Tag: ferries

One was killed and seven were injured One fisherman was missing and seven others injured after a ferry rammed their boat before dawn Friday off Maasim town in the southern Philippine province of Sarangani, police said.Police said the mishap occurred at around 1 a.m. while the Superferry was sailing for Manila. The other crew members rushed to hospital. Other reports said the fishermen were fixing their engine near the port when the ferry rammed their trawler.The vessel did not stop despite the mishap and continued sailing leaving the behind the trawler in total wreck and its crew on their own. The ship's owner, Aboitiz SuperFerry, did not give any statement about the mishap.Source: Mindanao Examiner

MAIB says Portsmouth was delayed through ineffective co-ordination Poor on-shore co-ordination and defects in on-board equipment meant passengers had to wait up to 20 hours at Portsmouth Harbour before getting off a ferry after a fire broke out, an accident report said today.The roll-on, roll-off ferry Commodore Clipper was close to the harbour when the fire started on the main vehicle deck on a crossing from Jersey.But berthing at Portsmouth was 'significantly delayed through ineffective co-ordination between shore agencies and because of equipment defects', the report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said.The report went on: 'Once alongside, the high density of cargo and constraints in the design of the vessel limited access to both fight the fire and to disembark the passengers.'As a consequence, freight trailers had to be towed off the vessel before the fire could be extinguished. The last of the 62 passengers disembarked from the vessel nearly 20 hours after the fire started.'The incident, on the 14,000-tonne Bahamian-registered ferry, happened at 2.42am on June 16 last year. No-one was injured.The MAIB said that no single person or organisation had responsibility for the whole incident. Organisations involved included the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Solent Coastguard and ...

The 24 passengers and crew were unhurt. Istanbul's governor confirms a lone hijacker was killed by security forces after taking over a ferry off the coast of Turkey.Turkish security forces shot dead a suspected Kurdish rebel early Saturday to end a 12-hour hostage drama on a small passenger ferry, and later reported that he was wearing fake explosives.They killed the man in a predawn lightning raid on the Kartepe ferry, which was anchored off the port town of Silivri, west of Istanbul, after running out of fuel. The 24 passengers and crew were unhurt.Naval commandos and anti-terror police stormed the ferry just before sunrise on Saturday, instantly killing the hijacker without any return of fire, said Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu of Istanbul province.Mutlu told reporters: "We decided to conduct the operation around 0535am local time and shortly after the start of the operation, the vessel was boarded and the assailant was killed."From the contacts we made with the assailant, it was clear that he was a terror group member. I can clearly say that."Although they have not claimed responsibility for the hijacking, it is thought that the main Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK are behind the ...

Showing market preference for air travel The number of passengers taking seagoing vessels has declined significantly, showing market preference faster and cheap air travel offered by the country's various budget airlines.Initial information gathered by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) during the recent All Saints Day/ All Souls Day holiday showed that there were enough seats on ferries and other ships to accommodate passengers, yet the number of those who traveled by sea very low and there were no signs of overcrowding in the ports.Marina is primarily responsible for the regulation of Philippine-registered ships and has the mandate to promote maritime safety in Philippine waters.The 2011 Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Oplan Ligtas na Undas kicked off on October 28 and lasted until November 2.Marina, for its part, issued Special Order (SO) 753-11 dated October 21 designating several technical personnel to undertake ship safety inspections and the Marina regional directors to submit the passenger volume.For the North Harbor and South Harbor, there were six recorded vessel trips from October 29 to November 1, the Marina said.The actual passenger count was 3,081, occupying 41.06 percent of the seats, whereas the authorized passenger load was 7,503.In Tacloban, there were 61 vessel trips ...

Ferry encountered an engine trouble A passenger shipping vessel carrying 99 persons was rescued after it encountered an engine trouble before lunch time of Wednesday along the vicinity off Danao City and Camotes Island.Lieutenant Commander Algier Ricafrente, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Public Affairs said that M/V Super Shuttle Ferry-17, a passenger-cargo vessel with 99 persons including 82 passegers onboard encountered engine trouble in between Danao City and Camotes Island in Cebu, and presently being towed by sister ship M/V Super Shuttle Ferry-14 enroute to Danao City around 11:55 a.m. Wednesday.Source: Manila Bulletin

The ferry, Pella, sank 10 nautical miles from the Jordanian port of Aqaba A ferry which caught fire four days ago in the Red Sea sank Monday, the official Petra news agency reported.The ferry, Pella, sank 10 nautical miles from the Jordanian port of Aqaba.The ship, which is owned by the Arab Bridge Maritime Company, was sailing from Aqaba to the Egyptian port of Nuweiba with 1,240 passengers aboard when it caught fire on Thursday.One passenger died and 44 others suffered suffocation injuries as a rescue operation was conducted to evacuate the passengers to another ship, owned by the same firm.The operator's head, Hussein Souob, said the ferry, now lying at a depth of 750 metres, was 'completely burnt and will not constitute any obstacle to international shipping or any danger for the maritime environment.'Meanwhile, the acting director general of the Jordanian Ports Authority, Mohammad Mubaydeen, said his teams did not spot any sign of pollution in the area as a result of the ship's sinking.'However, a possibility of pollution taking place still exists,' he said.Source: AFP

The three ferries will run on diesel electric and battery power Residents and visitors to the Hebrides, the archipelago off the northwest coast of Scotland, will soon have a greener way to get around. In an effort to create jobs and to advance an agenda of sustainable development, the Scottish offered a 20 million contract to build the world's first hybrid ferries.The three ferries, which will run on diesel electric and battery power, will be built by Ferguson Shipbuilders. They're set to hit the water in 2013. Each will hold 150 passengers and 23 cars, and will be "cleaner, quieter and cheaper to operate and maintain than ever before," said Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure & Capital Investment.American lawmakers hemming and hawing over how to create jobs in a stagnant economy could take a page from Scotland's book. No doubt a 20m ($32m) price tag would upset many opposed to government spending, but we would do well to join the Highlanders in recognizing the "vast economic potential of developing green technology and moving to a low carbon economy," as Neil put it.Source: Tree Hugger

The world's first two RoRo vehicle and passenger diesel electric hybrid ferries Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has announced Ferguson Shipbuilders, Port Glasgow, Scotland as the preferred bidder for the contract to build the world's first two sea going Roll On Roll Off vehicle and passenger diesel electric hybrid ferries.Ferguson will be working alongside Glasgow based ship design specialists Seatec and electrical specialists Tec-Source to deliver the project.The announcement follows confirmation of Scottish Government funding to CMAL for the Low Emission Hybrid Ferries Project in February and the recent tender process, which led to a number of Scottish and European shipyards submitting responses for the contract.The project will provide a boost for commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde - it has been over four years since the last commercial ship was fully built and delivered. It will not only secure around 75 existing jobs in the Port Glasgow and Inverclyde area, but create around 100 more. In addition, Ferguson Shipbuilders is expected to create 20 new apprenticeships directly as a result of the contract.The contracts, when signed between CMAL and Ferguson, will see two hybrid ferries built to accommodate 150 passengers, 23 cars or 2 HGVs, with a service speed of ...

Hundreds saved during rescue on Red Sea A Jordanian man died while 1,246 other passengers and crew members, most of them Egyptians, were rescued following a fire Thursday aboard their ferry that was sailing on the Red Sea en route to Egypt's port of Nuweiba, a Jordanian official said.The blaze had broken out earlier in the day in the ferry's cargo section during the voyage across the Gulf of Aqaba, said Jordanian Civil Defense spokesman, Farid al-Sharaa.As flames rose up into the sky, a Jordanian rescue ship reached the stricken vessel, the Pella, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) off the coast of Jordan, said an Egyptian port official.The rescuers managed to extinguish the blaze but an unidentified Jordanian man died after jumping into the water and fatally injuring himself, al-Sharaa said. The cause of the injury was not immediately known, he added.Al-Sharaa said 12 passengers suffered from smoke inhalation and were taken to a Jordanian hospital. The remaining 1,230 passengers - all Egyptians - were placed aboard another ferry that subsequently sailed off to Egypt, he said.Al-Sharaa told The Associated Press that the captain and his three crew members - all Egyptians - were also rescued and were on their ...

The ferries used at Gateway of India are poorly maintained, overloaded, and lack necessary safety MTDC officials claim that the Maharashtra Maritime Board is not doing enough to maintain and repair the boats docked near the Gateway of India, which offer rides on the Arabian Sea to commuters.Tourists and travel-junkies, who wish to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Arabian Sea, are all on the same boat: these boats are rocky, poorly maintained, and difficult to mount. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) had raised concerns about the dilapidated condition of the vessels and the lack of basic rescue gear. But according to officials, their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.If the MTDC officials are to be believed, their representatives had informed the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) about the decrepit condition of boats being used to transport people from Gateway of India to various destinations. They had also requested the MMB to rectify the boats to avert any untoward incident. They now claim that no constructive action was taken to address their concerns.On Thursday, 125 tourists, including women and children, were stranded off Elephanta Island for nearly two hours. Their boat broke down mid-sea due to a technical snag. ...