (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships i n Asia -- you can see why they use the abbreviated name) publishes a report showing a rise in piracy incidents in the South China Sea. 10 attacks have been reported this year with tankers and larger container ships apparently most at risk. The previous highest recorded number of attacks was 9 in 2005.

24 Sep Bunker oil seeping from the "Black Rose" (see 10Sep above) pollutes beaches in Orissa state and threatens the Olive Ridley endangered sea turtle species.

24 Sep The EU anti piracy operation Atalanta will have to make do without the Swiss as their parliament rejects a vote to send troops to the Gulf of Aden. Opponents were worried that such action would violate Swiss neutrality laws.

26 Sep A report into the effect of the recession on German trade finds that the volume of shipping in the port of Hamburg is down by about one third. Some remain optimistic though claiming that emerging economies will still need German exports whilst others display a more sober outlook claiming that the light at the end of the tunnel might be the train coming towards you.

mailto:jason.copland@mailbox.hu

3. Tyzer's P&I Review for 2009/2010

Just in arrives this most pungent of broker P&I reviews. Author Martin Hubbard writes well and describes noteworthy features of the industry with an ease which comes from having seen the industry from both sides of the fence.We like the fact that he leaves the seats on the fence to other broking houses. One of his innovations is to describe well the efforts and places occupied by the non-Group companies, some of whom these days have better ratings than the Clubs themselves. Another is to conceive of the industry in terms of leagues. Here is his description of the Premier Division:-

"We have relegated Steamship Mutual from the Premier Division this year due to its need, declared shortly before 20th February 2009, to make unbudgeted calls on the 2006, 2007 and 2008 policy years. This is the second time in under ten years the Club has been forced to make calls due to investment losses.

We do not feel any of the current Second Division deserve promotion this year, so the Premiership is for the time being reduced to an elite of five Clubs (Gard, Standard, North, Britannia and Skuld). These Clubs are all solidly managed and have been able to absorb their investment losses. Both Gard and Skuld have announced impressive half-year results for 2009 and we expect to see the free reserves of all five Clubs grow again based on generally positive underwriting results. Gard has quietly overtaken UK as the largest Club for owned tonnage, and the lack of any gloating was rather refreshing." (Amen to that--grace and good style notes have been rather rare industry features in recent times--ed)

Contact Martin at:-

mailto:martin.hubbard@tysers.com

4. Way of the World: Super Injunctions

An interesting extract here from Michael Quinion's World Wide Words, a weekly e-zine not unlike Bow Wave, but devoted to the examination of all things lexicographical:-

"A tremendous fuss has erupted in Britain this week as the result of an injunction obtained by a famous firm of libel lawyers, Carter-Ruck. It sought to ban the Guardian from publishing details of a report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast by a firm named Trafigura. It also persuaded the judge to make the injunction secret, so the newspaper couldn't even report it existed. Such measures have become known as SUPER-INJUNCTIONS; they are becoming more common as a way of stifling the reporting of issues, as part of what is known as REPUTATION MANAGEMENT for big companies. The injunction became controversial when Carter-Ruck claimed it prevented press coverage of a question in the House of Commons that mentioned it. As parliamentary business enjoys what's called ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE, meaning that nothing said in the Chamber and reported outside it carries any risk of legal challenge - a prerogative that goes back to the Bill of Rights of 1689 - this gagging attempt provoked a storm of protest, mainly online, which forced the firm to withdraw its objections."

If you would like to join the massed ranks of subscribers to World Wide Words go to:-

http://www.worldwidewords.org/maillist/index.htm

5. Rubbish-Powered Bus Reaches Asia

Many thanks to Paul Gunton for passing this one on:-

London based adventurer Andy Pag (34) reached Asia last night, after leaving the capital in a recycled scrap yard bus powered only by chip fat. The veteran overland traveller is attempting to travel around the world using only rubbish to fuel his journey.

On Friday he crossed from the European side of the Istanbul Straits to the Asian side. "Crossing the Bosphorus is a real milestone. I’m actually quite relieved to have made it this far, but it’s only going to get tougher to find used cooking oil to fuel the bus from here on." said Pag.

The journey has already had its challenges, and the bus is using more fuel than expected. "It’s a bad example of a type of bus that was never particularly efficient when new." explained Pag, "It’s noisy, uncomfortable, slow, and it smells like a bus drivers armpit, but when you are using rubbish you can’t expect too much."

Since leaving London on the 19th of September, the bus has covered 5000km through France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, the Balkans and Greece to reach Turkey. In that time Pag has collected over 500 litres of chip fat and biodiesel made from used cooking oil to put in his tank.

After rest and repairs, the journey will continue on Tuesday. Ahead, the route will either have to contend with the insecurity in Pakistan or the cold temperatures of the Kazakhstani winter which risk solidifying the fuel into a greasy mess. Pag will make a decision on which route to take after reaching Iran.

During the journey Pag is reporting on how people around the world are addressing need to use low carbon energy through his website and has set a CO2 emission target of 2 tonnes for his own 12 month journey, equivalent to the sustainability targets internationally agreed on for 2050.

http://www.biotruckexpedition.org,

http://www.twitpic.com/photos/biotruck

mailto:andy@biotruck.co.uk

6. And Finally...

Many thanks to legalist Frazer Hunt for these strong submissions (a return to form you might say):-

Blond Joke

A blonde teenage girl, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer, decided to hire herself out as a 'handy-woman' and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighbourhood.
She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do.

'Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch,' he said.

Delighted, the girl quickly responded, 'How about $50?'

The man agreed and told her that the paint brushes and everything she would need was in the garage. The man's wife, hearing the conversation said to her husband, 'Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?'

He responded, 'That's a bit cynical, isn't it?'

The wife replied, 'You're right.
I guess I'm starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes.’

Later that day, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.

'You're finished already?' the startled husband asked.

'Yes, the blonde replied, and I even had paint left over, so I gave it two coats.'

Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along with a ten dollar tip.

'And by the way,' the blonde added, 'it's not a Porch, it's a Lexus.

P.S.

Darwin Again

And once again, it's time for the Darwin Award Nominees. "The Darwins" are awarded every year to the persons who died in the stupidest manner, thereby removing themselves from the gene pool.

Some may submit a list for your consideration that is nothing more than a "resend" of last year's winners. Here is the official 2009 list. Notice the interesting spin for this year's first place award which comes to us - from of all places, Arkansas. How surprising is that?

This years nominees are:

Nominee No. 1: ( San Jose Mercury News):

An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a former girlfriends windshield, accidentally shot himself to death when the gun discharged, blowing a hole in his gut.

Nominee No. 2: ( Kalamazoo Gazette):

James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, MI, was killed in March as he was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm-type truck." Burns got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise . Burns clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft.

Nominee No. 3: ( Hickory Daily Record):

Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in December in Newton, NC. Awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside his bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith & Wesson 38 Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.
Nominee No. 4: (UPI, Toronto ):

Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings' windows to visiting law students.. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of window strength according to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" (ed note:????) members of the 200-man association.

Nominee No. 5: (The News of the Weird):

Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had spent several years awaiting South Carolina's electric chair on a murder conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. While sitting on a metal toilet in his cell attempting to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.

Nominee No. 6

A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk,IN. A Jay Countryman, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzle loader, was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his face, sheriffs investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Investigators said Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.

Nominee No. 7: (Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario):

A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident occurred, said Inspector Darcy Honer of the Peel Regional Police. "It appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Honer said.

Finally, THE WINNER!!!: ( Arkansas Democrat Gazette):
Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday. Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock, were returning to Des Arc after a frog catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Pooles pickup truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the 22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering- wheel column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge. After travelling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the pavement, and striking a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his n**s off, or we might both be dead," stated Wallis. "I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I can't believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia ( Poole's wife), asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck. Priorities, after all!!

Though Poole and Wallis did not die as a result of their misadventure as normally required by Darwin Award Official Rules, it can be argued that Poole did, in fact, effectively remove himself from the gene pool.

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