May 2010 Archives

Emergency teams are trying to contain 2,000 tons of crude oil leaking into the sea, after a collision between a tanker and a bulk carrier off Singapore. The collision occurred in the Strait of Singapore, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. The Bunga Kelana 3 tanker collided with the MV Waily at about 6 a.m. local time in the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. The two ships remain anchored in the Singapore Strait, the statement said, adding that "work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill." AET Tanker Holdings Sdn., the owner of the Bunga Kelana 3, is working to "minimize the damage from the oil that's leaked," said Paul Lovell, a spokesman for AET Tanker. "A number of oil-retaining booms have been deployed," Lovell said by telephone. "These were done by specialist companies retained by the company. We're doing all we can. There were no casualties on Bunga Kelana 3. We had 27 crew members on the vessel." No injuries have been reported; traffic to Singapore's port, one of the world's busiest, was not affected, the authority said. Source: Tehran Times

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Indo-nesia agree to seek fresh political direction to keep talks going in the contentious issues of maritime boundary delimitation. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said 15 rounds of meetings were held but more would be needed as the issues were very complex. The delimitations involve territorial waters, continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zones in the Sulawesi Sea, the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. He said during his meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono here yesterday, both leaders had asked officials and the technical committee involved to continue with their talks. Najib said that whenever the technical committee met, it would be "very, very" rigid, in terms of its own position and stance. "(So), it is only when they get fresh political direction, can they become more flexible in moving from their positions," he told the media after the leaders' retreat. The Prime Minister stressed that this did not mean that relations between Malaysia and Indo-nesia were not going on well. Asked whether he was referring to Ambalat, which Malaysia called Block ND6 and 7, Najib replied: "I am talking of maritime issues, we do not specifically talk on Ambalat." Block ND6 and 7 in the South Sulawesi Sea is said to be rich in oil and gas reserves. Continue reading here

The European Commission announced, on 17 May, that it was putting on line a European Atlas of the Seas. The project, which has been set up as part of the aim to improve and connect up knowledge of the sea and oceans about the Integrated Maritime Policy , and is being launched in its test phase, is meant to offer professionals but also, if not especially, the broader public, information about the sea. The tool, needs to help users better understand the complexity of maritime space, the threats that it is faced with and also the countless opportunities that it offers in terms of economic development. Presented in a dynamic format, the Atlas provides information on the marine environment in its strictest sense (sea depths, marine flora and fauna, undersea relief, tides, erosion, impact on climate change etc.) and on the various activities and their interaction, such as transport (volume of cargo and passengers, port statistics etc.), the development of offshore energies (wind, hydrocarbons, marine energy), fisheries and aquaculture (fishing areas, structure, volume and distribution of European fishing fleets, quotas). Information relating to tourism and to the specificities of coastal regions (demography and other economic data) are also available. The plan is for all this information to be updated every three months. The Atlas is in English, French and German. The test phase underway will allow for the tool to be substantially improved, taking account of the interests and needs of users based on an open public survey from 17 May to 4 July 2010. The maritime Atlas is at: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeatlas Source www.europolitics.info

Pendennis and Antigua Yacht Club partner to organise a 'fun' Transatlantic regatta to form part of the 2012 Olympic superyacht programme. Following dockside chat during the St Barth's Bucket, a number of yachts and crew have expressed interest in a race to the UK which follows a similar format to the "Route de Rosé" - a yacht race to encourage yachts to St Barthelemy. Traditionally, the race started in St Tropez at the end of the Mediterranean season in mid October, and finished in St Barth's at the start of the Caribbean season on the first Saturday of December. All yachts were required to load several cases of Rosé aboard, with the condition that one case had to be landed on the dock in St Barth's for the grand celebrations at the end of the race. The winner was decided by the shortest accumulative time taken only when on course to St Barth's - allowing yachts to start at different times, or stop off on the way. The Falmouth - Falmouth Rum Race will run in the opposite direction to the traditional Route de Rosé - the event will begin at the Antigua Yacht Club in Falmouth Harbour as a fleet start, following Antigua classics with the option for yachts to start earlier if they prefer, with a possible stop in the Azores on route. The entry fee will be $500 and a case of rum to be consumed at the finish in Falmouth UK at the dockside party. Continue reading this article here

Malaysia will soon be introducing a plan to help develop the nation's sailing fraternity and raise its international potential on the professional yacht racing circuit. This dynamic new initiative, spearheaded by Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister Dato' Ahmad Shabery Cheek, is aimed at accelerating the progress of local athletes in the sailing arena and propelling them towards international sailing events. These prestigious global yacht racing events include the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup as "Special Events" in the sport as sanctioned by ISAF (International Sailing Federation). The upcoming athletes enrolled on the programme will have access to the world's top racing events that will also provide the most intense test of a sailor's character. One of the tours, the WMRT, is seen as the world's toughest match racing series within in the ISAF calendar, culminating in December at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, where the ISAF Match Racing World Champion is crowned, after nine months of racing. This new professional sailing programme for Malaysia is of particular importance for talented sailors looking to move into more professional and challenging yacht racing disciplines. Currently, the country supports a healthy following of sailors in the Optimist, Laser and 470 dinghy classes. Dinghy sailors are regular competitors with support of the Malaysian Yachting Association in the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Olympic Games. Continue reading Youth and Sports Minister announces dynamic elite sailing programme

The medal races were like an image of the whole week, sailed in light and shifty winds. The 42nd Semaine Olympique Francaise , the fourth regatta of the ISAF Sailing World Cup tested the nerves of the sailors and the race committee. Concentration was the key to success. With racing postponed for an hour, the Men's 470 and the Star races started behind schedule and as a consequence, there was no time to race the RS:X medal races. Byron Kokalanis (GRE) was happy to keep his title but surprisingly, Piotr Myszka in second place was not disappointed to loose his chance to race for Gold! "I am the happiest man not to have to race the medal race" declared the Polish sailor showing his hands full of blisters! Byron Kokalanis, added a consecutive Sailing World Cup win to his results. "I like these conditions and I am in good form. I did well in Palma so I am still rolling on the same wave." Bryony Shaw (GBR) was excited with her performance and enthusiastic to get her opponents, Blanca Manchon (ESP) and Laura Linares (ITA), on the stage for a "wet" prize giving: "It was a shame not to get out and do the medal race, but I'm really happy with the racing this week. It's been really light winds, so hard work, but I'm dominating in the light winds and have had really consistent results this week so I'm really happy. I had the yellow jersey after day one so it was nice to keep that all week." The 470 Men and the Star were the first to hit the water for the medal race in their respective racing areas set in front of the jetty. The team of Nicolas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer - Dieu were the first to win one of many medals collected by the French team this week. With nine medals including three Gold, France ended on top of the medal tally. "This is an important victory for us because we didn't meet our expectation in the first regattas of the year. Here, we wanted to perform well. This is our first victory since one year. We always have to increase our communication onboard to be at the top. Baptiste is more and more comfortable. We are sometimes in contradiction so we have to compromise." Continue reading 2009-10 ISAF Sailing World Cup: Winners Finally Decided in Hyeres

Kota Kinabalu: The contentious ceding of two oil blocks, which sit on Sabah waters, by the federal government to Brunei in March 2009 as part of a 'deal' to retain Limbang in Sarawak has cost Sabah RM16 billion in potential oil royalties, according to former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee. He said the oil blocks L and M sat on three million acres of Sabah's maritime territory and apart from depriving the state of oil royalties based on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's estimates, the Cabinet decision was also unconstitutional. Yong said ceding a territory from Sabah required the consent of the Sabah state legislative assembly and the conference of rulers. This is stipulated in Article 2 of the Federal Constitution. "The only one time that such consent under Article 2 was given was on March 8 1984 when the Federal Territory of Labuan Enactment 1984 was passed in the state legislative assembly. "It was one of the major acts of the then state government that caused its own downfall the following year," he pointed out in a statement issued today. Yong, who is also President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), further noted that it was only when Sabah (then North Borneo) together with Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya formed Malaysia in 1963, that the Malaysia territorial map was enlarged to include the Borneo states and their territories. The formation came with historical right. This territory, he said, included Sipadan and Ligitan islands and the seas now known as Block L and M in the Petronas offshore plans. Yong was commenting on Mahathir's recent disclosure and comment that Malaysia's right to Block L and M is based on historical right and that the loss of these blocks has made Malaysia lose RM 320 billion in oil in an area the was the size of the states of Perlis, Penang, Malacca and Selangor combined. Continue reading Oil blocks deal: Huge financial loss for Sabah