Tag: ferries

There were no casualties reported in the crash, but it caused panic A ferry running between İstanbul's Yenikapı port and Güzelyalı, Bursa, collided with a ro-ro ship in the Sea of Marmara on Monday, narrowly avoiding capsizing.The Osmangazi ferry, which was carrying 830 passengers and 150 vehicles, collided with the ro-ro ship off Sivriada early on Monday. There were no casualties reported in the crash, but it caused panic among the passengers.The ferry returned to Yenikapı after the crash, where the passengers were evacuated from the ferry. There was massive damage on the ship's bow. Officials say they will release a statement on the cause of the accident.The passengers aboard the ferry during the incident told reporters that they were able to survive thanks to the alertness and experience of the ferry's captain.One of the passengers told reporters that a ship was coming towards them and that the captain of the ferry was able to reduce the impact of the collision through skillful maneuvering. They added that if the captain hadn't changed course, the officials would be collecting their dead bodies from the sea now.Another passenger said that the ferry had departed from Güzelyalı at 7:30 a.m. and that at ...

There were only 25 life jackets for 250 crew Passengers and crew members fought for as many as 25 life jackets as a boat carrying about 250 Australia-bound migrants began to sink off Java, rescue officials said Monday.Thirty-four people were rescued. The rest of the migrants, most of whom came from Afghanistan and Iran, were missing and feared drowned after Saturday's accident off the coast of Prigi in East Java province, rescuers said.'According to the survivors, there were only 25 life jackets, and crew members had six of them,' said Sutrisno, head of the provincial search and rescue agency.'The survivors used pieces from the boat to keep them above water,' said Sutrisno, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.Another rescue official, Kelik Purwanto, said only six of the passengers who survived had life jackets.'They clung to each other to keep them from drowning,' he said. 'It was very lucky of them.'Hopes of finding more survivors were becoming increasingly slim two days after the disaster, officials said.Sutrisno said officials were checking information that 13 survivors had been found on a small island off Jember, about 100 kilometres from where the overloaded boat was thought to have sunk.Questions about the fate ...

BBC News Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for hundreds of people who are missing after a fishing boat sank off the country's main island of Java.The wooden boat was believed to be heading for Australia, carrying migrants from Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.Local reports say there were 380 people on board.

Forum organized by IMO, held in Bali A detailed action plan addressing domestic ferry safety in the East Asia sub-region was agreed by participants in a forum on the subject organized by IMO and held in Bali, Indonesia, on 6 and 7 December 2011.Attended by delegates from several governments as well industry organization Interferry, the Regional Forum on Domestic Ferry Safety adopted an eight-point plan which, among other things, calls on Governments to assist ship‐owners and operators to provide fit-for-purpose vessels that are compliant with national rules and regulations and to support and monitor ships' masters and operators to ensure that safety obligations are being properly fulfilled.It also called for Governments to designate relevant focal points to participate in regular dialogue with, and to share relevant data among, all those with an interest in domestic ferry safety, to help identify critical issues that lead to accidents and casualties with a view to formulating effective solutions.For the full text of the action plan, visit http://bit.ly/tG542aThe Forum, organized as part of IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme, and in collaboration with Interferry and the Directorate General of Sea Transportation of Indonesia, discussed issues such as hazardous weather, vessel design and construction, overcrowding and ...

It will be constructed with space for 540 cars and 940 standard containers German ro-ro builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) has won an order from Canada for a 19,500dwt ferry newbuilding which it describes as "the world's most eco-friendly con-ro ship"Tom Todd writes: FSG said it beat international competition to land the order from an unidentified Canadian shipowner. It is the second time the yard has built for Canada: in 2008 it completed the last of three 160m passenger/ro-ros for BC Ferries which were the world's largest double-enders.FSG managing director Peter Sierk said the new job had come "at just the right moment" and that it had taken two years to develop the tailor-made concept. Referring to the financial and economic crisis he added "thanks to a well-filled order book, FSG has ridden out the storm" and stressed the latest order was "extraordinarily important for us".Construction of the "modern, innovative, environmentally-friendly and flexible" ship starts next October and is scheduled to last until the end of 2013. The newbuild will be about 210m long and the yard said the 19,500dwt capacity was "unusually high" for a con-ro vessel. She will also be very flexible with ramps and clear deck heights for ...

Environmental initiative has made the company a world leader in natural gas-powered ferries Fjord1 will have a naming ceremony for MF Boknafjord, the world's largest gas ferry. The new eco-friendly ferry, delivered by Fiskerstrand BLRT AS, will serve the Arsvågen-Mortavika route on the Boknafjord in Rogaland County, in addition to making sure the Halhjem-Sandvikvåg route in Hordaland County now gets a spare vessel. The traffic on these ferry routes has surged since Fjord1 took over as operator in January 2007.The naming ceremony will take place at Fiskerstrand Shipyard in Ålesund, Western Norway, with Minister of Transport and Communications Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa as godmother.More frequent departuresMinister of Transport Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, remarks that the new ferry will give its users greater convenience in their everyday commute:"This is a great day for travellers in the area. With this third ferry in operation on Boknafjord, we can ensure 20-minute departures-as opposed to every 30 minutes as we have now."Leif Øverland, CEO of Fjord1, is glad the traffic challenges are now solved:"Without the new ferry, we would have had an increasing capacity problem on this busy link."The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA), that ordered the new ferry due to a large increase in traffic ...

The initiative is part of the joint project to stem ferry fatalities in the developing world Trade body Interferry reports that the inaugural Regional Forum on Domestic Ferry Safety - organised by the IMO and Interferry - has drawn up a blueprint for safer ferry operations in developing nations.The initiative is part of the joint project to stem ferry fatalities in the developing world. Aimed at national maritime administrations and ferry operators in south-east Asia, the event was hosted by Indonesia in Bali on December 6-7 and attracted 74 participants. After two days of presentations and debate, they agreed an action plan ranging from accident reporting and investigation to guidelines on buying and running second-hand vessels."There was some speculation that ferry companies may have been reluctant to attend for fear of being made scapegoats for the region's poor safety record," says Interferry CEO Len Roueche, "but there were operators from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia and Indonesia and their contributions were invaluable."The forum was designed to launch a process of sharing information, challenges, ideas and solutions to improve the level of ferry safety, which continues to be very low in much of the region."Formal presentations soon developed into open and ...

$896,838 to replace 21 engines on eight ferries The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is helping to reduce air pollution in the New York metropolitan area by providing the New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition with $896,838 to replace 21 engines on eight ferry and excursion boats that operate between New Jersey and New York with cleaner technology. The clean diesel projects will improve air quality in urban areas of New Jersey and New York where asthma rates are high. Older diesel engines generate significant amounts of fine particles, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, which are released into the air and can make people sick."Reducing air pollution from diesel engines helps decrease asthma attacks, respiratory problems, lost work days due to illness and premature death," said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "EPA's support of clean diesel programs is eliminating tons of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides and is providing enormous health benefits."The particles in diesel exhaust can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose serious health risks, including increasing the risk of cancer and aggravating the symptoms of asthma and other respiratory problems. In addition, diesel exhaust contributes to already unhealthy levels of smog, which are formed when chemicals released by ...

Vessels have to comply with a 0.1% limit on fuel sulphur content Trade association Interferry says that ferry operators in northern Europe face a near-impossible choice in trying to meet the 2015 deadline for ultra-low sulphur emissions from bunker fuel.The association also warns that the low-sulphur legislation will prompt an environmentally damaging modal shift from short-sea to overland transport and pose severe financial implications for the overall European economy.Under pending IMO and soon to be agreed European Union (EU) environmental requirements, vessels operating in the Baltic, North Sea and Channel Emission Control Areas (ECAs) will have to comply with a 0.1% limit on fuel sulphur content.Interferry says it acknowledges ferry operators' responsibility to reduce emissions and supports the move to lower sulphur limits globally by 2020 - but claims that the 2015 timescale is 'mission impossible´ due to unsustainable cost increases. It argues that, despite the ferry industry's efforts to develop alternative technologies and feasible alternative fuels, abatement technologies and financial support will not be available or sufficient enough to avoid a modal shift from sea to road. These alternatives are the elements in a 'toolbox' of technical and financial solutions proposed by the European Commission (EC).The toolbox suggests the ...

They grounded after one of them collided with a fishing boat off Sarangani Nine Superferry vessels owned by the Negros Navigation-Aboitiz Transport System Corp. (Nenaco-ATSC) have been ordered grounded after one of them collided with a fishing boat off Sarangani on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard said Saturday.PCG spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Algier Ricafrente said a notice of "voyage suspension" was issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to Nenaco-ATC on the operations of MV Superferry 20, MV Superferry 1, MV Superferry 2, MV Superferry 5, MV Superferry 12, MV Superferry 21, MV Cebu Ferry 1, MV Cebu Ferry 2 and MV Cebu Ferry 3.Superferry 20 was involved in the collision with fishing boat San Jose Bayanihan in the vicinity of Barangay Tinoto, Maasim town, near the mouth of Sarangani Bay. The fishing boat was a total wreck and quickly sank. A member of the crew, Giovanni Buntong, 60, died after being hit on the head by floating debris.The fishing boat's captain and other five other crewmen were rescued by PCG personnel who were patrolling nearby. Vessel reinspectionAll the grounded Superferry vessels will be subjected to a reinspection and additional international safety management audit by a joint Marina and PCG team, ...