Casualty Week Sep 24 - Dione - UniPi

September 24 2004

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

Pirate raiders thwartedby quick-thinking tanker

crews

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]

TWO oil tankers were ableto frustrate at temptedpirate attacks in separate

incidents in Indonesian waterslast week , the latest p iracyround-up from theInternational Maritime Bureaureports.

But , accord ing to de ta i l spublished by the IMB yesterday,these were just two of the six piracyoutrages against merchant shippingworldwide in the last week.

In the f irst case, three armedpirates boarded an unnamed vesselat Dumai at 0335 LT on Monday,and threatened some of the crewwith knives.

Crew members rall ied to theirdefence, causing the assailants toflee empty-handed.

The second case occurred lastSaturday, when pirates driving twospeedboats a t tempt to board aproduct tanker.

Accord ing to the IMB, theinc ident occurred in the GelasaStraits at around 1030 LT.

The ship’s duty officer raised thea larm and took evas ivemanoeuvres, causing the pirates toabort their plans.

On the same day in Malaysia, abulk carrier at anchorage off Manisin Sarawak was boarded at around0330 LT by a single robber armedwith a knife, who seems too haveclimbed up the anchor chain.

Once aga in the duty o f f i cerraised the alarm and the robberescaped empty handed in a waitingboat.

Armed

Two piracy incidents were alsorecorded in Jamaica. At 0300 LT onFriday last week, six robbers armedwith guns , knives and crowbarsboarded a vessel at Port Esquivelinner anchorage.

The team managed to break intothe forward lockers and steal someof the ship’s stores. When the crewwere mustered the pirates made ofin a motor boat.

In a separate attack five piratesarmed with guns boarded a boxshipin Kingston last Wednesday.

The a t tackers broke in to thevesse l ’s cargo ho ld and forwardlocker and again stole ship’s stores.

The crew managed to raise thea larm. But when the masterreported the matter to the port

authority and the coast guard, hereportedly received no response.

The final case reported by theIMB took place at Chittagong Roadsin Bangladesh on Thursday.

In this inc ident , n ine robbersarmed wi th kn ives boarded asupply ship which was at the timetowing another vessel.

Fought

The crew mustered and foughtthe robbers using hand flares andaxes. None of the crew were injuredas a result.

Never the less , the c r imina lssucceeded in s tea l ing f rom thestores before fleeing.

The master informed the portauthority, and a naval vessel wassent to investigate.

While the IMB is easily the mostdetailed source of information onpiracy incidents, maritime securitysources fear that many more casesare going unreported, and that theweekly round-up is just the tip ofthe iceberg.

David OslerLloyd’s List Editorial

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

(ii)

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

Vessel Type Flag Class G T DWT Blt Casualty

CHRISTINE trawler DNK — — — — Sank after being contacted by mv Pioner Belorussii north of Thorup Beach, betweenHantsholm and Hirtshals, Sep 11. Three of the 4 crew rescued.

HIGH chem/oli LBR (AB) 28,300 45,600 2004 In collision with cc Merkur Bridge near Johore ENDURANCE carrier Sep 15 Caught fire in engineroom, small hole

in port quarter. Tug on scene and fire extinguished same day. At anchor off Johore.

LUCKY LADY crude oil MLT LR 51,807 88,272 1981 Touched bottom while approaching Cilacap tanker Sep 10. Underwater damage, some leakage of

cargo of oil. Berthed safely at Cilacap same day for diver inspection. Most cargo removed by Sep 16.

MAANAV STAR general IND BV 1,175 2,099 1981 Grounded on beach about 3 miles E of Rye Sep 11. Small amount of water washed into engine-room by high seas. Salvors on scene. Refloating attempt Sep 16 unsuccessful.

MAERSK container ATG BV 10,546 12,184 1993 Towed from Barranquilla anchorage to SAN JUAN Willemstad Sep 7 due main engine trouble.

OCTOPUSSY general BEL — — — — Ran into two moored inland vessels at Sluiskil quay, Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, Sep 12.Moorings of these vessels broke and they ran into another three vessels, which subsequentlycontacted some other vessels.

OSTRIA general PRK PR 1,427 1,847 1970 Sank in bad weather in lat 35 07N, long 26 46E,Sep 11. Crew rescued.

P&O NEDLLOYD container LBR (GL) 45,803 53,081 2002 Reported to have sustained rudder damage PALLISER prior to arrival Hamburg Aug 18. Subsequently

sailed Haqmburg 09 Sep.

PLEIONE bulker BHS NK 36,559 70,189 1996 Struck by tanker Aegean Trader while anchored at Cristobal inner anchorage Sep 13. Damage to bulbous bow and flooding of forepeak tank.

S. DURVILLE general SGP LR 3,949 6,120 1984 Reported Sep 16 under tow for Brisbanefollowing engine breakdown, ETA Sep 25.Expected to return to service at the beginning of October.

SPEED ONE ferry GBR NV 5,007 415 1997 Reported Sep 9 to have sustained engine trouble in France. Due back in service Sep 14.

SVEAFJELL general NOR NV 1,021 818 1970 Grounded near Valsoya, Bjugn, Sep 15. Coast Guard vessel on scene. Some diesel leaking out. Initial attempts to refloat unsuccessful, tugordered.

WHITE SANDS fishing GBR BV 262 — 1975 Issued Mayday, Sep 9, in lat 13 58N, long 20 10W, due water ingress through stern area. Taken in tow by hospital ship Esperanza del Mar Sep 10, bound Dakar.

A-397 (U.S.A.)London, Sep 13 — While proceeding up

bound in the Detroit River and headingfor the Amherstburg Channel, barge A-397 (2928 gt, built 1962) pushed by tugKaren Andrie (433 gt, built 1965) struckand demolished Lt.D33 at 0555, Sep 11.Barge sustained a hole in the forepeaktank.

ABRA (Marshall Islands)London, Sep 13 — Bulk Abra arrived

San Nicolas(ARG) Sep 6.

AEGEAN TRADER (NIS)See Pleione.

AL FAHAD (Saudi Arabia)London, Sep 15 — Owners of

passenger ro/ro Al Fahad advise thatthe vessel is anchored outside Jeddah,towards Shoaiba, some 35 kms south ofJeddah. The vessel requires majorrepairs and it is understood that theowners want to sell the vessel “as is”,unrepaired.

ALGOFAX (Canada)London, Sep 14 — Product tanker

Halifax, ex Algofax, arrived AlgecirasAug 28.

ANNTORO (Norway)Trondheim, Sep 9 — General cargo

Anntoro (689 gt, built 1971) arrivedKvernhusvik Shipyard, Hitra Jan 21,with General Average. No decisiontaken yet if the vessel will be repairedor not. — Lloyd’s Agents.

ASTRO ALTAIR (Greece)London, Sep 12 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: New Orleansferry service between the west and eastbanks of the Mississippi River is set toresume on Monday (Sep 13), two weeksafter product tanker Astro Altairslammed into the ferry’s landing. Thevessel lost steering Aug 28 andslammed into the Algiers Point ferrylanding. There were no injuries and thetanker did not leak any oil into theriver. The accident knocked out ferryservice between Algiers Point andCanal Street, which is at the entranceto the French Quarter. The collisionknocked guide wires, beams and twospans from the shore to the ferry — onefor pedestrians and the other forvehicles — into the river. Also, apontoon barge that is part of thelanding was dislodged and cracked. OnMonday, service is set to resumealthough some minor repairs need tostill be made, according to theLouisiana Department ofTransportation and Development. Theloss of ferry service has beeninconvenient for many people who livein the Algiers neighbourhood.

ATLANTIC HERO (Panama)See “Brittany, France” under

“Pollution”.

BANGA BIRAJ (Bangladesh)London, Sep 11 — C.c. Banga Biraj

sailed Chittagong Sep 4 for Singapore.

BANGLAR SHOURABH(Bangladesh)

See “Karnaphuli River, Bangladesh”under “Pollution.”

BBC INDIA (Gibraltar)London, Sep 13 — General cargo BBC

India arrived Montreal 0451, Sep 8, andsailed 2013, Sep 11.

BLUE OCEAN (Cambodia)See Typhoon “Songda” under “Weather

& Navigation”.

BLUE STAR NAXOS (Greece)London, Sep 15 — Lloyd’s Casualty

representatives in Piraeus report:Passenger ro/ro Blue Star Naxos (10438gt, built 2002), while moored at the portof Santorini, lost all electrical power at1545, Sep 15. At the time vessel was onthe schedule Santorini-Naxos-Paros-Piraeus with 331 passengers, 115 forNaxos, 58 for Paros, 158 for Piraeus.Efforts were made by the crew to repairthe damage.

London, Sep 16 — Lloyd’s Casualtyrepresentatives in Piraeus report:Passenger ro/ro Blue Star Naxos waspermitted to continue normalscheduling after repair of the damageby the crew and survey by the marineinspectorate of Santorini, and departedwith three passengers for Paros and 72for Piraeus at 2140, Sep 15.

CAPE BANKS (Germany)Mersin, Sep 13 — Chemical/oil carrier

Cape Banks, laden with 28,861 tonnesof gas oil, arrived at Mersin roads at0418 hrs, Aug 31. Vessel upped anchorat 0600 hrs, Sep 4 and a pilot boarded24 minutes later. At 1342 hrs, the vesselbecame stranded. While entering theport to berth, it failed to “take thedirection through the channel” and ranaground. Cargo was twice off-loadedonto chemical/oil carrier Adrasan C..The first transfer, of 3,963 tonnes,commenced at 1730 hrs, Sep 10 and wascompleted at 0410 hrs, Sep 11. Thesecond transfer, of 3,908 tonnes,commenced at 0925 hrs, Sep 12 and wascompleted later that day at 1930 hrs.After lightening operations, Cape Banksrefloated and anchored at 1129 hrs,.today, at Mersin Port roads. There isstill about 20,871 tonnes of cargo onboard. An underwater surveycommenced at 1230 hrs, today in orderto ascertain whether the vessel hasbeen damaged. — Lloyd’s Agents.

Mersin, Sep 15 — Chemical/oil carrierCape Banks: Vessels’ P&I Club haveadvised that following the underwatersurvey, the vessel is certified andpermitted to discharge its cargo inMersin, under the condition that thevessel must attend a shipyard “forcontrol” inside three months. The vesselis currently waiting in the roads toberth, as another vessel is currently

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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 9

Pollution 9

Weather & Navigation 1 0

Earthquakes 1 9

Volcanic Activity 2 0

Political & Civil Unrest 2 0

Labour Disputes 2 5

Awards & Settlements 2 6

Railway Accidents 2 6

Miscellaneous 2 9

Fires & Explosions 3 0

Aviation 3 2

Space Vehicles 3 5

Product Recalls 3 6

Port Conditions 3 6

Port Conditions charts 3 7

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 2004These 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.

occupying the terminal. Cape Banks isis expected to berth, to discharge, onFriday (Sep 17). — Lloyd’s Agents.

CENTURY HOPE (Philippines)See Ferry Fukuoka 2.

CHRISTINE (Denmark)Gothenburg, Sep 13 — General cargo

Pioner Belorussii (5370 gt, built 1978)ran into Danish trawler Christine ,sinking it, north of Thorup Beachbetween Hanstholm and Hirtshals onthe north-west coast of Jutland duringthe morning of Sep 11. Three out of fourcrewmen from the Christine werepicked up from the water and taken onboard the Pioner Belorussii but thefourth person is still missing. Surfaceyachts and vessels together withhelicopters have been participating inthe searches. — Westax MarineServices AB.

CMA CGM MOZART (FrenchSouthern Territories)

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom Den Helder RCC, timed 0540,UTC: C.c. CMA CGM Mozart (69022 gt,built 2004) for Hamburg, is not undercommand in lat 52 12.6N, long 0313.1E.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom Den Helder RCC, timed 0725,UTC: At 0649, UTC, c.c. CMA CGMMozart resumed passage to Hamburg,at 20 knots. Exact nature of the vesselsproblem was not declared, but it isunderstood to have related to the mainengine.

COMMODORE (Netherlands)London, Sep 12 — Chem.tank

Commodore (1600 gt, built 1992), boundfor Terneuzen, ran aground at about0530, local time, Sep 11, near Buoy 75,in the River Scheldt. The inland tanker,loaded with a cargo of 600 tons ofocteen, was refloated with the aid of thetwo tugs, Union 11 and Fonda. Whenafloat, Fonda towed the tanker toTerneuzen and into theOostbuitenhaven (East Outer Harbour),where the authourities came on boardfor an investigation. After a diver hadbeen under the vessel to inspect thehull, in which he found the there wasdamage to the propeller, the vessel wastowed to the Dow harbour to dischargethe cargo. After discharging,Commodore will go to a shipyard forrepairs.

London, Sep 14 — Chem.tankCommodore, which ran aground Sep 11,near buoy 75 in the River Scheldt, hasbeen discharged of cargo at DOWChemicals and has been towed toSluiskil for repairs. The vessel hadsustained damage to her propeller andsome other minor damages and arrivedin tow at Shipyard “De Schroef” BV inSluiskil where she went into one of thedry-docks yesterday. Repairs will becompleted tomorrow, Sep 15 and thevessel will resume her voyage.

CRISTOFORO COLOMBO (Belgium)London, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated today, states: One hundred andeighty-nine tons of black oil and dieselfuel spilled from three damaged tanks

of hopper dredger Cristoforo Colombothat ran aground Wednesday (Sep 8)during a typhoon. The Sakhalin EnergyCompany that employed the dredgersaid today there was a total of 323 tonsof black oil and diesel fuel on the vessel.However, the three damaged tankscontained a maximum of 189 tons. All29 crew remain on board the dredger.The spill is moving from the Sakhalinport of Kholmsk to the north along thewestern coast of the island. Yesterday itstretched five kilometers along thecoast line and continues to expand,Kholmsk Mayor Alexander Gusto toldTass. The “Sakhalin Ecological Alert”organisation said all sea birdsabandoned the area of Kholmsk. Thework to eliminate the consequences ofthe spill is under way.

DUMIT (Canada)London, Sep 15 — Buoy ship Dumit

(569 gt, built 1979) while approaching abuoy in the Mackenzie River, near mile5693, struck bottom at 1732, Sep 11. Noapparent damage.

EMPRESS OF THE SEAS(Bahamas)

London, Sep 9 — A press report, datedSep 8, states: Seven crew members frompassenger Empress of the Seas (48563gt, built 1990) were seriously injuredand taken to hospital after a lifeboatplunged 60 feet into the waters offBermuda’s Dockyard yesterday. Policemedia spokesman Dwayne Caines saidlast night that one of the seven meninvolved in the accident had beenairlifted out of the Island for treatmentof spinal injuries. A second man was inthe hospital’s intensive care unit afternearly drowning. Last night hiscondition was described as stable.Three other victims are now recoveringon general wards suffering frominjuries including a separated shoulder,lacerations to the head and a dislocatedand fractured shoulder. Two othersinvolved in the accident were releasedfrom hospital last night. Cruise shipofficials have released the nationalitiesof some of the victims: Two Filipinos,one South African, one Ecuadorian, oneWest Indian, another South Americanof an unknown country and one crewmember of unknown nationality. At1110 yesterday police received thereport of an accident when the stern ofa lifeboat dropped suddenly as it wasbeing lowered as part of a safety drill.The boat dropped 60 feet into thewaters off King’s Wharf in Dockyardwhere the vessel was berthed. Severalof the men were thrown out of the boatwhen it smashed into the water.According to police reports emergencypersonnel assisted in pulling the men tosafety. “This matter is underinvestigation by both the BermudaPolice Service and a surveyor fromMarine and Ports,” said Mr Caines. Awitness also told ZMB news that thelifeboat carrying the men was filledwith blood. The last man was taken offthe vessel just after 1300 hrs was in“critical” condition, according to JeromeRobinson of Dockyard Marine and PortsDepartment. Representatives ofHarbour Radio, Fire, Police and

Ambulances were all at the scene atKing’s Wharf, Dockyard, yesterdaymorning. Duncan Currie, ChiefSurveyor at the Department of MarineAdministration said their investigationwas ongoing. “We need to check theremaining lifeboats to see if it is safe forthe vessel to continue,” Mr. Currie said.He said the process of the investigationwas slow as “the main witnesses to theaccident were hospitalised, so they didnot consider interviewing them atpresent.” Although the investigation hadnot been completed, Mr. Currie said theaccident would seem “potentially to becaused by a maloperation of an on-boardrelease mechanism.” He said he wasgoing back to the vessel today to continuehis investigation and a representative ofthe manufacturers of the type of lifeboatused on the Empress of the Seas will alsobe on the vessel. He said the releasemechanism is a special thing on theliferaft itself and not on board the vessel.“The release mechanism needs to beoperated properly,” he said. However, thiskind of release mechanism has “a historyof problems,” he said. “There have beennumerous accidents, not only on cruiseships, but on any vessel with theseliferafts,” he said. The Empress of theSeas sailed into Bermuda on Monday(Sep 6) and is due to sail to New Jerseyon Friday.

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated Sep 10, states: Three of theinjured crewmen from passengerEmpress of the Seas were in stablecondition in hospital in Bermuda lastnight, while their vessel is due to leavethe island today as scheduled. The menwere taken to hospital on Tuesday (Sep7) after a lifeboat evacuation exercisewent wrong. One man was airlifted toBoston with spinal injuries. Three menhad now been treated and released fromhospital, police said. A spokesman fromMeyer Shipping yesterday said that theEmpress of the Seas was leavingBermuda at 1600 today. However, policesaid: “The investigation into theincident is continuing in conjunctionwith the Registry of Shipping, themanufacturer of the lifeboat and themanufacturer of the hoist mechanism.”

London, Sep 13 — Passenger Empressof the Seas sailed Bermuda Sep 10 andarrived New York Sep 12.

FERRY FUKUOKA 2 (Japan)Yokohama, Sep 16 — Passenger ro/ro

Ferry Fukuoka 2 (9730 gt, built 2002)dragged anchor and was in collisionwith bulk Century Hope (9978 gt, built2001) 10,000 metres, 238 deg, fromMisaki Lighthouse, Kagawa Prefecture,at 2119, Aug 30. Ferry Fukuoka 2sustained denting damage to port stern.Century Hope sustained crackingdamage to bow. No oil spill or wateringress, or personal injury from eithervessel. Both vessels could proceedunder their own power as the damageswere slight. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note —Century Hope sailed Mizushima Sep 2and subsequently arrived and sailedYokohama Sep 4.)

FJORD ICE (Malta)Gothenburg, Sep 16 — Ro/ro Fjord Ice

(2573 gt, built 1982) grounded at 2306

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Marine

hrs, Sep 14, at Flintraennan outside ofMalmo. Vessel was laden with 2,000tons of frozen fish, bound for Klaipeda.No leakage was reported, but advisedby Inspectors that two tanks andpossibly a third, were punctured. Thereare small stones and pebbles wherevessel grounded. The vessel remainedaground yesterday in strong south-westerly winds. However, when thewinds subsequently shifted towards thewest and north-west and decreasedslightly, the vessel was able to refloat,assisted by a tug, and cleared groundbetween 0300 and 0330 hrs, thismorning and anchored at 0330 hrs. Apilot went onboard at 0800 hrs and thevessel berthed at Malmo at 1000 hrs.The vessel is currently awaiting adivers inspection to determine whetherit can proceed or will be required todischarge/repair. — Westax MarineServices AB.

Malmo, Sep 16 — Ro/ro Fjord Ice,bound Klaipeda with a cargo of fish,grounded at Flintrannan outside Malmoharbour, Sweden, at 2300, local time,Sep 14. Vessel was refloated withassistance of one tug at 2300, local time,Sep 15. The Swedish NationalMaritime, Class and Insurancerepresentative were onboard during theday. No oil leakage has been reported.The vessel has bottom damage forward.No desicion has been made as to whererepairs will be effected. — Lloyd’sAgents.

FRASER TITAN (Canada)See PT36.

FREITIND (Norway)Trondheim, Sep 16 — General cargo

Freitind: Vessel’s insurance companyinform the vessel will be scrapped.There is, however, some interest inbuying the vessel for convertion to abarge. — Lloyd’s Agents.

FU KUO HSIN NO.7 (Panama)London, Sep 15 — Salvage services

have been rendered to bulk Fu KuoHsin No.7 under LOF 2000 by NipponSalvage Co Ltd, Sep 13.

Yokohama, Sep 15 — Bulk Fu KuoHsin No.7 remains aground and it willrequire further time to be refloated. —Lloyd’s Agents.

HAWK ARROW (Bahamas)London, Sep 6 — Following received

from Coastguard Dover MRSC, timed0155, UTC: General cargo Hawk Arrow:Exhaust valve has been repaired andvessel is proceeding on voyage.

London, Sep 11 — General cargo HawkArrow , Antwerp for United ArabEmirates, passed Cape Finisterre Sep 8.

HEBEI COURAGE (Hong Kong)London, Sep 14 — Bulk/oil Hebei

Courage (42009 gt, built 1985) reportedstriking the dock while berthing atPacific Coast Bulk Terminal, PortMoody, BC, lat 49 17 30N, long 122 5200W, at 1537, PDST, Sep 11.

HIGH ENDURANCE (Liberia)London, Sep 15 — Following received

from Singapore Port Operations, timed0500, UTC: Chemical/oil carrier High

Endurance (28300 gt, built 2004)reported a fire on board after it was incollision with an unknown vessel nearJohore at about 0030, local time, today.A Singapore rescue tug is on scene andthe fire is extinguished. No injuriesreported. Vessel is currently at anchoroff Johore.

Rotterdam, Sep 15 — Salvage servicesto chemical/oil carrier High Enduranceare being rendered by SMIT Salvage BVunder LOF 2000. — SMIT Salvage BV.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom Singapore Port Operations, timed0805, UTC: The other vessel involved inthe collision with chemical/oil carrierHigh Endurance (28300 gt, built 2004)is c.c. Merkur Bridge (9597 gt, built1993). High Endurance remainsanchored off Johore. No furtherinformation on situation of MerkurBridge or damages which may havebeen sustained by the vessels, iscurrently known.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the managers of chemical/oilcarrier High Endurance, dated today:High Endurance , Surabaya forSingapore, in ballast, was in collisionwith c.c. Merkur Bridge about 40 mileseast of Singapore, in lat 01 26.7N, long104 30.1E, at 2350, local time. The HighEndurance sustained some damage to abunker tank on the port side containing46 tonnes of gasoil. A fire immediatelybroke out in that tank and in thevessel ’s engine-room. The carbondioxide fire-fighting system wasimmediately activated, the engine-roomwas evacuated and the fire was swiftlyextinguished. The vessel is now atanchor and the situation is stable; therewas no pollution. There were no injuriesand the crew members are safe and stillon board the vessel.

Singapore, Sep 16 — At about 0106,Sep 15, the Maritime and PortAuthority of Singapore received a callfrom the Republic of Singapore Navy(RSN) that c.c. Merkur Bridge andchemical/oil carrier High Endurancehad collided outside the SingaporeStrait, north-east of HorsburghLighthouse, within Singapore waters.Preliminary checks indicated that theMerkur Bridge was overtaking RSNvessel Persistence. When Merkur Bridgehad closed in next to Persistence, itsuddenly altered course to avoidoncoming High Endurance. In doing soIMerkur Bridge struck Persistence andsoon after collided with the HighEndurance at about 0040. As a result onthe incident, the engine-room of HighEndurance caught fire, which was putout shortly after by vessel’s crew. HighEndurance also sustained a small holeat its port quarter, above the waterline.The extend of damage to the MerkurBridge is yet to be determined, but it isin stable condition. The Persistencesustained minor scratches to its portside. There was no report of injuries orpollution from the three vessels. TheHigh Endurance and Merkur Bridge arecurrently in stable condition and areanchored just outside the TrafficSeparation Scheme, north-east ofHorsbugh Lighthouse. Salvage tugsdeployed by Semco and SmitInternational are at the scene. Vessel

traffic along the Singapore Straitremains unaffected. The Maritime andPort Authority of Singapore will beinvestigating the incident. — MaritimePort Authority of Singapore.

HUMBER ARM (Bermuda)Naples, Sep 10 — General cargo

Humber Arm arrived at our port, undertow, on Jun 19 and was to carry outrepairs due to engine damage. Repairswere not carried out in Naples but, inthe meantime, the vessel changedname to Umber Arm (newowners/managers not known). On Jul 6,the vessel sailed from our port boundfor Pireo. — Lloyd’s Agents.

IRAN ARDEBIL (Iran)London, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated yestereday, states: C.c. IranArdebil has stranded at the shore ofYemeni island of Mion after groundinginto heavy colonies of coral reefs on Aug15. Coming from the Arab Gulf en routeto Europe, the vessel was loaded withover 2000 containers at a total cost of$55 million. The cargo has beenunloaded and transferred to YemeniAden Container Terminal so that thevessel can be towed, and repaired beforeresuming its journey. Negotiations areundertaken with Yemeni PortsAuthority to rescue the vessel and towit to a nearby port after the MaritimeAffairs Authority checks. Minister ofTransportation Omar Al-Amoudi saidYemeni authorities are doing their dutyperfectly, in accordance with regulationsand laws.

ISLAND BRAVE (Canada)See PT36.

JACARANDA (Panama)London, Sep 13 — Bulk Jacaranda

sailed from Kashima, on Sep 11, boundfor the Philippines.

JACKIE MOON (Antigua &Barbuda)

London, Sep 10 — General cargoJackie Moon sailed Glasgow Sep 6 forYmuiden.

JAN MARIA (Germany)London, Sep 12 — Fishing Jan Maria

sailed from Bremehaven at 1100 hrs, onSep 11.

JENS MUNK (DIS)Wellington, Sep 2 — General cargo

Jens Munk arrived Wellington Aug 28from Mossel Bay and sailed Aug 29 forDarwin. — Lloyd’s Agents.

KAREN ANDRIE (U.S.A.)See A-397.

KELVIN (Norway)Trondheim, Sep 9 — General cargo

Kelvin: Repairs have been completedand vessel will leave KvernhusvikShipyard today. — Lloyd’s Agents.

KEN EXPLORER (Liberia)London, Sep 13 — Following received

from the managers of bulk KenExplorer, dated today: Ken Explorer isstill aground at the present time,situation unchanged.

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Marine

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the managers of bulk KenExplorer, dated today: Ken Explorer isstill aground in the same position.Salvors have discharged some of thecargo into a barge and are looking foranother vessel to discharge theremainder into.

LIMBURG (French Southern Territories)

London, Sep 16 — Terrorists musthave gained inside shipping knowledgefor their speedboat attack on the crudeoil tanker Limburg off Yemen inOctober 2002, a shipmanager who dealtwith the aftermath has suggested.Almost two years after the assault,which brought to the fore the terrorismthreat to global shipping, the incident,which cost one life and caused $45mworth of damage, is still yielding freshlessons to the industry. Dirk Olyslager,marine risk management manager atAntwerp-based Belgibo, highlighted thesecurity riddle in a detailed history ofthe incident, during a presentation tothe International Union of MarineInsurance meeting in Singapore. MrOlyslager pointed out that the vesselwas holed in the one tank that wasladen with oil: “Is this coincidence ? Idoubt it,” he said. “We still do not knowwhere the information came from.”Between loading in Ras Tanura andarriving at the terminal, the vesselwould have exchanged papers betweenterminals and between agents, andloading plans must have beentransmitted, so somewhere someintelligence must have leaked. It wouldbe pure luck to hit the one laden tankout of five.” Mr Olyslager said it wasfortunate for the vessel that theexplosives-laden assault craft struck aframe, rather than piercing the hullbetween two frames. The damage andresulting fire would have been muchmore severe. Five supporters of al-Qa’eda are currently appealing againstjail sentences imposed by a Yemenicourt for their alleged part in theattack. In a comment on the marineinsurance market, Mr Olyslager saidthere was too little pollution coveravailable in case of war attacks.Although a signatory to the CivilLiability Convention, which allowsshipowners to escape liability in thecase of an act of war, the government ofYemen insisted there was directliability under its jurisdiction for anykind of pollution. That governmentinitially demanded a deposit of $18.5m,to the consternation of owners andunderwriters. The demand was droppedafter the shipowner agreed to make a$1m donation to the people of Yemenwithout admitting any liability. Now,the republic insisted that any vesselgoing into its territorial waters couldnot rely on its own war coverage andwould have to negotiate with Yemeniunderwriters.

LUCKY LADY (Malta)London, Sep 10 — Following received

from the managers of crude oil tankerLucky Lady (51807 gt, built 1981),dated today: Lucky Lady touchedbottom while approaching discharge

berth at Cilacap this morning.Underwater damage was sustained,resulting in leakage of about 1,000tonnes of the vessel’s cargo of crude oil.The Lucky Lady is now berthed safelyat Cilacap and divers are due to carryout an underwater inspection. Clean-upoperations were placed in hand.

London, Sep 10 — Crude oil tankerLucky Lady is carrying 80,000 tonnes ofcrude oil from Seria Terminal in Brunei.It ran aground at 0500 today and hasspilled about 1,000 cubic metres of oil.Oil has now stopped leaking from thevessel and clean-up operations areunder way.

London, Sep 13 — By the afternoon ofSep 10, Eastern Mediterraneanoperations manager Captain GabrielHaldezos said that a clean-up wasproceeding and that leakage from crudeoil tanker Lucky Lady , currentlyalongside the berth, had halted due tohydrostatic balancing. The company putthe total cargo to have leaked from thedamaged starboard tank at about 1,200tonnes. Capt Haldezos said the vesselwould not discharge the rest of its cargountil an inspection by divers, scheduledfor the morning of Sep 11, was able todetermine the extent of the damage.According to the East Mediterraneanspokesman, the incident took placebefore a local pilot joined the vessel. Aninvestigation into it is going on, CaptHaldezos said.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom the managers of crude oil tankerLucky Lady, dated today: The diverinspection of the vessel has been carriedout. The inspection revealed someunderwater damage and it is not knownwhether the divers on scene will be ableto carry out the necessary repair work,therefore, another team of divers hasbeen sent from Greece. An internaltransfer of the cargo of oil hascommenced, removing oil from thedamaged tank so that full removal ofcargo can be carried out without anydanger of pollution. Variousrepresentatives are on scene.

Jakarta, Sep 14 — On Sep 10, 2004crude oil tanker Lucky Lady sustaineda leak in her hull, whilst at Cilacap,resulting in 5,000 litres of its cargo ofcrude oil polluting the waters in thevicinity of Cilacap port. — Lloyd’sAgents.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated Sep 14, states: Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company Pertaminaconfirmed today that an oil tankercarrying light crude from Brunei ranaground Friday (Sep 10) morning,causing an oil spill off the coast ofCilacap, Central Java. “We are stilltrying to prevent the oil spill fromspreading further,” Dwi Martono,Pertamina’s acting spokesman said. Theoil spill has reached a three-kilometreradius, he said, but the crude oil tankerLucky Lady, “has already docked.” Dwiwas unable to specify the quantity ofcrude oil that leaked, but said thecargo, which he estimates around608,000 barrels, was bound forPertamina’s Cilacap oil refinery.Another official at Pertamina said theleakage has stopped due to hydrostaticbalancing. He added that Pertamina

will conduct an investigation on theaccident. (See issue of Sep 15.)

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the managers of crude oil tankerLucky Lady, dated today: All remainingcargo in the vessel’s damaged No 1starboard tank has been removed byportable pumps with the exception ofabout 25 cubic metres. About 34,600tonnes of cargo had been dischargedashore up to this morning but dischargewas interrupted due to lack of ullageashore. (See issue of Sep 16.)

MAANAV STAR (India)London, Sep 12 — Following received

from Coastguard Dover MRSC, timed2320, UTC: General cargo Maanav Star(1175 gt, built 1981) from Rye, 12persons on board, ran aground aboutthree miles east of Rye at 2132, UTC,Sep 11. Understand there is about 12litres of water in its engine-room as aresult of high seas and not as a result ofthe grounding. Tug Anglian Monarch ison scene but is unable to assist thevessel as it is high aground on thebeach. Salvors are awaiting next hightide.

London, Sep 12 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRSC, timed0107, UTC: General cargo Maanav Staris hard aground in lat 50 55.6N, long 0015.8E. Sea onshore rough. No pollution.Vessel possibly lying across groynes.Coastguard tug Anglian Monarch onscene and Anglian Earl due later today.Dungeness lifeboat relaunching at0800, UTC, today.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRSC, timed2320, UTC, Sep 12: General cargoMaanav Star remains aground. Nopollution. All crew members have beenremoved from the vessel. Understandthere is a hole in a ballast tank. Asalvage contract has been signed withKlyne Tugs with anchor handlingtug/supply vessels Anglian Monarchand Anglian Earl standing by.

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: Coastguardsare battling to stop a stricken generalcargo Maanav Star from being thrownon to a road by high winds. The vesselwas leaving the harbour at Rye in EastSussex at 2200, BST, yesterday but gotstuck on the beach at nearby Camber.Coastguards and firefighters tried torefloat the Indian-registered vesseltoday but were unable to do so. And aswinds rose, coastguards said they wereconcerned she may be blown over thesea wall onto the road. A DoverCoastguard spokesman said he wasconfident the vessel was not a danger toother vessels. The vessel got intodifficulties when its anchor draggedafter leaving the harbour and she wasblown onto the beach by high winds.Her 12 crew members stayed on boardand were joined by coastguards fromnearby Dungeness to help assess thedamage. Coastguards said it is unlikelythe vessel would be refloated untilMonday. At about 1700, BST, today acoastguard spokesman said the weatherhad become very windy and a force nine(strong gale) was expected. He saidthere were fears the Maanav Star couldbe blown over the sea wall and onto the

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road at the top of the beach.Firefighters have been pumping wateron board the vessel to give her extraweight to prevent the vessel beingbroken up by the wind. Coastguardssaid there was nine tons of diesel fuelon board it - which was not carryingany cargo - but they were confident thesea had not been polluted.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRCC, timed0915, UTC: General cargo Maanav Starremains aground. Anchor handlingtug/supply vessels Anglian Monarchand Anglian Earl are still standing by.The plan is to wait for “a window in theweather”. In the meantime, a tug with asmaller draught has been instructed toproceed and should arrive late thisafternoon. The intention is to pull thevessel off (the beach) and tow it toRamsgate.

London, Sep 14 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRCC, timed1015, UTC: General cargo Maanav Staris still aground. Another tug has beenordered and salvage work is expected tore-commence tomorrow following itsarrival. Weather on scene is bad at themoment, with winds of force 8 (gale).

London, Sep 14 — Following receivedfrom the Maritime and CoastguardAgency, dated today: Work is continuingto put the final touches to a towage planfollowing the grounding of general cargoMaanav Star. The vessel is in ballastand carrying 9.2 tonnes of marinegasoil. It remains aground on the highwater mark and has been ballasteddown to minimise its movement whenpounded by waves at high tide. It hassustained a piercing of the bottom shellplate but this hole is less then 25 mm indiameter and will have a patch weldedto it. As the vessel is currently withoutpower, a generator has been sourcedand is presently en route to the scene tore-establish its services. Attempts torefloat the Maanav Star will take placeat the end of this week when there is asuitable break in the weather.Insurance and salvage representativesare discussing the salvage of the vesselwith Smit-Klyne, the salvageconsortium who have been appointed tocarry out refloating operations. TugAnglian Earl is sitting off CamberBeach and will be used to tow theMaanav Star along with workboat/tugGrey Test , which is currently inFelixstowe. The shallow draft of theGrey Test will allow lines to be run fromthe Anglian Earl to the Maanav Starand its towing capability may also beutilised to steady the vessel during therefloating operation. All the equipmentrequired for the operation is either onthe scene or currently in transit. Themarine gasoil from the Maanav Starwill be recovered by a sludge tankerwhich is expected on scene imminently.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRCC, timed1232, UTC: General cargo Maanav Staris still aground. A refloating attempt isscheduled for 1300 hrs, tomorrow.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the Maritime and CoastguardAgency, dated today: Plans are in placeto refloat the grounded general cargoMaanav Star at Camber Beach

tomorrow. A Salvage Control Unit wasestablished at 1030 today at RyeHarbour Office by the Secretary ofStates Representative (SOSREP) forMaritime Salvage and Intervention UKworking with the MCA. The marinegasoil and bunker fuel has now beenremoved from the vessel but some fuelhas been kept on board to allow therunning of electrical generators. Thevessel remains ballasted down tominimise its movement from seas athigh tide. Deballasting operations willcommence at 0600 tomorrow as it isintended to refloat the Mannav Star onthe subsequent high water at 1300 hrs.Damage to the bottom shell plating hasbeen patched. Bilges in the hold havehad additional steel plating welded inplace as part of refloating preparations.Tug Anglian Earl remains on scene andis preparing for the refloatingoperation. Tug Grey Test has beenmobilised and will be on scene latertoday in readiness to pass tow linesfrom the Anglian Earl. Heavy earth-moving equipment will be mustered atthe site tonight. Under supervision of aflood defence engineer, shingle will becleared to aid the refloating of thevessel. An exclusion zone will be placedaround the Mannav Star at 0600tomorrow. This will remain in forceuntil the vessel is refloated. Coastguardteams are maintaining a presence atthe vessel’s location. The shipownersare investigating a port for inspectionand repair of the vessel.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom Coastguard Dover MRCC, timed1245, UTC: The attempt to refloatgeneral cargo Maanav Star at high tideat 1200, UTC, today was unsuccessful.Further attempts will be made onsubsequent high tides, possibly startingtonight.

MAERSK SAN JUAN (Antigua & Barbuda)

London, Sep 13 — C.c. Maersk SanJuan (10546 gt, built 1993), atBarranquilla anchorage with mainengine damage, was taken in tow by tugOceanos and arrived at Willemstad Sep7.

MARIO G. (Canada)Halifax, Sep 10 — Fishing Mario G.:

Propeller jam nut went missing, mainnut backed off and propeller came loose.The vessel came to the port of NorthSydney, NS, and repairs were effectedafloat. Vessel returned to sea andresumed fishing. Currently undergoingroutine drydocking, haul out, atArichat, NS, for the next week. —Lloyd’s Agents.

MARJA (Netherlands)Ferrol, Sep 13 — General cargo Marja

was refloated on Sep 11 after lightering1,400 tons of cargo to a pontoon. Thevessel was finally towed to and berthedat the port of Ribadeo. — Lloyd’sAgents.

MECIT KAPTAN (Turkey)Istanbul, Sep 13 — General cargo

Mecit Kaptan sailed from offConstantza Sep 11, bound Istanbul. —Lloyd’s Agents.

MERCS HENDALA (Sri Lanka)London, Sep 13 — General cargo

Mercs Hendala sailed from Chennai onSep 5, bound for Colombo, where itarrived on Sep 7.

MERKUR BRIDGE (Liberia)See High Endurance.

METHANE ARCTIC (Singapore)London, Sep 14 — Following received

from Madrid MRCC, timed 0900, UTC:Lng Methane Arctic (48454 gt, built1969) had small fire on board caused bylightning at Barcelona at 0400, UTC,today. Fire was extinguished about0500, UTC. Damage minor.

Barcelona, Sep 15 — Lng MethaneArctic: Following information takenfrom master ’s preliminary incidentreport: “Vessel was discharging atBarcelona ENAGAS New JettyTerminal when lightning struck No 1mast at 0612, Sep 14, and fire brokeout. Pumps were immediately shutdown and N2 gas — permanent system— released to the mast as a means toextinguish the fire. At 0615 hrs vessel’sEmergency Squad activated and movedto the scene of the fire. Cooling of themast and surrounding area by seawaterusing fire pump and hoses to preventoverheating of the mast started. Drypowder injected towards mast usingvessel’s permanent installation as anadditional means of fire extinguishing.At 0623 hrs the fire was extinguishedby vessel’s own means and dischargewas allowed to resume at 0806 hrs.” Norepairs are required but the DryPowder System will need to berecharged. The vessel was due to departat noon today. — Lloyd’s Agents.

MILAGROS TRES (Philippines)Manila, Sep 15 — The Philippine

Coast Guard reported that thePhilippine registered passenger ferryMilagros Tres lost its propeller while enroute to Puerto Princesa Port inPalawan in western Philippines atabout 2330,Tuesday (Sep 14). Thedomestic ferry which originated fromthe Port of Iloilo in Negros island incentral Philippines was forced to anchoroff Lagay island in Palawan. The vesselwas carrying 331 passengers and crewwhen the mishap occurred. There wereno reports of deaths or injuries. Allpassengers were rescued by thePhilippine Coast Guard search andrescue vessel Ilocos Norte whichbrought the passengers to PuertoPrincesa. The vessel remains anchoredoff Lagay island. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Fishing boats towedto shore an aging ferry (ferry MilagrosTres) with 360 people on board after itspropeller broke off while travellingbetween islands, officials said. Thesteel-hulled vessel Milagrosa J3, with331 passengers and a crew of 29, was enroute to western Palawan when itsuddenly stopped in calm waters lateTuesday (Sep 14). Crew members laterdiscovered that the vessel’s propellerwas missing and radioed for help,officials said. Fishing boats towed the273-ton vessel to an island where Coast

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Guard rescue vessels took the 360people to mainland Palawan, CoastGuard operations officer HerculanoAlinton said. The vessel could havesunk had it stalled in rough seas, hesaid. The Coast Guard is investigatingthe incident to determine if the vesselowner could be charged for negligence,Alinton said.

MING ZHOU 28 (China)London, Sep 11 — Bulk Ming Zhou 28

arrived Newcastle(AUS) Sep 5 fromHong Kong.

London, Sep 15 — Bulk Ming Zhou 28sailed from Newcastle(AUS) on Sep 10.

MONA LISA (Bahamas)See “Outbreak of Salmonella on

Bahamas Flagged Passenger Vessel”under “Miscellaneous”.

MSC LAUREN (Panama)See Nordbeach.

MUSASHI MARU (Japan)See “Typhoon ‘Chaba’ “ under

“Weather & Navigation”.

NANTICOKE (Canada)Troy, Michigan, Sep 15 — Bulk

Nanticoke (22706 gt, built 1980) arrivedat the North Slip in Sarnia, late lastThursday (Sep 9) for repairs to adamaged crankshaft in its starboardengine. Vessel had travelled at reducedspeed from Lake Erie relying on its portengine only. Engine specialists from asfar as Miami, Fla., have been doingrepairs within the confines of thevessel. The Nanticoke is expected todepart Sarnia late tonight or earlytomorrow morning to load in ThunderBay, Ont. — Great Lakes & SeawayShipping.

Troy, Michigan, Sep 16 — BulkNanticoke left the North Slip lateyesterday with the assistance of the tugMenasha . Nanticoke arrived at theNorth Slip late last Thursday (Sep 9)for repairs to a damaged crankshaft inits starboard engine. Nanticoke isupbound for Thunder Bay. — GreatLakes & Seaway Shipping.

NAZEK T. (North Korea)Bucharest, Sep 14 — General cargo

Nazek T. remains in the same position.Repairs/scrapping decision stillawaited. — Lloyd’s Agents.

NEULAND (Germany)London, Sep 13 — General cargo

Neuland passed through the Kiel Canalon Sep 10, on passage from Husum,Germany, for Rostock.

NEW POLAR (Falkland Islands)London, Sep 13 — Trawler New Polar

sailed from Las Palmas on Aug 20,bound for the Falkland Islands.

NICHIRYU MARU (Japan)See “Typhoon ‘Chaba’ “ under


NORDBEACH (Cyprus)Durban, Sep 15 — C.c. Nordbeach was

in contact with c.c. MSC Lauren atouter anchorage, Durban, Sep 5. Therewas some damage to empty containers

on the MSC Lauren and to containersand cargo on the Nordbeach. Repairs toMSC Lauren are nearly complete. TheNordbeach commenced repairs Sep 11.— Lloyd’s Agents.

NORTH ISLAND PRINCESS(Canada)

London, Sep 14 — While docked atBlubber Bay, Texada Island, lat 49 48N,long 124 36W, ro/ro North IslandPrincess (841 gt, built 1958) reported asmall leak in the hull at 1754, PDST,Sep 9.

OCTOPUSSY (Belgium)London, Sep 12 — Belgian inland

vessel Octopussy, sailing on the Ghent-Terneuzen canal, ran into two mooredinland vessels at the quay at Sluiskil,off the Hydro Agri plant, about 0745,local time, today. The moorings of thesetwo vessels broke and they ran intoanother three vessels, which also struckmore vessels. In total there are at leastseven inland vessels involved, with a lotof damage.

London, Sep 13 — General cargoOctopussy (975 dwt) bound for Ghent,cargo maize, was proceeding to mooralongside the empty general cargoTosca (1387 dwt) but ran into it.TheTosca broke its moorings andcollided with some other mooredvessels. In total eight vessels wereinvolved, of which the total damage willexceed a million euros according anestimate of the authorities. TheOctopussy ran so deep into the Toscathat salvors had to cut parts away withblowtorches before the two vessels couldbe separated. Today a furtherinvestigation will follow by the RiverPolice.

ONEGO MERCHANT (Netherlands)London, Sep 13 — General cargo

Onego Merchant sailed Hamburg 1025,Sep 11, for Kaliningrad.

ONEIDA (Malta)Montevideo, Sep 9 — Bulk Oneida

sailed Montevideo Sep 7 for “Ante Port”.— Lloyd’s Agents.

ORION (Germany)London, Sep 14 — Product tanker

Orion was reported arriving atHamburg at 1121 hrs, Sep 7, andsailing later the same day, at 1510 hrs,with a reported destination ofRendsburg.

OSTRIA (Tonga)London, Sep 11 — A press report,.

dated today, states: The 15 crewmembers of North Korea vessel Ostria(? general cargo Ostria (1427 gt, built1970) in trouble amid high winds inthe Aegean Sea are safe after a three-hour rescue operation. Threehelicopters and two rescue boats weredespatched off the southeastern coastof the Greek island of Kasos to aid thecargo vessel , which was carryingmarble from Egypt to Albania. Thecrew were taken to a local healthcentre for observation, Greeksmerchant navy ministry said today.The vessel had been l isting at 25degrees due to the strong winds

blowing across the Aegean. An oiltanker which was in the area was alsoinvolved in the rescue.

London, Sep 11 — Following receivedfrom Piraeus RCC, timed 0110, UTC,today: Ostria, HMXM9, is currentlysinking off Kasos. Fifteen Pakistanicrew members have been safelyrescued.

London, Sep 11 — Following receivedfrom Piraeus RCC, timed 1100, UTC:General cargo Ostria sank in lat 3507N, long 26 46E.

P&O NEDLLOYD PALLISER(Liberia)

Hamburg, Sep 14 — C.c. P&ONedlloyd Palliser (45803 gt, built 2002)underwent repairs at Hamburg inrespect of rudder damage. According tothe divers who inspected the vesselafter arrival at Hamburg the vesselmust have had contact with anunidentifiable underwater object whilsten route to Hamburg. When and wherethe damage/contact actually took placecould not be established. — Lloyd’sAgents. (Note — P&O Nedlloyd Palliserarrived at Hamburg at 0210, Aug 18,and sailed 0615, Sep 9, and wasreported to have been delayed oncurrent voyage, as a result of damage toits rudder.)

PARTNER (Russia)Rijeka, Sep 10 — General cargo

Partner (2610 gt, built 1979) sailed fromSibenik on Sep 6 to Cartagena, with acargo of fertilisers. Later the same daythe master reported to the Harbour-master problems with the main engine.Partner returned to Sibenik under ownpower on Sep 7. Repairs will be carriedout at Sibenik and the voyage will beprosecuted, however no prospects ofsailing are given at this time. — Lloyd’sAgents.

PENG YANG (China)London, Sep 16 — Following received

from Hong Kong VTS, timed 0240,UTC: Bulk Peng Yang remains agroundin the same position.

PERSISTENCE (Singapore)See High Endurance.

PIONER BELORUSSII (Russia)See Christine.

PLEIONE (Bahamas)Cristobal, Sep 13 — Bulk Pleione

remains anchored Cristobal Bay, wheretemporary repairs continue andunderstand ETC towards end thismonth. — Lloyd’s Agents.

Cristobal, Sep 15 — Bulk Pleione(36559 gt , bui lt 1996) , anchoredCristobal inner anchorage carrying outtemporary repairs after being struckby bulk Jacaranda on Aug 4, wasreportedly struck by product tankerAegean Trader (18654 gt, built 1980)at approximately 1715, local time, Sep13. Pleione sustained damage tobulbous bow and flooding of forepeaktank. Aegean Trader proceededsouthbound through Canal Sep 14. —Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — AegeanTrader sai led Rostock Aug 23 forPanama.)

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PRESTIGE (Bahamas)Madrid, Sep 10 — The last few tons of

sticky toxic fuel oil have been suckedout of the wreck of the crude oil tankerPrestige, Spain said today, almost twoyears after it went down in thecountry’s worst environmental disaster.“In recent days they have completed theextraction of fuel from the wreck,”Deputy Prime Minister Maria TeresaFernandez de la Vega told a newsconference. “We can say that 13,000tons have been extracted,” she said,adding the government had not yetdecided what to do with the fuel.Coming up with a plan to deal with thewreck took months, partly because itlay 3.8 km down on the seabed. Spainconsidered building a concrete tombaround the wreck but finally opted tosuck out the 13,000 tons that remained.The other 64,000 tons have beenpainstakingly scooped out of the seaand cleaned off Galicia’s rocky beaches.Environmental groups complain it couldtake a decade for the eco-system torecover. De la Vega said scientistswould continue to investigate and workon damage to algae and the seabed. —Reuters.

London, Sep 14 — Lawyers acting forApostolos Mangouras, master of thecrude oil tanker Prestige, continue theirefforts to have his bail conditions easedwhile he awaits trial. A fresh appealwas filed with a Spanish court thissummer, the third such case now inprogress in the run-up to the secondanniversary of the casualty nextNovember. Several earlier appeals havebeen knocked back and the master isstill required to remain in Spain andreport weekly to police, despite havingdeposited a $3.6m bail. His treatmenthas been widely criticised. This is notleast because, under Spanish law,people aged 70 or over have stronggrounds to avoid prison sentences ifultimately found guilty. CaptMangouras will celebrate his 70thbirthday next January.

PRINCE OF STREAMS(Netherlands Antilles)

Maassluis, Sep 13 — Ref Prince ofStreams (7533 gt, built 1993), Antwerpfor Rotterdam, contacted the inside ofthe Boudewijn Locks at 1500, localtime, today. Vessel will return to Berth318 for inspection. Damage consists of acrack about five metres long, threemetres above the waterline. — Lloyd’sSub-agents.

PT36 (Canada)London, Sep 9 — Barge PT36, whilst

under tow of tug Island Brave (93 gt),made contact with hopper dredgerFraser Titan (2976 gt, built 1969) in theFraser River, BC., in lat 49 07N, long123 14W at 0410 hrs, Aug 6.

QUINITSA (Canada)London, Sep 13 — Ro/ro Quinitsa

(1107 gt, built 1977) reported a hardlanding at west dock, in DenmanIsland, BC, at 1500, PDST, Sep 9.)

RAZZOLI (Italy)London, Sep 10 — Following received

from Rome MRCC, timed 0830, UTC:

Passenger ro/ro Razzoli (4101 gt, built1988) with 24 passengers and 10 crewon board, grounded near VulcanoIsland, Sicily, at 2320, Sep 8. Vessel wasrefloated with tug assistance at 1300,Sep 9, and is now at Milazzo.

Messina, Sep 10 — Early on Sep 9passenger ro/ro Razzoli, in scheduledservice between Milazzo and theAeolian islands, while sailing out ofVulcano bound for Lipari, ran agroundon the rocks in Vulcano. Understandthat a large hole has been caused to thehull and that a tug has now refloatedthe casualty. Twenty-four passengersdisembarked and were put up in a hotelin Lipari. Ten crew-members remainedon board. Understand also that themaster has alleged that the auto-pilotwas not working properly. The vesselhas been placed under arrest bymagistrates, who are carrying out anenquiry. — Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Sep 14 — Passenger ro/roRazzoli arrived at Genoa on Sep 12.

REPUBBLICA DI GENOVA (Italy)London, Sep 16 — Passenger ro/ro

Repubblica di Genova arrived atAntwerp at 1205 hrs, Sep 15, fromFalmouth.

RIX CONDOR (U.K.)London, Sep 13 — Tank barge Rix

Condor arrived at Delfzijl at 0332, Sep12, from Falmouth.

S. DURVILLE (Singapore)Sydney, Sep 16 — General cargo S.

Durville (3949 gt, built 1984) is beingtowed to Brisbane for repairs after anengine breakdown proved impossible torepair in situ. The vessel operates aMelbourne, Sydney, Brisbane andNoumea shuttle service. The vessel isexpected in Brisbane for five days ofrepairs on Sep 25, and will be back inservice by the end of the month. Thevessel will call in Sydney over Oct 3-4and in Noumea on Oct 8. Pacific DirectLine, which shares slots on the vessel,said that it is now working onscheduling options for the next twovoyages. — “Lloyd’s List DailyCommercial News.”

SAINT NICHOLAS (Greece)London, Sep 11 — Bulk Saint Nicholas

passed Skaw Sep 6.

SEA HANA (Malta)Yokohama, Sep 16 — Vehicle Sea

Hana (26113 gt, built 1978) draggedanchor, due to heavy weather, 16,000metres, 184 degress from KobeLighthouse, at 1840, Sep 7. Althoughvessel let go both anchors it becameunnavigable. It was recovered at 2030as the swell was weakening. — Lloyd’sAgents. (Note — Sea Hana arrivedOsaka Sep 7 and sailed Sep 14,subsequently arriving and sailingNagoya Sep 15.)

SEA TRADER (Malta)London, Sep 14 — The burnt-out ro/ro

Sea Trader , which is still lying inAntwerp Docks, will be towed to Ghentfor demolition. (See issue of Jul 23.)

London, Sep 14 — Ro/ro Sea Trader,currently lying at Quay 22, Antwerp,

will be towed from her berth by tugs tothe breakers yard of Van Heyghen inGhent, on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal,on Thursday, Sep 16. The tow will startat 0700 hrs, from Antwerp and it isexpected that they will arrive in Ghent,during the late afternoon.

SEIHO MARU NO.2 (Japan)See Stellar Hope.

SETIA JAYA (Singapore)Chittagong, Sep 12 — Chemical/oil

carrier Setia Jaya arrived atChittagong on Aug 29 and was beachedfor scapping on Sep 1. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SOUTHERN HARRIERCape Town, Sep 15 — Fishing

Southern Harrier is still lying sunk atBerth 702, Cape Town. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SPEED ONE (U.K.)London, Sep 9 — A press report, dated

today, states: Low cost ferry service,SpeedFerries, which operates betweenDover and Boulogne, has run intodifficulties less than four months afterit was launched. The service, whichtakes just 50 minutes to cross theChannel, has been grounded after itsferry Speed One (5007 gt, built 1997)suffered engine trouble in France.Passengers have been told it will not beoperating again until Tuesday (Sep 14),leaving some stranded in France.SpeedFerries said it apologised for anyinconvenience caused.

STELLAR HOPE (Panama)Yokohama, Sep 16 — Bulk Stellar

Hope (77240 gt, built 1996), Australiafor Mizushima, and general cargo SeihoMaru No.2 (199 gt), Sakaide toKawasaki, were in collision 3.4 nauticalmiles, 280 deg, from HinomisakiLighthouse, Wakayama Prefecture, at0030, Sep 1. Both vessels sustaineddenting and scratching damage. —Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — Stellar Hopesailed Gladstone Aug 19 and arrivedMizushima Sep 2.)

STOLT KITE (Cayman Islands)London, Sep 13 — Chem.tank Stolt

Kite sailed from Flushing at 1715, Sep12, for Rotterdam, arriving 2255 sameday.

SUMMIT (Bahamas)San Francisco, Sep 15 — Passenger

Summit entered San Francisco dry dockat 2200, local time, Sep 12. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SUSIE (Romania)London, Sep 15 — Following received

from Piraeus RCC, timed 1450, UTC:Have just been advised that generalcargo Susie (5988 gt, built 1980), with16 Romanian crew on board, is agroundat Achladi, in lat 38 53 12N, long 22 4943E. Vessel is part loaded with wheat.Crew safe, no pollution.

Piraeus, Sep 15 — General cargoSusie , Psachna, Euboea Is, forAlexandroupolis, partially loaded with aconsignment of 2,600 tons of barley,went hard aground 100 meters east of

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Agroinvest pier, Achladi, at 1130 today.The extent of the damage has not yetbeen ascertained while all 16 crewmembers are reportedly healthy andsecure. No pollution occured. The vesselremains grounded awaiting tugassistance from Volos. — Lloyd’sAgents.

London, Sep 15 — Lloyd’s Casualtyrepresentatives in Piraeus report:General cargo Susie grounded in thesea area off Achladi, Stylida, at 1220,Sep 15. Vessel had departed fromPsachna, Euboea Is, forAlexandroupolis with a cargo of wheat,in Hold No.3, and 16 crew members onboard. There were no injuriessustained, pollution, or ingress of water.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: General cargo Susierammed into a Greek hillside as themaster was speaking on his cell phone,authorities said today. No one was hurtwhen the Romanian-flagged Susie ranaground near the town of Stylida. “Themaster told us he had placed the vesselon automatic pilot and was not payingattention,” Yiannis Ftoulis, head ofStylida’s port authority, said. “He saidhe was speaking on the cell phone atthe time of the incident,” he said. MrFtoulis said the Romanian master wasnot detained and that all his crew of 14Romanians and one Ukrainian was ingood health.

London, Sep 16 — Lloyd’s Casualtyrepresentatives in Piraeus report:General cargo Susie was refloated withthe assistance of tug Starlet , ofPapadopoulos Tugs, based in Volos, at2020, Sep 15. An underwater inspectionwas carried out by divers and nodamages were found. Vessel is currentlyat the roads of Achladi/Stylis and willbe inspected by class. Following theincident and refloating there was nopollution caused.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom Piraeus RCC, timed 1010, UTC:General cargo Susie is still anchorednear the grounding site at Achladi.

SVEAFJELL (Norway)Trondheim, Sep 15 — Local

radio/newspaper has reported thatgeneral cargo Sveafjell (1021 gt, built1970) grounded at 0120 today nearVals¯ya, Bjugn (west of the peninsulaFosen, Trondheimsfjord) en route toAalesund, in a loaded condition. CoastGuard vessel Titrand arrived at 0700hrs and will assist in trying to get thevessel afloat on the high tide, at around1200 hrs. Some diesel oil is said to beleaking out - oil booms may be used. —Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom Sandnes, dated today: At 0120today general cargo Sveafjell groundedoutside Valsoya Island near Bjugn.There is some pollution in the area. TheCoastguard arrived in the area at 0700hrs and there will be an attempt torefloat the vessel at high tide, at 1200hrs.

Trondheim, Sep 16 — Attempts atnoon yesterday to refloat general cargoSveafjell were unsuccessful, despite theassistance of two salvage vessels andanother vessel belonging to the sameOwners. The Owners have now

accepted an LOF and engagedTaubÂtkompaniet AS, Trondheim, torefloat the vessel, which has 589 tons offrozen fish and salt fish, scheduled forthe Aalesund area, on board. — Lloyd’sAgents..

SVITZER BIDSTON (U.K.)Liverpool, Sep 15 — Tug Svitzer

Bidston is undergoing repairs indrydock at Liverpool. These areexpected to be completed by Sep 22. —Lloyd’s Agents.

TOSCA (Belgium)See Octopussy.

TRI ARDHIANTO (Indonesia)See “Typhoon “Songda” under


TS YOKOHAMA (Marshall Islands)Yokohama, Sep 16 — C.c. TS

Yokohama (14308 gt, built 2003)contacted the pier, due to sudden gustof wind, while berthing at Ohi Pier,Tokyo, at 0708, Aug 31. Vessel sailedsame day for Kobe via Yokohama andNagoya. It arrived Kobe Sep 2 and wastemporarily repaired. — Lloyd’s Agents.

UAL RODACH (Cyprus)London, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated yeystreday, states: The master ofgeneral cargo UAL Rodach (7111 gt,built 2001) that struck a barge in theHouston Ship Channel as the bargetook on a load of liquefied petroleumgas must serve a year’s probation fordrinking on the job. Piotr Lozinski, aPolish citizen, also is barred fromoperating a vessel in U.S. watersduring his probation and must pay a$4,000 fine. A federal magistrate judgehanded down the sentence last weekafter Lozinski, 48, pleaded guilty tooperating a commercial motor vesselwhile under the influence of alcohol,Coast Guard Lt. Matt Orendorff saidtoday. Lozinski was the master, of the417-foot UAL Rodach when it struckthe barge on Aug 31, Orendorff said.Although liquefied petroleum gas wasbeing pumped into the barge, noexplosion resulted. Orendorff said acrewman on the barge saw the vesselcoming and turned off valves. The bargealso was double-hulled, he said, and theinterior hull was not penetrated. A 6-foot gash was opened in the vessel’sstern, rupturing a freshwater tank, butno hazardous fluids spilled into thechannel, Orendorff said. Tests showedLozinski’s blood alcohol level to be 0.232percent, Orendorff said, which is morethan five times the commercial limit of0.04. (Note — UAL Rodach arrivedHouston Aug 30.)

ULLA (St. Vincent & Grenadines)London, Sep 16 — Bureaucracy and

legal wrangling sank general cargo Ullaloaded with toxic ash, the EuropeanParliament heard this week. “Legal andadministrative problems” kept thevessel at anchor off the Turkish port ofIskenderun until it was too late tooffload its potentially dangerous cargo,environmental commissioner MargotWallstrom told the parliament’s plenarysession in Strasbourg. The vessel,

f lagged in St Vincent and theGrenadines and operated by a Turkishcompany based in Iskenderun, wentdown early this month after rusting atanchor for four years. More than twoyears were taken up by legalarguments over responsibility for thecargo, while plans to offload the toxicash took a further 18 months to puttogether, the parliament heard.Officials and activists had warnedrepeatedly that the 2,200 tonnes ofpower station waste was potentiallycarcinogenic and posed anenvironmental risk. The parliamenthas expressed concern that largestretches of water could becontaminated if the cargo leaks.“Unfortunately, legal andadministrative problems delayed asolution until it was too late,” MsWallstrom told the parliament. Thecase dates to May 2000, when Spain’sEnvironment Ministry received acomplaint from Turkish authoritiesover the vessels’ shipment, which theyclaimed had been exported from Spainby Lafarge Asland, the Spanishsubsidiary of France’s Lafarge group,without proper authorisation. Turkeyclaimed the shipment contravened theBasel Convention on toxic waste andasked Spain to take it back. Spanishinvestigations established that thecargo had in fact been destined forAlgeria, but had been diverted toIskenderun after the original recipient,Spanish construction group Dragados,had rejected it because of waterdamage. The ash, which is often usedas a building component, had beenintended for use by Dragados in theconstruction of a dam in Algeria.According to the Environment Ministryin Madrid, the shipment had allegedlyended up off Turkey following a“unilateral” decision by the vessel’smaster. “In July the Turkishauthorities informed the Spanishauthorities that they could proceedwith a plan” to transfer the ashes toanother vessel and return them toSpain but before this could be done thevessel sank on September 6,” said MrWallstrom. Spain was exonerated bythe commissioner: “According to theinformation available Spain waswilling to take back the waste andfulfil its legal obligations,” she said.Arguments over who was responsiblefor the cargo between the Spanishauthorities and the exporter went onfor two and a half years - until the endof 2002. Negotiations between Spainand Turkey for the transfer of theashes then took another year and ahalf - until July this year.

UNI-FORWARD (Panama)London, Sep 15 — General cargo Uni-

Forward was reported arriving at HongKong at 0651 hrs, Sep 14, fromKeelung.

URVAAGTrondheim, Sep 9 — Fishing Urvaag:

Insurance Company inform ownershave now received insurancesettlement. Owners report vessel willeither be sold to owners abroad orscrapped in Norway. — Lloyd’s Agents.

8


Marine

VANGUARD (U.K.)London, Sep 11 — Following received

from Coast Guard Stornoway MRSC,timed 1835, UTC: Pollutants, apartfrom small quantities of hydraulics andlubricants, have been removed from tugVanguard. The vessel remains boomedoff with sorbent boom.

VESTKAPP (Norway)Trondheim, Sep 9 — Fosen

Gjenvinning inform scrapping of fishingVestkapp has not started yet, nowscheduled to commence in January,2005. — Lloyd’s Agents.

VIARSA I (Panama)See under “Miscellaneous.”

VIHAN 5 (Vietnam)See “Typhoon ‘Chaba’ “ under


WHITE SANDS (U.K.)London, Sep 9 — Following received

from Coastguard Falmouth MRCC,timed 2130, UTC: A mayday has beenissued by fishing White Sands (262 gt,built 1975), GFNY, with 10 persons onboard, in position lat 13 58N, long 2010W. Vessel is experiencing wateringress through stern area, but states“they are currently coping”. Currentintentions of crew are unknown. Ahospital ship, has diverted and is in dueon scene in around nine hours. MadridMRCC are co-ordinating.

London, Sep 10 — Following receivedfrom Madrid MRCC, timed 1100, UTC:Fishing White Sands: Hospital shipEsperanza del Mar arrived at casualty’sposition, in lat 14 19N, long 18 50W,about 0900, UTC, today. There areplanning to tow vessel to Dakar.

WINNER I (Panama)See “Typhoon ‘Chaba’ “ under


ZIEMIA SUWALSKA (Liberia)London, Sep 15 — Bulk Ziemia

Suwalska (16696 gt, built 1984) lostmain engine power while upboundbetween Lock 1 and Lock 2 in theWelland Canal at 1220, Sep 5. Bow andstern anchors were dropped. Vessel wassecured for engine repairs. (Note —Ziemia Suwalska sailed Ymuiden Aug23 and subsequently arrived ThunderBay Sep 12.)

AUKUREN (St. Vincent & Grenadines)

Oslo, Sep 7 — Cement Aukuren is stillin port at Fredrikstad, under arrest.. —Lloyd’s Agents.

FILIPPOS (Paraguay)Rio Grande, Jul 28 — C.c. Filippos is

still under arrest in Porto Alegre by thejudiciary. No prospects are known, forits release. — Lloyd’s Agents.

FISHING VESSELS SEIZED BYAUSTRALIA

Fremantle, Sep 14 — Fishing Volga isstill at Jervoise Bay. — Lloyd’s Agents.(See issue of May 26.)

GEPARD (Cyprus)Rotterdam, Sep 14 — Tug Gepard, last

reported under arrest at Flushing Dec27 2000, is still under arrest at the port.— Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

JERBA (Tunisia)Bizerta, Sep 14 — General cargo Jerba

(2003 gt, built 1978), which arrived atBizerta on Apr 23, 2003, is still lying ata waiting berth at Ml Bourguiba yard,without an agent. It is reported that shehas been abandoned by her crew. Alsoreported that the vessel is underseveral arrests from agents and someother claimants. — Lloyd’s Sub-agents.

KAVO MALEAS (Malta)Bucharest, Sep 14 — Bulk Kavo

Maleas, last reported under repair atConstantza on Jul 14 2003, is still inConstantza port. Unconfirmed reportsare that there is a dispute between herformer owners and the present owners,Petromin SA, Constantza. — Lloyd’sAgents.

RESHID BEHBUDOV (Azerbaijan)Mersin, Sep 13 — General cargo

Reshid Behbudov (3714 gt, built 1977)is currently under arrest in MersinRoads. It was arrested after completingdischarge operations at 1115, Sep 7. Itwaited in port for two days, then shiftedto the roads Sep 9. According toinformation received, vessel wasarrested by Bakirkoy 6 Court for claimsdepartment upon application made bySaka-Korkmaz Pazarlama AS againstmoney owed to them by the AzerbaijaniGovernment. — Lloyd’s Agents.

SEA SHUTTLE (Malta)Naples, Sep 13 — General cargo Sea

Shuttle is still under arrest in Naples.— Lloyd’s Agents.

SEAGREEN (Cyprus)London, Sep 13 — C.c. Seagreen is

today reported still at South EastLamma Anchorage, Hong Kong, underarrest.

SHAMROCK (French Southern Territories)

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Ro/ro Shamrock,the vessel that has been detained inPortland Harbour for the last eightweeks, will be put up for auction Nov 12unless an international legal disputecan be settled first. US District JudgeGeorge Singal ruled Monday (Sep 13)that the vessel should be sold to paydebts even before the final resolution ofthe legal claims against its owner.Fortis Bank of the Netherlands went tocourt to have the vessel seized inPortland Harbour after the Shamrock’sowner defaulted on the ship’s mortgage.Fortis Bank is demanding that theowner pay $14 million in principal andinterest. The 60-day notice of anauction allows time to advertise thesale and time for the companies to

make final attempts to settle thedispute. If the vessel ’s owner andmortgage holder can arrange asettlement, Singal will be asked torescind the order. “We’re hoping to dothat,” said Michael Kaplan, a Portlandattorney who is representing thevessel’s French owner, Copropriete duNavire Shamrock. “If we can settle thecase with Fortis and the other creditors,it’ll be back running the way it didbefore.” The Shamrock made weeklytrips between Portland, Boston andHalifax, shuttling imports and exportspacked inside tractor-trailer-sizeshipping containers. Dozens of Mainecompanies use the shipping serviceregularly. Lawyers for Fortis Bank andother creditors, including unpaid crewmembers, argued for a sale of thevessel. Crew members are owed about$86,000 in wages that were not paidthis summer. The crew has remained onthe vessel while it has been anchored inPortland Harbour, and has been paid bya custodial agent since the ship wasseized on Jul 20. Kaplan argued formore time to work out a settlementbefore the Shamrock is sold. He alsosaid that the dispute is a complex legalmatter that should be decided in aFrench court, and that Shamrock ’sowner may countersue Fortis Bank forrepossessing the vessel too soon. Ashopes for a settlement appear to fade,cargo carriers are seeking other vesselsthat can carry goods in and out ofPortland Harbour. A barge made a fewtrips between Portland and New York,but most cargo is now being trucked, athigher costs, between Maine and Bostonor New York.

SKANDI PMS 2 (Cayman Islands)London, Sep 14 — Tug/supply Skandi

PMS 2 was reported arriving at PortSaid on Aug 11 and sailing thefollowing day. Vessel was next reportedarriving back at Port Said on Aug 29,sailing on Aug 30.

TVILLINGERTrieste, Sep 9 — General cargo

Tvillinger is still under arrest inTrieste. Situation unchanged. — Lloyd’sAgents.

VOLGASee “Fishing Vessels Seized by

Australia.”

BRITTANY, FRANCELondon, Sep 14 — Crude oil tanker

Atlantic Hero (51984 gt, built 1992) waslast night in detention at the Frenchport of Le Havre pending settlement ofan expected 300,000 Euros bailpayment, for alleged pollution offencesoff the coast of Brittany. It is thoughtthat the vessel was en route for LeHavre from Novorossiysk on Friday(Sep 10) when it was spotted by aFrench navy patrol aircraft 260 km off

9


Marine/Seizures & Arrests/Pollution

the western tip of the Brittanypeninsula. The crew of the aircraftreported seeing an 11 km-long pollutionslick in the wake of the Atlantic Hero,which was carrying 80,000 tonnes ofcrude oil. It was accompanied into theport of Le Havre, where it arrived onSaturday evening, by a maritimegendarmerie patrol boat. Investigationsto determine the cause of the pollutionwere continuing aboard the vessel inthe port of Le Havre yesterday. Theoffice of the prosecutor in Brestindicated that, if the pollution wasfound to have been deliberate, themaster of the Atlantic Hero would besummoned to appear before the Bresthigh court at a later date. A Brest-based environmental protectionorganisation called yesterday for bail tobe set on the basis of current oil prices,estimating the value of the cargo of theAtlantic Heroat $20m. Mor Glaz, anorganisation led by local seafarers’trade union leader, Jean-PaulHellequin, claimed that recent penaltiesimposed by French courts for wastedumping at sea were not sufficientlydissuasive. It said it would take civilaction on its account against the ownersand operators of the Atlantic Hero,adding: “The association Mor Glazrecalls that a well maintained ship witha good owner and a good crew does notpollute.” (Note — Atlantic Hero passedCape Finisterre north Sep 9,Novorossiysk for Le Havre.)

London, Sep — A Mitsui OSK Lines-controlled oil tanker, detained at theweekend after French coast guardofficials said it had left an 11-km longoil slick off the Brittany coast, has beenallowed to resume its journey afterpaying a 300,000-euro ($367,035) fine,the firm said today. The coast guardofficials said earlier that thePanamanian-owned and flagged crudeoil tanker Atlantic Hero had been heldin the French port of Le Havre pendingthe settlement of the sum. They saidthe tanker, carrying some 80,000 tonnesof Urals crude oil from the Black Seaport of Novorossiisk, was spotted bymarine patrol aircraft on Friday (Sep10) off the western tip off Brittany withthe slick in its wake. The companydenied the oil tanker was responsiblefor the slick and said the crew actedwithin the law. It said it would contestthe fine at a court hearing in February.“The company has co-operated fullywith authorities and is confident thatno pollution took place,” said aspokesman for Mitsui OSK Lines. Hesaid the slick was caused by thedischarge of “waste water from thelower end of the ship containing oil upto the legal limit”. At the same time, hesaid the tanker was flushing its ballasttanks with water containing mud,which, appearing discoloured, couldhave looked like oil to patrol aircraft. —Reuters.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the operators of crude oil tankerAtlantic Hero, dated Sep 15: AtlanticHero departed Le Havre Sep 14following the completion ofinvestigations into an allegation that itwas involved in an operational pollutionincident in the Bay of Biscay Sep 10.

French ship inspectors visited thevessel Sep 11 and 13. MOL Tankships,operators of the vessel, are sure thatthey will confirm that the vessel’s oilywater separator was fully functionaland the Oil Record Book and associateddocuments were free of deficiency. Thereports of pollution were made by aFrench patrol aircraft. The vesselsubsequently reported that, at the timeof the overflight, it was engaged in thelegal, routine discharge of bilge water,controlled by the oily water separatorlater found, during the inspection onSep 11, to be working correctly. It isthought that the pollution report aroseas the vessel was simultaneouslydischarging water from segregatedballast tanks, producing somediscoloration (mud) in the vessel’s wake.This did not breach MARPOL and otherregulations. On arrival at Le Havre Sep11, Atlantic Hero discharged its cargo ofcrude oil, loaded at Novorossiysk, asplanned. The vessel was cleared fordeparture following inspection and thedeposit of a Euro 300,000 bond. Thecompany envisages that the matter willbe concluded when a hearing takesplace at Brest in February 2005, toconsider submissions by the companyand master, together with the findingsof the ship inspector.

CILACAP, INDONESIASee Lucky Lady under “Marine.”

DURBAN AREA, SOUTH AFRICALondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated Sep 9, states: At least five tons ofcrude oil leaked into the sea off theReunion coast between Isipingo and theBluff south of Durban yesterday.According to South Africa’s largestcrude oil refinery, SAPREF, it occurredat the single buoy mooring wheretankers usually discharged crude oilinto pipelines for transport to storagefacilities. SAPREF spokesperson LauraRossler said the spill happened abouttwo-and-a-half kilometres out at sea.Rossler said some of the oil had pollutedthe beach north of the Umlazi canal onWednesday evening. “Our standbyemergency crew will start clean upactivities at first light tomorrowmorning. First indications are that thecause was a damaged gasket in a flangeon one of the hoses that connect to theship.” Meanwhile the South DurbanCommunity Environmental Alliancecondemned the spill, saying Shell andBP had failed to honour theircommitment to improving conditions inthe area.

KARNAPHULI RIVER,BANGLADESH

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated Sep 11, states: The Department ofEnvironment (DOE) has submitted itsinquiry report on the disposal of fuelfrom crude oil tanker BanglarShourabh into the Karnaphuli River.The report said such disposal of fuel hascaused pollution of water in the riverand it recommended realisation ofcompensation from the BSC. Thecommittee, led by Md MostafizurRahman, Senior Chemist of the DOE,Chittagong, handed over the report to

the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA),sources said. The report also said thecommittee procured fuel-mixed waterfrom eight points of the river and afterthe chemical test of the samples ofwater it was found that the fuel-mixedwater was harmful for the flora andfauna. The report further said that, dueto heavy disposal of fuel, it has createdan adverse effect on trees and bushes inthe adjoining areas of the river.

BANGLADESHLondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: Heavy rainsaccompanied by strong winds havebegun lashing Bangladesh, killing atleast eight people and promptingwarnings to fishermen to stay close toshore, officials said today. The rains,caused by the formation of a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal,began Saturday and were expected tolast for two or three days, weatherofficials said. Two women and threebabies were killed in a pre-dawnlandslide yesterday triggered byincessant rainfall in the southeasternport city of Chittagong, police and firebrigade officials said. In thenorthwestern town Sirajgonj, threepeople died and about 30 were missingwhen a boat sank in a swollen Jamunariver.

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, sttaes: A departingmonsoon has brought unusually heavyrain across Bangladesh, threateningfresh flooding in areas that have justresurfaced from the country’s worstdeluge in 15 years, meteorology officialssaid yesterday. In the capital, Dhaka,officials recorded 272 mm of rainfallsince Sunday (Sep 12) morning, withmost roads flooded. Shops, schools andmany offices were closed. Strong windsand rain flattened or swept away nearly300 wood and tin houses on theoutskirts Chittagong yesterday, injuringabout 20 people, locals said. Unusuallyheavy showers have swept the countryfor the past four days. An official saidthe rain was likely to continue for a fewmore days, and could drive some riversback above danger levels. Farmers whohad hurriedly planted rice and othercrops in the wake of floods two monthsago now see them in turn beingdamaged.Government officialsestimated that the floods had cost theimpoverished country around $7 billion(BD2.65bn) in losses to agriculture,industry and infrastructure. The WorldBank and the Asian Development Bankwere making a final assessment of thedamage, they said. Torrential rainshave also hampered a search for about20 people missing after a ferry sank onSunday in the Jamuna river, nearSirajganj, in which at least sevenpeople died. A landslide killed fivemembers of a family in Chittagong, alsoon Sunday. Energy officials said

10


Pollution/Weather & Navigation

yesterday stormy weather hadprevented engineers from reaching anoffshore gas field in the Bay of Bengalto plug a hydraulic leak that has halvedgas production.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: The heaviest rain tosweep Bangladesh in at least five yearsflooded most of the capital yesterday,bringing more misery to a country stillrecovering from the worst floods in 15years. City officials and witnesses saidmany of Dhaka’s streets were underwater up to thigh-deep, forcing mostresidents to stay home and governmentoffices to remain shut. The Dhakaweather office said nearly 350mm ofrain was recorded in the capital sinceSunday (Sep 12). A similar amount hadfallen across many other parts of thecountry. The rain was expected tocontinue for a few more days. Airportofficials said at least 25 domestic andinternational flights had been delayedor cancelled since Monday. Ferry andtrain services were also disrupted.Schools, shops and many offices wereclosed. Six people were reported to havedied in the capital from electrocutionand a wall collapse on Monday.Hundreds of families in Dhaka rushedto store drinking water and buyemergency supplies after floodwatersinundated water pumps. “The situationis much worse now than was during therecent floods,” Mohammad Akhtar,maintenance supervisor at a Dhakamulti-storey housing complex, saidyesterday. Some rivers have alreadyburst their banks while water levels inother rivers were rising fast, Dhaka’sflood warning centre said. The latestrains have inundated many areasflooded in July. Farmers who hadhurriedly planted rice and other cropsin the wake of floods two months agonow see them being damaged. Allschools, government, semi-governmentand autonomous offices in Dhaka wouldremain closed yesterday, a governmentstatement said. (See issue of Sep 15.)

Dhaka, Sep 16 — A rain-swollen riverin Bangladesh has burst its banks,sending torrents of water through morethan 100 villages southeast of thecapital and leaving thousands of peoplehomeless, officials said today. They saidthe sudden collapse of about 100 m ofthe Gumti river embankment lateyesterday inundated thousands ofhouses. No deaths or injuries had beenreported, said an official in nearbyComilla town, 150 km from Dhaka. Theheaviest rainfall in more than half acentury over the past week, has putlarge parts of the country, including thecapital Dhaka, under three to four feetof water. The rain eased yesterday butweather officials said there could beintermittent showers over the next twodays. Local authorities called in thearmy to plug the breach on theembankment in Devidwar area ofComilla district, but officials said therewas little they could do. Haradhan Shil,Comilla district relief officer said: “The(army) engineers will try to repair thebreach once the flows start easing,”adding the soldiers would try to rescuemarooned people by using motorisedrafts. Devidwar police officer Abdul

Kalam Azad said the rise in the Gumtiriver had affected about 400,000villagers, but warned that the breachwas widening and the number waslikely to rise. A senior Dhaka weatherofficial said rough weather conditionswould prevail for at least two moredays. This week’s deluge also forcedthousands of families to flee theirhomes in a middle class Dhaka suburbknown as the DND embankment area,home to more than one million people.Officials said at least 17,000 peopletook shelter on an embankment and inhigh-rise buildings. — Reuters.

CANADALondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated Sep 14, states: Torrential rainsacross Quebec in the recent monthswilll cost the provincial governmentmore than $14 million this year. SinceApr 1, the government has spent $4million on emergency relief for floodvictims. A further $10 million in claimsis expected to be processed.

CHINALondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated today, states: Residents in south-west China have started mopping upand rebuilding after some of the worststorms devastated the region, killing atleast 189 people. Downstream from theworst-hit communities, a furtherdisaster was averted when the massiveThree Gorges Dam project survivedintact when the largest flood peak ofthe year passed without incident. Morethan 20 sluice gates were opened torelease water at the dam when itclimbed above warning levels. TheChina News Service says the waterlevel is now falling in most regions andthe dam can be re-opened for navigationtoday. Upstream in Sichuan provinceand Chongqing municipality, clean-upefforts are underway after almost aweek of torrential rains left a trail ofdestruction. Official media says morethan 11 million people have beenaffected and economic losses areexpected to exceed $US470 million.

FRANCELondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated today, states: A severe stormripped through the Marseille regattavillage yesterday severely damaging theEmirates Team New Zealand yachtNZL82. The yacht and cradle wereknocked over by the wind. The boatlanded along the top edge of a 12mshipping container, causing severeimpact damage to the port side, TeamNew Zealand said in a statement. Theteam will not compete in the Valenciaregatta next month. Alinghi and BMWOracle were also knocked off theircradles in the storm and significantlydamaged. The other three yachts in anAmerica’s Cup warm-up regatta inMarseille, southern France, were safe.NZL82 will be righted and the fullextent of the damage assessed. Alinghiand Oracle each have two yachts inEurope and will probably compete inthe next regatta. Team New Zealandmanaging director Grant Dalton saidthe damage could be repaired, but notin time for the next regatta. “We will

ship it back to New Zealand forrepairs,” he said. “We are fortunate tohave NZL81 and GER68 nearingcompletion in Auckland so we can stillhave a full testing programme over theNew Zealand summer.”

HURRICANE “FRANCES”London, Sep 9 — A press report, dated

today, states: The U.S. Coast Guard hasgivn approval for vessels to return tothe basin at Port Canaveral (followingthe passage of hurricane “Frances”).However, boat ramps remain closed. Inaddition, the channel remains closed toall vessels, with no marine transitallowed east of the basin into or fromthe ocean. Navigational aids are beingchecked and bottom surveys continue todetermine when Port Canaveral cansafely re-open to cruise and cargo ships.Canaveral Harbor was evacuated lastFriday (Sep 3) in advance of HurricaneFrances. As a result of the storm, sandin the channel and other navigationalhazards forced Port Canaveral to closeto all vessel traffic.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: The remnants ofhurricane “Frances” washed out waterlines or sanitation systems in severalmountain towns, leaving tens ofthousands of people without drinkingwater early today. Flooding throughoutthe Appalachian Mountains contributedto two deaths in Ohio. As it lurchednorthward since striking Florida overthe weekend (Sep 4-5), the stormbrought heavy rainfall across much ofthe East, including up to 16.6 inches ofrain in western North Carolina. Morethan 200 roads throughout the regionwere still impassable today because offloods, debris or rock slides. Amongthem was the Blue Ridge Parkway, ascenic highway that links SmokyMountains and Shenendoah nationalparks. The flooding was the worstBuncombe County has seen for manydecades, said Jerry VeHaun, emergencyservices director for the county thatincludes Asheville. The regional waterauthority counties lost all transmissionlines from one treatment facilitybecause of flooding. Asheville officialsexpected water service to not berestored until this afternoon at theearliest. Other mountain communitiesreported flood damage to homes andbusinesses, and evacuations of low-lying areas. More than 200 people wererescued from high water by swift-waterrescue teams, but no deaths or seriousinjuries were reported anywhere inNorth Carolina. In Ohio, whichreported rainfall of up to seven inches,a nine-year-old girl drowned yesterdaywhen she was swept off a footbridgecrossing a rain-swollen stream, and a65-year-old man died from an apparentheart attack while trying to pumpwater out of a basement. In westernMaryland, the storm broughtmudslides, road closures and poweroutages, and in Virginia, tornadoesassociated with “Frances” damagedhomes. Rainfall totalled five inches ormore in parts of West Virginia, butproblems were minimal, in part becausean extended dry spell meant streamswere low, officials said.

11


Weather & Navigation

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: As hurricane“Frances” moved across South Florida,its winds knocked over trees andwaterlogged plants at nurseriesthroughout the area. Nursery ownerswere still assessing damage yesterday.Some owners say they’ve lost theirentire inventories; others are hoping tohave power restored so they can saveremaining plants and trees with much-needed water. The Florida Nursery,Growers & Landscape Associationestimates crop and structural damageto the industry from “Frances” could beas high as $400 million. When combinedwith the $100 million to $200 millionestimate from hurricane “Charley”three weeks earlier, Florida’s nurseryand landscape industry has taken a$450 million to $600 million hit,according to the group.

London, Sep 12 — FollowingHurricane “Frances’s” trail ofdestruction through Florida, the USCoast Guard reported yesterday thatthe ports of Jacksonville andFernandina, as well as the intracoastalwaterway, were again open to vesseltraffic but Port Canaveral remainedclosed because of out-of-position aids tonavigation and shoaling in the channel.The ports had been closed to shipping tominimize the chances of damage to portinfrastructure and the marineenvironment and to allow for thequickest return to normal operations assafely possible. According to the USCG,ordering of vessels and barges over 500gross tons out of port and to seaprevented the potential for millions ofdollars of damage and the possibility ofa large environmental disaster andwaterway obstructions. Along theshoreline, waterfront terminalsprepared by taking precautions toprevent cargo and containers fromwashing into the waterway. Thedecision to reopen the port was made inconcert with port officials and themaritime community and after ageneral assessment of the condition ofthe ports. Detailed evaluations of theport’s shipping channel will continueand guidelines for ships’ transits willadjust accordingly as repairs are madeto the aids to navigation. “I amconvinced that the prevention stepstaken were worthwhile,” said Capt.David Lersch, Captain of the Port ofJacksonville. “The maritime industryand harbor safety committees’assistance was invaluable to the safeclosing and timely re-opening of theports.”

Freeport, Bahamas, Sep 13 — Crudeoil tanker Nysa was manoeuvred backto her berth when the hurricane wasover. Understand that she may havesustained some hull damages duringthe incident. — Lloyd’s Agents.

HURRICANE “IVAN”Kingston, Jamaica, Sep 9 —

Jamaicans were scrambling for suppliesand fortifying their homes today ashurricane “Ivan” moved nearer with 150mph winds after killing at least 20people on the island of Grenada.Tourists fled the Florida Keys andresidents of the 100-mile island chain

prepared for an evacuation tomorrow asFlorida braced for a third hurricanestrike in a month. Haiti, the DominicanRepublic, Cuba and the CaymanIslands were also readying for apossible Category 5 storm. JamaicanPrime Minister P.J. Patterson urgedJamaica’s 2.7 million people to getready. “Ivan” weakened slightly todayfrom a Category 5 storm to Category 4,but forecasters said it could regainstrength. Some gas stations in thecapital ran out of fuel and lines formedat food stores. The government orderedschools closed today and tomorrow andthree universities shut their doors.Emergency managers in the FloridaKeys ordered evacuation for visitors, ameasure taken well in advance becausethousands of tourists need time to moverecreational vehicles and boats up theonly road linking the island chain. The80,000 residents of the Keys were tobegin evacuating tomorrow morning.The Cayman Islands issued a hurricanewarning for its 43,000 people today,telling them hurricane conditions werepossible within 24 hours. “Ivan”slammed into Grenada on Tuesday (Sep7), flattening or badly damaging homesand cutting power. A US StateDepartment official said the stormkilled 20 people. Grenada’s capital, St.George’s, was devastated. Caribbeanemergency managers said the islandhad no electricity or water and was indire need of communicationsequipment, food, tents, tarpaulins andbuilding materials. “Ivan” was alsoblamed for the death of a woman inTrinidad and Tobago and a swimmer inVenezuela. At 1700, EDT (2100, UTC),the hurricane’s centre was about 350miles south-east of Kingston, the USNational Hurricane centre said. It wasmoving west-north-west at 15 mph. Thecentre’s long-range forecast, which issubject to change, had “Ivan” reachingCuba by Sunday, and Florida onMonday. — Reuters.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Extremelydangerous hurricane “Ivan” is movingwest-northwestward toward Jamaica. Ahurricane warning remains in effect forJamaica and the Cayman Islands. Ahurricane watch and a tropical stormwarning remain in effect for the entiresouth-west Peninsula of Haiti from theborder of the Dominican Republicwestward, including Port Au Prince. Ahurricane watch and a tropical stormwarning are in effect for the DominicanRepublic from Barahona to Perdenales.A tropical storm watch remains in effectfor the south-western coast of theDominican Republic from Palenquewestward to Barahona. A hurricanewatch is in effect for central andeastern Cuba from Matanzas eastward.Tropical storm warnings may berequired for portions of southeasternCuba this morning. At 0600, UTC, thecentre of hurricane “Ivan” was locatednear lat 15.7N, long 73.8W, or about250 miles south-east of Kingston,Jamaica. “Ivan” is moving toward thewest-north-west near 13mph and thisgeneral motion is expected to continuefor the next 24 hours. On this track thehurricane will be nearing Jamaica

tonight. Maximum sustained windshave decreased a little to near 145mphwith higher gusts. “Ivan” is anextremely dangerous Category 4hurricane on the Saffir-Simpsonhurricane scale. Some fluctuations inintensity are likely during the next 24hours, and “Ivan” could regain Category5 status as it approaches Jamaica.Hurricane force winds extend outwardup to 50 miles from the centre, andtropical storm force winds extendoutward up to 175 miles. The latestestimated minimum central pressurerecently measured by reconnaissanceaircraft is 930 mb, 27.47 inches. Stormsurge flooding of five to eight feet abovenormal tide levels, along with large anddangerous battering waves, can beexpected near the centre of “Ivan” inthe hurricane warning area. Rainfallamounts of six to 10 inches, possiblycausing life-threatening flash floodsand mud slides, can be expected alongthe path of “Ivan”.

London, Sep 10 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0900, UTC, today, the centreof hurricane “Ivan” was located near lat15.9N, long 74.2W. The position isaccurate to within to 10 nautical miles.The present movement is toward thewest-north-west or 300 degs, at11knots. The estimated minimumcentral pressure is 930 mb. The eyediameter is 20 nautical miles.Maximum sustained winds are 125knots with gusts to 155 knots. Radius of64 knot winds: 45 nautical miles in thenorth-east and north-west quadrants,35 nautical miles in the south-eastquadrant and 30 nautical miles in thesouth-west quadrant. At 0600, UTC,Sep 11, the centre is predicted to benear lat 18.0N, long 77.4W, withmaximum winds of 130 knots and guststo 160 knots.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: Valero EnergyCorp. today said the company’s refineryin Aruba was not damaged by the highwinds caused by Hurricane Ivanyesterday. Valero shut down its275,000-barrel-per-day refinery andevacuated all 775 employees from thestorm. Officials with the San Antonio-based oil refining and marketingcompany already have begun re-starting the facility and expects theplant to be operating back to normallevels within the next 48 hours.

Kingston, Jamaica, Sep 11 — Deadlyhurricane “Ivan” battered Jamaica withpowerful winds and torrential rainstoday but spared the island the worst ofits wrath as the eye skirted the shoreand headed for the Cayman Islands andCuba. The storm felled large trees andpoles, flooded streets, swept awayhouses and left the island in the dark.Sporadic shooting broke out on thedeserted streets of the capital whenlooters went on the rampage. “Ivan,”which has already killed 27 people andleft a trail of devastation across theCaribbean, veered west just as itapproached Jamaica and skirted thesouthern shore instead of plowingthrough the island. At 0500, EDT, thehurricane’s winds had weakenedslightly to 150 mph but remained a

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powerful and deadly Category 4hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of1-5. The eye was about 70 miles southof Montego Bay, Jamaica, in lat 17.5N,long 78W, the US National HurricaneCentre said. The storm was movingwest-north-west or north-west at about8 mph and, at this rate, “Ivan” wasexpected to reach the Cayman Islandsin 24 hours before heading for Cubatomorrow and then to Florida onMonday (Sep 13). Forecasters warnedthat within the next 24 hours “Ivan”could become a stronger and rareCategory 5 hurricane capable of causingcatastrophic damage. The evacuation ofthe Florida Keys’ 80,000 residents wasalready under way and was the thirdbig evacuation in Florida in a month.“Ivan” has already devastated theisland of Grenada, where it killed 17people and damaged 90% of homes. Theisland remained without power or waterand was under a dusk-to-dawn curfewafter widespread looting. Residents onfoot or in battered cars scoured theisland in search of water, food andgasoline. “Ivan” also killed at least oneperson in Jamaica, four in Venezuela,four in the Dominican Republic and onein Tobago. In the Cayman Islands, amajor offshore financial centre, mostschools and businesses, includingbanks, were boarded up. Someapartment complexes ordered residentsto evacuate. — Reuters.

London, Sep 11 — A press report,dated today, states: Hurricane “Ivan”lashed Jamaica with monstrous waves,driving rain and winds nearing 155mph today, killing at least five people asit washed away homes and tore roofs offhouses and trees from the ground, butunexpectedly spared the island from adirect hit. In the storm’s wake,authorities in Grenada found anothereight bodies, raising the toll on theisland to 34 dead and the toll across theCaribbean to 50. In the Jamaicancapital, Kingston, sporadic looting andgunfire erupted overnight andcontinued this morning. Looters carriedboxes of groceries from a smashedstorefront. A 10-year-old girl drownedin Old Harbor, just east of Kingston,and a woman was killed in the capitalby a tree that struck her home. Policesaid three other people, a man, awoman and a baby, drowned inClarendon parish, just west ofKingston. Jamaica was saved the fullbrunt of “Ivan” by an unexpectedwobble and lurch to the west overnight.Forecasters warned it could still moveback to its predicted course and hitFlorida. At 1400, EDT, today, the eye of“Ivan” was about 40 miles west-south-west of Jamaica’s western tip andsustained winds were at 145 mph. Afterdrifting west for the past few hours, itwas expected to resume a west-north-west track at around eight miles perhour. Meteorologist expected it movenear or over the Caiman Islandstomorrow.

Kingston, Jamaica, Sep 12 —Hurricane “Ivan,” one of the mostpowerful storms to batter theCaribbean, gutted homes, washed awayroads and killed at least 16 people inJamaica yesterday but appeared to

have spared the island the utterdevastation wrought on Grenada.“Ivan,” blamed for the deaths of at least44 people in the Caribbean, became arare, top-intensity Category 5hurricane with catastrophic winds of165 mph as it blasted past Jamaica andheaded towards the Cayman Islands,Cuba and possibly Florida. Thehurricane was the sixth-strongestrecorded in the Atlantic basin,according to the US NationalHurricane Centre. “It’s definitely one ofthe most powerful hurricanes to haveoccurred in the Atlantic Ocean,” saidhurricane centre meteorologist GeneHafele. “Ivan” ripped off roofs acrossJamaica and torrential rains triggeredmudslides, washing out roads. Thestorm brought trees and poles crashingdown in the capital, Kingston, whereravines overflowed and flooded streets.Near Kingston airport at HarbourView, a giant storm surge gutted a rowof beachfront homes and dumped beachsand on roads. Aid agencies andofficials said they were still trying tofind out what had happened in thesouth-eastern parish of St. Thomas,one of the hardest-hit areas, and St.Elizabeth in the south-west. Jamaica’sdeath toll rose to 16 and includedpeople whose houses collapsed whentrees fell on them and others whodrowned when flashfloods washedthrough their homes. However, thehurricane gave Jamaica’s 2.7 millionpeople a slight, last-minute reprieve byveering westward, keeping the worstwinds off the south coast and awayfrom Kingston, where tens ofthousands of people l ive in fl imsyshanties. Jamaican police made 28arrests as they battled looting thaterupted during the storm. Two menwere shot dead by police in gunfightswhen officers tried to retrieve stolengoods. Robbers held up emergencyworkers at gunpoint, shooting andinjuring one doctor as she slowed hercar in rising water. The Category 5storm, capable of destroying buildings,remained on course to hit the CaymanIslands and Cuba. It also threatenedFlorida with its third big hurricanestrike in a month, after “Charley” and“Frances,” which together caused anestimated $9.4 billion to $11.4 billion ininsured damages. Evacuations werealmost complete in the Florida Keys,where officials ordered tourists and80,000 residents out of the 100-mile-long island chain. Mexico beganevacuating some 2,250 people from asmall island off the Yucatan. In theCayman Islands, authorities toldcoastal dwellers to flee battering wavesand a 15-foot storm surge as thehurricane’s wobbly track put GrandCayman, the largest of the territory’sthree islands, in greatest danger. “Weare looking at potentially catastrophicconditions,” said James Ryan,chairman of the Caymans hurricanecommittee. Most of the residents of thesmallest island, Little Cayman, hadbeen brought over to shelters on GrandCayman, said committee spokeswomanJoan Scott-Campbell. Public stormshelters rapidly filled up as winds of upto 50 mph began to hit Grand Cayman

last night and the authorities declareda state of emergency. Hurricane forcewinds were expected to begin being feltearly in the morning. At 2300yesterday the centre of “Ivan” wasabout 105 miles south-east of GrandCayman in lat 18.3N, long 80W, thenational hurricane centre said. It wasexpected to drift west-north-west atabout 8 mph. “Ivan” was forecast to hitCuba by tomorrow and approachFlorida’s west coast by Tuesday (Sep14). Cuba began evacuating 200,000people in the western half of the island.It appeared the storm would hit keytobacco-growing areas west of Havanaand not the capital itself , whereresidents jammed shops to buy foodand water and candles. So far, theworst-hit Caribbean island appeared tobe Grenada. The Red Cross estimated60,000 of Grenada’s 90,000 people wereleft homeless. The island has beenwithout power or water and under anighttime curfew since “Ivan” strucklast Tuesday. The State Departmentsent charter f l ights yesterday toevacuate 1,400 stranded Americans,many of them medical students. Inaddition to 19 confirmed deaths inGrenada and 16 in Jamaica, fourpeople died in Venezuela, four in theDominican Republic and one in Tobago.— Reuters.

London, Sep 12 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office:Hurricane “Ivan”, situation at 0900,UTC: A hurricane warning remains ineffect for the Cayman Islands. Ahurricane warning remains in effect forCuba from Pinar del Rio to Ciego deAvila, including the Isle of Youth. Ahurricane warning means thathurricane conditions are expectedwithin the warning area within thenext 24 hours. Preparations to protectlife and property should be rushed tocompletion. A hurricane watch remainsin effect for the rest of Cuba. Ahurricane watch means that hurricaneconditions are possible within the watcharea, generally within 36 hours. Atropical storm warning remains ineffect for Jamaica but is likely to belowered later this morning. Interests inthe north-western Caribbean Sea, aswell as in the eastern Gulf of Mexicoshould closely monitor the progress ofthis extremely dangerous hurricane.Hurricane centre located near lat18.6N, long 80.8W, at 0900, UTC.Position accurate within 10 nauticalmiles. Present movement towards thewest-north-west, or 290 deg, at eightknots. Estimated minimum centralpressure 918 mb. Eye diameter 15nautical miles. Maximum sustainedwinds 135 knots with gusts to 165knots. Radius of 64-knot winds 80 milesnorth-east, 45 miles south-east, 25miles south-west and 55 miles north-west. Radius of 50-knot winds 100 milesnorth-east, 70 miles south-east, 70miles south-west and 95 miles north-west. Radius of 34-knot winds 150 milesnorth-east, 100 miles south-east, 100miles south-west and 150 miles north-west. Radius of 12-ft seas 360 milesnorth-east, 180 miles south-east, 180miles south-west and 200 miles north-west. The centre is forecast to be in lat

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20.6N, long 83W, at 0600, UTC, Sep 13.Maximum winds 145 knots with guststo 175 knots.

London, Serp 12 — A press report,dated today, states: Hurricane “Ivan” isbattering the Cayman Islands en routeto Cuba, after moving on from Jamaica,where it killed at least 14 people. It isripping up homes and causing extensiveflooding. One of the worst hurricanesever seen in the Caribbean, “Ivan” hasweakened to a category-four level, butis expected to strengthen again. Amassive clean-up operation is underway in Jamaica after “Ivan” and intenserain afterwards, wrecked the island. Inthe Caymans, some 45,000 residentswere hiding in homes and shelters asthe hurricane unleashed ferociouswinds, rain and waves of up to 20 feet(six metres), while cutting off powerlines, uprooting trees and scatteringdebris. “We are now experiencing thefull intensity of the storms andconditions are about as bad as they willget,” a spokesman for the GrandCayman-based Hurricane Hotline said.“We are getting reports of homes beingdamaged, tiles missing and roofs liftingup. So far nobody has been injured butthere is lots of flooding from risingtides. A state of emergency has beendeclared.” Water supplies have beenturned off for fear of contaminationduring the storm. Most residents on thesmaller islands of Little Cayman andCayman Brac were evacuated to themain island of Grand Cayman.Yesterday, hundreds boarded charterflights off the low-lying islands. At 1200GMT, the eye of the hurricane, which isdescribed as “extremely dangerous”,was about 35 miles (55km) south-east ofGrand Cayman island, the Miami-basedNational Hurricane Center (NHC)said. The NHC added “Ivan” was likelyto regain a category-five intensity laterin the next 24 hours. “Ivan” wasmoving at a speed of nearly 9mph(15km/h) with maximum sustainedwind speeds decreasing to 250km/h(155mph), with higher gusts. Its centreis expected to move over or very nearthe island of Grand Cayman within thenext few hours. It is moving towardsthe west-north-west and a turntowards the north-west is expectedduring the next 24 hours, the NCHsaid. Hurricane toll: Grenada: At least17 dead. Venezuela: Five kil led.Jamaica: 14 kil led. DominicanRepublic: 4 killed. Tobago: One killed.With the intense driving rain thatfollowed it, flooding is continuing to bethe main problem in Jamaica andmany parts remain cut off from therest of the island. Homes and roadswere swept away in flooding caused byheavy rain and huge waves up to 23-feet (seven metres) high. Of the half amillion people in the exposed easternshores who had been urged to moveinto shelters, many ignored the advicefearing their homes might be looted. InKingston, there had been reports oflooting, but police were primarilyconcerned with rescue work. There isno electricity and many places arewithout water. The country’s twointernational airports are notscheduled to re-open until tomorrow.

George Town, Cayman Islands, Sep 13— Hurricane “Ivan” moved towardCuba today after pummelling theCayman Islands, Jamaica and Grenadaon a track that eventually will bring itto the U.S. coast. “Ivan”, has sustainedwinds near 160 mph andt has killed atleast 47 people. Forecasters said therare and deadly Category 5 hurricanewas expected to pass near or overextreme western Cuba this evening.They warned of a 20-to-25-foot stormsurge of seawater to the east of wherethe center makes landfall in Cuba. OnGrand Cayman, the largest of the threeCayman Islands, homes and businesseswere flooded, an airport runway wassubmerged and roofs were torn off,witnesses said. There were noimmediate reports of casualties in theCaymans. “Ivan” was headed fortobacco-growing regions of westernCuba or Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsulatoday and then toward the UnitedStates, where it could inflict a thirdhurricane strike on Florida within amonth or curve west toward NewOrleans. The hurricane’s path wasunclear, and the most powerful windsaround its eyewall could end up closerto the Yucatan than to Cuba as itsweeps into the Gulf of Mexico andmakes an expected northerly turn. Atleast 12,000 Jamaicans spent last nightin shelters after huge waves, flashfloods or fierce winds wrecked theirhomes. Looting, which erupted as thestorm hit, appeared under control, asheavily armed police patrolled. Cubaevacuated 1.3 million people — morethan a tenth of its population — andprepared for 12 inches of rain. Mexico’sYucatan peninsula also braced forpossible high winds, and beganevacuating 12,000 residents andtourists from Isla Mujeres, a resortisland eight miles from Cancun. “Ivan”was downgraded to Category 4 on thefive-step Saffir-Simpson storm scale asit hit the Caymans but strengthenedagain to a rare Category 5 last night. Itwas unlikely to reach U.S. shores as aCategory 5, the U.S. NationalHurricane Center said. “Ivan”’s centerwas about 160 miles south-east of thewestern tip of Cuba, in lat 19.9N, long83.5W and moving west-north-westnear nine mph at 0200 hrs, (0600,UTC), the U.S. National HurricaneCenter reported. — Reuters.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Hurricane “Ivan”: A hurricanewarning remains in effect for Cuba fromPinar del Rio to Ciego de Avilaincluding the Isle of Youth. A hurricanewatch remains in effect for the rest ofCuba. At 0900, UTC, today thegovernment of Mexico issued ahurricane warning for the north-eastern Yucatan peninsula from Tulumto Progreso. A hurricane warningremains in effect for the CaymanIslands, but will likely be lowered latertoday. A tropical storm watch remainsin effect for the Florida Keys from theSeven Mile bridge westward to the DryTortugas. This watch could be loweredlater today. At 0600, UTC, today, thecentre of “Ivan” was located near lat19.9N, long 83.5W. The position is

accurate to within 15 nautical miles.The present movement is toward thewest-north-west or 300 degs at eightknots. The estimated minimum centralpressure is 920 mb. The eye diameter is35 nautical miles. The maximumsustained winds are 140 knots withgusts to 170 knots. The radius of 64knot winds: 90 nautical miles in thenorth-east quadrant, 75 nautical milesin the south-east quadrant, 40 nauticalmiles in the south-west quadrant and50 nautical miles in the north-westquadrant. At 0600, UTC, Sep 14, thecentre is predicted to be near lat 26.0N,long 87.5W, with maximum sustainedwinds of 120 knots and gusts to 145knots.

London, Sep 14 — Crude oil futuresrose on news of anticipated disruptionof shipments in the Gulf of Mexico,source of a quarter of US oil and gasoutput. Having killed 60 across theCaribbean, “Ivan” was heading towardCuba yesterday on a track that willbring it ashore in Florida or Alabamasometime Thursday (Sep 16).Hurricanes “Charley” and “Frances”caused billions of dollars in propertydamage in Florida. Cuba, stillrecovering from “Charley”, expectedhurricane conditions within 24 hours inthe western portion of the nation.Crude oil futures rose as much as 1.9%in New York on concern Hurricane“Ivan” may disrupt output in the Gulf ofMexico. In Florida, Governor Jeb Bushdeclared a state of emergency. TheLouisiana Offshore Oil Port, the biggestUS crude-oil import terminal, reportedit would stop offloading tankersyesterday. Royal Dutch/Shell Group, BP,Exxon Mobil Corp and Kerr-McGeeCorp began evacuating non-essentialworkers from platforms yesterday.“Ivan” is forecast to make landfall inAlabama, closer to rigs than previousstorms “Charley” and “Frances”. Outputmay still be unaffected. Crude oil forOctober delivery jumped 74 cents, or1.7%, to 43.55 a barrel at 1402, Londontime on the New York MercantileExchange, Bloomberg reported. It hasgained 34% this year. Brent crude forOctober settlement rose 60 cents to$40.80 a barrel on London’sInternational Petroleum Exchange.

Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Sep 14 —Hurricane “Ivan” churned northwardinto the Gulf of Mexico today on a trackfor the U.S. coast after ripping off roofsand downing trees and power lines as itbrushed past western Cuba. There wereno reported casualties on the islandfrom the giant storm, the most powerfulto hit Cuba in living memory. After aCaribbean rampage that killed at least68 people and left behind vast damage,“Ivan” was expected to make landfall inthe United States as early as tomorrownight, prompting forecasters to post ahurricane watch from the FloridaPanhandle to west of New Orleans inLouisiana. The powerful core of “Ivan”,a rare Category 5 hurricane with windsnear 160 mph, passed overGuanahacabibes peninsula, a sparselypopulated national park in westernCuba. Vicious winds and pounding seasfurther from “Ivan”’s center pummeledthe tobacco-growing province of Pinar

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del Rio. The sea surged 600 yardsinland at some points and the beachand diving centre of Maria la Gorda washit by an 11-foot surge, officials said. At0200 hrs, (0600, UTC), the eye of “Ivan”was about 55 miles northwest of thewestern tip of Cuba at lat 22.4N, long85.6W and moving north-west near ninemph, the U.S. hurricane center said.Cuban authorities had evacuated 1.3million of the country’s 11 millionpeople before “Ivan” took a morewesterly path than first predicted.There were no reported deaths or eveninjuries. However, “Ivan”’s death tollrose to 68 as Haiti reported threestorm-related deaths and the PanAmerican Health Organization said 37people had died in Grenada. Nineteenwere killed in Jamaica, four inVenezuela, four in the DominicanRepublic and one in Tobago. Meanwhile,in the Mexican beach resort Cancun onthe Yucatan peninsula thousands ofresidents and visitors were evacuatedas heavy rains and choppy seaspounded the coast. Flights to Cancunhad been cancelled amid fears of majordamage, and tourists were warned tostay in their hotels. The smallCaribbean island of Cozumel, one of theworld’s leading diving centres, was cutoff from the mainland. But Cancunairport remained open, as did Mexico’smain oil exporting ports. “Ivan”’s trackwas expected to take it to the U.S. Gulfcoast between the Mississippi Delta andFlorida Panhandle by tomorrow. If itdoes not curve west, the storm couldinflict a third hurricane strike onFlorida within a month. Authorities inthe Florida Keys allowed evacuatedresidents to return to the island chain.But officials warned that at least 1.7million people in fragile mobile homesor low-lying areas were at risk alongFlorida’s Gulf Coast. — Reuters.

London, Sep 14 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Hurricane “Ivan”: A hurricanewarning remains in effect for the Cubanprovinces of Pinar del Rio, Havana,including the city of Havana and theIsle of Youth. A hurricane warningremains in effect for the north-easternYucatan peninsula from Tulum toProgreso but will likely be discontinuedlater today. A tropical storm watchremains in effect for the Florida Keysfrom the Seven Mile Bridge westward,including the Dry Tortugas. A hurricanewatch remains in effect for the northernGulf of Mexico coast from Morgan City,Louisiana, eastward to St.Marks,Florida, including greater New Orleans,Louisiana. At 0900, UTC, today, thecentre of “Ivan” was located near 22.6N,long 86.0W. The position is accurate towithin 15 nautical miles. The presentmovement is toward the north-west, or320 degs, at eight knots. The estimatedminimum central pressure is 924 mband the eye diameter is 20 nauticalmiles. The maximum sustained windsare 140 knots, with gusts to 170 knots.The radius of 64 knot winds is 85nautical miles in the north-east andsouth-east quadrants, 50 nautical milesin the south-west quadrant and 75nautical miles in the north-westquadrant. At 0600, UTC, Sep 15, the

centre is predicted to be near lat 26.0N,long 87.7W, with maximum winds of135 knots and gusts to 165 knots.

London, Sep 15 — Gulf of Mexico oiland gas producers are bracingthemselves for Hurricane “Ivan”,shutting down production platforms andevacuating staff. Around 20 oil majorsand independents have evacuatedplatforms and drilling rigs operating inthe eastern and central parts of theregion and more are expected to closetoday as the hurricane sweeps intowards the Gulf Coast after skirtingCuba. Shell Oil has closed 270,000barrels per day of oil output from itstension-leg platforms, while US majorsChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil haveclosed facilities. ChevronTexaco hasshut one of the region’s largestrefineries, the 355,000 bpd Pascagoulaplant, while ExxonMobil is expected toclose the Chalmette refinery. Dallas-based Pioneer Natural Resources hasshut down its Devil’s Tower spar andthe deepwater Canyon Express gasproject. Murphy Oil has shut downoperations on the Medusa and FrontRunner spars, a spokeswomanconfirmed. Its partner, Spinnaker, isexpecting these facilities to be closed forup to ten days depending on the track ofthe hurricane. Newfield Exploration hasshut down a quarter of its gasproducing assets in the region andsuspended drilling on two rigs.Remington Oil has shut down almost allof its offshore facilities. WhenHurricane “Charley” crashed throughthe region in August, over 40 companiesshut down 154 platforms and 32 rigs,closing off output of 480,000 barrels ofoil and 1.1bn cu ft of gas per day, saidthe Minerals Management Service. TheGulf of Mexico’s daily production isaround 1.7m barrels of oil and 12.3bn cuft of gas per day, said the MMS.

Miami, Sep 15 — Authorities urgedmillions of people from New Orleans tonorthwest Florida to flee as hurricane“Ivan” churned through the Gulf ofMexico on a track that could bring itonto the U.S. coast by tonight. Asthousands of coastal residents ofFlorida, Alabama, Mississippi andLouisiana choked roads to higherground, the U.S. Census Bureauestimated that more than 6.1 millionpeople may be affected by the large andextremely dangerous storm. Anxietyran especially high in New Orleans.Mayor Ray Nagin said “Ivan” couldflood New Orleans with up to 18 feet ofwater and urged people to leave.“Ivan”’s top sustained winds were near140 mph at 0200 hrs (0600, UTC).Forecasters said water levels werealready running up to one foot abovenormal along the north Gulf Coast.Authorities placed a long stretch ofcoast from Grand Isle, Louisiana, toApalachicola, Florida, under ahurricane warning. Oil companiesplucked thousands of workers fromoffshore platforms and shut down somerefineries and rigs in the Gulf, home ofabout a quarter of the U.S. oil and gasoutput. “Ivan”’s menacing presencehelped push up world oil prices by morethan 50 cents a barrell. U.S. grainexports via the Gulf were shut down,

and traders said shipments could behalted for five days. Florida authorities,preparing for a possible third hurricanestrike in just over a month, told about543,000 people to evacuate mobilehomes and flood-prone coastal areas inat least 10 western counties. “Ivan” wasforecast to roar ashore late today orearly tomorow, on or near the borderbetween Mississippi and Alabama. Thenearest cities include Biloxi andPascagoula, Mississippi and Mobile,Alabama. “Ivan” had weakened slightlyas it moved north but was still adangerous Category 4 storm on the five-step hurricane intensity scale, the U.S.National Hurricane Center said, but bythe time it reach shore it was expectedto have dropped to a Category 3strength. “Ivan”’s hurricane-force windsextended 105 miles. At 0200 hrs (0600,UTC), Ivan’s eye was about 265 milessouth-south-east of the mouth of theMississippi River at lat 25.6N, long87.4W. It was moving north-north-westat about 12 mph, the hurricane centersaid. — Reuters.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Hurricane “Ivan”: A hurricanewarning is in effect from Grand Isle,Louisiana to Apalachicola, Florida,including the greater New Orleans areaand Lake Pontchartrain. A hurricanewatch remains in effect from MorganCity, Louisiana to west of Grand Isle. Atropical storm warning is in effect fromIntracoastal City, Louisiana to west ofGrand Isle and from east ofApalachicola to Yankeetown, Florida. At0900, UTC, today, the centre ofhurricane “Ivan” was located near lat26.1N, long 87.8W. The position isaccurate to within 15 nautical miles.Present movement is toward the north-north-west or 340 degs at 10 knots.Estimated minimum central pressure938 mb. Eye diameter is 25 nauticalmiles. The maximum sustained windsare 120 knots with gusts to 145 knots.The radius of 64 knot winds: 90 nauticalmiles in the north-east and south-eastquadrants, 60 nautical miles in thesouth-west quadrant and 75 nauticalmiles in the north-west quadrant. At0600, UTC, Sep 16, the centre ispredicted to be near lat 29.6N, long88.2W, with maximum sustained windsof 120 knots and gusts to 145 knots.

Grand Cayman, Sep 15 — State ofemergency exists in the CaymanIslands due hurricane “Ivan.” A curfewis in force from 1800 to 0600 hrs. Muchdestruction on roads, coast andproperty. No casualties reported.Airport was reopened yesterday. Powerstill out, however, hopefully to restoresome power today. — Lloyd’s Agents.

London, Sep 16 — Five ports and overhalf of the Gulf of Mexico’s productionplatforms are closed ahead of Hurricane“Ivan”, which is due to hit the regionthis morning. The US Coast Guard hasclosed the ports of Houston, Texas,Mobile in Alabama, Panama City andPensacola in Florida, plus Gulfport andPascagoula in Mississippi state as asafety precaution ahead of the storm. Ithas also restricted river traffic alongthe Mississippi in Louisiana. The USgovernment has declared a state of

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emergency in Louisiana, Alabama andFlorida, while residents from the Gulfcoast are fleeing. According to the USMinerals Management Service 382platforms and 60 drilling rigs workingin the eastern and central areas of theGulf of Mexico have been forced to closedue to the hurricane. This has meantthe region, which produces around 1.7mbarrels of oil per day, will be pumpingout 1m bpd less until the beginning ofnext week. This is equivalent to nearlya fifth of the US’s total oil productionand could mean more demand for short-term imports. Key refineries are alsoshut down and gas output from the Gulfwill be down by a third.

Mobile, Ala., Sep 16 — Hurricane“Ivan” slammed into the U.S. GulfCoast today with destructive winds andpounding waves that ripped awaybeachfront homes, flooded deep inlandand spawned tornadoes that killed atleast two people. Even before the eye ofthe enormous storm hit shore, “Ivan”’swrath was felt over a 400-mile stretchof the coast fromNew Orleans to theFlorida Panhandle as vicious winds andheavy rain flattened trees and cutpower to tens of thousands. The centreof the Category 4 storm was roaringover barrier islands near theMississippi-Alabama border well beforedawn. Towering waves, torrentialrainfall and winds capable ofsplintering mobile homes were not theonly danger. At least two people died innorthwest Florida when around fivetornadoes touched down and damagedor destroyed up to 70 buildings,including a fire station, police said. Tensof thousands of people had evacuated inlong streams of bumper-to-bumpertraffic. Ivan was expected to submergedowntown areas of Mobile, but noteverybody heeded the appeals toevacuate. In New Orleans, officialsremained nervous that “Ivan”’s stormsurge and rains could breach levies,overwhelm pumps and flood streetswith a toxic brew of sewage, chemicalsand water from the Mississippi River.Experts said Ivan could cause up to $10billion in insured losses in the UnitedStates on top of the $1 billion to $2billion in losses in the Caribbean. Theinsured losses do not reflect lostrevenues for Florida’s and the GulfCoast’s tourism industries. Nor do theyinclude the economic costs of closingdown oil rigs and refineries along theGulf Coast, source of a quarter of U.S.oil and natural gas production. At 0100hrs, (0500, UTC), Ivan’s eye was about40 miles south of the Alabama coast atlat 29.7N, long 87.9W, and movingnorth at about 12 mph, forecasters said.“Ivan”’s top sustained winds were about135 mph, making it a Category 4hurricane. — Reuters.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Hurricane “Ivan”: At 0400 hrs,(0900, UTC) the hurricane warning forthe city of New Orleans and LakePontchartrain and all watches andwarnings from west of Grand Isle toMorgan City have been discontinued.Also, the hurricane warning from themouth of the Pearl River to Grand Islehas been downgraded to a tropical

storm warning. A hurricane warningremains in effect from the mouth of thePearl River to Apalachicola, Florida. Atropical storm warning remains in effectfrom east of Apalachicola toYankeetown, Florida and for the mouthof the Pearl River to Grand Isle. At0900, UTC, today, the hurricane centrewas located near lat 30.9N, long 87.7W.The position is accurate to within 15nautical miles. The present movementis toward the north or 10 degs at 12knots. The estimated minimum centralpressure is 947 mb and the eyediameter is 35 nautical miles. Themaximum sustained winds are 100knots, with gusts to 120 knots. Theradius of 64 knot winds: 90 nauticalmiles in the north-east and south-eastquadrants, 75 natical miles in thesouth-west quadrant and 50 nauticailmiles in the north-west quadrant. At0600, UTC, the centre is predicted to benear lat 34.7N, long 86.2W, with(inland) maximum sustained winds of35 knots and gusts to 45 knots.

HURRICANE “JAVIER”London, Sep 12 — Following received

from the Meteorological Office: Tropicalstorm “Javier”: Tropical storm centrelocated near lat 12.3N, long 102W, at0900, UTC, Sep 12. Position accurate towithin 30 nautical miles. Presentmovement towards the west-north-west,or 285 deg, at eight knots. Maximumsustained winds 55 knots with gusts to65 knots. Radius of 50-knot winds 20nautical miles. Radius of 34-knot windsand 12-ft seas 60 nautical miles. At0600, UTC, Sep 13, the centre isforecast to be at lat 13.7N, long 104.4W.Maximum sustained winds 75 knotswith gusts to 90 knots. Radius of 64-knot winds 20 nautical miles. Radius of50-knot winds 35 nautical miles. Radiusof 34-knot winds 80 nautical miles.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof hurricane “Javier” was predicted tobe near lat 14.1N, 104.8W. The positionis accurate to within 30 nautical miles.The present movement is toward thenorth-west or 315 degrees at eightknots. The estimated minimum centralpressure is 970 mb. The maximumsustained winds: 90 knots with gusts to110 knots. The radius of 64 knot windsis 30 nautical miles in all fourquadrants. At 0600, UTC, Sep 14, thecentre is predicted to be near lat 16.1N,long 107.1W, with maximum sustainedwinds of 105 knots and gusts to 130knots.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Hurricane “Javier”: There is atropical storm watch in effect for thesouthern portion of Baja California fromBahia Magdalena, including San Carlosto La Paz. At 0600, UTC, today, thecentre was located near lat 19.5N, long110.0W. The position is accurate within20 nautical miles. The presentmovement is toward the north-north-west or 330 degs at seven knots. Theestimated minimum central pressure is960 mb. The maximum sustained windsare 100 knots with gusts to 120 knots.The radius of 64 knot winds: 50 nautical

miles in all four quadrants. At 0600,UTC, Sep 17, the centre is predicted tobe near lat 21.8N, long 111.6W, withmaximum sustained winds of 80 knotsand gusts to 100 knots.

IRAQLondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated today, states: Basrah OilTerminal has restarted loading withtotal flow rate 71,000 bbls/hr. Berthingof vessels at the terminal had beensuspended on Sunday (Sep 12), due torough weather.

ROMANIABucharest, Sep 10 — The Sulina

Channel was closed at 0715 hrs, today,due to bad weather. Winds: north-northeast, force seven. — Lloyd’sAgents.

SOUTH KOREALondon, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated today, states: Up to 415millimetres of rain fell on Cheju islandover the weekend (Sep 11-12), flooding638 houses and stores and 7,425hectares of farmland. Property damageswere estimated at more than 1.2 billionwon. The Korea MeteorologicalAdministration (KMA) on Sunday saidthat Tosanni in southern Chejurecorded 415 mm of rain, and Songdangin the northern part recorded 373 mm,a record precipitation in 50 years. About100 mm of rain per hour fell onSaturday on Cheju island, flooding 589houses and 49 stores. The flooding alsoforced 10 schools to close temporarily.Torrential rain also flooded 7,417hectares of farmland and washed awayeight hectares, killing more than 75,000livestock. With a high wave warningissued, 58 passenger vessels on 44 searoutes were tied to their docks for twodays and nine flights departing fromCheju were cancelled. About 3,800rescuers have been mobilized to supplydaily necessities to displaced people inthe region. According to the KoreaAirports Corporation, 34 flights boundfrom southern regions, including 18flights from Kimpo to Pohang, 14 flightsto Yosu and two flights to Mokpo, werealso cancelled due to heavy rain as of1700, Sunday. South Cholla provincesalso reported a large amount ofprecipitation with more than 120 mm ofrain over the weekend. Posong received165 mm of rain, Kangjin 157.7 mm andNaju 145 mm in the region as of 1400,Sunday. About 22,000 boats were alsoevacuated to seek safety in theprovincial regions. A meteorologist saidthat Changhung recorded 254 mm ofrain, Cheju City 234 mm, Kohung 138mm, Kwangju 132 mm, Mokpo 121 mmand Seoul 58 mm, as of 1300, Sunday.

THAILANDLondon, Sep 16 — A ptress report,

dated today, states: Flash floods havekilled two people in northern Thailand,leaving thousands either stranded orforced to abandon their homes, mediareported today, as the capital braced forpotential flooding. Torrential rain innorth-eastern Chiang Rai provinceclaimed the lives of a 45-year oldpoliceman and 78-year-old farmer

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yesterday, and forced more than adozen villages to be evacuated and someschools closed, the Nation newspapersaid. The daily said flooding had alsoforced the evacuation of homes inChiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathaniprovinces, and Bangkok officials haveset up a flood operations centre amidconcern that parts of the nation’scapital could also be submerged by thedeluge. Forecasters have predictedsome of the heaviest rainfall forThailand in recorded history withflooding already having affected morethan half a million people in the pastfew months.

TROPICAL STORM “HAIMA”Taipei, Sep 11 — Torrential rain

lashed Taiwan today, flooding northernparts of the island including the capitalTaipei and threatening landslides inmountain areas. Officials predicted thatthe rain would continue for some days.Flood waters swamped streets indowntown Taipei, where it rose to waistlevel in some areas, submerging carsand motorscooters and cutting power tothousands of homes. “In the past fewdays we have had rain all across thecountry, but it was heaviest last nightand early this morning especially inTaipei and will continue until at leastMonday,” said an official at the CentralWeather Bureau by phone. The Taipeisuburb of Nankang was worst hit,chalking up rainfall of 570 mm sincemidnight. Rainfall was also heavy inneighbouring Taoyuan and KeelungCity, weather officials said. Televisionfootage showed fire and rescuepersonnel ferrying residents from theirhomes in inflatable boats up streetsawash with muddy waters. No deathsor injuries have yet been reported inthe latest emergency, officials said.More than 14,500 households acrossTaipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchuang werewithout power as waters floodeddistribution substations, said a state-run Taiwan Power Company official.Some rail services in the north werehalted due to flooding, local media said.The weather bureau said the rains werebrought by a low pressure systemformed in the wake of Typhoon“Songda” that dodged Taiwan, butkilled up to 30 people in Japan thisweek. “The heavy rain warnings thatwe first issued on Tuesday for all ofTaiwan will stay in place today andtomorrow,” the Weather Bureau officialsaid. — Reuters.

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated today, states: The latest tropicalstorm swirled over northern Taiwantoday, threatening more precipitation tothe flood-hit region, meteorologistssaid. Tropical storm “Haima” waslocated 60km north-east of the capitalof Taipei, moving north-west towardsChina, the Central Weather Bureausaid. Fringes of “Haima” - the Chinesename for sea horse - could bring heavyrains to northern Taiwan throughouttoday, it said. The storm packed windsof 65kmh, moving at a speed of 14kmh.Thousands of homes in northernTaiwan were flooded yesterday.

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated today, states: At least six people

have died and a seventh is feared deadin northern Taiwan after the latesttropical storm swirled over the island,triggering mudslides. Tropical storm“Haima” has brought heavy rain,compounding the flood that has alreadyinundated much of the north. Taipei’sNankang district, where some 800mmof rain fell over the past two days, washardest hit by Haima. A 65-year-oldman drowned in his residencebasement in the capital, while a 62-year-old man was found dead in anunderground passage in northernTaoyuan city, said the authorities.Rescuers also found the body of ajunior high school boy, who was washedaway by flash floods in southernTainan county on Saturday (Sep 11). Innorthern Hsinchu county, rescuerspulled out three bodies from a housesubmerged by massive mudslides inthe mountainous Chienshih township.Five days of continuous downpour inthe county have loosened rock andearth, triggering mudslides whichswept away several houses. ‘The rescuework has to be stopped as the nightfalls,’ said a county government official.He added that he feared a fourthperson remained buried under themudslides. ‘We have already foundthree bodies, including an elderlycouple and their son,’ said a spokesmanfor the Hsinchu fire department. AsHaima was expected to bring more rainthrough to tomorrow, hundreds ofresidents have been ordered toevacuate from remote villages. The Soiland Water Conservation Bureau hasplaced 46 towns in northern Taiwan onfull alert, asking residents there toheighten vigilance against possiblemudslides. Haima also pounded thelow-lying town of Shichih, north ofTaipei. Water reached the first floor ofmany homes and forced residents toretreat to higher ground earlier in theweekend. Rescue workers braveddownpours to evacuate people ininflatable boats, but police said some1,000 people were feared trapped inShichih. The authorities said heavyrain could cause further flooding fromthe swollen Keelung River, north ofTaipei. In Taipei, people rushed to pileup sandbags around the entrances ofunderground rail stations andpedestrian passages. At least 7,000homes around the capital have lostpower, and water levels reached 1mdeep in some parts. The CentralWeather Bureau said “Haima” was notexpected to make landfall in Taiwan. Itis moving at 14kmh north-westtowards China.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical depression “Haima” waslocated near lat 28.0N, long 120.9E.The movement over the past six hours:320 degs at nine knots. The position isaccurate to within 60 nautical milesand is based on the centre being locatedby satellite. Present wind distribution:maximum sustained winds: 30 knots,with gusts to 40 knots. At 0600, UTC,Sep 14, the centre is predicted to benear lat 32.1N, long 119.6E, withmaximum sustained winds of 25 knots

and gusts to 35 knots and dissipatingas a significant tropical cyclone overland.

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, states: Tropical storm“Haima”, the 21st of its kind this year,hit eastern Zhejiang Province atWenzhou City around middayyesterday, the local meteorologicalobservatory said. The eye of “Haima”caused fresh gales and is moving in thenorthwestward direction at a speed of20 kilometres per hour, said theobservatory. Under its impact, 15weather stations across the provincemonitored rainfall of 50 millimetreseach, three of which even had 100 mmof showers, between 0800, Sunday and0800, yesterday. As the eye of the stormpasses, there will be strong gale tohurricane winds in offshore areas alongthe provincial coast while gale andtorrential rains are likely in easternand southern Zhejiang today, theobservatory said, adding that the stormwill be reduced to a low tropicalpressure upon landing and will sweepthrough areas, including Wenzhou,Taizhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Hangzhou,and Huzhou. Local governmentorganizations throughout the provinceare on high alert. (See issue of Sep 14.)

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated Sep 14, states: Taiwan estimatedthat tropical storm “Haima” caused 92million New Taiwan dollars (US$2.71million) in agricultural damage as itdumped heavy rain on the island andtriggered mudslides last weekend,officials said today. Thousands of homesin northern Taiwan were floodedSaturday (Sep 11) as the storm soakedthe island with torrential rain. Alandslide buried four people in thenorthern county of Hsinchu on Sunday(Sep 12), and two people were missingin flooding outside the capital, Taipei.The damage included NT$43.63 million(US$1.28 million) to agriculturalproduce, especially watermelons andother fruit, the Council of Agriculturesaid. The damage amounted to 244hectares being destroyed, the councilsaid. Livestock farmers sufferedNT$710,000 (US$21,000) in damages.

TROPICAL STORM “ISIS”London, Sep 10 — Following received

from the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was locatednear lat 17.5N, long 115.0W,approximately 240 nautical miles west-south-west of Cocorro Island and hastracked west-northwestward or 285degs, at eight knots, over the past sixhours. The position is accurate towithin 50 nautical miles and is basedon the centre being located by satellite.Maximum sustained winds 45 knotswith gusts to 55 knots. The radius of 34knot winds: 75 nautical miles in thenorth-east and south-east quadrantsand 120 nautical miles in the south-west and north-west quadrants. Themaximum significant wave height is 13feet. At 0600, UTC, the centre ispredicted to be near lat 18.5N, long119.0W, with maximum sustainedwinds of 45 knots and gusts to 55knots.

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London, Sep 12 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was located nearlat 17.4N, long 123W, approximately490 nautical miles west of ClarionIsland, and had tracked west, or 270deg, at ten knots over the past sixhours. Position accurate to within 50nautical miles, based on centre locatedby satellite. Maximum sustained winds45 knots with gusts to 55 knots. Radiusof 34-knot winds 60 nautical miles. At0600, UTC, Sep 13, the centre ispredicted to be at lat 17.4N, long 127W,with maximum sustained winds of 55knots and gusts to 70 knots.

London, Sep 13 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was located nearlat 17.4N, long 125.7W. The position isaccurate to within 50 nautical miles.The present movement is toward thewest or 270 degs at nine knots. Theestimated minimum central pressure is1000 mb. The maximum sustainedwinds: 45 knots with gusts to 55 knots.The radius of 34 knot winds: zeronautical miles in the north-eastquadrant, 40 nautical miles in theremaining three quadrants. At 0600,UTC, Sep 14, the centre is predicted tobe near lat 17.4N, long 129.3W, withmaximum winds of 50 knots and guststo 60 knots.

London, Sep 14 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was located nearlat 16.5N, long 129.3W, 1,050 nauticalmiles west of Socorro Island and hastracked west, 270 degs, at two knotsover the past six hours. The position isaccurate to within 60 nautical milesand based on the centre being locatedby satellite. Present wind distribution:maximum sustained winds of 45 knots,with gusts to 55 knots. Radius of 34knot winds: 40 nautical miles in all fourquadrants. The maximum significantwave height is 15 feet. At 0600, Sep 15,the centre is predicted to be near lat16.5N, long 130.5W, with maximumsustained winds of 45 knots and guststo 55 knots.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0000, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was located nearlat 17.2N, long 130.9. Movement overthe past six hours: 300 degs at fourknots. The position is accurate to within30 nautical miles and based on thecentre being located by satellite.Present wind distribution: maximumsustained winds of 55 knots, with guststo 70 knots. Radius of 34 knot winds: 50nautical miles in all four quadrants. At0000, UTC, Sep 16, the centre ispredicted to be near lat 17.6N, long132.1W, with maximum sustainedwinds of 60 knots and gusts to 75 knots.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: At 0600, UTC, today, the centreof tropical storm “Isis” was located nearlat 18.7N, long 132.2W. The position isaccurate within 20 nautical miles. Thepresent movement is toward the west or270 degs at two knots. The estimated

minimum central pressure is 992 mb.The maximum sustained winds are 55knots with gusts to 65 knots. Theradius of 50 knot winds: 25 nauticalmiles in all four quadrants. At 0600,Sep 17, the centre is predicted to benear lat 18.7N, long 133.3W, withmaximum sustained winds of 45 knotsand gusts to 55 knots.

TROPICAL STORM “JEANNE”London, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated today, states: Tropical Storm“Jeanne” strengthened today, promptinga plea from Puerto Rico’s governor forislanders to evacuate from flood-proneareas and causing a panic amongresidents who flocked to supermarketsfor supplies. The storm’s eye wasexpected to hit Puerto Rico’s south-westcoast by tomorrow afternoon, promptinga hurricane warning in the US VirginIslands and Puerto Rico where linesformed at supermarkets and islandersraced to put up hurricane shutters. “It’sgoing to be a close call for Puerto Rico,”said Chris Hennon, a meteorologistwith the US National Hurricane Centrein Miami. “Jeanne will probably becomea hurricane Wednesday.” At 0700,AEST, today, “Jeanne’s” centre was 140kilometres south-east of St Croix in theUS Virgin Islands. Maximum sustainedwinds were at 96km/h, just 24km/hshort of becoming a Category 1hurricane, the weakest on a scale offive. The Dominican Republic issued ahurricane watch and tropical stormwarning for the northern and southerncoasts. A tropical storm warningremained for the British Virgin Islandsand St Kitts and Nevis. Storm warningswere discontinued for Saba, StEustatius and St Maarten. “Jeanne”was moving toward the west-north-westnear 19km/h. Passenger ferry servicewas temporarily suspended betweenPuerto Rico’s east-coast town of Fajardoand the outlying tourist islands ofVieques and Culebra today, authoritiessaid. Between 10 and 25 centimetres ofrainfall was expected in Puerto Rico.Tropical storm force winds extendoutward up to 64 kilometres. A privatecampground with cabins and tent siteswas evacuated in St John in the USVirgin Islands and 60 guests andemployees were moved to hotels in StThomas and St John, said Maggie Day,the general manager of Mahoe BayCampground. The inter-island ferrieswere still operating in the US VirginIslands and airports remained open.

London, Sep 15 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Tropical storm “Jeanne”: Ahurricane warning is in effect forPuerto Rico and the U.S.Virgin Islands.A hurricane watch and a tropical stormwarning is in effect for portions of thenorthern and southern coasts of theDominican Republic from Cabrerasouthward to Santo Domingo. A tropicalstorm warning remains in effect for theBritish Virgin Islands and St.Kitts andNevis. Tropical storm conditions couldalso affect the remainder of thenorthern Leeward Islands. At 0600,UTC, the centre of “Jeanne” was locatednear lat 17.2N, long 64.8W. The positionis accurate within 20 nautical miles.

The present movement is toward thewest-north-west or 295 degs, at sevenknots. The estimated minimum centralpressure is 994 mb. The maximumsustained winds are 55 knots with guststo 65 knots. The radius of 50 knotwinds: 15 nautical miles in all fourquadrants. At 0600, UTC, Sep 16, thecentre is predicted to be near lat 19.1N,long 68.2W, with maximum sustainedwinds of 65 knots and gusts to 80 knots.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: Tropical Storm“Jeanne”, nearing hurricane strength,lashed Puerto Rico today as rivers rose,roads flowed with torrents of water andfrantic residents evacuated low-lyingareas. Drenching rain from the storm’souter bands, and accompanying windgusts reached the US territory of 4million people this morning. The eye ofthe storm was expected to hit PuertoRico’s south-west coast by afternoon,and a hurricane warning was issued forthe US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.The storm’s projected path had itpotentially reaching hurricane-wearyFlorida, Georgia and South Carolinaeither Sunday (Sep 18) or Monday. AllPuerto Rican ports were closed, Gov.Sila Calderon announced today, whenshe banned alcohol sales and urgedpeople to stay indoors. The largest mallin the Caribbean, Plaza las Americas,also was shut. Calderon said Jeannehad cut water service to some 30,000people in the north-east and knockedout electricity in about 1,000 homes justoutside San Juan. More than 700 peopleevacuated their homes for shelters,authorities said. The storm passed St.Croix, the southernmost of the U.S.Virgin Islands, overnight, dumpingabout 7 inches of rain and leaving about50,000 people without power, officialssaid. At 1100, EDT, “Jeanne’s” centrewas 45 miles south-south-east of SanJuan. Maximum sustained wind wasnear 70 mph, just 4 mph belowhurricane status. Winds extended 60miles. The biggest concerns for PuertoRico were flash flooding and mudslides,said National Hurricane Centremeteorologist Hector Guerrero. TheDominican Republic issued a hurricanewatch and tropical storm warning forportions of its north and south coasts. Atropical storm warning covered theBritish Virgin Islands and St. Kitts andNevis. American Airlines cancelled 17flights leaving San Juan and six to thecity today. Government offices, schoolsand courts and banks were closed today,and casinos would likely remain idle.Mail would not be delivered. Eight to 12inches of rainfall were expected inPuerto Rico.

London, Sep 16 — Following receivedfrom the Meteorological Office, datedtoday: Tropical storm “Jeanne”: Ahurricane warning is now in effect forthe eastern and northern coasts of theDominican Republic from La Platasouthward to Isla Saona. A tropicalstorm warning and a hurricane watchare in effect along the northern coast ofthe Dominican Republic from west ofPuerto Plata westward to Monte Cristoand along the southern coast of theDominican Republic from Isla Saonawestward to Santo Domingo. A

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hurricane watch remains in effect forthe southeastern Bahamas, includingthe Acklins, Crooked Island, theInaguas, Mayaguana and the RaggedIslands as well as for the Turks andCaicos Islands. At 0500 hrs, today, thetropical storm warning for Puerto Rico,including the islands of Culebra andVieques was discontinued. At 0600,UTC, today, the centre was located nearlat 18.6N, long 67.8W. The position isaccurate to within 15 nautical miles.The present movement is toward thenorth-west or 305 degs at eight knots.The estimated minimum centralpressure is 992 mb. The maximumsustained winds are 60 knots with guststo 75 knots. The radius of 50 knotwinds: 15 nautical miles in the north-east and orth-west quadrants, zeronautical miles in the south-east andsouth-west quadrants. At 0600, UTC,Sep 17, the centre is predicted to benear lat 20.4N, long 70.9W, withmaximum sustained winds of 65 knotsand gusts to 80 knots.

TYPHOON “CHABA”Moji, Sep 15 — General cargo Vihan 5:

Three crew members are still missing.Understand that oil remaining on boardhas been removed but owners have notas yet made a decision to salve thevessel or declare a CTL. — Lloyd’sAgents.

Yokohama, Sep 16 — Three crewmembers from general cargo Vihan 5,which ran aground on rocks off YuraIsland on Aug 30, are still missing. —Lloyd’s Agents.

Yokohama, Sep 16 — General cargoWinner I (2593 gt, built 1981) was readyfor departure from Shikama, when itdrifted, due to typhoon winds, at 2155,Aug 30. Vessel was towed to No.6 pierby two tugs at 0200, Aug 31. — Lloyd’sAgents.

Yokohama, Sep 16 — Vehicle NichiryuMaru (10329 gt, built 2001) drifted dueto typhoon winds and was in collisionwith ro/ro Musashi Maru (13927 gt,built 2003), 1.12 nautical miles, 266deg, from Tohoku Breakwater EastLighthouse, at Yokosuka, at 1140, Aug31. — Lloyd’s Agents. (Note — MusashiMaru arrived Yokohama Sep 1 andsailed Sep 6 for Yokosuka.)

TYPHOON “SONGDA”London, Sep 9 — A press report, dated

today, states: The Japan Coast Guardtoday arrested the 56-year-old Russiancaptain of a Cambodian-registeredvessel over the deaths of three crewmembers after the ship capsized earlierthis week in strong winds from Typhoon“Songda”. The captain, VladimirMelentyev, is suspected of professionalnegligence resulting in death, accordingto the Hiroshima Coast Guard Office.Investigations showed that Melentyevallegedly did not heed the advisory ofthe ship’s agent Tuesday (Sep 7)morning for the ship to anchor offshorein preparation for the approachingpowerful typhoon. As a result, BlueOcean clashed onto the quay numeroustimes due to the typhoon-induced strongwinds and around 1450 hrs, that day,tilted and sank, leading to the deaths ofthe three crew members, according to

the investigations. Three of the 18Russians aboard were found dead, while14 were rescued. One sailor remainsmissing. Blue Ocean arrived at the portin Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture,on Monday (Sep 6) from Nakhodka,Russia.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Typhoon “Songda,”which came to the Kurile Islands twodays ago, has sunk two vessels nearKunashir Island, cast ashore one andbroken another at moorage. It isupdated information of the regionaladministration. A fishing vessel with 10crew members on board gathered seakale near the Lovtsov cape in the northof Kunashir where it was caught in thestorm. The vessel capsized and sank.Seven people have survived, one died,and two are missing. A fishing boatsank near the moorage in thesettlement of Golovnino. Waves castashore a schooner and broke a fishingvessel at moorage.

Moji, Sep 13 — General cargo TriArdhianto: Nine additional bodies werediscovered but two crew members werestill missing as of Sep 11 — Lloyd’sAgents.

Moji, Sep 13 — General cargo BlueOcean : The final body wasdiscovered.Sep 11. — Lloyd’s Agents.

UNITED STATESLondon, Sep 11 — A press report,

dated today, states: The tornado thatswept through this town Wednesdayinflicted nearly $2.1 million in damage,according to newly revised figuresreleased by Caroline County officialsyesterday. The twister damaged 67homes, destroying four of those andleaving another 22 with major damage,said Mark Garnett, the county’s deputyemergency services director. Officialsinitially listed about two dozen homesas damaged, but building inspectorsand residents identified more problemsas the town tried to recover this week,he said. The tornado also hit sixbusinesses, destroying two of them,Garnett said. The tornado was one ofnine reported in Virginia as theremnants of Hurricane “Frances” movedthrough the state Wednesday (Sep 8).

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Emergency workersin boats rescued people from cars andhomes left stranded by rising wateryesterday as heavy rain dousedsouthern Minnesota and caused flashflooding. The storm was blamed for atleast one death. Schools and roads wereclosed, a nursing home was evacuatedand fields were flooded. Rain beganTuesday and ended by late yesterdaymorning. In Austin, 90 miles south ofMinneapolis, the Cedar Riveroverflowed its banks, forcing the city toclose some streets and forcing nearbyresidents to flee. Gov. Tim Pawlenty,who surveyed the damage by helicopter,said he was “somewhat taken aback bythe magnitude of it.’’ He said floodingseverely damaged crops, schools andhomes. The weather service said Austinreceived 3.87 inches of rain; Albert Lea,in nearby Freeborn County, got a littleover 7 inches over 36 hours. Anestimated 10 or more inches fell in some

areas. Mudslides slowed traffic on partsof U.S. 61 but crews were able to clearthe road before dawn. Portions ofWisconsin, Iowa, and Kansas also gotrain early yesterday. A flash floodwarning was issued in northern Iowa,where as much as 8 inches of rain hadfallen since Tuesday, the NationalWeather Service said. In the northernIowa town of Armstrong, some residentswere sandbagging as streets wereflooded by rising creeks.

VIETNAMHanoi, Sep 15 — Landslides triggered

by torrential rains buried 21 people innorthern Vietnam, killing at least 11, anofficial said today. The landslides buriedthe victims, who belong to four Daoethnic minority families, on Mondaynight (Sep 13) in Bat Xat district of LaoCai province, chairman Ly Xeo Din ofthe district People’s Committee said.‘’We have found 11 bodies as of lateTuesday and hope to retrieve about 10more,’’ he said. Bat Xat is on the borderwith China and is 236 miles north-westof Hanoi. — Reuters.

CAYMAN ISLANDSLondon, Sep 10 — A report, dated Sep

9, states: A strong earthquake occurredat 1633, UTC, today. The magnitude 6.0event has been located in the CaymanIslands region in lat 17.708N, long81.590W. The hypocentral depth wasestimated to be 30 km.

INDONESIALondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated today, states: A powerfulearthquake rocked Indonesia’s premiertourist island of Bali yesterday, killingone person and injuring at least two,hospital officials and local radio said.The Meteorological and GeophysicsAgency in Jakarta said the earthquakemeasured 5.5 on the Richter scale.Officials said the epicentre was nearDenpasar, the island’s capital.

JAPANLondon, Sep 10 — A report, dated

today, states: A moderate earthquakeoccurred at 0205, UTC, today. Themagnitude 5.6 event has been locatednear the south coast of western Honshu,Japan, in lat 33.048N, long 136.523E,depth 10 km.

KURIL ISLANDSLondon, Sep 13 — A report, dated

today, states: A strong earthquakeoccurred at 0300, UTC, today. Themagnitude 6.1 event has been locatedeast of the Kuril Islands in lat 43.95N,long 151.36E. The hypocentral depthwas estimated to be 32 km.

MID-INDIAN RIDGELondon, Sep 13 — A report, dated

today, states: A moderate earthquake

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Weather & Navigation/Earthquakes

occurred at 0239, UTC, today. Themagnitude 5.6 event has been locatednear the Mid-Indian Ridge in lat16.23S, long 67.10E, depth 10 km.

PHILIPPINESLondon, Sep 15 — A report, dated Sep

14, states: A moderate earthquakeoccurred at 2015, UTC, today. Themagnitude 5.5 event has been located inthe Philippine Islands region in lat07.918N, long 127.507E, depth 140 km.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated Sep 16, states: An earthquakeshook metropolitan Manila and parts ofthe main Philippine island of Luzonearly this morning, the PhilippineInstitute of Volcanology and Seismology(PHIVOLCS) said. There were noimmediate reports of casualties ordamages to property.The quake, whichoccurred at 0310, and measured 6.2 onthe Richter scale at the epicentrerecorded at the Manila trench nearBalanga, Bataan, was felt stronglyacross the metropolis and nearbyprovinces, PHIVOLCS said.

SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDSLondon, Sep 13 — A report, dated Sep

11, states: A strong earthquakeoccurred at 2152, UTC, today. Themagnitude 6.1 event has been located inthe South Sandwich Islands region inlat 57.93S, long 25.34W. Thehypocentral depth was estimated to be48 km.

TONGALondon, Sep 15 — A report, dated Sep

13, states: A moderate earthquakeoccurred at 2229, UTC, today. Themagnitude 5.6 event has been located inthe Tonga region in lat 22.708S, long175.231W, depth 10 km.

MAUNA LOA, HAWAIILondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated today, states: Reports fromHawaii suggest the world’s largestvolcano is getting ready to erupt for thefirst time in 20 years. Scientists havedetected more frequent earthquakesdeep beneath Mauna Loa. TheHawaiian Volcano Observatory saysthis indicates the volcano is movingtowards an eruption. Mauna Loaerupted for three weeks in 1984,sending a 26-kilometre lava flow towardHilo. Since then, the US GeologicalSurvey estimates that more than$US2.3 billion has been invested in newconstruction on its slopes. Theobservatiory says since July, more than350 earthquakes have been recorded farbeneath the mountain.

MOUNT ASAMA, JAPANLondon, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated today, states: Mount Asama, oneof Japan’s largest and most activevolcanoes, erupted in central Japantoday for the second time in two weeks,

sending smoke about 300 metres intothe sky and spewing ash over nearbytowns, the Meteorological Agency said.The eruption, which the agency saidwas “small” grey smoke billowing out ofthe crater for about 10 minutes beforedawn. Mount Asama last erupted onSep 1 when a medium-sized eruptionsent smoke and ash thousands ofmetres into the air. The MeteorologicalAgency maintained its activity ratingfor Mount Asama at 3, meaning that asmall- to medium-sized eruption hasoccurred.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Mount Asama hasexperienced a series of small volcaniceruptions since early this morning withmore than 500 tremors registered,marking the third consecutive day oferuption activity, the JapanMeteorological Agency said. “At thismoment, there are no signs of a large-scale eruption coming but small ormedium-scale eruptions can beobserved repeatedly,” the agency said.

MOUNT ETNA, ITALYLondon, Sep 11 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: Lava was seenflowing today from a new crack onMount Etna, on the Italian island ofSicily, which had been virtuallydormant since early last year. Aspokesman for the institute ofvulcanology in the island’s capitalCatania, 30km south of the 3350mmountain, said a vent had opened inthe past two days at a height of about2700m. Lava was flowing into theuninhabited Bove Valley on Etna’ssoutheastern flank and for the presentwas no threat to villages lower down,spokesman Giannicola Piccola said. “Wehave sent some experts to the area andothers are expected to fly over it,” headded. Etna last erupted on June 22,2001, throwing molten rock 400 metresinto the sky and spewing lava down itssides. There were rumblings and smallearthquakes in January last year, butsince then the volcano had shown fewsigns of life until Tuesday (Sep 7), whensmall amounts of lava flowed frombelow the lip of its south-eastern craterat a height of 2950 metres.

MOUNT MAYON, PHILIPPINESLondon, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated today, states: The historic Mayonvolcano south of the Philippine capitalspewed out fragments amid signs thatmagma was rising in its crater, a statemonitoring official said today. EdVillacorte of the Philippine Institute ofVolcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)said that volcanic material was emittedby Mayon late yesterday, possibly dueto rising gas pressure. The volcanicmaterial set fire to the grass on thevolcano’s slopes, he added. Monitoringinstruments also indicated that thevolcano, located in Albay province340km south-east of Manila, hadmagma rising towards its crater,intensifying the glow in the crater sothat it was visible to the naked eye,Villacorte said. But he minimised thedanger, saying “there is magma goingup but the volume is not yet big enoughto create a volcanic explosion.” Phivolcs

resident volcanologist EduardoLaguerta said that Mayon still remainson alert level two, meaning that thevolcano is undergoing abnormal activitybut an eruption is not yet imminent. Heemphasised that people should stay outof the 6km danger zone around thevolcano in case of any sudden eruption.

AFGHANISTANHerat, Sep 13 — The western Afghan

city of Herat was calm today followingbloody clashes between supporters ofthe powerful ousted governor and U.S.and Afghan forces sent to keep thepeace. Roadblocks set up by authoritiesyesterday after Ismail Khan’ssupporters torched buildings in a U.N.compound were removed and the skieswere clear of U.S. combat helicoptersfor the first time since Saturday (Sep11) afternoon. Medics and witnessesreported seven people killed and up to50 injured in weekend violence whicherupted when President Hamid Karzai— favorite to win Afghanistan’s firstever direct presidential election on Oct9 — fired Khan and appointed areplacement as part of his campaignpledge to rein in warlords. The U.S.military said 15 of its soldiers had beeninjured in the clashes, with three ofthem evacuated for treatment, alongwith three Afghan national armyservicemen. Spokesman Major ScottNelson said he had no figures forcivilian casualties, but praised Afghanand U.S. forces for showing“remarkable restraint” against what hesaid was a small group of protestersbrought in from outside to stir uptrouble. Nick Downie, of theAfghanistan Non-GovernmentalOrganization Security Office (ANSO),said around 30 NGO staff had beenrelocated this morning from Herat as asecurity precaution. Yesterday night,Ismail Khan called on his supporters toexercise restraint and the armyannounced on Herat TV that furtherviolence would be met with militaryforce. Authorities also imposed a nightcurfew and U.S. spokesman Nelson saidit would be in force again today from2100 hrs. Shops were open and trafficflowing normally today, but troops fromthe national army, national police andU.S.-led forces were seen on patrol. —Reuters.

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated today, states: US forces havekilled 22 suspected Taleban and al-Qaeda militants in a gun battle insouthern Afghanistan, the US militarysays. US troops and helicopters foughtthe insurgents in the Shinkay district ofZabul province, late yesterday. “Twenty-two anti-coalition militias were killed -three of them were Arabs,” US militaryspokesman Major Scott Nelson said inKabul. Major Nelson said three moresuspected militants, including anotherArab, had been captured in the latest

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Earthquakes/Volcanic Activity/Political & Civil Unrest

fighting. He said about 40 militantsarmed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades attacked Americantroops on patrol. “Our soldiers were outdoing a cordon search when they wereengaged by a large force of anti-coalition militias,” Major Nelson said.“Skirmishes continued throughout thenight.” He said there were no UScasualties.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,datedd today, states: A rocket landednear a school in south-easternAfghanistan where President HamidKarzai was about to land in ahelicopter, officials said. The rocketstruck about a kilometre from theschool in Gardez province as PresidentKarzai was to land at a nearby airbase.Mr Karzai, the leading candidate inOctober’s presidential election, was dueto speak at the school. The Presidenthas cut short his visit and returned tothe capital, Kabul.

ALGERIAAlgiers, Sep 14 — Algeria’s armed

forces have killed six suspected Islamicrebels in the west of the country, stateradio said today, in a drive to wipe outhundreds of rebels still fightingauthorities for a purist Islamic state.State radio, citing security sources, saidautomatic weapons were confiscated inthe army sweep late yesterday near thecity of Relizane, 300 km west of thecapital Algiers. — Reuters.

COLOMBIABogota, Sep 8 — Colombian Marxist

guerrillas freed two Indian communityleaders today, bowing to pressure fromhundreds of protesters who haddemanded their release, indigenousgroups said. About 400 Paez Indians,armed only with decorated sticks,marched into the jungles of Caqueta, insouthwestern Colombia, demandingthat the Revolutionary Armed Forces ofColombia free Arquimedes Vitonas,mayor of the mountain town of Toribio,and ex-mayor Gilberto Munoz. The pairhad been kidnapped by the guerrillagroup, known by its Spanish initialsFARC, while on their way to anindigenous conference on Aug 22 nearthe town of San Vicente del Caguan. —Reuters.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Kinshasa, Sep 13 — Militia loyal tothe Congolese government captured themain base used by rebels waging anuprising in the east of the country aftera week-long offensive by governmenttroops, a militia commander said today.But rebels loyal to General LaurentNkunda, a dissident army officer wholaunched the rebellion in May, deniedthat the pro-government militia haddriven them out of their headquartersin the lakeside town of Minova.Government troops have beenadvancing north from the city ofBukavu for the past week, aiming tocrush the rebellion. The commander ofthe pro-government militia force —known as Mai Mai — in the area saidthey had taken Minova, which liesabout 120 km north of Bukavu,

yesterday, although there was no way toimmediately verify the report.“Yesterday we chased out theinsurgents and are now in control ofMinova,” Colonel Solomon Tokolonga,the Mai Mai militia commander, said.“We have captured two insurgents, butthe rest have taken to the lake or goneinto the hills. They are all headingnorth toward North Kivu — that iswhere their support is,” he said,referring to a large swathe of territorynorth of Minova which is Nkunda’shome province. However, an aide toNkunda denied that Minova, which hasserved as the rebels’ headquarters forthe past few months, had fallen.“Minova has not fallen to thegovernment forces. We are still incontrol there,” the aide told Reuters.The commander of government troopsinvolved in the offensive, General FelixMbuza Mabe, said there had not beenany fighting over the weekend,appearing to suggest that the Mai Maimay have taken the town unopposed. “Ihave heard that the Mai Mai havetaken Minova, but my troops are not yetthere. There have not been any clashesover the weekend,” Mabe told Reuters.Mabe has said that he launched theoffensive to retake positions held by therebels and establish the government’sauthority over the region. — Reuters.

IRAQDubai, Sep 9 — Iraq has captured four

important figures from Osama binLaden’s al Qaeda group who hadentered the country from abroad, PrimeMinister Iyad Allawi said in televisedcomments today. “Four importantsuspects from al Qaeda who came fromabroad (were captured), and hopefullyyou will catch more soon,” Allawi saidin footage aired on Al Arabiyatelevision. — Reuters.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: US-led forcesspearheaded assaults on Iraq’s northerntrouble spot of Tall Afar and thenotorious insurgent bastion of Fallujah,leaving at least 57 people dead, the USmilitary said. The Italian Governmentmeanwhile escalated diplomatic effortsto save two kidnapped women aidworkers snatched from Italy’s Baghdadoffice in broad daylight, two weeks afterIslamic captors killed an Italianjournalist. As helicopters and planesflew overhead, the US army sealed offTall Afar after 13 hours of poundingand fierce fighting that the localhospital chief said had left 45 peopledead and more than 80 wounded. Thebombing, which began at 0200,yesterday, ended at 1100, as helicoptersand warplanes flew overhead. Fightingpitted US soldiers and insurgents in theHassan Koi and Serra districts of thetown, 450km north of Baghdad. FawziAhmed, director of the town’s hospital,said late yesterday, “We have received45 bodies of people hit in various partsof their bodies, and more than 80 peopleare hospitalized.” Health ministryofficials had earlier said at least 28were dead and more than 70 wounded.Although the town’s police chief said 13policemen were killed and wounded, theUS military reported no coalition

casualties, and it was unclear if thatnumber was included in the toll givenby the Iraqis. The US military said upto 57 “terrorists” had been killed in theclashes against insurgents. The deputymayor of the town, Mohammed Amin,was also admitted to hospital withinjuries during the air strikes, said adoctor. US troops announced throughloudspeakers that for five days,residents would not be allowed to enterthe town, which they charge is infestedwith fighters who infiltrated fromSyria. Coalition forces were attacked byinsurgents using Al-Huda mosque ascover, to which they responded with“precise and accurate fire”. In Fallujah,the greatest symbol of resistance to USoccupation in Iraq, jets pounded the cityin a relentless series of raids beforedawn yesterday, killing 12 Iraqis,including five children and two women,a doctor said. The military hasclassified Fallujah as a den of foreignterror networks and said the latest raidwas a “precision strike” on a hideoutused by militants loyal to Iraq’s mostwanted man, alleged Al-Qaedaoperative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whohas a 25-million-dollar price on hishead. The Fallujah and Tall Afar raidsare part of a string of operations carriedout by US-backed Iraqi nationalguardsmen to crack down on rebelstrongholds. But UN Secretary GeneralKofi Annan suggested that a politicalapproach might be successful and in areport urged a “commitment to stoprelying solely or mainly on the threatsor actual use of armed force.” On thehostage crisis, Italy’s junior foreignminister Margherita Boniver was toarrive in Jordan today on the first leg ofa regional tour aimed at winning therelease of two aid workers kidnapped onTuesday (Sep 7). As the ItalianGovernment swung into crisis mode,Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was tohold talks today with Iraqi PresidentGhazi al-Yawar, who is on a Europeantour to muster support for his war-torncountry.

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: A pipelinelinking an oilfield in this northern Iraqicity with the Havana refinery wassabotaged by gunmen, an executive ofthe North Oil Co. said. “The 35.5centimetre pipeline was sabotaged at1515 hrs by unknown attackers whoopened fire with automatic weapons,causing an important breach,” said theexecutive, who spoke on condition ofanonymity. “The flow was stopped andsand dikes built to stop the crude fromspreading,” he added. The Havanarefinery is located 60 kilometres fromKirkuk. Separately, three NOC securityguards were wounded, one of themseriously, when attackers opened fire onthem near the village of Hatin, 30kilometres north of Kirkuk at 0330 hrs,today, a police officer said. CaptainAwad Abdullah al-Hamadani said thesecurity men returned fire and mayhave hit one of their attackers.

Baghdad, Sep 12 — Strong explosionsshook central Baghdad at dawn todayand heavy fighting erupted in a streetnotorious as a rebel stronghold, inviolence that killed at least eight Iraqis,

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Political & Civil Unrest

the US army and witnesses said. Theclashes flared as the US militarypressed on with new offensives aimed atretaking control of guerrilla-held areasahead of national elections due to beheld in January. In one of the heaviestbarrages in the capital for months,insurgents fired more than a dozenmortars or rockets around the GreenZone compound housing the US andother embassies and Iraq’s interimgovernment, sending plumes of blacksmoke into the sky. The US militarysaid some rounds landed inside theGreen Zone, but there were no reportsof casualties. The mortar or rocket firestarted about 0500 hrs and continuedinto the morning. In a separate attack,a car bomb killed a senior Iraqi policeofficer, another policeman and a 12-year-old boy on a highway in westernBaghdad. The crackle of gunfire echoedfor several hours across Haifa Street incentral Baghdad. Witnesses and HealthMinistry officials said at least fiveIraqis were killed as US helicoptersattacked targets in the area. Foursoldiers were lightly wounded after aBradley fighting vehicle was set ablaze,the US army said. US tanks were seenmoving into the area as residents ranfor cover. Iraqi Minister of State KassimDaoud told a news conference yesterdaythat the government had launched“military operations against theterrorists in different parts of Iraq.”“Our aim of all these activities is toenter the gates of democracy, which weare expecting in January 2005,” he said.The US military said its offensive in TalAfar, west of Mosul, was still under waytoday. Thousands of residents have fledthe town since fighting erupted. “Multi-National Forces and Iraqi securityforces have secured the main roadaround the city over the last two daysand are now moving into Tal Afar toeliminate the presence of the terroristswho have taken control from legitimateIraqi leaders,” a US army statementsaid. It said the military was alsoworking to get humanitarian aid to thevictims of the fighting. US forceslaunched an air strike overnightagainst rebel positions in the Baghdadslum of Sadr city, a stronghold of rebelShi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. —Reuters.

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated today, states: Militants poundedcentral Baghdad, today, with one oftheir most intense mortar barragesever, targeting the Green Zone anddestroying a U.S. vehicle on a majorstreet. At least 25 people were killedand more than 100 were wounded, someof them when a U.S. helicopter fired atcrowds around the burning vehicle.Elsewhere, a suicide attacker detonatedan explosives-packed vehicle at thegates of Abu Ghraib prison, killinghimself but causing no other casualties,the U.S. military said. American guardsfired at the vehicle before the drivercould reach the gate, the military said.Tawhid and Jihad, a militant grouplinked to al-Qaida and led by Jordanianterror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said it carried out today’scoordinated campaign of violence.Rockets and mortars began raining

down before dawn on the Green Zone,which houses Iraqi and U.S. offices, andother parts of central Baghdad. As theshelling continued after sunrise, U.S.troops backed by armored vehiclesmoved into the streets searching for theattackers. A Bradley fighting vehicle,rushing down Haifa Street to assist aU.S. patrol, was disabled by a car bombabout 0650 hrs, the U.S. military said.The four U.S. crewmen escaped withminor injuries, but came under smallarms and rocket-propelled grenade fireand called for air support, U.S. officialssaid. Jubilant fighters and young boysswarmed around the burning vehicle,dancing, cheering and hurlingfirebombs. Several young men placed ablack banner of Tawhid and Jihad inthe barrel of the Bradley’s main gun.Suddenly, a U.S. Kiowa helicopter firedon the Bradley, trying to destroy it toprevent insurgents from lootingweapons and ammunition on board, themilitary said. Witnesses said severalpeople milling around the Bradley,including a correspondent for theArabic language Al-Arabiya televisionstation, were killed. An Iraqicameraman working for the Reutersnews agency and a freelancephotographer for Getty Images werealso wounded. Health Ministry officialSaad al-Amili said 13 people were killedand 61 wounded on Haifa street, thoughit was not clear how many were killedin the helicopter strike. Another 12people died and 41 were injured, today,in other violence across the city, al-Amili said. In other violence, threePolish soldiers were killed after beingattacked with grenades and machine-gun fire, today, outside the city ofHillah, south of Baghdad, raising thePolish death toll in Iraq to 13, a Polishmilitary spokesman said. Three otherPoles were injured. Also near Hillah,two powerful bombs explodedsimultaneously on a road, killing atleast three Iraqi National Guardmembers and seriously wounding threeothers, a Polish military spokesmansaid. The police chief in the westBaghdad district of Yarmouk was killed,today, in a bomb attack, while on patrolin the district, the Interior Ministrysaid. Col. Alaa Bashir and anotherofficer died on the spot, said ministryspokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman.Clashes occurred in the Sunniinsurgent stronghold of Ramadi, 70miles west of Baghdad, killing twopeople and wounding 20 others,hospital officials said. A U.S. Humveewas ablaze, parts of it scattered acrossthe street, witnesses said. A bomb alsoexploded along a road just west ofRamadi as a U.S. military convoy waspassing by, witnesses said. They saidU.S. troops opened fire after the attack,wounding several people in the area. Itwas not immediately clear whetherthere were any American casualties.Gunmen attacked a group of policementin the northern city of Mosul, killingone and wounding seven, police said.Gunmen attacked security forcesguarding oilfields in two separateincidents in northern Iraq, injuring fiveofficers, officials said. Three officerswere wounded when attackers opened

fire as they stood guard near the Dibisoilfields north-east of the city of Kirkuk,while two others were injured in adrive-by-shooting west of Kirkuk, saidMaj. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Amin ofthe Iraqi National Guard.

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated today, states: At least 15 peoplehave been killed in a joint US-Iraqiattack on militant positions in therestive Iraqi city of Falluja, according tohospital sources. US artillerybombarded several districts, beforecircling warplanes opened fire,witnesses said. The US military said ithad “accurately targeted” militantsfrom a group linked to al-Qaeda. Itcomes a day after 70 people were killedin some of the heaviest fighting acrossIraq for weeks. “Intelligence sourcesreported the presence of several key[Abu Musab] Zarqawi operatives whohave been responsible for numerousterrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians,Iraqi Security Forces and multinationalforces,” a US military statement said. Itsaid, “Iraqi Security Forces andmultinational forces effectively andaccurately targeted these terroristswhile protecting the lives of innocentcivilians”, without saying where thestrike took place. Witnesses describedblack columns of smoke above Fallujaand said hundreds of families hadbegun to leave town, Reuters reported.Troops have set up checkpoints at thenorthern, western and southernentrances to Falluja, the agencyreported.

Kirkuk, Sep 14 — An attack that blewup an oil pipeline southwest of Kirkukhas halted oil exports from the north ofIraq to Turkey, an official in the NorthOil Company told Reuters. “Exportshave stopped totally,” the official said.The main export pipeline to Turkey hadalready been shut down by sabotage butbefore today’s attack around 300,000barrels per day were being pumpedthrough a substitute export pipeline. —Reuters.

Baghdad, Sep 14 — A huge blast torethrough a crowded Baghdad marketclose to a police station today andReuters witnesses said at least 35people were killed. The U.S. militaryand Iraqi the Interior Ministry said theblast was a car bomb attack on a policestation in Haifa Street, a Baghdad areanotorious as a haven for guerrillas andcriminals, but some witnesses andpolice at the scene gave a differentaccount, saying two mortar rounds hadlanded in the area. A huge crater hadbeen punched into the road and at leastnine cars were destroyed. “Initialreports are that a car bomb detonatedat the north end of Haifa Street. Itseems there are some Iraqi civiliancasualties, possibly some killed,” aspokesman for the U.S. 1st CavalryDivision said. Elsewhere, gunmen haveshot dead three Iraqi men accused ofcollaborating with U.S.-led forces southof Baghdad, a hospital director saidtoday. Razzaq Jabbar said the gunmenhad shot the men while they were in acar and then set fire to the vehicle lateyesterday in Alexandria, a small townnear Hilla, south of Baghdad. —Reuters.

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Baghdad, Sep 14 — A huge explosiontore through a crowded market close tothe west Baghdad police headquarterstoday, killing at least 47 people in thedeadliest single attack in the capital insix months. The US army and IraqiInterior Ministry said the blast was acar bomb attack on the police buildingin Haifa Street, a Baghdad area knownas a haven for guerrillas and criminals.The Health Ministry said 47 people hadbeen killed and 114 wounded. TheInterior Ministry and witnesses saidthere may have been at least twosimultaneous car bomb blasts.Witnesses said mortars may also havebeen fired at the same time. In aseparate attack in Baquba, north-eastof Baghdad, 12 policemen were killedand two wounded when gunmen openedfire on their minibus, a source at thetown’s main hospital said. — Reuters.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: Saboteurs blew up ajunction where multiple oil pipelinescross the Tigris River in northern Iraqtoday, sending plumes of smoke leapinginto the sky, officials said. Firefightersstruggled to put out the blaze after theattack near Beiji , 250km north ofBaghdad. US military officialssurveying the blast estimated it couldtake up to three days to put out the fire.Crude oil cascaded down the hillsideinto the river. Fire burned atop thewater, fuelled by the gushing oil. Beiji isthe point where several oil pipelinesconverge, Lieutenant-Colonel LeeMorrison of the US Army Corps ofEngineers said. “Beiji is thechokepoint,” he said. “It’s so easy tohit.” Earlier, North Oil Companyofficials had said that only a domesticline had been targeted. It was notimmediately clear if the two incidentswere connected. The 0300 hrs attackcame soon after engineers hadcompleted a two-month project toinstall two critical valves that haddamaged after an earlier attack.

London, Sep 16 — A press reportdated Sep 15, states: A Turkish mankidnapped in Iraq and held for 50 dayswas freed today by his captors, aTurkish official said. The freed hostage,Ayatullah Gezmen, 43, arrived at theTurkish Embassy Wednesday morningafter his kidnappers put him into a taxi,according to Ethem Tokdemir, chief ofthe Turkish mission in Baghdad.Gezmen, who was kidnapped in Fallujaby armed men, did not know whichgroup had kidnapped him, just thatthey were Iraqis and called themselves“Mujahedeen.” Gezmen was atranslator for the Turkish companyBilimtur, which had previouslyannounced that it was withdrawingfrom Iraq following the initialkidnapping of its employees.Meanwhile, the bodies of three headlessmen were discovered this morning on ahighway near Balad, north of Baghdad,according to a spokesman for the U.S.Army’s 1st Infantry Division. Thebodies were dressed in Western styleclothing: two were in jeans and T-shirtsand the other in sweat pants and a T-shirt, the spokesman said. They wereinitially identified by the 1st IDspokesman as Iraqi civilians, but

investigators at the moment don’t knowtheir identities and are trying todetermine their names andnationalities. Col. Adnan AbdulRahman of the Interior Ministry toldCNN the victims were all men andheads were found near the bodies.Fighting continued today between U.S.forces and insurgents in Ramadi, where11 Iraqis were killed and seven werewounded, an Iraqi Health Ministryspokesman said. Also in Ramadi,Khamees Saad, the director general ofthe Anbar Health Department, escapedan assassination attempt today. Saad’sdeputy was wounded in the attack anda bodyguard was killed. In otherdevelopments an Iraqi National Guardsoldier and a civilian were killed today— and ten other people were wounded— in a car bombing at a checkpoint inSuwayra, said Col. Rahman of theInterior Ministry. Suwayra is 40 milessoutheast of Baghdad. A Marine waskilled in combat yesterday in Iraq’s AlAnbar province, the U.S. military saidtoday. The Marine was assigned to the1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Thedeath brings the total number of U.S.troop fatalities in the Iraq war to 1,017,including 768 killed by hostile activitiesand 249 non-hostile deaths, accordingto the U.S. military. An Islamist Website posted claims of responsibility forattacks yesterday at a Baghdad policestation — where 47 people died — andon a minibus in Baquba, where 12police were killed. The attacks wereclaimed by Unification and Jihad — agroup affiliated with Jordanian militantAbu Musab al-Zarqawi.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Three foreignnationals have been abducted inBaghdad, according to the Iraqi interiorministry. A spokesman said thatgunmen seized the men - reported to betwo Americans and a Briton - at dawnfrom a house in Baghdad’s Mansourneighbourhood. The Reuters newsagency said the three kidnapped peoplewere believed to be civilians. It addedthat there was no fighting as they weretaken. The British embassy has said itis urgently investigating the reports.Correspondents say the Mansourdistrict is a wealthy residential area onthe river Tigris, where manymultinational companies have theirheadquarters. Many foreignbusinessmen and contractors live thereif they are not staying in the heavilydefended Green Zone. This latestkidnapping brings the numbercurrently of people kidnapped and beingheld to 20.

ISRAELLondon, Sep 9 — A press report, dated

today, states: At least sevenPalestinians have been killed and 25others injured as Israeli forces pushedinto the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gazaand two West Bank areas. Scores ofmilitants clashed with a column oftanks and armoured vehicles enteringJabaliya camp, after troops hadsurrounded it before dawn. Five peoplewere killed in the northern Gaza camp,including a 10-year-old boy. Israelitroops deployed near Jabaliya yesterday

to stop militants firing rockets at Israel,the army said. Israeli military officialssaid its forces had penetrated the firstrow of houses in eastern Jabaliya - aheavily populated area with narrowalleys that leave soldiers vulnerable toambushes. Troops also entered the WestBank town of Jericho, where they killeda member of the Palestinian militantgroup the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.Later in the Amari refugee camp inRamallah, a 15-year-old boy wasknocked over and killed by an Israeliarmy jeep as it was pulling away fromstone-throwers. An eighth Palestinianwas killed near Israeli settlements insouthern Gaza. The army said theunarmed man had walked into the no-go area near the Gush Katif bloc andthat soldiers had shot him.

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: An Israel ihelicopter gunship fired a missile intothe Jabaliya refugee camp in thenorthern Gaza Strip wounding threePalestinians, reports say. The attackcomes on the third day of an Israeliincursion into northern Gaza. At leastseven Palestinians were ki l ledyesterday and 25 injured as Israeliforces pushed into the Jabaliyarefugee camp in Gaza and two WestBank areas. Israeli troops deployednear Jabaliya yesterday to stopmilitants firing rockets at Israel, thearmy said.

Nablus, West Bank, Sep 15 — Israelkilled five Palestinian militants in aWest Bank raid today, keeping uppressure on armed factions as PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon’s plan for apartial pullout from occupied landsmoved forward. Sharon received a boostagainst rightist adversaries yesterdaywhen his security cabinet voted tobudget $200,000 to $500,000 per settlerfamily and permit advancedownpayments as part of acceleratedpreparations for the withdrawal.Sharon is counting on downpayments,expected to amount to a third of thetotal compensation packages, to coaxmost Jewish settlers to leavevoluntarily, avoiding clashes withsoldiers. The Israeli daily Haaretz saidaround 100 settler families had alreadyinquired about the relocation packages.Parliament is due on Nov 3 to vote onthe total budget for uprooting thesettlers, estimated at $550 million to$670 million. An Israeli newspaper pollfound that 58 percent of Israelissupport Sharon’s plan to evacuate all 21settlements in the Gaza Strip and fourof 120 in the West Bank by the end of2005. But opposition has mounted inparallel with police probing threats onSharon’s life attributed to Israeli ultra-rightists. In the West Bank city ofNablus, Israeli troops killed fourgunmen of the al-Aqsa MartyrsBrigades, part of Palestinian PresidentYasser Arafat’s Fatah faction, and amilitant of the Democratic Front for theLiberation of Palestine, witnesses said.Israeli military sources confirmed thatfive “senior terrorists” had beentargeted in the predawn Nablusoperation. In Gaza, armoured Israeliforces thrust into the Palestinianvillage of Mughraq near a Jewish

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settlement and demolished sevenhouses before withdrawing at dawn,residents said. — Reuters.

NEPALLondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated today, states: Nine people wereinjured in the latest bomb blast toshake Nepal’s capital today whilesuspected Maoist guerrillas freed 20prisoners, all believed to be rebels, in adaring jailbreak. The crude device,found on the main road to Kathmandu’sairport before the return of Nepal’sprime minister from a visit to India,went off as security forces tried todefuse it. Three security officials and aTV journalist filming the scene wereamong those injured by the riggedliquefied petroleum gas cylinder placedon a bridge, a police spokesman said,adding “Maoist rebels” were suspectedin the attack. In a separate incident,Maoists bombed a jail and freed 20inmates, all thought to be rebels, aprison official said today. The bombcaused a large hole in the wall of theprison in the town of Mahendra Nagar,allowing 20 inmates of one cell toescape, a Department of Central PrisonManagement official told AFP. “Therewere 140 inmates in the jail but theprisoners of only one cell could escape,”the official said, adding an inquiry wasunder way. “The 20 missing inmates arebelieved to be Maoist activists and itseems it was the rebels’ plan to breakinto jail to free them,” the official said.Indian forces were alerted in the borderregion of Champawat after thejailbreak.

Kathmandu, Sep 16 — Nepal’s topfirms re-opened for business today,some for the first time in more than amonth, after a trade union linked toMaoist rebels withdrew threats againstthem. The All Nepal Federation ofTrade Unions had demanded that 12 ofthe country’s leading firms close downlast month, accusing them of unfairlabour practices, a threat that wasextended to another 35 firms last week.The trade union withdrew the threatagainst the firms late yesterday afterthe government agreed to free two of itsjailed leaders and provide informationabout 22 others it says are missing, amediator said. “The union, thegovernment and the firms gave theircommitments in writing through usthat led to the withdrawal of theclosure,” human rights activist andmediator Malla K. Sundar told Reuters.Industry officials say the closure of the47 businesses, which contributed morethan $100 million in revenue to thecash-strapped government every year,had affected thousands of workers inthe desperately poor Himalayankingdom.Analysts said the union wasunder pressure from other labourgroups, businesses and oppositionparties to withdraw the threat. Someunions had already threatened toreturn to work tomorrow even if thestrike was not called off. MediatorMalla said the firms would discuss theunion’s demands for better wages andworking conditions separately. Therewas no comment from the governmentor the union on the deal. — Reuters.

NIGERIALondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated Sep 9, states: Nigerian troopsbattled militia forces today in thecreeks and mangrove swamps ofAfrica’s leading oil region, the NigerDelta, pressing an offensive that hasforced thousands of villagers to fleetheir homes for this petroleum hub.Burned houses and twisted corrugatediron roofs bore witness today to theferocity of militia attacks on one slumdistrict in Port Harcourt, a city of threemillion and Nigeria’s most important oilcentre. The crackdown — with soldierssealing off river approaches to PortHarcourt and helicopter gunshipspatrolling overhead — is the latest inyear-long clashes between Nigeria’smilitary and criminal gangs and ethnicmilitias for control of oil wealth fromthe Niger Delta. Violence in the NigerDelta over the past year has killed morethan 1,000 people and at times shutdown up to 40% of oil production inNigeria, the world’s No. 7 oil-producingcountry. One US oil company alone,ChevronTexaco, is estimated to havelost at least $1.75 billion in productionlosses and sabotaged equipment sinceMarch, 2003. The army and navylaunched their latest offensive lastweek in response to deadly militia raidsin August into Port Harcourt. Militialeaders and Nigeria’s military saidfighting continued today outside thecity. The military is aiming to keep thewaterways around Port Harcourt safeand open and to “stop the fighters fromcoming into the city,” said a militaryofficial. Authorities have given nocasualty figures in the current militaryoffensive. Asari Dokubo, a militialeader whose movement is the maintarget of the crackdown in the districtsoutside Port Harcourt, said he expectedcivilian casualties to be light sincemany villagers in targeted areas hadalready fled. Thousands of villagershave abandoned their homes since lastweek, streaming into Port Harcourt totake shelter with relatives and friends.President Olusegun Obasanjo’sgovernment accused Dokubo’s group,the Niger Delta People’s VolunteerForce, of involvement in a series ofattacks on Port Harcourt in the pastmonth that have killed at least 50people. The attacks were aimed atmembers of a rival militia group thatDokubo said is supported by thegovernment. The government deniesthe charge. Troops have been called into maintain a 24-hour patrol in PortHarcourt, a base for international oilcompanies, which pump Nigeria’s 2.5million barrels of normal daily exports.About 5% of production is now off-linebecause of the violence. About 40% wasoff-line in March, 2003.

PAKISTANQuetta, Sep 9 — Two people were

killed and one was injured today whena bomb exploded in a remote coastaltown in Pakistan’s southwesternBaluchistan province, officials said. Theexplosion in Somyani, 650 km south ofthe Baluchistan provincial capital ofQuetta, killed employees of the state-run Pakistan Space & Upper

Atmosphere Research Commission, theofficials said without giving furtherdetails. No group has claimedresponsibility, but in the past policehave blamed nationalist militants fortargeting security forces andgovernment installations inBaluchistan. — Reuters.

London, Sep 9 — A press report, datedtoday, states: More than 50 people werekilled when Pakistani jets bombed atraining camp believed to have beenused by foreign militants, the militarysays. Air force bombers and helicoptergunships reportedly attacked thecompound in a village in SouthWaziristan, near the Afghan border.The military says most of the dead wereChechen, Uzbek and Arab militantswith suspected al-Qaeda and Talebanlinks. Witnesses say Pakistanitribesmen are also among those killed.It is one of the biggest attacks sincePakistani forces intensified operationsin the area six months ago. Armyspokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultanconfirmed that more than 50 people hadbeen killed in the raid on the camp nearDila Khula, a village about 25km north-east of South Waziristan’s main town ofWana. Other reports say the death tollis more than 70. (See issue of Sep 10.)

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated today, states: Pakistani securityforces and militants clashed, today, infighting that killed at least nine peoplein the mountains near the Afghanborder, where al-Qaida-linked fightersare believed to be hiding, militaryofficials said. Between six and eightmilitants were killed during thefighting in Kani Guram, a mountainousarea about 30 miles north-east of Wana,the main town in South Waziristan,said Army spokesman Maj. Gen.Shaukat Sultan. Army officials inWana, Islamabad, said three soldiersdied in the clashes. Military officialssaid mortar, rocket and small arms firecontinued throughout the day. One ofthe officials said bodies of somemilitants had been spotted onmountainsides, but could not beretrieved because of the fighting.Residents reported hearing heavygunfire starting at dawn today.Helicopter gunships bombed AsmanManza, a nearby mountain peak.Residents also reported seeing at leastfour military pickup trucks carryinginjured people, although it wasn’t clearwho the injured were. The latestoperation began on Thursday (Sep 9)when the army said fighter jets andhelicopter gunships smashed an allegedal-Qaida-linked terrorist trainingfacility north-east of Wana, killing 50militants. Ten other suspected militantswere killed elsewhere the same day.The army said many of the deadfighters were Uzbeks, Chechens andArabs.

SOMALIALondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated today, states: Somalia’s newparliament has elected a speaker,bringing the war-torn nation a stepcloser to establishing its first centralgovernment in 13 years. BusinessmanShariff Hassan Sheikh Adan was

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elected to the post with 161 votes,ahead of his nearest rival’s 105 votes. Inall, 267 MPs voted during a six-hoursession in neighbouring Kenya’s capitallooked on by observers and mediators.The election of a speaker clears the wayfor MPs to vote for a president, due onSep 22. The president will have thetask of forming an interim governmentwith a view to holding elections in fiveyears’ time. However, the challengesfacing the new government are tough.The capital, Mogadishu, is controlled byopposing armed groups, there aredisputes over private properties andfarms looted during the civil war, aswell as the complication of thebreakaway Republic of Somaliland.

SUDANLondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated today, states: Sudan hascategorically rejected a statement byUS Secretary of State Colin Powell inwhich he described the killings inDarfur as genocide. The US is seeking anew UN resolution that threatensSudan with sanctions. The resolutionalso calls for more African Unionmonitors to go to the western region. Incomments reported by Reuters newsagency, Mustafa Osman Ismail said theUS was “isolated” in its use of suchstrong language, which he said wasaimed at winning African-Americanvotes in November ’s election.Washington says Khartoum is failing toprevent atrocities against civilians bythe pro-government Janjaweed Arabmilitia. Its call for more monitors wonwidespread support at yesterday’smeeting of the UN Security Council, butChina, Pakistan and Algeria expressedreservations about the need forsanctions. Mr Powell based his verdictthat genocide was occurring in Darfuron interviews with more than 1,800refugees who had fled Darfur intoneighbouring Chad. He told the USSenate Foreign Relations Committee:“We concluded that genocide has beencommitted in Darfur, and that thegovernment of Sudan and theJanjaweed bear responsibility andgenocide may still be occurring.” Thetestimonies, collected by US StateDepartment investigators, showed apattern of violence which was co-ordinated, not random, Mr Powell said.The US would like the Security Councilto vote on its new draft resolution nextweek. The proposed resolution saysSudan has failed to fully comply with aprevious UN resolution which waspassed in July. It gives the governmenta new 30-day deadline. If Khartoumdoes still not comply, sanctions may beintroduced “including with regard to thepetroleum sector”. Sudan currentlyproduces about 320,000 barrels of oilper day. The resolution also calls for:the expansion of the number andmandate of the current 300 AfricanUnion troops in the country.International overflights in Darfur tomonitor what is happening, and an endto Sudanese military flights there andUN Secretary General Kofi Annan toassess whether acts of genocide havebeen carried out and identify theperpetrators.

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, states: Talks to try toresolve the Darfur crisis are due toresume today, amid warnings the worldis not giving enough financial aid to therefugees. The UN says $200m is neededto save the lives of more than 1m peopledisplaced by conflict in Sudan’s westernregion. Some 10,000 people in Darfurare dying from violence and diseaseeach month, says the World HealthOrganisation. The African-Unionsponsored talks, held in Nigeria, havemade little progress since they beganthree weeks ago. The talks between theSudanese government and the rebels -the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)and the Justice and Equality Movement(JEM) - have been held up bydifferences over security anddisarmament. Nigerian PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo is expected to meetboth sides to try to break the impasse.Yesterday, the European Union urgedthe UN to investigate claims thatgenocide is taking place in Darfur. Lastweek, Sudan categorically rejected astatement by US Secretary of StateColin Powell in which he described thekillings in Darfur as genocide. TheUnited Nations emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland, said it wasmind-boggling that what has beendescribed as the world’s worsthumanitarian crisis was not attractingenough financial aid from theinternational community. He called foranother $200m in aid to save the livesof refugees now living in camps inDarfur and across the border in Chad.His comments came after the WHO saidthat among those dying each monthfrom violence and disease in Darfurwere thousands of children under theage of five. The WHO said theinterview-based survey in West andNorth Darfur - carried out togetherwith the Sudanese government -pointed to a monthly death toll of 6,000-10,000 people among the internallydisplaced population of about 1.2million. “Thousands, includingthousands of children under five aredying every month from diseases whichcan be easily prevented and treated,”WHO Director-General, Lee Jong-Wooksaid, urging an increase in emergencyaid. The survey also showed said manypeople did not have enough clean waterand lived in crowded makeshiftsettlements.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated Sep 15, states: One of two rebelmovements engaged in peace talks withSudan’s government mediated by theAfrican Union (AU) said thenegotiations had collapsed and could besuspended for weeks. MohammedAhmed Tugod, the chief negotiator forthe Justice and Equality Movement,said today that “the negociations havecollapsed already because there aredifferences, strong differences betweenus and the Sudanese government.” TheAU-mediated talks in the Nigeriancapital Abuja are a bid to end a conflictwhich erupted in February 2003 andhas become what the United States lastweek called a “genocide”, claiming up to50,000 lives and displacing almost amillion and a half people. “The AU is

now suggesting to suspend the talks forfour weeks, and for us it as if the talkshave collapsed,” Tugod said. The UnitedNations, which has put the death tollbetween 30,000 and 50,000, hasdescribed the food and refugee problemcreated by the conflict the world’s worstcurrent humanitarian crisis.

TURKEYLondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated today, states: Five carriages of atrain were destroyed by a bombexplosion in eastern Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia News Agency reportedyesterday. Sources were quoted assaying that the bomb, planted underthe railway between Kurt and Kalestations near the city of Mus, blew up apassing freight and passenger train. Itwas not clear yet who planted the bomband investigations were underway, saidthe sources. The Turkish governmentoften blames the outlawed KurdishWorkers` Party (PKK) for mostbombings in the country.

BOTSWANALondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated Sep 14, states: Botswanadiamond miner Debswana has settledwage talks in the wake of an illegalstrike that disrupted some of theworld’s biggest gem mines. But 318workers who had been fired for takingpart in the strike will not be reinstated,Debswana said. The firm’s offer of a10% wage rise and a one-off bonusequal to 10% of annual salary has beenaccepted by the Botswana MineWorkers’ Union. Debswana said thestrike would not affect productiontargets. The strike involved about 2,400of Debswana’s work force of 5,600.Debswana said a total of 451 workershad been sacked for taking part in thestrike, which was the longest inDebswana’s history, but 133 have sincebeen re-employed. The rest areawaiting a Court of Appeal hearing onSep 24, when unions hope to overturnthe original court ruling that the strikewas illegal. “If it is ruled that the strikewas legal, we will reinstate all theworkers,” said Debswana group humanresources manger Paul Gahagan.

BRAZILLondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: Bank workersin Brazil’s biggest cities are set to striketoday after rejecting a wage increaseproposal, banking unions said. Banks inSao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, the capitalBrasilia and the southern city ofFlorianopolis plan to strike after unionsin the “great majority’’ of cities, theNational Bank Workers Confederationsaid in a statement on its Web site.Unions, which are pressing for a 25percent wage increase, rejected an offerof as much as 12.8 percent, the group

25


Political & Civil Unrest/Labour Disputes

said. “The great majority of bankworkers rejected the proposal,’’ saidCarlos Cordeiro, general secretary ofthe bank workers’ confederation, in thestatement. The confederation, whichsays it represents 90 percent of thecountry’s 390,000 bank workers,“directs the unions to decide on a striketo cause strong paralysis in all thebanks,’’ he said. Bank workers aretrying to win back some of the spendingpower they lost in recent years toinflation and take a greater share in therecord profits being posted by suchbanks as Banco Itau HoldingFinanceira SA, said Luiz ClaudioMarcolino, the president of the SaoPaulo union, in an interview last week.It’s the first time since 1996 that bankworkers in both government andprivate banks have joined a strike, hisunion said.

KENYALondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: StrikingKenya Railways Corporation workershave paralysed transportation ofwagons from the Mombasa port. Thishas created a major cargo clearancecrisis. Clearing and forwarding agentswho expected to load their containersto wagons were the hardest-hit, as thepile-up of containers reached 1,259 byyesterday afternoon. A KPA publicrelations officer confirmed that thesituation was getting out of hand. Outof the 1,259 containers, 728 weredestined to Kampala, 255 for Nairobi,209 for Kisumu, 54 for Malaba and 13for Mombasa. “We are worried aboutthese developments, because after 15days we will be forced to introducedemurrage charges, even though thisis not our clients’ mistake,” he said.More than 300 railway workers inMombasa said they would only resumework after the managing director, MrAndrew Wanyande, was sacked. OnTuesday nine trains each with 30wagons failed to leave the port as thestrike started. Each wagon carries twotwenty-foot containers. The vicechairman of Kenya InternationalFreight and Warehousing Association,Mr Peter Mambembe, supported theworkers’ demands.

NEW ZEALANDLondon, Sep 12 — A press report,

dated today, states: Two hundred portworkers are back on the job inAuckland following four days ofindustrial action. The Maritime Unionwatersiders have been striking sinceWednesday (Sep 8) over the way casualworkers are employed at the Ports ofAuckland and on Friday met withmediator Colleen Hicks. Talks haveresumed, but the union will be holdinga stop-work meeting tomorrow todiscuss the possibility of further strikeaction. Maritime Union Aucklandpresident Denis Carlisle said themovement they achieved at themeeting would be taken back to astopwork meeting on Monday morning.“We got some movement from thecompany. We are not quite there yetbut we are on the way,” Mr Carlisle toldNZPA. The four-day strike ended at

0659, today. Four vessels had beenprevented from unloading. Two havegone to Wellington, one to Taurangaand the fourth deleted Auckland fromits New Zealand voyage. The portscompany said the strike would costhundreds of thousands of dollars. MrCarlisle said the union members wouldhave to decide on Monday if themovement was enough to preventfurther strike action which had beentalked of in the last two or three days.However, he said the movement wasencouraging. “It was movement in theright direction and I think the companyis slowly starting to realise they haveto do something to fix it rather thanjust let it drift,” Mr Carlisle said. Thewharfies are looking for a better dealfor casual workers with betteradvancement possibilities from casualto permanent staff.

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated today, states: A four-day strike atPorts of Auckland that ended yesterdayhas cost the company hundreds ofthousands of dollars. The companymissed processing 3500 containers offfour vessels due to the strike by 250workers at its two container terminals,a spokeswoman said. The strike endedat 0700 hrs. Workers are meeting thismorning before further mediation withthe company tomorrow. They want apromotion formula that allows workersto progress from casual to permanentpart-time and permanent full-timeemployment. Maritime Union Aucklandpresident Denis Carlisle said someprogress was made in a mediationsession on Friday (Sep 10) but it was upto workers to decide whether to takefurther strike action after discussionstoday.

SOUTH AFRICALondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated today, states: Public servants aregoing ahead with their strike plannedfor tomorrow despite last-minutegovernment moves to avert such action,union leaders said. “The strike is on,”labour union spokesperson Fikile Hugosaid this morning. He disputed theaccuracy of reports that the governmentand labour service unions had agreedon setting up a technical committee tocontinue negotiations. “The technicalcommittee is only a proposal by (PublicService and Administration) MinisterGeraldine Fraser-Moleketi,” Hugo said.“The unions still have to decide whetheror not to join this committee. We willmeet today to consider the matter.” Theproposal for such a committee emergedfrom last-ditch talks between thegovernment and unions that continuedinto the early hours of today. Theunions would also consider whether ornot strike action by about 700 000public servants should continue beyondtomorrow, Hugo said. According toFraser-Moleketi ’s department theunions had agreed in principle to jointhe technical committee. “We are justwaiting to hear from the unions on thenumber of members who will beparticipating,” departmentalspokesperson Madoda Mxake saidtoday. The proposal to form a technicalcommittee came after labour

representatives rejected a “deadlock-breaking offer” by government, thedepartment said. The technicalcommittee would develop threeproposals: A single-year agreement; amulti-term agreement focusing onsalary adjustment over three years andsetting aside funds for “career-pathing”in identified sectors; and a multi-termagreement providing for salaryadjustment over three years withlimited macro-benefits.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Thousands of SouthAfrican public sector workers started aone-day strike today in the latest stageof a wage dispute with the government.The strike is expected to be the biggestseen since 1999, when 400,000 workerswent on strike. Unions have rejected athree-year government wage andbenefits package. Striking workers aredue to march on parliament in CapeTown and to Pretoria’s Union Buildings,which house President Thabo Mbeki.Essential workers are banned fromgoing on strike, but unions say thatabout one-quarter of key workers willremain at work. Teachers, nurses,prison warders and police officers areamong those on strike. An estimated300,000 of the country’s 360,000teachers are expected to take part in thestrike, with most teachers’ unionstaking part. Teachers have not had apay review since 1996. South Africa hasabout 1.1 million public servants, ofwhich 990,000 are unionised, and thereare fears the strike could cost thecountry as much as $30m (£16.8m).Today’s strike follows union rejection ofa 28bn-rand ($4.29bn; £2.41bn) paypackage and is the latest stage in adispute which began in April this year.The row began with the government’soffer of a 4.4% wage rise for 2004, farlower than the union’s 12% demand.Both sides altered their positions inJune, with the government raising itsoffer to 5.5% and unions lowering theirdemand to 7%. Mass protests earlierthis month in central Johannesburgprompted the government to offer a newthree-year deal. Under this new deal,the government has offered a 6%increase for 2004, plus a 1%performance-related pay rise. Workerswould get a pay rise in line withinflation for 2005 and 2006. Unionshave refused this latest deal, wanting a7% rise this year and the right tonegotiate above-inflation rises for thefollowing two years. Public Service andAdministration Minister GeraldineFraser-Moleketi said the governmentsimply did not have any more money tooffer.

IRRESPONSIBLE SALE OF FIRE-ARMS, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Victims of the

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Labour Disputes/Awards & Settlements

Washington, D.C.-area sniper shootingsand their families have settled claimsagainst the maker of the gun used inthe spree and its dealer for $2.5 million,an agreement the plaintiffs’ lawyer saidwould change practices in the firearmsindustry. Lawyers for the families callthe settlements “landmark.” The BradyCenter to Prevent Gun Violence, whichhas filed a number of gun suits, saidthis is the first time a gunmanufacturer has agreed to pay asettlement to victims. BushmasterFirearms of Maine will pay $550,000,all of which is covered by its insurancepolicy. Bull’s Eye Shooter Supply inTacoma, Wash., will pay $2 million, thelargest settlement of its kind by a gundealer, the Brady Center said. “Thissettlement sends a loud message to allgun manufacturers that they can’t lookthe other way when their guns arebeing irresponsibly sold or secured atthe retail level,” said Jon Lowy, alawyer with the Brady Centre. In astatement, Bushmaster did not admitany wrongdoing, but said the money“will go to the victims’ families for theirgrief.” The lawsuit, filed in January2003 in Pierce County, Wash., alsonamed convicted snipers Lee BoydMalvo and John Allen Muhammad,although there is unlikely to be anyrecovery from them.

OVERTIME PAYMENTS, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated Sep 15, states: Houston’s MayorBill White announced today that thecity will pay $72 million to settle anovertime lawsuit filed by paramedics,reversing course from July when hesaid the city would appeal unfavorablerulings in the nine-year-old case.White said he changed his mindbecause the city could have beenordered to pay as much as $116 millionif it lost future appeals. The 2,600paramedics who are plaintiffs in theclass-action suit will be awarded sumsranging from as little as $500 to tensof thousands of dollars, depending onhow much overtime they workedwithout proper compensation, saidtheir lawyer, Troy Blakeney. He said hewill recommend to his clients to acceptthe proposed settlement, and a finaldecision should be made in about amonth. He said it has not yet beendetermined how much of the $72million would go to legal fees, but saidit likely will be between one-fourth toone-third of the amount. White saidthe money would be paid within twoyears. The city would issue $50 millionin judgment obligation bonds, and theremaining money would come fromeither insurance settlements related toTropical Storm “Allison” or real estatesales. He said if those two sourcesdon’t generate enough revenue, thecity may have to postpone some capitalimprovement projects. The city alreadyreduced this year ’s capitalimprovement plan, which was passedby City Council today, by $50 million toaccommodate the settlement, Whitesaid. In July, U.S. District Judge LynnHughes dealt a major blow to the citywhen he said the city must pay

“liquidated damages” equal to actualdamages in the case to compensate forthe delay in making payments. Often,plaintiffs who win civil lawsuits aregranted additional money in interest ifthe lawsuit has lingered for years.Hughes said federal law does notpermit plaintiffs to receive interest inthese types of overtime cases, but itdoes allow liquidated damages to beassessed. The city had already agreedthat the actual damages in the casewere $48 mill ion. White saidWednesday that in addition to the $96million the city might have had to payfor actual and liquidated damages, itcould have been ordered to pay $20million to the paramedics’ pensions.Blakeney said the settlement is thelargest payout for overtime violationsto a fire department in the country’shistory. Houston, like other cities thatlost similar suits, claimed thatparamedics should earn overtime on thesame basis as firefighters, which meantthey were not entitled to overtimeunless they worked more than 46.7hours per week. The federalgovernment attempted to protect citiesby changing overtime laws in 1999 torequire paramedics to work the samehours as firefighters before they couldcollect overtime, Blakeney has said. TheHouston lawsuit, filed in 1995, spansovertime claims from 1986 to 1999.Hughes initially agreed with the city’sposition, and in March 2000 he threwout the paramedics’ claims. But the 5thU.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in NewOrleans ruled that Houston paramedicswere entitled to overtime if they workedmore than 40 hours a week, and sentthe case back to Hughes’ court todetermine what the paramedics wereowed.Craig Smyser, a private attorneyrepresenting the city, said the U.S.Supreme Court never ruled on whetherparamedics should have been classifiedas firefighters for overtime pay, eventhough different federal appellatecourts had reached conflicting rulings.He said the 1999 federal law has madeit unlikely that the high court wouldconsider the matter. Smyser said therewould have been little point for the cityto appeal the case because it could havebeen ordered to pay liquidated damageseven if appellate courts found it actedin good faith in defending the lawsuitrather than immediately paying theovertime.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Restaurant chainCracker Barrel Old Country Storeannounced yesterday it will pay $8.7million to settle multiple lawsuitsinvolving both racial discriminationallegations against customers andemployees, and accusations of wageviolations. The settlement, which hasnot been approved by the courts yet,would close the door on most of theracial bias lawsuits that have doggedCracker Barrel for the last severalyears.The National Association for theAdvancement of Coloured People, whichhad worked with the lead lawyers in

both the discrimination and wagescases, said in a statement it waspleased with the outcome. CrackerBarrel released a statement saying italso was pleased, but neither groupwould comment further. The settlementannounced yesterday involved lawsuitscharging that black employees weredenied promotions, pay and trainingoffered to whites and that black patronswere segregated, sometimes in thesmoking section, and ignored. Thoseracial charges involved 118 plaintiffs inmultiple states. One of them was awhite Mt. Juliet couple, the Hargroves,with an adopted African-American sonwho complained they were seated in thesmoking section against their will andwaited 45 minutes with no servicedespite the fact no one else was in therestaurant. A spokeswoman forCracker Barrel previously said that thecompany had investigated many of theaccusations and found them to beuntrue. In the case of the Mt. Julietcouple, Cracker Barrel has said thedelay in serving was because of a shiftchange, not discrimination. In othercomplaints about wage violations,10,000 hourly workers for CrackerBarrel opted into a 1999 Georgialawsuit, saying they were made to workextended time without pay.Employeessaid they were made to work afterclocking out in the evenings andservers were forced to do non-serverduties without pay, according to thelawsuit. The Lebanon-based CBRLGroup, the parent company of CrackerBarrel, still has a lawsuit pendingbrought by the federal EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission,alleging harassment anddiscrimination. Reid Estes, anemployment attorney with StewartEstes & Donnell in Nashville, saidCracker Barrel came out aheadyesterday, given the settlementamount. Some 10,118 plaintiffs willhave to share the amount, after payingattorneys fees.

ROAD ACCIDENT, AUSTRALIALondon, Sep 11 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: A NSW manhas been awarded almost A$7 million indamages after he became a quadriplegicin a car accident when not wearing aseatbelt. Peter Allen, now 24, became aquadriplegic after the ute in which hewas a passenger left a dirt road andoverturned in Jugiong, in the state’ssouth-west, on February 6, 1999. MrAllen sued the driver of the car, hisfriend Shannon King, for negligenceclaiming he was driving too fast and notkeeping a proper lookout. He said theute overturned shortly after they haddriven over a cattle grid and rounded abend. It was his case that the accidentoccurred because Mr King went aroundthe bend too quickly and lost control ofthe ute. Justice Timothy Studdertagreed, saying Mr King did not exerciseenough care with his driving andawarded Mr Allen $6,946,536. “That thedefendant did not appreciate before hereached the grid that there was a bendin the road beyond it, reflects that hefailed to keep a proper lookout,” Justice

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Awards & Settlements

Studdert said. In his defence, Mr Kingsaid Mr Allen did not take enough careof his own safety because he was notwearing a seatbelt. But JusticeStuddert said Mr King’s lawyers didnot adequately prove that Mr Allenwould not have become a quadriplegicif he had worn a seatbelt.

ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: The NewHampshire state Supreme Courtyesterday refused to reduce a jury’s$1.2 million award to a woman injuredwhen the motorcycle she was apassenger on was struck by arecreational vehicle. The court did notagree with the New HampshireInternational Speedway, one of thedefendants in the case, that the highaward was “manifestly exorbitant andconclusively against the evidence.” Butwhether Mary Carignan, who sufferedknee and ankle injuries and a brokenhip, will get all of the $1.2 million isnot certain. She will get $300,000, orthe 25 percent share of the award thejury concluded the Speedway wasresponsible for because its employeewas directing traffic when the accidentoccurred. Dennis Carignan, with hiswife as passenger, was driving south onRoute 106 in Loudon on Aug. 23, 1998,and passing an RV towing a pickuptruck when the RV turned into theInternational Speedway. The juryconcluded Dennis Carignan was notliable. The high court, however, sentthe case back to Belknap CountySuperior Court yesterday because thetrial judge did not allow the jury toconsider a police officer’s report on theaccident that concluded “the driver ofthe motorcycle made a wrong decisionin his attempt to pass the RV.” TheSupreme Court ruled that Judge PeterSmith must hold a hearing todetermine whether the officer’s reportis “trustworthy” and should beadmitted. If the accident report shouldhave been presented as evidence, a newtrial will have to be held. AttorneyMatthew Lahey, who represented Mrs.Carignan, said he would expect oneside or the other to appeal whateverJudge Smith decides. Lahey said thehigh court will look at the judge’sreasons for allowing or not allowing thereport into the trial and “decide if thereasons were sufficient.” AttorneyKenneth Bouchard said the court’sdecision was “helpful” to his client,Leslie Wheeler, the RV driver who wasfound 75 percent responsible for theaccident. That meant he was liable for$900,000 of the $1.2 million award.Bouchard said if Judge Smithconcludes the officer’s accident reportis “untrustworthy” it would be an“extreme finding.” “It pretty muchmeans we’ll be going back for a newtrial for all of the issues against Mr.Wheeler and Mr. Carignan,” he said.The $1.2 million award was the second-highest by a Belknap County SuperiorCourt jury. At the time, Bouchardcalled the verdict “shocking” and saidsuch an amount might be expected in awrongful death case, but not in apersonal injury case.

FALLS TOWNSHIP,PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated Sep 15, states: Investigators aretrying to figure out why a freight trainderailed early today in Bucks County.According to police, the incidentoccurred in Falls Township just before0730 when a CSX train jumped thetracks. No injuries were reported andthat the material inside the freight carwas not hazardous.

KRISTIANSTAD AREA, SWEDENGothenburg, Sep 11 — Two people died

and 47 were injured, some seriously,when a train at a road crossing ran intoa large truck and trailer just north ofKristianstad in southern Swedenyesterday morning. The deceased wereboth drivers on board the train. Out ofthe 47 injured, four are considered asserious. The “Kustpilen” trains, whichoperate between Karlskrona and Malmoseveral times a day, are allowed to passthrough the small village of Nosaby at140 kph and the road crossings areblocked by gates/beams with red lightsflashing, stopping the traffic on theroad in good time before the passage ofthe train. A lorry and trailer mistookthe signals and parked across the rails.When the train came at full speed it hitthe lorry and trailer, with all unitsbeing smashed to pieces. Before theimpact the lorry driver first tried toopen up the closed gates but whenfailed he drove through the closed gatesto escape from the dangerous area buthit another lorry which was stopped atthe other side, just as the train wasapproaching. The train wagons rolledaround and ended at the side. TheAverage Commission (SHK) is toinvestigate the accident. The traintraffic will be stopped for some time andbuses will be used instead. First test ofthe safety equipment of the train andbeams showed no defects on the systembut a final report will be presentedearly next year. A total of 35ambulances from various regions toassist and took the injured to hospitalat Kristianstad. — Westax MarineServices AB.

KRISTIANSTAD, SWEDENLondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated today, states: A commuter traincarrying high school students collidedwith a truck in southern Sweden thismorning, killing at least two people andinjuring 40, police and rescue workerssaid. The accident happened around0900 hrs, at a gated crossing outsideKristianstad, a town on thesoutheastern coast. The three-carriageregional train jumped the tracks andthe first carriage flipped over, rescueworker Sven Nilsson told TheAssociated Press. “We know there are atleast two deceased,” Nilsson said. “But

there could be more. There’s a riskpeople are still trapped under the car.”About 70 people were on the train,including a large group of high schoolstudents. Hospital officials said 40people were admitted for treatment.About 100 rescue workers were on thescene, including 20 ambulances.Officials at Banverket, the authorityresponsible for rail traffic in Sweden,are investigating. It was unclear howfast the state-run train was travelling.

MADONNA DELL’OLMO AREA,ITALY

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, states: Two women diedand around 30 were injured when apassenger train derailed in northernItaly. Three of the injured wereseriously hurt, including the driver ofthe train, which was carrying around 40people in all when it derailed forunknown reasons near the town ofMadonna dell’Olmo, the Ansa agencysaid yesterday. One of the dead womenwas the train’s chief engineer. TheItalian railway company, FS, openedtwo investigations into the crash, whichoccurred on a service linking thenorthern city of Turin and Cuneo, innorthwestern Italy. Ansa said thederailment ripped down electricalpower cables over a distance of 700metres.

NEW TERRITORY, HONG KONGLondon, Sep 11 — A press report,

dated today, states: A Hong Kong lightrail train derailed in Hong Kong’s NewTerritory yesterday morning with nocasualties. According to Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC),the accident affected more than 5,000passengers as the traffic on parts of thethree light rail routes were suspendedfor over two hours. The KCRC said thecompany sent buses to get passengersto their destinations in the district.Preliminary investigations indicatedthat an explosion of a steel wheelcaused the train to derail.

TASMANIA, AUSTRALIALondon, Sep 12 — A press report,

dated today, states: The Evandale Roadin north-east Tasmania was closed fortwo-and-a-half hours last night after atrain derailment near WesternJunction. Police say the accidenthappened about 2020, AEST. No onewas injured by the derailment. Policesay they do not know why the trainderailed.

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 13 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: A car-carrierloaded with vintage Porsches wasstruck by a freight train today afterbecoming stranded on railroad tracks,officials said. The accident occurredabout 1545 hrs near the VenturaCounty Fairgrounds, said Lt. DavidWilson of the Ventura PoliceDepartment, who was at the scene. Thecar-carrier was “high-centred” on therailroad tracks and the driver wastrying to manoeuvre it off the trackswhen Wilson arrived. Wilson said he

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Awards & Settlements/Railway Accidents

called to have train traffic stopped, buta northbound freight train camebarreling down the track onlymoments later. The driver sufferedminor injuries while fleeing from theimpact, Wilson said. The vintagePorsches “are close to totalled, if nottotalled,” Wilson said. The front engineof the freight train came off the tracksand Union Pacific crews were called tothe scene to get it operating again,Wilson said.

COLLAPSE OF COAL MINE,FUYUAN COUNTY, CHINA

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, states: Ten miners havebeen found dead after being trapped ina coal mine in southwestern China forfive days following a roof collapse,state media reported today. The roof ofthe Tuanjie coal mine at Fuyuancounty in Yunnan province gave waylast Thursday (Sep 9) when 17workers were underground, Xinhuanews agency said. Seven managed toescape. More than 200 people weremobilised for rescue work but theirprogress was hampered by “thecomplex geological condit ionsunderground” after the accident,Xinhua quoted local official Li Haihuaas saying. The cause of the accidentwas still being investigated.

DRUGS SEIZED ON SENEGALVESSEL BY SPAIN

Vigo, Sep 13 — Fishing vessel SouthSea has been sold at auction by the PortAuthority of Villagarcia to breakerscompany “Gijonesa de Desguaces yRecuperacion Ferricas, S.L” of Gijon, forthe nominal amount of Euro 100. Thevessel will be taken away by breakerssoon hereafter. — Lloyd’s Agents.

OUTBREAK OF “BIRD FLU”London, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated Sep 9, states: A man in Thailandhas died of bird flu, the first humancasualty in the country since thedisease re-emerged in Asia in July,officials said today. Tests confirmed thatthe death yesterday of an 18-year-oldman in Prachinburi province wascaused by the H5N1 bird flu virus, saidDr. Charal Trinvuthipong, director-general of the Health Ministry’sDepartment of Communicable DiseaseControl. “This case is not unexpected,”Dr. Kumara Rai, the acting WorldHealth Organisation representative toThailand, said. “As the WHO has beenreminding its member countries, aslong as the virus is circulated by birdsit is a matter of time before a human isinfected.” The victim, who raisedfighting cocks, was admitted to ahospital in Prachinburi, 60 miles north-east of Bangkok, on Sep 4, four daysafter falling ill. The victim, who was notidentified, was in the habit of suckingout blood and other fluids from the

mouths of his roosters when they wereinjured during fighting, a commonpractice in the sport, said a PublicHealth Ministry spokeswoman. Shesaid all the chickens in a one-mileradius of the victim’s house had beenculled. A 15-year-old assistant of thevictim was quarantined even thoughhe did not show any symptoms, shesaid. The death raised the number ofpeople killed by avian influenza inThailand this year to nine and in Asiato 28. Eight people died in Thailandand 16 in Vietnam in the f irstoutbreak in January, which devastatedpoultry stocks and led authorities tocull tens of mill ions of birds. Thedisease re-emerged in July andclaimed three more lives in Vietnam.Nearly 300,000 birds have beenslaughtered since early July inThailand. Experts from the UN Foodand Agriculture Organisation andother groups have warned that thevirus cannot be easi ly or quicklyeradicated, especially since evidencehas accumulated that it is spread bymigratory birds. Rai said Thailandhad done a good job of surveillanceand detection. “Since Thailand hasexperienced the first wave of bird flu,it is much more prepared to deal withit now,” he said.

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated today, states: Officials inMalaysia say new cases of bird flu havebeen detected for the second time in fivedays. They say a veterinary worker hasbeen hospitalised with fever and acough. Culling of poultry in the infectedarea is beginning. But the authoritiessay more tests are needed to determinewhether the virus is of the H5N1 strain,which has killed 27 people in Asia thisyear. The World Health Organisation,meanwhile, says a bird flu pandemiccould sweep Asia unless efforts to haltthe virus are intensified. The regionaldirector for the WHO’s Western PacificRegion, Shigeru Omi, says memberstates must strengthen reportingsystems and improve their animalhusbandry practices.

Hanoi, Sep 16 — Vietnam has movedto stamp out two more bird f luoutbreaks near the capital by cullingabout 600 sick chickens and ducks, anofficial said today. Bird flu has killed29 people in Asia this year, 20 of themin Vietnam, and experts fear it is sowidespread it wil l take years tocontrol. Dau Ngoc Hao, deputy head ofthe agriculture ministry ’s animalhealth department, said the H5subtype of bird flu virus was foundamong 300 sick and dead poultry, halfof them ducks, at a market in Hanoiand from a flock in nearby Ha Tayprovince. “It happened on Aug 27 and28 but the authorities are now veryexperienced in dealing with this sothey have settled them right away,”Hao told Reuters, referring to the cull.Officials have disinfected the farmswhere the birds came from and theburial site. People in the latest areasinfected with bird f lu have beenadvised to monitor their health andnot eat sick poultry. Tests on humansare conducted only i f people arehospitalised with flu-like symptoms

but there were no immediate reports ofanyone being admitted with suchsymptoms from the infected areas. Thebird flu-infected poultry in the Hanoimarket had been brought in fromsurrounding areas even though animalhealth inspectors had been randomlychecking on poultry shipments on theroads leading to the city. Yesterday, ananimal health official in southern HoChi Minh City said the H5 subtypewas found in most ducks living in twodistricts on the outskirts of the city butthat they would not be culled. —Reuters.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Malaysia onWednesday (Sep 15) placed the entirenorth-eastern state of Kelantan underquarantine to prevent the spread ofbird flu as three more villagers werehospitalised after developingsymptoms. The move, which restrictsthe movement of poultry throughoutthe state, came after the bird flu viruswas yesterday found to have jumpedoutside the original quarantine zonearound the first village in Kelantan hitby the virus. Bird flu has killed 28people in Vietnam and Thailand thisyear and led to the slaughter ofmillions of birds. Agriculture MinisterMuhyiddin Yassin told reporters whenasked if the whole state was underquarantine. “We have set uproadblocks at border checkpoints toprevent anyone from transportingpoultry out of the state.” Veterinaryofficers are beefing up surveillancethroughout Kelantan, especially ininfected areas, and neighbouringstates such as Terengganu have alsobeen put on the alert to ensure itdoesn’t spread there, he added. Healthministry disease control directorRamlee Rahmat said that three people,including an eight-year-old girl, whowere hospitalised over the weekendhave been cleared of the disease. Butthree children from nearby villageswere admitted for observation lateTuesday after developing cough andflu-like symptoms, he said. “All threehave a history of contact with the deadanimals. We are isolating them as aprecaution pending test results,” hesaid. Culling activities are ongoing butonly in affected villages, he added.Muhyiddin earlier this week alsosuggested the use of the tough InternalSecurity Act, which allows indefinitedetention without trial , againstpoultry smugglers to curb rampantsmuggling across the border. Officialssay the disease was first brought intoMalaysia by fighting cocks that hadbeen exposed to the virus in Thailandand that the new outbreaks werecaused by the continued smuggling ofchicken meat. Malaysia is seeking anurgent meeting with Thai authoritiesto discuss measures to combat thespread of the virus, includingstrengthening border security.Thailand has put nine more peopleunder surveillance for suspected birdflu, officials said. Eighty people havenow been put under observation sincethe reappearance of the virus in July,according to Thailand’s public health

Miscellaneous

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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.

Railway Accidents/Miscellaneous

ministry, with all but 12 of themcleared of having the deadly H5N1virus. One person died last week and afurther 11 were awaiting test results,according to a statement. The newcases included two boys aged 11 and13, l iving in different provinces.Thailand has been criticised by theWorld Health Organisation (WHO) fornot doing enough to monitor birdscapable of carrying the deadly avian fluvirus following the kingdom’s ninthhuman death last week. The WHOfears that the H5N1 virus could mutateinto a highly contagious form thattriggers a global human flu pandemic

OUTBREAK OF SALMONELLA ONBAHAMAS FLAGGED PASSENGERVESSEL (MONA LISA)

London, Sep 15 — Seventy-fivepassengers and 27 crew members onboard passenger Mona Lisa (28891 gt,built 1966) were hit by salmonelladuring a 12-day cruise fromBremerhaven around the coast ofEngland. After the return toBremerhaven on Sep 9, the port doctorsaid that the poisoning was probablycaused by food but the source was nolonger identifiable. The passengers andcrew started to feel ill one day afterdeparture from Bremerhaven, on Aug28. The vessel is on long-term charter toHoliday Kreuzfahrten inErkelenz/Germany, which is offeringcruises.

POWER OUTAGE, KARACHI,PAKISTAN

Karachi, Sep 11 — The power utilitycompany-Karachi Electric SupplyCorporation (KESC) said yesterdayevening that i ts main extra hightension line from the Port MuhammadBin Qasim power station broke downand as a result at least half of Karachiwas plunged in darkness. Officialsources said the fault developed about1815 hrs in the main extra high-tension (EHT) l ine of the KorangiWest Grid, due to which the powersupply from the Bin Qasim stationsuspended immediately. The cut-offresulted in a power shortage of 1,000MW. Almost the entire defunct Southdistrict, including Defence, Clifton, IIChundrigar Road, Old City Areas,Garden, Soldier Bazaar, Lasbella, andparts of Nazimabad, NorthNazimabad, Federal B Area, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Hadeed,Gulshan-e-Maymar, Malir, ShahFaisal Colony, Malir Cantt and otherareas, were af fected by thebreakdown. He said that KESCengineers were restoring power supplyto the affected localities one by one.He added that, after carrying out therehabilitation process, the engineerswould figure out why the main BinQasim line broke down. The powersupply was restored in some areasaround 2200 hrs. — Lloyd’s ListCorrespondent.

VIARSA I (Panama)Fremantle, Sep 14 — Fishing Viarsa I

is still at Jervoise Bay. — Lloyd’sAgents.

CHEMICAL WAREHOUSES,QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: Fire destroyed twowarehouses containing chemicals on theGold Coast overnight. Eight crews andthree aerial appliances from Brisbanewere called to the blaze that beganabout 2030, AEST, at a company calledChemical House in the suburb ofErnest. Witnesses described numerouslarge explosions. Atmosphere testsrevealed low level toxic gases but therewas no danger to residents and noinjuries to fire officers, a fire brigadespokeswoman said. The fire destroyedtwo warehouses and was contained injust over two hours. An investigation isunderway into the cause of the blaze.Firefighters were still at the scene thismorning.

DOCKS, IMMINGHAM,HUMBERSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Sep 14 — More than 50firefighters are tackling a chemical fireat Immingham docks. Two tonnes ofsodium hydrosulphite escaped from acontainer at the Norfolk Line terminaland caught fire. The initial fire is nowout, however, because the powderignites when it is exposed to air there isa danger that it could reignite.Humberside Fire Service officers saythey are waiting for the EnvironmentAgency to assist them. AssistantDivisional Officer Tony Harvey said thechemical was being sprayed with waterto prevent it catching fire again. At thesame time it is being moved into othercontainers which will then be used bythe Environment Agency to dispose ofthe chemical. “We anticipate this willtake us most of today and into tonight,”Mr Harvey said. He added that thevapour given off by the fire was toxic,but it was being safely dispersed overthe Humber and no-one was in anydanger.

London, Sep 15 — Around 50firefighters were called to the NorfolkLine terminal in Immingham yesterday,following a spill of the chemical sodiumhydrosulphite that caught fire onexposure to the air. The powerfulbleaching agent - used in the textile andpaper industry - was in an intermediatebulk container, from which it somehowescaped. A spokesman for HumbersideFire Service said that only promptaction from the brigade, following a callat 1045 hrs, averted what could havebeen a serious situation at theAssociated British Ports-operatedfacility. “Luckily the fire crews got inquickly. Any length of time and we’dhave been in real trouble,” he said. Thechemical is difficult to tackle fortechnical reasons, he added. “This is abizarre one. Even though it was on fire,it reacts with water.” As a result, the

firefighters continued flooding the areawith water for an extended period toprevent reignition. Speaking yesterdayafternoon, the spokesman said thatoperations would probably have tocontinue into the evening. Fortunately,the wind was blowing strongly out tosea, alleviating problems with theresultant toxic smoke. ABP said that novessels had been prevented from callingas a result of the situation.Investigations were yesterday beingcarried out into how the fire broke out,with concerns centred on the possibilityof damage to a valve during handling bya forklift. The Environment Agencyreported that there was no damage tothe environment.

FACTORY, MANSFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: Managers at aNottinghamshire firm whose factorywas gutted by a huge fire on Aug 25,say it will take several months to clearthe site. The fire, at Pyramid Productsin Mansfield started when machineryburst into flames and at its height, 60firefighters tackled the blaze. It burnedfor 24 hours. The remains of the factorybuilding have now been demolished.The company supplies goods to thecamping and caravanning trade.

FACTORY, PETERBOROUGH,CAMBRIDGESHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Sep 11 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: A fire at aPeterborough factory which causedalmost £2m worth of damage last weekwas started deliberately, say police. Thefire was started by arsonists atWinpack Limited on Lattersey HillTrading Estate in Whittlesey Aug 30.

FORMER BREWERY, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: A huge fire heavilydamaged the old Pearl Brewery earlytoday. When firefighters arrived at thehistoric building at 0200 hrs, big flameswere shooting from the 40,000 footstructure. Nearly 85 firefighters battledthe three-alarm blaze and brought itunder control in about an hour. “Thebuilding was completely on fire whenwe first got here,” said Randy Jenkins,of the San Antonio Fire Department.Several small explosions from a dieseltank were reportedly heard but a causehad yet to be determined. No one wasinjured and no one was in the building,which was built in the 1800’s, at thetime of the fire. Damage is expected tobe in the millions. The brewery wasshut down in April 2001.

FURNITURE STORE, SOLIHULL, WEST MIDLANDS, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated Sep 14, states: Up to 130 peoplehad to leave their homes after a firebroke out at a furniture store in anearby retail park in Solihull. Sixtyfirefighters tackled the blaze at theKlaussner store, Sears Retail Park, in

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Miscellaneous/Fires & Explosions

Oakenshaw Road, Shirley, which brokeout just before 2300, BST, yesterday.Fire investigators will return to theshop later to establish the cause. Astructural engineer has been called into assess the safety of the building.

KIMHYUNGJIK COUNTY,RYANGGANG PROVINCE, NORTH KOREA

Seoul, Sep 12 — A huge explosionrocked North Korea three days ago butUS and South Korean officials saidtoday it was unlikely to have been anuclear weapons test despite a reportthat the blast produced a mushroomcloud. South Korea’s Yonhap newsagency said the blast on Thursday (Sep9) in Kimhyungjik county in Ryanggangprovince in the north-east near theborder with China appeared muchbigger than a train explosion that killedat least 170 people in April. The “NewYork Times” reported in its Sundayeditions that the Bush administrationhad received recent intelligence reportsthat some experts believed couldindicate North Korea was preparing toconduct its first nuclear weapons testexplosion. However, in Washington, USofficials said there was no definitiveexplanation yet, although the blast didnot appear to be nuclear. A test wouldalter the stakes in the North’s stand-offwith the United States overPyongyang’s atomic ambitions. “We’vegot no indication that anything of thesort has happened. We believe thesereports to be completely unfounded,”said a State Department official.“People are pretty sure it ’s not amushroom cloud and not a test of anykind,” the official said. Yonhap said amushroom cloud up to 4 km in diameterwas seen after the blast in an area nearmissile bases. South Korean UnificationMinister Chung Dong-young also playeddown an atomic link, saying after aNational Security Council meeting thatSeoul’s assessment so far was theexplosion was unlikely to have beenpart of the communist North’s nucleararms ambitions. “There are someforeign media reporting suchpossibilities, but we are judging at themoment the explosion is unrelated tosuch reports,” Yonhap quoted him assaying. Chung chairs the NationalSecurity Council, which advisesPresident Roh Moo-hyun. Roh’sspokesman, Kim Jong-min, said thepresident had been briefed. The South’sweather service said no earth tremorshad been detected. Japan said it waschecking the reports. North Korea hassaid nothing so far about a blast butoften reports on events long after theyhappen. Yonhap quoted one source assaying it could be a forest fire. Otherpossibilities include a failed missileengine test, a high-explosives test as aprecursor to a nuclear blast or anindustrial accident. — Reuters.

Seoul, Sep 13 - A huge explosion inNorth Korea last week was a deliberateblast to pave the way for a hydro-electric dam, the BBC quoted theNorth’s foreign minister as telling avisiting British official today. “It was nonuclear explosion or an accident. It wasa deliberate controlled detonation to

demolish a mountain in the far north ofthe country,” a BBC correspondent inPyongyang with British Foreign Officeminister Bill Rammell quoted NorthKorean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sunas saying. Paek, who was giving thefirst North Korean word on theexplosion, said it was part of aconstruction project to build a hydro-electric dam in the remote mountainousregion of Ryanggang on the Chineseborder. — Reuters.

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: The five-member inspection team from theInternational Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), who will arrive in Seoul onSunday (Sep 19) for additionalinvestigations into South Korea’snuclear experiments, will focus on the150 kilograms of uranium metalproduced in the early 1980s at threefacilities that had not been declared tothe nuclear watchdog, according tosources here. Staying until Sep 26, theinspectors are expected to interviewscientists involved, take environmentalsamples and visit the nuclear researchfacilities in Seoul and Taejon where thetwo controversial experiments tookplace in 1982 and 2000, officials said.During their first visit early thismonth, the IAEA inspectors didn’t meetKorean scientists. “We haven’t tried todevelop nuclear weapons and didn’t tryto test fissile materials with the aim ofmaking a bomb,’’ Cho, former DefenseMinister, said “I think this is thecountry’s chance to make everythingclearer and prevent this kind of eventfrom happening again.”

MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM,BICKENHILL, BIRMINGHAM AREA,UNITED KINGDOM -

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Around £20m hasbeen spent on rebuilding the NationalMotorcycle Museum following adevastating fire exactly a year ago. Fivehundred motorbikes and 80% of thebuilding in Bickenhill, Solihull, weredestroyed in the fire, which was startedby a discarded cigarette. The museumdid not have a sprinkler system at thetime of the fire but £1m has now beenspent on installing one. The building isdue to reopen to the public on Dec 1.Fire investigators said the cigarettewhich started the fire had been droppedinto a box of air conditioning filtersoutside the building. More than 120firefighters tackled the fire, on Sep 16 ,2003. The bikes destroyed in thecollection traced the history of theBritish motorcycle industry and manyof the museum’s rarest exhibits werelost.

PREMISES, CINCINNATI, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: Fire investigatorswill have to wait at least a week more -and possibly two - before they can getinside and try to establish why theQueen City Barrel Co. warehouseignited into one of the largest fires inthe city’s recent history. Demolitionwork continued today on large portionsof the building deemed unstable. That

work will continue for at least a weekbefore investigators can enter and startlooking for a cause and origin of themassive fire Aug 19 in the 400,000-square-foot warehouse that heldbetween 40,000 and 50,000 barrels,some containing up to an inch ofpotentially hazardous chemicals. Buteven when they get in, there’s noguarantee investigators will find anyanswers. Cincinnati Fire Capt. DanRottmueller, the city’s lead investigator,said it will be like trying to put togethera huge jigsaw puzzle without knowing ifone has all the pieces. Rottmueller saidthe three weeks since the fire is one ofthe longest periods he has had to waitbefore beginning a fire investigation.Investigators also have interviewedabout 35 witnesses and reviewedvideotape of the fire. But they don’thave enough evidence to determine acause or origin of the blaze, whichcaused an estimated $5 million indamage. Once they get inside, theinvestigation should take between aweek and 10 days. After investigatorsare finished, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency will take control ofthe site to make sure it is cleaned upproperly.

REFINERY, POINTE-A-PIERRE,TRINIDAD

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Several workerswere evacuated from the Number 4Vacuum Distillation Unit at Petrotrin’sPointe-a-Pierre refinery when fire brokeout early yesterday morning. The unitis involved in the process in whichgasoline is produced. Residents innearby Marabella said they heard aloud explosion and saw flames“shooting” high up into the air around0200 hrs. They said the flames lastedfor about an hour. The State-owned oilcompany said later no one was injuredand that the fire would not affect thesupplies of petroleum products to thelocal market. It did not say whetherexports would be affected. Petrotrindescribed the fire as “small” and said it“was brought quickly under control bythe company’s fire department”. Aninvestigation team, which includes atrade union representative, has beenappointed to probe the cause of the fire,Petrotrin said.

SCHOOL, ARNOLD,NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated Sep 14, states: The cost ofrepairing a Notts school hit by fire islikely to be at least £6m. Pupils fromthe upper school site at Arnold HillComprehensive were being allowedback into classes today, a week afterthe massive blaze, but another 850pupils based at the lower school -where a dozen classrooms weredestroyed by the fire - still do not knowwhen they will be able to return. There-opening came as it emerged that thecost of rebuilding after the fire is goingto be at least £6m.The cost of therepairs, which include classroomsrecently refurbished at a cost of

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£300,000, are not expected to be met bythe council taxpayer, but by insurancecompany Zurich Municipal. The causeof the blaze is still being looked into byfire investigators.

THEATRE, BRANTFORD, ONTARIO,CANADA

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated Sep 13, states: The curtain will bedown on the Sanderson Centre stage forat least a month to repair up to Can$1million in smoke and water damagecaused by a fire next door at the formerLudlow’s building. Officials yesterdayhadn’t determined a cause forSaturday’s (Sep 11) blaze, whichdestroyed two historic buildings anddamaged the centre.

WILDFIRES, UNITED STATESLondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: Firefightersbattling a new wildfire in StanislausNational Forest are mourning one oftheir own tonight. A firefighter died andsix others were injured while working tocontain the comparatively small, buttricky blaze that broke out thisafternoon in hilly terrain about 12 mileseast of Groveland. Authorities say theseven-person crew from the CaliforniaDepartment of Forestry and FireProtection was overrun by flames whileparticipating in the initial attack on thefire in the Tuolumne River Canyon. Theidentities of the dead and injured arebeing withheld until their families arecontacted. The fire broke out at about1245 hrs and has burned more than 500acres so far. It’s moving northeast in anarea that cuts across 10 campgroundsand Highway 120, the western routeinto Yosemite National Park. About 150firefighters spent the afternoon trying tocontain the blaze, and more arearriving.

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated Sep 13, states: A member of anelite helicopter wildfire crew hasbecome the first female firefighter fromthe California Department of Forestryto die in the line of duty, state officialssaid yesterday. Officials could give fewdetails about what happened when theseven-member crew was apparentlyoverrun by flames Sunday (Sep 12) inrugged terrain of the StanislausNational Forest. The departmentidentified the woman as Eva Schicke,24, of Arnold. Jim Wright, chief of fireprotection at the CDF, said the crewappeared to have been on the groundabout an hour. Their job was to usehand tools to build a fire break aheadof the blaze, which had grown to 800acres yesterday and was 20 percentcontained. Fire crews were alsoworking to contain a separate wildfirethreatening the western Sierra Nevadatown of Mariposa, about 50 miles southof the blaze that killed Schicke. Theflames had burned 2,000 acres andforced the evacuation of about 300homes in the town of 1,400 residents. A34-year-old man was in custody on anarson charge, accused of starting thefire with a match inserted inside acigarette.

ABORTED TAKE-OFF AT LARNACA AIRPORT, CYPRUS

London, Sep 9 — A press report, datedtoday, states: A jet carrying 275 Britishholidaymakers and eight crew had toabort take-off when enginesmalfunctioned and a fire broke out onone wheel. The Thomas Cook Boeing757-300 bound for Manchester had beensecured for take-off and was half wayalong the runway at Larnaca Airport inCyprus when the captain pulled out ofthe take-off manoeuvre. The captainwas alerted by three warning lightsflashing on the flight deck indicating apossible, “engine over-run,” the airlinesaid. After the brakes were put on asmall fire broke out in the brakingsystem of the left back wheel and theairfield fire service was scrambled. Thepassengers were put on another aircraftand flown home following the abortedtake-off. Shaun Robinson, of ThomasCook Airlines, said: “ The captaincarried out a text-book style procedureon the runway following a warningindication to a possible engine problem.The aircraft reacted correctly to thecaptain’s controls and the fire serviceturned out as a precaution. The safetyof both passengers and aircraft wasnever compromised.”

ABORTED TAKE-OFF FROMHANEDA AIRPORT, TOKYO, JAPAN

London, Sep 14 — A press report,dated Sep 13, states: An All NipponAirways (ANA) jet aborted take-offfrom Tokyo’s Haneda Airport thisevening after one of its two enginesdeveloped trouble, airline and airportofficials said.None of the 201passengers and crewmembers aboardthe aircraft — an Airbus A-321 — wasinjured. ANA mechanics are examiningthe aircraft in a bid to determine thecause of the trouble. At around 1650hrs, the captain of ANA Flight 647bound for Kumamoto from Tokyonoticed that its right engine was notburning properly while speeding up fortake-off, the officials said. The pilotimmediately shut down the troubledengine and aborted take-off . Theaircraft stopped in the middle of therunway. An air traffic controller atHaneda Airport reported to the airportadministration office that fire wascoming out of the right engine of theplane, prompting the Tokyo FireDepartment to dispatch about 50 fireengines. However, it was later proventhat the engine did not catch fire.

ACCIDENT, EVANSVILLEREGIONAL AIRPORT, INDIANA,UNITED STATES

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: A privatecharter twin engine turbopropBeechcraft King Air landing gearcollapsed on landing at the Evansville

Regional Airport at about 0800 hrs. Theaircraft was en route to Evansville fromLouisville. Eight people were on board.The aircraft has since been removedfrom the runway. Evansville officialssay it will need extensive repairs.Therewere no delays in airline flights becauseof the incident.

C-FWPYLondon, Sep 9 — On Sep 6, the

privately owned Taylorcraft 19,registration C-FWPY, was on the takeoff roll near Rancheria, YT when itstruck trees beside the strip. Witnessesnoted that there was no wind prior todeparture, and then significant gustsafter the accident. The pilot, the loneoccupant, was not injured, however, theaircraft sustained substantial damage.

CRASH INTO AEGEAN SEA,GREECE

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: Patriarch ofAlexandria Peter VII, who is the secondmost senior f igure in the GreekOrthodox Church, has been killed alongwith an Australian and 15 others in ahelicopter crash in the Aegean Sea. ThePatriarch is the spiritual leader ofGreek Orthodox Christians in Africa.He had been heading to the MountAthos monastery in northern Greece inan army helicopter when the aircraftdisappeared from radar screens.Military vessels and planes launched arescue operation and found wreckageand bodies in the water 5.5 nauticalmiles off the Halkidiki peninsula,where Mount Athos is located. TheGreek Government confirms the deathof the 55-year-old. Governmentspokesman Theordore Roussopoulossays the death is a “great loss forOrthodoxy and Hellenism”. He paystribute to the cleric ’s “bril l ianthumanitarian work in Africa”. Sixteenother people were on board the GreekArmy Chinook helicopter, including thePatriarch’s brother, severalAlexandrian and other Orthodox clericsand five crew members. The GreekForeign Ministry says AustralianBishop Nektarios of Madagascar is alsoamong the dead. Greek DefenceMinister Spilios Spiliotopoulos saysrescuers are still recovering bodiesfrom the sea among the helicopterdebris. A vessel specialised in under-water searches would arrive at thecrash site tomorrow. A military sourcesays the crash is almost certainlyaccidental in nature, but that its causeis still unknown.

CRASH, FALFURRIAS AREA,TEXAS, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: A 33-year-old SanAntonio man died today when his smallplane crashed on ranchland in BrooksCounty. Authorities say the wreckagewas discovered about 25 miles south ofFalfurrias. Investigators believe theplane malfunctioned. The Departmentof Public Safety identified the victim asKenneth Engels, who was alone in thesingle-engine Piper. Officials believeEngels had taken off from McAllen andwas en route to San Antonio. He was

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carrying bags full of bankingdocuments, which were scatteredaround the wreckage.

CRASH, KENNESAW, GEORGIA,UNITED STATES

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated Sep 9, states: A small planecrashed in Cobb County just west ofMcCollum Field near KennesawTuesday (Sep 6) morning. The singleengine Piper went down just after takeoff from the Cobb County airfield andcaught fight on impact. Forty year oldAdam Kulacheck was piloting the planeand 48 year old Bill Yates was hispassenger. Both survived the crash andwere treated by emergency personnel atthe scene. They were then transportedto Kennestone Hospital. Police said thatthe plane went down at the corner ofSummit Creek Drive and Wood CliffCourt in the Stilesboro subdivision.Residents of the subdivision pulled thepilot and his passenger from theflaming wreckage. The single enginePiper PA-32 went down behind twohomes in a heavily wooded area. Thefire from the plane spread to the roof ofa nearby home. An FAA spokesmansays the plane was on its way fromMcCollum Field to Fort Pierce, Florida.Crash investigation teams from theNational Transportation Safety Boardand the FAA have been dispatched tothe scene.

CRASH, LAKE WALES AREA,FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: A mosquitocontrol aircraft performing reliefoperations crashed after hitting acommunications tower this morningand killed both pilots aboard, theFederal Aviation Administration said.The twin-engine Piper Aztec crashedinto an orange grove east of Lake Walesin Polk County. No injuries werereported on the ground, said KathleenBergen of the FAA. The main pilot wasemployed by Vector Disease Control,Inc., out of Greenville, Miss., and wasworking under contract with theFederal Emergency ManagementAgency, according to the FloridaDepartment of Agriculture andConsumer Services. The aircraftdeparted Bartow Municipal Airport thismorning and had been sprayinginsecticide to kill mosquitoes in easternPolk County when it hit thecommunications tower. A hazardousmaterials team was on site, and theNational Transportation Safety Boardalso was investigating the crash.

CRASH, LIVINGSTONE AREA,ZAMBIA

London, Sep 10 — A press report,dated today, states: Australian officialsare still seeking details of an aircraftcrash in Zambia, in which threemembers of a West Australian familywere killed. A Department of ForeignAffairs and Trade (DFAT) spokeswomantoday said a married couple, both aged26, and the husband’s mother, aged 58,were on a scenic flight near VictoriaFalls when the accident happened. Itwas not immediately clear what caused

the crash near theZimbabwean/Zambian border, or exactlywhen it happened, and authorities werestill seeking details, the spokeswomansaid. It is believed six people in all werekilled on the flight, including twoBritons and the pilot, thought to beCanadian. According to a report fromthe Times of Zambia, the charteredlight aircraft crashed as it flew betweenLivingstone and Kalomo, both inZambia, killing the six people on board.Zambia’s civil aviation director ChitaluKabalika told the newspaper thewreckage had been located, and that allpeople on board had perished. “Therewere five passengers and one pilot,” MrKabalika was quoted as saying. TheoGoveia, the managing director of localair charter company Airwaves Airlink,was reported as saying the light aircraftwas on lease to his company from TravelAfrica, a South African company. Hesaid mechanical failure was suspected.

CRASH, SOMERSET AIRPORT,NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated Sep 15, states: Somerset Countyauthorities today charged a Connecticutman with flying an aircraft while underthe influence of liquor or drugs after hisaircraft landed at Somerset Airport andcrashed into a hangar. Michael Foisie,42, of Higganum, Conn., veered off therunway while attempting to land histwo-seater Cessna this morning,clipping the wing of another aircraft onthe ground and crashing into a secondaircraft parked in a hangar, authoritiessaid. Foisie’s aircraft was destroyed inthe accident, according to the SomersetCounty prosecutor’s office. Foisie wasnot injured in the crash, police said, butappeared to be under the influence of acontrolled substance. An officer thenfound a clear plastic bag containingapproximately 40 yellow pills inside theaircraft. The pills were later identifiedas Klonopin, a depressant, according tothe county prosecutor’s office. Foisie didnot produce a prescription for the pills.Klonopin, made by RochePharmaceuticals, is used to treat panicdisorder and some types of seizures,according to the company’s Web site.Patients using the drug are cautionedagainst “hazardous occupationsrequiring mental alertness,” such asoperating machinery or driving a motorvehicle. Somerset County ProsecutorWayne J. Forrest said Foisie wascharged with third-degree possession ofa controlled dangerous substance andflying an aircraft while under theinfluence of liquor or drugs.

CRASH, TAMANRASSET AREA,ALGERIA

Algiers, Sep 14 — Human andtechnical error caused an Air AlgerieBoeing 737 to crash in the Saharadesert in March last year killing 102people, an official inquiry into Algeria’sworst air disaster showed today. Thestate-owned plane had been heading forAlgiers on the Mediterranean coastwhen it crashed near Tamanrasset,1,920 km from the capital in the farsouth of the country. “There are threekey reasons behind the crash — losing

the engine during take-off, failure of thewheels to fold in, and the pilot beingunaware of engine problems (beforetake-off),” Hasane Afane, head of thegovernment commission, told a newsconference. He gave no explanation asto why the left engine fell off, nor whythe wheels did not fold back into theBoeing body, but Afane said the pilotfailed to check the engines prior todeparture. The commission called formore training for Algerian pilots,particularly on emergency situations. Itsaid French and U.S. experts were alsoinvolved in the investigation. Initially,the commission believed the crash wasdue to an engine glitch. — Reuters.

EMERGENCY LANDING,POCATELLO, IDAHO, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated Sep 15, states: A FedEx aircraftwas diverted to Pocatello RegionalAirport Tuesday evening (Sep 14) whena fire detector in the aircraft’s cargohold went off. An “in-flight emergency”was declared shortly after 1930 andemergency personnel were summonedto the scene to meet the 727 jet uponlanding in Pocatello, the nearestairport at the time. Captain MichaelLandon of Pocatello Fire Station Foursaid fire crews used thermal detectorsto scour the aircraft for “hot spots”.Though no such spots were found,Landon said the jet would sit inPocatello overnight until repairs can bemade and a specific cause of thedetector’s activation can be determined.Landon said the incident could havebeen caused by dust in the air or anelectronic malfunction. None of thethree people on board the aircraft wereharmed during the emergency landing.

EMERGENCY LANDING, QUETTAINTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,PAKISTAN

Karachi, Sep 14 — PakistanInternational Airlines (PIA) said thismorning that one of its aircrafts boundfor Lahore International Airport madean emergency landing at Quetta cityyesterday morning due to sometechnical problem. An official ofnational airline said a Boeing 737-300,flight number PK 50 with 200passengers on board left the QuettaInternational Airport, yesterdaymorning but had to return after 40minutes due to a technical fault to theaircraft. The aircraft resumed its flightfor Lahore at 1205hrs after repairs. —Lloyd’s List Correspondent.

FLIGHTS GROUNDED DUE TOOUTAGE, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: A communicationsfailure at a Federal AviationAdministration control facility forcedsome airports in the West to hold flightson the ground yesterday afternoon, aLos Angeles International Airportspokeswoman said. The radio outageoccurred at the Los Angeles Air RouteTraffic Control Center in Palmdale, inthe desert north of Los Angeles, saidGaby Pacheco, citing information from aregional FAA office. Control of the

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airspace was turned over to other airtraffic control facilities. “We want tostress there are no safety issues, justdelays, because control over the airspace has been turned over to other airtraffic facilities,’’ Pacheco said. Flightswere not being allowed to depart, butflights in the air were being allowed toland. There was no word on when theFAA might lift the order holdingaircrafts on the ground.

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: A communicationsfailure at a Federal AviationAdministration control facility forcedsome airports in the West to holdflights on the ground in some cases formore than three hours yesterdayafternoon, authorities said. Air trafficcontrollers could monitor the aircrafton radar but were not able tocommunicate with them. Pilots wereforced to switch to a different radiofrequency to communicate with othercontrol facil ities. Control of theairspace was turned over to other airtraffic control facilities, including onein Albuquerque, N.M. The outage wasrepaired about 2000 hrs, nearly threeand a half hours after it began, and allairports resumed regular operations,said Cyndy Johnson, spokeswoman forthe Oakland International Airport,where about two dozen flights weredelayed. All flights at San FranciscoInternational Airport destined forSouthern California were grounded,said airport spokesman MikeMcCarron. The airport’s duty manager,Dennis Neves, said three aircraftbound for Southern California werediverted to the airport: Passengerflights from London and Seattle and acargo flight from Alaska.

HELICOPTER CRASH,ORREMOSSEN AREA, SWEDEN

Gothenburg, Sep 11 — A privatehelicopter, with three persons on board,crashed this afternoon and all on boardwere killed. The wreckage is located ina difficult area north of Gothenburg.The military, using band-wagons to gothere, as no ordinary vehicles can beused. According to the first report fromplace of crash, none of the three had achance to survive as helicopter totallysmashed to pieces. People walking inthe area of Orremossen, outsideAngered/Gothenburg, heard thehelicopter explode when it crashed andcalled the emergency services. Anambulance helicopter was sent to thearea and located the wreck, in 10 cm ofwater, as the area is marshy andswampy. During the day, the helicopterhad several contacts with the tower atSaeve/Gothenburg City airport and noalarm or mayday was sent from thehelicopter. Fog was noted in the area,which may have contributed to theproblems. The three bodies werebrought to hospital. The Police are nowawaiting the Average Commission toarrive, during this evening/night.Westax Marine Services AB.

INCIDENT AT KRABI AIRPORT,THAILAND

London, Sep 12 — A press report,dated today, states: Bangkok Airways

aircraft encountered problems afterlanding at Krabi airport yesterday,delaying some flights. The BangkokAirways’ Flight PG-821 got stranded onthe runway at 1030 hrs, when one ofthe Boeing 717 aircraft’s wheels failedto fully extend during landing. The 37passengers aboard were taken to theterminal by shuttle bus. An incomingPhuket Air flight was diverted toPhuket. Airport executive SunthornBoonrat said the front wheel of theaircraft got stuck at 90 degrees andwould not move when the plane made aturn toward the terminal.

N1150DLondon, Sep 15 — Cessna 140A,

N1150C, operated by Flight TimePathways, landed in a corn field off ofrunway four at Jackson MunicipalAirport, Minnesota, at 0215, Sep 11.Aircraft was destroyed and no injuriesare reported.

N172WWLondon, Sep 13 — A press report,

dated Sep 11, states: A pilot attemptingto take off from Medina MunicipalAirport ended up putting his aircraft ina ditch near Route 18. The pilot said heexperienced problems and decided toabort the takeoff around noon,yesterday. The Ohio State HighwayPatrol said that Svec’s single-engineCessna 172 slid off the runway andwent through a fence before landing inthe ditch. He was not injured. Theaircraft had moderate damage. TheFederal Aviation Administration isinvestigating.

London, Sep 15 — Cessna 172M,N172WW, operated privately, landedlong and sustained substantial damageat Medina Municipal Airport, Ohio, at1550, Sep 10. Other circumstances areunknown.

N451000London, Sep 11 — Piper PA-32-360

(Cherokee Six), N45100, operated byBerniquea I.Smith, while on a flightfrom Atlanta, Georgia, with one personon board, during departure fromrunway 27, Cobb County Airport-McCollum Field, heading south, lostaltitude and crashed approximately onemile south-west of the airport, at 1506,UTC, Sep 9. The aircraft wassubstantially damaged and firereported.

N5211RLondon, Sep 15 — Hughes 369D,

N5211R, operated by Helibase LLC wasdestroyed at Burke County Airport,Georgia, at 1725, Sep 10. Othercircumstances are unknown.

N6209JLondon, Sep 11 — Piper PA-32R-300

(Lance), N6209J, operated by JohnR.Bean, while on a flight from SanAntonio, Texas, to McAllen, Texas, withone person on board, diverted to BrooksCounty Airport, from approximately 35miles north of McAllen MillerInternational Airport, at about 1114,UTC, Sep 9. The pilot reportedequipment problem an the aircraftfailed to arrive at Brooks Airport. The

aircraft wreckage was located 10 mileswest of Encino, Texas. The pilot died.

N7662CLondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated Sep 14, states: The FederalAviation Administration isinvestigating after a small planecrashed into a hangar at Detroit CityAirport yesterday afternoon. It isreported that a student pilot had leasedthe 1975 Piper 0-320 series plane fromGreat Lakes Flight LLC, a licensedflight school in Detroit. The student hadthe appropriate number of flying hoursto fly alone. He was flying solopracticing maneouvers when he crashedthe aircraft into the northeast ConnerT-hangar, named for its T shape. Thepilot escaped the wreckage. His injuriesappeared to be non-life-threatening.The fuselage was said to be intact, butthe wings were torn off of the aircraft.The hangar, which reportedly housessmall aircrafts, suffered damage to itsroof. The plane remained lodged in thestructure.

London, Sep 15 — Piper PA-28-140,N7662C, operated by Great LakesFlight LLC, a student pilot remainingleft closed traffic on his third/fourthoption. aircraft bounced on runway,continued airbourne in left turn andcrashed into Connel St. hanger atDetroit City Airport, Michigan, at 2047,Sep 13. Aircraft sustained substantialdamage. Injuries unknown.

N777UHLondon, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated Sep 14, states: A helicopter crash-landed in Spanish Fork this afternoon.It went down in a field in the east endof the town just after 1600 hrs.Instructor Matthew Hobby of Orem andpilot Preston Ravin of Springville wentdown with the craft, but their injurieswere minor. The helicopter was heavilydamaged. No word on what caused thecrash, but the FAA is investigating.

London, Sep 16 — Robinson R22,N777UH, operated by UniversalHelicopter Inc, student and instructorcrashed in a field located at SpanishFork, Utah, at 2220, Sep 14. Substantialdamage and minor injuries to bothstudent and instructor are reported.

N843MCLondon, Sep 14 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: A small aircraftcrashed on an island in the MissouriRiver after circling the runaway at anairport nearby, killing all four peopleaboard, authorities said today. Thecrash happened last night on HowellIsland as a group of four adults flewfrom Sikeston to the Spirit of St. LouisAirport in Chesterfield, about 25 mileswest of St. Louis, officials said. PilotMark Kaplan and his wife, PhyllisKaplan, both 56, of Chesterfield, werekilled along with passengers RalphSupinski, 57, and his wife, CarolSupinski, 58, of Bradenton, Fla.Witnesses reported the Cessna circledthe runway before going down, theFederal Aviation Administration said.“We don’t know what happened. There’sno indication of any problem,” saidairport director Richard Hrabko.

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Hrabko said the pilot received landinginstructions and began his approach,but at some point decided not to landand turned around. A police helicopterdiscovered the wreckage about an hourlater on the small island. “It was badly,badly torn up,” said Dave Nichols, a fireofficial in Chesterfield. The NationalTransportation Safety Board wasinvestigating.

London, Sep 15 — Cessna 182T,N843MC, operated by Spirit AviationLLC, vfr on upwind from a go-arounddisappeared from radar and sight atWest Spirit of St. Louis Airport,Missouri, at 0219, Sep 13. Aircraft isdestroyed, fire is reported. The pilotwas killed. Other circumstances areunknown.

RA-65080London, Sep 16 — A press report,

dated Sep 15, states: The two aircraftcrashes of Aug 24 were caused byexplosives in the passengercompartments, the head of the statecommission investigating the incidentsannounced today. The statementconfirms earlier information that thetwo crashes were terrorist attacks. TheProsecutor General ’s office hasinstigated criminal proceedings inconnection with the crashes on aterrorism article of the Criminal Code,the Russian transport minister, IgorLevitin, said today. Ninety people werekilled in the crashes. The two aircrafthad taken off from Moscow. A Tu-134that was heading to the CentralRussian city of Volgograd went down inthe Tula region. A Tu-154 was on itsway to the South Russian resort ofSochi and crashed in the Rostov region.The aircraft and their equipment werefunctioning properly, and the crewswere prepared for the flights, theminister was quoted by Interfax newsagency as saying. Conversationsbetween the crew members recoveredfrom flight recorders “did not reflect anattack on the crew or a plane seizure,”Levitin said. Suspicion has fallen ontwo Chechen women whose passportsapparently were used by passengers,one on each aircraft.

ZK-KFULondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated Sep 8, states: A Convair 580 (ZK-KFU) which crashed into the sea nearParaparaumu with the loss of two livesis believed to have become heavily icedup shortly before the crash, according toan investigation report released earlytoday. The aircraft, operated by AirFreight New Zealand, was on ascheduled freight flight. It crashed inextreme weather about 2130, Oct 3 lastyear, killing the pilot and copilot. TheTransport Accident InvestigationCommission report into the crashpointed to a critical period of just 15seconds when the aircraft levelled, foran unknown reason, at around 4,700metres during descent. Investigator-in-charge Ian McClelland said the aircrafthad descended through an area ofsevere icing that was probably beyondthe design and certified icingcapabilities of the aircraft. The build-upof ice had become critical to the point

that the aircraft stalled and went into aspiral dive. The report said thatbecause the aircraft had levelled forthose 15 seconds, a build-up of iceprobably reached a point wherecontinued controlled flight was notpossible. Mr McClelland said “rare andextreme” weather had probably beenresponsible for a particularly dangerousform of aircraft icing — freezing rainice. That type of icing could formquickly, disrupting the normally smoothflow of air over the wings andincreasing aircraft weight, resulting ina stall. Anti-icing equipment hadprobably been working satisfactorily. Itwas reasonable to assume the aircraft’screw had not been aware of the severityof the icing and the rate it was buildingup on the tailplane and other surfacesout of their sight. “The first indicationof anything untoward may have beenwhen the aircraft stalled, by which timerecovery was probably impossible,” MrMcClelland said. “This accident was theresult of an unfortunate set ofcircumstances. “Without knowing whythe aircraft was levelled during thedescent, had any other crew been placedin the same situation and had the sameinformation available, they may wellhave completed the same actions.” Theinvestigation had probably beenprolonged and limited by the lack ofcockpit voice recorder information, andto a lesser extent aircraft flight datarecorder information, he said. “Thefailure of the CVR to record any cockpitcommunications was unacceptable, butsteps have been taken by the operatorand regulator to address this subject.”The commission recommended that thereport into the crash be used toemphasise to pilots and operators thehazards of icing, in particular tailplaneicing and the danger of freezing rain. Italso wants to see pilots educated aboutthe benefits of transmitting reportsfrom the air on conditions such as windshear, turbulence and icing. Theaccident file showed that an aircraftreported a severe ice encounter about1940 hrs west of Otaki, but did notreport it until after the crash. MrMcClelland said the two-person crew onthe Convair had been experienced andcapable. The flight had proceedednormally until, after passingParaparaumu during the descent, theaircraft had levelled, then shortly afterentered a steady turn to the left. Duringthat time the co-pilot made a routineradio transmission. At the end of thetransmission the plane had started todescend rapidly, entering a tighteningspiral dive. Flying at about 400 knots, ithad started to break up about 2,073metres over the sea.

GENESISLondon, Sep 10 — A press report,

dated Sep 9, states: Scientists withtweezers today picked through the

twisted wreckage of a space capsulethat crash-landed on Earth, hoping thatmicroscopic clues to the evolution of thesolar system were not completely lost inUtah’s salt flats. NASA engineers werestunned yesterday when neitherparachute deployed on board theGenesis capsule and the craftplummeted to the ground at 193 mph,breaking open and exposing itscollection of solar atoms tocontamination. The capsule heldbillions of charged atoms — a total haulno bigger than a few grains of salt —that were harvested from solar wind onfive collecting disks during the 884-day,$260-million mission. Roy Haggard,who took part in the initialreconnaissance of the capsule, said thecapsule’s shell had been breached aboutthree inches and the science canisterinside appeared to have a small break.The inner canister was flown to theArmy’s air field at the proving groundand put in a clean room, a work area inwhich the air quality, temperature andhumidity are highly regulated toprevent contamination. Thereconstruction was expected to takeseveral days, and scientists werehopeful they could salvage theembedded atoms among the wreckage ofthe spececraft. “This is something that’snot a total disaster,” said Carlton Allen,astromaterials curator for the Houston-based Johnson Space Centre. “We didn’tlose all the science in the crash.” NASAplanned to appoint a “mishap reviewboard” to determine a cause for thefailure. Flight engineers said a set oftiny explosives did not trigger thecapsule’s parachutes, although the factthat all explosives failed pointed toanother cause. The spacecraft wasdesigned and built by Lockheed MartinSpace Systems near Denver. RobertCorwin, an engineer for the company,said a battery that overheated shortlyafter the 2001 launch could be a culprit.Scientists got their first glimpse of thedamage when the Genesis capsule waswheeled into a garage bay lateyesterday. The capsule’s inner canisterwas all but unrecognisable, althoughscientists thought they saw someunbroken parts holding the atoms. Thespace capsule had been outside theearth’s magnetic shield for three years,collecting solar wind particles thatcould explain how the sun formed anestimated 4.5 billion years ago andwhat keeps it fuelled. The atoms werecaptured on five-foot disks, each withhexagons of gold, sapphire, silicone anddiamond. Each collector array wasassigned to catch various types of solarwind. The five disks were of differentthicknesses, which could make it easierfor scientists put the pieces backtogether like a puzzle, Wiens said. Thedisks were so tightly packed within thecanister that it was hard to tell howbadly they were damaged. Helicoptersflown by Hollywood stunt pilots weresupposed to grab Genesis almost a mileabove the Utah desert and lower itgently to the ground by snatching itsmain parachute with a hook. However,before the capture team learned of theparachute failure, the speeding capsulehad plummeted into the Utah desert.

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Aviation/Space Vehicles

London, Sep 11 — A press report,dated today, states: Material has beenfound still intact inside the crashedGenesis space capsule, say Nasascientists. Experts said yesterday theyhoped the mission to gather solar windpartic les could st i l l be largelysuccessful. “We should be able to meetmany, if not all, of our primary sciencegoals,” said physicist Roger Wiens ofthe Los Alamos National Laboratory.Wednesday’s (Sep 8) crash-landing inUtah has been blamed on a faultybattery. The precise nature of theparticles could tell scientists how theSun and the planets grew out of ahuge cloud of gas and dust 4.5 billionyears ago. Examinations, usingtorches and a mirror on a st ick,revealed that much of the samplecanister inside the wrecked capsulehad remained intact . The innercanister contained several disks whichhad been collecting atoms from theSun. Recovery lead engineer on theproject, Don Sevilla, said they hadsome “serious compromises due tocontamination”. “However, we do haveour collectors and there is science tobe gained from this cargo,” he added.Earl ier i t had emerged a faultybattery was one of the likeliest causesfor the crash. The battery wasdesigned to detonate explosive chargesthat would release the craft ’sparachutes, helping to slow its descentto Earth. It was then supposed to becaught in midair by a Hollywoodhelicopter stunt pilot. Instead, theparachutes failed to open and thecapsule struck the ground at the AirForce’s Utah Test and Training Range,southwest of Salt Lake City, at310km/h.

BABY CARRIERS, UNITED STATESLondon, Sep 15 — A press report,

dated today, states: Regal Lager Inc. isrecalling about 49,000 baby carriersbecause the back support buckle candetach from the shoulder straps, whichcan cause the baby to fall , theConsumer Product Safety Commissionsaid yesterday. There have been 93reports to the company of the buckledetaching from the shoulder straps onthe Baby Bjorn Carrier Active. Therewere no reports of injuries. Thecarriers, made in Sweden, are made of acotton polyester blend fabric in blackwith red piping and blue with whitepiping. “Baby Bjorn” is printed on thefront of the carrier and on the blackmolded-plastic back support buckle.“Baby Carrier Active” is written on thepackaging and above the warning labelon the carrier. Model number 1-260 isprinted on the care label on the strap ofthe carrier. The carrier, sold for about$120, was available in specialty retailstores, from catalogs and online fromSeptember 2003 through August 15,2004.

FORD MOTOR VEHICLES, UNITED STATES

London, Sep 11 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: Ford Motor Co.is recalling 234,208 Econoline vansbecause fires could start if the anti-lockbrake unit overheats, the company said.Econolines from the 2003 and 2004model years are included in the recall,Ford spokesman Glenn Ray saidThursday. Vans made after November2003 aren’t affected. Ray said therehave been no accidents or injuriesreported because of the defect. Fordbelieves the chance that the anti-lockbrake unit could overheat and spark afire is extremely small. Even if the anti-lock brakes fail, the regular brakes stillwill work, Ray said. Customers will benotified of the recall later this monthand can have the defect repaired forfree. Ford also has extended thewarranty on the anti-lock brakingsystem from three years or 36,000 milesto 10 years or 150,000 miles.

FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTDSUBARU MOTOR VEHICLES,JAPAN

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated yesterday, states: Fuji HeavyIndustries Ltd, the maker of Subarucars, said today it will recall about23,000 vehicles in its Impreza andForester models for free repairs overengine oil leaks. The vehicles to berecalled were manufactured betweenJune 2000 and February 2003, thecompany said in a report to theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport.

ISUZU MOTOR VEHICLES, JAPANLondon, Sep 12 — A press report,

dated yesterday, states: Isuzu MotorsLtd. said yesterday it will recall a totalof 2,461 heavy-duty trucks due todefects in fuel devices. Subject to therecall are Giga trucks made betweenDecember 2000 and May 2003, Isuzusaid in a report filed with the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

SUBARU MOTOR VEHICLES,JAPAN

London, Sep 16 — A press report,dated today, states: Fuji HeavyIndustries Ltd, the maker of Subarucars, said yesterday it will recall about23,000 vehicles in its Impreza andForester models for free repairs overengine oil leaks. The vehicles to berecalled were manufactured betweenJune 2000 and February 2003, thecompany said in a report to theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport.

SUZUKI MOTOR VEHICLES, CHINALondon, Sep 13 —- A press report,

dated today, states: Chang’an SuzukiAutomobile Co, the Sino-Japanese minicar joint venture, announced yesterdayit will recall 157,480 Alto cars due topotential fuel pipe problems. The recallrepresents the biggest of its kind inChina in terms of the number ofaffected vehicles. The move comes asChina will officially carry out vehiclerecall regulations on October 1. The

regulations were issued on March 15.The affected Alto cars, equipped withelectric-injection engines, wereproduced from September 4, 1999 toMarch 26, 2004, said Chang’an SuzukiAutomobile Co based in SouthwestChina’s Chongqing Municipality. Fuelpipes in the Alto cars will possibly beabraded under strong vibration, thecompany said. “Any owners of theaffected Alto cars can check and repairtheir vehicles free of charge atChang’an Suzuki’s service stationsbetween September 9, 2004 and March31, 2005,” the company said. Thecompany, jointly held by the Shenzhen-listed Chang’an Automobile Co, andJapan’s Suzuki Motor and Sojitz Corp,has applied its recall plan to China’sGeneral Administration of QualitySupervision, Inspection andQuarantine.

TOYOTA MOTOR VEHICLES,JAPAN

London, Sep 15 — A press report,dated today, states: Toyota Motor Corpsaid yesterday it will recall a total of176,372 automobiles in four models tofix their braking systems. Subject to therecall are the Funcargo and bBminivans, Celica sports car and MR-Sconvertible sports car made betweenJuly 1999 and July 2000, Toyota said ina report to the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure and Transport.

VOLVO MOTOR VEHICLES,WORLDWIDE

Londion, Sep 14 — A press report,dated today, states: Volvo is recalling460,000 vehicles worldwide because awiring problem could cause a fan tooverheat and burn, the company saidMonday. The recall involves S80 andS60 sedans and XC70 and V70 wagonsfrom the 1999, 2000 and 2001 modelyears, including 150,000 vehicles inNorth America. The recall is the largestin Volvo’s history, company spokesmanJames Hope said. There have been noinjuries related to the defect, which hascaused seven reported vehicle fires,Hope said. Hope said a defect in themain cooling fan, which cools theengine, can cause a short circuit andforce the fan to keep running. If thefan’s motor overheats, a fire could occur.Volvo will replace the fan for free in allaffected vehicles.

PANAMA CANALLondon, Sep 9 — A press report, dated

today, states: Principal lock works inthe Panama Canal were completed at0600 hrs, yesterday. The CanalAuthority shall now conduct lock worksfrom 2000 to 0600 hrs, forapproximately 10 days at Gatun Locks(one lane). This will, however, be spreadover of a period of time and not run con-

t

36


Space Vehicles/Product Recalls/Port Conditions

Port Delays

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

AustraliaAbbot Point 15-Sep-2004 Coal: 11 vessels due by 20/10; up to 3 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo

availability.Brisbane 15-Sep-2004 Coal: Fisherman Island coal berth: 3 vessels due by 30/9; up to 1 day’s delay expected

subject to cargo availability and berth congestion. Grain: 3 vessels due by 19/9, 2 to load wheat, 1 sorghum; up to 5 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Dalrymple Bay 15-Sep-2004 Coal: 3 vessels berthed, 30 anchored; 33 vessels due by 11/10; vessels berthing in order of cargo availability; up to 15 days delay subject to cargo availability and berth congestion canbe expected, although vessels with other stems are experiencing longer berthing delays.

Dampier 15-Sep-2004 Iron ore: Parker Point: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 5 anchored; 8 vessels due by 23/9; 1-6 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; East Intercourse Island:1 vessel berthed and loading, 1 anchored; 12 vessels due by 24/9; 1-9 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; cargo shortages are evident, delays are anticipated and vessels may berth out of turn.

Gladstone 15-Sep-2004 Coal: R.G. Tanna coal terminal: 2 vessels berthed, 3 anchored; 33 vessels due by 10/10; up to 3 days delay expected subject to port congestion and cargo availability; Barney Point: 4 vessels due by 23/9; up to 1 day’s berthing delay expected subject to cargo availability and berth congestion. Grain: no vessels; no delays expected.

Hay Point 15-Sep-2004 Coal: 2 vessels berthed, 8 anchored; 13 vessels due by 27/9; 1-8 days berthing delay expected subject to cargo availability and berth congestion. Berth No. 1 will be closed from a.m. 21/9 to p.m. 24/9 for maintenance.

Newcastle 15-Sep-2004 Coal: Kooragang 4, 5 and 6: 41 vessels due by 28/9; Dykes 4+5: 17 vessels due by 28/9; 1 unallocated vessel due 25/9; 1-5 days delay expected prior to berthing due to planned maintenance at Kooragang terminal and cargo receival. Grain: 4 vessels due by22/9, all to load wheat; up to 10 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Port Adelaide 15-Sep-2004 Grain: No. 27 berth: 8 vessels due by 1/10, 6 to load wheat, 2 barley; 1-7 days delay expected due to berth congestion.

Port Hedland 15-Sep-2004 Iron ore: BHP Iron Ore Pty. Ltd., Mt. Newman (Nelson Point), “A” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 1 anchored; 5 vessels due by 19/9; 1-3 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; “B” berth: 8 vessels due by 23/9; no delays expected; BHP Iron Ore Pty. Ltd., Goldsworthy (Finucane Island) “C” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading; 2 vessels due by 15/9; up to 2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; Westyard “D” berth: 1 vessel berthed and loading, 1 anchored; 6 vessels due by 17/9; a 72 hour shiploader maintenance shutdown will take place from approx. 17/9; 1-2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability. Due to heavy demand for product, acute cargo shortages are being experienced at wharf stockpiles. Vessels will continue to berth as product becomes available.

Port Kembla 15-Sep-2004 Coal: 15 vessels due by 5/10; CB1: 2 vessels due by 22/9; up to 2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability. Grain: 2 vessels due by 28/10, both to load wheat; up to 9 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Port Walcott 15-Sep-2004 Iron ore: 2 vessels berthed and loading, 4 anchored; 13 vessels due by 27/9; 1-4 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability; as a result of a heavy schedule for July and maintenance requirements, it is extremely likely that vessels will berth out of order. In the next few days there will only be one lump re-screening plant available, which will mean not being able to load two lump vessels at the same time. 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 15-Sep-2004 Grain: 8 vessels due by 5/10, 3 to load wheat, 1 wood-chips, 3 barley, 1 canola; up to 2 days delay expected due to berth congestion and cargo availability.

Brazil Paranagua 14-Sep-2004 Eighteen vessels berthed of which 2 bulk sugar loaders, 4 fertiliser dischargers, 1 reefer

loader, 3 pellets loaders, 2 containers, 1 soya loader, 5 other loaders/dischargers; 24 vessels

currently. Currently, Panamax vesselare experiencing delays of two-threedays, whilst regular vessels can expectto wait for one-two days. Arrivals haveincreased in recent days and no

substantial decrease in the waitingtime is expected for several days. It isanticipated that 77 vessels will beawaiting transit at 0001 hrs, tomorrow.

SYRIALattakia, Sep 4 — Waiting time is

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

37


Port Conditions

waiting in roads of which 11 to load (3 pellets, 1 soya, 2 reefers, 5 others), 13 to discharge (4containers, 8 fertiliser, 1 other); 37 vessels due over the next 7 days.

Rio Grande 14-Sep-2004 Five vessels berthed of which 1 calcium phosphate discharger, 2 fertiliser dischargers, 2 bulk soya loaders; 8 vessels waiting in roads; 35 vessels due over the next 10 days.

Santos 14-Sep-2004 Twenty-five vessels berthed of which 3 bulk fertiliser dischargers, 1 bulk LPG discharger, 1bulk salt discharger, 3 chemical products loaders/dischargers, 1 bulk solvents discharger, 3 full container loaders/dischargers, 1 bulk wheat dischargers, 12 sugar loader; 25 vessels waiting in roads; 97 vessels due over the next 7 days.

Sao Sebastiao 14-Sep-2004 Three vessels berthed, 1 waiting in roads; 4 vessels due over the next 10 days.Vitora 14-Sep-2004 Ubu: 1 iron ore loader; 26 vessels waiting in roads; 16 vessels due over the next 7 days.

Bulgaria Bourgas 13-Sep-2004 Ten vessels in port operating, of which 4 loading (1 wheat, 1 coils, 1 scrap, 1 containers), 6

discharging (1 containers, 1 trucks, 1 zinc concentrate, 1 billets, 1 iron ore, 1 salt); 5 vesselswaiting in roads, of which 3 to load (1 wheat, 1 scrap, 1 empty), 2 to discharge (1 crude oil, 1 coal); 18 vessels due of which 13 to load (2 coils, 2 barley, 1 copper concentrate, 2 equipment, 3 steel sheet, 1 wheat, 1 scrap, 1 ammonium sulphate), 4 to discharge (1 profiles, 1 billets, 1 salt, 1 iron ore), 1 passenger vessel.

Chile Valparaiso 14-Sep-2004 Four vessels berthed, 4 berths vacant; 5 vessels anchored; 11 vessels due this week.

Egypt Adabiya 14-Sep-2004 Five vessels berthed (loading/discharging), of which 1 general cargo, 3 bulkers, 1 tanker. Alexandria 14-Sep-2004 Twenty-nine vessels berthed (loading/discharging) of which 23 general cargo, 1 containers,

3 reefers, 2 bulkers; 9 vessels at inner anchorage, 8 at outer anchorage. Damietta 14-Sep-2004 Thirteen vessels berthed (loading/discharging) of which 9 general cargo, 1 bulker, 3

containers; 3 vessels at outer anchorage, 1 at inner anchorage.Dekheila 14-Sep-2004 Six vessels berthed (loading/discharging) of which 1 containers, 5 bulk carriers. Suez Canal 14-Sep-2004 Nineteen vessels transiting Northbound, 21 Southbound.

Israel Ashdod 13-Sep-2004 No labour problems. Three general cargo vessels loading at berth, 13 vessels discharging at

berth (9 general cargo, 4 bulkers), 6 vessels loading/discharging at berth (4 containers, 2 car carriers); 11 vessels waiting at anchor to discharge (10 general cargo, 1 bulker), 7 vessels waiting at anchor to load/discharge (5 containers, 2 tankers); 1 vessel under repairs/dry-docked, 1 awaiting orders; 15 vessels due, with 2-3 days delay expected.

Haifa 13-Sep-2004 No labour problems. Six vessels discharging at berth (3 general cargo, 3 bulkers), 9 vessels loading/discharging at berth (4 containers, 2 car carriers, 2 tankers, 1 passenger vessel); 4 vessels waiting at anchor to discharge (1 general cargo, 3 bulkers), 11 vessels waiting at anchor to load/discharge (10 containers, 1 tanker); 3 vessels under repairs/dry-docked, 1 awaiting orders; 19 vessels due, with 2-3 days delay expected.

Mozambique Maputo 10-Sep-2004 Twenty-four hour berthing/sailing. Some restrictions to berthing at certain badly-lit

wharves. Vessels have to be geared for general cargo berths as no shore cranes available. The Port is working normally and is expected to remain so, hence vessels should berth on arrival, daylight, draft and weather permitting. No berthing delays envisaged. A shortage of equipment is being experienced (except at the Container terminal). Shed space is currently available. Safe draft for transiting the channel is 9.1 metres plus the tide of the day. Density of water varies from 1.015 to 1.018. Vessels with ramps on starboard side can berth with the ebbing tide. Should ramps be portside, vessels to berth with the flowing tide. Pilot launch is operational. Both tugs are operational. Leading lights are lit. One container gantry is operational, the second is still under repairs. Matola coal terminal is operational. Ressano Garcia, Goba and Limpopo railway lines are all operational. Three vessels are currently operating, of which 1 loading coal, 1 discharging bulk wheat, 1 discharging/loading containers; 1 vessel on stand-by; 22 vessels due by 21/9, of which 10 to load (2 timber, 1 ferro chrome, 1 coal, 3 citrus, 1 gas, 1 aluminium, 1 bulk sugar), 7 to discharge (2 rice, 1 bulk wheat, 2 aluminium, 2 petrol), 5 to discharge/load containers.

Pakistan Karachi 13-Sep-2004 Three vessels loading at berth (2 rice, 1 ethanol), 3 discharging at berth (1 crude oil, 1 DAP,

1 HSD), 2 container vessels loading/discharging at berth; 3 vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (1 fertiliser, 1 chemicals, 1 MEG); no vessels bunkering, none under repairs/dry-docked, none awaiting orders; 3 vessels due (1 containers, 1 coal, 1 MOL), with no berthing delays expected.

38


Port Conditions

Port Qasim 13-Sep-2004 Two vessels discharging at berth (1 wheat, 1 palm oil), 2 container vessels loading/discharging at QICT berth; 2 container vessels waiting at anchorage to load, 3 vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (2 containers, 1 palm oil).

Poland Gdansk 13-Sep-2004 Nine vessels loading at berth (3 coal, 2 general cargo, 2 bulkers, 1 grain, 1 tanker), 2 grain

vessels discharging at berth; 9 vessels under repairs/dry-docked; no vessels waiting at anchorage; 2 vessels waiting in roads (1 bulker, 1 general cargo); 26 vessels due.

Gdynia 13-Sep-2004 Seven vessels loading at berth (4 general cargo, 1 bulker, 2 coal), 2 discharging at berth (1 bulker, 1 general cargo); 16 vessels under repairs/dry-docked; no vessels waiting at anchorage, none waiting in roads; 40 vessels due.

Russia Novorossiysk 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: 3 vessels berthed, all to load, of which 2 crude oil, 1 fuel oil; 3 vessels in roads,

all crude oil; 6 vessels due by 20/9, all crude oil.Tuapse 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: 5 vessels berthed, all loading, of which 1 crude oil, 3 gasoil, 1 naphtha; no

vessels in roads; 7 vessels due by 18/9, of which 1 naphtha, 3 gasoil, 1 fuel oil, 1 crude oil, 1 unknown cargo.

Slovenia Koper 13-Sep-2004 Port working normally; no berthing delays. Seven vessels berthed of which 1 discharging/

loading containers, 1 bulk carrier loading grain, 1 barge loading coal, 3 vessels loading steelproducts/sawn timber/general cargo, 1 Ro/Ro loading vehicles; 10 vessels due over the next 2 days of which 4 to discharge/load containers, 1 bulk carrier to discharge grain, 1 vessel to discharge aluminium products, 1 vessel to load paper products, 2 car carriers to discharge/ load vehicles, 1 tanker to discharge mineral oils.

SpainCadiz 14-Sep-2004 Fifteen vessels in port of which 8 operating (3 Ro/Ros, 2 containers, 1 wheat, 2 semolina), 3

passenger vessels, 4 vessels under repair; no delays.Sagunto 14-Sep-2004 Twenty-one vessels in port operating of which 15 discharging steel products, 2 loading (1

steel products, 1 cement), 4 Ro/Ros discharging/loading general cargo; no vessels outside commercial wharf; no berthing delays.

Sri Lanka Colombo 13-Sep-2004 Berthing/unberthing (pilotage) delays being experienced on breakbulk/conventional

vessels. Delays to conventional vessels are due to the fact that container/feeder vessels are given priority at breakbulk berths if there is container congestion. Conventional cargo vessels at BQ 1 and 2 are facing navigation delays. Six container/feeder vessels loading at berth, 17 vessels discharging at berth (10 containers/feeders, 3 bulk cement, 1 bagged soya bean meal, 1 steel cargo, 1 bulk pal, oil, 1 Ro/Ro); no vessels waiting at anchorage to load, 3 vessels waiting at anchorage to discharge (2 containers/feeders, 1 general cargo); 6 vessels dry-docked, 1 under arrest, 1 awaiting orders from principals, 1 at new tanker berth; 8 vessels due (7 containers/feeders, 1 bagged fertiliser), with no delays expected.

TurkmenistanAladja 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: 1 vessel in roads to load crude oil.Okarem 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: 1 vessel berthed, completed loading crude oil; 3 vessels in roads, all to load

crude oil.Turkmenbashi 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: no vessels berthed; 5 vessels in roads of which 4 to load (2 gasoil, 1 heating

oil, 1 gasoline), 1 to discharge crude oil; 2 vessels due 13/9 of which 1 to load kerosene, 1 to discharge crude oil.

Ukraine Ilichevsk 13-Sep-2004 Six vessels in port operating, of which 4 loading (2 steel products, 1 wood, 1 wheat), 2

discharging/loading containers; 1 vessel in roads to discharge/load containers; 15 vessels due, of which 8 to load steel products, 2 to discharge nickel ore, 5 to load/discharge containers.

Mariupol 13-Sep-2004 Seventeen vessels in port operating, of which 14 loading (6 steel, 3 fire-clay, 3 coal, 1 wheat,1 sulphur), 3 equipment vessels undergoing survey; 4 vessels in roads, all to load, of which 1 steel, 1 coal, 2 fire-clay; 74 vessels due, of which 70 to load (33 steel, 19 coal, 11 fire-clay, 1fire-clay/containers, 1 containers, 3 barley, 2 ammonium saltpetre), 3 to discharge (1 boric acid, 2 equipment), 1 to discharge/load containers.

Odessa 13-Sep-2004 Oil products: 3 vessels in roads, 1 to load fuel oil, 2 crude oil; 7 vessels due by 28/9, all to load, of which 1 LPG, 1 fuel oil, 3 gasoil, 2 crude oil.

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Port Conditions

Yemen Hodeidah 12-Sep-2004 Berths 2, 3 and 4 are occupied; all other berths are vacant; 5 vessels berthed (1 bulk wheat,

1 general cargo, 1 steel, 1 corn, 1 containers); no vessels anchored; expected waiting times: general cargo/bagged cargoes: up to 1 day’s delay; bulk cargoes: up to 2 days delay; no delays for containers.

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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 2004. This casualty information is copyright. Unauthorisedcopying prohibited by law.

ISSN 0047 4908

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Casualty Week Sep 24 - Dione - UniPi

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