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US legal cases against Aegean dropped

Global supplier says 'withdrawal of both suits speaks for itself' Global bunker supplier Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc says the law suits filed against the company and certain of its officers have been dropped. In a statement Aegean says that the "securities class action lawsuit previously filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the company, its chairman and certain of its executives as well as the shareholder derivative action lawsuit previously filed in the same court against the company and its board of directors have both been voluntarily withdrawn by the respective plaintiffs".Aegean's president, Nikolas Tavlarios, said, "When these lawsuits were filed, we told our shareholders, customers, and suppliers that they were without merit. We believe the withdrawal of both suits speaks for itself."At least two claimants were believed to be making allegations centred on statements regarding the intrinsic value of the company's securities. From the start Aegean strongly rejected the claims, calling them "without merit" and complaining that they unfairly impugned the integrity both of the company and individual defendants.Source: World Bunkering

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US and EU economic sanctions in regard to Syria

Information by the American P&I Club The American P&I Club issues circular regarding US and EU economic sanctions in regard to Syria as follows:As Members may be aware, enhanced sanctions against Syria have recently been imposed by both the United States and the European Union.This Circular addresses developments in this area, both as they affect the interests of Members and as they affect the provision of service by the Club. Its contents are derived from advice very recently received from the Club's attorneys in Washington, DC who specialize in this importantarea of regulatory compliance.US SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIAPresident Obama promulgated an Executive Order on August 17, 2011 which imposed new and additional US economic sanctions in regard to Syria with effect from August 18, 2011.The new sanctions block the property of the Government of Syria (and its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities). They also prohibit certain trade transactions with or involving Syria. US sanctions against Syria in existence prior to August 18, prohibiting the exportation and re-exportation of US origin products to Syria and targeting certain Syrian entities and individuals, remain in force.United States persons, and the transactions of non-United States persons which have a nexus or connection to a United ...

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Kongsberg simulators in Kazakhstan and the US

To promote realistic training in normal working and emergency conditions Kongsberg Maritime has announced that the company's Maritime Polaris bridge simulators and Maritime Neptune engine room simulators have been selected to equip a new state-of-the-art facility in Kazakhstan.The Caspian Maritime Training Center (CMTC), which opened in July in Aktau, is the first maritime training facility in Kazakhstan, and is aimed at developing the maritime industry in the Caspian region. It was established by Wagenborg Shipping and the Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz, both of the Netherlands.The Kongsberg simulators are hoped to promote realistic training in normal working and emergency conditions, and encourage the optimum and efficient use of ships' equipment.The plan is to provide a mix of training scenarios across numerous disciplines, including bridge team management, ship-handling and manoeuvring, radar observation and plotting, automatic radar plotting aids and engine resource and team management."As the first maritime training facility in Kazakhstan, we will be offering advanced training for navigators, engineers, electrical engineers and seamen," says Igor Valerievich Tyazhkorob, general director at CMTC.In related news, in the US Kongsberg has announced that it will supply its dual-redundant Advanced K-Pos DP trainer to the Florida-based maritime training facility, STAR Center.Under the agreement Kongsberg will ...

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China and US agree on navy drills but fail to iron out their differences re the South China Sea

They agreed to carry out a number of exchange programs such as anti-piracy drills Senior officers of the Chinese and United States armed forces agreed to conduct a series of exchange programs on Monday, but failed to iron out their differences regarding the South China Sea.Chen Bingde (R), Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), meets with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen in Beijing, capital of China, July 11, 2011.EXCHANGE PROGRAMS LAID OUTChen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) hosted his U.S. counterpart Mike Mullen with a red-carpet welcoming ceremony Monday morning. "It's fair to say that we found a lot of common ground, although we do have different opinions on certain issues," Chen said after their closed-door talks at the PLA's headquarters in Beijing. According to a press release issued by the Defense Ministry, the two sides have agreed to carry out a number of exchange programs. Those programs range from anti-piracy drills in the Gulf of Aden, medical and rescue drills by hospital ships and humanitarian rescue and disaster relief drills by armed forces to exchanges between senior military officers and ...

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US will not take sides in South China Sea territorial dispute

US and Chinese militaries to develop more relations The United States will maintain its presence in the South China Sea but not show prejudice toward any side involved in the territorial dispute there, the top US military officer has said.US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Chairman Mike Mullen also expected the US and Chinese militaries to develop 'more tangible relations' that match Beijing''s rising role and its deepening relations with Washington."The worry, among others that I have, is that the ongoing incidents could spark a miscalculation, and an outbreak that no one anticipated," China Daily quoted Admiral Mullen, as saying at a news conference, ahead of his visit to Beijing.His visit to China comes after the US and the Philippines held a 11-day joint naval exercise in the South China Sea."We have an enduring presence here, we have an enduring responsibility. We seek to strongly support the peaceful resolution of these differences," he added.Admiral Mullen would call on People Liberation Army Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde on Monday.He is also due to meet other high-level Chinese government and military leaders including Vice-President Xi Jinping.He said that exchanges between Chinese and US militaries should take into account the fact that ...

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US issued a licence permitting exportations to Iran

The exemption will expire on 23 August Notwithstanding the recent designation of Tidewater by the US and the asset freeze imposed by the EU, the US yesterday issued a licence permitting the exportation or reexportation of agricultural commodities, medicine, or medical devices to the Government of Iran, any entity in Iran, individuals in Iran, or persons in third countries through Tidewater ports where the goods were shipped under a contract entered into prior to June 23, 2011, requiring delivery through a port or ports operated by Tidewater. To qualify a person engaged in this shipment must obtain a licence from OFAC.The exemption will expire on 23 August.Click here for the OFAC notice.Source: North of England P&I Club

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EU moves to introduce mutual recognition of certification for ship machinery

Us stated its opposition Flag-state are highly opposed to European Union (EU) move to introduce mutual recognition of certification for ship machinery.US stated its opposition at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)'s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meeting last month and a growing number of flag states are ready show their contradiction towards the EU initiative.The debate is set to be taken forward to next month's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting.The opposition centres around concerns that non-EU flag states will have to accept marine equipment that has been approved through a system of mutual certification under which classification societies accept each other's certification without conducting their own survey. Under the current system, EU wants ship equipment to be individually certified on a case-by-case basis by the same classification society that certifies the hull.Other countries such as Panama, South Korea, Japan and Liberia are expected to join the US in arguing that accepting mutually certified ship machinery poses a threat to national sovereignty.It is also believed that mutual recognition will make European ship machinery more competitive and put them at a competitive advantage over Asian rivals.European Marine Equipment Council president Lars-Gorvell Dahall tells that the EU had the right to promote mutual ...

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A US role in the South China Sea

Philippines to seek U.S. support Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario was in Washington last week for a rather specific purpose:to seek U.S. support in his country's growing territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Mr. del Rosario told us he was seeking a "clarification" of the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States;he would like a U.S. statement suggesting it applies to a gas-rich seabed the Philippines and China are contesting. His government also would like help in beefing up its navy, perhaps through the lease of patrol boats.These are tricky requests for the Obama administration, which has been trying to avoid taking sides in the increasingly dangerous clashes between China and its neighbors over a huge and vital Asian waterway that Beijing - in apparent contravention of international law - claims entirely for itself. China would like the United States to stay out of its disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, so that it can deal with each of those weaker countries in turn. "I believe the individual countries are actually playing with fire," Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said Wednesday, "and I hope the fire will not be drawn to ...

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China urges U.S. to stay out of the South China Sea dispute

Supporting that U.S. involvement may make the situation worse China urged the United States on Wednesday to leave the South China Sea dispute to the claimant states, saying that U.S. involvement may make the situation worse, its most direct warning to Washington in recent weeks.Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai's comments to a small group of foreign reporters ahead of a meeting with U.S. officials in Hawaii this weekend come amid the biggest flare-up in regional tension in years over competing maritime sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.Tension has risen in the region in the past month on concern that China is becoming more assertive in its claim to waters believed to be rich in oil and gas.Part of the waters are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam."The United States is not a claimant state to the dispute in the South China Sea and so it's better for the United States to leave the dispute to be sorted out between claimant states," Cui said."While some American friends may want the United States to help in this matter, we appreciate their gesture but more often than not such gestures will only make things more complicated," he ...

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US shows interest in ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea

Supporting for peaceful resolution regarding territorial disputes in the region The United States, like the rest of the world, has a deep interest in ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and in helping defuse tensions over territorial disputes there, a senior defense official said yesterday.Speaking on background at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference on maritime security in the South China Sea, the official reiterated Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintons support for peaceful resolution regarding territorial disputes in the strategically critical region.The South China Sea is a vital shipping lane that possesses vast oil and gas deposits. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all lay claim to overlapping parts of it, causing regional friction and several recent confrontations.The United States, like every nation, has an interest in the freedom of navigation and open access to Asias maritime commons and with respect for international law in the South China Sea, the official said at theforum.He cited Gates comments earlier this month at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, where the secretary emphasized U.S. support for freedom of navigation and unimpeded economic development and commerce and respect ...

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