On A Runway at U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, May 9 2006

Wheels Up

A proud B-1B Lancer from Dyess AFB, Texas, came in wheels up, blocking runway for any use other than emergency.

The B-1B Lancer made a wheels-up belly landing at Diego Garcia May 8 2006, skidding down the runway for 7,500 feet, according to U.S. Air Force reports. The 4 aircrew escaped without injury. The B-1B was home based with the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

The 20-year-old bomber was landing at Diego Garcia, a remote base in the Indian Ocean, at the end of a ferry mission that started at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

The U.S. Air Force won't say why crew landed the plane with its landing gear retracted.

During landing, the B-1B caught fire & emergency crews extinguished the flames.

Because damage estimates are more than US$1M, separate Air Force accident & safety investigation boards will look for the cause of the accident.

Production of the supersonic bombers ended in the mid-1980s. With inflation, today the planes would cost more than US$283M each.

The aircraft is now being inspected for possible repair & return to service. The incident is under investigation.

Links To The Feature

About The B1-B Lancer

B-1B Lancer

B-1 Background & Photos

B-1B Lancer Bombers at the Chicago Air and Water Show 2001

Boeing - History of The B-1

U.S. Air Force Museum - The B-1

Wikipedia - The B-1

Diego Garcia

U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia

General Information

Camp Justice

Picture Gallery

Wikipedia

Dyess Air Force Base

7th Bomb Wing

Our Contributor:

Our Doc - well placed, counted upon & wishes to be anonymous

USS Oriskany (active duty 1950- 1994) -- The Scuttle Begins

Goodbye to a Great Lady

The Cargo Letter For May 17 2006

Great Lady Will Continue To Serve>> U.S. decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany<< Webfeature (CVA 34) is now at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola preparing for her final voyage. Known as the "Big O"<< Webfeature the 32,000-ton, 888-foot Oriskany is schedule to be scuttled 22 miles south of Pensacola in approximately 212 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico May 17, 2006, where it will become the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef. After the Oriskany<< Webfeature reaches the bottom, ownership of the vessel will transfer from the Navy to the State of Florida. From The Cargo Letter for April 2006 with additional facts from our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen. (Tues. May 16 2006) UPDATE>> Pensacola News report of USS Oriskany - sinking:

USS Oriskany whose service stretched from the Korean to the Vietnam wars surrendered to the sea May 17, after explosive charges sent the vessel to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Contrary to Navy engineers' predictions of a sinking lasting as long as 5 hours, the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany went down in just 36 minutes. The dramatic conclusion came less than 48 hours after the carrier was towed from its berth at Pensacola Naval Air Station and then anchored on the site with its bow facing due south. Hundreds of veterans & onlookers watched the spectacle May 17, morning from the decks of dozens of charter boats & pleasure craft that trekked to the site of the sinking, 24 miles south of Pensacola & 212 feet deep. The process began under blue skies & bright sun at 10:25 a.m. when a blast from deep in the hull of the ship erupted through the open gaps in the hangar bay. Bright orange flames flashed, followed by a deep boom that was heard and felt a mile away. Acrid brown smoke obscured parts of the ship for several minutes. Once the smoke cleared, it was obvious the old flattop was going down far faster than expected. Within 30 minutes, the ship listed hard to port, its fantail already in the water & hurricane bow pointed skyward. In just a few dramatic moments, the vertical control tower submerged & then the tip of the bow slipped from sight. Water around the vessel bubbled & frothed as air continued to escape from the sinking ship. Goodbye dear USS Oriskany

Links To The Legacy of USS Oriskany

The Mighty "O"

A History

USS Oriskany

USS Oriskany

USS Oriskany

Photo Achive

The Reef Video

The Cargo Letter For May 4 2006

DISASTER>> St Vincent and the Grenadines registered 299mt. - about 190,000gt. bulk M/V Alexandros T, with iron ore from Brazil for China, 33 crew -- abandoned ship on May 2, night when vessel began breaking up off coast of Port Alfred, South Africa. Despite all crew standing by to abandon ship, only 5 crew made it to life rafts -- all 27 missing crew were wearing life jackets as M/V Alexandros T completely sank 285 NM off Port Alfred. M/V Fortune Express was only 2 NM from scene & rescued the 5 crew from life raft. S.A. Air Force C-130 due on scene at first light May 4. Sea conditions are 4mt. to 5mt. swells with 45-knot winds. Vessel said to have started letting in water May 2 afternoon (Thurs. May 4 2006) UPDATE>> M/V Alexandros T went down 280 miles S. of Port Elizabeth in an area that over the years has become the graveyard of many ships. South African Air Force C130 from Port Elizabeth has assisted with the search, but so far there have been no sightings reported through May 4. (Thurs. May 4 2006)

Editor Note: They were so close to safety -- all stepping onto life rafts -- 27 crew were taken away by this vessel. The end came in just one moment. There is no way to explain risks which the public can't understand. The movement of your baby carriages, stereo receivers, automobiles & frying pans -- is a very dangerous business.

Special Editor Note: This newswire photo was posted by the Associated Press on May 3 or 4 2006. Then again - this newswire photo looks strangely like M/V Tricolor which was in the English Channel in 2003. We'll follow up. McD

From Our Readers With Good Eyes --

The photo above has been attributed to the "Quick Passing of M/V Alexandros T" -- on your Singles Only page, however if I remember right, the ship in the photo is actually the M/V Tricolor which was in the English Channel around Jan 2003. Great website. I visit it regularly for info and to see your articles. Keep up the good work

Ashley Black

I am an avid fan of your website and enjoy the photo's and commentary you have posted. Your latest "Singles Only" article on M/V Alexandros T contains a photo of a Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics vessel Tricolor which sank in the English Channel. It is not the Alexandros T and although the writing on the vessles hull is not clear the funnel is clearly vivible and is the Wilh Wilhelmsen funnel colours.

Just thought you should be aware of the inaccuracy and keep up the fantasic job you guys do on this website.

Nigel Smith, Commercial Manager New Zealand, Barwil Agencies (New Zealand) Ltd.

The picture doesn't onely look an awefull lot like M/V tricolor, I can't, in any in any way, recognise a bulk carier in this picture. this is a car carrier or some other kind of ro-ro. a bulk carier, especialy one of this size, should have a very high bridge, and a rounded hull. Yes it broke in two, but this is clearly not a ripped hull, it's a square stern, tipical to a car carier.

I wonder under wich flag she sailed, whereas bulk carriers are notourius for breaking up due to metal fatigue, from the sudden load changes during loading and unloading. for that reason, bulk carriers are often sold to sail under "banana flag" after 10-15 years. (NOTE: M/V Alexandros T was St Vincent and the Grenadines registered)

R.Pasmans, the Netherlands.

It's hard to believe that such a fine looking ship went down a few days ago with nearly all hands of Port Elizabeth. 17 years old though, that's a fair time for a bulk carrier, lots of structural stress, I wonder if she too, suffered major stress at Frame 64, ie Derbyshire - sank in the South China Sea with the loss of all hands and her sister Kowloon Bridge went aground of Ireland.

M/V Alexandros T must have gone down like a stone...!! From what I've read it seems that the 60 year old Greek Master died,

She either had too many name changes or perhaps the operators address might have had something to do with it POSIDONos - anyone remember the movie Posidon Adventure? Jokes aside though, my thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones in this tragic incident. (NOTE: Hello Bruce, the new Posidon movie opens this week!)

Bruce (supplied photo below to us)

This is the M/V Alexandros T --

Quite clearly, the newswire photo we posted on May 4 -- is not M/V Alexandros T.

As reviewed above, you can see that everythng is wrong -- the hull form & even the hull color!

The newswire photo we posted is correctly identified as M/V Tricolor.

Indeed the wire service used an exact picture we posted of M/V Tricolor in March 2003 for the photo feature "Thrice Bitten".

Check it out!

We reacted to the breaking news & the wirephoto -- but what you see in the press is not always correct.

That press photo has been taken down ..... and we have learned yet another lesson about posting photos -- no matter how reliable the source.

McD

Our News Contributor:

Our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen

The Cargo Letter For April 5 2006

10,368gt. reefer M/V Ivory Tirupati (built 1989), Ashdod, UK for Belgium & N.Europe with containers -- suffered containers lost overboard while crossing the Bay of Biscay, March 28 -- severe list of 21-25 degrees & escorted to Brest. (Wed.. April 5 2006)  

Editor Note: More information may explain how all the starbord side containers were lost -- and why the starborad forward container was ripped open. There is more story here. Collision? Study the photo with care.

McD

Our Contributor:

Lt. Cmdr. Ilan Orly, Adv. & Notary - Ilan Orly & Co., Law Office The Best Maritime Law Firm In Israel

U.S. Customs & Border Protection - March 31 2006

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers apprehended two Guyanese nationals as they attempted to enter the United States illegally as stowaways aboard an inbound commercial truck. CBP Officers using gamma-imaging technology discovered the two individuals hiding in a container of Styrofoam trays.

"On March 29, 2006, at 12:30 a.m., Mootilan Ramphal, a Trinidadian national with Landed Immigrant Status in Canada, applied for entry into the United States at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry. Ramphal presented a manifest and invoice for Styrofoam trays and window hardware. CBP officers selected the shipment for a secondary enforcement exam. During the course of the inspection, CBP officers utilized the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS), a passive, non-intrusive inspection (NII) device employing gamma-ray technology to produce a high-resolution image of the conveyance's contents (see photo below). The scan produced anomalies consistent with that of stowaways in the nose of the container. A physical inspection of the container resulted in the discovery of two Guyanese nationals commingled within the legitimate freight. Both individuals were taken into custody without incident.

"The two individuals were identified as Bramhadaut Prashad and Debra Appadu, both Guyanese nationals without proper documentation to enter or remain in the United States. Both subjects were arrested on federal charges of illegal entry and conspiracy. Ramphal was arrested on federal charges of alien smuggling. "All three individuals were turned over to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution by the United States Attorney's office," stated James Engleman, director, Field Operations for CBP Buffalo Field Office.

"NII systems use advanced imaging and density-detecting technologies in the evaluation of the contents of trucks, containers, cargo, and passenger vehicles to determine the possible presence of many types of contraband. CBP in the Port of Buffalo, as well as many ports throughout the United States, utilize a wide variety of non-intrusive inspection systems. In addition to the mobile VACIS units, CBP Officers utilize rail gamma-imaging systems, radiation portal monitors and personal radiation detectors. "These technologically advanced tools assist CBP officers in executing their primary mission of ensuring terrorists and weapons of terror do not enter the United States," stated Engleman."

Anatomy of A Forty Foot Trailer

Styrofoam Trays, Window Hardware & Guyanese

Co-Loading is the universal industry process of one carrier providing its cargo to another for either consolidation or movement forward.

Here, the gamma -ray shows the Co-Loaded cargo is human. Who says U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) does not check containers?

Too few dedicated proffessionals doing a critical job, too big for twice their number. While CBP needs more resource, it does not deserve criticism.

Our Contributor:

Matt. Zehner - Vice President Surety - Roanoke Trade Insurance Services - Chicago

The Cargo Letter For Mar.18 2006

U.S. Navy Pirate Battle>> U.S. guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George CG-71<< Webfeature, & guided missile destroyer USS Gonzalez DDG-66<< Webfeature-- on Int'l Somamila Pirate Patrol -- in Indian Ocean 25 miles off coast of Somalia -- spotted vessel towing 2 smaller skifs. U.S. Navy boarding teams prepared to conduct routine boarding for checking of cargo & papers, but Navy ships noticed suspected pirates brandished what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Pirates suddenly opened fire on Navy ships. USS Cape St. George & USS Gonzalez returned fire with small arms -- 1 pirate killed & fire ignited aboard main pirate vessel. U.S. Navy boarding teams confiscated rocket-propelled grenade launchers & automatic weapons. No good guy injuries. Boarding teams took 12 pirates, including 5 injured. (Sat.. March 18 2006)

Somali Pirates Open Fire On U.S. Navy

Not One of Their Better Ideas

Pirate's Rocket Propelled Granades

The Somali Pirate Patrol

Largely unknown & unappreciated by the media, there has been a multi-national task force operating in the lonely waters off Somalia for the past several years.

Nations supporting this effort have included Britain, Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It is noticeable that China & Russia are not included in the group.

Currently (as of Feb. 2006), the task force is led by the Dutch, and includes the following ships:

France: FS Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet, FS Courbet

Germany: FGS Emden

Netherlands: HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, Replenishment Ship HNLMS Amsterdam

Italy: ITS Euro, ITS Maestrale, ITS Granatiere

Britain: HMS Enterprise

USA: USS Oak Hill, USS Vicksburg, USS Roosevelt

Logistics Support: HNLMS Amsterdam, USNS Niagara Falls, USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204)

An Under Appreciated Theater In The War On Terror

Our Contributor:

She is well placed & wishes to be anonymous

Canal Bridge Magdeburg

Even after you see it, it is still hard to believe !

A Bridge of Water Over Another Waterway in Germany ... now this is engineering!

Six years, Euro 500 million, 918 meters long - the world's longest water bridge!

This is the Canal Bridge Magdeburg channel-bridge over the River Elbe and joins the former East & West Germany, as part of the unification project. It is located in the city of Magdeburg near Berlin. The photo was taken on the day of inauguration over a year ago, but just now getting the attention it obviously deserves.

Our Contributor:

Attorney Yoav Shpigler --Ilan Orly & Co.Maritime Law Offices, Tel Aviv, Israel

These attorneys are our close colleagues & the best maritime lawyers in Israel

Additional Links:

Canal Bridge Magdeburg

Canal Bridge Technical Data

Opening of The Water Bridge

The rail-mounted, 45-ton lift capacity Alabama State Docks crane -

In Better Days.

On March 2, M/V ZIM Mexico III hit & collapsed the crane - 1 dead

Flare of ship's bow struck crane while leaving the wharf -- now a mess.

M/V ZIM Mexico III, chartered by Israel-based ZIM Lines, hit the crane at 11:30 a.m. March 2. The 534-foot-long ship was turning in the river when her bow struck the crane, which was not in use at the time. Two electricians, both employees of Gulf Electric Co. Inc. of Mobile, were installing a device on the crane when it was hit. The electrician who died, identified by police as 46-year-old Shawn David Jacobs of Mobile, could not immediately be retrieved from the wreckage. Rescue workers removed the body about 5 p.m. M/V ZIM Mexico III had arrived in Mobile from Kingston, Jamaica, carrying general cargo, M/V ZIM Mexico III had been unloaded & scheduled to leave Mobile, bound for Houston, on March 1, but was delayed by fog.

Additional Links:

Alabama State Port Authority

Alabama State Docks

Gulf Electric Co. Inc.

ZIM Line

Our Contributors:

Lynda Akin

Jim Collins

Ronald L. Signorino, President, The Blueoceana Company, Inc.

Philip D. Smith

A New Feeder Service? What!

It's like ants carrying slices of bread!

No, this is not a project to economize at Port of Los Angeles -- despite our budget problems!

We don't know where or when -- but a first reaction is to be dismissive of a fake. This is Photoshop -- right?

Well, no. Look at the proportions -- everything is proper. View the people Vs. the tire bumpers Vs. the dingy in the 1st photo.

These are not row boats, but BIG CRAFT and seem built for the purpose. The commodity weight is another question. Are these empties?

This is a far cry from mid-stream container transfer at Hong Kong Harbor!

There our few ports our staff have not seen -- but not this particular back water.

One of our readers knows exactly what & where this is -- and will report soon to solve this mystery .

The real story is going to be good!

Mystery Solved -- in 24 hours from our posting this feature -- by member of the U.S. Military Sealift Command!

"Aloha from the Somali coast, where we are supporting the hunt for pirates.

The photos of the containers in the boats were published in the Nautical Institute's "Seaways" magazine in January 2006, on page 30, as part of an invitation to contribute photos to a photo competition. Caption of these photos says:

"'These remarkable photos were taken in the 1980s, when a liner company called Unicom operated a service to Moroni, Comoros Islands. At the time, this was the only means of getting the containers ashore."'"

Captain Wade Armstrong, Master- USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204)

Additional Links:

USNS Rappahannock

USNS Rappahannock

USNS Rappahannock Photo Gallery

Moroni - Comros Islands

Nautical Institute

Our Contributors:

Lee Thorsen - Vice President, Avalon Risk Management

Lynn Welsh - Export Manager

The Cargo Letter For Feb. 4 2006

32,289 dwt , 575ft. double-hulled M/T Seabulk Pride (built 1998 at Newport News), with 116,225 barrels of oil product, or 4.9 million gallons -- hit by ice floe in Cook Inlet Feb. 2 -- Nikiski on Kenai Peninsula when she broke free & ran aground about a half-mile away. Nikiski is 80 miles S. of Anchorage. Unlike M/T Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, which occurred in a more remote area in Prince William Sound. The Exxon Valdez, unlike M/T Seabulk Pride, was carrying raw crude oil when it ran aground on a chartered reef, spilling 11 million gallons. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Sat. Feb. 4 2006) UPDATE>> Vessel appeared to have escaped major damage to its hull and propulsion system, and by dark it had steamed south down Cook Inlet under its own power to ice-free Kachemak Bay, where it was to anchor for a thorough inspection by divers. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Sat. Feb. 4 2006PM) UPDATE>> Bulk M/T Seabulk Pride arrived safely in Kachemak Bay 5:30 p.m., Feb. 3 -- anchored & inspection work continues with a team of divers. Response vessels M/V Seabulk Nevada & M/V Resolution are standing by with response equipment, including skimmers, boom and storage capacity. The barges 141 & Responder are in Seldovia Bay & available if needed -- tug M/V Sea Voyager also standing by. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Mon. Feb. 6 2006)

M/T Seabulk Pride - grounded on rock & in ice --

Struck By Ice Floe

Tugs Work The Giant

At 8:34 a.m. Feb. 3, time chartered vessel M/T Seabulk Pride was safely & successfully refloated. As of 8:40 a.m., the vessel was making way under her own power toward Homer, Alaska with 2 tug escorts. The U.S. Coast Guard Unified Command, in conjunction with the vessel's owner & operator, Seabulk Tankers, Inc., is in the process of completing the next steps in approving a safe transit plan for the tanker.

M/T Seabulk Pride was loading refined product at the Tesoro dock in Nikiski, Alaska when it was struck by an ice floe and broke away from the dock. Approximately 5 barrels (210 gallons) of heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO) & unleaded gasoline were released &endash; 3 barrels onto the vessel deck and approximately two barrels into the water. No further oil has been released.

The Cargo Letter For Feb. 16 2006

601-foot M/T Seabulk Pride (see "Singles Only") due in with escort to Port Angeles Harbor, Washington state. The double-hulled tanker will then sail to a dry dock in Victoria for repairs to two small cracks in its outer hull. While being loaded on Feb. 2 on the Kenai Peninsula, the Seabulk Pride was struck by an ice floe that knocked it from its moorings. It drifted onto a nearby beach and became grounded.  A subsequent investigation, with the help of divers, found that a water ballast tank in its outer hull had two small 5-to-7 inch cracks, which were  temporarily repaired with a cement patch restoring  the vessel's seaworthiness.  Additionally, the ship lost an anchor and incurred other topside damage. From our Correspondent Christoph M. Wahner, Esq. (Tues. Feb. 16 2006)

Disaster Averted - if Only M/V APL Panama Could Say The Same!

Our Contributors:

Those wishing to be anonymous

Our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen

Frederick.W.Eckley

Helmut Kellermann

M/T Ece sank day after collision, Feb. 1 2006, in 70m (230ft) of water

........ with 10,000 tons of phosphoric acid aboard.

Royal Air Force Gunsight Infrared Photo of Stricken M/T Ece

Vessel had a 5mt. (16ft 4in) hole below her waterline.

The Cargo Letter For Jan. 31 2006

8,000gwt Marshall Islands registerd chemical tanker M/T Ece, with 22 crew & 10,000 tonnes of phosphoric acid -- in collision at 0220 GMT -- with bullk carrier Maltese-registered M/V General Grot-Rowecki, 26,000 tons of phosphorus -- in the English Channel -- 30 miles NW of the Channel Island of Guernsey..Jan. 31. M/T Ece significantly damaged & in danger of sinking -- listing 30 degrees -- crew abandoned vessel -- 12 of 22 crew rescued by UK coastguard helicopter based at Lee-on-Solent & another 10 by the St Peter Port lifeboat from Guernsey. Guernsey oyster farmer & marine biologist Mark Dravers said the phospheric acid could actually benefit the marine environment.He said: "It is one of the fertilizers we use in the medium for growing algae. "The effect could be to fertilise the English Channel and benefit all our scallops." From our Correspondents A.L. Griffiths & Fred Caygill (Tues Jan. 31 2006) UPDATE: M/T Ece sank. (Wed Feb. 1 2006) UPDTATE: M/V General Grot-Rowecki had already been in collision with the Swedish roro-ferry M/V Finnsailor Nov 13, 2005, in the southern Baltic, both ships then had sustained some damage above the water line. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Thurs. Feb. 2 2006) UPDATE>> Considerable amounts of oil were leaking from the sunken chemical tanker M/T Ece -- but it is estimated that well over 90% will have dispersed within 12 hours of leaving the vessel. Three French vessels are monitoring the situation. The vessel contained 70 cubic meters of fuel oil to drive the ship, 5 cubic meters of diesel, 1 cubic meter of lubricating oil & containers of chemicals & cleaning fluids. The vessel is in reasonably deep water - lying 70mt on seabed -- yesterday morning the French tug M/V Abeille Liberte was surveying situation to see whether she was lying upright or down. From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen (Sat. Feb. 4 2006)

Our Contributors: Those wishing to be anonymous

Extremely Close Call - Jan. 30 2006

Disaster seemed certain when a photographer captured a DHL freighter & a Japan Airlines B-777 -- on course to collide over east London on Jan. 30 2006, near Heathrow (LHR)

To the onlookers below, the aircraft looked set for a horrific mid-air crash. But the UK Civil Aviation Authority says the incident was an optical illusion and not as dangerous as it appeared from below. A spokesman said: 'It is impossible to tell from the ground how close aircraft are in the air.' For a mid-air incident to be classed a near miss, the planes must be within three nautical miles horizontally or 1,000ft vertically of each other. A DHL spokesman said the company took safety 'extremely seriously' and had investigated the claims. DHL said: 'In this instance a proper distance between the two planes was maintained at all times.' Experts say the blue skies & sunshine added to the optical illusion as the conditions distorted the perspective of those watching below. But we'd like to see a bit more blue sky & sunshine between these flights! Geeez!

Our Contributor: Dean Ekman, Booz | Allen | Hamilton, McLean, VA

"Hi Pirate Guys! -- U.S. Navy -- Prepare To Be Boarded !"

Pirate Payback>> U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill<< Webfeature (DDG-81), and other U.S. naval forces pursued suspected pirate ship in Indian Ocean off Somalia's coast & fired warning shots to capture its crew -- U.S. Navy sailors who boarded vessel discovered small-arms weapons on board. USS Churchill began aggressive maneuvering in attempt to stop the vessel -- which continued on its course speed untill USS Churchill fired warning shots over the bow of the pirate vessel with her 5"/62 cal gun main gun. Pirates surendered. All Indian crew rescued. Piracy has become epidemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of lawless Somalia, where at least 23 hijackings & attempted seizures have been reported since mid-March 2005. Indian dhow had been taken by the pirates with her crew held hostage. (Sat. Jan. 21 2006)

Enough of You Bastards Since The Barbary Pirates in 1804! >> USS Winston S. Churchill steamed at 40 knot flank with no smoke in response to a report from the Int'l Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 20, that said pirates in captured dhow -- now a pirate ship had fired on Bahamian-flagged bulk M/V Delta Ranger passing 200 miles off central E. coast of Somalia. USS Churchill fired warning shots over the bow of the pirate vessel with her 5"/62 cal gun main gun -- pirates surrendered. U.S. Navy was still investigating the incident & would discuss what to do with the detained men.

Piracy rampant off the coast of Somalia, which is torn by renewed clashes between militias fighting over control of the troubled African country. Many shipping companies resort to paying ransoms, saying they have few alternatives. Last month, Somali militiamen finally relinquished a merchant ship hijacked in October. In November, Somali pirates freed a Ukrainian ore carrier & her 22 member crew after holding it for 40 days. Unclear whether a US$700,000 ransom demanded by the pirates had been paid. (Sun. Jan. 22 2006)

Boardng Party From USS Winston S. Churchill In Action

To Recuse 16 Indian Crew Held Hostage By Somali Pirates

With weapons drawn, U.S. Navy sailors boarded the suspected pirate ship off the Somalia coast & began looking around, uncertain what dangers might await them.

"It was pretty heated for a few minutes," Lt. j.g. Luke Grant, the leader of the boarding team, recalled. Grant's ship, the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, had chased and seized the vessel on Jan. 21, detaining 26 men aboard for questioning.

Before searching the ship, the boarding team wanted to make sure that no one was hiding who might ambush them and that the ship wasn't laden with explosives.

Once the sailors knew they were safe, they searched the ship, uncovering small-arms weapons. Lt. j.g. Grant said the ship was an Indian merchant vessel that had been taken over by pirates and that the vessel's master said he had been scared that the pirates would kill the crew.

Modern High Sea Piracy - A US$12Bn Problem

The Cargo Letter For Dec. 30 2005

Antigua & Barbuda flag, 40,306gt. M/V APL Panama<< Webfeature, (built 2001) -- grounded on sand Dec 25 while inbound to the Port of Ensenada<< Webfeature. Master did not wait for port pilot & tugs -- she proceeded to enter port without them. Geeez!!! M/V APL Panama ran aground on Ensenada Beach<< Webfeature, outside breakwaters. No reports of heavy weather or fog. Two 5000-bhp Crowley tugs from Port of Los Angeles arrived today to try to free the vessel. All efforts to pull the vessel off the sandbank during high tide using services of tugs unfortunately failed. Discharge of some of the 900 TEUs on board being considered but will be difficult due to location of the vessel -- in the middle of nowhere. She is aground 200 ft from beach on sandy bottom. Geeeez, we've known for years that if you're at Ensenada<< Webfeature, -- and nothing is going on -- just go to the beach! M/V APL Panama did!! This event best describes my UCLA college days!! McD (Fri.. Dec. 30 2005)

UPDATE>> More powerful tugs on route from Seattle. (Sun. Jan. 1 2006)

UPDATE>> After running aground on Christmas Day, M/V APL Panama remains a colossal figure looming over the coast just south of the port of Ensenada, and a National City marine contractor has been retained to help free it. After unsuccessful attempts by three tugboats sent from Los Angeles to dislodge the ship and bring it afloat, the ship's owner contracted the Crowley Maritime Corp., a worldwide salvage company based in Florida, to float the vessel. Crowley then contacted RE Staite Engineering Inc. of National City, a marine construction company, on Dec. 29 requesting the company join the team in the effort to free the ship. Three more powerful tugs should have arrived in Ensenada by now, but 1st cargo must be unloaded from the ship via a sky crane & fuel oil needs to be pumped from the ship. Both will lighten the ship's load, thus making the tugboats' job feasible, but it will take time. Additionally, lines need to be attached to the newly arrived tugboats. Another factor in freeing the ship is the tide. During periods of high tide the ship almost floats; however, during low tide the result is the opposite. The recent high surf that Ensenada experienced also pushed the ship farther inland toward the coast as the tide rose. Initial reports said the crew didn't wait for the port pilot to guide them into the terminal before trying to bring the vessel into port -- but there is another story that denies this claim. (Thurs. Jan. 5 2006)

Officials believe it might take as much as a month to free the ship's hull & propellers from the sand. The 260-meter-long (850-foot-long) ship is laden with about 35,000 tons of cargo.

M/V APL Panama had left Oakland with 25 crew and was making its first stop in Ensenada. Its regularly scheduled route leads to other Mexican ports, then to stops in Japan, Taiwan and China. 

Don't MIss>> M/V APL Panama - BREAKING NEWS Our Complete Photo Feature With Full Coverage of Ths Incident -- Many Amazing Photos

Our Contributor: Industry insider who wishes to be anonymous. Photos taken by a maritime agency.