Casualty Week Feb 11 - Dione - UniPi

February 11 2005

CasualtyWeekLloyd's Lloyd’s Casualty Week contains information from worldwide sources

of Marine, Non-Marine and Aviation casualties together with other reportsrelevant to the shipping, transport and insurance communities

ROC may be facing end ofthe line as liquidators

prepare to auction fleet

EDITORStephen Legall Tel +44 020 7017 5228

ADVERTISEMENTSMike Smith Tel +44 (0) 20 7017 4488Fax +44 (0) 20 7017 5007email [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Peter BarkerTel: +44 (0) 20 7017 4779Fax: +44 (0) 20 7017 5007Email: [email protected]

A complete online archive covering the last 10 years of Lloyd’s Casualty Week. For further information please call +44 (0) 20 7017 4779.

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THREE remaining Royal OlympiaCruises overnight cruiseships areto be auctioned in Piraeus,

seemingly bringing to an end the Greekcruise line’s troubled nine-year history.

Under a Greek court decision issued thisweek, three shipowning companiescontrolling the 1971-built Triton, the 1966-built World Renaissance and the 1962-builtOdysseus have been put in the hands ofliquidators on application from mortgageeFortis Bank.

Negotiations

The Dutch bank, reportedly owed almost€ 59m ($75.5m), is by far ROC’s majorcreditor and looks set to reap the lion’sshare of auction proceeds although someobservers feel the most likely outcome atauction is that the bank will buy the vesselsback and then hold private negotiationswith interested parties.

Priority claims are likely to include thoseof hundreds of unpaid crew ranging up tothe €45,000 each said to be owed to thecompany’s masters.

While in most ship auction scenariosROC’s office staff would miss out onunpaid wages, legal experts in Piraeus leftopen the possibility that the unprecedented

procedure might also take intoconsideration shoreside employees.

The liquidation brings to an end morethan 12 months in which the cruise firm hasbeen on the rack after losing its threepremier vessels to other creditors — aperiod that included nine months of legalprotection against creditors, the first timethe specific Greek bankruptcy protectionlaws have been invoked for shippingcompanies of this type.

Bankruptcy

In a last-ditch attempt to salvagesomething from the collapse, ROCmanagement had sought a bankruptcy inoperation order and had been trying toconvince Fortis Bank it could struggle on ifit sold just two of the vessels.

ROC itself as the cruise firm’s managingcompany, though, appears to have escapedefforts to judicially wind it up.

Managers at the cruise line and its legalspokesman were unavailable for commentyesterday.

One Piraeus legal expert described thecompany’s status as “uncertain” after thecourt threw out a variety of petitions tohave ROC liquidated, mainly on technicalgrounds.

Despite this, most observers see it as theend for ROC, although not necessarily forone of the longest family company storiesin world shipping.

ROC was established as Royal OlympicCruises by the merger of the Potamianosfamily’s Epirotiki Lines and theKeusseoglou family-controlled Sun Line atthe end of 1995.

It embarked on a perilous career as apublicly listed company with a small initialoffering on Nasdaq in early 1998.

Extended

But Epirotiki’s history goes back morethan 150 years and arguably this could beextended if the Andreas Potamianos-ledclan is able to keep a toe-hold in thebusiness.

Mr Potamianos could not be reachedyesterday, but, according to one Greekpassengership source, he has beenexamining possible cruises from Veniceemploying the elderly Jason , a 136-cabinvessel that was left outside ROC.

Nigel LowryLloyd’s List Correspondent

(ii)

Summary of Major Cases in this week’s issue of Lloyd’s Casualty Week

Vessel Type Flag Class G T DWT Blt Casualty

AURELIA bulker MLT RS 22,046 34,170 1981 Sent distress signal and sank in heavy weather, in lat 27 45.32N, long 139 44.24E, nearChichijima Island Feb 2. Twelve crew rescued, 10 missing.

CAPE FLATTERY bulker HKG NK 16,978 28,433 2004 Reported aground, by the bow, with the stern still afloat, about half a mile east of Barbers Point Feb 2. Three tugs attempting refloat. Listing to port.

HARDWAR bulker IND IR 28,739 47,311 1987 Reported anchor lashing problems and water in forepeak, in heavy weather, 35 miles north-west of Bermuda Jan 29. Anchored in lat 32 41N 64 42W, awaiting orders. Reported Feb 3 in lat 32 10.7N, long 64 50.9W, proceeding westfor shelter.

JOY RUBY — — — 487 — — Sank about 150 metres from Coron pier, Philippines, Jan 29, after disembarking passengers at Coron. Vessel was taking water on its way into Coron and after passengers were off vessel was floated away from the port for sinking.

KEMERI LBR 10,944 Experienced sea suction problems in lat 46 49.31N, long 71 12.17W, Jan 31, while downbound in the St. Charles River, resulting in a total black-out. Technical advisor on board.

MIN HAI 102 general CHN CS 977 1,150 1987 In collision with Minghui 8 in lat 23 27N, long 117 16E, Jan 26. Vessel was damaged but not seriously. Oil spillage reported.

POMERANIA passenger BHS GL 12,087 1,856 1997 In collision with asphalt tanker Rio Grande about 14km west of Falsterbo, Sweden. Sustained a small hole well above the waterline. Escorted to Copenhagen. Investigation to commence.

RADWAN product CYP NK 23,904 35,584 1980 Salvage services being rendered by Tsavliris International under LOF, dated Jan 29, due engine failure in lat 34 08S, long 08 52E. Reported Feb 2 under tow of tug Nikolay Chiker bound Cape Town.

RED POINT chem/oil ITA AB 27,001 46,825 1984 Reported Feb 3 to have been aground at the carrier entrance to the River Amazon for 2/3 days.

Smit Salvage contracted under LOF.

SAATLY general AZE RS 3,363 4,286 1962 Reported Jan 30 aground offshore Makhachkala, Caspian Sea. High winds and rough seas. Tug Oktay Veliyev arrived on sceneand also grounded.

STOLT FULMAR chem CYM LR 3,818 4,300 2000 Contacted with the dock at Blankenese and tugtanker Schleppko, Jan 29, due rudder problems and

fog. Sustained 15cm tear. Proceeded for Antwerp 30 Jan escorted by two tugs. Damage to dock extensive. Arrived Antwerp Jan 31.

VOLCAN DE ro-ro CNI BV 18,316 2,325 1974 Engines stopped as a result of water entry TACANDE about four miles from Los Cristianos Jan 30.

Passengers evacuated to vessel Salvamar. Towed to Las Palmas. Inquiry underway.

ACACIA (Bermuda)Falmouth, Jan 31 — Ro/ro Acacia

(13436 gt, built 1974) arrived Falmouthat 1800, Jan 29 with contaminated fuel.Vessel secured to cross roads buoy inFalmouth Harbour to rectify problem.— Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — Acacia,which sailed Zeebrugge Jan 27 forPhiladelphia, subsequently passedDover Strait same day.)

Falmouth, Feb 3 — Ro/ro Acaciaexpects to leave Falmouth later today.— Lloyd’s Agents.

AKKOC 1 (Turkey)London, Feb 3 — Following received

from Ankara MSRCC, timed 1230,UTC: General cargo Akkoc 1 (498 gt,built 1976) reported taking water andlisting in Black Sea, in lat 41 20 12N,long 28 40 00E.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Ankara MSRCC, timed 1345,UTC: General cargo Akkoc 1 remains inthe same position, l isting towardsstarboard.

AL KHALED (Georgia)Tunis, Feb 1 — Bulk Al Khaled (6954

gt, built 1975) while manoeuvring outfrom Sousse port reportedly struck bulkApollonia Spirit (10912 gt, built 1977),laying at quay No.5, causing it damageto hull as well as damage to the quayand fender at 1345, Jan 31. — Lloyd’sAgents. (Note — Al Khaled arrivedSousse Jan 29 and Apollonia Spiritarrived Sousse Jan 12.)

ALEXANDROS (Panama)London, Feb 1 — Following received

from Malta Radio, timed 1700, UTC: Nofurther information has been receivedregarding general cargo Alexandros.

ALGA (St. Vincent & Grenadines)London, Jan 28 — Following received

from Aarhus MRCC, timed 1030, UTC:General cargo Alga is still aground.

London, Jan 30 — Following receivedfrom Aarhus MRCC, timed 1030, UTC:General cargo Alga is still aground.Understood owners are negotiatingwith salvors for the removal items ofvalue from off of the vessel.

London, Jan 31 — Following receivedfrom Aarhus MRCC, timed 1055, UTC:General cargo Alga is still aground. Itis hoped that the vessel will berefloated in around three days, afterwhich it will be taken in tow,destination unknown at present.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Aarhus MRCC, timed 0930, UTC:General cargo Alga was refloated priorto 0140, UTC, today and was towed toAarhus, where arrived at 0824, UTC.The small amount of oil that was onboard the vessel has been removed.Alga has already entered dry dock inAarhus.

ALMAZ (Russia)Seoul, Feb 1 — Fish factory Almaz is

still staying at shipyard in Yosu andrepair schedule has not yet been fixed.— Lloyd’s Agents.

ANGLIAN EARL (Barbados)Falmouth, Jan 31 — Anchor handling

tug/supply Anglian Earl is sti l lundergoing repairs at Falmouth withETS week nine. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ANKE ANGELA (Gibraltar)London, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: General cargo AnkeAngela (1547 gt, built 1984), Haminafor New Holland, contacted lock gate inthe Kiel Canal at Brunsbuttel duringthe night of Jan 30. Extent of damageunknown at present.

Cuxhaven, Feb 1 — General cargoAnke Angela, Hamina for New Holland,while passing the entrance of the locktouched the lockgate following anengine breakdown at about 2400, Jan30. Only a small amount of damage.After they had found the problem andrepaired it by themselves, the classsurveyor was on board and the vesselsailed after a delay of about five hours.— Lloyd’s Agents.

ANNERDIEP (Cyprus)See Assiduus.

APACHE MAIDEN (Philippines)Yokohama, Feb 1 — Bulk Apache

Maiden (14499 gt, built 1987) had a firein the cargo hold while mooring at theT-9 Daikoku Pier, Yokohama at 1045,Jan 6. The fire was extinguished byJapan Coast Guard at 1750, same day.No injuries. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note —Apache Maiden arrived Yokohama Jan4 and sailed Jan 8 for Manzanillo.)

APOLLONIA SPIRIT (Malta)See Al Khaled.

AQUARIUS (U.K.)Hull, Jan 27 — The home port of

fishing Aquarius is Amble and it istherefore based there while notengaged in fishing operations. Whenthe vessel was towed there after theincident it remained alongside for twodays (Jan 21/22) and thereafterreturned to normal fishing operations.— Lloyd’s Agents.

ASSIDUUS (Antigua & Barbuda)London, Jan 27 — Understood general

cargo Assiduus (2292 gt, built 1990), LeHavre for Szczecin, reportedly struckbank of Kiel Canal near Landwehrferry about 0315, Jan 24, andsubsequently ran amidships intogeneral cargo Annerdiep (2999 gt, built2003), which ran aground. The ferryquay was damaged. Assiduus continuedits voyage after an investigation inKiel, arriving Szczecin Jan 25. It hadsustained no serious damage.Annerdiep was freed and subsequentlyarrived Hamburg 2315 same day forrepairs. It sailed 1520, Jan 26, forOrnskoldsvik.

Cuxhaven, Jan 28 — Understand fromthe canal authorities that at 0315, localtime, Jan 24, general cargo Annerdiep

1

The following reports are reprinted from Lloyd’s List

CONTENTS

Reports appear in alphabeticalorder under the followingheadings and relevant pagenumber:

Marine, including Overdue& Missing Vessels 1

Seizures & Arrests 1 3

Pipeline Accidents 1 5

Pollution 1 6

Weather & Navigation 1 6

Earthquakes 1 8

Volcanic Activity 1 9

Political & Civil Unrest 1 9

Labour Disputes 2 8

Awards & Settlements 2 9

Railway Accidents 3 2

Computer Systems 3 4

Miscellaneous 3 5

Fires & Explosions 3 6

Aviation 3 8

Product Recalls 4 1

Port Conditions 4 2

Port Conditions charts 4 3

Receive immediate notice as soon as a Casualty occurs. For further information please contact Andrew Luxton on +44 (0) 20 7017 4625.

© Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit 2005These reports may not be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by anymeans electronic, mechanical,photographic, recorded or otherisewithout the prior written permission ofthe publisher.

passed the ferry quay at Landwehr andgrounded ashore. The vessel came freeunder own power, but collided at lowspeed with general cargo Assiduus.Annerdiep turned ashore again andbadly damaged the ferry bridge causingcanal traffic to be stopped. Both vesselscontinued their voyages, Annerdiep toHamburg shipyard and Assiduus toKiel. — Lloyd’s Agents.

Hamburg, Jan 28 — There was acollision in the Kiel Canal betweengeneral cargo Assiduus and generalcargo Annerdiep Jan “25”. Annerdiepsubsequently crashed into a terminal ofa canal ferry, after the collision. Thenewspaper estimated the damage atapproximately EUR 200,000.00.Annerdiep is now in dock at HusumerDock u. Reparatur GmbH & Co. KG atHusum for repair work. The vessel willremain in dock until the end of nextweek. Repair estimate not available. —Lloyd’s Agents.

ATHOS I (Cyprus)London, Feb 3 — A Delaware River

Oil Spill Joint Information Centrereport, dated Feb 2, states: Crude oiltanker Athos I: Latest Updates: Twohundred and eighty-seven respondersare working in the command centreand along the Delaware River. Some106,350 gallons of oil and oily liquidhas been recovered. Some 11,108 tonsof oily solids (cleanup materials andoil ) have been col lected. Seventy-eight percent of the heavily oi ledareas, 54% of the medium oiled areas,and 34% of the lightly oiled areashave been grossly decontaminated.Thirty -e ight fac i l i t ies have beengrossly decontaminated with sevencurrent ly be ing decontaminated .Experts report 366 birds have beenreleased and 178 birds are reporteddeceased.

AURELIA (Malta)Vladivostok, Feb 2 — Following

received from the Vladivostok SalvageCo-coordinating Centre: Bulk Aurelia(22046 gt, built 1981) sent distresssignal and sank not far from Japan’sChichijima Island at 0630, local time,today. Of 22 crew members, nine havebeen found on four boats and a raft, 13persons reported missing. The cause ofsinking is unknown. — Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Feb 2 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Japan, timed 0710,UTC: Bulk Aurelia, 9HMZ6, sank inapproximately lat 27 45 32.4N, long139 44 24E. Sixteen crew rescued, sofar, six missing.

Tokyo, Feb 2 — Six Ukrainian crewmembers were missing today after bulkAurelia apparently sank off the coast ofJapan, the coast guard said. Fourteenof the 22-strong crew were rescued bymilitary helicopters, a coast guardspokesman said, while two more hadbeen spotted in the water and would beairlifted to safety shortly. The coastguard received an emergency signal at0620 hrs (2120, UTC) from Aurelia,which was close to Chichijima. A coastguard plane was searching the area buthad been unable to locate the ship,which is thought to have sunk, thecoast guard said. The ship was heading

for Shimonoseki with a cargo of zincore, Kyodo news agency reported. —Reuters.

London, Feb 2 — Following pressrelease, dated today, received fromAlloceans of Athens, managers of bulkAurelia: At approximately 0730, UTC,today, Alloceans of Athens wereinformed by the Maltese Authorities(the Flag State) that the JapaneseCoastguard had responded to anemergency distress call from bulkAurelia, some 420 miles south-east ofthe Japanese mainland. In response tothat call, 16 members of the 22 strongUkrainian crew were safely recovered.Six remain missing, and a search andrescue operation, co-ordinated by theJapanese Coastguard is continuing.Every effort is being made to ensurethe safe return of these men. Therecovered crew members have beenflown to the Japanese mainland wherethey are receiving a full medicalexamination. Speaking for Seven SeasMaritime, London agents for the vessel,Christine Kershaw, head of Insuranceand Claims stated, “At this stage wehave no idea as to the cause of thisincident. All our efforts are going intoassisting the search and rescueoperation and ensuring the recoveredcrew members are as comfortable aspossible. We understand that theauthorities will be conducting aninvestigation with which we will fullyco-operate”. The vessel was on passagefrom Peru destined for Japan with acargo of zinc and copperconcentrate.Aurelia had, as has beenreported, a number of non operationaldeficiencies when it called into NewOrleans in May last year. These wereswiftly corrected and the vessel hassince traded into the United States,passing US Coast Guard inspectionswith no recommendations ordeficiencies. We, the managers, wouldlike to thank the Japanese CoastGuard for their swift and professionalresponse and for their continued effortsto locate the missing crew. This is ourimmediate priority.

AURORA (U.K.)London, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: Passenger Aurorahas left Southampton for a Germanshipyard where it will be repaired for10 weeks. The vessel will undergorepairs at Bremerhaven beforereturning to Southampton in April. Thecompany said it selected repairersLloyd Werft as they have a proventrack record with complex cases andare close to the motor manufacturers inGermany. (Note — Aurora sailedSouthampton 1738, Jan 26 forBremerhaven.)

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: Passenger Aurorais heading for Lloydwerft shipyard inBremerhaven. after its 103-day worldcruise was finally abandoned last weekafter 10 days of trying to make the boatsail . P&O initially said that thenecessary repairs to the propulsionproblems would take four to five weeksto mend. But the company has nowsaid it will take 10 weeks, meaning thevessel will not be back at its

Southampton home until early April. Aspokeswoman said: “Aurora had beendue back from its world cruise on Apr27 and we are still hoping to arrange acruise before reverting to the plannedpost-Apr 27 itinerary.”

London, Jan 31 — Passenger Auroraarrived Bremerhaven 1230, Jan 28,from Southampton.

AVONHURST (Singapore)Bangkok, Jan 28 — Understand that

as the damage sustained by supplyAvonhurst was minor repairs were notcarried out. The vessel is used totransport goods and workers to andfrom the gas platforms in the Gulf ofThailand and to Songkhla port in thesouth of Thailand. — Lloyd’s Agents.

BALTIC TRADER (St. Vincent & Grenadines)

See “Languedoc, France” under“Pollution.”

BARGE BREAKAWAYS,MISSISSIPPI RIVER, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedFeb 2, states: For a third time in eightdays, barges hit both Mississippi Riverbridges at Vicksburg today. RonnieBounds, whose home overlooks thetwin spans, said 10 or 12 barges cabledtogether in the tow scattered all overthe river. Warren County SheriffMartin Pace said one grain barge sankabout 100-200 yards down river fromthe Interstate 20 and Old U.S. 80bridges. Bridge SuperintendentHerman Smith said the boat pushingthe barges was owned by Ingram BargeCo, of Paducah, Ky. “It was one of thebig ones, 10,000-horsepower,” Smithsaid. Smith said boats were dispatchedand the scattered barges were roundedup. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guardsaid rain and high water are stallingthe work to remove barges that hit thebridges last week. A boat fromAmerican River Transportation Co., orARTCO, of Decatur, Ill., was headeddownstream on the river last Thursday(Jan 27) when the pilot apparently lostcontrol of the 22-barge tow. One bargesank about 1 1/2 miles south of thebridges and two others were beached.Last Tuesday (Jan 25), another ARTCOtow had hit the U.S. 80 bridge, butnone of those barges sank. The CoastGuard imposed a safety zone forsouthbound tows from just upstream ofVicksburg to just downstream of thebridges. The action banned allsouthbound tows of 30 barges, limitedtows from 16 to 30 barges to daylightand imposed a minimum horsepower-to-barge ratio. That safety zoneremains in effect, said Lt. ToddPeterson, chief of port operations forthe Marine Safety Unit in BatonRouge, La. Peterson said it probablywon’t be lifted until the Mississippifalls below 43 feet, flood stage, which isforecast for tomorrow. A salvage outfitis handling the salvage, Peterson said.The company’s first task, he said, isremoving the grain from the beachedbarges. Peterson said the sunken bargeis out of the channel and poses noimmediate threat to navigation.

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BARGE BREAKAWAYS, OHIORIVER, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: Residents andbusinesses along an Ohio Rivertributary are being asked to conservewater because of dropping levelsresulting from a barge accident thathas blocked a dam controlling theriver ’s depth. The Wood CountyEmergency Services issued the advisoryyesterdayd to customers of theClaywood Park and Mineral Wellspublic service districts and the town ofElizabeth. The Claywood Park PSDobtains its water from the LittleKanawha River, which empties into theOhio River at Parkersburg, andsupplies the other two systems. Waterin the 42-mile stretch of the Ohio Riverbetween the Belleville and WillowIsland locks and dams has beendropping since three barges slammedinto the dam on Jan 6 and twistedaround its gate piers. Another bargesank. Water has also dropped in theLittle Kanawha, where the level todaywas five feet below the Claywood ParkPSD’s intake. That forced the PSD touse pumps to draw water into its plant,which provides about 1.2 milliongallons a day, said General ManagerJack Beck. “We are in good shape forwater right now. Our only concerns areif the river keeps dropping, the pumpswouldn’t be able to pull water up intothe existing structure,” Beck saidWednesday. He said a hydraulicsubmersible pump that can pull waterinto the plant is to be placed in theriver tomorrow. The water conservationadvisory was issued as a precautionand no shortages have occurred, Becksaid. If there is shortage, water will bebrought in by truck, said RobertBibbee, emergency planner for theWood County OES. US Army Corps ofEngineers spokeswoman Peggy Noelsaid the agency does not know how longit will take to free the barges, whichare obstructing two of eight gates atthe Belleville dam. A section of onebarge was removed today, clearing athird gate. The gates control the depthof the navigational pool betweenBelleville and Willow Island. All eightgates must be operational to restore thepool to its normal depth. “It’s a verytedious operation because of how thebarges are wrapped and they have to becareful not to do structural damage atthe dam. They’re working as long andas hard as they can,” Noel said. Thecorps has suspended barge trafficthrough the Belleville lock because thewater is too low to navigate. The levelof the Hocking River in Ohio, anothertributary, also has been dropping. (Seeissue of Jan 25.)

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: The last of threewrecked barges that have closed a 42-mile stretch of the Ohio River fornearly two weeks was removed today,and barge traffic was expected toresume by midweek. The closing hasstranded more than 290 barges andcaused losses estimated at $4.5 milliona day. The 175-foot steel barges brokeloose on Jan 6 during flooding along theriver and twisted themselves around a

dam, preventing its gates from closing.The US Army Corps of Engineershalted river traffic through theBelleview lock on Jan 19 because of thefalling water levels. Salvage crewsremoved the final barge this afternoon,and the dam’s gates were closed later inthe day, corps spokesman ChuckMinsker said. The channel between theBelleview and Willow Island locks anddams was expected to fill to its normalwater level, about 12 feet, byWednesday evening (Feb 2).

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedFeb 1, states: Traffic resumed earlytoday along a 42-mile stretch of theOhio River that was closed for nearlytwo weeks while salvage crews removedthree runaway barges that had twistedthemselves around a dam. The 175-footcoal barges broke loose on Jan 6 duringflooding along the river and jammedthe dam’s gates, preventing them fromclosing. Because of the falling waterlevels, the US Army Corps of Engineershalted river traffic through theBelleview lock on Jan 19. The closingtrapped 46 towboats and more than 550barges. “They are moving them prettybriskly right now,” corps spokesmanChuck Minsker said today of bargesmoving through the lock. “I wouldthink in two or three days we should beback to normal.” Salvage crewsremoved the last of the wrecked bargesyesterday, allowing the dam’s gates toclose. They worked today to move afourth barge that sank but was notblocking the gates. Senator JayRockefeller, D-W.Va., said the river ’sclosing cost the region $4.5 million aday. He asked President Bush last weekto declare several counties in the OhioValley federal disaster areas. Theaccident also reduced water levels intwo tributaries of the Ohio. Erosion ofthe rivers’ banks since the accidentprompted a lawsuit by residents whoblame the accident for damage to theirproperties.

BBC PACIFIC (Antigua & Barbuda)Honolulu, Feb 1 — General cargo BBC

Pacific (6170 gt, built 2000) is currentlyin Honolulu reportedly with damage toits main engine, due to bad bunkers. —Lloyd’s Agents. (Note - BBC Pacificsailed Busan Jan 12 and arrivedHonolulu Jan 29.)

BELMONTE (Netherlands Antilles)Seattle, Jan 27 — Bulk Belmonte

sailed Seattle Jan 26. — Lloyd’sAgents.

BIG VALLEY (U.S.A.)London, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

today, states:The US Coast Guard saysit believes fishing Big Valley had toomuch equipment on board, and that iswhy it went down on the opening day ofthe snow crab season. The Coast Guardlimited Big Valley to carrying no morethan 31 600-pound crab pots. Comparethat to 55 700-pound pots on board.That’s the amount investigators saythey believe Big Valley was carrying,more than twice the weight limit whenit likely capsized. The Kodiak-basedvessel sank 70 miles west of St. PaulIsland on Jan 15. Of the six men on

board at the time, only one survived.Investigators say the sole survivor,along with people on the docks whenthe ship left port, told them how manypots were on board. Investigators alsofound Big Valley was likely carrying upto 13,000 pounds of bait , 8,000 poundsmore than Coast Guard limitations.“The owner of the boat, Gary Edwards,we had had at least two otherinteractions with him over the lastcouple years when we’ve done these atthe dock stability checks,” said ChiefChris Woodley of Coast Guard portoperations office. “And in January2004, we required Mr. Edwards to pull13 pots off of Big Valley, because he hadpacked it past what his stability letterallowed him to do.” The Coast Guardsays this year it did not check BigValley before it left port.

BIOSFERA (Ukraine)London, Feb 2 — Following received

from Madrid MRCC, timed 0915, UTC:Fish factory Biosfera (3983 gt, built1977) in tow of tug Sea Nostromo (? tugSea Nostromo Segunda, 180 gt, built1962) sank in lat 38 53N, long 03 11E,at 1115 yesterday. (Note — SeaNostromo Segunda towing Biosfera, LasPalmas for Aliaga, passed Tarifa 0348,Jan 27. Biosfera was last reported tohave arrived Las Palmas Oct 19, 1999.)

BLUE SEVEN 2See Shoyo Maru

BUM YANG NO.7 (South Korea)London, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: A Japan CoastGuard patrol vessel rescued 13 crewmembers on board crippled SouthKorean fishing Bum Yang No.7, 69tons, near Shimane Prefectureyesterday at the request of SouthKorean maritime safety authorities,coast guard officials said. Bum YangNo.7 was found by the patrol vessel ataround 0930 hrs, about six hours afterthe Japan Coast Guard received therequest, the officials said. It begantowing the fishing vessel into Sakaiport.

CAPE FLATTERY (Hong Kong)Honolulu, Feb 2 — Bulk Cape Flattery

(16978 gt, built 2004), laden with bulkcement, grounded this morningapproximately half a mile east of thepilot station at Barbers Point DeepDraught Harbour. The vessel is hardaground on the Diamond Head side ofthe channel, with tugs Mamo, Pono andMikiala II attempting to refloat it. Thevessel is l isting to port with itsstarboard side broadside to the beach.The US Coast Guard is on scene. —Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Feb 2 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Honolulu, timed2219, UTC: Bulk Cape Flattery is stillaground. Three tugs are attempting torefloat the vessel. If unsuccessful, afurther attempt will be made on thenext high tide, at approximatelymidnight, local time. The vessel’s hullhas reportedly not been breached.

London, Feb 3 — The Hong Kongmanagers of bulk Cape Flatteryreported, on Feb 2, that the vessel has

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run partially aground near BarbersPoint, Hawaii, at approximately 0649,local time, this morning. The vessel ispartially aground by the bow, with thestern stil l afloat. Tugs are inattendance and the US Coast Guardand local authorities have beennotified. The vessel is carrying a cargoof cement, no fuel has been spilled andthere were no injuries.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom CoastGuard Honolulu, timed0650, UTC: Attempts to refloat bulkCape Flattery have so far failed.Further attempts should begin in aboutfour hours.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Honolulu, timed1430, UTC: Bulk Cape Flattery is stillaground. The Coast Guard arecurrently awaiting a lightering planfrom vessel.

CAPE SYROS (Cyprus)Cadiz, Jan 31 — General cargo Cape

Syros is still under repairs at the IZARshipyards at Cadiz. Last informationreceived from the consignee was thatthe vessel would be sailing by the endof last week. — Lloyd’s Agents.

CEMSTAR (Sweden)Trondheim, Jan 31 — Cement

Cemstar is now at Aalesundtransferring the remaining cargo tocement Conberria. Estimate completionof this operation as Feb 1. Cemstar willthen, weather permitting, sail forStavanger to repair at Maritime GMCAS. Repairs estimated to take about 19days. — Lloyd’s Agents.

CLIPPER GLORY (Liberia)See Helm Trader.

CRISTOFORO COLOMBO(Belgium)

London, Jan 27 — A press releaseissued by the Sakhalin EnergyInvestment Company Ltd on hopperdredger Cristoforo Colombo, datedYuzhno Sakhalinsk, Jan 25, states: Thesalvage of the dredger has sufferedconsiderable delays due to recent badweather and obstacles on the seabed.The storms in December and Januaryhave caused considerable damage tothe hull and tanks such that thefloating capacity of the vessel hasdiminished and the vessel cannot bepulled off the shore without severedamage to its structural integrity.Additionally, wave action during thestorms has caused ice to form on boardincreasing the weight of the vesselconsiderably. All parties involved,including the vessel operatorsEuropean Dredging Company and theappointed salvage contractor SmitInternational and SakhBASU, areworking hard to find a solution thatensures that the environment will besafeguarded, that minimisesdisturbance to the community ofKholmsk, minimises the destruction ofthe vessel and maximises the chancesof success. All the necessaryprecautions are being taken to preventpollution, disturbance and damage tothe environment. To reduce the risk ofpossible environmental impacts, all oil

and oily water has been removed fromthe vessel and pumped into specialcontainers and stored onshore fortreatment. The option to pull thedredger off the shore is beingreassessed. The impact of the stormsand identification of rock ridgesbetween the vessel and the dredgedchannel, which is required to allow thevessel to be towed off the shoreline andout to sea, will prevent a successfulpulling operation without somedismantling of the vessel. Otheroptions, such as floating the vessel in aman-made basin continue to beconsidered, but are dependent uponweather conditions. Sakhalin Energyremains fully committed to assistingvessel operator, salvage contractor andKholmsk Administration in the safeand responsible removal of thegrounded vessel. Meanwhile, all of thegood will projects agreed between theKholmsk Administration and SakhalinEnergy are in the process of beingimplemented in Kholmsk. They includedeployment of oil spill responseequipment, Primorski Boulevardbeautification, replacement of akindergarten roof, purchase ofequipment and furniture for thechildren’s health clinic and provision ofan emergency medical centre at thehospital.

CT SUN (Malta)London, Jan 29 — Following received

from Coastguard Humber MRSC, timed1032, UTC: At 0845, UTC, today,chem.tank CT Sun (4382 gt, built1980), experienced a main enginefailure, two cables off Immingham OilTerminal, River Humber. As a resultthe vessel was unable to manoeuvreand dropped anchor to stabilise. Vesselthen received tug assistance to berthalongside at East Jetty, Immingham,berthing at 0950, UTC. The vessel hasno external damage and it isunderstood that its crew will beendeavouring to undertake enginerepairs. (Note — CT Sun sailedSkelleftea Jan 24 for Immingham.)

London, Feb 1 — Chem.tank CT Sunsailed Immingham Jan 30 forHelsingborg.

DAE BO SAN (North Korea)Yokohama, Feb 1 — The fishing nets

were removed from general cargo DaeBo San and the vessel was towed toNanao port on Jan 18. — Lloyd’sAgents.

DANICA GREEN (DIS)London, Jan 31 — Lloyd’s Casualty

representatives in Piraeus report:General cargo Danica Green (902 gt,built 1981) is currently repairing inPerama shipyard. (Note — DanicaGreen was towed by tug Akhtiar fromPort Said to Piraeus for repairsfollowing engine trouble.)

DETTIFOSS (Antigua & Barbuda)Reykjavik, Jan 31 — C.c. Dettifoss

(14664 gt, built 1995), Reykjavik forEskifjordur, lost a rudder bladeapproximately eight miles south-east ofIceland at 2000, Jan 28. The vessel wastowed by Icelandic Coast Guard vessels

Tyr and Aegir to Eskifjordur harbourarriving there 0030 this morning. TheCoast Guard vessels had some troublewith the towing due to strong wind andheavy seas. No damage to vessel orcargo reported, except the rudderblade. It is understood a tug is on itsway to Eskifjordur to tow Dettifoss toRotterdam. — Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Feb 3 — C.c. Dettifoss, whichlost steering control when its steeringblade broke off , is on its way toRotterdam for repairs. It is estimatedthat towing the vessel from Iceland toRotterdam will take six days. TheIcelandic owners said that strong windsprevailed at the time of the incident onJan 28, but they were not bad enoughto provoke an emergency situation.Coast Guard vessel Tyr arrived at thescene two hours later, followed by Aegirabout 12 hours later. The vessel wastowed towards Eskifjordur andberthed. Divers assessed the damage tothe steering mechanism but it wasimpossible to determine what causedthe vessel to loose its ability to steeruntil it was drydocked, Eimskip stated.It had then been decided to tow thevessel to Rotterdam for repairs. TugPrimus has been contracted for the job.A search is now on for a suitablecharter vessel to replace Dettifoss.

Reykjavik, Feb 3 — C.c. Dettifossdeparted from Eskifjordur harbour at0940 hrs, this morning, under tow oftug Primus, bound for Rotterdam. —Lloyd’s Agents.

DOLLART (Gibraltar)London, Jan 28 — General cargo

Dollart arrived Rostock 0320, Jan 27.

DONG YIH NO.668See “Mutiny on Taiwan Flagged

Vessel in Indian Ocean” under“Miscellaneous.”

ELEFTHERIA (Greece)London, Jan 28 — Following received

from Piraeus RCC, timed 0959, UTC:Bulk Eleftheria (40832 gt, built 2001),loaded with grain, grounded on sand atBahia Blanca at 0235, UTC, Jan 28.The vessel refloated by its own meansapproximately two hours later. Aninspection revealed no damage, and thevessel sailed Bahia Blanca at 0700,UTC, bound Jebel Ali.

ELIZABETH M. (U.S.A.)London, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

Jan 31, states: The captain of tugElizabeth M., that sank on the OhioRiver, kill ing three of seven crewmembers and leaving one presumeddead, defied orders and departed afueling station without waiting for asecond boat, a company official saidtoday. Don Grimm, president ofCampbell Transportation Co., said thecaptain ordered the tug to departwithout the help of a second towboatthat was still one and-a-half hoursdownriver. “I believe there was someerrors in judgment, obviously,” Grimmsaid during a Coast Guard inquiry intothe Jan 9 accident. The first tug waspushing six coal barges up the Ohiowhen strong currents wrenched thelead barges back toward the

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Montgomery Lock and Dam, throughwhich it had just passed. The tug waspushed or pulled backward over thedam and sank quickly. Three of theseven crew members were rescued bynearby towboats. One crew member,Rick Conklin, 40, has not been found.Today was the first day of what isexpected to be a week of testimony todetermine what led to the sinking.Capt. Toby Zappone was scheduled totestify tomorrow. Deckhand Jacob Wildsis scheduled to testify Wednesday (Feb2). Grimm said written orders had beenleft on the vessel’s log indicating thesecond towboat would assist with thebarge transport. He said he had notspoken with Zappone about his decisionto navigate the lock without the otherboat’s aid. Under questioning fromZappone’s attorney, Grimm testifiedthere were no warnings from the CoastGuard suggesting the river was notnavigable on Jan 9. Grimm also saidZappone was a captain with 20 yearsexperience and no record of poordecisions.

EMC 423 (U.S.A.)London, Jan 27 — A Coast Guard

Chicago press release, dated today,states: Testing and planning continuein recovery of sunken tank barge EMC423 and its petroleum cargo inpreparations to fully reopen theChicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.Coast Guard personnel conductedsampling of the barge cargo fromaccessible tank compartments onboardthe barge today to help in furtherdefining the composition of thepetroleum product that was beingtransported to ensure it can be safelymoved. The removal of known debriscontinued today with the lifting of adiesel tank that floated loose from thebarge and sank down river from theCicero Ave. Bridge. The use of a highresolution side scan sonar unit is beingprepared to further map the debrisfield and to gain a better picture of thecondition of the barge. Striving tomitigate any environmental impact tothe local ecology, the Coast Guardcontinues to work closely with local,state and national agencies, and withthe responsible parties to remove andreclaim the barge and the petroleumcargo from the canal.

Chicago, Feb 1 — Tank barge EMC423 is still lying sunk. Egan Marine areto carry out salvage operations beforeFeb 15. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ENTERPRISE (U.S.A.)London, Feb 2 — A Coast Guard

Boston press release, dated Feb 1,states: A helicopter from Coast GuardAir Station Cape Cod rescued fourfisherman two miles east of Nantucketat 1845 tonight. Crew members fromfishing Enterprise (134 gt, built 1969)contacted the Coast Guard via channel16 after their engine-room caught fire.A Coast Guard helicopter air lifted thecrew from a liferaft and transferred thecrew members to Hyannis airportwhere Emergency Medical Servicesthen transferred them to Cape CodHospital. The crew members identityand conditons are unknown.

London, Feb 2 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Boston, timed 1145,UTC: Abandoned fishing Enterprise,official No.518840, was last reportedstill afloat and on fire in lat 41 18.2N,long 69 56.1W. One of the rescuedcrewmembers died in hospital, believeddue to a medical condition.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Boston, timed 1430,UTC: Fishing Enterprise driftedaground in Nantucket in lat 41 14.4N,long 69 59.9W. The fire is now out butvessel remains aground.

EWL CURACAO (Antigua & Barbuda)

London, Feb 3 — C.c. EWL Curacaosailed Rotterdam Feb 1 for Felixstowe.

EXPLORER (Bahamas)London, Jan 27 — A Coast Guard

Island, Alameda, press release, datedtoday, states: The Coast Guard iscontinuing to monitor the voyage ofpassenger Explorer which is about 690miles north of Midway Island andheading to Hawaii. The transit toHawaii is expected to take severaldays. The plan of action changed tobetter facilitate any repairs that maybe required when Explorer reachesport. Explorer is no longer heading toMidway Island as previously reported.The ship, using two engines, isapproximately 1,450 miles fromHonolulu, its next port of call. The tripcould take several days, depending onthe number of main engines that areavailable for use. The current on sceneweather reported by Explorer hascalmed since last night. Explorer isreporting 15-foot seas and 20 mile anhour winds out of the west. The windand seas are on Explorer’s stern as theship continues southeast, which shouldallow for a smoother transit for thecrew and passengers. Explorer ismaintaining a regular communicationsschedule with the vessel’s shippingagent: V-Ship’s, which is also workingwith the Coast Guard. Coast Guardcutter Jarvis is continuing to sailtowards Explorer and a Coast GuardHC-130 is standing by at MidwayIsland ready to support as needed.

London, Jan 27 — PassengerExplorer, update at 1700, EST, today: Itis currently morning onboard the ship.The vessel’s current position is lat 4051N, long 178 48E, speed 14 knots. Themaster has confirmed the ship willmake for Hawaii. The current on sceneweather reported by Explorer hascalmed since last night. Explorer isreporting 15-foot seas and 20 mile anhour winds out of the west. The windand seas are on Explorer’s stern as theship continues southeast, which shouldallow for a smoother transit for thecrew and passengers. Hot meals wereserved last night and passengers areable to return to their cabins and tomove freely about the ship. Regularmeal service has resumed. The masterhas reported that the students spiritsremain high and they are extremelycooperative. He had very high praisefor their collective resil ience andcourage. The Deans met with facultyand staff last night and they agreed to

begin classes again today. Explorer ismaintaining a regular communicationsschedule with both the vessel ’stechnical manager: V-Ship’s, who arealso working with the US Coast Guard.

Honolulu, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: Passenger Explorersustained damage when it was hit by a50 ft wave approximately 800 milesnorth of Midway, Northwest HawaiianIslands. Reported damage is to bridgewindows and bridge controls. It wasfurther reported the vessel alsosustained engine damage, but the crewwas able to regain power in two of itsfour engines. It was on a voyage fromVancouver to Japan. U.S. Coast Guardassisted and the vessel is continuingonto Japan. The vessel was operated bythe Institute for Shipboard Educationin partnership with the University ofPittsburgh, with 681 students, 113faculty and staff , and 196 crewonboard. — Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: When a 50-footwave hit passenger Explorer lateWednesday night, about 650 milessouth of the Aleutian Islands, itshattered a window on the bridge andtemporarily shorted out the electricalsystem that controls the engines,leaving the vessel running on oneengine. Two crew members sufferedinjuries that were not critical. “Wewant to emphasize that the ship is notin an emergency situation and is not inneed of rescue,” said the Semester atSea Web site www.semesteratsea.comyesterday. “The vessel remainsseaworthy and navigable.” “The crisishas passed,” Coast Guard spokesmanBruce Pimental said yesterday inAlameda, Calif. “This ship is threeyears old,” he said. “It ’s super-technologically advanced, so when thewater got into the bridge it shorted theelectrical system and then the engine.But they always have a back-upsystem, and that’s what they wentwith.” The vessel is now heading toport in Hawaii instead of Busan, Korea,as originally planned, said JimLawrence of V.Ships, technicalmanager for Explorer. He said theroute change will take the vessel intocalmer waters and allow it to makerepairs. As of yesterday, Explorer ’sphone, fax and e-mail systems werestil l down, and officials werecommunicating with the captain viamarine band radio. The vessel leftVancouver, British Columbia, on Jan 18carrying 681 students, 113 faculty andstaff, and 196 crew members. AfterBusan, their itinerary includes Kobe,Japan; Shanghai and Hong Kong,China; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;Chennai, India; Mombasa, Kenya; CapeTown, South Africa; Salvador, Brazil;La Guaira, Venezuela; and FortLauderdale, Fla.

London, Jan 28 — PassengerExplorer: Situation at 0900, EST,today: The ship’s position as lastreported is lat 38 10N, long 175 34W,speed 12 to 14 knots.

London, Jan 28 — PassengerExplorer: Situation at 1715, EST:Explorer is proceeding on a southeasterly course toward Honolulu,

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Hawaii. The master is estimating thatthey will arrive in Honolulu on Feb 1.The weather continues to slowlyimprove with seas presently at 5metres. The communications system onboard the vessel remains unavailableand indications are that it will not berepaired until the ship reachesHonolulu.

Honolulu, Jan 28 — PassengerExplorer has three engines on-line. It isapproximately 600 miles north ofMidway and the U.S. Coast Guardcutter Jarvis is currently escorting thevessel. Pusher tug Jimmy Smith is todepart, this evening, to relieve Jarvis.— Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Jan 31 — PassengerExplorer: Situation at 1530, EST, Jan30: Explorer is in lat 27 19N, long 16002W, speed of 18 knots. It is reportedthat the weather is fine with sunnyskies and a light breeze. Sea swells are2 to 3 metres. Based on the conditionsand the speed they have been able tomaintain, the revised estimated time ofarrival in Honolulu is approximately1500 tomorrow, Jan 31. At this timeship management personnel, includingmarine technical engineers, from V-Ships (Monaco and Miami) are en routeto Hawaii to oversee the assessment ofExplorer. Additionally, senior staff fromISE in Pittsburgh are also en route toassist the on-board administration withplanning for the continuation of thevoyage. Coordinated efforts betweenthe administrative team on board andstaff at ISE in Pittsburgh areunderway to map out alternativescenarios for the voyage schedule. Thefuture schedule will depend on theoutcome of the assessment of thevessel, and the time that it will take tomake reparations.

London, Jan 31 — PassengerExplorer: Situation at 0915, EST,today: Explorer remains on schedule foran ETA of 1500, local time, in Hawaii,2000, EST. (See issue of Feb 1.)

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: Passenger Explorer,that was damaged in heavy weatherlast week, arrived in Honolulu Harbourat 1500 this afternoon. Explorer dockedat the harbour ’s Pier 2. The 600students who were on the cruise had togo through processing at US Customsand because the arrival wasunscheduled it is taking awhile toprocess everyone.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: Passenger Explorerarrived in Honolulu Harbour today. Thevessel is scheduled to remain in Hawaiifor several days before heading toChina. The vessel will be inspected bythe Coast Guard, naval architects andMarine engineers. The Coast Guardwill ultimately decide whether thevessel is seaworthy, said Jim Lawrence,spokesman for Explorer.

Honolulu, Feb 1 — PassengerExplorer arrived in Honolulu Harbour,yesterday. It is reported damage will beassessed and repairs completed. —Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Feb 3 — Passenger Exploreris scheduled to remain in Hawaii forfive days before heading to China. Itwill be inspected by the Coast Guard,

naval architects and marine engineers.The Coast Guard will ultimately decidewhether the vessel is seaworthy, saidJim Lawrence, spokesman for Explorer.

EXXON VALDEZ (U.S.A.)Anchorage, Jan 27 — Crude oil from

the 1989 spill from non specific tankerExxon Valdez still lingers in Alaska’sPrince William Sound and nearbyareas, with parts of the environmentstil l far from recovery, severalscientists have said at a three-dayconference. Crude oil that percolatedinto beach soil remains largely lockedin place until otters digging for foodloosen it, while eight types of sea birdsaffected by spilled oil show no signs ofrecovery, scientists from the USGeological Survey said in a reportissued late on Tuesday (Jan 25). “Iguess we didn’t anticipate that the oilwould stay in the inter-tidal zone aslong as it did,” said Jim Bodkin of theUS Geological Survey’s Alaska ScienceCentre, who has studied the oil spill’schronic effects on sea otters. “Itcertainly is unanticipated. Is thereanything we can do about it? No, Idon’t think there is,” Bodkin said. Theconference was hosted by the ExxonValdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, thefederal-state group that administersthe 1991 natural resource settlement,as well as by several otherorganisations. Exxon Mobil , thesuccessor to Exxon Corp, has arguedthat Prince William Sound and theaffected parts of the Gulf of Alaskarecovered long ago from the 11-million-gallon oil spill. However, effects fromthe spil l are sti l l seen in some ofPrince William Sound’s killer whales,where certain populations have shrunkdramatically since the incident, saidCraig Matkin, a marine biologist whoalso is a whale specialist . “Weprojected earlier that they’d recover in10 years,” Matkin said. “We didn’tthink the effects would drag on.”Scientists say the surprisingpersistence of spill effects could alsohave financial implications. Under a$900 million civil settlement struck in1991 with Exxon, the federal and stategovernments have until September,2006, to seek up to $100 million morein payments from the oil company fornatural resource damages that couldnot have been reasonably predictedshortly after the spill. However, inorder to use that re-opener provision,the state and federal governmentsmust also have specif ic plans toaddress the unexpected damages. —Reuters.

FAIRWEATHER (U.S.A.)Anchorage, Jan 28 — Passenger ro/ro

Fairweather is currently in Ketchikanwhere temporary repairs have nowbeen completed. The vessel is due to gointo the dry dock in February forpermanent repairs which should take anumber of weeks. The damage wassustained from large waves to the bowsection in between the hulls andinvolves buckling and cracking. Theyare now calling for the repairs toinclude strengthening of this section ofthe vessel to prevent future damage of

this nature. At this stage the repairslook to be in excess of US$200,000.Repairs have also apparently beendelayed due to some contractualproblems with the union. — Lloyd’sAgents.

FENG SHUN 16 (Belize)London, Jan 27 — Following

navigation warning issued by CoastGuard Tamano, timed 1650, JST, today:Seto Naikai, Katakami Ko: Strandedgeneral cargo Feng Shun 16 (497 gt,built 1984) removed.

FIANDARA (Comoros)Varna, Jan 31 — General cargo

Fiandara: The Bulgarian DirectorateSearch and Rescue reported the vesselsunk at the previously reportedposition. As the wreck is not inBulgarian territorial waters and doesnot present danger to safe navigation,the Bulgarian MaritimeAdministration is not concerned withany further actions (investigation,removal of wreck, etc) . — Lloyd’sAgents.

FOSS 180-C6 (U.S.A.)London, Jan 28 — Following received

from Coast Guard Seattle, timed 2030,UTC: Barge Foss 180-C6 was refloatedyesterday and is now at Everett whereit is being discharged. Once dischargedthe barge will be taken to a shipyard inTacoma for repairs to bow rakedamage.

Seattle, Feb 2 — Barge Foss 180-C6arrived at a shipyard in Tacoma on Jan31. Repairs are reportedly in progress.— Lloyd’s Agents.

FRANCONIA (Panama)Honolulu, Feb 2 — It was reported

that vehicle Franconia (36201 gt, built1985) sustained main engine damage,due to bad bunkers taken on in Busan.Its ETA in Honolulu is Feb 12. —Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — Franconiasailed Yokohama Jan 28 for LazaroCardenas.)

FRANK (Gibraltar)London, Jan 29 — Following received

from Jobourg MRCC, timed 0600, UTC:At 0540, Jan 28, chemical/oil carrierFrank (9266 gt, built 2000) had mainengine oil pump failure and laterdeveloped propeller pitch problem.Vessel has anchored in lat 49 39N, long02 49.8W. Salvage tug AbeilleLanguedoc and another tug arepresently standing by.

London, Jan 29 — Anchor handlingtug Alphonse Letzer left Falmouth,yesterday, under contract, to aidchemical/oil carrier Frank and ispresently standing by the vessel.

London, Jan 29 — Understood thattechnicians will go onboard chemical/oilcarrier Frank this afternoon to attemptto effect repairs.

London, Jan 30 — Following receivedfrom Jobourg MRCC, timed 1043 UTC:Chemical/oil carrier Frank is still atanchor, effecting repairs.

London, Jan 30 — Chemical/oilcarrier Frank remains in the sameposition, with anchor handling tugAlphonse Letzer standing by on scene.

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London, Jan 31 — Following receivedfrom Jobourg MRCC, timed 1250, UTC:Chemical/oil carrier Frank: Situationremains unchanged.

Antwerp, Jan 31 — The problem onboard chemical/oil carrier Frank cannotbe fixed and vessel will have to betowed to a port for repairs. At present,negotiations are under way regardingthe destination of the tow. — Union deRemorquage et de Sauvetage.

London, Feb 1 — Following receivedfrom Jobourg MRCC, timed 0930, UTC:Chemical/oil carrier Frank is beingtowed to Le Havre, by tug AlphonseLetzer, where ETA approximately 1100,local time, today. (Note — Frank hadsailed Donges Jan 27 for Tees.)

Antwerp, Feb 1 — Chemical/oil carrierFrank, in tow of tug Alphonse Letzer, iscurrently between the breakwaters atLe Havre, shortly to berth in the port.— Union de Remorquage et deSauvetage.

London, Feb 2 — Understood salvageservices were rendered to chemical/oilcarrier Frank under Lloyd’s Open Formby Union de Remorquage et deSauvetage SA.

Le Havre, Feb 2 — Chemical/oilcarrier Frank was towed to Le Havrefor repairs due to damage to gearboxand propeller. Repairs are beingcarryied out. Expected time for repairsaround 10 days. — Lloyd’s Agents.

HARDWAR (India)London, Jan 31 — Following received

from Bermuda RCC, timed 1500, UTC:Bulk Hardwar (28739 gt, built 1987),Houston for Thessaloniki, cargo 43,270tons petroleum coke, reported anchorlashing problems with anchor slippingfive to six metres into the sea, 35 milesnorth-west of Bermuda at 2324, UTC,Jan 29 in heavy weather. The anchorwas resecured in heavy rolling seas.Later 1,600 tons of water wasdiscovered in vessel’s forepeak withvessel’s draught 12.8 metres forwardand 10.9 metres aft. Vessel requestedshelter around Bermuda. Vessel couldnot enter port due its draught. Theweather, which is very bad, is forecastto remain bad until this comingweekend. At the moment the vessel ishove-to approximately 20 miles northof Bermuda, and at 1245, UTC, was inlat 32 41N, long 64 42W, awaitingowners instructions.

London, Feb 2 — Following receivedfrom Bermuda RCC, timed 1220, UTC:Bulk Hardwar is 17 miles south south-east of Bermuda. Weather on scene isstill very bad with 60 knot winds. Theintention is to arrange for divers toinspect the vessel’s forepeak once theweather improves, thereafter, ownerswill then decide on next actions.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Bermuda RCC, timed 1420, UTC:Bulk Hardwar is currently in lat 3210.7N, long 64 50.9W, proceedingwestwards for shelter. Waves on sceneare 15 to 20 ft so conditions are stilldifficult.

HAVTANK (Cambodia)London, Jan 31 — Product tanker

Havtank sailed Hamburg 2025, Jan 29,subsequently arriving Rotterdam 0350,today.

HE DA 98 (China)Yokohama, Feb 1 — General cargo He

Da 98 (4061 gt, built 1996) Busan forKobe, had a fire 9800 metres and 235degrees from Ube at 1100, Jan 14. Thefire was extinguished and vessel wastowed to Ube. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note —Ha Da 98 sailed Busan Jan 13 for Kobe.)

HELM TRADER (Antigua & Barbuda)

London, Jan 29 — Following receivedfrom German River Police, timed 1125,UTC: At 0520, Jan 28, there was asmall coll ision involving outgoinggeneral cargo Helm Trader (1939 gt,built 1982) and incoming bulk ClipperGlory (36433 gt, built 1990), near buoy48, River Elbe. Helm Traderexperienced stern damage. Vessel hasproceeded to Butzfleth, nearBrunsbuttel and has been detained bythe authorities. Clipper Glory, whichwas not damaged, proceeded to itsberth. (Note — Helm Trader departedHamburg 0230, Jan 28, destinationMuuga. Clipper Glory arrivedHamburg 0645, Jan 28.)

HYUNDAI ADVANCE (Panama)Singapore, Jan 27 — C.c. Hyundai

Advance remains in port at Singapore.— Lloyd’s Agents. (See issue of Jan 26.)

Singapore, Feb 3 — C.c. HyundaiAdvance sailed Singapore Jan 31 forHong Kong. — Lloyd’s Agents.

IANUK (Malta)Dakar, Feb 2 — Chem.tank Ianuk

(11194 gt, built 1993) experienced mainengine breakdown and is now anchoredat Dakar port roads. Repairs are nowin hand and when completed the vesselwill berth at Dakar port for dischargeof its jet and gas oil cargo. — Lloyd’sAgents. (Note — Ianuk was reported tohave “broken down” after departingfrom Abidjan Jan 16, bound forConakry, and was subsequently takenin tow and towed to Dakar Roads,arriving Jan 28.)

ICE PRINCE (Greece)Gothenburg, Jan 31 — General cargo

Ice Prince: The situation has improvedconsiderably. Late Saturday evening(Jan 29), after having worked aroundthe clock, the last few bundles of thedeck cargo was discharged and the listimproved all the time. The port hastaken over the vessel from the salvagecompany and the engine-room has nowbeen emptied as well. There is no riskof vessel sinking but some oil spillage,which the Coast Guard is tasked toclean. During yesterday hatches toholds were uncovered and it wasdecided to discharge part of the entireload of timber — starting from the No 4aft hold and moving forwards — tocheck holds and repair whatever isrequired. Insurance and surveyors/portinspectors attended during today.Master required to send 24-hour alertto port inspectors before he intends todepart from the port, unless somethingelse turns up when the holds aredischarged. So far the only visibledamage to the vessel are the port sidestanchions bent and broken. — WestaxMarine Services AB.

IOLCOS CELEBRITY (Panama)London, Feb 2 — The engine room of

bulk Iolcos Celebrity (35629 gt, built1982), berthed in Hamburg port,caught fire early yesterday morning.Carrying 75,000 tonnes of soymeal, thevessel was about to unload its cargowhen the fire broke out. A sailor onboard noticed the thick smoke andinformed the rest of the 29-membercrew, which was able to extinguish theblaze before the fire departmentarrived. According to police, agenerator fuel line came loose betweenengine cylinders one and two, sprayingfuel onto the hot vent cover. No one wasinjured.

IRMGARD (Malta)Bilbao, Feb 2 — Ref Irmgard is

scheduled to complete loading atSantander on Feb 3 and sail the sameday for Benghazi. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ISOLA AZZURRA (Italy)London, Jan 28 — Tekne Sam,

Monaco, managers of chem.tank IsolaAzzurra report that the vessel departedCagliari at 2030, local time, Jan 27 onpassage to Leghorn, with an ETA of1600, Jan 28.

JOY RUBYManila, Jan 29 — The Philippine

Coast Guard reported thatpassenger/cargo vessel Joy Ruby (487gt) sank off Coron Pier in Palawanisland, in the western Philippines at1120 hrs, today (29 Jan). The vesselwith a crew of 25 and 58 passengershad left the North Harbour Terminal atthe Port of Manila yesterday bound forCoron Pier. The Coast Guard said thatthe vessel began taking water evenbefore it reached Coron Pier because ofa still undetermined problem at its aftsection. The vessel arrived at CoronPier at 0930 hrs, today and was able todisembark all its passengers. With theflooding getting worse, the masterrelease all its mooring lines and left thepier. The vessel sank 150 metres fromthe pier after hitting a sandbar. TheCoast Guard said that all crewmenwere rescued but the ship’s entirecargo was lost. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

London, Jan 29 — A press report,dated today, states: A small ferry sanktoday shortly after arriving at a portsouth of Manila, but there were nocasualties, officials said. The 487-tonro/ro Joy Ruby was taking in a lot ofwater from a leak as it approached theport of Coron but the captain managedto dock the boat and unload the morethan 50 passengers and some cargo,said terminal manager Froilan Factor.“The boat had a big hole, I do notknow if it is due to dilapidation or anaccident. We are going to investigate,’’Factor said. Port authorities laterdisengaged ropes tied to the boat andit drifted about 50 metres from thepier and sank about an hour later, hesaid. The ferry left Manila yesterdayfor the 17-hour trip to Coron, about310 ki lometres southwest of thePhilippine capital, Factor said. Hesaid they were trying to contain an oilleak.

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KAFOR (Russia)London, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: Fishing Kafor (735gt, built 1970) is in distress in the Seaof Japan. The latest developments arenot known as contact with the vesselhas been broken, reports theVladivostok maritime rescue andcoordination centre. The Primoryefrontier rescue patrol vessel Lauzuritand a Pacific Fleet rescue vessel areheading for the scene, according to thecentre. The Vladivostok rescue centreand the Nakhodka-based coast guardunit of the Russian Federal SecurityService (FSB) Frontier Department forthe Maritime Territory received SOSsignals from the vessel at 1200, localtime. The trawler was 30 miles off theMaritime Territory’s southern coast. Astorm is raging in the sea, waves aresometimes 3 meters high, wind isblowing at a speed of 17 metres asecond. The crew of an An-26 plane hasjust discovered two rescue rubber raftsin the disaster area. The rescue vesselis expected to be on scene very shortly.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Four liferafts withpeople onboard were found in the Seaof Japan in the area where a Russiantrawler (f ishing Kafor) issued amayday call. An An-26 of the RussianPacific Fleet discovered the rafts 40miles from Cape Povorotny. However,the plane did not spot the vessel itself.The border-guard vessel Primorye, thelife-saving vessel Lazurit, and thePacific Fleet salvage tug Okeansky aresailing to the area. A Ka-27 helicoptercarrying doctors is about to leave forthe area where the trawler wentmissing.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Fourteen Russianfishermen, crewmen of Russian fishingKafor have been rescued in the Sea ofJapan today, a spokesman for theVladivostok Rescue CoordinationCentre said. Currently 10 of thefishermen are onboard Russia’s borderguard ship Primorye, another fourhave been taken to Nakhodka byhelicopter. Five fishermen are stillmissing. At noon local time, 0500,Moscow time, the Vladivostok RescueCoordination Centre received an SOSradio message from the trawler whosehome port is Kholmsk. The trawlerwith 19 crewmen onboard was about30 nautical miles off the shore. Astrong storm is sweeping the Sea ofJapan, the wind blowing at 17 metresper second. The waves are up to fourmetres high, and the weather is stilldeteriorating.

London, Feb 1 — A press report,dated today, states: Criminalproceedings on the fact of violation ofsafety rules at sea and rules ofexploitation of waterborne transportresulting in the loss of l i fe wereinstituted today by the transportProsecutor ’s Office of Nakhodka inconnection with the sinking ofSakhalin trawler Kafor. The pressoffice of the Russian Federal SecurityService (FSB) for the Primorye(Maritime) territory told Itar-Tass thatahead of the Kafor sinking its crewviolated fishing rules. The trawler left

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Jan 5and after that disappeared from theborder guards ’ radars . The crewswitched of f special equipmenttransmitting its position. The borderguard department did not rule outthat the fishermen had engaged inpoaching, because the crew had nopermit for fish, crabs and shellfishcatches. Kafor sank near the Primoryecoast on Jan 31. Thirteen people outof i ts 20-strong crew have beenrescued and three dead sailors havebeen lifted from the sea. According topreliminary information, the vessel’ssinking was caused by a crack in thehull near the engine-room. The crewof the Primorye border patrol boatthat was the first to arrive in thedistress area rescued 10 crewmembers. The sailors have been takento Nakhodka port. The condition of allthe 13 rescued is assessed by themedics as satisfactory, despite the factthat they had spent many hours onliferafts in the conditions of a stormysea. The owner of the trawler, theMorspetstrans-Sakhalin Company,maintains that the crew of thewrecked vessel comprised 18members. The trawler was on its wayfrom the Japanese port of Wakkanaito South Korea when it was caught ina storm. An intensive search for thecrew members of the trawler resumedin the Sea of Japan this morning. Thefate of those missing is still unknown.The search-and-rescue operation isinvolving five vessels, and An-26 andIl-38 aircraft of the Pacific Fleet.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: The searchoperation for f ive missing crewmembers of fishing Kafor that sank inthe Sea of Japan on Jan 31 has beenstopped, as there is no longer any hopefor their rescue, the Vladivostok-basedrescue-co-ordinating centre told Itar-Tass.

KEMERI (Liberia)London, Feb 1 — Product tanker

Kemeri (10944 gt, built 1985) whiledownbound in the St. Charles River,experienced sea suction problemsresulting in a total black-out in lat 4649 31N, long 71 12 17W, at 0940, EST,Jan 31. A technical advisor boarded thevessel shortly afterwards, in order toassist.

KISSHO MARU (Japan)Yokohama, Feb 1 — Chemical/oil

carrier Kissho Maru (460 gt, built1993) Iwakuni to Kashima, was incollision with ro/ro Rokuryu Maru(5199 gt, built 1997) bound Fukuyama,600 metres and 101 degrees fromMagosaki Lighthouse at 0252, Jan 9.The master of the Rokuryu Maru wasinjured. — Lloyd’s Agents.

LADY HASSAN (North Korea)See Seebrise.

LEESWIG (Cyprus)Pasajes, Jan 28 — General cargo

Leeswig is stil l at Pasajes underrepairs, and for the moment there areno prospects for completion. — Lloyd’sSub-agents.

M560L (U.S.A.)Miami, Jan 28 — Understand from

Vance Construction in West PalmBeach that they are about 60%completed on the cutting up of bargeM560L. Estimated time of completionnot known due to the weather. —Lloyd’s Agents.

MAERSK GABARUS (Canada)Halifax, Jan 31 — Tug/supply Maersk

Gabarus completed repairs at Halifax,Jan 18 and returned to service oncharter with Exxon Mobil, deployed atthe Sable Island gas field. — Lloyd’sAgents.

MAJOR DHAN SINGH THAPA PVC(India)

See “South-East Asia” under“Earthquakes”.

MARY NOUR (Panama)See “Cement Dispute, Mexico” under

“Miscellaneous.”

MIN HAI 102 (China)London, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: Two sailors aredead, two are missing and nine weresaved after tanker Minghui 8 sankafter a collision with general cargo MinHai 102 (977 gt, built 1987), in ballast,off the coast of Shantou. Efforts to findthe missing sailors are continuing andwork on cleaning up the leaking oil hasstarted, but the size of the oil-affectedarea is still unknown, a spokesman forthe Shantou Maritime SafetyAdministration said today. Minghui 8collided with Min Hai 102 about 0200yesterday when it was about 7.5nautical miles east of Nan’ao Island, offShantou, as it was heading from FujianProvince to Shantou. The ships belongto a company in Wuhan, CentralChina’s Hubei Province, and a companyin Fujian Province. The 53-metreMinghui 8, which contained 975 tons ofdiesel, sank about 10 minutes after thecollision, with all of its 13 crewmembers still on board. The 63-metre,unloaded Min Hai 102 was damaged,but not seriously. Crew on boardmanaged to save one sailor from thesunken vessel. A helicopter based inXiamen in Fujian Province flew to thearea, found the two bodies and airliftedan injured sailor to hospital. At leastsix ships have been involved in thesearch, rescue and oil cleaning-up job.Ships near the site were also called forhelp. A modified ship is expected toarrive from Shanghai today, to helppump oil out of the sunken vessel. Theoil spill is expected to have an impacton fishing in the area.

Beijing, Jan 28 — General cargo MinHai 102 and non specific tankerMinghui 8 were in collision near Nan’aoIsland, in lat 23 27N, long 117 16E, Jan26. Minghui 8 sank as a result of thecollision. The small amount of leakedlight fuel will reportedly not have amajor impact on the local environment.— Lloyd’s Agents.

MINERVA ELEONORA (Greece)Maassluis, Jan 27 — Crude oil tanker

Minerva Eleonora sailed Antwerp Jan26. — Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

8


Marine

MINGHUI 8 (China)See Min Hai 102.

MIRABELLA V (Isle of Man)London, Feb 1 — Yacht Mirabella V

sailed Portsmouth at 1302, Jan 29.

MIYUKI MARUDover, Feb 1 — Ferry Miyuki Maru:

According to Medway Ports, vessel isstill in Collier Dock, Chatham. Theowners have been in touch with themquite recently and vessel is expected tosail in the next few days, most likelyfor Great Yarmouth. However, furtherunderstand that, before it is allowed todepart, relevant paperwork and certaindocuments have to be provided forMedway Ports and the Maritime andCoastguard Agency. — Lloyd’s Agents.

MUIRNEAG (U.K.)Liverpool, Jan 27 — Ro/ro Muirneag

sailed Liverpool Jan 22 for Stornoway.— Lloyd’s Agents.

NONA MARY (Greece)London, Feb 1 — Lloyd’s Casualty

representatives in Piraeus report:During the early hours of Jan 31,passenger ro/ro Nona Mary (2206 gt,built 1972), after departing fromLavrion for Ag. Efstratios and Limnos,returned to the port following damageto the port main engine. On board werethree passengers for Ag. Efstratios andone for Limnos. Following repair of thedamage and survey by the MarineInspectorate, the vessel was permittedto depart at 2130, local time, same day,for Ag.Efstratios, Limnos, Samothrakiand Kavala.

NORRVIK (Isle of Man)London, Jan 29 — Following received

from Coastguard Humber MRSC, timed0912, UTC: On Jan 24, general cargoNorrvik (2041 gt, built 1979) reportedlosing six containers overboard in lat 5351.84N, long 02 44.08E. One of thecontainers, loaded with wood wrappedin plastic coverings, remained afloat andpresented a potential danger to nearbyoffshore platforms. The container wasinitially secured by supply Sartor andthen passed over to supply Atrek (whichdeparted Rotterdam 2015, Jan 25)which towed it into Great Yarmouth,arriving at 1238, UTC, Jan 28. Thecontainer was craned onto a quay at1554, UTC. There have been nosightings of the other five containers.(Note — Norrvik arrived Hull 2334, Jan24, reportedly from Norrkoping andsailed 1856, Jan 26, for Rotterdam,where it arrived 1340, Jan 27.)

NORTHERN LINN (U.S.A.)London, Jan 31 — Following received

from Coast Guard Boston, timed 1520,UTC: Fishing Northern Linn (134 gt,built 1985), official No.693587, iscurrently in tow of a Coast Guardcutter bound Rhode Island where ETA0300, UTC, Feb 2, following engineproblems in lat 40 41N, long 67 18W.

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Coast Guard Boston, timed 1435,UTC: Fishing Northern Linn was safelytowed into Rhode Island, where it iscurrently moored.

OCEAN (Slovakia)London, Feb 2 — Following received

from Larnaca RCC, timed 1130, UTC:Asphalt tanker Ocean, OMND, (2569gt, built 1969) reported mechanicalproblems and problems with ballast, inlat 34 59N, long 34 05E, on Monday(Jan 31). Vessel believed still anchoredin same position. (Note — Ocean sailedAlexandria Jan 29 for “Gibraltar”.)

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Larnaca RCC, timed 0945, UTC:Asphalt tanker Ocean resumed voyageabout 1200, UTC, yesterday, proceedingin a northwards direction.

OCEANIC ICE (Netherlands Antilles)

London, Feb 1 — Gibraltar PortAuthority reported Dec 29: Ref OceanicIce (2244 gt, built 1977) arrivedGibraltar 1008, Dec 17 in tow of tugMumbles from Ceuta for repairs. Vesselleft 0831, Dec 28 for Algeciras. (Note —Ocean Ice arrived Algeciras Dec 28 andwas reported stationary in lat 3608.583N, long 05 25.817W, at 1230,today, with restricted manouvrability.)

London, Feb 3 — Following receivedfrom Gibraltar Port Authority: RefOceanic Ice arrived at Gibraltar undertow by a local tug on Dec 17 and wasberthed alongside the Detached Mole forminor repairs. However, on finding outthat the repairs were to be majorrepairs to the main engine includingchanging the crankshaft the ownersdecided to tow the vessel to Algeciras forrepairs. The vessel is still at Algeciras.

Cadiz, Feb 3 — According to consigneeinformation, ref Oceanic Ice is underrepair at Algeciras Port, at the NorthQuay. It is supposed to be sailing by theend of the week or next week. —Lloyd’s Agents.

OKTAY VELIYEV (Azerbaijan)See Saatly.

P&O NEDLLOYD OBOCK (Antigua & Barbuda)

London, Feb 2 — General cargo P&ONedlloyd Obock arrived Massawa Jan15. Vessel subsequently arrived AdenJan 27 and sailed Jan 28.

PAULA (Republic of Ireland)Trondheim, Jan 31 —Temporary

repairs to trawler Paula, at BaatbyggYard, Maaloy, are estimated to take atleast 14 days. Tenders for rebuilding ofthe vessel will be invited later. —Lloyd’s Agents.

PHYLLIS DUNLAP (U.S.A.)London, Feb 3 — A press report, dated

Feb 2, states: Tug Lauren Foss wassent into action this afternoon after tugPhyllis Dunlap (198 gt, built 2001) lostits tow and set a barge drifting nearCape Flattery. The barge never hitshore and its tug was able to re-establish a connection within about anhour, but the short drama made for a``tense situation,’’ said Sandy Howard,spokeswoman for the state Departmentof Ecology. The barge was being towedfrom Hawaii to Washington by the LaConnor-based tug Phyllis Dunlap. Itcarried some cars and containersonboard, but was mostly empty, said

Howard. At about 1300 hrs, the NeahBay-based Lauren Foss was dispatchedto assist with the barge after the tugreported losing the connection to itsload. It was adrift about one mile offthe rocks of Cape Flattery, but the windwas pushing it away from land,Howard said. “Fortunately, the weatherconditions were very good.’’

POMERANIA (Bahamas)See Rio Grande.

PONTODROMON (Cyprus)Falmouth, Jan 28 — Bulk

Pontodromon (35609 gt, built 1986), inballast, arrived Falmouth at 0600, Jan28, in tow of tug Alphonse Letzer due topropeller trouble. The vessel washanded over to local harbour tugs andentered No 2 dry dock at 0800 today toeffect repairs. The vessel is expected tosail during Week 6. — Lloyd’s Agents.

POOLGRACHT (Netherlands)Boston, Ma, Feb 1 — After gaining

approval from the US Coast Guard andother regulatory bodies, including USCustoms, the RI Department of .Environmental Management, the localFire Department, etc, cargo operationsinvolving the discharge of product fromgeneral cargo Poolgracht are underway. In order to mitigate the effects ofthe shifted cargo of ammonium nitrate,the vessel will discharge all cargo fromthe ‘tween decks and most cargo fromthe lower hold, and will then re-stowthe cargo, in one tier only, on eachdeck. Additional cargo is to be stowedinto 20-foot containers for carriage ondeck. It remains to be determinedexactly how much cargo is to be re-stowed, however best estimates arethat 3,300-3,600 tonnes will be re-stowed. The balance of the cargo is tobe stored in a local warehouse, andthen shipped back to themanufacturer ’s facility by rail or bytruck. — Lloyd’s Agents.

PORVENIR I (Chile)London, Feb 1 — Ro/ro Porvenir I

arrived Punta Arenas Jan 29.Santiago, Feb 2 — Ro/ro Porvenir I

arrived Punta Arenas at 1500, Jan 29,in tow of tug Lena Dura, with a slightlist to port. The vessel docked alongsideAsmar BahÌa Catalina mole andrepairs will apparently be effectedafloat at the dock. — Lloyd’s Agents.

PRIDE OF BILBAO (U.K.)London, Jan 28 — Passenger ro/ro

Pride of Bilbao (37583 gt, built 1986)had a minor fire at Falmouth, Jan 22.The fire broke out in a restaurant whilethe vessel was undergoing a refit at theA&P dock yard. It was quickly broughtunder control with A&P Falmouthevacuating of the vessel. (Note — Prideof Bilbao arrived Falmouth Jan 7.)

London, Feb 1 — Passenger ro/roPride of Bilbao arrived and sailedPortsmouth Jan 29, subsequentlyarriving and sailing Bilbao Jan 31.

PRUVA (Turkey)Honolulu, Jan 27 — Bulk Pruva

anchored off Honolulu Jan 26. —Lloyd’s Agents.

9


Marine

Honolulu, Feb 1 — Bulk Pruva is stillundergoing repairs to its turbo-charger.— Lloyd’s Agents.

RADWAN (Cyprus)London, Feb 1 — Understood salvage

sevices are being rendered to producttanker Radwan (23904 gt, built 1980)by Tsavliris International under Lloyd’sOpen Form, dated Jan 29, followingengine failure in approximately lat 3408S, long 08 52E. Also understood tugNikolay Chiker left Cape Town toassist. (Note — Radwan sailed RioGrande Jan 14 for Iran.)

London, Feb 2 — Understood producttanker Radwan has a cargo ofvegetable oil.

Cape Town, Feb 2 — Understood thatproduct tanker Radwan, carryingvegetable oil, is being towed to CapeTown, due to engine failure. Reportedthat the tug involved is Nikolay Chiker.— Lloyd’s Agents.

RAVAN RIVER (Liberia)London, Jan 28 — Product tanker

Ravan River was reported passingIstanbul, westbound, 0630, Jan 22, onpassage Midia for Tuzla.

RED BARON (U.S.A.)London, Feb 3 — A Coast Guard

Kodiak press release, dated Feb 1,states: Coast Guard cutter Hickorytowed fishing Red Baron (148 gt, built1980) to Homer yesterday. The vesselhad engine diff iculties and begandrifting in Cook Inlet. Red Baron’soperator contacted Coast Guard AirStation Kodiak command centre onVHF-FM channel 16 Sunday (Jan 30)to report an engine casualty. Thevessel ’s reduction gear ceased tofunction and the vessel began driftingwith with three persons on board nearthe Barren Islands, 56 miles southwestof Homer in Cook Inlet. The master ofthe vessel declined a Marine AssistanceRadio Broadcast (MARB) and kept acommunications schedule with theCoast Guard. The crew repaired thereduction gear twice, but the reductiongear failed again and again. The portengine manifold also experienced aproblem and again the crew maderepairs. After the repairs, the crewtransited to Homer, but 36-knot windsfrom the north-northeast and 16-footseas combined with the compromisedpropulsion system slowed the vessel tothree knots. Red Baron’s masterrequested the Coast Guard issue theMARB. The MARB went out, but noother mariners answered the call. Theweather forecast continued to call forinclement weather, so rescuecoordinators at the Coast GuardCommand Centre in Juneau directedHickory to get underway and head toRed Baron’s position. Red Baron’s crewcontacted the Coast Guard at about0500 yesterday and told of propulsionloss. The reduction gear and shaft onthe starboard engine broke and theport engine refused to start. Hickoryand its crew arrived on scene with RedBaron and took the vessel into tow justafter noon yesterday. They set a coursefor Homer and arrived outside theharbour at about 1900 yesterday.

Hickory released the tow to tugAugustine which towed the vessel intothe harbour and assisted it in mooringat the pier. Following the tow aboarding team from Hickory conducteda safety boarding on the vessel. This isstandard procedure following a searchand rescue case. The team foundseveral discrepancies on board thevessel including the use of coffee canswelded in various places on the engineto keep it running. Additionally, theboarding team found an inch of sootthroughout the engine-room. Theboarding team advised Red Baron’smaster to contact Coast Guard MarineSafety Detachment Kenai aftercompleting repairs to ensure the vesselpasses a safety inspection beforegetting underway again. Red Baron is acrab vessel reportedly based out ofAnchorage.

RED POINT (Italy)London, Feb 3 — Understood from

local sources that chemical/oil carrierRed Point (27001 gt, built 1984), loadedwith gasoline, has been aground at theentrance to the River Amazon for abouttwo to three days. Smit Salvage BVhave been contracted under Lloyd’sStandard Form salvage contract andare mobilising tugs and a salvage team.

REINE (Panama)Santo Domingo, Jan 28 — Ro/ro

Reine: According to Ciramar, repairs tovessel have not yet been completed. —Lloyd’s Agents.

RIALTO (Panama)Barcelona, Feb 2 — C.c. Rialto sailed

from Barcelona yesterday for Italy orGreece. The agents in Barcelona statethat they do not now charter the vesseland are not sure of the next port. —Lloyd’s Agents.

Barcelona, Feb 3 — C.c. Rialto sailedBarcelona Feb 1 for Gioia Tauro. —Lloyd’s Agents.

RIO GRANDE (Sweden)London, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: Asphalt tanker RioGrande (4248 gt, built 1969) was incollision with passenger ro/roPomerania (12087 gt, built 1997)carrying 140 passengers and 79 crewoff Sweden’s west coast today. Bothvessels were only slightly damaged,maritime officials said. No one wasinjured in the coll ision, whichhappened about 14 kilometres west ofthe city of Falsterbo, said BirgerKnutsson, of the Swedish MaritimeAdministration. “The ferry had a smallhole far above the water level and thetanker a crack in the hull, also abovethe water level,” he said, adding thatthere were no oil leaks. Pomerania,which sails between the Danish capitalCopenhagen and the northern Polandport town of Swinoujscie, was escortedto Copenhagen. Rio Grande, which hada crew of 13, continued to its finaldestination Halmstad on Sweden’ssouthwest coast. The reason for thecollision was not known.

Gothenburg, Jan 31 — Asphalt tankerRio Grande, Stockholm for Halmstadwith sludge oil, and passenger ro/ro

Pomerania were in collision 10 kmsouth of Falsterbo Rev, south-westSweden, shortly after 0600, Jan 31.Pomerania sustained hull damageabove the waterline but was able toproceed to Copenhagen. No oil leakagewas noted from Rio Grande. SwedishInspectors will commence aninvestigation into the collision. —Westax Marine Services AB.

Malmo, Feb 1 — At 0600, local time,Jan 31, passenger ro/ro Pomeraniabound for Copenhagen, with 142passengers and 79 crew, was incollision with asphalt tanker RioGrande, bound for Halmstad, with fueloil, outside Falsterbo Rev. There wasbad weather at the time of collisionwith winds at 20 metres per second.Pomerania sustained damage to thestarboard side. No injuries to thepassengers. No oil leakage. Vesselproceeded to Copenhagen. Rio Grandeproceeded to Halmstad for dischargingand then for repair. No oil leakage. Thewhole port side is indented. — Lloyd’sAgents.

RIO LANDRO (Spain)Fayal, Feb 2 — Trawler Rio Landro

arrived Horta at 0730, local time, todaywith a generator problem. The vesselwill effect repairs today and leaveHorta harbour tonight. — Lloyd’sAgents.

ROBERO (Spain)Fayal, Jan 31 — Trawler Robero

arrived Horta at 1600, Jan 27, in tow oftug Ilha S. Luis due to main enginetrouble. An engineer was called in fromSpain, and repairs are expected to becompleted today. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ROKURYU MARU (Japan)See Kissho Maru.

RYU GYONG (North Korea)See “Cargo Dispute, Chittagong,

Bangladesh” under “Miscellaneous.”

SAATLY (Azerbaijan)London, Jan 30 — A press report,

dated today, states: The crew of generalcargo Saatly (3363 gt, built 1962),which ran aground offshoreMakhachkala, is not in danger, arepresentative of the DagestaniEmergency Situations Ministry toldItar-Tass today. The 20 crew memberswere all right and had everything theyneeded, the source said. The weatherhas been bad in the Dagestani area ofthe Caspian Sea with gale-force windsand waves four to five metres high fortwo days. A tug from Baku is on its wayto the scene.

London, Feb 3 — General cargoSaatly and tug/supply Oktay Veliyev(2723 gt, built 1988) lie ashore in theCaspian Sea, three miles north ofMakhachkala, in the southern Russiaregion of Dagestan. Oktay Veliyev hadhurr ied f rom Baku to renderassistance to Saatly, which had beenthrown aground on a beach by aweek-long storm, when it also ranaground.

SCHLEPPKO 7See Stolt Fulmar.

10


Marine

SEA FOX (Latvia)Glasgow, Jan 28 — General cargo Sea

Fox departed from Castlebay, Isle ofBarra, on the morning of Jan 26, andarrived at Liverpool at around noon,Jan 27. — Lloyd’s Agents.

SEA NOSTROMO SEGUNDA(Spain)

See Biosfera.

SEA VENTURE II (Cyprus)London, Jan 28 — Following received

from Aarhus MRCC, timed 1039, UTC:General cargo Sea Venture II is stillanchored in Kalundborg Fjord. About350 cubic metres of oil have beentransferred from the vessel, which isawaiting class approval to proceed to ashipyard.

London, Jan 30 — Following receivedfrom Aarhus MRCC, timed 1030, UTC:Understood general cargo Sea VentureII was escorted into Fredericiayesterday afternoon. Understood vesselwill offload its cargo and then effectrepairs. On completion the cargo willbe re-loaded and the vessel will resumepassage, Understood repairs will takeapproximately 10 days.

SEEBRISE (Belize)London, Jan 30 — A press report,

dated Jan 29, states: North Koreangeneral cargo Lady Hassan (exSeebrise) has returned to the deep-water quay in Cork Harbour after ittook in water several miles off the Corkcoast early this morning. The vesselleft Cork for the Mediterranean lastnight but began to take water when itwas about 20 nautical miles off thecoast. An Irish Coast Guard helicopterand Ballycotton Lifeboat attended thescene. The eight crew members onboard the vessel were not in danger.The vessel, which was travelling empty,had run aground off Kinsale lastOctober and had since been underrepair in the Cork docks. TheDepartment of Marine has now issueda detention order against the vessel,which prevents it leaving CorkHarbour until there is a full inspection.

SELENDANG AYU (Malaysia)London, Jan 26 — A Coast Guard

Juneau press report, dated Jan 25,states: As of this report, the totalvolume of fuel initially on board bulkSelendang Ayu has been revised to424,423 gallons of intermediate fuel oil(IFO 380) and 21,058 gallons of marinediesel oil. The midsection fuel tankruptured when the vessel broke apartand released an estimated 40,131gallons of IFO 380. The status of thecentreline IFO fuel tanks No.1 andNo.3, originally estimated to contain176,473 gallons and 104,000 gallons,respectively, remains unknown at thistime. The actual amount of spilled fuelis also unknown. Dependent onweather, today’s response activities willinclude shoreline cleanup, waterquality sampling and wildlife recoveryoperations. The protection group willcontinue to assess sites with protectivebooming and reconfigure the boom toincrease effectiveness and remove boomthat is ineffective or no longer needed.

Oil sampling using net tows isscheduled for Unalaska, Iliuliuk Bay,and vessel anchoring areas in Broadand Captains Bay. On Sunday theUnified Command signed a newIncident Action Plan for the period Jan24 to Jan 31. Yesterday, shorelinecleanup crews worked in Skan Bay,Portage Bay, Humpback Bay, andcollected 1,255 bags of oily waste (21cubic yards). Todate, cleanup crewshave collected 28,675 bags (478 cubicyards) of oily solid waste. Todate, theprotection group has removed 5,000 ftof boom that is ineffective or no longerneeded. They have also decontaminated4,000 feet of boom. There is no changein the lightering status due to badweather yesterday. On Saturday thelightering team removed 17,216 gals ofIFO from No.4 port tank. The totalvolume lightered from the vessel todate is 76,490 gallons of IFO/water and3,094 gallons of diesel for a total of79,584 gallons of IFO/water/diesel.There was one dead oiled birdrecovered on Sunday and another twoon yesterday. Today, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service reported that a total of970 dead birds have been recovered.Yesterday, water quality sampling crewpulled 32 passive sampling crab potsand encountered one oiled snare nearthe surface adjacent to Little SouthAmerica which is on the south end ofAmaknak Island and one smear on asnare tow at 9-12 ft depth outside ofHog Island. The crew will continuetows in the Unalaska areas. A new OilSpill Fisheries Water Quality SamplingPlan is being developed for the nextphase of the program. Todate, seafoodinspections at the Dutch Harbour andAkutan processing plants have foundall products free of oil contamination.Inspections are conducted throughoutthe day and night to check crab andpollock as they arrive at the docks.Predicted weather in Dutch Harbourtoday calls for cloudy skies, rain,breezy, temperatures low to upper 30s,southeast winds building to 10-15knots, and seas at three feet.Tomorrow’s weather will consist of rainand snow, temperatures low to high30s, southeast winds at 25 knots andseas at four feet.

London, Jan 31 — A UnifiedCommand press release, dated Juneau,Jan 30, states: Bulk Selendang Ayu:Due to inclement weather some of theresponse vessels have been recalled toDutch Harbour and the ones, which areunable to make it, are pulling in toother bays for shelter. The vessels areworking on maintenance and repairduring this time. Today’s responseactivities may be restricted to overflights, vessel lightering, water-qualitysampling and wildlife recoveryoperations. Due to inclement weathershoreline cleanup operations may notbe done today. Oil sampling using nettows is scheduled for today in UnalaskaBay. Snare-packs will be issued to thePacific cod catcher boats in the area todetect oil contamination. Due toinclement weather no shorelinecleanup was done yesterday. Todate,cleanup crews have collected 33,166bags (552 cubic yards) of oily solid

waste. Lightering operations were alsosuspended yesterday due to theweather. The lightering team removed1,680 gallons of intermediate fuel oil(IFO) from the No.4 port tank andsealed the tank Friday. The totalvolume lightered from the vessel todate is 102,196 gallons of IFO/waterand 3,094 gallons of diesel/water for atotal of 105,290 gallons ofIFO/water/diesel. A Remote OperatedVehicle (ROV) is being obtained toinvestigate the sub-surface of thewreck and oiling. The U.S. Fish andWildlife Service reported crewsremoved 341 oiled and/or scavengedbirds from Makushin Bay, 337,Pumicestone Bay, two, and Skan Bay,two, yesterday. Todate a total of 1,473dead birds have been recovered. Today’sweather in Dutch Harbor consists ofmostly cloudy skies, rain with thepossibility of snow, northeast winds at25 knots, five-foot seas and a high near42 degrees.

London, Feb 1 — A Coast GuardKodiak press release, dated Jan 31,states: Bulk Selendang Ayu: Followinga weekend of inclement weather, someof the response vessels and crews thatwere recalled to Dutch Harbour andothers that sought shelter in nearbybays are returning to work today. Thevessels and crews that took shelterfrom the weekend weather in AndersonBay remain there, but today’s responseactivities include over flights, vessellightering, water-quality sampling andwildlife recovery operations. Shorelinecleanup operations were able to takeplace yesterday and crews arecontinuing their work today. Oilsampling using net tows is scheduledfor today in Unalaska Bay. Snare-packswill be issued to the Pacific cod catcherboats in the area to detect oilcontamination. Shoreline cleanup onyesterday yielded 325 bags ( five cubicyards) of oily solid waste. Todate,cleanup crews have collected 33,491bags (558 cubic yards) of oily solidwaste. Lightering operations weresuspended Saturday due to the weatherbut resumed yesterday and continuetoday. The lightering team removed5,872 gallons of intermediate fuel oil(IFO) that had been transferred fromthe No.4 port tank that was sealedFriday. The total volume lightered fromthe vessel to date is 108,068 gallons ofIFO/water and 3,094 gallons ofdiesel/water for a total of 111,162gallons of IFO/water/diesel. A RemoteOperated Vehicle (ROV) to investigatethe sub-surface of the wreck and oilingis expected to arrive in Dutch Harbortoday. Today’s weather in DutchHarbour consists of mostly cloudyskies, rain, northeast winds at 25knots, five to seven-foot seas and a highnear 41 degrees.

SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR(Bahamas)

Miami, Jan 27 — Passenger SevenSeas Navigator had a small electricalfire break out in the generator roomJan 17. The air conditioning wentdown. Vessel returned to port Jan 19.The air conditioning unit was repairedand the vessel sailed Port Everglades

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Marine

1705, Jan 25. The vessel had to cancelits Jan 18 cruise. — Lloyd’s Agents.

SHOYO MARU (Japan)Yokohama, Feb 1 — Ferry Shoyo

Maru (696 gt, built 1990) Matsuyamato Kure, was in collision with vesselBlue Seven 2 eight degrees fromUtazaki Lighhouse at 1025, Jan 18.Blue Seven 2 sank, one crew memberdied, others rescued by passing fishingvessel. Shoyo Maru sustainedscratching to its hull, no injuries. —Lloyd’s Agents.

SILVA (Cambodia)Esbjerg, Feb 2 — General cargo Silva

is still in port at Esbjerg. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SNOW CRYSTAL (Cayman Islands)

Durban, Jan 27 — Ref Snow Crystalremains at Durban undergoing repairs.— Lloyd’s Agents.

SO GYONG 2 (North Korea)Yokohama, Feb 1 — General cargo So

Gyong 2 was towed out from anti-pollution nets and arrived at Maizuruport by own power on Jan 17. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SOULA (North Korea)Limassol, Jan 28 — General cargo

Soula is stil l repairing and underarrest. — Lloyd’s Agents.

SOUTHERN CROSS (U.S.A.)Boston, Ma, Feb 1 — Understand from

the owners of tug Southern Cross thatthe vessel is currently at PrometMarine Services Corp, Providence,Rhode Island, and is scheduled to behauled at 1000, Feb 2. The surveyorreportedly considered the vessel a totalloss, however a second opinion wasrequired, and the purpose of the haul-out is to determine a repair estimateand whether or not the vessel is aconstructive total loss. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SPIRIT OF ONTARIO I (U.S.A.)London, Jan 29 — A report from

LaSalle, PQ, states: A press report,dated today, states: The owners ofpassenger ro/ro Spirit of Ontario I maysue the City of Rochester, allegingmunicipal officials damaged theirreputation and business prospects.Canadian American TransportationSystems (CATS) operated the ferrybetween Rochester and Torontobeginning last June. Service stopped onSep 8 when the company declared ithad run out of money. The ferryoperator initially blamed the shutdownon the cost of operating a bordercrossing and stalling by federalgovernments on both sides of theborder. However, in a notice of claimdelivered to the City of Rochester lastweek, the company suggests themunicipality hampered its attempts tostay in business after the ferry stoppedrunning. The letter accuses themunicipality of a range of improperconduct, including interference withcontracts, acts of unfair competition,misappropriation of property and

“conduct defamatory and injurious toclaimants’ reputation.” According to theletter, the actions of city officials havecaused “harm to reputation, loss ofproperty, contractual rights and profits,and damage to and loss of current andprospective business interests andrelationships.” The letter is likelyrelated to the city’s plans to buy theferry at a Feb 28 foreclosure auction.Rochester wants to operate the ferrythrough a not-for-profit corporation andhas secured a $40-million loan from theExport Finance and InsuranceCorporation, a branch of the Australiangovernment, to purchase the vessel.The same organisation also provided$22.5-million to finance the CATSproject. Cornel Martin, the president ofCATS, has accused the city of colludingwith the Australian finance corporationbecause the two brokered the loan.There are also allegations city officialspoached portions of the CATS’ businessplan and blocked its attempts to restartthe ferry service. The letter from CATSis a legal formality required by NewYork state before a lawsuit can beformally launched against amunicipality.

SPIRIT OF TASMANIA II(Australia)

See “Australia” under “Weather &Navigation.”

STOLT FULMAR (Cayman Islands)London, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: Chem.tank StoltFulmar (3818 gt, built 2000), boundAntwerp, was in contact with the dockat Blankenese at about 0415, Jan 29due to rudder problems. Vesselsustained a small tear and was allowedto proceed yesterday escorted by twotugs. (Note — Stollt Fulmar sailedHamburg 0400, Jan 29 for Antwerp.)

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated Jan 29, states: At 0415, today,chem.tank Stolt Fulmar, boundAntwerp, cargo 4,900 tons sulphuricacid, struck the FaehranlegerBlankenese, Hamburg port, in fog.Stolt Fulmar also struck port tugSchleppko 7 (built 1944) which wasalongside the dock. At the time therewere no crew on the tug. The tug waskept afloat by fire brigade pumps. StoltFulmar sustained an approximately 15cm tear on starboard side, however, nocargo or fuel was lost.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Two days after chem.tankStolt Fulmar struck the Faehranleger“Blankenese” the cause of the accidentis unsettled. Yesterday consultants ofthe opposing insurers visited thedamaged pontoons and the completelydestroyed bridge. Two of the stakes, atwhich the pontoons hung, aredestroyed, likewise a column of thebridge. Whether further stakes aredamaged, must be clarified by divers.Duration of the repair is estimated atthree to five months. The total damage,unofficially, lies in the million-range.Also a fish restaurant on one of the twopontoons is heavily damaged.

London, Feb 2 — Chem.tank StoltFulmar is on its way to Antwerp aftercolliding with a tug and striking the

ferry terminal Blankenese, on theRiver Elbe, last Saturday (Jan 29). Thevessel, in thick fog under pilot service,struck the east pontoon of the terminaland then with tug Schleppko 7.Although still buoyant, the pontoonwas badly damaged and is now nolonger open to the public. As a result,the Hamburg dock and harbourengineering authorities have orderedthe entire facility, including landingpier, towed to the harbour Hansahafenon the L¸becker Ufer.

London, Feb 2 — Chem.tank StoltFulmar arrived Antwerp 1832, Jan 31.

SUN WARM VI (Philippines)London, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: At 0600 yesterdayPhilippine fishing Sun Warm VI ranaground on the coast of the GranCanaria municipality of Telde. SunWarm VI lost navigation control whenit returned, from the African coastwhere it had been working, to LasPalmas, where it has its base. A tug, arescue boat and helicopter went to theaid request and evacuated the 30 crewof the vessel. The vessel was refloatedat high water at 1700 yesterdayafternoon.

London, Feb 1 — Following receivedfrom Madrid MCC, timed 0850, UTC:Fishing Sun Warm VI, lengthapproximately 50 metres, is in lat 2752.8N, long 15 17.1W. A tug has atowline on the vessel, which is in a“semi-sunk” condition.

London, Feb 2 — Following receivedfrom Madrid MRCC, timed 0915, UTC:Fishing Sun Warm VI sank in lat 2800N, long 15 22W, at 1108 yesterday.

SVEN OLTMANN (Antigua & Barbuda)

Hamburg, Jan 31 — C.c. SvenOltmann is still in port at Hamburgunder repair. — Lloyd’s Agents.

TASMAN ENDEAVOUR (Hong Kong)

London, Jan 28 — General cargoTasman Endeavour sailed Singapore1645, Jan 25, destination Suva.

TIAN SHENG HAI (Panama)See “Castletown, Esperance,

Australia” under “Pollution.”

TITUSNassau, Jan 27 — Tank barge Titus

came out of service during Novemberwhile awaiting parts to repair engineproblems. The vessel has fourHarbour-master-type units installedfor propulsive power, the two inboardunits are propulsive power only andthe two outboard units can azimuth toprovide steering power. The lattersteerable units appear to be thesource o f the problems. Whileawaiting parts the vessel has madeabout five trips as a towed barge toprovide Nassau with much neededwater supplies. The port azimuthingunit was repaired and the vesselreturned to normal but restricted, fairweather, service as of Jan 21 untilsuch t ime as the starboardazimuthing unit can be repaired. —Lloyd’s Agents.

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Marine

TOR DANIA (NIS)London, Jan 28 — Ro/ro Tor Dania

arrived Rotterdam 0830, Jan 27, fromImmingham.

TOR DANIA (U.K.)Hull, Jan 27 — Ro/ro Tor Dania sailed

Immingham Jan 26. — Lloyd’s Agents.

TOR SCANDIA (Sweden)London, Feb 2 — Information received

from Sandnes, dated today, states:Ro/ro/c.c. Tor Scandia (33652 gt, built1981) came into hard contact with thequay at Brevik at 0900, local time, Feb2, while arriving at the port. The vesselsustained damage to the starboardside, above the waterline. Aftereffecting temporary repairs, the vesselwill sail for Horten, Gothenburg orFrederikshavn for permanent repairs,ETS 1900, local time, Feb 2.

TRANSFER (Antigua & Barbuda)Belize City, Jan 27 — All the bunker

have now been taken off part c.c.Transfer. The smaller portions oflubricants and hydraulic oils will bestored in drums on the vessel which isstill grounded on the reef. No contractfor salvage has yet been awarded. —Lloyd’s Agents.

TUG NESTOR (NIS)London, Feb 2 — Following received

from Gothenburg MRCC, timed 1300,UTC: Tug Tug Nestor was raisedaround Dec 18/19 and taken to Slite.(Note — Understood Tug Nestor is nowin dock at Beckholmen.)

VEENDAM (Bahamas)See “Outbreak of Virus on Bahamas-

Flagged Passenger Vessel.”

VESTKAPP (Norway)Trondheim, Jan 31 — Fosen

Gjenvinning recommend we contactthem again in about three monthsregarding the scrapping of fishingVestkapp. — Lloyd’s Agents.

VICUNA (Chile)Santos, Feb 2 — Following received

from sub-agents Paranagua: Thedismantling of chemical/oil carrierVicuna and removal of its partscontinues steadily underEnvironmental Authority supervision.The company in charge of the operationis now working through the wrecksmain body which is nearly all underwater. — Lloyd’s Agents.

VIETFRACHT 02 (Vietnam)Yokohama, Feb 1 — General cargo

Vietfracht 02 (4929 gt, built 1993)manoeuvring for berthing atSakisenboku port, touched bottom at1400, Jan 4. Vessel refloated with tugassistance. No damage to the hull orinjuries. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note —Vietfracht 02 arrived Sakai Jan 1 andsailed Jan 8, subsequently arrivingKuantan Jan 18.)

VIGLA (Honduras)London, Feb 3 — Following received

from Malta RCC, timed 1050, UTC: Areport was received at 2200, local time,yesterday, that general cargo Vigla,

HQBK7, (1153 gt, built 1968), MMSINo.334148000, with seven persons onboard had sunk in lat 35 55N, long 1731E. Three dead bodies have beenrecovered and another person has justbeen sighted. (Note — Vigla wasunderstood to be on voyage fromTunisia to Slovenia with a cargo ofsalt.)

VOLCAN DE TACANDE (Canary Islands)

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: A total of sixtypassengers and twenty-nine crew hadto be evacuated last night from ro/roVolcan de Tacande (18316 gt, built1974) that operates on the regularservice between Tenerife, Gomera andHierro. Four miles out of the port thevessel’s engines stopped as a result of awater entry. The passengers wereevacuated by vessel Salvamar ofSalvamento MarÌtimo and taken to theport of Los Cristianos. Volcan deTacande, of Naviera Armas SA, wastowed, with its cargo, to Las Palmas,Gran Canaria.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Ro/ro Volcan deTacande was adrift last night after itsengines stopped due to entry of waterfour miles off Los Cristianos. The 60passengers and the 29 crew of thevessel , that is being towed to LasPalmas, were evacuated during thenight, according to Marine Rescue.Marine Rescue received a call at 2100hrs that Volcan de Tacande was adrift.Immediately Marine Rescue co-ordinated a rescue operation, thatincluded tug/supply Punta Salinas,patrol vessels of the Civil Guard andseveral tourist boats, that helped toevacuate the passengers to LosCristianos. The vessel ’s ownerscontracted a tug, that is taking theferry to Las Palmas, where it is hopedthat it will arrive at 2000 hrs.

London, Feb 2 — A press report,dated today, states: The Governmentof the Canary Islands has opened aninquiry on the water entrance in theengine-room of ro / ro Volcan deTacande that forced the evacuation of60 passengers and 29 crew Sundaynight (Jan 30) . The Counci l o fInfrastructures , Transports andHouse of the Canary Governmentinformed yesterday that the chief ofthe main Directorate of Transports,Davila Rose, has requested urgentinformation from the Marine Captainof the Canary Islands, Naviera Armasand the marine rescue service withthe purpose o f c lar i fy ing thecircumstances that caused that event.Meanwhile, Naviera Armas explainedyesterday that contact with a rock isthe most probable cause of the failureon Volcan de Tacande when leavingthe port o f Los Cr ist ianos . Thecompany considers that “it is possiblethat the rock has fallen off the jettyor the wharf or that i t has beendragged out to sea by the recent badweather.” The owners surveyed theship Mionday after its arrival at theport of Santa Cruz de Tenerife andlocated a crack of about eight metresin length.

WELFARE DIANA (St. Vincent & Grenadines)

London, Jan 28 — Following receivedfrom Cape Town MRCC, timed 0932,UTC: General cargo Welfare Diana(4535 gt, built 1973) was reporteddisabled due to loss of propeller in lat20 12S, long 35 55E, at 0100, UTC, Jan27. The vessel is stil l in the sameposition and the owners are makingarrangements for towage.

London, Jan 28 — Following receivedfrom Cape Town MRCC, timed 1800,UTC: General cargo Welfare Diana is“anchored in the port of Beira.”Understand a tug, name not known, isunderway to tow the vessel, destinationnot known.

London, Jan 29 — Understood tugToto has departed from Durban torender assistance to general cargoWelfare Diana, which has propellerproblems. Further understood theintention is to tow the vessel toDurban.

London, Jan 30 — Following receivedfrom Cape Town MRCC, timed 1048,UTC: The last contact with generalcargo Welfare Diana was madeyesterday at which time the vesseladvised that it was awaiting the arrivalof tug Toto and would contact theMRCC once the tug had arrived andthe tow was secure.

London, Feb 1 — Following receivedfrom Cape Town MRCC, timed 1250,UTC: General cargo Welfare Diana isstill anchored in the same positionawaiting a tug. Now understand it isprobably to be towed to Maputo.

YAIZA (Panama)Tema, Feb 3 — Ref Yaiza (2477 gt,

built 1978), which arrived at Tema onJan 30, reported that the vessel’s gasoil tank touched bottom at TemaFishing Harbour. Need to appoint asurveyor to attend. — Lloyd’s Agents.

AFRICAN PRIDE (Panama)London, Feb 2 — Information received

from La Salle, PQ, dated Feb 1, states:The trial of the 13 Russians whoallegedly used missing product tankerAfrican Pride for illegal oil bunkeringhas been suspended following anapplication by the FederalGovernment, the complainant in thecase. Ruling on an oral application foradjournment by government yesterday,trial judge Gloria Okeke stated that theprosecution had brought before thecourt a notice of appeal filed at theCourt of Appeal by government againstthe rulings delivered by the court. Shenoted that the Supreme Court in itsdecision held that if a judge was awareof an application before a higher courtand ignores it , but goes ahead todeliver a ruling or judgment in thematter, it amounted to judicialimpertinence and an affront on theappelate court. Justice Okeke reasoned

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Marine/Seizures & Arrests

that the court would adjourn thematter pending the hearing onapplication before the Court of Appealand the ruling in the matter,explaining that the suspension of thetrial becomes pertinent in view of theallegation of lack of fair hearinglevelled against the trial court by thegovernment which has also taken thesame complaint to the Appeal Court.The prosecuting counsel had sequel tothe refusal of the judge to grant thegovernment’s request to amend thetwo-count charge preferred against theRussians and to stay proceedings in thematter, approached the Court ofAppeal, Lagos, to review the decisionsof the court below as well as compel itto stay further proceedings in thematter pending determination ofgovernment’s appeal. At theproceedings last week, the prosecutingcounsel made an oral application thatthe matter be adjourned pending thedetermination of the appeal, withhearing fixed for Mar 7. However,Emefo Etudo, representing the accusedRussians, objected to the request foradjournment, stating that itcontravened Section 36 of the 1999Constitution, which grants the accusedperson’s right to a fair hearing.Thedefence counsel argued that it is agross abuse of court process to stayproceedings in a criminal matter of thisnature at its advanced stage,contending that the proper thing forthe trial court to do is to proceed tojudgment since the trial is nearingconclusion. He said, it is the law that ifa case has reached an advanced stage,a counsel who is dissatisfied with aninterlocutory ruling of the court shouldnot ask for stay, but should wait for thefinal judgment and if the counsel isdissatisfied with the judgment, he canthen appeal both the interlocutoryruling and the trial judgment together.

AL QAMAR (Honduras)Port Said, Jan 27 — Passenger ro/ro

Al Qamar is still under arrest at Suezby S.C.A and the National MaritimeCo. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — AlQamar was reported Apr 4, 2000 underarrest at Suez, and subsequently sankApr 19.)

ARDEAL (Romania)Khulna, Feb 1 — General cargo

Ardeal is still under attachment atMongla Outer anchorage forsubsequent break-up. — Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

BALTIC TRADER (St. Vincent & Grenadines)

See “Languedoc, France” under“Pollution.”

BITUMEN ONSAN (South Korea)Busan, Feb 2 — Asphalt tanker

Bitumen Onsan sailed Busan under itsown power Feb 1 for China forscrapping. — Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

CONDOR (Philippines)Manila, Jan 26 — The Philippine

Navy reported that it had detained andconfiscated the cargo of Philippineregistered cargo vessel Condor (360 gt,

built 1988). Philippine Navyspokesperson Captain GeronimoMalabanan said that Condor wascarrying 200,000 board feet of illegallycut lumber. “The operation came afterNavy intelligence operatives receivedreports that a Cebu-bound vessel fromDavao was transporting illegal logs,”Malabanan said. He said that Condorwas intercepted by the Navy smallpatrol boat Salvador Abcede Monday(Jan 24). The vessel and its cargo wasbrought to Cebu port where it iscurrently detained. The Condor isowned and operated by Cebu-basedGoodwill Lighterage Corp. — Lloyd’sList Correspondent.

Manila, Jan 31 — The PhilippineNavy reported today that vessel Condorand its crew was still under detention.Philippine Navy spokesperson CaptainGeronimo Malabanan said that thevessel and its 10-man crew was underthe custody of Naval Task Force 51,based in Cebu port. He said that thevessel and its crew were being helduntil charges of smuggling lumber arefiled against the crew, the vessel’sowner and the cargo owner. — Lloyd’sList Correspondent.

ENDEAVOR II (Greece)Karachi, Jan 31 — A local press

report, dated Jan 29, states: The ownerof crude oil tanker Endeavor II hasdecided to auction the arrested vesselthat arrived in Karachi in July, 2003.Presently, the tanker being propertysuit No.1167 of 2003 fi led by theKarachi Port Trust in the Sindh HighCourt. Pakistani correspondent of theowners, Indeminis Marine PrivateLimited, has demanded a reserve priceof $6.85 million on “as is, where is”basis. Offers with pay order of 10percent of the offered amount (reserveprice) in favour of the “OfficialAssignee of Karachi” SHC should reachthe official assignee by Feb 15 before1330. — Lloyd’s Agents.

FORTUNE 1 (Indonesia)London, Feb 3 — A press report, dated

today, states: Indonesian fishingFortune 1 and its skipper were arrestedin Cape Town harbour yesterday onsuspicion of fishing illegally for sharkin South African waters. Theauthorities became aware of the vesselafter its fishing gear became entangledin the equipment of an offshore oilexploration ship. The skipper, who maynot be named, is in custody in theholding cells at the Table Bay policestation where he will stay until his bailhearing. Fortune 1, a long-liner vessel,is not allowed to leave port while theauthorities investigate the case. MarcelKroese of the Department ofEnvironment’s Marine and CoastalManagement (MCM), said yesterday anoffshore oil exploration ship hadalerted them to the presence of Fortune1 in South African waters about a weekago. “We give the oil exploration ship aprintout of all the vessels that arefishing within a 50km radius of wherethe ship is working, so they can keep alookout for them,” Kroese said. “Theexploration ship uses sonar equipment.They found that this survey equipment

had become fouled with fishing gear.They saw Fortune 1 nearby, but sawthat it was not on the list of vesselsfishing legally which we had giventhem. So they contacted us,” he said.The vessel was spotted off Mossel Bay.Kroese alerted the new fisheries patrolvessel Lil l ian Ngoyi, which hedispatched to find Fortune 1. “Therewas extremely bad weather for twodays, and Lillian Ngoyi could not findit,” he said. Later they established thatFortune 1 had left South Africa’sexclusive economic zone, whichstretches 200 nautical miles offshore.When the vessel berthed in Cape Townharbour yesterday, MCM staff arrestedit. “There was no catch on board, onlysome bycatch. We have reason tosuspect that it may have done a ship-to-ship transfer at sea. We’reinvestigating that now,” Kroese said.Fortune 1 did not have a permit to fishin South African waters this year. Lastyear, it had been given a permit to fishfor shark in a joint venture with a localcompany. It had fished mainly for makoand blue shark, which are consideredgood eating.

INDIAN FISHING VESSELSARRESTED BY PAKISTAN

Karachi, Jan 29 — Pakistan’sMaritime Security Agency (MSA) saidthis afternoon that its vessel Nusratapprehended seven Indian fishingvessels along with 43 crew memberstoday for fishing illegally in Pakistaniwaters, according to an MSA pressrelease. The vessel was on routinepatrol in the Eastern Maritime Regionwhen it found the boats illegally fishingabout 35 kilometers inside Pakistan’sEEZ. The apprehended fishermen havebeen handed over to Docks Police forfurther legal action. The MSA has sofar apprehended 94 Indian fishingvessels, along with 546 fishermen,during this season, which started inSeptember 2004. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

Karachi, Feb 3 - Pakistan governmentin principle has decided to release allarrested Indian fishermen onhumanitarian grounds. They wereapprehended by Maritime SecurityAgency (MSA) along with a largenumber of fishing boats while fishingillegally in Pakistani waters. Pakistangovernment officials said as a firststep, Indian officials would be allowedto meet these arrested fishermen foridentification, and vise versa, Pakistanidiplomats should be allowed to seearrested fishermen in Indian custody.It was pointed out that all vesselswould be confiscated. The MaritimeSafety Agency has so far apprehended94 Indian fishing vessels, along with546 fishermen, during this season,which started in September. — Lloyd’sList Correspondent.

INVINCIBLE (Mongolia)London, Jan 31 — Consequent upon

the order of the High Court of theRepublic of Sri Lanka, holden inColombo, in the exercise of itsAdmiralty Jurisdiction, in action inRem No.16/2003, general cargoInvincible will be sold in its existing

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Seizures & Arrests

state/condition, by public auction, freeof all encumbrances, at 1400, Feb 28, atthe High Court of Colombo, by theMarshal of the High Court.

JUL (St. Vincent & Grenadines)London, Feb 1 — Following received

from the Admiralty Marshal, datedtoday: General cargo Jul (2478 gt, built1971) arrested at Immingham Jan28,due to damage to cargo of timberand timber products carried betweenDec 2 and Jan 3. Vessel arrested ionbehalf of Continental Wood ProductsLtd. Vessel released Jan 31. (Note —Jul arrived Immingham Jan 27.)

KING DIAMOND II (U.S.A.)London, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: A judge has ruledthat a Hawaiian ship caught with 32tons of shark fins aboard was a fishingvessel and was taking part in sharkfinning, the illegal practice of cuttingfins off live sharks and dumping thebodies into the ocean. The San Diegojudge didn’t decide whether that meansthe company that contracted for thepurchase of the fins should forfeit a$775,000 bond. After a court battle, theHong Kong company posted the bondfor the shark fins and sold them inAsia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office saidthe decision “paves the way” for suchforfeiture in the first case to go to courtafter finning was banned in 2000 inU.S. waters and by American vessels.The 64,695 pounds of shark fins seizedin 2002 were the biggest ever under thelaw, which was designed to get theUnited States out of the fin trade. Thefins are used in soup that can sell formore than $100 a bowl, and is popularat Chinese wedding banquets andrestaurants in Southeast Asia. In June2002, a Hong Kong seafood companychartered the Honolulu-based fishingKing Diamond II to sail to the SouthPacific with $300,000 cash to buy finsfrom 26 swordfish and tuna fishingships, most of them from Korea. Twomonths later, the Navy interceptedKing Diamond II 250 miles offGuatemala and directed it to SanDiego. The judge’s decision may alsodetermine whether seafood companyTai Loong Hong Marine Products Ltd.,boat owner Tran and Yu Inc. andCaptain Chien Tan Nguyen are liablefor $620,000 in civil penalties. Theywere charged in Hawaii with 26 countsof possessing shark fins on a U.S.fishing vessel without thecorresponding shark carcasses. It islegal to catch sharks, but not to dumptheir bodies after the fins are cut off.The seafood company argued that 20 to30 tons of shark meat had to be tossedoverboard when the cooling systemaboard King Diamond II broke down.Government lawyers say there’s noindependent proof of that, and said thefins on the ship represented 11,000 to20,000 sharks. A lawyer for the seafoodcompany said those figures were neversubstantiated. Bryan Ho argued in SanDiego federal court that because theship was simply buying the fins on thehigh seas, it wasn’t technically a“fishing vessel” and was allowed toferry fins. U.S.-flagged cargo ships, for

instance, are allowed to transport thefins without shark carcasses, he said.But U.S. District Judge Barry TedMoskowitz wasn’t persuaded. “Commonsense indicates that picking up fish orits parts at sea aids fishing,” he wrotein the opinion dated Jan 19 butannounced by the U.S. Attorney’s Officeon Monday (Jan 24). As a result,Moskowitz said, King Diamond II“became a ‘fishing vessel’.” Lawyers forthe seafood company and thegovernment are due back in court onFeb 15 to discuss how to proceed. Thecompany still trades in shark fins, butdoesn’t use U.S. ships.

OCEAN BOOMER (Panama)Gibraltar, Feb 3 — Oceanographic

research Ocean Boomer, laid up atGibraltar since Dec 11, has again beenarrested by Supreme Court Feb 2.Vessel is still alongside. The agentinformed this morning that the vesselwill be sold to new owners in a fewdays. — Lloyd’s Agents.

SOULA (North Korea)See under “Marine.”

TVILLINGERTrieste, Feb 2 — Siuation of general

cargo Tvillinger remains unchanged.Vessel is still under arrest at Trieste,and there are presently no prospects ofthe vessel’s release. — Lloyd’s Agents.

AGUA DULCE AREA, VERACRUZ,MEXICO

Mexico City, Jan 26 — Mexico’s Pemexyesterday reported its fourth pipelineleak in as many months, sayingnaphtha, a light hydrocarbon fuel usedin the petrochemical industry, hadleaked from a pipeline in Veracruzstate. State-owned company Pemexsaid the spill occurred the previousevening near the town of Agua Dulceand about one kilometre from the busyVillahermosa-Coatzacoalcos highway.Pemex, or Petroleos Mexicanos, couldnot say how much fuel had leaked andsaid there were no casualties. Pemexsaid it had evacuated some localresidents to temporary shelters as aprecaution against inhaling toxicfumes. “The situation is under control,”the company said, adding that it hadcut off the pipeline flow in order tostart repairs and that employees wereworking to clean up the spilled fuel. Itsaid the cause of the leak wasunknown. — Reuters.

ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA,UNITED STATES

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A gasoline pipelineexploded in Pennsylvania this morning,shooting flames and a huge plume ofdark, oily smoke into the sky andforcing about 30 people to evacuate. Noinjuries or property damage were

reported from the 0630 hrs explosion inSouth Whitehall Township, and therewas no immediate word on the cause,officials said. Officials were trying toshut off the feed to the pipelineoperated by Exxon/Mobil and let thefire burn itself out, said ValerieHildebeitel, a spokeswoman for theLehigh County EmergencyManagement Agency. A countydispatcher said a pumping station thatmonitors gasoline along the pipelinehad exploded, but Hildebeitel could notimmediately confirm that report.Firefighters, environmental responseteams and Exxon/Mobil officials wereon the scene.

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedFeb 2, states: The fire caused by theunderground gasoline pipelineexplosion yesterday morning in SouthWhitehall Township continues to burnmore than a day later. The explosionand fire at at dawn yesterday causeddozens of residents to leave theirhomes, some in little more than theirnightclothes, and sent a towering pallof sun-dimming smoke drifting over theLehigh Valley. It was diff icult todetermine how long the gasoline fromthe pipeline at Huckleberry and WehrMill roads will continue to burn. Atleast one family of evacuated residentsreturned to their home today, butauthorities said their return was amistake and that only some residentswould be permitted to return to thearea no earlier than tonight.Authorities said they would have towait for the fire to burn out beforeconducting a full investigation, butspeculated that a leak in the pipelinemight have been ignited by a passingcar. No one was injured in the 0630 hrs,blast, not even two motorists whosevehicles were engulfed by flames asthey drove past. Heat from the firemelted the siding on the nearest home.The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wereat the scene, but authoritiesdownplayed the possibility of terrorism.The line is one of three major pipelinesthat cross the Lehigh Valley. Theexplosion happened at an above-groundjunction station where gasoline isdiverted from the eight-inch mainpipeline into a six-inch spur line thatleads to Allentown. Authorities said itis possible one of the cars passing thefenced station at the time of theexplosion somehow ignited leakinggasoline.

CARROLLTON AREA, KENTUCKY,UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: A pipeline brokeand spilled 238,000 litres of crude oilinto the Kentucky River nearCarrollton early today, creating a 15-km slick that crews were racing tocontain to keep it from contaminatingdrinking water. It was not immediatelyclear what caused the rupture of thepipeline. The break, about 15 metresfrom the north side of the riverbank,sent oil gushing into the waterway, saidDan Harden, area supervisor for Mid-Valley Pipeline Co. of Hebron, adivision of Sunoco Inc. and owner of the

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Seizures & Arrests/Pipeline Accidents

pipeline. Workers battled the slick bydeploying a boom across the north-flowing Kentucky River to divert the oilto a confined area where the goo couldbe skimmed from the water. Hardenestimated that the cleanup could take aweek, and said Mid-Valley would payfor the work.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: Workers todaymade progress removing some of anestimated 63,000 gallons of crude oilthat seeped into the Kentucky Riverfrom a ruptured pipeline, forming ahuge slick approaching the Ohio River.Workers put up a series of booms toconfine the massive slick, which at onepoint stretched up to 12 miles long. Bythis evening, workers had recovered26,000 gallons, officials said.Environmental officials had feared ifthe slick had reached the Ohio, it couldfoul drinking water supplies downriver.“So far, it is contained entirely on theKentucky,” said Chuck Wolfe, aspokesman for the state Environmentaland Public Protection Cabinet. Thebulk of the oil was contained just southof Carrollton, about seven miles fromthe confluence with the Ohio. It wasnot immediately clear what caused therupture yesterday. The pipeline carriesabout 180,000 barrels of crude dailyfrom the Gulf Coast to refineries innorth-west Ohio. The break, about 50feet from the north side of the riverbank, sent oil gushing into thewaterway, said Dan Harden, areasupervisor for Mid-Valley Pipeline Co ofHebron, a division of Sunoco Inc andowner of the pipeline. The pipeline andthe river are usually farther apart, butrecent rain and snow swelled thewaterway. Harden estimated the clean-up could take a week, and said Mid-Valley would pay for the work. He didnot have an estimated cost. The spillposed no public health risk, despite astrong diesel fuel odour, said EPA on-site co-ordinator Art Smith. There wereno reports of fires or injuries. He haspredicted the clean-up would recover alarge amount of oil, but said it wasunlikely all of it could be retrieved. Theeffect on wildlife may be minimised bythe time of year and by the thickness ofthe oil, which means it will probablyfloat, said Mark Marraccini, aspokesman with the KentuckyDepartment of Fish and Wildlife. Thepipeline is checked periodically bysending electronic devices through theline, Harden said. The section of linethat ruptured was last checked in thepast few years, he said.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated Jan 30, states: Crews are makingprogress in cleaning a fouled section ofthe Kentucky River near Madison,Indiana. Crews today cleared much ofthe 63,000 gallons of crude oil thatspilled from a ruptured pipeline aboutfour miles from the confluence of theKentucky and Ohio rivers. As of lateyesterday, about 45,000 gallons, or two-thirds of the spill, had been removed.Environmental and Public ProtectionCabinet spokesman Chuck Wolfe saysalong with mopping up the oil from theriver, workers were beginning to clearthe shoreline. It was not clear what

caused the early Wednesday (Jan 26)rupture of the underground pipeline,which carries up to 195,000 barrels ofcrude daily from the Gulf Coast torefineries in Ohio.

LAHORE AREA, PAKISTANSee “Pakistan” under “Political &

Civil Unrest.”

CASTLETOWN, ESPERANCE,AUSTRALIA

London, Jan 27 — Bulk Tian ShengHai sailed Esperance Jan 21.

DELAWARE RIVER, UNITED STATES

See Athos I under “Marine.”

KENTUCKY RIVER, UNITED STATES

See “Carrollton Area, Kentucky,United States” under “PipelineAccidents.”

LANGUEDOC, FRANCELondon, Jan 28 — General cargo

Baltic Trader (6263 gt, built 1981), onvoyage from Marina di Carrara, wasordered into Brest Jan 27 after beingspotted by French Customs aircraftwith a 36-km-long oil slick in its wakewhen it was 180 km off Port Vendres,on the Mediterranean coast of France’sLanguedoc region, on Jan 18. Thevessel refused to stop and continued itsvoyage; however, it was tracked by theauthorities who intercepted it offBrittany and escorted it into Brestyesterday. (Note — Baltic Trader sailedMarina di Carrara Jan 16.)

Brest, Feb 2 — General cargo BalticTrader is still under detention at Brest.The matter is in the hands of the P&IClub lawyers, who are defending theirclient at the Court of Marseilles. Noinformation so far as regards the Courtdecision. — Lloyd’s Agents.

PUGET SOUND, TACOMA,WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated Jan 29, states: Emergency crewsresponded to an oil spill in PugetSound’s Dalco Passage yesterday.Reported about 1120 hrs by theWashington state ferry Rhododendron,yesterday’s spill was thought to be afew hundred gallons of oil said CoastGuard Petty Officer Mike Zolzer.

TIMOR SEALondon, Feb 3 — A press report, dated

today, states: Oil and gas producerWoodside Petroleum Ltd wasinvestigating the cause of an oil leak atits Laminaria field in the Timor Sea,the company said today. The leak wasnoticed Jan 18 and investigations haddetermined a problem with the flowlinefrom the Laminaria 2 well, Woodsidesaid. The Laminaria 2 well, and other

wells connected in the productionsystem, were shut in shortly after theleak was noticed. Woodside said itimmediately notified governmentauthorities and began investigating thecause and size of the leak. The initialestimate put the size of the leak atabout 300 barrels (50 cubic metres) ofoil , although that might varydepending on the outcome of modelling,it said. Laminaria oil is very light andrapidly evaporates from the seasurface. A surface inspection two dayslater concluded the oil had alreadyevaporated from the area. Repairs tothe Laminaria 5 well, which producesabout 3000 barrels a day, are expectedto be made in the second quarter of2005. Resumption of production atLaminaria 2, which produces about2000 barrels a day, depended on a fullassessment of the flowline fault, thecompany said. Production from theadjacent Corallina field, which isaveraging 18,000 barrels a day, wasunaffected.

UNALASKA ISLAND, ALASKA,UNITED STATES

See Selendang Ayu under “Marine.”

ALGERIALondon, Jan 29 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: The worstsnowfalls in more than 50 years haveparalysed Algeria’s capital, Algiers, andmore than a third of the country, theauthorities say. The bad weather isreported to have caused at least 10deaths and hundreds of motorists havehad to be rescued from their strandedvehicles. Towns and villages have beencut off, while many sporting eventshave been postponed until next week.Weather forecasters say the conditionswill persist for several days. TheAlgerian authorities said people shouldnot venture out unless necessary.Several areas in the north-east,including the port oil city of Skikda,were cut off after 36 hours of snow andstrong winds. Most of the 10 fatalitieshave been caused by traffic accidents.

ARGENTINA / URUGUAYLondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: A storm caused at least11 deaths, 52 injuries and left 200homeless in Argentina, the authoritiessaid yesterday. Eight people were killedand 49 wounded when a bus carryingtourists collided with a truck on theBuenos Aires Route 41, near the city ofSan Andres de Giles. A woman and twominors died in the area of Buenos AiresLuis Guillon after strong winds forced atree to fall on their house. The otherthree were injured on Route 3 where abus collided with an official vehicle.Nearly 2,000 Uruguay-boundpassengers were stranded after heavyrains and strong winds forced the

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Pipeline Accidents/Pollution/Weather & Navigation

Uruguayan navy to close the ports ofMontevideo and Colonia. In BuenosAires, the Buquebus company’s twovessels suspended their plannedvoyage to the Uruguayan harbours.The Atlantic, the only one departing forMontevideo, had to return due to thepoor weather.

AUSTRALIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: Severethunderstorms over parts of Victoriaare causing severe flooding in thesouth-west of the state. Parts of thePrinces Highway in Geelong andTorquay have been flooded, causingtraffic l ights to stop working andvehicles to bank up. The Great OceanRoad has been affected by trafficdelays.

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: The weather inNorth Queensland is now improvingand vessel berthing and loading at coalports has resumed, as follows: AbbotPoint: There were minor loading delaysyesterday due to heavy rain. However,the weather has cleared and operationsare now back to normal. Bulk Dynasty,currently loading, will sail at 2100 hrs,today, and one of the two vesselscurrently at anchor will berthimmediately after. Dalrymple Bay:Strong winds are easing and DalrympleBay Coal terminal reopened at 1400hrs, yesterday. Hay Point: Strongwinds are easing and Hay Point CoalTerminal Berth No.2 reopened at 1200hrs, yesterday. Hay Point CoalTerminal Berth No.1 reopened at 1640hrs, yesterday.

London, Feb 2 — A press report,dated today, states: Around 100,000homes throughout Sydney, the CentralCoast and surrounding areas arewithout electricity after big stormswhich swept the region this afternoon.Strong winds brought down trees, andheavy rain caused flash flooding whichcaught some people in their cars. Thebig storms brought rainfall of up to 20millimetres in an hour. The flashflooding that followed saw three peopletrapped in their cars in the water atBexley Road in Sydney’s south.Emergency services were called to getthem to safety. Fallen branches onpowerlines and thousands of lightningstrikes have affected electricitysupplies. The power is out forthousands across Sydney, in the BlueMountains, the Illawarra and on theCentral Coast. The State EmergencyService has received more than 1,500calls.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: Freak summerstorms lashed eastern Australiaovernight, dumping record rains onMelbourne, hitting Brisbane with atowering dust storm and leaving atleast two people dead, officials said.Melbourne received more rain in the 24hours to this morning than during anyday since records began in 1856,leaving the city’s rivers and waterwaysswollen to bursting point. Victoria statepolice were searching for a teenage boyreported to have been swept away in asuburban Melbourne creek while two

people were killed by falling trees inneighboring New South Wales state.The storms, caused by an intense low-pressure system, hit a vast area fromQueensland state in the north, throughNew South Wales and Victoria and onto the island state of Tasmania offmainland Australia’s south-easterncorner. The front swept in yesterdaywhen eastern Australia wasexperiencing blue skies and swelteringheat normal for the height of thesouthern summer. At the height of thestorm yesterday evening, Melbourneregistered its coldest February day onrecord with the mercury dropping to12.8 degrees Celsius. Fallen treesblocked roads and toppled power linesacross the region, cutting off electricitysupplies to tens of thousands of people,authorities said. In Queensland, highwinds whipped up a massive dust stormthat sent a wall of rust-red particlesacross the large state, cutting visibilityto 100 metres in some areas and forcingthe closure of 20 regional airports.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: Passenger ro/roSpirit of Tasmania II (29067 gt, built1998) has docked safely in Melbourneafter turning back mid-way through astormy voyage to Devonport, Tasmania.Waves of up to 20m lashed the ferry,smashing a number of windows on itsupper decks, causing it to turn backabout 0400, AEDT, today. The ferry hadleft Melbourne at 2100, yesterday. RayBean, from Longford, Tasmania, saidafter leaving the ferry. “All the publicaddress system was blown out and itmade it very hard for the crew.” Hesaid there was “quite a lot of damage,but no one was hurt”. Mr Bean saidpassengers had been told they would becompensated.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: State EmergencyService crews in Victoria and NewSouth Wales will be working into thenight cleaning up after yesterday’shuge storms. Emergency crews arestretched to the limit as they continueto deal with the aftermath of thetorrential rain and gale force winds.About 120 mm or five inches of rainwas dumped on Melbourne in 24 hours.Peter Cocks, from the Victorian SES,says crews still have a lot of work to dowith more than 4,000 calls for helpreceived. The damage bill from thestorm is expected to run into themillions of dollars. Thousands ofVictorians are still without electricityand power companies say somecustomers will not have servicesrestored until later in the evening.Alan Grossbard, from Alinta, sayssteady rain is causing more problems.

HURRICANE “IVAN”London, Feb 1 — A press report,

dated Jan 31, states: More than fourmonths since the remnants ofHurricane “Ivan” swept through theAllentown, Pa, region, the flooddamage is still clear on the 60-mileDelaware Canal State Park. Much ofthe historic canal, which runs fromEaston to Bristol in Bucks County,remains dry, and miles of formerlyhiker-friendly paths are still rubble.

Park manager Rick Dalton saysofficials are waiting for approval ofrepair projects from the FederalEmergency Management Agency.FEMA will foot as much as 80 percentof the $9.2 million bill for the canalrepairs. Once FEMA approves, Daltonsays, final design specifications will beprepared and the projects — 13 in all— will be sent out for bid. The repairsare expected to take at least two tothree years.

IRAQLondon, Feb 1 — A press report,

dated today, states: Due to roughweather since yesterday evening, nosailing or berthing operations are beingcarried out at Basrah Oil Terminal.According to the forecast, roughweather is also expected tomorrow.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: Weather conditionsat Basrah Oil Terminal have improved,with berthing/sailing operations due toresume at approximately noon today.Operations at the terminal had beenhalted due to rough weather since theevening of Jan 31.

JAPANLondon, Feb 1 — A press report,

dated today, states: A powerful winterstorm snarled commuter traffic acrossJapan today, delaying fl ights andtrains and causing scores of highwayaccidents that injured at least 18people, officials said. Heavy snowblanketed areas from southwesternKyushu region to the northernmostisland of Hokkaido. In the western portcity of Kobe, nearly 30 cars crashed in10 separate accidents on a frozenhighway, prefectural police spokesmanMasahiko Furuta said. In anothercrash, a college student lost control ofher car on a frozen roadway in anearby town, striking a group ofchildren and injuring eight of them,Furuta said. Services on theShinkansen bullet train in the westernand northern regions were delayed orsuspended, and more than a dozendomestic flights connecting Kyushuand northern Japanese cities werecancelled, NHK said.

London, Feb 2 — Heavy snowblanketed much of Japan today,disrupting train and airplaneoperations. The Japan MeteorologicalAgency warned of continued snow inthe Hokuriku region, and Nagano, Gifuand Tottori prefectures. Snow delayedas many as 44 Sanyo Shinkansentrains, which connect Osaka withnorthern Kyushu. All Nippon Airwayscancelled 18 flights and Japan Airlinescanceled 10 as of noon, today, affectingabout 3,500 passengers. The cancelledflights were mainly to and fromHokuriku-area airports such as thosein Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, andKomatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture.

ROMANIABucharest, Jan 26 — The Sulina

Channel, which was closed at 1030 hrs,yesterday, was re-opened at 1000 hrs,today. Mangalia Port, which was closedat 0830 hrs, yesterday, was re-openedat 0400 hrs, today. — Lloyd’s Agents.

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Weather & Navigation

Bucharest, Jan 27 — Sulina Channelwas closed at 0600, Jan 27, due to badweather, with south-south-easterlywinds force 6-7 (strong breeze to neargale) and five-to-six-foot seas. —Lloyd’s Agents.

Bucharest, Jan 28 — Sulina Channelwas re-opened at 1600, Jan 27. —Lloyd’s Agents.

TROPICAL CYCLONE “LOLA”London, Feb 1 — Following received

from the Meteorological Office: Thecentre of tropical cyclone “Lola” waslocated near lat 24 5S, long 175 2W at0600, UTC, today. Cyclone movingsouth-east at about eight knots andexpected to gradually curve south-westwithin the next 24 hours. Expectsustained winds of 35 knots close tocentre. Expect winds over 33 knotswithin 80 miles of centre in sectorsfrom north through east to south andwithin 60 miles of centre elsewhere.Forecast position near lat 25.5S, long176.5W at 0600, UTC, Feb 2.

UNITED STATESLondon, Jan 30 — A press report,

dated today, states: More than 230,000customers had no electricity, today, inGeorgia, while crews worked to repairpower lines snapped by an ice stormand the city’s airport reopened all itsrunways as temperatures rose abovefreezing. Two traffic deaths in Georgiaand one in South Carolina were blamedon the storm that spread sleet andfreezing rain across parts of the south-east, yesterday. By today, all fourrunways at Hartsfield-Jackson AtlantaInternational Airport were operationalagain. Only two, and at one point onlyone, of its four runways were availableyesterday, as crews laboured to scrapeoff ice. There is not enough demand tohave all four operating, an airportspokeswoman said, adding that about300 stranded airline passengers spentthe night at the airport, because theirflights were canceled. Thick blankets ofice began melting today, astemperatures climbed above thefreezing. Highs reached the 40s fornorthern Georgia and the 60s in thesouthern part of the state. Even withthe improved weather conditions, fewerthan 100 departures were scheduledout of Atlanta passenger airport thismorning. AirTran canceled 33 of itsestimated 500 flights scheduled fortoday, but the airline expectedoperations to return to normal by earlyafternoon. Delta, which only operated 8percent of its flights the previous day,planned to offer 70 percent of itsnormal schedule today. The icy weatheralso forced airlines to cancel scores offl ights yesterday, at airports inGreenville-Spartanburg and Columbia,S.C., and at Charlotte and Raleigh,N.C. Amtrak canceled rail service forthis morning from Raleigh to Charlotte.Georgia Power said 165,000 homes andbusinesses it serves were withoutpower today and the ElectricMembership Corp. reported 68,000customers blacked out. Many of theoutages were in the Atlantametropolitan area. Thousands of utilityworkers toiled through the night to

restore power only to have new pocketsof customers go out as the ice collectedon the power lines. Both companiessaid they hoped to return power bytomorrow at the latest. In NorthCarolina, power was restored to 9,000customers who had been blacked out.Utility officials in South Carolinaestimated about 5,000 customers werestil l in the dark today, down from11,000 yesterday.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated Jan 25, states: A winter stormthat slammed Ohio two days beforeChristmas will cost insurance agenciesacross the state millions of dollars.According to the Ohio InsuranceInstitute, Ohio insurers expect to payat least $85 mi l l ion to home,automobile and business owners whohad property damage from snow andice. The storm caused major powerfailures and travel hazards across thestate. Homeowners account for morethan 70 percent of the 27,000 claimsreceived by 23 insurers. Their claimstotal $62.5 million. About 10 percentof the claims, totaling $5.9 million,were from drivers. The state industryassoc iat ion sa id businesses havemade 1,322 claims, totaling $11.8million.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: The storms that hitCalifornia starting a month ago costmore than $85 million in damage tostate highways, Caltrans says. Thestate Department of Transportationsays in a press release that it is using“existing budget resources” to pay thecost, which will probably rise when thestate finishes its final analysis. Fiercestorms starting in late Decemberdumped more than 13 feet of snow onthe Tahoe Basin in two weeks, closingInterstate 80 for 39 hours. Statehighways in Ventura, San Bernardinoand Los Angeles counties suffered themost, accounting for roughly two-thirdsof the $46 million in emergency repaircontracts that Caltrans has written sofar. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasdeclared a state of emergency in eightSouthern California counties, askingthe White House to designate them asdisaster areas so that the state andlocal governments can tap the federalbudget to help pay for repairs.

GREECELondon, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: A strongearthquake measuring 5.6 on theRichter scale struck off western Greecein the Ionian Sea early today, but nocasualties were reported, officials said.The officials said the quake took place50km from the island of Zante in theIonian Sea. There were no reports ofdamage or injuries. The epicentre ofthe quake, which took place at 0305 hrswas 340km west of Athens in the sea,the officials said. A smaller quake,

measuring four on the Richter scalewas recorded shortly afterwards, fromthe same epicentre.

GUAMLondon, Feb 3 — A press report, dated

today, states: A magnitude 6.3earthquake jolted the NorthernMarianas and Guam yesterday, butseismologists assured terrifiedresidents that the quake wouldn’tgenerate a tsunami. There were noimmediate reports of injuries or majordamage on the islands. The PacificTsunami Warning Centre, which islocated in Hawaii, did not issue atsunami warning. Despite assurancesfrom local and federal agencies, manyterrified residents ran out of buildingsand looked out to sea for any sign of atidal wave. The epicentre of the quakewas located about 35 miles west of Rotaand 45 miles north of Hagatna, Guam.

INDIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report, dated

Jan 26, states: A moderate earthquakeoccurred at 1730, UTC, today. Themagnitude 5.6 event has been located inthe Nicobar Islands, India, in lat 08.29N,long 93.98E, depth 26 km.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: A moderateearthquake struck near India’s NicobarIslands - an area that has been rattledby aftershocks since last month’searthquake-tsunami disaster, the HongKong Observatory said today. It wasnot immediately clear if there were anycasualties. The 5.6-magnitude tremorstruck at 1539, GMT, yesterday in theNicobar island chain.

INDONESIALondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: An earthquakemeasuring 5.6 on the Richter scalejolted the area of Lumajang regency inEast Java this morning. The quake wasalso felt in the neighbouring regenciesof Blitar and Malang. The earthquakeoccurred at about 0321 hrs with theepicentre 119 kilometres south ofLumajang, about 33 kilometres underthe Indian Ocean. “We haven’t had anyreports of fatalities or damage causedby the quake,” Arief of the Meteorologyand Geophysics Agency’s Tretes stationtold Antara news agency.

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A moderate earthquakerocked parts of Indonesia’s main islandJava today, causing panic amongresidents and cracks to some buildings,officials and a media report said.Therewere no immediate reports ofcasualties. The epicentre of the 5.2-magnitude quake was about 40 milessouth of Bandung, West Java’s capital,said Yusuf, an official at themeteorological agency. It struck atabout 1300. Meanwhile, MuhammadImron, an official in Bandung, said thatthe quake jolted some towns in theprovince and caused large cracks at afactory in Banjaran, an industrialneighbourhood in southern Bandung.The quake has reportedly damaged twohouses and one school building inGarut and Pengalengan, two othertowns in West Java.

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Weather & Navigation/Earthquakes

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Two earthquakes, thestrongest measuring 5.5 on the Richterscale, shook Indonesia, injuring severalpeople and damaging houses, officialssaid. The resort island of Bali andLombok were shaken by the morepowerful of the two quakes at 2200 hrs,1400, GMT, some 15 km south-west ofLombok’s capital Mataram, seismologyofficials said. The quake was feltstrongly in Denpasar, the capital ofBali, but there were no reports of injuryor casualty on the resort island.Earlier, at 0555, GMT, a 5.2-magnitudequake struck 43 km south of Bandung,the capital of West Java, theMeteorology and Geophysics Agencysaid. District spokesman Suhermansaid several people were injured in themelee and many houses were damagedbut the number was not immediatelyknown.

JAPANLondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: An earthquakeregistering a preliminary magnitude of5.8, jolted eastern Hokkaido yesterdayevening, the Japan MeteorologicalAgency said. There were no immediatereports of injuries or damage from the1839 hrs quake. The quake measured 3on the Japanese seismic intensity scaleof 7 in Churui and Hiroo, the agencysaid.

RUSSIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: Russia’s Far Eastsuffered a 5.9-magnitude earthquakelast night, less than two days afterseveral tremors measuring up to 4 onthe Richter scale, hit the area, the Itar-Tass news agency reported today. Thetremor struck the Northern KurileIslands in the Russian Far East at 2154hrs, yesterday, according to Russianseismology service. But there were noreports of casualties or damage. Theepicentre was located 220 km off theParamushir Island and 158 km underthe Pacific Ocean floor.

SOUTH-EAST ASIALondon, Feb 1 — Crude oil tanker

Major Dhan Singh Thapa PVC sailedKochi Jan 29.

ANATAHAN, NORTH MARIANAISLANDS

London, Jan 25 — A press report,dated Jan 24, states: The ongoingvolcanic activity on Anatahanintensified on Saturday (Jan 22). Theeruptions resumed at peak levels withthe volcano displaying strongexplosions according to the EmergencyManagement Office and the USGeological Survey. In a joint report, theEMO and the USGS said strombolianexplosions resumed late Saturday andhave been continuing. The volcano has

spewed ashes and smog severalthousand feet in the air. With southerlywinds blowing several days ago, ashplumes and haze being blown fromAnatahan to Saipan prompted the EMOand the Department of Public Health toissue a health advisory that advisedresidents to stay indoors. Inhalation ofsulphur dioxide may have adversehealth effects, especially to those whohave respiratory problems. Anoverflight conducted by the EMO afterthe new eruptions began saw ashplumes rising to about 10,000 feet andobserved pyroclastic rocks over onemeter in diameter. The volcano’sactivity intensified after months ofextremely low seismic activities, whichfollowed the second batch of eruptionsfrom April to June last year. Anatahanremains off-limits to the public, exceptfor government and approved scientificmissions.

KLYUCHEVSKAYA SOPKA, RUSSIALondon, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

Feb 1, states: The KlyuchevskayaSopka volcano today was sending outhot gas and steam from its crater. Thespout column raised to a height of onekilometre and the plume of the volcanicdischarge stretched for over 100 kmnorth-west of the volcano. Volcanic ashfallout was registered in the Klyuchicity located 30 km from the giganticvolcano. It presents no danger to thepopulation, the Kamchatka-basedseismic research crew told Itar-Tass.According to specialists, KlyuchevskayaSopka’s volcanic tremor intensified inthe period from 0730 to 1000, localtime. Simultaneously snow containingdark ash was falling in Klyuchi.Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the highestactive volcano in Eurasia, is becomingmore active. Local earthquakes andincessant volcanic tremor have beenregistered in the volcano area.

MOUNT OYAMA, JAPANLondon, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

today, states: About 60 former residentsof the Japanese island of Miyakejimahave returned to the homes theyevacuated after a volcanic eruption in2000. Japan’s government lifted anevacuation order on the islandyesterday. The returnees have beenissued with gas masks to guard againstthe risk of volcanic gas emissions,which are being closely monitored byofficials. More than half of the island’s4,000 inhabitants are to return over thecoming months. The island’s mayor,Norishige Hozumi, told a Japanesebroadcaster he hopes to revive theeconomy, placing tourism at its centre.However, it is unclear if Miyakejimacan once again attract the 80,000tourists who visited its beaches andcoral reefs every year. Visitors onceable to fly from Tokyo in 30 minutesnow face a seven-hour boat journey tothe island. The island of Miyakejima,formed by the Mount Oyama volcano,lies about 180km south of Tokyo. Thevolcano began spewing rocks and gas in2000, and by September, all itsresidents had been rescued. The island-dwellers have spent the last four yearsin temporary shelters in Tokyo, unsure

of whether they could return. Shops,restaurants and local officials have nowresumed work on the island - but someof its original residents are unlikely toever return to homes deemed toounsafe.

MOUNT TAVURVUR, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: the MountTavurvur volcano in East New Britainbegan emitting plumes of ash again onMonday (Jan 24) after being quiet for11 months, causing grave concernamong Rabaul residents. RabaulVolcanic Observatory AssistantDirector Ima Itikarai said the volcanobegan spewing out dust as high asthree kilometres just after 1800 onMonday. He said the dust eruptionswere caused by magma movementbeneath in the volcano and based onpast cases, he expected the fluctuatingeruptive activity to continue for up to ayear or more, but not to a level thatwould pose a threat to the residents inthe area. Because of the north-westerlywinds, areas like Tokua Airport, theDuke of York Islands and parts ofNamatanai in New Ireland provinceare experiencing ash falls. An officerwith Air Nuigini said f l ights intoTokua would not be affected, butground staff would assess the situationevery day.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: Scientists inPapua New Guinea say a volcano nearRabaul is continuing to throw up ashalthough, at this stage, it is not posinga direct threat to life. The RabaulVolcanic Observatory said data receivedfrom its 15 seismic stations aroundMount Tavurvur suggested the activitywould no’t increase, as it did before adevastating 1994 eruption. Assistantdirector Ima Itakarai said the wind wasblowing the ash offshore. He said theobservatory had stopped sendingground teams to inspect the volcano forthe time being.

AFGHANISTANKandahar, Afghanistan, Jan 29 — A

land mine blast killed nine Afghansoldiers near the border with Pakistantoday in the bloodiest attack yet onAfghanistan’s army. A local armycommander said an Afghan bordercommander was also wounded whenthe army vehicle hit the mine near thesouthern town of Spin Boldak whiletraveling toward the Pakistan border. ATaliban spokesman claimedresponsibility for the attack, which hesaid had killed four soldiers. In aseparate incident, two soldiers werekilled and two wounded by unidentifiedgunmen near the eastern town ofKhost, the local police chief said. —Reuters.

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Earthquakes/Volcanic Activity/Political & Civil Unrest

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Two separatelandmine blasts in the south and eastof Afghanistan killed at least twopeople and injured 15 others, policeofficials said. Pakistan-based AfghanIslamic Press reported that two menwere killed by a landmine in theeastern Kunar province on the highwaythat leads to the city of Jalalabad. Itquoted Kunar police chief MatiullahKhan as saying it was possible the twowere killed by the explosion whiletrying to plant the mine. Separately, asmall bus carrying civil ians hit alandmine in Arghandab district ofKandahar province, General SalimKhan, a senior police official forKandahar city, said. He said at least 15people were in the bus when it hit thelandmine and the injured were rushedto a hospital in Kandahar city. He saidhe did not know how many were killed.The bus was travelling from Uruzganprovince where suspected membersfrom the ousted Taliban governmentusually target Afghan and US-ledforces with roadside bombs. Theincident comes a day after nine Afghansoldiers were killed in the Spin Boldakarea of Kandahar by a mine planted byTaliban members.

BANGLADESHLondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated today, states: The mainopposition party of Bangladesh todayannounced a non-stop 72-hour hartal(destructive strike) from tomorrowacross the country to protest against anattack on its rally that killed four. Asource from the Awami League (AL)headquarter in Dhaka today confirmedto Xinhua that the decision of holdingthree-day hartal was taken earlier at apresidium meeting. Some unidentifiedterrorists yesterday night hurled twogrenades at an AL rally innortheastern district Habiganj. Threepeople including former FinanceMinister Shah AMS Kibria’s nephewwere killed on the spot, while thecritically wounded Kibria was sent to ahospital in Dhaka and succumbed tohis injuries later. BangladeshiPresident Iajuddin Ahmed todayexpressed profound shock at the brutalkilling of Kibria, the AL leader andmember of parliament, terming thekilling as “barbaric” and “cowardly.”The president said the miscreantsinvolved in such heinous attack are theenemies of the country and people.

Dhaka, Jan 29 — More than 70 peoplewere injured and about 100 detained inBangladesh today as police battledopposition protesters during anationwide general strike. Witnessessaid the strikers halted at least fivetrains on their way to and from thecapital, Dhaka, damaged scores ofrickshaws and mini-cabs, and scuffledwith security forces. Authoritiesdeployed hundreds of police,paramilitary troops and auxiliaryforces in Dhaka and other main citiestrying to keep order. The mainopposition party, the Awami League,called a three-day national strikestarting at dawn today after anexplosion at a rally in the country’s

north-east Thursday (Jan 27) killed asenior party leader and four otherpeople. Police said the explosion, whichalso wounded around 70, was caused bya grenade thrown by an unknownassailant. In Dhaka, steel-helmetedpolice and other security forces withautomatic weapons and batonspatrolled streets and guarded keybuildings. The strike drove mosttransport off Dhaka’s usually crowdedstreets and closed shops and schools.“At least 50 people including a formerAwami minister, Obaidul Kader, wereinjured in police action in Dhaka onSaturday,” one witness said. Police said20 or more activists were injured insporadic violence in the southerndistrict of Noakhali. The stoppagewidely disrupted business as well asactivities at the country’s main port,Chittagong. The Dhaka and Chittagongstock exchanges were closed, traderssaid. Thursday’s blast — the latest in aseries to rock the country over the lastyear — killed former UN official ,diplomat and finance minister ShahAbu Mohammad Shamsul Kibria, 73, akey Awami leader, as well as hisnephew and three others. — Reuters.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Anti-governmentprotesters clashed with policeyesterday and set fire to buses andtaxis in several cities during a strikeprotesting a grenade attack that killedfive opposition members. The violenceleft one person dead and 38 injured,officials said. Police used tear gas andbatons to disperse strike supportersduring the second day of a three-daystrike called by the opposition AwamiLeague. The strike shut down manyshops, schools and businesses aroundthe country.

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: At least 15 people wereinjured, one seriously, when petrolbombs were thrown at two buses on theeve of a nationwide shutdown called byBangladeshøs opposition party today,police said. Strike supporters attackedthe buses overnight in Dhaka, citypolice chief Mizanur Rahman told AFP.More than 10,000 police andparamilitary forces had been deployedin the capital to prevent furtherviolence, he added. Bangladeshøs maincities were brought to a near-standstilltoday as the main opposition AwamiLeague party enforced the fourthshutdown day in a week. In Dhaka,private cars were off the road andschools, colleges and shops were closed.The situation was similar in thesouthern city of Khulna, thesoutheastern port city of Chittagongand northern Rajshahi, police said. TheAwami League has called theshutdowns to protest at a grenadeattack on a rally last week that killedfive people including a former minister.A three-day strike ended Monday (Jan31) and two more shutdowns areplanned for Saturday (Feb 5) andSunday (Feb 6). The oppositionenforced 22 protest shutdowns lastyear, despite pleas from aid donors andbusiness groups who say such actionshit the nationøs impoverished economy.Most of last yearøs strikes were called

as part of the Awami Leagueøs stepped-up campaign to oust the government, afour-party Islamist-allied coalition ledby Prime Minister Khaleda ZiaøsBangladesh Nationalist Party. Theopposition accuses the government offailing to crack down on crime andcorruption. The government says it isworking hard to tackle a grim situationinherited from the Awami Leagueøsadministration.

COLOMBIALondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: Rebels firing homemaderockets attacked a military post insouthwestern Colombia today, killing atleast nine soldiers and wounding about20, the navy said. Government forces inriver gunboats, a “Phantom” fixed-winggunship and helicopters were pursuingthe rebels of the leftist RevolutionaryArmed Forces of Colombia, or FARC,who attacked the Colombian marinepost in Iscuande county, the navy saidin a statement. FARC rebels used largegas cylinders converted into rockets toattack the Marine outpost, thestatement said. The attack came amida government offensive, called PlanPatriot, deep into the rebel’s junglehideouts in southern Colombia, morethan 150 miles from the site of today’sattack.

Bogota, Feb 2 — Colombian Farcrebels killed 14 marines and wounded25 others in an attack on a jungle riverbase at Iscuande, Narinjo province. —Reuters.

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedyesterday, states: Marxist rebels insouthern Colombia ambushed an armyconvoy with explosives and gunfiretoday, kill ing eight soldiers andwounding four others in the seconddeadly guerrilla attack in as manydays, the military said. PresidentAlvaro Uribe late today blamed bothattacks on errors by members of themilitary, and urged soldiers to exercisemore caution. In today’s attack,soldiers were travelling along ahighway near Santa Ana, 350 milessouth-west of the capital, Bogota, whentheir vehicles came under attack fromfighters of the Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia, or FARC, accordingto the military. One civilian was alsokilled.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: Aid workers fearmany people died when dozens of wellarmed militia stormed Che village inthe eastern Democratic Republic ofCongo setting it ablaze. One person hasbeen confirmed dead, but an ethnicmilitia group that defends thecommunity says 80 were killed. TheUnited Nations, which has more than3,000 peacekeepers in the area, ischecking the massacre allegations.According to the aid workers, theattack on Che, 60km north east ofBunia, took place in the early hours ofWednesday morning (Jan 26). A teamtrying to reach Che with food suppliesfor more than 7,000 displaced Hemapeople living there saw the village

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Political & Civil Unrest

burning and were forced to turn backbefore reaching its centre. ThomasLubanga, leader of the Hema militiathe Congolese Union of Patriots, saidhe believed Lendu militiamen werebehind the attack.

Kinshasa, Jan 31 — Villagers in theremote hills of northeastern Congo saidarmed groups had killed at least 15people and kidnapped 34 in recentattacks, the United Nations saidyesterday, adding that hundreds ofhomes had been razed. The reportsunderlined the chaos reigning in thelawless east of Africa’s third largestcountry. The attacks were reportedaround Tche, a string of hamlets some60 km northeast of Bunia in the Ituriprovince. U.N. troops flew over theregion on Saturday (Jan 29) and saw220 burnt homes and smoke risingfrom nearby hills, U.N. spokesmanChristophe Boulierac said. In anothersign of instability, rival factions fromthe Congolese army clashed onSaturday just west of Bukavu, over 450km to the south, looting the village ofKabare, U.N. spokesman LeocadioSalmeron said, speaking from Bukavu.The world body had receivedunconfirmed reports that two or threecivilians and several soldiers had beenkilled, he added. “We were able toconfirm that the village was completelylooted, even the medical centre,” hesaid, adding that an unknown numberof civilians had fled the violence. In onesettlement in Tche, peacekeepers found120 people, mainly women andchildren, and left around 30 Pakistanisoldiers there to protect themovernight, Boulierac said. Villagers toldthe U.N. troops that armed groups hadincreased their harassment of localsover the past 10 days. The violence inthe east and political squabbling inKinshasa have cast a shadow on thetransitional government which ismeant to organise democratic electionsby the end of June. However, theelections deadline is in doubt becauseof logistical problems and legislativedelays. — Reuters.

GEORGIATbilisi , Feb 1 — A car exploded

outside a police station in ex-SovietGeorgia today, killing at least threepeople, an interior ministry spokesmansaid. He said the blast had almosttotally destroyed the policeheadquarters in the town of Gori, some80 km to the west of the capital Tbilisi.— Reuters.

INDIALondon, Jan 25 — A press report,

dated today, states: Normal life hascome to a standstill in the southernIndian state of Andhra Pradesh due toa strike by the main opposition TeluguDesam Party (TDP). The strike hasbeen called to protest against thekilling of a senior TDP leader, ParitalaRavi, who died in a bomb blast at hisoffice yesterday. Incidents of violenceand arson have been reported fromdifferent parts of the state followingthe kill ing. The state capitalHyderabad and several other majorcities were all affected. Shops, business

establishments and educationalinstitutions were all closed inHyderabad and in the cities ofVijaywada, Vishakhapatnam andTirupati. Thousands of passengerswere stranded at different places due tolack of train services and other forms oftransport. The state-run road transportcorporation decided not to run its busesanywhere during the strike sinceprotesters were targeting governmentproperty. Nearly 400 buses weredamaged or burnt yesterday by thedemonstrators. Police say that Mr Raviwas killed with one of hisacquaintances, Eshwaraiah, at adistrict office of the TDP. Incidents ofstone pelting and attacks ongovernment vehicles and offices havebeen reported today. The stategovernment has ordered schools toremain closed fearing trouble duringthe shut down. The TDP-led strike hasbeen supported by its ally, the rightwing Hindu nationalist BharatiyaJanata Party. TDP leader ChandrababuNaidu has blamed the state’s governingCongress party and police for theattack which took place in the districtof Anantapur, where a curfew has beenimposed. Police yesterday dismissed MrNaidu’s allegations, insisting that therewas no lapse in his securityarrangements and no question of themnot making every effort to catch theperpetrators. The TDP has alsodemanded the dismissal of the state’sgovernment. Mr Ravi, a controversialfigure and a former Maoist rebel, wasfacing several criminal cases and wasalso in the middle of an ongoing feudwith a Congress leader in the factionridden Anantapur district. Ever sincethe TDP-run state government wasvoted out of office in May last year, MrRavi had complained to the authoritiesthat he feared for his life.

London, Jan 30 — A press report,dated today, states: Five bogies of theShramik Train were derailed today inBihar ’s Munghyr district due to thedamaging of tracks by suspectedNaxalites, railway sources said. Nocasualty was reported. The CPI(Maoist) Naxalites, who have given acall for a poll boycott in Bihar andJharkhand, were suspected to havedamaged the tracks leading to thederailment, the sources said. Railwayauthorities said efforts continued toremove the affected bogies to restorenormal traffic.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Four members of afamily in an Indian-administeredKashmir vil lage were killed lateyesterday in a grenade attack on theirhome. Three of those killed werechildren below 10 years, the Indo-AsianNews Service (IANS) reported today.Three others were critically wounded inthe attack in Nashla village in Dodadistrict, IANS quoted local police assaying. The massacre occurred whenmilitants launched a grenade attack onthe home of Nazir Ahmad in the villagearound midnight. His wife and threechildren were killed instantly. NazirAhmed, his father and sister were leftinjured in a pool of blood. They havebeen shifted to a hospital in Doda for

treatment. No militant group hasclaimed responsibility for the attack.

Guwahati, Feb 3 — A powerful rebelgroup in India’s troubled north-easttoday offered to hold peace talks withNew Delhi to end a four-decade revoltbut set conditions unlikely to beaccepted by the federal government.The outlawed United NationalLiberation Front (UNLF), battling forfreedom for nearly two million peoplein the mountainous state of Manipur,said it was willing to “end the conflictonce and for all” if New Delhi allowedU.N. mediation. A statement fromUNLF chief Sana Yaima saidauthorities should organise a U.N.-monitored plebiscite in Manipur,replace federal forces with U.N.peacekeepers and transfer politicalpower as mandated by the referendum.“Now it is up to the government ofIndia to decide and reciprocate ourgesture. We will wait for Delhi ’sresponse,” Yaima said. Formed in 1964,the UNLF says it is waging an armedstruggle against New Delhi’s “colonialoccupation” of the former princely stateof Manipur. The group has about 1,200combatants, including 100 highlytrained women guerrillas. The UNLF,the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)and PREPAK, are three major rebelgroups active in Manipur. The call bythe UNLF comes after that rebel groupand the PLA suffered heavy losses inthe past three months duringcampaigns by the Indian military.Arms sourced from gun-runners inSoutheast Asian countries had alsobeen seized, an intelligence source said.The UNLF talks offer could be a ploy tobuy time and recoup, the source said,adding that the conditions set by theoutfit would not be acceptable to NewDelhi. — Reuters.

INDONESIAHelsinki, Jan 27 — Indonesian

ministers and exiled rebel leadersseeking the independence of Acehprovince agreed with Finnishmediators today to hold face-to-facetalks about ending nearly 30 years offighting. Finnish ex-President MarttiAhtisaari, a veteran mediator, met theIndonesian officials and Free AcehMovement (GAM) rebels separately andpersuaded them to talk directly — abreakthrough in itself compared toprevious mediated negotiations. “Theyare willing to meet each other,” MattiKalliokoski, vice-chairman ofAhtisaari ’s Crisis ManagementInitiative group, told Reuters. “Thetalks continue tomorrow, on Friday.”Indonesian President Susilo BambangYudhoyono said he hoped to win peaceby offering “special autonomy status.”— Reuters.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Indonesia’sgovernment has rejected an offer byAceh’s rebels to put demands forindependence on hold in exchange for areferendum on Aceh’s future. Despitethe government’s rejection, the offershows an encouraging willingness onthe rebels’ side to be flexible. The newoffer from the rebels came two daysafter its exiled leadership and

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government ministers held their firstface-to-face talks in almost two years.Although the talks achieved no formalagreement, the two sides agreed inprinciple that they would meet again inthe next few weeks to discuss longer-term solutions to the 28-year-oldinsurgency. The rejection of the offer bythe rebels to put their demands forindependence on hold for five to tenyears until a referendum is l ittlesurprise. Indonesia’s President, SusiloBambang Yudhoyono, has said he iswilling to consider any solution thatdoes not involve independence.

IRAQBaghdad, Jan 26 — Insurgents

attacked the offices of three politicalparties northeast of Baghdad today andreleased a video apparently showingthree kidnapped election workers inthe latest violence ahead of Sunday’s(Jan 30) landmark polls. In the desertsof western Iraq, a U.S. Marinetransport helicopter ferrying troopscrashed in the early hours, the militarysaid in a statement. It said search andrescue teams were at the site and thecasualty toll would be announced later.Police in Baquba, a mixed Shi’ite andSunni town 40 miles north of Baghdad,said one policemen was killed and atleast eight people wounded whengunmen opened fire on the local officesof three parties contesting the polls. Inthe northern city of Mosul, a rebelstronghold that has seen persistentviolence, a video filmed by insurgentsshowed three Iraqi men who hadapparently been taken hostage andwho said they worked for Iraq’selectoral commission in the city. On thevideo, a hooded insurgent carrying apistol read out a statement as anothermasked guerrilla crouched with arocket- propelled grenade launcher onhis shoulder. “We are mujahideen inthe province of Nineveh. What they callelections have no basis in the Islamicreligion and that’s why we will hit allelection centres,” the statement said.Several guerrilla groups in Iraq —including militants loyal to Abu Musabal-Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s leader in thecountry — have declared war onSunday’s elections, vowing to attackpolling stations and to kill those whodare to vote. The government hasannounced a set of extraordinarysecurity measures to try to protect thepolls, including closing Baghdadairport and land borders over theelection period, extending nightcurfews in cities and banning cars fromroads on election day. — Reuters.

Baghdad, Jan 26 — A U.S. helicoptercrash in western Iraq today killed 31American Marines, CNN reported,quoting military officials. A U.S. militaryspokesman in Baghdad confirmed therewere casualties but said he could notgive an exact number. Earlier, the U.S.military said a Marine transporthelicopter had crashed in the early hoursof today and a search and rescueoperation was under way. The militarysaid the crash happened shortly aftermidnight in the western desert close tothe Jordanian border, but it gave nodetails on the cause. — Reuters.

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: Six Iraqis and oneUS Marine were killed today asinsurgents clashed with US troops andblew up a school slated to serve as apolling centre, pre-election violencethat followed the deadliest day for UStroops since the war’s start. AnotherUS soldier died in an accident. TheMarine was killed and four otherswounded when insurgents launchedmortars at their base nearIskandariyah, about 30 miles south ofBaghdad. Australian officialsannounced that one of two carbombings on Baghdad’s dangerousairport road yesterday had injuredeight Australian soldiers riding in aconvoy escorting Australiangovernment officials. Thirty USMarines and one Navy sailor diedyesterday in a helicopter crash in badweather in the western desert, and sixUS troops were killed in insurgentambushes. Meanwhile, a Muslim youthgroup in Brazil issued an appeal for thekidnappers of a Brazilian hostage torelease him. The appeal by the Allianceof Muslim Youth, broadcast on Al-Jazeera, noted that many Brazilianshad opposed the Iraq war. In acontinuation of the pre-electionviolence plaguing the country, threeIraqis were killed and seven injuredwhen a roadside bomb missed a USconvoy in Mahmoudiya area, 20 milessouth of Baghdad this morning,according to the area’s hospitaldirector, Dawoud al-Taie. Near Tikrit, aroadside bomb killed one Iraqibystander and narrowly missedanother passing US military convoy,police said. The attack happened on aroad near former dictator SaddamHussein’s home town, about 80 milesnorth of Baghdad, said police Lt.Shalan Allawi. In Samarra in the sameregion, armed men blew up a localschool administration building thismorning after first ordering the staff toleave, said police Lt. QassimMohammed. The destroyed buildinghad been scheduled to be a votingcenter in Sunday’s (Jan 30) elections.Sporadic clashes also erupted inSamarra this morning between UStroops and armed men, killing one Iraqicivil ian and injuring another,Mohammed said. US forces alsoexchanged fire with insurgents inRamadi, capital of the insurgent-plagued province of Anbar west ofBaghdad. In Baqouba, the body of acolonel in the former Iraqi intelligenceduring Saddam’s era, Talib Minshid,was found in the city, according to aBaqouba hospital official, MohammedAli. Minshid had been abducted byarmed men two days ago. In the sametown, one Iraqi police officer was killedand four others injured by a suicide carbomb today, according to Adel Mulan,the head of the Diyala provincial policeforce. A US soldier died from a gunshotwound early today on a base nearTikrit in what the American militarycommand called an accident. AnotherUS soldier was injured when his convoywas attacked early today near Kirkukby small arms fire and a roadsidebomb, said Master Sgt. Robert Powell.

Three Iraqis were wounded when amortar shell landed on a house in thetown of Khalis, 50 miles from Baghdadlast night, the hospital official said.Just days before Sunday’s crucialelection, four Iraqi National Guardsoldiers and one officer also werekidnapped yesterday afternoon inBaghdadi, 90 miles west of Baghdad.The kidnapping occurred after the Iraqisoldiers’ car was stopped by insurgentsat a checkpoint, according to witnessesat the scene who saw the incident.

Baghdad, Jan 28 — A car bombexploded close to a police station insouthern Baghdad, killing four Iraqicivilians, police said today. Iraqi policeand soldiers have been repeatedlytargeted by insurgents ahead of thecountry’s elections on Sunday (Jan 30).Guerrillas have also detonated bombsat several schools that were to be usedas polling stations. They have alsotargeted election officials and membersof Iraq’s majority Shi’ite community,which is expected to cement itsnewfound political clout through theelections. — Reuters.

Baghdad, Jan 29 — Insurgents hit theUS embassy with a rocket strike todaythat killed two Americans andwounded four and also killed 17 Iraqisand an American soldier on the eve ofIraq’s landmark election. The rocketstruck the American compound afterdark, setting off an explosion that couldbe heard throughout the city centre.Most of the US embassy’s nearly 1,500staff work in the compound, part ofSaddam Hussein’s former RepublicanPalace. “It hit near the embassybuilding,” embassy spokesman BobCallahan said. “There are two dead andfour who are wounded . . . allAmericans.” Even as US-trainedsecurity forces barricaded streets,sealed land borders and closedBaghdad airport, more than a dozenpolling stations were attacked andbloodshed continued to overshadow thefinal electoral countdown. A roadsidebomb killed a US soldier in Baghdad,raising to 1,088 the number of troopskilled in action since March 2003. Asuicide bomber struck a US-Iraqisecurity center in the town ofKhanaqin, north-east of Baghdad. TheUS military said three Iraqi soldiersand five civil ians were killed. Al-Qaeda’s network in Iraq, led byJordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility andthreatened mayhem when voters go tothe polls tomorrow. — Reuters.

Baghdad, Jan 30 — Millions of Iraqisflocked to vote in a historic electiontoday, defying insurgents who killed 35people in a bloody assault on the poll.Voters cast ballots in higher-than-expected numbers in Iraq’s first multi-party election in half a century.However, in parts of the Sunni Arabheartland, where the insurgency hasbeen bloodiest and many peopleboycotted the election, polling stationswere empty. Despite draconian securitymeasures imposed by Iraq’s US-backedinterim government, militantslaunched a string of attacks to try totorpedo the polls. They struck mainlyin Baghdad, rocking the capital with

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nine suicide blasts in rapid succession.The Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda, led by AbuMusab al-Zarqawi, claimedresponsibility. Despite today’s violence,election officials said the turnout hadbeen above expectations. Theyoriginally put it at 72% but laterbacktracked, saying possibly eightmillion had voted, which would be alittle over 60% of registered voters.However, they acknowledged thefigures were guesswork. Thegovernment had set a target of at least50% of Iraq’s 13 million registeredvoters as the barometer of success.With international monitors mostlystaying away for fear of kidnapping, itwas impossible to assess the fairness ofthe election or accuracy of the turnoutestimates. After the polls closed,election workers started countingballots by hand. Officials expectpreliminary results in six to seven daysand final results in about 10 days. Atleast 27 people were killed in Baghdadattacks, including suicide bombingscarried out by a Syrian and a Chechen,interim Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said. The deadliest attack waswhen a man with explosives strappedto his body killed six people in a pollingstation queue. Another bomber killedfour people at a voting centre in theSadr City slums, a Shi’ite stronghold. Asuicide bomb also killed five people in abus carrying voters south of Baghdad.A low Sunni turnout would damage thecredibility of the election. Iraq’s long-oppressed Shi ’ ite majority lookedpoised to take power. Many fear thatinstead of quelling the anti-US revolt,the poll could foment sectarian strife byfurther alienating minority Sunnis,delaying any withdrawal of American-led forces from the country. InterimDefense Minister Hazim al-Shaalansaid today’s violence would have beenmuch worse were it not for stringentmeasures banning private cars fromthe streets, which prevented evendeadlier attacks with car bombs.Streets were barricaded, borderssealed, airports closed and only officialvehicles allowed out on the streets. —Reuters.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: An investigation into whyan RAF Hercules crashed into the Iraqidesert killing all 10 people on boardcould take weeks, it emerged today. Themarshy terrain and hostile local forcesare likely to hamper the painstakinghunt for clues, a Ministry of Defencespokesman said. He described asøspeculationø press reports that theywere considering the possibility a bombmay have been on board. øWe are notgoing to speculate about the causesuntil we have got a clear picture,ø thespokesman said. øBombs on board,missile strikes, explosions ø thatøs amatter for the crash investigators towork through and advise on.ø NineRAF personnel and one soldier died inSundayøs (Jan 30) crash, which wasthe biggest single loss of life to hit UKforces since military action in Iraqbegan.The MoD today refused tocomment on newspaper reports thatthe soldier was an Army NCO attachedto the SAS. Last night, Chief of the Air

Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir JockStirrup announced that a seniorinvestigator was on his way to Iraq,where staff have already been on theground sifting through the wreckage.Today, the MoD spokesman said therewas øno timescaleø for the procedurebut made clear it was likely to takelonger than a crash probe in the UK.An Iraqi militant group, Ansar al-Aslam, claimed yesterday on a websitethat it shot down the aircraft using ananti-tank missile. A second group ofinsurgents sent a video to Arabic TVchannel al-Jazeera which claimed toshow evidence that they brought downthe plane. The relatively slow, low-flying Hercules, renowned for itsreliability, came down in clearconditions 25 miles north-west ofBaghdad on a routine flight.

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: An Iraqi soldier has diedin a bomb explosion while two civilianswere killed by another bomb intendedfor a US military patrol. Both attackstook place in the Sunni Triangle, aninsurgent stronghold north of Baghdad.The soldier died and another waswounded when an Iraqi army patrolwas the target of a bomb attack arounddawn near Dhuluiya, about 70km northof Baghdad, the army said. Lateyesterday, a bomb apparently intendedfor a passing US army patrol killed twocivilians driving in a car at Dijla, about30km north of Baghdad, police said.

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: An oil pipeline linkingtwo of Iraq’s major refineries wasattacked today near the restive Sunnicity of Samarra north of Baghdad,police and oil sources said. The pipelinelinking the Baiji refinery north ofBaghdad to the Dura refinery in thecapital was hit by two bombs whichexploded and caused a fire, policelieutenant colonel Mahmud Mohammedsaid. An official at the Baiji refinerysaid the pipeline was one of eightconveying oil to Baghdad. “Thesabotaged pipeline has a capacity of7,000 barrels per day,” Majid Mamnulsaid, without specifying the extent ofdamage or how long repairs wouldtake. According to Finance MinisterAdel Abdel Mahdi, attacks on thecountry’s oil infrastructure have costIraq seven to eight billion dollars inexports since the March 2003 US-ledinvasion.

Kirkuk, Feb 3 — Militants ambushedand killed 12 Iraqi soldiers near thenorthern oil city of Kirkuk lateyesterday, the Iraqi army said today.Spokesman Major-General AnwarAmeen said five gunmen shot thesoldiers in the head after stopping theirbus on a road leading to Kirkuk. Twosoldiers survived and fled to a nearbyvillage, he said. Most of the troops wereon their way back from a vacation inthe nearby city of Mosul. In anotherincident, two U.S. Marines was killedin action yesterday in the restive Anbarprovince west of Baghdad, the U.S.military said today. A militarystatement gave no details of thecircumstances of their deaths. Sincethe invasion of Iraq in March 2003, atleast 1,102 U.S. military and Pentagon

personnel have been killed in action inIraq. Including non-combat deaths, thetoll is 1,438. — Reuters.

ISRAELGaza, Jan 26 — Israeli troops shot

and killed a three-year-old Palestiniangirl in the Gaza Strip, witnesses andmedics said today, breaching a rare lullin violence brokered by PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas. Witnessessaid troops guarding Tel Qatifsettlement in central Gaza shot at thePalestinian town of Deir al-Balah todayand that a bullet penetrated the homeof Rahma Abu Shamal, striking her inthe head. Israeli military sources saidsoldiers had opened fire afterPalestinian militants launched mortarbombs or rockets at Israeli targets. Itwas not immediately clear if these werethe shots that killed the girl, they said.Abbas has been trying to coax a cease-fire from militant groups spearheadinga four-year-old Palestinian revolt aheadof Israel’s planned withdrawal fromGaza later this year. Last week,Palestinian security police fanned outwith Israeli assent in north Gaza tohalt militant attacks on Jewish settlersand rocket fire at Israel, ushering in acalm unknown in the last years beforeYasser Arafat’s death in November.However, militants yesterday broke aneight-day silence and fired a makeshiftrocket into southern Israel, causing nodamage or injury. Israeli troops shotand lightly wounded three Palestiniansin a car that apparently went through ared light at a major highway junctioncheckpoint in south Gaza. NowPalestinians plan to deploy hundredsmore troops in a part of Gaza wheremilitants frequently target Jewishenclaves where most of the coastalterritory’s 8,500 settlers l ive. —Reuters.

Gaza, Jan 28 — Palestinian securityforces widened their control in theGaza Strip today under orders fromPresident Mahmoud Abbas to preventattacks on Israelis in anotherimportant move toward revivingMiddle East peacemaking. But in asign of challenges ahead for Abbas,Hamas appeared to have made a strongshowing in the first-ever municipalelections held in the Gaza Strip, seenas a test of strength between theIslamic militant group and the newleader. Building on a northern Gazadeployment a week ago, some 2,000Palestinian paramilitary police beganto fan out across the southern part ofthe territory, turning back the clock tothe days of security cooperation andpeacemaking with Israel. Some of theuniformed men, armed with assaultrifles, took up positions between Jewishsettlements on occupied land, often hitby mortar bombs and rockets launchedby militants, and Palestinian towns.Others were headed to Gaza’s borderwith Egypt, where Israel has conductedpunishing raids in Palestinianresidential areas to root out weapons-smuggling tunnels and militants. Overthe past week, violence has droppedsharply in the Gaza Strip, where Abbasis trying to arrange a cease-fire in therun-up to a planned Israeli withdrawal

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this summer. Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon said yesterday conditionswere right for a “historic breakthrough”on peace after measures taken byAbbas to bring calm. He said in aspeech that if Palestinians worked to“fight terror” after more than fouryears of bloodshed, then Israel couldmove forward with a U.S.-backed peace“road map” meant to lead to aPalestinian state. President Bush, inan interview published today in TheNew York Times, said Abbas has shownstrength in the early phases of hisadministration. “He is sendingassurances that he will put a 100-percent effort into protecting the peopleon both sides of the issue fromterrorists. And to me, that ’s animpressive start,” Bush said. In a signof a new U.S. push for peace, officialssaid Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice would visit the region early nextmonth on the first trip of her new job.Palestinians said that in order to helpAbbas, Israel agreed in principle to pullback troops from West Bank citiesreoccupied during a four-year-olduprising and to free hundreds ofprisoners. A senior Israeli officialconfirmed such a pullout was on thecards but said the government wouldnot approve it until the Palestinians“come up with a proper plan” forimplementation. The prisoners’ issuewould be on the agenda at Abbas’sexpected summit with Sharon nextmonth, the official said. A Palestinianofficial said the talks may take place onFeb 8. — Reuters.

Gaza, Jan 31 — The Islamic militantgroup Hamas said it launched fivemortar bombs at a Jewish settlementin the Gaza Strip today, after Israeliarmy gunfire killed a Palestinian girl.Witnesses said the shelling damaged ahome in Neve Dekalim settlement. Atleast one ambulance was summoned tothe scene but there was no immediateword of casualties. The violencestrained a de facto cease-fire brokeredby new Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas. Earlier today, Israelitroops shot dead a 10-year-old girl in aschoolyard in the southern Gaza townof Rafah, witnesses said. The army saidit was not aware of its soldiers havingbeen involved in any shooting and wasinvestigating. — Reuters.

IVORY COASTUnited Nations, Feb 1 — The Security

Council voted today to tighten a U.N.arms embargo on Ivory Coast in hopesof helping head off any new outbreak ofcivil war in the country. The resolution,drafted by France and adoptedunanimously by the 15-nation council,authorised French and U.N.peacekeepers in Ivory Coast to enforcethe arms ban by inspecting cargoshipments without advance notice atany port, airfield, military base orborder crossing. It also called ongovernment and rebel forces to help theUnited Nations compile a list of allarms in the country, with an eye toeventual disarmament, and authorisedthe naming of a panel of experts to seeif the embargo was being enforced.Ivory Coast’s government strongly

opposed the resolution, arguing itwould allow France, the former colonialpower, to interfere in its internalaffairs. But French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said the measureput the Security Council solidly behinda political solution to the conflict. Theresolution initially had been scheduledfor a vote Friday (Jan 28), then againyesterday, but was twice delayed togive South African President ThaboMbeki time to brief a meeting ofAfrican leaders in Nigeria on his effortsto mediate in the conflict on behalf ofthe African Union.The council firstimposed the arms embargo inNovember, and de la Sabliere said theAfrican Union favored the measurereinforcing it. The council has alsoapproved targeted sanctions — such asa travel ban or a freeze on assets —against any government or rebelleaders found to be blockingimplementation of the peaceagreement. But council members havedelayed putting those into effect inhopes of encouraging the leaders toquickly fulfill their commitments underthe accord. — Reuters.

Abidjan, Feb 2 — Ivory Coast’s rebelstoday welcomed the tightening of a UNarms embargo in the country butPresident Laurent Gbagbo’s camp wasmore guarded and one of its hardlinebackers warned of trouble. Theresolution adopted late yesterdayauthorises French and UNpeacekeepers in the former Frenchcolony to enforce the arms ban byinspecting cargo shipments withoutnotice at any port, airfield, militarybase or border crossing. “I think thestrengthening of the embargo is adecision for peace. It’s going to helppeace. The (rebel) New Forces willsubmit to all measures in theembargo,” New Forces spokesmanSidiki Konate said today in the rebeltown of Bouake. A coalition ofopposition leaders also welcomed thetougher embargo, saying that cuttingthe number of weapons circulating inIvory Coast was the only way to allowfree and fair elections slated forOctober 2005 to take place. But oneinfluential hardline pro-Gbagbo militialeader said the United Nations wassowing the seeds for trouble ahead. “Iam now fully convinced the UN islooking not for peace in Ivory Coast,but chaos,” said militia leader EugeneDjue. “I don’t understand these newmeasures coming at a time wheneveryone is making efforts to movetowards peace.” — Reuters.

KUWAITLondon, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: Heavy gunfirebroke out early today in a region southof Kuwait City during a policeoperation to capture suspected Islamicextremists, a security force source andeyewitnesses said. The firing in the al-Qurain region came the day after agunbattle involving suspectedextremists that left three people deadand five injured near Kuwait City. Thesources said the firing today came aspolice had surrounded an area in al-Qurain.

LIBERIAMonrovia, Jan 25 — The Liberian

government has imposed a dusk todawn curfew on Harper, a port townnear the southeastern border with theIvory Coast, following two days of riotsthere related to a suspected outbreak ofritual killings. The United Nations saidtoday it had sent extra peacekeepers tohelp quell disturbances in the smalltown 700 km southeast of the capitalMonrovia. General Joseph Owonibi, thecommander of the 15,000-strong UNpeacekeeping force in Liberia, told UNradio that he suspected formercombatants in Liberia’s civil war ofbeing behind the violence. JusticeMinister Kabbineh Janneh said thedisturbances began on Saturday (Jan22) and culminated with a mobstorming the police station in Harperon Sunday (Jan 23). A crowd of angryyouths armed with sticks and metalbars broke into the cells and seizedthree men who had been arrested inthe nearby town of Pleebo on suspiscionof killing people for body parts to beused in magic rituals, he told IRIN.Two of the three suspects had beenbadly beaten up, while the other haddisappeared, Kabbineh said. Owonibisaid a dusk to dawn curfew wasimposed in Harper yesterday night andEthiopian peacekeepers had beenrushed into the town to help out theSenegalese detachment of troops thatwas already based there. Janneh, whocoordinates a government committeethat oversees security operations, toldIRIN that the curfew would remain inplace in Harper “until the securitysituation there improves.” He saidinvestigations were underway to findthe ringleaders of the riots. — Reuters.

Monrovia, Jan 28 — Nurses anddoctors are refusing to return to workin the Liberian countryside becausetheir salaries are too small and oftenlate and the transitional government’spromise to pay 18-months of salaryarrears has failed to materialise.Klomah Seblee, president of theNational Health Workers Associationsays health sector workers typicallyearn a government wage of between 10and 20 US dollars a month. But a 50 kgsack of rice — the national staple —costs at least 22 dollars and sometimesas much as 30 dollars. The pay disputeis hampering efforts to restore basicservices to more remote corners ofLiberia, which is set to hold its firstpost-war elections in October.

NEPALLondon, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated Jan 30, states: Governmentforces killed at least 40 Maoist rebelsin a clash in far western Nepalyesterday, state-run Radio Nepal said.During the clash, which occurredyesterday morning in a jungle ofKanchanpur district bordering India,government forces used long-rangeweapons and a helicopter to attackrebel positions.

Kathmandu, Feb 1 — Nepal’s KingGyanendra sacked the government,declared a state of emergency andassumed power today, saying theleadership had failed to hold elections

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or to restore peace amid an escalatingcivil war with Maoist rebels. The kinghad taken power for the next threeyears, and placed many politiciansunder house arrest, residents andIndian media said. “I have decided todissolve the government because it hasfailed to make necessary arrangementsto hold elections by April and promotedemocracy, the sovereignty of thepeople and life and property,” the kingsaid in an address on state radio. Hesaid a new government would beformed under his leadership that “willrestore peace and effective democracyin this country within the next threeyears”, according to the Press Trust ofIndia (PTI). Shortly afterwards a stateof emergency was declared, PTI said,quoting Nepal’s state-run television.Telephone land lines and mobile phonenetworks were apparently shut down inKathmandu and communications linkswith the rest of the world disrupted.International flights were turned backfrom Kathmandu airport, and Nepalinews websites went down, althoughroad links with India remained open. Aprivate radio station accessed over theInternet was broadcasting a bulletinrecorded before the king’sannouncement. This is the fourth timethe king has sacked a prime minister inless than three years. Nepal has had noparliament since 2002. The situation inthe capital seemed calm and normal,sources said, but PTI said armouredvehicles with mounted machinegunswere patrolling the capital and securityhad been stepped up. — euters.

Mumbai, Feb 2 — Indian companiesthat have invested in Nepal appear tohave adopted a wait and watch policyafter king Gyanendra declared a stateof emergency earlier yesterday, aftersuspending the elected Government.Indian carriers including IndianAirlines, Jet Airways and SaharaAirlines had to cancel the flights toKathmandu since all links, includingair l inks, with Nepal have beensuspended. India is one of the largestcontributors to the Nepal tourismindustry, accounting for about 30 percent of the total tourist arrivals by airin 2004 at 86,328. Also, companiesincluding Coco-Cola India, Dabur IndiaLtd, ITC Ltd and Hindustan Lever Ltd(HLL) have manufacturing operationsin Nepal. While the CEO of DaburFoods Ltd, Mr. Amit Burman, said itwas too early to gauge the impact ofthis political development on thecompany’s operations in Nepal, a Coco-Cola India spokesperson said thecompany was in touch with thepartners there. Reacting to thesuspension of air links between Indiaand Nepal, the Assocham President,Mr M.K.Sanghi, said that theGovernments of both the countriesshould strive to re-establish them.“Also, in such a situation, step shouldbe taken to maintain the security of theIndian people and companies operatingin Nepal.” — Lloyd’s Agents.

Kathmandu, Feb 2 — Nepal’s KingGyanendra unveiled a 10-membercabinet under his leadership today, aday after he sacked the prime ministerfor failing to hold elections or end an

escalating civil war with Maoist rebels.Life carried on as normal on the streetsof Kathmandu, but the rebellion-rackedcountry remained virtually cut off fromthe rest of the world a day after theking assumed power in place of sackedprime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.The king declared a state of emergencyand suspended civil liberties, includingpress freedom. He had placed manypoliticians under house arrest, Indiantelevision said. All phone lines in andout of Nepal remained cut, and airlinks were still disrupted after severalflights were turned back the previousday. The king’s decision to take powerfor the next three years has drawncondemnation from the United States,from neighbouring India, from Britainand from the United Nations. In avolley of strongly worded statements,they said the move would play into thehands of the Maoists and called for theimmediate restoration of democracy.Britain said it would review its securityand development aid to theimpoverished state. However, manyNepalis seemed happy to see the backof politicians widely regarded ascorrupt and incompetent. Among thoseappointed to the new cabinet were DanBahadur Shahi as home minister andRamesh Nath Pandey as foreignminister, New Delhi Television (NDTV)network said. Pandey had previouslyserved as information minister andenvironment minister, and was anegotiator during unsuccessful peacetalks with the Maoists in 2003. Likemost of the appointees he is seen as aroyalist. The Nepalese Embassy inDelhi said the king would chair thecabinet and no prime minister hadbeen appointed. The king would attenda summit of South Asian leaders inDhaka on Sunday (Feb 6), Bangladeshsaid. The Maoist rebels, who have beenfighting to topple the monarchy since1996, called for a three-day generalstrike from tosday in protest, the PressTrust of India said. The rebel leader,Prachanda, who uses one name, saidthe king’s action smacked of “medievalfeudal autocracy”. — Reuters.

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Nepal’s media has beensubjected to total censorship, as part ofemergency measures announced byKing Gyanendra. Reports critical of thestate of emergency declared yesterdayhave been banned for six months,according to a notice in the main dailynewspaper. Phone lines and internetlinks have been cut, so news of a three-day general strike called by Maoistrebels has not reached the generalpublic. The rebels have also rejected arequest to return to the negotiatingtable. The Maoists previously refusedtalks with the previous government,saying they needed a direct dialoguewith the king, but have nowcondemned the crackdown. The king’smoves have been criticised by the UN,the US, the UK and rights groups, buthe said he had to act as the governmentfailed to protect Nepal from theMaoists. Meanwhile, the US StateDepartment has advised Americancitizens against travelling to Nepal,while not banning them outright. A

planned summit of South Asian leadershas been postponed, mainly because ofIndian concerns at the developments.Many basic rights have beensuspended, including freedom ofassembly, the right to privacy and theright against preventative detention.Soldiers and police in riot gear areeverywhere in Kathmandu,particularly near student campuseswhere protests tend to take place.However, people have been saying theyare too afraid to protest because somany fundamental rights have beensuspended.

PAKISTANIslamabad, Jan 29 — Unidentified

attackers blew up a natural gaspipeline in eastern Pakistan,disrupting supplies, officials said today,the second such attack in less than amonth. A spokesman for the SuiNorthern Gas Co., which distributesgas to central and northern Pakistan,said an 18-inch diameter pipeline wasruptured yesterday night near themain eastern city of Lahore, causingdisruption in supplies to the city andseveral other areas. “Apparently it is abomb explosion,” a company spokesmansaid. He said engineers had repairedthe damage and supplies had been fullyrestored. Mohammad Pervez, chiefengineer for projects at the company,said investigations were under way todetermine the cause of rupture but amilitant attack could not be ruled out.“We are investigating the matter butprima facie it is a sabotage,” he toldReuters. Police said suspectedtribesmen fired two rockets anddetonated two small bombs yesterdaynight in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan,but caused no casualities. Authoritieshave increased security for the Sui gasfield, about 700 km southwest of thecapital, Islamabad, and the militaryhas said it plans to set up a permanentbase in the area to thwart moreattacks. — Reuters.

Karachi, Jan 30 — Pakistan largeststate owned gas utility-Sui NorthernGas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) saidthat it had restored the supply of gas toLahore and its adjoining areas afterthe suspension of supply for about 18hours. The gas supply to severallocalities of the city and its adjoiningareas, especially industrial areas onRaiwind Road, was suspended onFriday night (Jan 28) after the 18-inchdiameter gas transmission pipeline onSahiwal-Lahore section was rupturednear the left bank of Baloki-SulemankiCanal at about 2200 hrs. The rupture,the SNGPL authorities said, appearedto be a “sabotage activity”. As a result,the supply of gas was completelysuspended to such areas in the city asthe Defence Housing Authority,Cantonment, Thokar Niaz Beg,Raiwind Road, Johar Town and MultanRoad, etc. The SNGPL officials said thegas supply was restored by itsengineers and other staff at about 1600hrs, yesterday afternoon. — Lloyd’sList Correspondent.

Karachi, Feb 1 — A railway tracknear the Basti Darvesh LashariRailway Station, 25km north from Dera

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Ghazi Khan in western PunjabProvince of Pakistan, was completelydamaged when a powerful bombexploded yesterday. According to localmedia reports, the rail traffic wassuspended while Pakistan Railwaystaff and police reached the spotimmediately, including PakistanRailway divisional superintendent, SPvigilance and engineers. The bombcreated a 15-foot crater. However, nocasualties were reported. A railwayengine carrying oil had crossed thesection some 20 minutes before theexplosion. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

Karachi, Feb 2 — The major parts ofBalochistan in western Pakistan arestill facing hardship on account ofelectricity failure. The province wasplunged into darkness last night whenthe third main 220 KV electric supplyline was blown up in Sibi, south-east ofQuetta. The terrorists planted heavyexplosive material near the powersupply circuit in the Mithri Pirak areaof Sibi, which exploded at around 2115,local time. An official from the staterun organisation Water and PowerDevelopment Authority (Wapda) saidthat repair work has been started butdeclined to say when it will becompleted.— Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

Karachi, Feb 3 — Pakistan state runlargest power and water developmentauthority-Water and PowerDevelopment Authority- (WAPDA) saidsupply of electricity has been partiallyrestored in Provincial capital ofBalochistan Province of Pakistan. Thesupply was suspended on Tuesdaynight (Feb 2) when the third main 220KV electric supply line was blown up inSibi-the south east of Quetta city ofBalochistan Province. Two major cities,Quetta and Sibi, were receiving powerfrom a neighbouring region whilerepair work was underway on atransmission tower. However, vast areaof Balochistan is stil l withoutelectricity, Interior Ministry officials inIslamabad said, adding that it wouldtake another two weeks to fully restoresupplies. Meanwhile, the FederalMinister for Water and Power, LiaquatAli Jatoi has taken serious note ofsabotaging power transmission linesblown up by the miscreants andrequested the Balochistan Governmentto provide foolproof security to thepower installations. The blasts ontransmission line has also caused a lossof millions of rupees to the nationaleconomy. The Minister requested theGovernor and CM Balochistan to takeaction against the miscreants andprovide security to the powerinstallations for uninterruptedelectricity supply to the people and thecommercial and industrial sector. —Lloyd’s List Correspondent.

PHILIPPINESLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: The Philippinesmilitary says helicopter gunships andaircraft have attacked a suspectedmeeting between leaders of the AlQaeda affi l iated Abu Sayyaf andJemaah Islamiah militant groups. The

strikes were based on intelligencereports that Abu Sayyaf chief KhadaffyJanjalani was meeting with threeIndonesian members of the JemaahIslamiah (JI) network there, saidspokesman Colonel Franklin DelPrado. However he could not confirm ifthere were any casualties in the attack,which targeted houses in a marshyarea on the outskirts of Datu Piang andSaudi Ampatuan towns in the southernisland of Mindanao. Colonel Del Pradosaid that MG 520 helicopter gunshipsand OV-10 attack aircraft were usedbecause ground forces had difficultyentering the marshy area. Troops hadbeen dispatched to the area to assessthe effect of the air strikes, he said.Janjalani heads the Abu Sayyaf, a localMuslim extremist group known mainlyfor kidnapping and bombing attacksagainst Christians and foreigners inthe Philippines for over a decade. It hasbeen linked by both Washington andManila to the Al Qaeda network ofOsama bin Laden. MILF spokesmendenied that their forces were in themarshy area hit by the Government.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: At least 40 rebelsand terrorists, including two from theterrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah(JI), were killed in an air strike at oneAbu Sayyaf group’s lair in the south,the Armed Forces of the Philippines(AFP) said today. Lt. Gen. AlbertoBraganza, chief of the AFP’s SouthernCommand, however, admitted no bodieshave been recovered from Datu Piangtown, Maguindanao, and the casualtyfigure was based on interceptedmessages from the enemy. AFP publicinformation office chief Lt. Col.Buenaventura Pascual said that theoperation left f ive dead and threeinjured on the enemy side. Pascual saidthat one of the slain suspects wasdescribed as a “leader” of the combinedelements of renegade Moro IslamicLiberation Front (MILF), Abu Sayyafand JI. Quoting intercepted messages,the military said that the fatalities andthe wounded were under the protectionof Commander Wahid Tundok, leader ofthe MILF rebels who attacked an Armydetachment in Mamasapano town,Maguindanao, on Jan 9. The militarydemanded the MILF to turn in Tundok,which was rejected by the MILFleaders, prompting government forcesto launch pursuit operations againstthe group. At around 1000 hrs,yesterday, Braganza ordered an airstrike on a cluster of houses in Butilanmarsh in Datu Piang town afterreceiving intelligence information thatthe rebels were holed up in the area, inthe company of Abu Sayyaf and JIelements. ccording to the military,OV10 planes dropped bombs whileMG520 helicopters fired rockets on theenemy lair. Members of the JointCommittee on the Cessation ofHostilities (JCCH) and the Malaysian-led International MonitoringCommittee (IMC) went to the area toinspect the effect of the air strike, itsaid.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Twelve armed menwere killed and three soldiers wounded

in an eight-hour firefight in thesouthern Philippines, according to astatement released by the militaryyesterday. Fighting erupted earlyyesterday after marines and policefound the gunmen in a fortif iedposition in Tubaran municipality ofLanao del Sur Province, the statementsaid. Authorities were tracking themover the killings of four soldiers.

RUSSIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: Russian specialforces have stormed an apartmentblock in the North Caucasus town ofNalchik where suspected militantswere holed up. Two police officers werelightly wounded in the intense gunbattle that erupted this morning. A firebegan in the building as the militantsresisted the assault. Earlier, officialssaid they were confronted by up to sixmilitants whom they linked to aDecember attack on the local anti-drugagency. During that attack the rebelskilled four policemen and seized manyweapons. The current siege in Nalchikstarted on Tuesday (Jan 25) night as anoperation to arrest Muslim Atayev, whothe authorities claim had led the attackon the drug agency. Officials said thatMr Atayev’s wife and child, andpossibly other women, were amongthose inside the building. Their fate isunknown. All adjacent buildings wereevacuated, and the area was sealed offby hundreds of special troops andpolice. The siege is said to be part of aplanned clampdown on the YarmukJamaat group, which the authoritieshave blamed for the December attack.The group was operating in theKabardino-Balkaria republic, of whichNalchik is the capital. The authoritiessay it was part of a radical Islamistnetwork operating in Russia’s volatileNorth Caucasus region and linked toChechen rebels.

Moscow, Feb 2 — Chechen rebelleader Aslan Maskhadov has orderedall Chechen fighters to observe aceasefire in their separatist waragainst Russian troops in February, arebel Web site reported today. Sitewww.kavkazcenter.com published astatement from Shamil Basayev,Russia’s most wanted man and theorganiser of last year’s Beslan hostage-taking, which ordered all fighters torefrain from any offensive operationsuntil Feb 22. But Basayev was quotedby The Times newspaper in London assaying he still considered Russiancitizens fair targets for future fighting.The newspaper also quoted him assaying in a Channel 4 televisioninterview to be broadcast tomorrowthat there were plans for moreoperations of the kind that killed morethan 330 people at the hostage-takingat the school in Belsan. Basayev’sstatement on the Web site saidMaskhadov had ordered his followersnot to carry out diversionary attacks inChechnya or in the rest of Russia,attacks on Russian bases, Russianconvoys or vehicles, or on “traitors orunbelievers”. The statement saidfighters should “continue miningapproaches to their bases and to

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continue operations to destroy peopleor machinery of the enemy forces whoare spying or attacking mountainousforested areas”. The Web site saidMaskhadov gave the order on Jan 14 asa gesture of goodwill but did notelaborate. “We do not react toKavkazcenter. This is not an officialorgan,” said a spokesman for DmitryKozak, Russian President VladimirPutin’s representative in the NorthCaucasus region. Although theceasefire was addressed to all units ofthe “Armed Forces of the ChechenRepublic of Ichkeria”, Maskhadov andBasayev are not thought to control allmilitants in the region, which includesrestive provinces neighbouringChechnya. — Reuters.

Moscow, Feb 2 — Gunmen killed alocal politician and two of hisbodyguards in the southern Russianregion of Dagestan today, Interfax newsagency reported. Another bodyguardwas badly injured. Police General-Major Magomed Omarov, Dagestan’sdeputy interior minister, was drivingthrough Dagestan’s capitalMakhachkala when automatic gunfirestrafed the two cars carrying him andhis bodyguards, Interfax said. Omarovhad survived a previous assassinationattempt in 2003, when his car wasblown up in the centre of Makhachkala.— Reuters.

SOMALIANairobi, Feb 2 — The governments of

Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan andUganda have expressed theircommitment to supporting a peacemission for Somalia by providing troopsor equipment to the envisaged force, astatement said. The leaders of the sixcountries met in the Nigerian capital,Abuja, oyesterday, as members of theIntergovernmetal Authority onDevelopment (IGAD) on the sidelines ofthe African Union summit. “There is anurgent need to provide security supportto the Transitional FederalGovernment of Somalia to ensure itsrelocation to Somalia and guaranteesustenance of the IGAD peace process,”they said in a joint communiquÈ. Thenewly created government, however,remains in Nairobi, where it was setup, because security concerns and lackof resources have prevented membersof the administration from moving toMogadishu, the Somali capital. TheIGAD heads of state, who met underthe chairmanship of UgandanPresident Yoweri Museveni, instructedthe IGAD secretariat, in collaborationwith the African Union, to establish afund to cover expenses for thedeployment of the peace supportmission. They urged defence ministersand military chiefs of countries thatwould contribute troops and materiel tothe mission to meet “urgently” todiscuss, in consultation with theSomali government, the details andmodalities of deploying the envisagedforce in Somalia. The leaders also gaveMuseveni the mandate to seek fromother countries in the region, AUmembers states and the internationalcommunity troops, f inancial andtechnical support for the peace mission.

The IGAD heads of state “requested AUmember states to give them themandate for the deployment of a peacesupport mission to Somalia andexpressed their hope that ultimatelythe mandate will be endorsed by theUnited Nations”. — Reuters.

SPAINLondon, Jan 30 - A press report, dated

today, states: A bomb has exploded at ahotel in the town of Denia in south-eastSpain, police said. The blast happenedin the Hotel Port Denia at about 1515local time (1415 UTC), in the Alicanteregion. One person was slightly injuredin the explosion, which badly damagedtwo floors of the hotel. Police said itfollowed a telephone warning from themilitant Basque separatist group, Eta.The hotel was evacuated immediatelyafter the warning call . The bomb,which was hidden in a backpack,exploded about half an hour later. Theblast came two days before the Spanishparliament is scheduled to debate andvote on a Basque plan for independencefrom Spain, a proposal almost certainto be rejected.

SUDANKhartoum, Jan 26 — Renewed

fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region mayhave killed up to 105 civilians anddisplaced more than 9,000 last week,the United Nations said today. “It hasbeen confirmed that the village ofHamada was nearly totally destroyedand that up to 105 civilians may havebeen killed, with the majority ofvictims being women and children,”U.N. spokesman George Somerwill tolda news conference. A U.N. assessmentteam was sent last week to the area ofHamada, Juruf and Gemeiza villages inSouth Darfur state, where thegovernment launched a militarycampaign in December it said was toclear the roads of banditry. Aidcommunity sources and rebels havesaid government planes bombed thearea on Jan 19. Somerwill did not knowhow the people were killed, who thefighting was between or if aerialbombardment had caused the highnumber of casualties in Hamada.Aerial bombardment would be a directviolation of security protocols signedbetween the government and the twomain Darfur rebel groups in November.The government says it uses aircraft toprotect key supply routes and civiliansfrom rebels, but it denies droppingbombs. Somerwill said 8,000 refugeeshad fled the fighting to Menawashi and1,250 to Mershing, both nearby inSouth Darfur state. But he said thewithdrawal from Darfur of Save theChildren UK late last year had left theareas with “serious gaps in health andnutrition.” Save the Children was theonly international agency working inthe areas. The Adventist Developmentand Relief Agency International(ADRA) said three of its Sudaneseworkers had been kidnapped inDecember in rebel-held Labado to theeast of South Darfur state, where theywere trying to drill wells. “ADRA isappealing for the release of threeagency workers that were abducted at

gunpoint along with ADRA projectvehicles ... while travelling through thethen rebel-controlled area of Labado,”said the statement, posted on ADRA’sWeb site yesterday. The governmentoccupied Labado during the Decembercampaign and has so far refused towithdraw to previous lines, unless theAfrican Union takes up positions thereto prevent rebels retaking the area.Darfur peace talks in the Nigeriancapital Abuja are due to restart in thefirst week of February, but there issome doubt over whether one rebelgroup will attend. The previous roundcollapsed in December with rebelsblaming the military operations inSouth Darfur. The African Unionmonitoring mission has expressedconcern over the fragmentation ofDarfur’s two main rebel groups. Thereare now four known armed factions inDarfur, with many armed gangs alsooperating. — Reuters.

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: The Sudanese airforce bombed villagers in South Darfurtoday, observers from the AfricanUnion reported, and an internationalaid organization said casualties wereinflicted. “It is a major cease-fireviolation,” said the senior AU politicalofficer for Sudan, Jean BaptisteNatama. An air force Antonov droppedbombs outside the town of ShangilTobaya, about 40 miles south of ElFasher, at about 1500 hrs, theKhartoum-based official of a non-governmental organisation said in aphone interview.

Khartoum, Jan 29 — Sudanese policekilled up to 20 people and injured 40today when they opened fire on a crowdof easterners demonstrating in the cityof Port Sudan, a local political leadersaid. A hospital source in the city said17 people were killed and 20 injuredwhen police opened fire on a protestmarch. An official source said the deathtoll was lower. Abdullah MoussaAbdullah, secretary-general of the BejaCongress in Red Sea state, said bytelephone from Port Sudan that he hadseen 17 bodies in the hospital morgueand had the names of three otherpeople killed. Moussa said he waspresent in the morning when some 300to 400 members of the Beja ethnicgroup gathered to prepare for a marchto demand that the Khartoumgovernment start negotiations with theBeja on sharing power and thecountry’s resources. “There was aspecial police unit that appeared andjust opened fire at them before theyeven moved,” he said. The source at thehospital said all of the wounds werefrom bullets. “About 17 were killed andaround 20 injured,” added the source.Three days ago members of easterntribes, mostly the Beja, presented a listof demands to the Red Sea stategovernor, including wealth and powersharing. They warned they would takeunspecified actions if the demandswere not met within 72 hours. “Thistime was up today and they started amarch toward the Wali’s (governor’s)office,” the hospital source said, addingthe police stopped the march before itgot very far. The source said seven

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© Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit 2004 These reports may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photographic, recorded or otherise without the prior written permission of the publisher.


soldiers were injured by stones but onlycivilians sustained gunshot wounds.Moussa said the regional securitycommittee had ordered a curfewthroughout the city with effect from1800 today until 0600 tomorrow. —Reuters.

TAJIKISTANLondon, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: A car bomb hasexploded in front of the EmergenciesMinistry in the Tajikistan capitalDushanbe, killing one and injuringfour. The four had been passing by in ataxi at the time of the blast andsuffered concussion. The EmergenciesMinister says there are no otherreports of casualties. Several other carsparked nearby had been burned by theblast, which shattered windows innearby buildings.

TURKEYLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: The outlawedKurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) hasclaimed that its militants wereresponsible for a fire that gutted awarehouse belonging to electronicsmanufacturer Bekooutside of Istanbul,the private NTV reported today. Astatement issued late yesterday by thePKK said that it had set it on fire onMonday (Jan 24), causing more thanfive million US dollars in damage atBeko’s Beylikduzu storage facility,according to the report. Up to 35,000electronics products, at least half ofthem TV sets, were destroyed in theblaze, according to a Bekospokesperson. The PKK statement saidthat the group would be stepping upattacks against targets in cities andbuilt up areas if the Turkish armedforces did not cease the latest campaignto root out terrorist militants.

UNITED KINGDOMLondon, Feb 3 — The Irish

Republican Army (IRA), today,withdrew its conditional offer todisarm, but rejected British and Irishaccusations that it is a major obstacleto lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

BANGLADESHSee under “Political & Civil Unrest.”

BELIZELondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: A broad section ofBelize’s government work force went onstrike at midday today, joiningteachers, dock and energy workers whohad walked out earlier to protest taxincreases. A new budget passed by theSenate on Tuesday (Jan 25) wouldincrease taxes on business, land andimports to meet what the governmentsays are rapidly rising debt costs. Themeasure awaits the signature of thegovernor-general, Sir Coleville Young.

The extent of the walkout bygovernment workers was notimmediately clear. School closuresbegan last week and by yesterday,nearly all were shut down. Teachersalso are awaiting a promised eightpercent pay increase that thegovernment now says it cannot pay allat once. Water service workers havebeen intermittently interrupting waterservice since Monday (Jan 24). The 150members of the Belize Chamber ofCommerce held a two-day workstoppage last week.

BRAZILIAN AIRLINE PERSONNELLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: The operationalwoes afflicting Brazil ’s financiallytroubled Vasp airline worsened ascrew members voted to walk outtomorrow on an indefinite strike. Thedec is ion today by the Nat ionalAeronauts Union to begin the strikemeans 800 Vasp staff, including pilotsand flight attendants, won’t show upfor work tomorrow. The union plansto hold another meeting Feb. 4 toevaluate the strike’s progress. Vasp isweighed down by huge debts accruedsince the 2001 recession that hit theindustry. The debts inc lude 760mil l ion Brazi l ian reals (US$284million) owed to Infraero, the FederalAirport Authority, for unpaid airportfees dating back to the 1990s. Theairline is only letting its aircraft fly ifmore than 50 percent of the seats areoccupied, and the local press hasreported that this amounts to nomore than one flight per day. Vasp’sshare of Brazi l ’s passenger f l ightmarket plunged from 11 percent atthe end o f 2003 to less than onepercent at the end of 2004 amid thecompany ’s worsening f inancia lsituation, labour problems and anaging fleet. The airline is operatingon a six-month emergency l icensegranted by the government pendingpresentat ion o f a comprehensivefinancial plan.

FRANCELondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: Ferries betweenDover and Calais have been disruptedby wildcat strike action. SeaFrancecancelled three sailings of Cezannetoday. Manet was stranded in Doverafter industrial action by Frenchseamen this morning, the companysaid. The operator faces furtherproblems tomorrow with the possibilityof further port blockades in France.“SeaFrance regrets that a nationalstrike by French seamen has resultedin an unforeseen stoppage by Manet,” aspokesman said today. “In addition,this situation will almost certainlyresult in disruption of servicestomorrow with possible blockades onthe road systems around the ports dueto national strike action.” The DoverHarbour Board has said strikesplanned in France are in response tolaws being discussed in the Frenchparliament tomorrow. A spokesman forthe port said SeaFrance crews werelikely to strike and P&O traffic couldbe affected.

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: Dover’s two largestferry firms halted sailings today after astrike by French seamen closed Calaisport. SeaFrance cancelled all sailingsbut P&O only stopped services when itsfreight ship was forced to turn back.The company was told it was toodangerous to try to land passengers orfreight because pickets were lightingfires on the dock using old tyres. KentPolice closed the coastbound M20between junctions 10 and 12 thisafternoon for use as a lorry park. Therest of P&O’s passenger fleet was stillin Dover. However, SpeedFerries andNorfolk Line, which operate betweenDover and Dunkirk and Boulogne, saidboth routes were operating normally.The blockade in Calais by SeaFranceworkers, which is over new ferryemployment regulations beingintroduced in France, was expected tobe lifted at 2100, GMT, today. Touristsand lorries stranded by the dispute arebeing taken across the Channel viaEurotunnel shuttle services. GeoffDossiter, external affairs director of theKent-based Freight TransportAssociation, said the strikes, whichwere coming at monthly intervals, werecausing “enormous costs andinconvenience” to companies, driversand deliveries. He urged France “to geta grip on this tiresome and expensivebehaviour and act to properly police itsports and allow the free flow of tradeand passengers.” The action alsocaused minor delays at other Frenchports, although Boulogne and Dunkirkwere open as normal. Ferry servicesbetween Dover and Calais wereinitially disrupted yesterday by wildcatstrike action and technical problems.The Dover Harbour Board said strikesin France are in response to laws beingdiscussed in the French parliament.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: Train servicesacross most of France were to bedisrupted for the third day running asrail workers protested the rape of awoman ticket inspector this week thatthey said highlighted rising violence incarriages and stations. Unions calledthe snap stoppages late Wednesday(Jan 26), one day after the 31-year-oldemployee was raped on a train goingbetween the cities of Toulouse andCahors in the south of the country. A24-year-old passenger on the train whohas a criminal record was arrestedhours after the assault following adetailed description given by thevictim. The strike has left millions ofcommuters across France struggling toget aboard the few trains running.Many did not go to work yesterday andlooked likely to do the same today in 13of the 23 regions in the country whereworkers voted to continue theirstoppage. Southern France, especiallyaround Toulouse and the FrenchRiviera, was worst affected, with mostservices there cancelled. Repeated callsby management of the state railcompany SNCF for an end to the strikehave been ignored by unions, which aredemanding increased security for trainstaff, including guarantees that ticketinspectors always operate in pairs. The

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Political & Civil Unrest/Labour Disputes

SNCF said in a statement that railtraffic was “slowly” getting back tonormal, but it was unable to forecastthe extent of disruptions today. Unionswarned disruptions could continue ifSNCF management did not reviewsecurity measures for staff. They saidthat points agreed with themanagement Wednesday — includingthe hiring of 100 security trainingpersonnel — were “insufficient”. Theproffered solutions “don’t solve thefundamental problem at all,” one traindrivers’ union, the FGAAC, said,calling for more security officers to beemployed. The opposition Socialistparty called for a round-tablediscussion on rail workers’ security,saying the strike over the rape was“completely understandable”.

ITALYLondon, Jan 31 — A press report,

dated today, states: Hundreds of Fiatworkers in Italy went on strike on Jan27, to protest against the companyøsplans to produce cars in Iran. Fiatannounced last week that it hadentered into an agreement to beginproduction of several models in Iranlater this year. The company eventuallyhopes to produce around 250,000vehicles there annually. Workers atFiatøs Mirafiori plant near Turin leftwork to take part in a march, citingfears that the production of cars in Iranwould lead to job losses in Italy.

MALTAValletta, Feb 3 — A local press report,

dated Feb 1, states: Three ships wereyesterday awaiting instructions onwhether to seek alternative dockyardsin the Mediterranean as industrialaction at Malta Shipyards entered itssecond day, leaving managementcounting losses and trying to saveMalta’s reputation in the industry. TheGeneral Workers’ Union yesterdaypoured “cold water” over themanagement’s statements, describingthem as an “over-reaction” to legitimateindustrial action. GovernmentInvestments Minister Austin Gatt saidyesterday he would “probably” have nochoice but to declare Malta ShipyardsLtd bankrupt in a few weeks’ time as aresult of the GWU’s actions. And themanagement has decided to pull theplug on marketing, claiming the ‘yardscould not give a guarantee that workwill be completed on time. Askedwhether he suspected the governmentwould take the cue from the latestindustrial action to eventually shutdown the shipyards, GWU generalsecretary Tony Zarb replied: “I don’tknow what’s behind the managementand the government’s reactions but Godforbid if they intend to use the union asan excuse to close the shipyards”. TheGWU has issued a “work to rule”directive after it clashed withmanagement over two issues inparticular: the payment of allowancesto workers on an “unplanned nightshift” and the engagement ofsubcontractors, which it objects to.Sources close to the shipyards said theyard had lost Lm120,000 (£192,000) inone day as a result of the industrial

action, though penalties could soar intomillions of liri once ship owners tooklegal action, as some have claimed theywould. “The real long-term damage willbe done as the news reaches theinternational press and clients shyaway from Malta. And in a ship-owningcommunity of a few people, such newstravels fast,” the sources added. TheGWU says the directives issued are to“work to rule”. However, the sourcessaid the situation on the ground is ofgeneral non-compliance, with workersessentially doing no work. “Theshipyard is 90 per cent non-operational, which means it is at avirtual standstill,” the sources said.The shipyards are currently full ofvessels, including super yachts, some ofwhich are owned by the big players inglobal shipping. The sources said thattwo particular clients were trying tomake arrangements to shift to otherMediterranean shipyards. What keptthem here was the fact that they wouldnot be able to sail without theclassification standards. Another shipwas out of port, awaiting instructionson whether to proceed to Malta, as wasstipulated in its contract, or shiftelsewhere. Another two clients havecomplained about the situation inwriting to the shipyard. One shipowner wrote to the managementwarning that “the yard is fullyresponsible for any damages, loss oftime and any costs whatsoever sufferedby the vessels, owners or managers”.Superintendents of ships in the yardwere in contact with the owners. Nomeetings were held yesterday betweenthe government, management or theunions to try and find a way out of theimpasse. Dr Gatt and GWU deputygeneral secretary Manuel Micallefhave, however, agreed to meet laterthis week to discuss the matter. MrZarb denied that the shipyards were ata standstill and insisted that the unionwas merely taking action to protestagainst some issues which, he said, hadbeen dragging on for some eightmonths. He said the union wasobjecting to the fact that a number ofship owners were subcontracting whenthe work could easily be assigned toMaltese workers. Mr Zarb said theproblem did not lie with the ministerbut with the shipyards’ management,which he accused of intransigence. Heasked why the management had noteven bothered to put into practicecertain clauses on which there wasagreement. “We don’t know why themanagement has decided to react sodrastically. It’s the management andnot us that is keeping prospectiveclients away,” Mr Zarb said, pointingout that industrial action was periectlylegitimate in any shipyard. Hedescribed the shipyard workers and theunions as “responsible”, evidenced bythe fact that they agreed to completework on a major liner on Saturdaybefore embarking on industrial action.The government had agreed to write offLm300 million (£480 million) when therestructuring exercise at the yards wascarried out in late 2003. Though lossesin 2004 were some Lm1 million lessthan envisaged, the shipyards stiil lost

about Lm9 million (£14.4 million). Thegovernment is subsidising theshipyards to the tune of Lm8 millionthis year. — Lloyd’s Agents.

UNITED KINGDOMLondon, Jan 30 — A press report,

dated Jan 29, states: Firefighters atGlasgow Airport have gone onindefinite strike in a row over safetyarrangements. Airport operator BAAsaid it was “business as usual” despitethe action. The Transport and GeneralWorkers’ Union (T&G) said the strikewas over planned reforms which wouldput airport staff and passengers atrisk. BAA wants to replace its fireengine with a fire safety andprevention team. Bosses stress theproposals are the idea of the CivilAviation Authority. Pledges have beengiven that the cash saved will bereinvested in safety. T&G regionalindustrial organiser Donald Munro said56 of its 59 members walked out due tosafety concerns. BAA said fire safetyteams were in place at Aberdeen andEdinburgh airports. Talks at theconciliation service Acas have failed toresolve the dispute. The union saidchanges would increase response timesfrom two to 14 minutes and would leadto the loss of the airport’s firefightingservice. Stephen Baxter, managingdirector of Glasgow Airport, said hewas disappointed at the strike action.He said: “BAA has robust contingencyplans, approved by the Civil AviationAuthority, to ensure that the airportcontinues to operate safely andnormally, with a fully-trained,professional fire service in place.”

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: A one-day strike bystaff on Glasgowøs underground causeddisruption for thousands of commutersthis morning. Drivers and station staffare taking industrial action in adispute over pay and holidays. It isexpected to affect up to 40,000passengers who would normally use theservice throughout the day. TheTransport and General Workersø Union(T&G) said its members were unhappywith the latest pay offer of an increaseof 5.9 per cent. Strathclyde PassengerTransport (SPT) however said it wouldnot be increasing its offer. The disputeinvolves drivers, ticket collectors andsafety workers and began after theyrejected the two-year pay offer andobjected to changes in holiday cycles.Douglas Ferguson, SPTøs Director ofOperations said: “We are doing our bestto minimise the disruption to travellersand settle this dispute as quickly aspossible.

CLASS-ACTION SETTLEMENT,UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: Five New York

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Labour Disputes/Awards & Settlements

area Armenian charities are splitting$3 million with four Armenian groupsin Los Angeles as a result of a $20million settlement between the NewYork Life Insurance Company anddescendants of Armenians killed in theTurkish Ottoman Empire 90 years ago.Each of the charities received $333.333.The rest of the money will be splitamong potential heirs and beneficiariesof the 2,300 life insurance policies NewYork Life sold to Armenians living inthe Ottoman Empire prior to 1915.Armenians say more than 1.5 millionArmenians were killed in the waningdays of the Ottoman Empire from 1915until 1919. They call it a genocide, butTurkey rejects the claim saying thenumbers have been exaggerated. Threelawyers of Armenian background filedthe class action lawsuit in 1999,contending that New York Life nevercompensated the families of those whobought policies. New York Liferesearched the issue and found 2,300unpaid policies. Lawyer BrianKabateck, says the particular charitieswere chosen because of their efforts tohelp Armenians who fled to the UnitedStates from the Ottoman Empire in1915. “The reason $3 million is beingdistributed immediately to charities isthat a number of organisations thatinvolve helping Armenians wereselected because a number of familiescompletely perished in the genocideand left no survivors,” he said. “As aresult of that, the money that is beingdistributed today is symbolic of moneyfor charities and for charitableorganisations.” The charities must usethe money for educational and culturalpurposes or to help needy Armenians inthe United States and abroad.Descendants of survivors have untilMar 16 to file claims. They can findinformation on the website armenianinsurance settlement.com. Mr.Kabatecksays many of the beneficiaries do notlive in the United States. “We havetaken a substantial effort to publicizein other centers of the world whereArmenians have large populations:Russia, of course, Armenia. We havehad people in Armenia giving pressconferences and talking to people overthere and making lists available inrural parts of Armenia. [In] Argentina,there is a very large Armenianpopulation. France, in Marseilles thereis a large population,” he added. Mr.Kabateck says the lawyers are nowtrying to reach a settlement with twoother insurance companies, but hewould not divulge their names.

LIABILITY FOR CLEAN-UP OFINDUSTRIAL WASTE, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedFeb 1, states: California AttorneyGeneral Bill Lockyer today announcedthat he has reached several landmarkagreements which require Lloyd’s ofLondon and 15 other defendantinsurers to pay the State of Californiaapproximately $93 million to settleinsurance claims for clean-up damagesat the Stringfellow Hazardous WasteSite. The Lloyd’s settlement,representing $49 million of the total

amount, is particularly significantbecause Lloyd’s was one of the state’smajor insurers, and the company’sattorneys had been leading the defenseagainst the state’s claims. “The Lloyd’sagreement represents a fair resolutionof the state’s claim against itsinsurance policy,” said Lockyer.“Stringfellow is California’s highestpriority Superfund Site and we havespent more than 30 years andhundreds of millions of dollars to cleanup the site. These settlements will helpCalifornia recoup some of its expensesand allow us to focus our attention onthe remaining defendants who arelegally obligated to cover theStringfellow clean-up costs.” Located inthe community of Glen Avon inRiverside County, Stringfellow was anindustrial waste disposal site thataccepted 35 million gallons of bulkliquid hazardous wastes between 1956and 1972. California purchasednumerous insurance policies from thedefendants to cover potential liabilityassociated with Stringfellow. In 1983,the state was sued in federal court bythe companies that generated thehazardous substances sent toStringfellow. The lawsuit, broughtunder the ComprehensiveEnvironmental Response,Compensation, and Liability Act(CERCLA), sought to declare the stateas de facto owner/operator ofStringfellow and, therefore, responsiblefor cleaning up the toxic site. In 1998,the State of California was found liablefor Stringfellow based on legal findingsthat the State negligently investigated,designed and operated the site duringthe 1950s and 1960s, and then failed totimely address the pollution during the1970s. While the litigation proceeded,the state entered negotiations withseveral insurers who sold generalliability policies to California. In 1993,after many years of failed negotiationswith the insurers, the state filed suitagainst Lloyd’s and four other insurersin order to force the companies to honortheir policies. In 2001, thirty additionalinsurers were added to the suit. Uponreaching the first settlement withLloyd’s, it was believed other insurerswould be encouraged to step forwardand make offers to the state in order toavoid a lengthy trial without one of themain parties to the state’s lawsuit.Soon after reaching the agreement withLloyd’s, $44 million in subsequentagreements were reached with 15additional insurers, reducing to 19 thecurrent number of defendant insurers.The case is scheduled for trial with theremaining non-settling insurancecompanies in Riverside Superior Courtin March 2005. Since 1975, the statehas been engaged in cleanup and otherremedial work at Stringfellow. Thiswork includes continued monitoring ofStringfellow to characterize the extentof contamination at the site and in thegroundwater plume. State agencieshave also sought to protect publichealth and the environment byconstructing a cap, dam, extractionsystems, treatment plants, surfacewater runoff control systems, andpipelines. The state estimates the

future cost of operating andmaintaining Stringfellow, as well ascleaning up the plume of contaminatedgroundwater will exceed $300 million.“California bought insurance to pay fordamages such as those posed by theStringfellow Site. These insurancecompany defendants should pay thoseclaims,” said Penny Newman of theCenter for Community Action andEnvironmental Justice and a long-timecommunity leader in the Stringfellowcleanup. “This settlement is animportant step toward moving beyondlitigation and toward the continuedrevitalization of our community.”

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, CANADALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: A seven-year-oldUtah girl left disabled after a botcheddelivery at a Vancouver, BritishColumbia, hospital will receive $9,170a month for the rest of her life as theresult of a lawsuit settlement. SidneyStrachan was born May 19, 1997, butthings went seriously awry during thelabour and delivery at NanaimoRegional General Hospital, according tothe British Columbia Supreme Court.The girl suffers from cerebral palsy,vision impairment, severe feet and legdeformities, and epilepsy with grand-mal seizures. She can speak only basicsounds. Brain damage has reduced hercognitive powers, but she can walk. Herparents, Clifford and Holly Strachan,who now live in Salt Lake County, suedthe hospital, the nurses and doctorsinvolved, alleging a breach in thestandard of care. By the time of thetrial in February last year, some of thedefendants had admitted liability. TheStrachans subsequently reached asettlement with the hospital and somedefendants, which the BritishColumbia Supreme Court approvedyesterday. Sidney will receivepayments of $9,170, in U.S. dollars,each month starting immediately. Ifshe lives as long as the most optimisticlife expectancy projection suggests, shestands to collect $6,382,320. Her legalfees are expected to be about $800,000.In all, two doctors involved were foundliable; two others had the casedismissed against them. Four nurseswere found liable but one had her casedismissed. Delays in the case werepartially due to the family’s move toUtah and the need to hear fromadditional experts on local area healthcosts.

London, Jan 29 — A report from LaSalle, PQ, states: A press report, datedtoday, states: The Supreme Court ofCanada has ruled it will not hear anappeal of the largest medicalmalpractice award in Canadian history— clearing the way for a Smiths Falls,Ont, family whose daughter sufferedsevere injuries during birth to receivemore than C$10 million. In a rulingreleased yesterday, the court effectivelyruled that in January, 2003, OntarioSuperior Court Justice Denis Powerproperly awarded Melissa Crawford,21, her mother, Jeanette Crawford, 62,and her father, Barry Crawford, 51, themoney for the manner in which twodoctors mishandled Melissa’s 1983

30


Awards & Settlements

delivery. Melissa, a non-verbalquadriplegic with cerebral palsy andrespiratory problems, suffered braindamage at birth due to a lack ofoxygen. She needs complete 24-hourcare, including someone to feed her,change her diapers, give hermedication and suction her mouth formucus.

PERSONAL INJURIES, CANADALondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: A Superior Courtjudge has ordered a game park to paymore than Can$2.5 million (£1.06) indamages to two people mauled by aBengal tiger nearly nine years ago. In adecision handed down yesterday,Madam Justice Jean MacFarlandrejected claims that David Balac, 31,and his former girlfriend, Jennifer-Anne Cowles, ignored posted signswarning visitors not to feed theanimals and to keep their windowsrolled up. The judge found African LionSafari strictly liable for the attack andawarded Mr. Balac Can$1.7-millionand Ms. Cowles Can$813,000 indamages. “There is no question . . . thattigers are dangerous, unpredictable,wild predators. Persons who displaysuch animals in out-of-control settingsshould, in my view, be held strictlyliable for any damage resulting fromsuch display,” Judge MacFarland said.The judge accepted the couple’stestimony that their vehicle ’sautomatic windows were closed prior tothe attack and likely loweredinadvertently by Mr. Balac after a tigerbutted against the car. Mr. Balac andMs. Cowles sued the popular Rockton,Ont., tourist attraction for Can$3.2-million for injuries they suffered in theattack on April 19, 1996, when Paka, a113-kilogram Bengal tiger reached intothe passenger window of the couple’scar and bit down on the man’s rightarm, destroying muscles, tendons andnerves. The tiger also attacked Ms.Cowles, who was pregnant at the time,biting her on the hip and scalp andnearly dragging her out of thepassenger window. Two other tigerstried to climb in through the driver’swindow as the couple struggled to getout of the attacking animal’s clutches.One of the tigers managed to bite downon Mr. Balac’s left arm. A lawyer forAfrican Lion Safari said yesterday hisclient was “very disappointed” with thedecision. Martin Smith said he wasawaiting instructions from the gamepark on whether to appeal the decisionand declined further comment. Thecourt heard expert testimony that thehorrifying attack turned Mr. Balac, anaccomplished accordion player, into arecluse and left him disfigured andscarred physically and emotionally.Besides being in constant pain, Mr.Balac is unable to work and suffersfrom depression and memory loss. Hehas undergone several surgeries tocorrect the disfigurement. Ms. Cowles,a former exotic dancer and the motherof two, suffers from severe headachesas well as disfiguring scars on her hip,which, she told the court, ended hercareer as a “feature” dancer. The judgealso awarded Mr. Balac’s parents and

sister Can$49,500 under the FamilyLaw Act.They claimed Mr. Balac’sinjuries robbed them of hiscompanionship and forced the family totake care of him. Ms. Cowles’s motherand children also received Can$45,000in the decision.

PERSONAL INJURY, FLORIDA,UNITED STATES

London, Feb 2 — A court yesterdayordered Dillard’s department store inSt. Petersburg, Florida, to pay £4.7m toa girl aged seven who lost three fingersin an escalator accident.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedyesterday, states: A train conductorwon an $8.5 million settlement from arailroad after claiming that a 2002collision between his commuter trainand a freight train worsened hisalcoholism. Patrick Phill ips, 52,contended that a mild concussionsuffered in the crash triggered a desirefor alcohol that transformed him from a“controlled” alcoholic into one whodrank himself into malnutrition andeventual dementia, his lawyer said.Burlington Northern and Santa FeRailway confirmed yesterday that itsettled the case out of court. Phillips’attorney, Jerome L. Ringler, said heand his client were “able to prove thatwhat had occurred was a change in hisbehavior due to a microscopic injury tothe brain.” On April 23, 2002, theBurlington Northern freight traincollided head-on with a Metrolinkcommuter train in Placentia, killingtwo people and injuring about 260.Phill ips was taking tickets on thecommuter train.

ROAD ACCIDENT, AUSTRALIALondon, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

today, states: A p-plate driver leftquadriplegic after a car crash on theNSW north coast was today awardedA$4.3 million in damages, after suingthe local council that was carrying outroad works at the accident site. JonWatt, now 25, suffered severe spinalinjuries when he crashed his Holdensedan near Grafton in March 1998. Hesuccessfully sued Copmanhurst ShireCouncil in the NSW Supreme Court fornegligence, claiming poor signage andloose gravel on the road led to theaccident. Mr Watt was driving to hisgrandparents’ house in Grafton whenhe passed through road works on theSummerland Way. The court was toldthat when he braked to avoid akangaroo, his car fishtailed on loosegravel, hit an embankment and flippedover. The council had erected signs inthe area limiting the speed to 60km/h,warning of road works and advisingmotorists to slow down. But Mr Wattargued the council should havedisplayed signs alerting drivers to thecondition of the road, and repeatedwarning signs every 500m. Handingdown his judgment today, JusticeTimothy Studdert found the councilshould have cleaned away any build-upof loose gravel and put up signswarning of its presence on the road.

The council’s failure to take such stepscontributed to the accident, he said.But Mr Watt also failed to takereasonable care for his own safety,Justice Studdert found. The 18-year-oldP-plate driver had been travelling at80km/h - 20km/h over the limit - whenhe lost control of his car. He said he didnot remember seeing signs warning ofroad works. But even if proper safetysigns had been in place, and Mr Watthad seen them, he probably would nothave slowed down, Justice Studdertsaid. “This accident occurred in broaddaylight, in dry weather conditions,”the judge said. “It seems to me that hadhe been keeping a proper lookout ... theplaintiff should have been aware thatthere was a change in the condition ofthe road surface.” Justice Studdert saidMr Watt was driving too fast in thecircumstances, which “contributed tothe accident that occurred in very realmeasure”. Had Mr Watt not sharedresponsibility for the accident, thejudge would have awarded him $6.5million in damages. But he reduced thepayout by a third, awarding damages of$4.33 million.

ROAD ACCIDENT, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Jan 29 — A press report,dated Jan 28, states: A 62-year-oldwoman involved in a car crash that lefther severely brain damaged andphysically disabled is to receive morethan £2m in damages. Joan Goldsmith,who lives near Great Barton in Suffolk,was involved in a head-on crash on theA143 just outside the village inSeptember 2001. Civil proceedingsagainst the driver of the other car,Marc Holliday, were due to go to trialon Jan 31, this year, but a £2.25m out-of-court settlement has now beenprovisionally agreed. Mr Holliday wasconvicted in October 2002 of drivingwithout due care and attention. Heappealed against his conviction, whichwas upheld at Ipswich Crown Court inApril 2003. The family’s lawyersbrought civil proceedings against MrHolliday which had been due to go totrial at the Royal Courts of Justice atthe end of the month. The crash leftMrs Goldsmith, who is looked after byher husband and three daughters, witha severe brain injury, limited use of herleft arm and leg. She also lost the sightin one eye.

ROAD ACCIDENT, UNITED STATESLondon, Jan 30 — A press report,

dated Jan 29, states: Missoula DistrictCourt jury yesterday awarded morethan $8 million to the families of twoArlee women killed in a 1999 vehiclecrash, saying a defective tyre wasresponsible for their deaths.Defendants in the negligence andliability case included Les Schwab TireCenters of Montana and Les SchwabWarehouse Center of Oregon. MarisaWolverton, 45, and Heidi Lee Martinez,32, died May 21, 1999, in a head-oncollision with a 40-ton cement truckthat had lost the tread from its frontleft tyre on Highway 93 near Ronan.According to the Montana HighwayPatrol, the driver of the Polson Ready

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Awards & Settlements

Mix truck was headed south on thehighway when the tyre, a retread, blew.The driver lost control of the truck,which crossed into the oncoming laneand clipped a flatbed trailer pulled by asport utility vehicle. The cement truckthen slammed into Martinez’s FordEscort station wagon, killing her andWolverton. The verdict came yesterdaynight with the jury assigning 40 percentof the blame to Les Schwab WarehouseCenter of Oregon, 20 percent to LesSchwab Centers of Montana, 20 percentto Mission Mountain Tire and 20percent to Polson Ready Mix. The juryfound that both Les Schwab WarehouseCenter of Oregon, the company’sheadquarters, and Les Schwab TireCenters of Montana had breached theirwarranty and were responsible for thedefective retread. Robert Martinez andDave Wolverton, representing theestates of their wives, were eachawarded $2.5 million in punitivedamages from Les Schwab in Oregonand $100,000 from Les Schwab TireCenter in Montana. Martinez wasawarded $1.7 million and Wolvertonwas awarded $1.2 million in specialdamages. Bozeman attorney MonteBeck filed the suit in September 1999.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedFeb 1, states: A Santa Clara County,California jury has awarded $2 millionin punitive damages in a sexualharassment suit filed against FederalExpress Corp. on behalf of two femaleemployees. During the first phase ofthe trial, the jury determined a varietyof f indings including: sexualharassment, failure to take reasonablesteps to prevent and correctdiscrimination and intentionalinfliction of emotional stress. At thattime, the plaintiffs were awardedcompensatory damages totaling $328k.The punitive damages phase of thetrial allowed the jury to decide theappropriate measure of monetarydamages necessary to punish FedExand deter this type of conduct fromoccurring again. Each plaintiff wasawarded one million dollars in additionto the compensatory damages awardedpreviously. According to attorney JohnD.Winer, Kolainia Hettick had beenworking as a “Handler” in thedocument sort area from November1999 until January 2003, when shedetermined that working conditionswere so bad that she had to quit. Hercoworker, Jana Bryant is a courier atthe company’s Sunnyvale location. Theharassment consisted of stalking-typebehavior, intimidating the employees inthe workplace based upon a coworker’sobsessive crush on Hettick and hisfeeling that Bryant was convincingHettick not to respond to his persistentattempts to get her to go out with him.According to Winer, both plaintiffsclaim that they had made numerouscomplaints to management about thisunwelcome conduct and that FedExfailed to take adequate steps toinvestigate the employees’ complaintsand take prompt protective actionrequired under the law.

TOBACCO RELATED ILLNESS,UNITED STATES

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A jury has awarded thefamily of a woman who smoked fornearly 50 years more than $20 millionin a wrongful death lawsuit against themaker of Kool cigarettes, the largesttotal judgment against a tobaccocompany in Missouri. The JacksonCounty jury awarded the family ofBarbara Smith the punitive damagesyesterday. Brown & Williamsonofficials called the damages “grosslyexcessive’’ and asked the judge to setaside the judgment. Smith smoked Koolcigarettes for nearly 50 years beforequitting in 1990. She died 10 yearslater of a heart attack at age 73. Shehad heart and lung disease.

USE OF LIKENESS WITHOUTPERMISSION, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A jury has awarded $15.6million to a man whose image was usedfor years without his permission onTaster ’s Choice coffee labels. RussellChristoff , a former model fromNorthern California, posed for a two-hour Nestle photo shoot in 1986 butfigured it was a bust until he stumbledacross his likeness on a coffee jar whileshopping at a drug store in 2002. Alegal dispute with Nestle USA ensued,during which Christoff, 58, declined thecompany’s $100,000 settlement offer,and Nestle USA turned down his offerto to settle for $8.5 million. Last week,a Los Angeles County Superior Courtjury ordered Nestle USA to payChristoff $15.6 million for using hislikeness without his permission andprofiting from it. The award includesfive per cent of the Glendale-basedcompany’s profit from Taster’s Choicesales from 1997 to 2003. During thattime, Nestle sold the freeze-dried coffeewith labels featuring Christoff ’s face inthe United States, Mexico, SouthKorea, Japan, Israel and Kuwait. Thecompany’s Canadian arm started usinghis image in 1986. Nestle USA attorneyLawrence Heller said the companywould appeal the verdict.

BANGKOK, THAILANDLondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

today, states: The Thai capital’s subwayreopened to the public today two weeksafter an accident injured about 200people and prompted a closure andsafety review of the six-month-oldsystem. Transport Minister SuriyaJungrungreangkit conducted a finalinspection of the trains before theyrolled out under Bangkok to takethousands of rush-hour commutersalong the 20-kilometre network.Officials shut down the Mass RapidTransit Authority subway after emptycarriages rolled into another trainpacked with some 700 commuters on

Jan 17. Two subway control roomoperators who wrongly ordered anautomatic brake unlocked, as well astwo drivers who carried out the order,have been charged with negligencecausing serious injury to others. PrimeMinister Thaksin Shinawatrademanded stringent retraining for staffto avert future accidents. Yesterday heand dozens of celebrities and topofficials including Suriya took a testride on the trains and he proclaimedthe mass transit system safe.

CROOM, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: Authorities say fourtrain cars carrying coal have jumpedoff the tracks in Croom. Prince George’sCounty Fire and Rescue spokesmanMark Brady says there are no reportsof injuries. He also says the derailmentwon’t affect passenger trains, whichuse separate tracks. Prince George’sCounty police and CSX areinvestigating.

DRIGH ROAD STATION, KARACHISINDH PROVINCE, PAKISTAN

Karachi, Feb 2 — Pakistan Railwaysaid railway traffic on the mainlinewas disrupted following a derailment ofa goods train at Drigh Road railwaystation in Karachi Sindh Province, inthe early hours of yesterday morning.The train was carrying 60 emptywagons, being taken to Lahore forrepair purposes at Mughalpuraworkshop. While it was passingthrough Drigh station, at about 0400hrs, about a dozen wagons went off thetrack, as a result the railway line wasblocked and was cleared after threehours when normal train movementsrestarted. Divisional SuperintendentRailway Junaid Qureshi reached thespot of the derailment and supervisedthe rehabilitation work. An inquiry hasbeen ordered to ascertain the cause ofthe derailment. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

GALLUP, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: New Mexico police haveclosed about five blocks of US Highway66 after f ive cars of a BurlingtonNorthern Santa Fe freight trainderailed today. Five cars carryingethanol, a flammable liquid, left thetracks at the Gallup Rail Yard. Thecars came off the tracks but did notoverturn. When state police officersinspected the scene, they discoveredtwo of the cars were leaking ethanol,though at this time, how much fuelspilled is unknown. Ethanol is a clearliquid produced from crops such ascorn, wheat, sugar, and otheragricultural feed. It is used as a clean,high-octane, high-performance fuel forvehicles and it can be highlyflammable. Police plan to unload theremaining ethanol cars as a safetyprecaution and will pump the liquidfrom the cars into tankers. Personnelat the rail yard are the only people tobe evacuated so far, and there havebeen no injuries reported. Several

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Awards & Settlements/Railway Accidents

roads were closed along US 66following the derailment. A BurlingtonNorthern Santa Fe Railwayspokesperson said the train was boundfor Barstow, Calif., from Denver whenit derailed.

GWANDA AREA, ZIMBABWELondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated today, states: A cargo train hasbeen derailed in south-easternZimbabwe, spilling 40,000 litres ofsulphuric acid near the catchment areaof a dam, threatening the local watersupply. The accident occurred onWednesday (Jan 26) when the cargotrain went off the tracks just outsidethe town of Gwanda. One containerdisgorged 40,000 litres of sulphuricacid into a stream that feeds theMtshabezi River and a catchment areafor the Mtshabezi dam that suppliesGwanda with drinking water. Thespokesman of the Matabeleland Southprovince, where Gwanda is located,said residents had been warned not touse water from river or the dam.Gwanda is about 100km from thecountry’s second city Bulawayo. Thetrain was running between Beitbridge,the main land frontier outpost withSouth Africa, and Bulawayo.

KOOLYANOBBING AND MERREDINAREAS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA,AUSTRALIA

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: An investigationwill continue today into the cause oftwo train derailments east of Perth.Twenty freight wagons came off thetracks yesterday near the mining townof Koolyanobbing, about 200 kilometresfrom Kalgoorlie. In a second incident,19 carriages derailed near Merredin,260 kilometres east of Perth. Thetrains were carrying flammable goodssuch as solvents, paints, aerosols andacids when they left the tracks. TheWestern Australia Fire and EmergencyServices Authority says no dangeroussubstances were spilled. TheAustralian Railroad Group, whichoperates the track, will today continuesearching for the cause of thederailment.

LOS ANGELES AREA,CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: Eleven peoplewere killed and about 200 were injuredin an accident involving two passengertrains near downtown Los Angelesearly this morning, emergencyauthorities said. One of the Metrolinkcommuter trains struck a passengervehicle before sideswiping the secondtrain and plowing into a parked freighttrain, officials said. One of the traincars caught fire in the accident andanother rolled to its side in the crash,which occurred just after 6am localtime. Emergency teams were pickingthrough the debris of the crash andcould be seen carrying some victimsaway on stretchers.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: A suicidal manwho allegedly parked his SUV in thepath of a commuter train and triggered

a horrific wreck that killed 11 peoplewas charged with murder and couldface the death penalty, authorities saidtoday. The criminal case moved forwardagainst Juan Manuel Alvarez as policeand forensics experts worked to gatherevidence from the crime scene andcoroner ’s investigators searched thetangled wreckage for any remainingbody parts. Prosecutors have notdecided if they will seek the deathpenalty against Alvarez, who had beenordered by a court to stay away fromhis family after his wife alleged heabused drugs and threatened them.Authorities say he also had slashed hiswrists and stabbed himself at somepoint during his aborted suicideattempt. He remained hospitalisedtoday, and a court hearing was set fortomorrow. District Attorney SteveCooley said Thursday prosecutors wereevaluating Alvarez’s mental state indeciding a possible punishment, but heasserted that the man’s mental issueswere no defence. Authorities sayAlvarez drove his green Jeep Cherokeeinto the path of a Metrolink commutertrain early yesterday. He then changedhis mind and got out of the vehicle justbefore the Jeep was struck by a trainheading to Los Angeles, police said.That train derailed, crashed into aparked freight train and struck anothertrain heading in the opposite direction.The second train also derailed. Alvarezwas charged with 10 counts of murder,but another count was to be addedfollowing the discovery of an 11th bodyin the mangled trains. Everyone fromthe crash was accounted for today.More than 180 people were injured,including seven who were in criticalcondition today. Meanwhile, policebegan collecting forensic evidence fromthe scene for the prosecution, usinglaser measuring devices to create adigital map of the wreckage. Two largecargo containers were brought in tostore evidence. Police Sgt Tom Lorenzsaid evidence as large as a rail car maybe preserved for the investigation andtrial.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Los AngelesCommuter train service have resumedthis morning following last week’sdeadly train crash in Glendale.Metrolink officials say a full servicefrom Union Station in central LosAngeles to Ventura County and theAntelope Valley was restored startingat 0400 hrs. The service was suspendedto allow the repair of damaged trackafter Wednesday’s (Jan 26) crash thatkilled eleven and injured about 180passengers. Both lines operated on apartial schedule Thursday (Jan 27) andFriday (Jan 28), when buses were usedto detour passengers around a sectionof the damaged tracks.

MACKAY AREA, ALBERTA,CANADA

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedFeb 1, states: A Canadian passengertrain carrying 86 passengers smashedinto a logging truck and derailed inAlberta, the Canadian BroadcastingCorp. reported today. The westboundVia Rail train with eight cars and two

locomotives was carrying 86 passengersand 15 crew when the accidentoccurred at a crossing yesterdayafternoon. There were no seriousinjuries although the truck driver hadto be cut from the wreckage about 90miles west of Edmonton. Twoinvestigators from the federalTransportation Safety Board wereexpected at the scene today.Passengerswere taken by school bus to acommunity centre in the nearby townof MacKay, where volunteers suppliedfood. Via Rail said it immediatelybegan making alternate travelarrangements for the passengers.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,UNITED STATES

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: A Norfolk Southernfreight train derailed in a Pittsburghsuburb early today, sending four carsinto a r iver and forc ing theevacuat ion o f nearby res idents .Thirteen o f the tra in ’s 83 carsderailed at about 0530 hrs, in EastDeer Township . Some o f the carscame to rest perpendicular to thetracks, and four cars were in theAl legheny River. There were noimmediate reports of injuries. Threeof the derailed cars, including one inthe river, were carrying hydrogenchloride, but officials said those carswere not leaking. Betsy Mallison, astate Department of EnvironmentalProtect ion spokeswoman, said i tsstaff and local and county emergencymanagement officials were evaluatingthe accident. Some roads in the areawere closed, and residents were beingtaken to a church as a precaution.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: About 200 people wereevacuated from their homes yesterdayin the Creighton section of East Deerso private contractors for NorfolkSouthern Railroad could remove fromthe Allegheny River a ruptured tankercar filled with a hazardous chemical.Four tankers and nine other rail carsderailed at 0528, yesterday, about 13miles north of the Point. Two of thetanker cars that ended up in the riverwere filled with anhydrous hydrogenfluoride, a caustic concentrated gasthat turns into hydrofluoric acid whenmixed with water. One tanker isalmost completely submerged. Theriver worked as a positive factor forthe contents of the derailed tankerbecause the water diluted thehydrofluoric acid as it f loweddownriver and helped prevent the gasfrom being released into the air, saidBob Full , the county’s emergencymanagement director. But removal ofthe damaged tanker, to be donesometime today, will be a delicateoperation because of the danger posedby the potential release of the caustichydrogen fluoride gas into the air oncethe tanker is removed from the water,he said. Water treatment plantsdownriver from the derailed tanker,including those of Pittsburgh andShaler, are monitoring the quality ofwater from their intake l ines foracidity. The DEP and Norfolk Southernwill also monitor the water at the site

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Railway Accidents

of the tanker spill to try and determinethe degree of acidity in the water. Thecause of the derailment is underinvestigation. As a routine matter intransportation accidents, toxicologytests will be done on blood drawn fromthe engineer, conductor and aconductor trainee after the accident,Norfolk Southern spokesman RudyHusband said. The derailmentoccurred roughly in the middle of the83-car train. By last night, NorfolkSouthern had successfully removed thefront and rear cars that remained onthe tracks by using other engines tomove them northeast to Altoona andsouthwest to Pittsburgh so contractorscould gain access to the derailed cars,Husband said. The train, whichstretched 5,512 feet, was on its wayfrom the Conway railroad yards inBeaver County to Allentown inEastern Pennsylvania. Seventeen ofthe 83 cars were empty. There were noreported injuries, but AlleghenyCounty emergency managementoff icials , between 0600 and 0800yesterday, evacuated a half-mile areain the southwestern corner of EastDeer. The county and the railroad alsonotified federal officials, including theFBI and the National TransportationSafety Board, as a matter of protocol.The FBI is required to be notified inthe event of any railroad accident forhomeland security reasons, Full said.The US Coast Guard closed off thetwo-mile stretch of the river betweenthe Schmitt and Tarentum bridges totraff ic yesterday. In addit ion,representatives from the Texascompany that manufactured thechemical and other experts inhazardous materials from across thecountry were coming to assist in theclean-up, Full said. Norfolk Southernplans to bring in empty tanker carsand transfer the gas into them fromthe four 150,000-gallon derailed carsso it can be transported, Husband said.The railroad will not know how muchof the chemical remains in thesubmerged tanker, however, until theyget closer to the scene, he said.Between 15 and 20 Norfolk Southerntrains a day travel on the railroad lineup the north side of the AlleghenyRiver, Husband said. The route is asecondary line to move freight; themain route runs east from Pittsburghto Greensburg toward Johnstown. Thelast train to travel the auxiliary linebefore the derailment closed it waseastbound about 0400.

PUNJAB, PAKISTANKarachi, Jan 30 — Pakistan Railway

said three bogies of a passenger train,en route to Mandi Bahauuddin fromLalamusa, were derailed nearShaheedanwali Canal Bridge innortheastern Punjab Province at 0730hrs, yesterday. As a result, trafficremained suspended for quite sometime and a number of trains werestopped at different stations. Nocasualties were reported except thedamages to the bogies. An inquiry hasbeen ordered. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

RIGA AREA, LATVIALondon, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

today, states: Two people were killedand four others injured as twopassenger trains collided near thecentral train station in the Latviancapital today, the Baltic News Servicereported. The accident occurred at 1100hrs, when a train arriving from Ogre,34 kilometres southeast of Riga,collided with an empty passenger trainthat was travelling to the rail depot.The cause of the accident is underinvestigation.

London, Feb 3 — A press report,dated today, states: An engine driverwas presumably responsible for therailway accident off Riga yesterday,spokeswoman for the Latvian RailwaysBirute Sakse told Tass. “The exactcause of the accident wil l beestablished after the “black box” isdeciphered. Anyway, the main cause ofthe catastrophe is human error,” thespokeswoman said. Three people havebeen killed, according to unofficialreports; fourteen were hospitalised,including three people in very seriouscondition. An el-train running at aspeed of 30 kilometres per hourcollided head-on with a passengertrain Riga -Moscow that was headingfor a railway terminal at a speed of 25kilometres per hour with nopassengers on board. The driver of theel-train ignored traff ic l ights andmoved on when the red light was on,according to one of the versionsstudied. The number of casualtieswould have been higher i f anemergency stop mechanism on boardthe Riga- Moscow train had not beenactivated, said Chief of the LatvianRailways Andris Zorgevic. Meanwhile,rescuers have been making efforts toremove two more injured people fromthe wrecked train.

SAUK RAPIDS, MINNESOTA,UNITED STATES

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: The tail-end of aBurlington Northern Santa Fe trainderailed in Sauk Rapids earlyyesterday afternoon, spilling threecarloads of coal and briefly haltingother trains. A wheel on one of the lastcars broke, causing the car to slip offthe track for about a mile beforetipping the three cars, foremanGraham Hendrickson said.No one wasinjured. Sauk Rapids police said lateyesterday they expect River Avenue tobe closed to local traffic during thecleanup. The train was pulling morethan 100 coal cars from the PowderRiver Basin mines on the Wyoming-Montana border to Becker when thecars tipped. Hendrickson estimates itcould take two to three days to clean upthe coal. About 50 trains run on thetrack each day, one of the busiestroutes the railroad uses, Forsberg said.The railroad is investigating and wouldnot comment on a cause. It is too earlyto estimate damages, he said. Therailroad inspects the track severaltimes a week and trains and cargoevery 1,000 miles, Forsberg said.Warning devices every 25 miles detectexcess heat.

BAGLE VIRUSLondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: Antiviruscompanies today reported the spread ofa new variant of the mass-mailing PCvirus known as “Bagle.” The latestversion of the malicious software,which some experts refer to as an e-mail worm, is rearing its headworldwide. By this morning, virustrackers in China, Japan, the UnitedStates and parts of Europe hadreported instances of the threat. TrendMicro said that the new offshoot, whichit calls “Bagle.AZ”, is distributed as ane-mail attachment that cloaks itself asa delivery notification or confirmation.It uses “spoofed” e-mail addresses toappear to be from a known source, theantivirus software maker said. TheTokyo-based company said it f irstdiscovered the virus today in Japan,well before the start of business hoursin the United States. An almostidentical version of the virus, dubbed“Bagle.AY”, also began appearing lateyesterday, it said. Upon infecting acomputer, the Bagle variant harvestsany available e-mail addresses andinserts copies of itself into the PC’sshared folders, Trend Micro said. Itthen uses the infected system todistribute itself to additionalcomputers. Since the threat appearedoutside business hours in the UnitedStates, Trend Micro believes the viruswas contained relatively quickly andshould pose only a minor threat to thelarge corporations that it was likelyaimed at. Corporate servers typicallycontain thousands of e-mail addresses,making them an attractive target for e-mail borne virus attacks. Trend Microhas ranked the new virus as a medium-level threat. “This version couldescalate, but it doesn’t look that wayright now,” said David Perry, globaldirector of education at Trend Micro.“It’s not being widely circulated atpresent, and viruses that hit during thework day in the US tend to do a lotmore damage.” However, Perryhighlighted the fact that the mostdangerous time of the year for viruses,which typically stretches from Marchuntil May, is about to begin. He saidthe resurgence of Bagle, which hascooled down over the last few months,may be tied to the one-yearanniversary of the threat’s launch in2004. “I couldn’t tell you why thistimeframe is so popular for virusactivity, but there’s little doubt thatwe’ll see some significant attempts overthe next several months,” Perry said.

MIRSA-A/MIRSA-B VIRUSLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: A computer virusfeaturing a warning to Tony Blair fromsupporters of protest group Fathers 4Justice looks set to cause chaos on the

Computer Systems

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Railway Accidents/Computer Systems

35


Internet. Experts at virus firm Sophoshave seen a surge in the email worm,which includes the message “We areNOW supporting Fathers 4 Justice.Tony Blair: you really should LISTENto us or we will take further action”.The note to the Prime Minister comesin a Word document attached to theinfected email which either pretends tocontain a CV or has subject l inesincluding “How NOT to get Promotion”,“Memorandum to all staff”, “UrgentDocument”, “Extremely Important”,and “Private and personal”. If this fileis accidentally opened, the massmailing virus — known as Mirsa-A andMirsa-B — will email itself out to allthe users contained in the computer’saddress book. It also automaticallycreates an Internet link to the Fathers4 Justice website.

VIRUSES IN 2004, WORLD-WIDELondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

Jan 31, states: The total economicdamage from malware - viruses, wormsand trojans - in 2004 is estimated to liebetween USD 169 billion and USD 204billion, making 2004 the worst year onrecord by a wide margin according tothe mi2g Intelligence Unit, the worldleader in digital risk. The year 2003 didnot log even half of the malwareeconomic damage figures attributableto 2004. With an installed base ofaround 600 million Windows basedcomputers worldwide, this works outroughly as average damage perinstalled machine of between USD 281and USD 340.

CARGO DISPUTE, CHITTAGONG,BANGLADESH

Karachi, Feb 2 — Chittagong PortAuthority (CPA) of Bangladesh andcustom authorities have asked (North)Korean general cargo Ryu Gyong (exLong Xiang, 9013 gt, built 1983) tosuspend offloading and not to leaveport until the quality issue of imported11,000 tonnes of wheat is resolved. Itwas imported from India by two privaterice mills. The government has takenthe action following reports that thewheat was not suitable for humanconsumption. The CPA ordered the shipnot to leave the port till further order.The wheat was loaded in the vessel atthe Bishakha Pottam port of India. Itarrived at Chittagong port on Jan 18.— Lloyd’s List Correspondent.

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedFeb 1 states:: The unloading of 11,000tonnes of low quality wheat importedfrom India by two private rice mills,has been suspended from general cargoRyu Gyong in Chittagong portyesterday. The customs and ChittagongPort Authority (CPA) have taken theaction following reports that the wheatwas not suitable for humanconsumption. The CPA ordered the shipnot to leave the port till further order.

Sources said, 11,000 tonnes of wheatwas imported from India by twoNoagaon-based firms Mabco GreenIndustry and Desh Auto Rice Mill. Thewheat was loaded in Ryu Gyong atBishakha Pottam, India. The ship hadarrived at Chittagong Jan 18.Unloading of the wheat from the shipstarted at No.2 jetty the same day. Theconsignment obtained a quarantineclearance certif icate from theAgriculture Department. Meanwhile,some of the wheat had already beenunloaded. However, the magistrate ofCPA Monir Ahmed Chowdhurydetected the wheat unfit for humanconsumption during his visit to thejetty yesterday. He questioned therepresentatives of the importer aboutthe wheat. The magistrate of CPA thenordered the unloading of the wheat tostop.

Karachi, Feb 3 — Chittagong PortAuthority (CPA) said this afternoonthat Korean general cargo Ryu Gyonghas been shifted to the TSP jetty inChittagong Port. The discharge ofwheat from the vessel was stoppeduntil a quality issue is resolved. Thewheat was imported from India by twoprivate rice mills. The government hastaken the action following reports thatthe wheat was not suitable for humanconsumption. The CPA ordered the shipnot to leave the port until furthernotice. It arrived at Chittagong on Jan18 from India. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent

CEMENT DISPUTE, MEXICOTampico, Feb 1 — There is no changes

in the storage ship Mary Noursituation. The vessel is still in port andno date of departure programmed. —Lloyd’s Agents.

COLLAPSE OF CRANE,BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS,UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,from Braintree, Mass, dated Jan 26,states: A giant crane collapsed onto abuilding at a former shipyard nearBoston today, killing a worker andsending rescuers rushing to save otherstrapped under the twisted metal,authorities said. At least four peoplewere injured, two of them seriously,and emergency crews searched all dayfor another worker, said David Traub, aspokesman for the prosecutor’s office.The search was suspended at nightfall.Shipyard owner Dan Quirk told thePatriot Ledger the crane was beingdismantled when it gave way, crushingpart of the building. Twelve workerswere inside at the time removingasbestos, Michael Cheney, a labourconsultant who was also inside, toldthe newspaper. One injured man wasburied under four feet of bricks,Cheney said.

FLOODING OF COLLIERY,NORTHUMBERLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Jan 26 — A press report,dated today, states: More than 300miners are to lose their jobs with theannouncement that the north-east ofEngland’s last remaining deep coal

mine is to close. Production atEllington Colliery in Northumberlandhas been at a standstill since gallons ofwater flooded the workings two weeksago. Senior managers from UK Coalvisited the site today, when theyannounced the pit is to close. UK Coalsaid it had been forced to endproduction for safety reasons. UK Coalsaid millions of gallons of water hadflooded the workings and round-the-clock pumping to lower levels had beenunsuccessful. The firm says expertshad estimated there could be morethan 100 million gallons in oldworkings and the surrounding stratafrom which water could be seeping. Thecompany said 340 jobs would be lostwith workers receiving paymentsrelating to service and statutoryrequirements. UK Coal said it hadinvested more than £8m in the sitesince 2001, much of it on equipmentwhich will not be recovered from theflooded coal face. The colliery madelosses of £11m in 2004.

MUTINY ON TAIWAN FLAGGEDVESSEL IN INDIAN OCEAN

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: The ChineseEmbassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmedyesterday that 19 Chinese mainlandseamen on a Taiwanese fishing boatwhich was seized in the Malaysian portof Johor Baru last Sunday (Jan 23) hadreturned to China Tuesday evening(Jan 25). A Malaysian Marine Policepatrol vessel last Sunday interceptedfishing Dong Yih No.668 in the MalaccaStraits and escorted it to Johor Baru. Itis reported there was a suspectedmutiny on the vessel. On board werecaptain Chen Kuoching, 44, and threeother seamen from Taiwan, 19 seamenfrom China’s mainland and six othersfrom the Philippines. Dong Yih No.668(not ref Dong Yih as previouslyreported) cut contacts with itsheadquarters in Taiwan after deep-seafishing in the Indian Ocean on Jan 13.Commenting on the incident, Xu Zeyou,Counsellor in the Chinese Embassy,told Xinhua that the mutiny wastriggered by bad industrial relations.The seamen on the fishing boat werenot allowed to go on shore for a longtime. In addition, the captain treatedthe seamen roughly and did not paytheir salaries on time. The seamenfrom China’s mainland demanded theirpayment and an early return home,according to the counsellor.

OUTBREAK OF “BIRD FLU”London, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated today, states: Vietnam has justdetected three more human cases ofbird flu infection, raising the total inthe country to 14, including ninefatalities, since late December 2004.

Hanoi, Jan 31 — Bird flu has killed a10-year-old girl in southern Vietnam,doctors said today, and they hoped thedeath of a Cambodian womensuspected of having the virus wouldforce Phnom Penh to take preventativemeasures. The girl from the southernVietnamese province of Long An diedyesterday, a doctor at Ho Chi MinhCity’s Pediatric Hospital No.1 said,

Miscellaneous

Computer Systems/Miscellaneous

raising the toll in Vietnam from H5N1virus to 12 since the disease eruptedagain in December. The death toll fromthe Asian bird flu since the end of 2003now stands at 44 — 32 in Vietnam and12 in Thailand. Vietnamese authoritiesare waiting for test results on a 25-year-old Cambodian woman who washospitalised on Jan 28 with a highfever and died yesterday. Her lungshad been badly damaged. If the case isconfirmed, the woman would be thefirst person from Cambodia found to beinfected and kil led by the H5N1poultry virus. A lab researcher at HoChi Minh City’s Pasteur Institute saidthe woman’s test results would beknown by tomorrow afternoon at theearliest. Vietnamese state media saidtoday seven Vietnamese were taken toa Hanoi hospital at the weekend onsuspicion of having bird flu. Tests werebeing done, the Tuoi Tre newspapersaid. Researchers in Ho Chi Minh Citywere also testing for bird flu samplesfrom a 39-year-old man who diedyesterday in the central city ofDanang, said the Saigon Giai Phongdaily. If confirmed, he would the firstcasualty of the virus in centralVietnam.

Hanoi, Feb 1 — A Cambodian womanwho died in Vietnam was killed by birdflu, a doctor said today. “We have beeninformed that tests showed she wasinfected by the poultry virus,” said thedoctor at the General Hospital of KienGiang province which treated TitSakhan before she died on Sunday (Jan30), two days after she was admittedwith a high fever. Cambodian officialssaid they had no confirmation ofoutbreaks of the H5N1 virus in thecountry, but the World HealthOrganisation has said it might have hitCambodia, Laos and Myanmar.Relatives of Tit Sakhan, 25, said someof their chickens had died and they hadeaten them with her. A 24-year-oldVietnamese man was confirmed ashaving bird flu today, Nguyen TranHien, director of the National Instituteof Hygiene and Epidemiology, told anews conference. He said the man, the18th case detected in Vietnam sinceDecember, was recovering after beingtaken to a Hanoi hospital on Jan 25.Ho Chi Minh City, home to 10 millionpeople and next door to the delta, triedto stem the third wave of bird fluoutbreaks by ordering the slaughter ofall its ducks, which can carry the viruswithout showing symptoms. It hadgiven officials until Sunday (Jan 30) toslaughter 150,000 ducks while aprivate firm will process 60,000 ducksfor consumption, an official toldReuters. “We will soon be out making ithappen,” said the official at the city’sAnimal Health Department. The cityhas about 210,000 ducks. Half areraised outdoors on small farms,allowing a potentially rapid spread ofthe virus. Animal health officials saidlast week 31 of 148 samples taken fromducks in the city showed the presenceof the virus. Health workers andmarket inspectors will ensure no ducksare raised locally for a year and allducks being transported into Ho ChiMinh City will be seized for

destruction, often by burning, theSaigon Giai Phong newspaper said. ByJan. 30, the H5N1 virus had killed orresulted in the slaughter of more thanone million poultry in 31 of Vietnam’s64 provinces, the Agriculture Ministrysaid. Last year, the epidemic wiped out17 percent of Vietnam’s poultry stock of250 million. — Reuters.

OUTBREAK OF VIRUS ONBAHAMAS-FLAGGED PASSENGERVESSEL

London, Jan 29 — A press report,dated today, states: Passenger Veendam(55451 gt, built 1996) returned toTampa from a cruise 12 hours earlyyesterday after a viral outbreak onboard caused 204 passengers to becomeill . The vessel was on a WesternCaribbean cruise and was supposed tobe in Costa Maya, Mexico, Thursday(Jan 27) and at sea all day yesterday,returning today. A spokeswoman forthe operators, Holland America Line,said the vessel returned to portyesterday afternoon instead of thismorning so it could undergo a“rigorous” cleaning before its nextscheduled departure at 1700 today. All1,220 passengers were offered between$125 and $250 in compensation,according to the spokeswoman. Beforeboarding, passengers said they werewarned some customers on theprevious sailing had become ill. Whilethey were offered full refunds if theychose not to travel, some claimed theywere not told about the extent of theproblem. According to thespokeswoman, 77 passengers and crewgot s ick on the last sai l ing. Shedescribed the sickness as a stomach-flu. Samples are being sent to theCentres for Disease Control fortesting.

OUTBREAK OF VIRUS ONBAHAMAS-FLAGGED PASSENGERVESSEL / VEENDAM F/UP

London, Feb 2 — Passenger Veendamsailed Tampa Jan 29.

APARTMENT BUILDING,ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: A fire that oneofficial describes as “unmanageable”did massive damage to a Rockvilleapartment building this afternoon.Thirty families are homeless anddamage is put at $5 million, afterflames tore through the Rock CreekWoods apartments on TwinbrookParkway. Montgomery County Firespokesman Pete Piringer says about125 firefighters responded to what hecalls a three alarm-plus blaze. No onewas hurt. Investigators think plumberssweating pipes in the basement starteda fire in the walls that initially wentundetected.

CAR PLANT, HIROSHIMA, JAPANLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: Mazda MotorCorp., Japan’s fourth-largestautomaker, said it expects to resumefull production of its fire-damagedfactory in Hiroshima Prefecture inApril . The carmaker will resumepartial production of its RX-8 sportscars, Bongo truck and Roadsterconvertible next month. Mazda’s UjinaNo.1 factory was damaged in a fire onDec 15 in its paint shop. The companyis likely to lose 30,000 units in lostproduction, a smaller number than the35,000 units estimated earlier, Mazdasaid in a statement today.

CHURCH, MASON AREA,MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 30 — A press report,dated Jan 29, states: Fire rippedthrough the Eden United Brethrenchurch near Mason yesterday andcaused an estimated $1.5 million indamage, fire officials said. The cause isunder investigation.Rebuilding couldcost millions and take months.Firefighters from at least 11departments used 195,000 gallons ofwater on the flames yesterday. Still,the blaze destroyed the oldest part ofthe church, and there was considerableheat, smoke and water damage to thesanctuary, Mason Fire Chief DavidScutt said. The church is insured.Ingham County fire investigators willvisit the site early this week.Authorities may never be able todetermine the fire’s cause, Scutt saidyesterday. “With the amount ofdamage, I don’t know if we’re going tobe able to,” said Scutt, who does notsuspect arson.

FACTORY, TAKATSUKI, OSAKAPREFECTURE, JAPAN

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: One man died and sevenothers were injured due to an explosionat an aluminum factory in Takatsuki,Osaka Prefecture, this morning, cityofficials said. The explosion took placeat 1050 hrs at the factory owned byTakatsuki Diecasting, kill ing anemployee of one of its subcontractors.Seven other men sustained burns andother injuries, with six of them injuredseriously, they said.

MONT BLANC TUNNEL, FRANCELondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated today, states: The Italianoperator of the Mont Blanc tunnel thisweek paid EUR 13.5 million (USD 17.5million) into an account for the familiesof 39 people killed in a 1999 blaze inthe Alpine link but has not admittedblame, according to a grouping of thefamilies concerned. The SITMBcompany paid the money into a Frenchescrow account where it would stayuntil 80 percent of the 238 familymembers of those killed agreed toaccept it as a settlement, the head ofthe Association in Defence of theFamilies, Andre Denis, said lateyesterday. SITMB’s lawyer, BernardAsso, confirmed the transaction, butstressed: “This is not anacknowledgement of liability.” The

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Italian company is one of 16 parties tobe represented at a manslaughter trialopening Monday (Jan 31) that will seekto apportion responsibility for thetragedy. The other companies andindividuals include the Belgian driver ofthe truck which was the origin of thefire; the truck’s manufacturer, Volvo; theFrench managers of the tunnel, theATMB; safety regulators; the mayor ofthe town of Chamonix; and a seniorofficial from the French public worksministry.

PREMISES, MARTINSVILLE,INDIANA, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: Power wasrestored today to a section of the citywhere a fire destroyed a block-long,century-old building containing fivebusinesses. The state fire marshal’soffice was investigating the cause of lastnight’s fire, and no damage estimatewas available, fire officials said. Whenthe Martinsville Fire Departmentarrived last night, heavy smoke wascoming from the building and fire hadbroken through the roof. Within twohours, the fire, which was hot enough tomelt the metal siding and fold it back,had burned the former home of the OldHickory Furniture building to theground. Several f ire departmentsbattled the blaze that officials saidappeared to have originated in thesouth-east part of the building. Severalfirefighters entered the building to tryto attack the fire from inside but weredriven back by extensive flames andheavy smoke. After the Old Hickoryfurniture factory closed, the building,which was constructed in the late 1800s,had gone through a series of uses andowners. Current owners Lisa and GarryLee, of Nashville, had subdivided thebuilding to allow use by multipletenants. Cinergy cut electrical power toresidents in the area to make it safer forfire crews who were worried about highvoltage lines running in the alley besidethe building. Fire crews were able tokeep the fire from moving down aloading dock to an adjacent buildingthat houses two businesses.

PREMISES, MELBOURNE,AUSTRALIA

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A fire in a commercialbuilding in Melbourne’s south-easttoday disrupted traffic and suburbantrains. Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB)firefighters feared the building couldcollapse after a wall became unstableduring the blaze, which started about1520 hrs. More than 20 fire trucksworked to contain the fire in a three-storey building at the corner ofGlenferrie and Como streets in Malvern.MFB spokesman Trevor Woodward saidtraffic on Glenferrie Road, an arterialroad, had been disrupted and trains onthe nearby Pakenham and Cranbournelines had been delayed because of theunstable wall. “At one stage there werefears that one of the walls could havecollapsed on to the city-bound track andthe amount of smoke that was comingout was also a hazard for trains,” hesaid.

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: An Aus$2 million(US$1.54 million) office block fire closeda main railway line for nearly an hourtoday when wind threatened to blow atin roof on to the tracks. TheFrankston/Cranbourne/Pakenham linewas closed at Malvern until after 1700hrs. The blaze began on the second floorof the accountancy firm, Bell & Bell inGlenferrie Rd about 1520 hrs andspread quickly into the roof. It tookmore than 70 firefighters two hours tocontain the flames.

SHOPPING COMPLEX, NEWTON ABBOT, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedJan 31, states: A report into a southDevon shopping complex fire says it wasmost probably started by an electricalfault. More than a third of Trago Mills’site near Newton Abbot was destroyedlast October. The official report said theblaze could have been far worse if it hadnot been for the fire precautions whichwere taken by the store. The blaze wasstopped from spreading by proper firedoors correctly closed. Fire investigationofficer Peter Smith said otherbusinesses should take note of thestore’s fire safety procedures. He said:“People ask why they should spendmoney on fire safety, why should theyshut fire doors and have such a routine.Trago Mills is a perfect example of why.If you have a very serious fire, andhaven’t got that fire protection in place,the whole building burns down. As itwas, the store was open again within 12weeks. That is a fantastic example offire safety.”

WAREHOUSE, GRANDVIEW,WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated Jan 26, states: Contaminatedsmoke from a burning warehousecontaining farm chemicals prompted theevacuation of dozens of homes andbusinesses today. Half a dozen peoplecomplained of skin irritation orrespiratory distress and soughttreatment at a nearby hospital, said LtJim Keightley, State Patrol spokesman.Authorities evacuated a half-mile areaaround the Wilbur-Ellis Co plant thatincluded about 100 homes — roughly400 people — after smoke filled the airwith a strong sulphur odour, he said.The cause of the fire was notimmediately known. Officials said therewas little risk of an explosion. Ahazardous materials team entered thebuilding and set up air monitors as thefire continued to smolder tonight. TheEnvironmental Protection Agency set upair monitoring equipment outside thecomplex to help officials decide whetheradditional evacuations were needed.Shelters were also set up for theevacuees. The warehouse storesagricultural chemicals and fertilisers,according to Ken Cowdrey, Wilbur-Ellis’head of safety in Yakima. About fivepeople work in the warehouse. “Thechemicals are an irritant and some ofthem are toxic,” Cowdrey said. A 13-milestretch of Interstate 82 betweenSunnyside and Prosser was closed, and

officials were unsure when it wouldreopen. The warehouse is on the north-west outskirts of Grandview about 40miles south-east of Yakima. WilburEllis, based in San Francisco, is aninternational marketer and distributorof agricultural and industrial products.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: About 100 homesand businesses remained evacuatedtoday as a chemical fire continued toburn in south-central Washington,sending potentially harmful smoke intothe air. State and federal authoritieswere monitoring air quality nearWilbur-Ellis Co, an agriculturalchemical and fertiliser retail operationwhere the fire broke out yesterdayafternoon. Authorities had not detecteddangerous levels of toxic chemicals inthe air beyond 100 feet from thebuilding, but about 400 nearby residentsremained out of their homes tonight as aprecaution, said Mark MacIntyre, aspokesman for the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency. About 40 of themwere staying at a shelter. “They want tobe cautious, because the nature of thefire is still questionable,” MacIntyresaid. Dozens of people have beenchecked at area hospitals aftercomplaining of skin irritation orrespiratory problems. The fire was in a40-by-80-foot building used to storeagricultural chemicals and fertilizers inthe complex, which includes awarehouse and office building on theoutskirts of Grandview, about 40 milessouth-east of Yakima. Authoritiesdecided to let the fire burn itself out,saying that dousing it with water couldincrease the pollution risk and clean-upproblems. Workers induced the fire toburn faster today by using a backhoe totear the roof off the building and punchholes in its walls. Officials wanted thefire to consume the available fuel sothey could get a closer look at thebuilding tomorrow morning, MacIntyresaid. A nearby section of Interstate 82reopened this morning after being closedfor about 18 hours. The GrandviewSchool District, which serves about3,000 students, was closed today as aprecaution and was to remain closedtomorrow, MacIntyre said. The cause ofthe fire remained under investigation.

WAREHOUSE, ISTANBUL AREA,TURKEY

See “Turkey” under “Political & CivilUnrest.”

WILDFIRES, AUSTRALIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: Firefighters workedthroughout the night trying to contain alarge blaze in Victoria’s west. The fire,which began as three separate smallerfires yesterday, has burnt out more than2,600 hectares of bushland in the LittleDesert National Park. Department ofSustainability state fire co-ordinatorAndrew Graystone said fire crews hopedto contain the blaze before temperaturessoared later today. “There is still quite abit of work to do on this fire and weshould have a clearer picture at firstlight,” he said. “Overall we havecompleted 17 kilometres of control linesand there are a further four to complete

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Fires & Explosions

to have this fire contained.” The firebegan yesterday after a series oflightning strikes. Another 27 fires, alsostarted by lightning near Portland inthe state’s south-west, were containedyesterday. Mr Graystone said noprivate property has been threatened.He said reconnaissance flights thismorning would check whether anymore fires had been caused bylightning overnight.

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: Firefighters havecontained a large fire and a number ofsmall ones south of Casterton, near theborder between South Australia andVictoria. Police were forced to close theGlenelg Highway at Mount Gambieryesterday after the fires, thought undercontrol, jumped containment lines. Theblazes were caused by lightningstrikes. Victoria’s Country FireAuthority says 80 firefighters workedon about 27 blazes overnight to bringthem under control.

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: The Country FireService says two scrub fires have nowburned through more than 5,000hectares of the Ngarkat ConservationPark, in the upper south-east of SouthAustralia. One property at GermanSprings was threatened by fire lastnight, however CFS officer Leigh Millersays the blaze is mostly burning ininaccessible scrub. Mr Miller sayspredicted southerly winds should helpvolunteers contain the two fires.“Fortunately the fire weatherconditions aren’t very severe today,they’re much like they were yesterday,”he said. “So we run a fairly good chanceof bringing it under control provided wehave that concentrated effort in themorning. “The problem will be in theafternoon.”

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: Efforts continuedtoday to contain two fires burning inSouth Australia’s south-east, the resultof lightning strikes over the past 48hours. The Country Fire Service saidthe larger of the two fires was burningin an area known as Rabbit Island onthe southern boundary of the MountRescue Conservation Park. It hasdestroyed about 4,300 hectares ofnative scrub. The second fire has burntacross more than 1,600 hectares andwas burning in an area called JimmySprings on the northern edge of theMount Rescue park. The CFS saidgroundcrews worked through the nightto establish fire breaks in an effort toslow the fires and bring them undercontrol. It said the fires did not poseany threat to homes although peopletravelling in the area were advised todrive cautiously because of reducedvisibility from low lying smoke. CFSspokesman Brenton Ragless said localresidents should not be concerned bythe smoke haze created by the fires.“The CFS has been inundated withcalls from concerned residentsreporting the smoke in the belief that abushfire is burning in the direct area,but the community has been advisedthat this is not the case,” Mr Raglesssaid. “The CFS appreciates the reportof smoke sightings because it allows

firefighters to rapidly respond to anincident, but in this case we arereassuring the community that we areaware of the smoke and there is nofurther need to report it.”

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: Firefighters arestill battling two large blazes in theNgarkat Conservation Park in SouthAustralia’s south-east, more than 48hours after they were sparked bylightning. The Country Fire Servicesays about 14,000 hectares have beenrazed and firefighters are havingtrouble battling it because it is ininaccessible scrub. Water bombingaircraft are in the air and Country FireService spokesman Brenton Raglesssays a significant amount of smoke isbillowing from the area.

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Firefighters areinto their sixth day of battling a largeblaze in the Ngarkat ConservationPark in South Australia’s south-eastnear Tintinara that was sparked bylightning last Wednesday (Jan 26). TheSouth Australia Country Fire Service(CFS) says two separate fires have nowjoined together and more than 19,000hectares have now been burnt through.CFS spokeswoman Krista St John saysthe flames are now contained withinestablished firebreaks. “The area thefire’s burning in at present hasn’t beensubjected to fire since around 1961, sothere’s a reasonable amount of fuelthere,” she said. “The fire is sort ofnear some areas which burnt sort ofaround about 2003, so there is aconsiderable lesser amount ofvegetation in those areas to burn whichshould help.”

WILDFIRES, NEW ZEALANDLondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: A fire in one of NewZealand’s most significant wetlandareas has been contained but not beforedestroying some of the rare andvaluable plants and animals, theDepartment of Conservation says. Afire began about 1315 yesterday onKaimaumau Rd and by 2000 hrs haddestroyed 200ha of the DOC-ownedKaimaumau wetland reserve, about 24km north-west of Kaitaia. After battlingthe blaze for hours firefighters left thearea about 2000 hrs because of accessdifficulties, but foam and watercontinued to be dropped by helicopter,and DOC workers spent the nightfighting the fire. DOC Kaitaia’scommunity relations officer CarolynSmith told NZPA this morning the firehad been contained. “We have groundcrews mopping up, just hosing the areadown and working with hand tools,” shesaid. The extent of the damage was notyet known, she said. “The reserve is3000 ha and 200 ha have been burned,so it is a loss but in proportion. “Wewon’t know what the result is until aftereverything is settled down and we cango in and have a look.” Northland FireService volunteer support officer ColinKitchen said the cause of the blaze wasnot known but would be investigated.

London, Jan 30 — A press report,dated today, states: Some of NewZealand’s most endangered species may

have been wiped out as a fire burnedthrough bush just south of CapeReinga. The blaze, which began onFriday (Jan 28 )when a BMW car,driven by tourists, crashed down abank and caught fire, wiped out 230hectares of dry bush and scrub, home tosome of the world’s rarest plants andinvertebrates. It led to the evacuationof 36 campers from campgrounds andtourists from Cape Reinga. The roadnorth of Waitaki Landing was closedfor 24 hours while the fire was beingfought. Rare orchids, giant snails and aspecies of gecko were in the area thatwas destroyed in the blaze, which tookfirefighters more than a day to put out.Some of the species appear nowhereelse in the world. About 70 peoplefought the fire over two days until itburned out yesterday afternoon, afterjumping the road to farmland. Fivehelicopters with monsoon bucketsdoused the fire, while two bulldozersand a digger built firebreaks.

ACCIDENT, BRISBANE AIRPORT,AUSTRALIA

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: All f l ights atBrisbane Airport ground to a haltyesterday after a Heavy Lift 727 cargoaircraft skidded off the runway.Brisbane Airport spokesperson JimCarden said the aircraft had a crew ofthree on board but no cargo. “It rolledoff the runway at relatively lowspeeds,” Mr Carden said. The AirSafety Transport Bureau isinvestigating the cause of the accident,which is believed to be related tosteering equipment failure. Theaircraft was stuck for two hours andcaused some delays to passengerflights. Mr Carden said the incidenthighlighted the need for airports tohave the capacity to deal with suchevents. “Even the small accidents havemajor impact. Larger incidents havethe potential to cost the local economytens of millions,” he said. Heavy Liftwas unavailable for comment.

ACCIDENT, PODGORICA AIRPORT,SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

Bar, Jan 28 — At approximately 2330,Jan 25, a Montenegro Airlines aircraftFokker 100, Identification code: 11321,coming from Belgrade with 78passengers and a number of crewmembers on board, during landing atPodgorica Airport, slipped from therunway. After the accident, the firebrigade and a medical team attended,but no persons were injured. Theaircraft’s departure from Belgrade,scheduled for 1815 hrs was delayed to2200 hrs. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ACCIDENT, TETERBORO AIRPORT,NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A small jet skidded off

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Fires & Explosions/Aviation

the runway at Teterboro Airport today,crossing a highway during the morningrush hour before slamming into abuilding. A traffic helicopter pilot forNew York radio station WCBS said theaircraft went off the runway and brokethrough a fence. It appeared to strikeat least one car. Television reportsshowed smoke billowing from thebuilding and skid marks leading to thecrash site. Route 46 closed in bothdirections and broadcast reports saidthe airport, in the northern New Jerseysuburbs 12 miles from midtownManhattan, was closed.

C-GVVSLondon, Feb 2 — A press report, dated

today, states: One person was killedand another taken to a hospital after asingle-engine aircraft crashedyesterday evening about six miles froman airport, authorities said. Authoritiesdid not release the names of thedeceased passenger or the pilot, whowas taken to Brunswick CountyHospital. The aircraft, a Canadian-registered Cessna 210, crashed at 1850six miles north-east of the Ocean IsleAirport in Brunswick County, saidChristopher White, a spokesman forthe Federal Aviation Administration inAtlanta. The pilot contacted air trafficcontrollers in Myrtle Beach, S.C., andreported mechanical difficulty beforethe crash, he said. Civietown Fire ChiefJeff Sheetz, one of the first to arrive atthe scene, said the aircraft burst intoflames as he arrived. “He talked to us,he was conscious and alert,” Sheetzsaid of the aircraft. “We had to stophim from trying to go back to theaircraft to get his friend.” StateHighway Patrol 1st Sgt. J.O. Holmessaid the National TransportationSafety Board and the Federal AviationAdministration would investigate thecrash today.

London, Feb 2 — Cessna T210M(Centurion II), C-GVVS, crashed nearOcean Isle Beach, North Carolina, at2353, Feb 1, while on a flight to FortLauderdale, Florida. The aircraftsustained substantial damage. One ofthe two persons on board was killedand the other suffered minor injuries.

C-GZYYLondon, Jan 28 — Cessna 185F, C-

GZYY, with tundra tyres, was en routefrom Tillsonburg, Ontario to Moosonee,Ontario. About 10 miles west ofdestination the pilot deviated to have alook at a skidoo trail and camp. Thesky was overcast and the horizon wasobscured. As the aircraft wasmanoeuvring at low altitude the wheelscontacted the snow and the aircraftnosed down and overturned at 1500,EST, Jan 21. The aircraft wassubstantially damaged, however thepilot escaped without injury.

CRASH MOULAMEIN AREA, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: A pilot died whenhis helicopter crashed in a field insouthern New South Wales today.Rescue workers were called to aproperty 10km east of the rural town of

Moulamein, north-west of Deniliquin,after reports a Robo 22 helicopter hadcrashed, a NSW police spokeswomansaid. The pilot, who was the soleoccupant, was incinerated in the crash,which happened about 0800, AEDT.The cause of the crash remainedunclear. The man was yet to beidentified. Crime scene investigatorsand air traffic safety officers wereexpected to arrive at the scene shortly,the spokeswoman said.

CRASH, BAGHDAD AREA, IRAQLondon, Jan 31 — The BBC reported

today: An investigation has begun intoan air force Lockheed C-130J,Hercules, crash which killed at leastnine British soldiers in Iraq. The causeof yesterday’s crash was notimmediately clear, but wreckage wasspread over a large area. Militarysources say the death toll could rise to15 after the Hercules crashed 40kilometres (25 miles) north west ofBaghdad. The Hercules, based at RAFLyneham in Wiltshire, crashed in fineconditions at 1725, local time (1425UTC), en route from Baghdad to Balad,which houses one of the largest US airbases in Iraq. US and UK forcessecured the site of the crash, but theinvestigation could be difficult in thehostile territory. There are no Britishtroops usually based in Balad and thepurpose of the flight was unclear.

CRASH, GIBBSTON VALLEY, NEW ZEALAND

London, Jan 30 — A press report,dated today, states: Two men died in alight aircraft crash near Queenstown,yesterday. They were on a cannabisreconnaissance fl ight. Police haverevealed that a detective fromQueenstown was on board the aircraft,along with the pilot. The single-enginedCessna 172 went down in good weatherin the Gibbston Valley, just aftermidday yesterday. Police have nowrevealed it was on a routinereconnaissance flight, looking for plotsof cannabis. Accident inspectors are atthe scene today.

CRASH, HELSINKI AREA, FINLANDHelsinki, Feb 2 — A local press

report, states: Immediately after takingoff, a Cessna C208/L light aeroplane hitthe ground at Helsinki-Vantaa, on Jan31. The Swedish pilot remainedconscious and was taken to a hospitalin Helsinki. No other passengers wereon board the aeroplane owned bySwedish airline company, Nordflyg Ab.The aeroplane was carrying dentistequipment and took off at 1858 hrs,bound for Orebro, Sweden. Theweather was good when the accidenttook place. The traffic control alertedthe rescue department and cancelledthe air traffic during the search foraeroplane, which lasted about halfhour. A rescue department helicopterspotted the aeroplane at 1930 hrs, inHelsinki-Vantaa airport area.According to PR-manager ofIlmailulaitos, Annika Kalan, theaccident caused delays on Mondayevening. The air traffic was back inschedule by 1000 hrs. The cause of the

accident is still under investigation atthe accident research centre. — Lloyd’sAgents.

CRASH, IASI AREA, ROMANIALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: A mail planecrashed in northeastern Romania earlytoday, killing the two pilots on board,the local radio station Radio Totalreported. The plane was on its wayfrom the Romanian capital to Hungarywhen it crashed near the city of Iasi,400 km north of Bucharest, the radioquoted a local official as saying. Onlythe two pilots were reportedly onboard. It was snowing when theaccident occurred. No further detailswere available.

CRASH, KHARTOUM AREA,SUDAN

Khartoum, Feb 3 — A Sudanese cargoaircraft crashed outside the capitalKhartoum today, killing all seven crewmembers, Civil Aviation Minister AliTamim Fartak said. “It was a cargoplane coming with goods. Before itcould land in Khartoum it crashed...Seven crew members were killed — sixforeigners and one Sudanese,” he toldReuters. The foreigners were fromeastern Europe, he added. He said hecould not be more specific. The aircraft,coming from Sharjah in the UnitedArab Emirates and probably carryingaid, was due to land in Khartoumbefore heading on to Nyala in SouthDarfur state, he said. It belonged to aprivate Sudanese company called AirWest. he added. The aircraft crashed atabout 0900, local time, about 50 kmoutside the capital in the desert.Rescue and investigation teams are onthe site. — Reuters.

CRASH, KURATAU, LAKE TAUPO,NEW ZEALAND

London, Jan 27 — A press report,dated today, states: A light plane withfour people on board has crashed nearTaupo. Emergency services werealerted when distress beacons wereactivated early this afternoon. Thecrashed plane has been found atKuratau, on the west side of LakeTaupo. Police say all four people onboard have been found alive anduninjured.

CRASH, MENDOCINO COUNTY,CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: A pilot from thestate of Washington crashed into PineMountain in northern MendocinoCounty Tuesday (Jan 25), and veryluckily, walked away from asubstantially damaged aircraft withonly a broken wrist and some bruises.Pilot Rod Stimmel was flying fromRenton, Wash. to Lakeport in a 1962Beech 35 airplane owned by EmeraldCity Flight Service of Sammamish,Wash., when the plane crashed intoaround 1630 hrs. According to FAAspokesman Donn Walker, Stimmel wasin the process of diverting to the UkiahAirport when the four-to-six passengeraircraft, commonly known as aBeechcraft Bonanza, crashed. He was

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treated at Howard Memorial Hospitaland released. “The FAA contacted ushere at the Ukiah Airport, advisingus that a Beechcraft Bonanza was onthe instrument approach — meaningit was approaching the airport in theclouds using the instruments in thea ircra f t on ly — and dur ing theapproach the aircraft disappeared offtheir radar,” Ukiah Airport managerPaul Richey said yesterday. He saidthe FAA attempted to call Stimmelmultiple times but could not reachhim, so Ukiah Airport personnel wereasked to do a ramp search at theairport — which was unsuccessful.“Then about 1810 hrs, I got anotherphone call from the FAA advising usthe aircraft was confirmed down butthe pilot had survived,” Richey said.FAA investigators were at the crashscene yesterday. The cause of theacc ident has not yet beendetermined.

CRASH, MOUNT TAUPO, NEW ZEALAND

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Three people are deadafter a light aircraft crashed on Taupo’sMount Tauhara at noon, today. RescueCo-ordination Centre search and rescueofficer John Dickson said in astatement the aircraft had been on itsway from Kerikeri in the Bay of Islandsto Taupo when it crashed about twothirds of the way up the mountain inthick bush. A rescue helicopter went tothe site this afternoon with police andparamedics on board, but found nosurvivors, Mr Dickson said. He saidweather conditions were not good atthe time of the crash.

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Low cloud has forcedpolice to abandon attempts to removethe bodies of three people killed when alight plane crashed near Taupo. It hadbeen hoped to bring out the bodies oftwo tourists and the pilot beforenightfall, but the helicopter pilotattending the scene of the crash saysbad weather made that impossible. Thethree died when their Piper Seneca,owned by Christian Aviation, and enroute from Kerikeri to Taupo hit MtTauhara east of the town. The RescueCo-ordination Centre was alerted to theaccident when it received a distresssignal via satellite at about 1230 hrs,today. A rescue helicopter found thewreckage two thirds of the way up themountain. Helicopter pilot JohnFunnell says attempts to retrieve thebodies were abandoned because of theweather. Funnell says the bodies havebeen extracted from the wreckage andare ready for removal, which shouldtake place at first light tomorrow. Airaccident inspectors are expected to startsifting through the wreckage tomorrow.

CRASH, PHILLIP ISLANDAIRSTRIP, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

London, Feb 1 — A press report datedtoday, states: A light aircraft carryingthree people has crashed while landingat the Phillip Island airstrip off theVictorian coast this morning. Thelanding gear on the Mooney aircraftcollapsed causing it to skid before

coming to a halt just before 1000,AEDT. A pilot and his two passengerswalked away from the incidentunharmed. A spokesman for the PhillipIsland Aviation Centre says thepropeller hit the ground but theaircraft did not catch fire.

CRASH, TABRIZ INTERNATIONALAIRPORT, IRAN

London, Feb 3 — A press report, datedtoday, states: An aircraft, en route toVienna, Austria, from Karachi, viaIranian corridor crashed at TabrizInternational Airport yesterday.Director-General of the provincialAirports Affairs Office Ali Orang saidthe aircraft with six passengers andcrew had landed in Tabriz airport forrefueling but crashed upon take off.None of the passengers and the crewwere hurt. The Iranian official said theaircraft belonged to the German-basedInternational Air Ambulance Service,carrying two crew, the representative ofthe International Committee of the RedCross and an Australian girl patient aswell as two accompanying passengers.The technicians of Tabriz Airport alongwith representatives of the foreigncompany are now busy working toremove the technical fault of theaircraft, he said.

EMERGENCY LANDING, CAIRO AIRPORT, EGYPT

London, Jan 31 — A press report,dated today, states: Air France Boeing474 with 470 passengers aboard madean emergency landing in Cairo after itwas not allowed to touch down atParis ’s Charles de Gaulle airport.Officials at the French airport refusedto give the aircraft the greenlight dueto a navigation problem, RussianGazeta Ru agency reported. In Egypttwelve passengers were given first aidtreatment and the aircraft wasrefueled. The aircraft has headed forthe Belgian airport in Austin.

EMERGENCY LANDING,SCOTTSBLUFF, NEBRASKA,UNITED STATES

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated Jan 27, states: A Casino ExpressBoeing 737 with 119 passengers onboard made an emergency landing lastnight in Nebraska. Officials at WesternNebraska Regional Airport inScottsbluff said the aircraft lost an oilline, and one engine shut down. Theaircraft landed safely a little before1900, Mountain time, with crashemergency crews waiting but notneeded. Airport Manager DarwinSkelton said the aircraft was bound forElko, Nevada, from Cedar Rapids,Iowa. Another Casino Express aircraftwas sent to Scottsbluff to pick up thepassengers and fly them the rest of theway to Nevada.

EMERGENCY LANDING, STRAHANAREA, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Four New South Walestourists escaped injury today aftertheir seaplane was forced to make anemergency landing on water offTasmania’s west coast. The Cessna 185

was to take the tourists from thepopular tourist town of Strahan to StJohns Falls on the Gordon River, atrip which usually takes 90 minutes, aTasmania Police spokesman said. Butthe pilot of the aircraft, belonging tothe Strahan-based Wilderness Air,made a mayday cal l to StrahanMarine Radio at 1330, AEDT. Searchand Rescue in Canberra was notifiedand alerted Tasmania Police, who sentout a rescue helicopter with police anda paramedic on board. The helicopterspotted the a ircraf t , which hadlanded on the water, at 1445 hrs withthe passengers and pilot uninjured,the spokesman said. The plane hadexperienced engine trouble duringtake-off and the pilot immediatelyput the aircraft into the water, hesaid. Two yachts in the area took thetour ists and the p i lot back toStrahan.

F-GYPILondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: A Bell -3helicopter with six crew members wasdeclared missing in the south Perujungle, by the General CivilAeronautics Direction (DGAC),yesterday. The aircraft, belonging to acompany in charge of moving natural-gas in the Camisea deposits, lostcommunication with the baseyesterday when doing routineoperations near Apurimac River, in LaConvencion province. In addition to thepilot, there were five technicians onboard, who inspect the gas-pipelinewhich connects the northwestern partof the Andean department of Cusco tothe Peruvian coast. The police andrescue brigades are searching for thehelicopter and its occupants, localreports said.

Lima, Jan 28 — AS 350 (Ecureuil), F-GYPI, owned by Heliamerica, based inLima, was reported missing betweenCusco and Ayacucho in the South ofPeru with six persons on board. Theowners had hired the unit forsupervision work on the Camiseapipeline owned and operated byTransportadora de Gas del Peru (TGP).The helicopter was found yesterday inan inhospitable jungle zoneapproximately 40 kms from accessibleareas. Two of the occupants have diedand the remaining four including thepilot are reported to be seriouslyinjured. — Lloyd’s Agents.

FIRE ON AIRCRAFT, MALTA AIRPORT, MALTA

London, Feb 1 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Thirty-eight passengersand six cabin crew escaped unhurttoday when smoke started to billowfrom an Alitalia aircraft which was dueto take off at Malta InternationalAirport. The fire broke out at 1150,CET, and the captain first noticed itwhen the smoke started to billow fromthe engine. It was said that the smokecould have been coming from theengine and occurred due to a techincalfault. Firemen soon made the wholesituation safe once again. Alitalia saidthat the aircraft left later at 1315, CET,to Malpensa in Milan.

40


Aviation

N2882ALondon, Feb 1 — A press report, dated

Jan 31, states: A small aircraft crashedtoday near a private airstrip inAdelanto in San Bernardino County,killing the pilot, authorities said. TheCessna 180 crashed into a field shortlyafter noon while nearing the dirtairstrip, said Gary Mayer, operationsofficer for the Federal AviationAdministration in Seattle. “The pilotwas executing a low approach and lostcontrol,” Mayer said. The pilot’s namewas not immediately released. No oneelse was onboard and there were noother injuries. TV footage showed thewrecked aircraft upside down in thefield west of Highway 395. Adelanto islocated about 65 miles east-southeastof downtown Los Angeles.

London, Feb 1 — Cessna 180,N2882A, crashed near Adelanto,California, at 2019, Jan 31. Theaircraft sustained substantial damage.The one person on board was killed.

N351LGLondon, Jan 31 — Eurocopter AS

350B3 (Ecureuil), N351LG, crashednear Taos, New Mexico, at 0305, Jan30. The aircraft was destroyed. The twopersons on board were not injured.

N49BALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated Jan 26, states: Federalinvestigators said extremely dense fogand an apparent engine problem mayhave contributed to the crash of anEmbraer EMB-110P1 (Bandeirante)(N49BA) which killed a pilot inSwanzey this month. Douglas Nelson ofHampden, Maine, died when hisaircraft went down as he tried to landin thick fog at Dillant-Hopkins Airport.The National Transportation SafetyBoard is not making conclusions yet,but a preliminary report it releasedyesterday said fog was so dense a policeofficer reported he could see less than15 feet. It also suggests one of theaircraft’s two engines was shut downwhen it crashed. Nelson had beenrerouted to Swanzey because theweather was too bad for him to land atManchester.

N8526MLondon, Jan 28 — A press report,

dated Jan 27, states: The pilots of a USAir Force T37 training jet saw a cropduster moments before the two aircraftcollided 5,000 feet above rural south-western Oklahoma on Jan 18, theNational Transportation Safety Boardsaid today in a preliminary report onthe fatal crash. Killed in the accidentwas Dierk Nash, 39, who was flying theAir Tractor 502B (N8526M) crop dusterfrom its manufacturer in Olney, Texas,to a buyer in Huron, South Dakota. Thepreliminary report l isted no exactcause for the collision, and officials saidthe investigation could take months tocomplete. Flight instructor Capt.Christopher S. Otis was piloting theAir Force training jet at the time andnoticed the bright yellow Air Tractorout of the far right corner of his eye asthe two aircraft were travelling at5,000 feet, according to the NTSB

report. A few moments later the cropduster was heading toward the rightside of the training jet, according to aninterview with student pilot 2nd LtRoderick V. James. The Air Force pilotssaid they felt a spinning motion andinverted rolling before they ejectedfrom the aircraft. Their aircraftplummeted into an open field nose firstbefore catching fire. Nash’s aircraftcame down a few feet away and caughtfire. James suffered minor injuries,Otis was uninjured. Nash, a farmerand crop duster pilot from Wheatley,Arkansas, had been flying in airspacecommonly used by pilots at SheppardAir Force Base for military trainingexercises. Nash was not required to filea flight plan and his aircraft was notequipped with a radio or a radarreceiver or transmitter, according tothe NTSB report. Air Tractor personnelsaid Nash had a hand-held radioaircraft transmitter and a hand-heldglobal positioning system unit when heleft the airport at about 1100 hrs.

N911AELondon, Jan 31 — Learjet 35A,

N911AE, ran off the runway at KansasCity, Missouri, at 0417, Jan 29. Theaircraft sustained substantial damage.The two persons on board were notinjured.

BMW MOTOR VEHICLES, WORLD-WIDE

London, Feb 2 — A press report,dated Feb 1, states: BMW is to recallall cars equipped with a faulty dieselfuel-injection pump supplied by partsmaker Robert Bosch. The companysaid the faulty part does not representa safety risk and the recall only affectspumps made in December andJanuary. BMW added that it was tooearly to say how many cars wereaffected or how much the recall wouldcost . The German company is toextend a planned production break atone of its plants due to the faultyBosch part. The Dingolfing site willnow be closed all next week instead offor just two days. The addit ionalthree-day stoppage wil l mean aproduction loss of up to 3,600 vehicles,BMW said, adding that i t wasconfident i t could make up thenumbers later. Bosch has stoppedproduction of the part but expects torestart tomorrow. The faultycomponent does not represent a safetyrisk but causes the motor to stall aftera significant amount of mileage. Audiand Mercedes Benz were also suppliedwith the defective diesel fuel-injectionpumps but neither of them have torecall any vehicles. A spokesman forDaimlerChrysler, parent company ofMercedes Benz, said it will howeverhave to halt some production. It is toclose the Mercedes factory inSindelfingen on Monday and Tuesday.

Audi said i t had been hit byproduction bott lenecks, due to ashortage of unaffected Bosch parts.

BMW MOTOR VEHICLES,WORLDWIDE

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Bayerische MotorenWerke AG said it has raised its recallestimate to 21,500 vehicles from about13,000 that were said yesterday to beaffected by faulty diesel fuel pumpssupplied by Robert Bosch GmbH. Acompany spokesman said about 6,000of these vehicles are in Germany.

CHAMOIS BLANKETS, UNITED STATES

Washington, DC, Jan 24 — The U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commissionannounces the recall of about 92,000Chamois Blankets in voluntary co-operation with Pottery Barn Kids, ofSan Francisco, Calif. Consumers shouldstop using recalled productsimmediately unless otherwiseinstructed. The decorative stitching onthe blanket’s edge can come loose,allowing a child to become entangled inthe yarn. This poses a strangulationhazard to young children. Pottery BarnKids has received four reports ofincidents involving the decorativestitching coming loose. No injuries havebeen reported. This recall involveschildren’s chamois blankets made of100% polyester. The blankets were soldin yellow, pink, blue and green, and thereverse side of all the blankets arewhite. Decorative yarn in acoordinating color is stitched aroundthe blanket ’s edge. The blanketmeasures 30-inches wide by 40-incheslong and are labeled for stroller use. Alabel on the blanket reads “potterybarn kids” and “Made in Korea.” Soldat Pottery Barn Kids’ stores nation-wide, through the Pottery Barn catalog,and PotteryBarnKids.com fromDecember 2002 through December2004 for about $30. Manufactured inKorea. Consumers can remove thedecorative stitching or contact PotteryBarn Kids for information on how toreceive a replacement or refund. —Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ELECTRONIC AIR CLEANERS,UNITED STATES

Washington, DC, Jan 24 — The U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commissionannounces the recall of about 67,000Aprilaire Electronic Air Cleaners involuntary co-operation with ResearchProducts Corp., of Madison, Wis.Consumers should stop using recalledproducts immediately unless otherwiseinstructed. The air cleaner ’s plasticinner housing and filter are not flame-resistant. If electrical arcing occurs inthe cleaner, a fire can develop. Thisposes a risk of burn injuries andproperty damage. Research Productshas received six reports of f iresinvolving these air cleaners. Noinjuries were reported. The recallinvolves all Aprilaire Model 5000Electronic Air Cleaners. The aircleaners are almond colored, andlocated near the heating and coolingequipment. An identification label on

41


Aviation/Product Recalls

the access door reads “Aprilaire Model5000.” Sold by independent HVACdealers nation-wide from June 2000through December 2004 for aninstalled price of about $800.Manufactured in United States.Consumers should immediately turnoff the unit or unplug it. Consumersalso should contact Research ProductsCorp. to receive a free repair kitcontaining the flame-retardant innerhousing and f i lter. — ConsumerProduct Safety Commission.

FORD MOTOR VEHICLES, CANADA AND UNITED STATES

London, Jan 28 — A press report,dated today, states: Ford Motor Co. ofCanada Ltd. is recalling about 38,600vehicles to replace speed controlswitches because of fire risks. Companyspokesperson John Jelinek saidyesterday the recall involves 2000model year F-150 pickups, Expeditionand Navigator sport-utility vehiclesand 2001 F-Series Supercrew trucksthat have the cruise control option.Overheating of the speed controlswitches may spark fires under thehoods of vehicles, according to thecompany. Ford will notify customers sothe company can disable the switchesand will contact them again when partsbecome available for replacement. Thecompany is recalling about 754,000vehicles in the United States. Jelineksaid Ford has not received any reportsof fires in Canada but there have been63 alleged fires related to the switch inthe U.S. One person may have beeninjured there.

HONDA MOTOR VEHICLES, JAPANLondon, Feb 3 — A press report, dated

today, states: Honda Motor Co saidyesterday it will recall about 93,000 Fitsubcompact cars because their brakelamps may not work. The cars inquestion were produced between Juneand December last year, Honda said ina report to the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure and Transport.

HONDA MOTORCYCLES, JAPANLondon, Jan 26 — A press report,

dated today, states: Honda Motor Cosaid yesterday it will recall about 1,600motorcycles in three models for freereplacement of defective brakes. Therecall applies to 908 motorbikes madeby Honda between January 2002 andMay 2004 and 700 assembled by Hondaof America Manufacturing Inc betweenAugust 2002 and March 2004, thecompany said in a report to theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport.

NISSAN MOTOR VEHICLES,JAPAN

London, Feb 2 — A press report, datedtoday, states: Nissan Motor Co saidyesterday it will recall a total of184,315 minivans, cars and stationwagons free of charge to f ix theirmufflers and mechanisms to limit theemissions of carbon monoxide. Subjectto the recall are the Liberty, Presage,Basara, Serena minivans, the BluebirdSylphy sedan, the Wingroad and Avenirstation wagons, as well as the Primera

sedan and station wagon manufacturedbetween Jan 11, 2002, and May 24,2004.

OIL-FILLED ELECTRIC HEATERS,UNITED STATES

Washington, DC, Jan 26 — The U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commissionannounces the recall of 70,000 Model5101 oil-filled electric radiator heatersin voluntary co-operation withLakewood Engineering & Mfg. Co., ofChicago, Ill.Consumers should stopusing recalled products immediatelyunless otherwise instructed. Welds canrupture, expelling hot oil that can burnnearby consumers. Lakewood is awareof 28 reports of incidents, including oneburn injury from spewing oil . Anadditional 14 heaters with rupturedwelds have been returned to Lakewood.The recalled heaters are portableelectric radiator-style heaters with sixfins, one of which has the control panelattached to it. The units are grayish-white in color and have the name“Lakewood” printed below the handleindentation on the control panel. Themodel number “5101” is printed on theUL label on the lower right side of thecontrol panel. Sold at retailers nation-wide, including Wal-Mart and AceHardware, from August 2004 throughNovember 13, 2004 for between $34and $40. Manufactured in UnitedStates. Consumers should immediatelystop using these heaters, unplug themand contact Lakewood to determine iftheir heater is part of the recall .Lakewood will provide a freereplacement heater to each consumerwho has a recalled heater. — ConsumerProduct Safety Commission.

Bucharest, Jan 31 — Due to badweather, wind north-north-eastBeaufort 7-8 (near gale-gale), sea 5-6feet. Constantza port was closed at0605, Jan 30 and was reopened at0600, today. Midia port was closed at2115, Jan 30 and was reopened at 0715,today. Mangalia port was closed at1100, Jan 29 and was reopened at 0745,today. Sulina channel was closed at1000, Jan 29 due to bad weather andwas reopened at 1000, today. — Lloyd’sAgents.

TRAMPOLINES, UNITED STATES AND CANADA

London, Jan 25 — A press report,dated today, states: Jumpking Inc. isrecalling about one million trampolinesand nearly 300,000 trampolineenclosures after receiving reports ofinjuries including lacerations and aconcussion, the Consumer ProductSafety Commission said today. Weldson the trampoline frame can break, andthe mounting brackets on the“FunRing” enclosures have sharp edgesthat can cut skin, the commission said.The Mesquite, Texas-based companyhas received 47 reports of weldsbreaking, which resulted in at least 21injuries. Sharp edges on the enclosurescaused at least a dozen injuries,including nine serious lacerations, theCPSC said. The 14- and 15-foottrampolines, sold alone and with theenclosures, have eight legs that fit intoperpendicular sockets welded to the top

rails. The recall does not includetrampolines with weldless sockets thatfit over the connecting top rail pieces.The recalled enclosures have verticalpoles connected at the top by arches.The two products, manufactured in theUnited States and China, were soldtogether at discount department andtoy stores nationwide and in Canadafrom July 1999 to December 2003 for$350 to $450. Sold separately untilFebruary 2004, the trampolines cost$180 to $220, and the enclosures wentfor $150 to $250.

KENYALondon, Jan 27 — A press report,

dated today, states: The containerterminal at Mombasa Port was filledto capacity yesterday, threatening toground operations. Major port userswarned that the port could attracthuge vessel delay surcharges (VDS)following the crisis that started withthe arrest of port chiefs two weeksago. The Kenya Ships AgentsAssociation (Ksaa) and KenyaInternational Freight andWarehousing Association (Kifwa)off icials said the decision makingprocess on key container terminaloperations had been impaired. In ajoint statement, Kifwa nationalchairman Mr Joseph Ng’etich andKsaa national chairman, Mr IssaMuslim, said the arrest of the topKenya Ports Authority (KPA)managers had paralysed operations.They said the move resulted in a pileup of cargo at the container terminal.Currently, they protested, 8,000 20ftequivalent units (TEUS) of importedcontainers are lying at the port ,adding that more containers werearriving. “Crit ical decis ions arerequired in order to avoid the disasterof congestion in the port. This mightlead to VDS in not too distant future,”they warned. The port chiefs werearrested over the handling of acontainer with cocaine worth Sh6.4billion at the port. Meanwhile, MrBrown Ondego, the embattled KPAmanaging director, is expected toresume duty this week. Port officialsconfirmed yesterday that five seniorKPA managers arrested alongsideOndego had already resumed work.Ondego was released after spending anight in Nairobi police cells, while theother senior officers were freed lastFriday (Jan 21). Sources at port saidthose arrested with Ondego but freedlast Friday resumed their duties onMonday (Jan 24). They are harbourmaster and chief operations managerCaptain Twalib Khamis, containerterminal manager Mr Akida Jeruman,chief security of f icer SylvesterNdongole , veri f ication of f icer MrCharles Mageta and port operationsconsultant Mr Calvin Otory. Mr Otoryis a key figure in port operations as he

t

42


Product Recalls/Port Conditions

Port Delays

Country/Port Date of report No.of vessels waiting and/or days delay

AustraliaAbbott Point 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: 1 vessel berthed, 1 anchored; 8 vessels due by 19/2; up to 2 days berthing delay expected

subject to cargo availability and berth congestion.Brisbane 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Grain: 2 vessels due by 9/2, both to load wheat; up to 2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and

cargo availability. Coal: Fisherman Island coal berth: 1 vessel berthed; 4 vessels due by 12/2; no delays expected.

Dalrymple Bay 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: 3 vessels berthed, 39 anchored; 43 vessels due by 27/2. Up to 20 days berthing delay subject to cargo availability and berth congestion.

Dampier 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Iron ore: Parker Point: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 3 anchored; 8 vessels due by 15/2; 1-7 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; a 3 day maintenance shutdown is in progress; East Intercourse Island: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 1 anchored; 11 vessels due by 17/2; up to 6 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; shippers will always consider a shift to a lay-by berth for loaded vessels awaiting HW; shippers are experiencing cargo shortages of some grades and stockpile problems; some vessels will berth out of turn and berthing line-up may change at short notice.

Esperance 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Grain: 3 vessels due by 15/2, 1 to load barley, 2 wheat; 1-5 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.Iron ore: 2 vessels due by 3/2; up to 2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Geraldton 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Grain: 4 vessels due by 14/2, 2 to load wheat, 2 barley; up to 3 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Gladstone 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: R.G. Tanna coal terminal: 1 vessel berthed, 7 anchored; 30 vessels due by 27/2; up to 6 days berthing delay expected subject to port congestion and cargo availability. Barney Point: 1 vessel berthed, 1 anchored; 10 vessels due by 2/3; up to 2 days delay expected due to cargo availability and berth congestion.

Hay Point 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: 2 vessels berthed, 3 anchored; 8 vessels due by 11/2. Up to 2 days berthing delay expected subject

to cargo availability and berth congestion.

Newcastle 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: Kooragang 4, 5 and 6: 3 vessels berthed, 4 anchored; 38 vessels due by 20/2; Dykes 4+5:

2 vessels berthed, 4 anchored; 16 vessels due by 21/2; no unallocated vessels; 3-6 days delay expected

prior to berthing due to planned maintenance at Kooragang terminal and cargo receival.Grain: Six vessels

due by 10/2, all to load wheat; 1-4 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Port Adelaide 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Grain: No. 27 berth: 6 vessels due by 21/2, 2 to load wheat, 3 barley, 1 malt; no delays expected.

Port Hedland 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Iron ore: BHP Iron Ore Pty. Ltd., Mt. Newman (Nelson Point), “A” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading,

2 anchored; 3 vessels due by 6/2; 2-4 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability;

“B” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 2 anchored; 6 vessels due by 8/2; up to 4 days delay expected due

to berth congestion and cargo availability; BHP Iron Ore Pty. Ltd., Goldsworthy (Finucane Island) “C”

berth: 2 vessels due by 4/2; no delays expected; Westyard “D” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 3

anchored; 3 vessels due by 3/2; 1-4 days delay expected due to berth congestion, maintenance shutdowns

and cargo availability.

Port Kembla 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Coal: 12 vessels due by 26/2; CB-1: 1 vessel due 3/2; up to 1 day’s delay expected due to berth

congestion and cargo availability. Grain: 5 vessels due by 17/2, 3 to load canola, 2 wheat; up to 3 days

delay expected.

Port Walcott 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 Iron ore: 2 vessels berthed and loading, 4 anchored; 8 vessels anchored; 15 vessels due by 25/2; up to 3

days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability. On or about 21/2, shippers intend to

replace approx. 6 km of conveyor belting. The berth is expected to be out of service for approx. 7 days.

Every effort will be made to ensure that vessels berth in order of arrival; however, due to product

constraints, this may not be possible. Shippers advise that stores, air freight and crew baggage can no

longer be delivered to vessels or taken off at berth. With immediate effect, all stores, airfreight and bags

must be delivered/removed by launch.

Portland 31 Jan-02Feb-2005 One vessel due 2/2 to load wood-chips; no delays expected.

BrazilParanagua 01 Feb-2005 Seventeen vessels berthed of which 2 sugar loaders, 3 fertiliser dischargers, 2 reefer loaders, 3 pellets

loaders, 5 other loaders, 2 container dischargers; 16 vessels waiting in roads, of which 15 to load (2

pellets, 1 sugar, 12 others), 1 to discharge fertiliser; 34 vessels due over the next 7 days.

supervises cargo documentation andlinks up KPA management and portstakeholders while Mr Mageta takescare of cargo verification. Ondego andthe rest of the officials were arrested

and released and ordered to report tothe Criminal InvestigationsDepartment (CID) headquarters inNairobi every week on different datesand times.

SYRIALattakia, Jan 15 — Waiting time is

presently 24 hours at Lattakia and 48hours at Tartous. — Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

43


Port Conditions

Rio Grande 01 Feb-2005 Six vessels berthed of which 1 potassium chloride loader, 2 wheat loaders/dischargers, 1 rice loader, 1 soya oil loader, 1 petroleum discharger; 7 vessels waiting in roads; 38 vessels due over the next 10 days.

Santos 01 Feb-2005 Twenty vessels berthed of which 1 Ro/Ro, 1 bulk fuel oil loader, 1 gasoline loader, 4 chemical products loaders/dischargers, 6 sugar loaders, 1 bulk wheat discharger, 1 bulk citrus juice loader, 2 bulk salt dischargers, 1 full container loader/discharger, 1 bulk pellets loader, 1 bulk fertiliser discharger; 16 vessels waiting in roads; 120 vessels due over the next 7 days; Private terminals: Terminal 37: no vessels; Tecondi: 1 full container loader; Termares: 1 other loader; Rodrimar: 2 full container loaders; Cosipa: 1 bulk coal loader; Ultrafertil: no vessels; Cargill: no vessels; Santos Brasil: no vessels; Cutrale: 1 bulk pellets loader; Dow: no vessels.

Sao Sebastiao 01 Feb-2005 Three vessels berthed, 3 waiting in roads; 12 vessels due over the next 10 days.Vitoira 01 Feb-2005 No vessels berthed; Terminal Vila Velha: 1 container loader/discharger, 1 cellulose loader; Tubarao: 3

iron ore loaders, 1 fertiliser discharger, 1 malt discharger; Praia Mole: 3 steel products loaders; Portocel: no vessels; Ubu: 2 iron ore loaders; 18 vessels waiting in roads; 12 vessels due over the next 7 days.

Bulgaria Bourgas 31 Jan-2005 Eleven vessels in port operating, of which 10 loading (1 bulk ammonium nitrate, 2 concrete/iron, 4 coils,

1 barley, 1 sunflower seeds, 1 empty), 1 vessel discharging coal; 5 vessels waiting in roads, of which 4 to load (1 cigarettes, 1 coils, 1 sunflower seeds, 1 empty), 1 to discharge iron ore; 14 vessels due, of which 7to load (1 scrap, 1 copper anodes, 1 coils, 1 lead, 3 containers), 7 to discharge (3 containers, 1 LAB, 1 coal, 1 iron ore, 1 billets).

ChileValparaiso 31 Jan-2005 Four vessels berthed, 4 berths vacant; 2 vessels anchored; 15 vessels due this week.

Egypt Alexandria 31 Jan-2005 Thirty-two vessels berthed (loading/discharging), of which 26 general cargo, 3 bulk carriers, 1 tanker, 1

containers, 1 passenger vessel; 14 vessels dry-docked; 19 vessels at inner anchorage, 4 at outer anchorage.

Damietta 31 Jan-2005 Seventeen vessels berthed (loading/discharging), of which 12 general cargo, 2 bulk carriers, 3 containers; 5 vessels at outer anchorage, 1 at inner anchorage.

Suez Canal 31 Jan-2005 Thirty vessels transiting Northbound, 19 Southbound.

IsraelAshdod 01 Feb-2005 No labour problems. Nine vessels loading at berth (7 general cargo, 2 bulkers), 13 vessels dis

charging at berth (8 general cargo, 5 bulkers), 4 vessels loading/discharging at berth (3 containers, 1 car carrier); 1 bulker waiting at anchorage to load, 3 vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (2 general cargo, 1 bulker), 4 vessels waiting at anchorage to load/discharge (2 containers, 2 tankers); 1 vessel under repairs/dry-docked, 1 awaiting orders; 21 vessels due, with 2-3 days delay expected.

Haifa 01 Feb-2005 No labour problems. Four vessels loading at berth (2 general cargo, 2 bulkers), 9 vessels discharging at berth (5 general cargo, 4 bulkers), 9 vessels loading/discharging at berth (6 containers, 1 car carrier, 2 tankers); 3 bulkers waiting at anchorage to load, 4 vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (1 general cargo, 3 bulkers); 2 vessels under repairs/dry-docked, 1 awaiting orders; 25 vessels due, with 2-3 days delay expected.

PakistanKarachi 01 Feb-2005 Three vessels loading at berth (1 rice, 1 naphtha, 1 MOL), 4 discharging at berth (1 tallow, 1

chemicals, 1 general cargo, 1 phosphorus), 3 loading and discharging containers; 2 vessels waiting at anchorage to load containers, 5 waiting at anchorage to discharge (2 container, 1 crude oil, 1 fuel oil, 1 MEG); 5 vessels due (4 container, 1 general cargo), with no delays expected.

Port Qasim 01 Feb-2005 Fourteen vessels discharging at berth (11 ore, 1 wheat, 2 palm oil); Fourteen vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (11 ore, 1 MEG, 1 prxyline, 1 fuel oil); QICT berth: 1 container vessel.

Poland Gdansk 31 Jan-2005 Four vessels loading at berth (2 coal, 2 bulkers), 3 discharging at berth (2 bulkers, 1 general

cargo); 8 vessels under repairs/dry-docked; no vessels waiting at anchorage; 1 bulker waiting in roads; 23 vessels due.

Gdynia 31 Jan-2005 One general cargo vessel loading at berth, 3 vessels discharging at berth (1 general cargo, 1 grain, 1 coal); 10 vessels under repairs/dry-docked; no vessels waiting at anchorage, none waiting in roads; 36 vessels due.

44


Port Conditions

RussiaNovorossiysk 31 Jan-2005 Seventeen vessels in port operating, all loading, of which 2 bulk ammonium nitrate, 1 WRIC, 1

bulk cement, 1 HBI, 1 scrap, 1 steel billets, 1 steel billets/coils/WRIC/steel sheets, 1 opper/vehicles, 1 lead, 1 zinc/lead, 1 pipes, 1 copper, 1 cellulose, 1 equipment, 1 barley, 1 UAN solution; 7 vessels waiting in roads, all to load, of which 1 steel billets/other/equipment, 1 bulk NPK, 1 wheat, 1 equipment, 2 coils, 1 bulk cement; 90 vessels due, of which 83 to load (2 HBI, 3 DRI, 10 coils, 11 aluminium, 3 slabs, 2 zinc/lead, 2 zinc, 6 bulk NPK, 6 copper, 2 wheat, 1 onions, 1 sodium sulphate/WRIC/coils, 1 ammonium sulphate, 1 bulk am monium nitrate, 3 bulk urea, 1 diesel oil, 1 copper/coils, 1 steel billets/slabs, 5 steel billets, 4 pipes, 1 slabs/coils, 1 steel sheets, 1 coils/steel billets, 4 WRIC, 1 WRIC/pipes/steel billets, 6 pig-iron, 1 scrap, 1 bulk cement, 1 equipment), 4 to discharge (2 construction materials, 1 sugar, 1 non-ferrous metals), 3 to discharge/load containers. Oil terminal: 3 tankers berthed, all loading crude oil; 7 tankers in roads, all to load, of which 6 crude oil, 1 fuel oil; 13 tankers due, all to load, of which 11 crude oil, 2 fuel oil.

Tuapse 31 Jan-2005 Oil products: 3 vessels berthed, 2 loading gasoil, 1 naphtha; 1 vessel in roads to load crude oil; 6 vessels due by 4/2, of which 1 fuel oil, 3 gasoil, 1 crude oil, 1 naphtha.

Spain Cadiz 01 Feb-2005 Fourteen vessels in port of which 5 operating (3 Ro/Ros, 1 wheat, 1 cement), 9 vessels under repair; no

delays.Sagunto 01 Feb-2005 Sixteen vessels in port operating of which 10 discharging steel products, 1 loading bulk fertiliser, 4

Ro/Ros discharging/loading general cargo, 1 vessel loading/discharging steel products; no vessels outsidecommercial wharf; 4 days berthing delay at present.

Ukraine Illichevsk 31 Jan-2005 Ten vessels in port operating, of which 6 loading steel products, 3 discharging ore, 1 discharging/loading

containers; 7 vessels in roads of which 5 to load (1 ferrous metals, 1 equipment, 3 steel products), 2 to discharge/load containers; 17 vessels due, of which 15 to load (1 oil, 14 steel products), 2 to discharge (1 barley, 1 slabs).

Mariupol 31 Jan-2005 Fifteen vessels in port operating, all loading, of which 7 steel, 1 fire-clay, 2 coal, 1 coke, 2 bartley, 1 ammonium saltpetre, 1 sulphur; 11 vessels in roads, of which 10 to load (6 steel, 1 fire-clay/containers, 1 sulphur, 1 coal, 1 sunflower beans), 1 to discharge/load containers/pipes; 37 vessels due, of which 34 to load (19 steel, 5 coal, 6 fire-clay, 2 sulphur, 2 barley), 3 to discharge (1 magnetite, 1 foodstuffs, 1 equipment).

Odessa 31 Jan-2005 Twenty-one vessels in port operating, of which 15 loading (8 metal, 1 wood/metal, 1 wood/sugar, 1 wood/sugar/citrus, 1 scrap, 1 ore, 1 wheat, 1 corn), 3 discharging (2 citrus, 1 luggage), 2 discharging/ loading containers, 1 passenger vessel; 8 vessels in roads, of which 4 to load (2 metal, 1 scrap, 1 wheat), 1 to discharge citrus, 3 to load/discharge containers; 60 vessels due, of which 42 to load (31 metal, 3 pig-iron, 5 corn, 1 grain, 1 barley, 1 wheat), 4 to discharge (2 oil, 1 iron ore, 1 general cargo), 14 to discharge/load containers.

United States Columbia River 01 Feb-2005 Columbia River draft advisory: Maximum permissible deep draft is 40 ft. 0 ins.Galveston, TX 01 Feb-2005 No new restriction in draft (normal 39 ft. 6 ins. max. channel draft reported – 40 ft. 0 ins. with ideal

conditions). Channel open under normal traffic. ADM-Farmland terminal: 1-2 days delay expected.Houston, TX 01 Feb-2005 Normal 40 ft. 0 ins. max. channel draft reported. Channel re-opened to all traffic. LDC Dreyfus

terminal: no delays expected; Cargill terminal: 2-3 days delay expected. Kalama, WA 01 Feb-2005 Kalama export terminal: 6 days delay expected; United Harvest terminal: 1 day’s delay expected. New Orleans 01 Feb-2005 Mississippi River terminal berthing delays:Cenex-Harstates/Myrtle Grove: 3 days delay expected.

Cargill-Westwego: 3 days delay expected.ADM/Ama: 10-12 days delay expected.Bunge/Destrehan: 6 days delay expected.ADM/ Destrehan: 10-12 days delay expected.ADM/Reserve: 10-12 days delay expected.Cargill/Reserve: 3 days delay expected. Peavey/Paulina: 1 day’s delay expected.Zen-Noh/Convent: 2 days delay expected. Cargill/Baton Rouge: no delays expected. Mississippi River mid-stream buoys - estimated berthing delays based on new vessel presented as load-ready and weather permitting: Mile 121.5 ADM (Gemini) - Destrehan: 4 days delay expected; Mile 158.0 Cargill (K2) - Convent: no delays expected; Mile 180.0 Cooper (America) - Darrow: 2 days delay expected. Fifteen-day forecast for Carrolton Gauge/New Orleans: expected to decrease to 13.8 ft. by 10/2/05 Mississippi River recommended draft restrictions: SW Pass to Pilottown - 47 ft. for all vessels; Pilottown to Nola – 47 ft. for all vessels;New Orleans (Mile 233.5) to mile 180 in. -45 ft. for all vessels (vessels with drafts up to 47 ft. have been handled but are approved by pilots on a case-by-case basis based on current river conditions);Note: Motiva Convent dock no.1 is restricted to a maximum draft of 38 ft, (fw) until dredging is completed. Dock no. 2 is restricted to 30 ft, (fw); Mississippi River Gulf outlet: 31 ft. for all vessels;

45


Port Conditions

Portland, OR 01 Feb-2005 Grain terminal: 1 day’s delay expected; CLD Irving terminal: 1 day’s delay expected; CLD, O Dock terminals: no delays expected.

Seattle, WA 01 Feb-2005 Louis Dreyfus (Pier 86) terminal: 2 days delay expected.Tacoma, WA 01 Feb-2005 Temco terminal: 2 days delay.

46


Port Conditions

Published by Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit, part of T&F Informa plc, Sheepen Place, Colchester, Essex CO3 3LP.

Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit does not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, nor acceptresponsibility for errors or omissions or their consequences.

Copyright © Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit, part of T&F Informa plc 2005. This casualty information is copyright. Unauthorisedcopying prohibited by law.

ISSN 0047 4908

If subscribers wish to purchase records for networkable or shared use within their company they can contact Andrew Luxton on +44 (0) 20 7017 4625.

Lloyd's is the registered trade mark of the Society incorporated by the Lloyd's Act 1871 by the name of Lloyd's

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