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"Overlooking Runway 25 - Right, at Los Angeles International Airport"

"The Prisoners of Bothnia"

Feature Date: March 6 2010

Event Date: March 3, 4 & 5 2010

Countryman & McDaniel

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"Overlooking Runway 25 - Right, at Los Angeles International Airport"

On The Scene -- In The Gulf of Bothnia

 A 2010 Countryman & McDaniel

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Other Great Disasters of our Time

The Cargo Letter Photo Gallery of Transport Loss - Items Below Are Only A Sample

"Getting Gil?" - M/V Ady Gil - Feb. 7 2010

"Bear Eats Cub" - Jan. 30 2010

"Life & Death At Port -au-Prince" - Jan. 12 2010

"Royal Air Flight 988 Down - But Why?" - Jan. 5 2010

"Miracle At Kingston" - Dec. 31 2009

"Did You Hear That?" - Dec. 26 2009

"Star Crossed" - JDS Kurama - Dec. 1 2009

"General Motors Increases Training" - Nov. 28 2009

"Singapore Sling" - M/V MSC Kalina - Nov. 12 2009

"Road Warrior" - Important Moments In Transport History - Nov. 2009

"The Bridge On The River Shetrumji" - India Road Trip - Nov. 2009

"Make 25 Knots, Then Sit" - M/V Marko Polo - Nov. 2009

"Reefer Madness" - M/V Vega Gotland - Oct. 2009

"Meet Me At The Roundabout" - M/V MCS Nikita - Sept. 2009

"Auckward Straddle" - Sept. 2009

"Death of M/V Ioannis N.V." - August 2009

"Big Bunch 'O Black Barges - Beached" - Barge Margaret

"Walvis Wollover" - June 2009

"Pacific Mis-Adventure" - May 2009

"MV Maersk Alabama - 206 Year Deja Vu" - April 2009

"The Retaking of M/V Maersk Alabama" - April 2009

"Miracle At Schiphol" - Flight TK 1951 - March. 2009

"Do Not Chill" - FedEx life with the ATR-42 - March. 2009

"Miracle On The Hudson" - Flight 1549 - Jan. 2009

"The Attack On M/V Zhen Hua 4" - Dec. 2008

"The Taking of MT Biscaglia" - Jan. 2009

"M/V Ciudad de Ushuaia Stuck At The Pole" - Dec. 2008

"The Taking of M/T Sirius Star" - Somalia Pirates Take Supertanker - Stakes Raised - Nov.- Jan. 2008

"Fedra Backs In" - Death of M/V Fedra" - Oct. 2008

"Tank You, From The Somali Pirates" - Somalia - M/V Faina - Sept.- Jan. 2009

"The Death of Hercules" - Nov. 2008

"JAXPORT Jumble" - August 2008

"Callsign Connie: 44 Tragic Days" - July 2008

"Too Little Runway - Too Much Plane" - TACA Flt 390 - June 2008

"Recurring Dream" - M/V Norwegian Dream - May 2008

"Paradise & Pirates" - S/V Le Ponant - April 2008

"The Light At The End of The Tunnel" - M/V Zhen Hua 10 & 23 - Mar. 2008

"Mess At Manzanillo" - M/V CMA CGM Dahlia - Mar. 2008

"Big Battered Banana Boat" - M/V Horncliff - Feb. 2008

"Back To The Beach" - M/V Riverdance - Feb. 2008

"Glider Operations At Heathrow" -- B-777 Crash - Jan. 2008

"Fighting Fires On Mars"- Martin Mars - Dec. 2007

"Steeplechase"- A340 - Nov. 2007

"Explorer Ship Down" - M/V Explorer - Nov. 2007

"Kwanyang Crane Kaboom" - Nov. 2007

"Den Den Done" - M/V Denden - Sept. 2007

"For The "L" of It" - M/V Action Alpha - August 2007

"Stack Attack!" - M/V Ital Florida - July 2007

"Pepito Flores Did Not Need To Die " - OUR INVESTIGATION RESULTS

"Riding Down The Marquis" - M/V Rickmars Dalian - June2007

"Carrying Coal To Newcastle" - M/V Pasha Bulker - June 2007

"Between A Yacht & A Hard Place" M/V Madame Butterfly - May 2007

"Boxing Up The Rhine" M/V Excelsior - April 2007

"Best Worst Laid Plans?" M/V Republica di Genoa - March 2007

"Crack'n On The Sidmouth" - M/V MSC Napoli - Jan. 2007 - Disaster In Real Time

"Full Speed Ahead" - M/V Alva Star - Nov. 2006

"Where The Trade Winds Blew" - Oct. 2006

"Maersk Montevideo Melee!" - M/V Leda Maersk - Oct. 2006

"Laying Down On The Job" - M/V Cougar Ace -- Aug. 2006 -- Amazing !

"Vine Ripened Tires" - M/V Saga Spray -- May 2006 -- Amazing !

"Singles Only" -- Our One Photo Disasters

These Are Only Examples

"Mis-Fortune" - M/V Hyundai Fortune - March 2006

"Scheldt Snafu!" - M/V Grande Nigeria - Feb. 2006

"A Day A The Beach - M/V APL Panama - Jan. 2006 - OUR EPIC COVERAGE

"NO Rails" - destruction of New Orleans - Dec. 2005

"Backhaul !" - for July 2005

"The Boeing Tri-Motor" - for April 2005

"Catch of The Day" - for March 2005

"One Brick Short of A Runway" - for Jan. 2005

"Taichung Tumble" - May 2009

"World's Most Stupid Pirates" - May 2009

"LAX Lunch Deja Vu" - May 2009

M/T Vicuna Explodes - for Jan. 2005

"Unstacked" - overboard & Dr. Beach - Nov. 2004

"Coal Face" - the cargo was danger - July 2004

"Super Loss" - March 2004

"On A Wing & A Prayer" - Jan. 2004

"Stepping In It" - Dec. 2003

"Angel Fire" - Nov. 2003

"Broken Spirit" - M/V Tasman Spirit - Aug. 2003

"Denise & Polargo" - a love story - July 2003

"Columbia River Round Up" - June 2003

"Keel Hualed" - M/V Hual Europe - May 2003

"Thrice Bitten" -- M/V Tricolor - Jan. 2003

"Ramp-Age" - Feb. 2003

"Piñata" - breaking the box - Jan. 2003

"Halifax Hash"--M/V Maersk Carolina - Jan. 2003

"Thar She Blows!" - M/V Hanjin Pennsylvania - Nov. 2002

"T-E-U Bar-Be-Cue" - aftermath of M/V Hanjin Pennsylvania

"Container Pool" - a mystery - May 2002

"Strangers On My Flight" -- by Frank Sinatra - don't blame us - we only report this stuff!

"Dropping In On The Trucker" - it happened again - April 2002

"UNDER Achiever" - tell your friends ! - March 2002

Tell It To The U.S. Marines! - A Symbol of Our Day of Infamy - Sept. 11

Heavy Metal - lifting the un-liftable object - Disaster at Monrovia July 2001

Rail Mate -- an Egyptian rail loss - Tragedy At Ain Sokhna July 2001

Meals: Ready To Explode - Navy container barbecue at Guam! June 2001

America West Kisses Concrete M/V Ville De Orion - stack shift at LAX

U.S. Navy EP- 3 -- China Hostage Situation - Spring 2001

Attack On USS Cole (DDG-67) - - Dramatic Photos!

M/V OOCL America - Feb. 2000

M/V APL China - world's greatest container disaster - Nov. 1998

M/V New Carissa - the ship that would not die - 1999

M/V Tampa Maersk "on a dock diet"

Hanjin's Bad Stab - Under The Dock At Pusan, Korea - Exclusive Photo!

The Complete Cargo Letter Photo Gallery of Transport Loss

 

 

 

"The Prisoners of Bothnia"

On The Scene In The Gulf Between Finland & Sweden

March 6 2010

The Gulf of Bothnia - In Better Summer Days

A Cargo Nightmare Prize Contender

The Date: March 3, 4 & 5 2010

The Time: 24 Hrs. of Cold Each Day

The Place: In The Bay of Bothnia

At The Upper Half of The Baltic Sea, The Bay of Bothnia Is A Vital Shipping Lane Separating Finland & Sweden

Ice Is Common In The Bay of Bothnia, But The Winter of 2010 Has Paralyzed This Area

March 4, 2010 -- Ice Restricts Both The Bay of Bothnia and The Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Bothnia is 725 km (450 mi) long, 80-240 km (50-150 mi) wide and has an average depth of 60 m (200 ft, 33 fathoms).

The maximum depth is 295 m (965 ft, 161 fathoms). The surface area is 117,000 km? (45,200 sq mi).

The 15,000 GRT Ferry M/V Nordlandia Was Trapped In Pack Ice For Several Hours On A trip Between Helsinki & Tallinn In Late January 2010

Conditions Since January Have Worsened

Conditions Are Grim. Photo Is Taken From The M/T Bit Oktania As She Tries To Make Way In The Ice -- March 3 2010

Tanker M/T Kulsa -- One of Over 50 Vessels Frozen In The Gulf of Bothnia. Where Are The Icebreakers?

AIS Map For Gulf of Bothnia -- Diamond-Shaped Symbols Are vessels Not Moving -- Frozen In Ice. Where Are The Icebreakers?

Kokkola Is In The Upper Right, On The Gulf of Bothnia

 Riding On Frozen Waves In The Gulf of Bothnia
March 3, 2010

"March 3 around midday UTC I got a call by Skype from one of the readers of Maritime Bulletin, who's now on board of a tanker stuck in ice in Gulf of Bothnia. He told me, that though he doesn't consider situation critical, it's rather serious. Many vessels drift stuck in ice fields near Kokkola port, waiting for icebreakers. Icebreaker Urho trying to get to coaster M/V Skagenbank (IMO 9313864 Flag Netherlands DWT 4500) who's dangerously close to shallow waters. Strong wind, drift speed about 1 mile per hour. He sent me several interesting photos."

Voytenko Mikhail

Publisher -- The Maritime Bulletin

Correspondent -- The Cargo Letter

Tanker M/T Foordstraum Is Trapped. Where Are The Icebreakers?

AIS Map For Lower Gulf of Bothnia -- Diamond-Shaped Symbols Are vessels Not Moving -- Frozen In Ice.

Ferries M/V Amorella & M/V Finnfellow Collided Under The Pressure of Ice On March 4. The Picture Was taken By A Passenger On M/V Amorella.

M/V Finnfellow Reached Stockholm, No Damages.

From The Cargo Letter -

Over 30 vessels were reported stuck in ice that formed heavily in the Baltic Sea off the coasts of Sweden and Finland on Mar. 4. The vessels were stranded until the ice was cut away on Mar. 5. Gale force winds prevented ice breakers from clearing the way, according to the Swedish Maritime Administration. There was never any danger for the safety of the vessels. One of the ships, the Viking Line's M/V Amorella, had 943 passengers on board. Two ships, M/V Finnfellow and M/V Amorella, suffered minor collision with one another. The affected vessels reportedly largely ignored warnings about the icy conditions issued by the Swedish Maritime Administration. [From our Moscow Correspondent Mike Voitenko, 6-3-10]

The Trapped Ferries

M/V Finnfellow -- IMO 9145164 Flag Sweden GT 33769

M/V Amorella -- IMO 8601915 Flag Aland GT 34384

Not Pictured:

M/V Isabella -- IMO 8700723 Flag Aland GT 34386;

M/V Regal Star -- IMO 9087116 Flag Estonia GT 15281

A Prisoner of Bothnia

From The Cargo Letter -

34,384-gt ferry M/V Amorella (IMO 8601915), with 699 passengers, was in collision with M/V Finnfellow (IMO 9145164) off Nörrtälje, Sweden, on Mar. 4. [From our Sr. Correspondent Tim Schwabedissen, 6-3-10]
The Ferry M/V Silja Serenade Pushed Slowly Through Packed Ice Toward Stockholm On March 5 Morning.

Master of Tanker M/T Bit Oktania Asks The Question: Where Are The Bloody Icebreakers?

Here Are The Icebreakers!

Icebreaker Frej Arrives To Begin The Clearing

Icebreakers struggled through March 4 night to get vessels detached from the ice. The situation was difficult in other areas as well, with more than 50 vessels waiting for the help of icebreakers in different parts of the Gulf of Bothnia, according to a story in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter , quoting Swedish maritime officials.

On March 4, the cold weather and strong wind combined to form areas of thick packed ice, and a total of eight vessels got stuck, including the large Viking Line car ferries Isabella and Amorella, with close to 2,000 passengers combined.

Getting stuck in packed ice can be serious for a passenger vessel, as there is a danger that the moving ice might push it against rocks on the sea bottom which might puncture the hull.

The situation on board M/V Isabella, was described as calm. One of the passengers told said those on board were offered free meals.

 When the announcement was made that the ship was stuck in ice, children on board reportedly started to clap and cheer.

Although the situation is improving both Viking Line and Silja Line, which operate passenger services between Finland and Sweden, expect further delays. Some departures have been canceled.

Icebreaker Urho On Station And Beginning To Free The Trapped Vessels.

The Worst Is Now Over In The Gulf of Bothnia

March 5

Report from Sweden tanker M/T Bit Oktania March 5 02-00 UTC, via Skype: March 4 close to night wind strengthened up to 20 meters/sec, it was rather unpleasant and sometimes felt like crucial, but later at night wind quieted down, now it's calm. We're off Kokkola, Finnish coast Gulf of BothniaI, with some 20 vessels around stuck in ice and waiting for icebreakers. Icebreaker Fennica took us further to sea as we were too close to shallows, icebreaker was leading the way and cleaning channel with water jets, looked very impressive and effective. Coaster M/V Reymar Master told us on VHF that yesterday night ice was hummocking and nearly clogging upper deck. Fennica was real busy towing coasters further to sea. Four icebreakers in our area - Urho, Atle, Fennica, Frej. Now we're proceeding with Atle leading the way. Yesterday tried to move by ourselves, made 6 miles in 12 hours.

Voytenko Mikhail

Publisher -- The Maritime Bulletin

Correspondent -- The Cargo Letter


The Science:

A layer of salty water with little oxygen is forming at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. As a result, oxygen-free areas could appear in the deepest parts of the sea, releasing nutrients into the water.

These observations were made on the annual winter voyage of the marine research vessel Aranda in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The findings from the voyage were released on Tuesday, on the eve of the Baltic Sea Action Summit, which opened in Helsinki March 3, 2010.

 "In several years the situation in the Gulf of Finland has been good because the layers have been mixed up. The bottom has mostly had oxygen and then the sediment is able to bind phosphorous well", says special researcher Juha Flinkman of the Finnish Environment Institute, who was also the head of the voyage.

When phosphorous enters the sea water, it spurs the growth of algae.

Salty water has flowed into the Gulf of Finland, because a high pressure system, which has prevailed since late December, and northerly and easterly winds, have pushed surface water toward the southern part of the Baltic.

"In winters when there is little ice, wind energy can be all that is needed to mix up the layers of water in the Gulf of Finland. Now the ice cover has been solid in a very wide area, which can influence the situation", Flinkman says.

 None of the feared Mnemiopsis leidyi comb jellies, which have been seen as a threat to fish stocks in the Baltic, were to be found in the northern part of the Baltic. However, there were plenty of Mertensia ovum, their harmless relatives.

Measurements taken on the Aranda indicate that the phosphate levels in the water at the surface of the Gulf of Finland is higher than they were last winter. The nutrient situation in the Gulf of Bothnia is about the same as it was a year earlier. Further north, in the Bay of Bothnia, the nitrate content had grown somewhat.

Flinkman says that the amount of phosphates in the surface layer correlates to a degree with the blue-green algae situation in the coming summer.

"Many other factors also affect it, but the keys are there for a situation that is worse than last year", Flinkman says.

 In none of the measurements did the nitrogen content of the northern Baltic Sea fall below the target set by the Commission for the Protection of the Baltic Sea Environment (HELCOM).

The Baltic Sea Action Summit takes place in Helsinki March 3. Juha Flinkman says that he hopes that there would be "at least something more than just talk".

Juha-Markkuk Leppänen, head of research at the Finnish Environment Institute, lists reducing eutrophication, cutting back on toxic substances, and improved safety of maritime transport - particularly that of oil - as important goals for the summit.

 Riding On Frozen Waves In The Gulf of Bothnia


Shippers Must Have Quality Marine Cargo Insurance ........ Because......... "Ship Happens! ©"

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The Dedication of This Feature Is Simple: To The Mariners of The Gulf of Bothnia


SPECIAL NOTE: The historic dangers of carriage by air & sae continue to be quite real. Shippers must be encouraged to purchase high quality marine cargo insurance from their freight forwarder or customs broker

It's very dangerous out there.


INDEX TO OUR "The Prisoners of Bothnia" PAGE SPECIAL FEATURES:

Important Links To Our Feature:
Finnish Transportation Agency

Viking Line

Silja Line

Åland Islands

Our Other Container Features

"REEFER FEATURE" -- M/V Vega Gotland

"Vine Ripened Tires" -- M/V Saga Spray

"Thar She Blows" -- M/V Hanjin Pennsylvania

"TEU Barbeque"

"Container Pool"

"Meals Ready To Explode"

......And Many Others In our Gallery of Cargo Loss


Our Daily Vessel Casualties - stay informed

"Singles Only" - visit our individual moments of transport crisis for more.

The Greatest Container Losses Of All Time - these are the grand fathers -

M/V OOCL America

M/V APL China

M/V APL Panama - The EPIC

"Great Misfortune"- M/V Hyundai Fortune - March 2006


SPECIAL NOTE: The historic dangers of carriage by sea continue to be quite real. Shippers must be encouraged to purchase high quality marine cargo insurance from their freight forwarder or customs broker. 

It's very dangerous out there.

Thanks To Our Contributors For The "The Prisoners of Bothnia" Feature

Our Contributors for this feature are greatly appreciated:
Voytenko Mikhail
Publisher -- The Maritime Bulletin

Correspondent -- The Cargo Letter

Anonymous Contributors Must Always Remain Anonymous*


NOTE: Please Provide Us With Your Additional Information For This Loss.

EDITOR'S NOTE FOR SURVEYORS, ATTORNEYS & MARINE ADJUSTERS: The Internet edition effort of The Cargo Letter now celebrates it's 8th Year of Service -- making us quite senior in this segment of the industry. We once estimated container underway losses at about 1,500 per year. Lloyd's put that figure at about 10,000 earlier this year. Quite obviously, the reporting mechanism for these massive losses is not supported by the lines. News of these events is not posted to the maritime community. Our new project is to call upon you -- those handling the claims -- to let us know of each container loss at sea-- in confidentiality. Many of you survey on behalf of cargo interests with no need for confidentiality. Others work for the lines & need to be protected. As a respected Int'l publication, The Cargo Letter enjoys full press privileges & cannot be forced to disclose our sources of information. No successful attempt has ever been made. If a personal notation for your report is desired -- each contributor will be given a "hot link" to your company Website in each & every report. Please take moment & report your "overside" containers to us. If you do not wish attribution, your entry will be "anonymous." This will will benefit our industry -- for obvious reasons! McD


* NOTE: The Cargo Letter wants you to know that by keeping the identity of our contributors 100% Confidential, you are able to view our continuing series of "Cargo Disasters." Our friends send us materials which benefit the industry. The materials are provided to our news publication with complete and enforceable confidentiality for the sender. In turn, we provide these materials to you.  

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