MarineBuzz.com

Philippines: Voyage of the Balangay 2009-2013

OldSailor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:50:13 +0000

Balangay, an ancient wooden hulled boat used by Filipinos seafarers for travel and trade 1700 years ago, has been built again to sail around the world by a Filipinos team from Kaya ng pinoy Foundation, who scaled Mount Everest in 2006 and 2007. The Voyage of Balangay is planned from 2009 to 2013 in different phases.
Some interesting features of Balangay and the Voyage of the Balangay 2009-2013 are:

Balangay (image credit-National Museum)

A 16 yard (15 metre) wooden hulled, fair-weather, round-bottomed sailboat with a prominent bow.
Built by 10 Badjao tribal craftsmen from the Islands of Sibutu and Sitangkai of southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi, in 44 days.
Built in the traditional way using primitive tools without using a single nail by using the 4th, 13th, and 14th century techniques.
Constructed at Manila and was launched in Manila Bay on June 27.
Design taken from a Balangay, excavated in Butuan by the National Museum in 1978.
Three Balangays are on display in museums and one has been estimated to be at least 1,689 years old based on carbon dating tests.
Ancient Balangays, had wooden hulls reinforced with rib-like wooden frames and palm cords.
Used as dwellings, cargo boats and war ships.
Capable of accommodating an entire family of around 50 people.

Voyage of the Balangay: 2009-2013

Crew:
- The expedition is being led by Arturo T.Valdez along with his Everest expedition team members: Leo Oracion, Erwin Pastour Emata, Janet Belarmino-Sardena, Carina Dayondon, Noelle Wenceslao, Dr Ted Esquerra, Fred Jamili
- Voltaire Velasco: as voyage weather analyst
- Six Badjao sailors
- Four SOG’s from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/Navy
- Four master mariners and navigators as joint manning group
Voyage
- 2009: to sail around the Philippines in mid July, by visiting some 62 ports from Manila to Davao City, covering more than 2,000 nautical miles in 176 days
- 2010: visit the South East Asia
- 2011: visit Micronesia and Madagaskar
- 2012: sail across the Pacific onward to the Atlantic, all the way around the world
- 2013: back to the Philippines
Navigation: Seafaring Badjao tribesmen will navigate by taking reference from the Sun, the stars, the wind, cloud formations, wave patterns and bird migrations.
Philippine Coast Guard and Navy vessels will monitor the vessel movement to ensure safe passage.
Holcim Philippines Inc. is a partner of Kaya ng pinoy Foundation’s Balangay project.
During the voyage, the expedition will provide medical assistance to poor coastal communities, teach disaster preparedness, help protect endangered coral reefs, and plant mangrove trees to protect fragile marine life.

Read more from GMA News TV.
For more details, log on to The Voyage of the Balangay.
View some amazing video clips:

from Balangay Voyage: Sa Muling Paglayag ng Balanghai
from NTDTV: Filipinos Set Sail in a ‘Balangay’

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Kenichi Horie and Wave Powered Suntory Mermaid II Set Record in Pacific Ocean

Hywind: World’s First Large Scale Floating Wind Turbine Installed

OldSailor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:16:42 +0000

Hywind, the world’s first large scale floating wind turbine was installed last month by StatoilHydro and Siemens.The Hywind turbine is expected to generate electricity by this month and the operation, performance of the turbine will be tested for the next two years.

Most of the offshore wind turbines are installed by securing them firmly to the seabed, limiting the cost effective installation depth to 30-50 metres. Such offshore wind turbines are unsuitable for countries with little or no shallow water areas near the coast line, to tap offshore wind power.

In May 2008, StatoilHydro decided to build the floating wind turbine Hywind, with an investment of approximately 400 million NOK, by combining technologies from both the wind farming industry and the oil and gas sectors. This technology makes it possible to install offshore wind turbines at higher depths of 120 – 700 metres.

Some interesting features of the Hywind floating wind turbine are:

Wind turbine
- Capacity: SWT- 2.3 MW, built by Siemens
- Weight of turbine: 138 tonnes
- Turbine height: 65 metres
- Rotor diameter: 82.4 metres
Floatation element and offshore installation
- Built by Technip
- Consists of a steel floater filled with ballast
- Floatation element’s draught below sea surface: 100 metres
- Diameter of floatation element: 8.3 metres
Cable laying offshore by Nexans and onshore by Haugaland Kraft.
Total weight: 5300 tonnes.
Diameter at sea surface: 6 metres.
No. of anchor moorings: 3
Location: located approximately 12 km south east of Karmøy in Norway at a water depth of about 220 meters.
StatoilHydro and Siemens have jointly developed a special control system to control the movement of the floating structure, specially to dampen out part of the wave-induced motions of the floating system.

Here are some photographs (Credit-Siemens press picture)

The design

The installation

Read more from StatoilHydro, Siemens AG.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

For Your Eyes Only: Giant British Crab

Weekend View: Titanic Artifacts at Discovery TSX, New York City

OldSailor — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:49:47 +0000

RMS Titanic could not complete her voyage to New York from Southampton in 1912. After 97 years, the artifacts of RMS Titanic have reached New York City and are available for view from June 24, at Discovery TSX (Times Square Exposition), New York City.
Some interesting features of RMS Titanic, Artifact Exhibition and Discovery TSX are:

RMS Titanic
- Sailed from Southampton, on April 10, 1912 to reach New York City.
- She also picked up additional passengers from Cherbourg, France and Queenstown, Ireland.
- On the night of Sunday, April 14, 1912, she hit an iceberg and sank with 2223 people onboard (including 899 crew) in Atlantic Ocean that resulted in death of 1517 people (including 685 crew).
- The survivors reached New York on April 18, 1912 through RMS Carpathia.
- The wreckage of the Titanic was located at 2000 foot depth on September 01, 1985 by a joint U.S, French expedition.
Artifact Exhibition
- There are some 350 artifacts in the exhibition and 49 artifacts are on display for the first time.
- The collection of Titanic artifacts include jewels, documents, clothing recovered from ocean floor.
- You can explore magnificent reconstructions of Titanic’s interior including the illustrious Grand Staircase.
Discovery TSX
- Discovery TSX is located in the former New York Times Building, in 60,000 square feet area.
- Discovery TSX is wheelchair accessible.
- Audio guides are available online and at the box office for an additional charge.

View a video clip from Discovery Networks: Titanic Artifacts Arrive in NYC

Also view another video clip: Titanic Wreck Footage – "Tale of Two Journeys"

For more details and to view the artifacts, log on to Discovery TSX.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Weekend Fact: Wine goes Green and Cheap

India: Karaikal Port Operational

OldSailor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:36:47 +0000

The Karaikal Port, in the east coast of India is now operational from April on completion Phase 1 development.The port is under development in three phases since 2006, to operate as a lagoon type deep water port, connected to sea by an entrance/access channel protected by short breakwaters.Phase 2 port development has already started.

On April 15, the port berthed the first cargo vessel, MV Beluga Fan Fare, a Heavy Lift Multipurpose Dry Cargo Vessel carrying two cargo cranes each weighing 104 tonnes for the port.

Some interesting features of Karaikal Port are:

Karaikal port is located at Vanjore, near Karaikal of Union Territory of Puducherry
- around 320 km along the coast, south of Chennai Port
- around 360 km along the coast, north of Tuticorin Port
- nearest railhead is Nagore at a distance of 3 km
- connected by road to NH-45A, connecting Puducherry – Nagapattinam
- covers an area of around 602 acres
Operated by Karaikal Port Private Ltd (KPPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marg Ltd.
The Government of Puducherry entered into an agreement with Marg Ltd., on January 25, 2006 to develop the port on a Build-Own-Transfer (BOT) basis for 30 years.
Phase 1 development:
- taken up during 2006-2008 and completed with an investment of INR 450 crore
- two berths (coal and general cargo) to handle cargo of 5.2 MTPA
- to berth vessels up to 50,000 DWT
- present depth of 9.5 metres, will be increased to 14.5 metres by July
Phase 2A development:
- being taken up during the period 2009-2011, to handle cargo of additional 15.3 MTPA with vessels up to 1,20,000 DWT
- 3 additional berths for – coal, for OSV/PSV vessels, liquid/general cargo
- increase water depth to 16.5 metres
- breakwater extension, channel and turning circle widening
- mechanization of coal berths
- development of additional stockyards/storage facilities
- construction of buildings and other civil works
- construction of railway sidings & internal roads
- development of utilities & services
- with an investment of INR 1600 crore
Phase 2B development: to be taken up during 2015-2017, to handle cargo of total 46.9 MTPA with total nine berths.
KPPL has acquired a dredger with a dredging capacity of 2000 cubic metre/hour for port development.

Russian Tall Ship Kruzenshtern to Visit Massachusetts Maritime Academy

OldSailor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:19:57 +0000

Russian tall ship Kruzenshtern, is scheduled to visit Massachusetts Maritime academy (MMA) from July 03 to 06.
Some interesting features of Russian tall ship Kruzenshtern and her visit are:

Visit is part of Sail Massachusetts initiative to invite tall ships.
Kruzenshtern
- 376 foot in length, four-masted barque rig
- sail training vessel of the Baltic Academy in Kalingrad, Russia
- the second largest traditional sail training vessel in the world still in operation
- the ship was built in 1927 as Padua in Bremerhave, Germany
- given to the USSR in 1946 as war reparation after World War II
- renamed as Kruzenshtern in memory of 19th century Baltic German explorer in Russian service, Adam Johann Krusenstern
- supported by Tall Ship Friends, a non-profit organization in Hamburg, Germany
The vessel can be visited by public on July 03 to 05 from 1200 hours to 1700 hours.

View amazing photographs of Kruzenshtern from, SVSM Gallery.

View some video clips of Kruzenshtern:

Read more from Massachusetts Maritime academy.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

World: Top Ten Container Ports of 2006

Somali Piracy: Al Jazeera Videos Reveal More

OldSailor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:39:31 +0000

Last month, news channel Al Jazeera brought out interesting video clips on Somali piracy. Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow personally interviewed Somali pirates face to face at Garowe, Eyl to give first hand information on Somali piracy.

After viewing the clips, anyone can understand that the present war against piracy by the international warships off Somalia, is like a doctor treating a patient to cure the disease, without making any attempt to eliminate the root cause of the disease.

Some interesting information available from the video clips are:

Somali pirates

Piracy has become an attractive profession for young, unemployed, uneducated Somalis and they are even willing to risk death.
Pirates consider themselves as Robin hoods of the sea and defenders of Somalia’s fishery wealth.

Somali public opinion

The local people consider the pirates as Somali Marines and not as pirates.
Piracy is not considered as criminal activity.
However religious leaders (clerics), hate piracy as piracy has been the reason for
- Use of alcohol and drugs by Somalis
- Increase in commercial sex activity
- Massive increase in inflation
- Increase in killings
But, the clerics are not powerful enough to stop piracy.

Somali piracy operations

Piracy is well organized and pirates have clear policy guidelines on piracy including sharing of ransom amount collected.
The hijacked vessel or the cargo is of no importance to the pirates and only the crew taken as hostages are important.
Ransom Amount:
- The ransom amount is usually based on the nationality of the crew taken as hostages
- Hostages are treated well as they are the link to get ransom
- Europeans and Americans fetch more ransom money than the Asians
- The financier, usually a business man who sponsors piracy, gets 30 %
- The pirates get 50 %
- Support team indirectly involved from shore to provide food etc., get 20 %
Pirates move in fast boats with weapons and carry boarding ladders to board the ships.
A piracy group that receives ransom, supports another piracy group till they receive ransom and this goes on like a chain reaction to sustain piracy.
Place:
- Eyl surrounded by hills is the perfect hideout for Somali pirates, but millions of dollars collected as ransom has not helped this town to develop
- Most of the ships hijacked are taken to Eyl, for further negotiations with ship owners
- Has enough restaurants to supply food to pirates and the hostages
- All other necessary logistics are provided from this place to the hijacked vessels
- Many small boats are available here to provide service to the hijacked vessels

Reasons for Somali piracy

Absence of a stable, functional government in Somalia since 1990s. This led to
- Deprival of income to Somalis from their only source of fishing due to fishing activity by the international trawlers off Somalia, as there was no government in Somalia to stop these illegal trawlers from fishing in Somali waters
- Initially the Somalis started patrolling the coast with weapons, to protect their fishing community from international trawlers
- Later, Somalis turned as pirates to hijack ships as more returns were coming from hijacking ships
Due to lack of good governance, almost a generation has grown up without education in poor living conditions.
Lack of education has resulted in growing unemployment, forcing the young Somalis to take up piracy as their profession.
The threat from international warships on anti piracy operations, has further discouraged the Somali fishermen from fishing and these fishermen find it easier to support pirates to earn their income.
The international community is not taking any result oriented action to bring political stability in Somalia.

Somali piracy in future:

as international warships on anti piracy mission mount pressure on pirates, the threat to the lives of the hostages by the pirates is increasing.
the pirates may harm the hostages, rob the hostages of their belongings and may not spare the cargo or the vessel itself.

View these amazing video clips from Al Jazeera:

Lucrative raids lure Somali youth to piracy – 15 June 09 (3 minutes)
Life inside the den of Somali pirates – 16 Jun 09 (3 minutes)
Pirates’ Haven – 17 June 09 – Part 1 (11 minutes)
Pirates’ Haven – 17 June 09 – Part 2 (10 minutes)
Somalia needs help to combat piracy – 17 Jun 09 (3 minutes)
Somali pirates face public backlash – 18 Jun 09 (2 minutes)
Anguish grows in Somalia over piracy – 19 Jun 09 (3 minutes)

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

World: Top Ten Container Ports of 2006

India: Ministry of Shipping Releases 100 Days Agenda

OldSailor — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:53:52 +0000

After the General Elections 2009 to the 15th Lok Sabha, the Congress led UPA assumed office on May 22 with Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister. Shri G.K. Vasan assumed office as Union Minister of Shipping on May 29.

On July 01, Shri G. K. Vasan officially released the 100 days agenda for the Ministry of Shipping.

Press release from Press Information Bureau is given below:

The Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G. K. Vasan officially released the 100 days agenda for the Ministry of Shipping here today at a meeting held with media.
The main items to be taken up on priority by the Ministry of Shipping include the following:

In addition to the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project for which Concession Agreement has been signed today, 5 more PPP projects are likely to be awarded in 100 days. These include Coal Terminal at Paradip Port, Mormugao Port, Container Terminal at Ennore and Tuticorin and Iron Ore Handling Facility at New Mangalore Port. The total estimated cost of the 6 projects is Rs. 3319.14 crores and they are expected to add capacity of 31.23 million tones and 1.97 Million TEUs.

Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) will be acquiring 3 Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHDs) at an estimated cost of Rs. 1570 crores.

A Committee set up under the chairmanship of AS&FA to give recommendations on Revised Policy Guidelines to enhance port efficiency is likely to submit its report shortly. Its recommendations would be considered further for notification to improve the overall efficiency of the Ports.

It is proposed that the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshwadeep would be declared as Major Ports after seeking Cabinet approval.

Acquisition of Ships by Shipping Corporation of India would be given priority and necessary contracts would be signed with Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

There is a proposal for strengthening of Indian Maritime University. The Government had setup the Central University in Chennai on November 14, 2008 with campuses at Kolkata, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.

The proposal to set up Indian Maritime Causality Investigation Cell in the Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, to ensure systematic improvement in accidents prevention, is under active consideration in the Ministry.

The 2nd Phase of Capital Dredging of National Waterways No.3 on West Coast Canal from Kollam to Kottapuram along with Champakara and Udyogmandal Canal will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 89.74 cr.

The proposal of Financial Restructuring of Hindustan Shipyards Ltd. and transfer of assets of the yard to Ministry of Defence is being examined in the Ministry.

Part Commissioning of Small Ship Division of Cochin Shipyard Ltd. at an estimated cost of Rs.98.63 crores is also envisaged during the first 100 days.

Acquisition of one 400 Passenger Ship for Lakshwadweep Administration and one 500 Passenger Ship for Andaman and Nicobar Administration will be pursued by the Ministry.

Here is the photograph from Press Information Bureau:

The Union Minister for Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan (in the middle) releasing 100 days agenda of the Ministry of Shipping, in New Delhi on July 01, 2009.

Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

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Mumbai: Bandra Worli Sea Link Inaugurated

OldSailor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:12:03 +0000

Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) of Mumbai was inaugurated on June 30, by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. M/s Hindustan Construction Co (HCC), the builder of BWSL is going to be remembered forever for giving Mumbai, another landmark like the Gateway of India.

Some interesting features of BWSL are:

Planning, cost and time
- proposal to build a sea link was brought out in the Wilbur Smith study in 1962
- the necessity to have the sea link was felt in 1990s
- initial deadline to complete the sea link was December 2004 (later revised to December 2007 & December 2008)
- bridge completed: April 21, 2009
- all allied work completed: May 31, 2009
- delays were due to protests from fishermen and payment disputes
- cost escalated to Rs 1634 crores from the initial estimates of Rs 350 crores
- project implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)

Construction
- built by by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company)
- its weight is equivalent to 50000 African elephants
- the length of the bridge is 63 times the height of the Qutub Minar in Delhi
- the height of the cable-stayed tower is 126 m, which is equal to a 43-storey tower
- the length of steel wires used in the project is equivalent to the circumference of the Earth
- has 424 cables and each cable can take a weight of 900 tons
- is built by a skilled team comprising the best engineers from India with assistance from countries including Britain, Canada, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Serbia, Singapore and Switzerland
- monitored by an Intelligent Bridge System with a 16-lane, state-of-the-art toll plaza
- concrete used: 2.3 lakh cubic metres
- pile caps: bridge rests on 135 pile caps, the largest being 55 m in length and 55 m in breadth (half a football field)
- the Hercules, one of the largest floating cranes in the world, was used during the final phase of this project
Length break up of 4.7 km long, twin 4 lane carriage way:
- 449 m toll plaza section at Bandra end with promenades
- 800 m pre-cast approach at Bandra end
- 600 m cable-stayed bridge at Bandra with two 126 m tall towers
- 200 m pre-cast bridge between Bandra-Worli cable-stayed bridges
- two 175 m cable-stayed bridges at Worli with two 56 m towers
- 1,400 m approach at Worli end
- 811 m link at Worli end
- another 90 m or so may make up approaches at either end
Operation:
- has modern toll plaza with 16 lanes
- has Intelligent Bridge System to monitor traffic
- an automatic system will identify vehicles going over the 50 kmph limit
- cameras on the link can take swift 360-degree turns and capture images of vehicles within 1.5 km
Toll collection
- no toll: from July 1 to July 5
- basic fee
  - car or SUV -Rs 50
  - mini bus or mini truck -Rs 75
  - bus or truck – Rs 100
- pass for daily travel (2-way): 1.5 times basic toll
- pass for daily travel (multiple entries): 2.5 times basic toll
- monthly pass (all vehicles): 50 times basic toll
- buses will be charged Re 1 extra for each commuter ticket
- payment mode
  - Manual payment: 30 seconds
  - Swipe card (for monthly passes): 20 seconds
  - On-board-unit electronic payment: 10 to 12 seconds
Benefits
- earlier travel time of 35 to 38 minutes to pass through the 7.7 km distance between Mahim flyover and Love Grove Junction, Worli is now reduced to just 6 minutes through the 4.7-km sea link
- during peak hours, around 7,000 to 8,000 cars are expected to use the sea link per hour, saving fuel costs to the tune of Rs 260 crore annually
- first eight-lane freeway bridge to be constructed in open sea conditions in India
- has received the “Most outstanding bridge – National award” from the Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers (IIBE)
- going to be one of the most attractive sight seeing spots in Mumbai
Safeties
- two cameras fitted under the cable-stayed portions of the link will keep watch on the movements of boats and ships
- 12 cameras will be used for monitoring by MSRDC, traffic police and city police
- the sea link will be under the jurisdiction of Bandra and Worli police stations
- two policemen on bikes will patrol along bridge

Google has updated Mumbai map with BWSL.

Last year, my post on BWSL showed Mumbai map from Google:

Now, Google shows updated Mumbai map

Here are some images taken from HCC’s virtual experience of BWSL to explain the interesting features of BWSL

In future, the bridge will be extended from Worli to Haji Ali and then to Nariman point.

View some interesting video clips from Times Now:

All the above information are compiled from: HCC, The Times of India.

Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

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Flight IY 626 of Yemen Airliner Crashes in Indian Ocean off Comoros

OldSailor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:27:30 +0000

Flight IY 626 of Yemenia Airway (of Yemen) with 142 passengers along with a crew of 11 onboard crashed early Tuesday, June 30 in the Indian Ocean near the Moroni port of the Comorian Republic (Comoros islands). It seems June 2009 is an unlucky month for passenger flights.

On June 01, Air France (AF) Flight 447 crashed in Atlantic Ocean midway after taking off from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France with 228 people (216 passengers and 12 crew members).

Some more information available regarding the crash are:

The aircraft crashed is Airbus A 310-300.
The aircraft took off from the Sana’a International Airport of Yemen at 9:45 pm of local time on June 29 to reach Moroni, the capital of Comoros.
The flight duration was around 4 hours.
While making approach to land at Moroni, the aircraft crashed in the Indian Ocean just few minutes before landing within 8 nautical miles from Comorian coast.
Contact with the aircraft was lost at 1:51 am of Moroni local time, June 30.
The crash site is reported to be Mitsamiouli and some bodies were seen at the crash site.
Rescue teams including foreign ships and planes are searching for any survivors at the crash site.
Preliminary reports say
- the crash was due to rough weather
- an oil spot was seen 16-17 nautical miles off the port of Moroni in the Islands of Comoros
The aircraft was carrying 142 passengers including three infants, mostly French and Comorian people.
A Yemeni committee led by Minister of Transport has been set to probe the crash.

Yemenia Airway in their website flashes “Yemenia regrets to announce the missing of its flight No. IY626 from Sana’a to Moroni with 142 passengers and 11 crew onboard ِAirbus 310-300 for more information contact the call center at 00967 1250800 or the emergency No 00967 1 250833”

Online Video: View Entire 2008 Hurricane Season from NASA

OldSailor — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:52:16 +0000

Online video is now available from NASA, of all of the tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes of 2008 as they formed in the Atlantic Ocean Basin and either faded at sea or made landfall. Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2008, had 17 tropical cyclones covering the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Sixteen of the storms were strong enough to be named, and only one remained as a tropical depression.

Here is the list of storms and hurricanes of 2008:

Arthur: May 31-June 01
Bertha: July 03-20
Cristobal: July 19-23
Dolly: July 20-25
Edouard: Aug 03-06
Fay: Aug 15-26
Gustav: Aug 25-Sep 04
Hanna: Aug 28-Sep 07
Ike: Sep 01-14
Josephine: Sep 02-06
Kyle: Sep 25-29
Laura: Sep 29-Oct 01
Marco: Oct 06-07
Nana: Oct 12-14
Omar: Oct 13-18
Paloma: Nov 05-09

The online video displays the infrared cloud imagery from the geosynchronous weather satellites, principally NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-12. The online video of hurricane season 2008, is available in several versions of a HD-TV (720p and 1080p) digital animation.

To view the online video, log on to Hurricane Alley 2008.

Floating Island of Russia Drifts to Estonia

OldSailor — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:17:49 +0000

A four hectare Russian island on the Narva Reservoir has drifted and reached the shores of Estonia on June 19.

Some interesting features of the floating island are:

Reason for drifting: High water levels and strong winds.
Impact of drifting: Buildings on the shore are likely to be damaged.

In fact many islands on the Narva Reservoir have started drifting.

View an interesting video clip: Welcome to Estonia

Puri Beach Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson

OldSailor — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:22:39 +0000

Puri Beach of Orissa has paid tribute to the world renowned Pop Star Michael Jackson on his demise this week.

Puri Beach paid the tribute on June 26 by:

Creating a four feet high sand sculpture with two tons of sand.
The colorful sand sculpture brings out clearly Jackson’s face,his hat and a guitar.
The sand image was created by Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik in four hours with assistance from his students of Golden Sand Art Institute.

View a video clip from Videos From India: Sand artist pays tribute to Michael Jackson

Read more and also view an amazing photograph from Puri Waves.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Weekend Tips: How to Convert a Ship Photograph into a Sketch

Weekend View: International Maritime Defence Show 2009

OldSailor — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:34:46 +0000

The fourth International Maritime Defence Show (IMDS-2009) is going on at St.Petersburg. IMDS started on June 24 and is expected to finish on June 28. Some interesting features of IMDS 2009 are:

Biennial show hosted by Russia from 2003.
The show at Lenexpo exhibition center in St. Petersburg includes exhibition, demonstration, business and congress events, VIP-negotiations and visits to shipbuilding enterprises.
350 Russian and foreign companies and delegations from 47 countries are participating in the show.
Impact of recession: nearly 20% of the last IMDS participants refused taking part this year due to the financial problems and 65 % of the participants decided to decrease the exposition areas.

Some exhibits profile are:
- Naval & Commercial Shipbuilding
- Weapons, Armaments, Integrated Complexes & Fire Control Systems
- Combat Control Systems, Communications, Radio-Electronics, Radars & Sonars
- Marine Power Plants, Hull Systems, Gears & Auxiliary Machinery
- Naval Aviation (Deck & Shore-Based)
- Navigation, Hydrographical & Hydro-Meteorological Services & Hardware
- Navy coastal forces arming
- High-speed and small-size vessels, boats, yachts for supporting and commercial purposes
- Logistics infrastructure
- Harbour and hydraulic engineering
- Navigation security
- Search & Rescue equipment
- Personnel Training
- Industrial equipment in shipbuilding and associated industries
- New Materials & Technologies
Countries participating/exhibiting their products are here.
India is represented by
- BrahMos Aerospace
- Force
- Goa Shipyard Limited
- JV Rosoboronservice (India)
Four international scientific and practical conferences were also part of the show.

View some video clips on IMDS 2009:

From Russia Today: Maritime exhibition opens in St. Petersburg
From Daily Motion: Maritime show opens in St. Petersburg

View IMDS 2009 photographs from RIA Novosti and read more from Russia Today.

For more details on IMDS 2009, log on to Naval Show.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Weekend Tips: How to Convert a Ship Photograph into a Sketch

Update: June 30

View a video clip from Reuters Video: Russia shows off navy prowess

Varuna 2009: Indian Navy Exercise with French Navy

OldSailor — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:33:33 +0000

Indian Navy ships are gearing up for Exercise Varuna 2009 with the French Navy. Interestingly this exercise is going to be participated by the same Indian Navy ships after completing Konkan 2009 with the Royal Navy in U.K waters.

Some interesting features of Varuna 2009 are:

is an annual bilateral exercise.
to be conducted from June 27 to July 04, off the coasts of Brittany.
participating ships from Indian Navy with their integral helicopters
- INS Delhi (D 61), Indian built Delhi class destroyer
- INS Brahmaputra (F 31), Indian built Brahmaputra class frigate (Type 16A)
- INS Beas (F 37), Indian built Brahmaputra class frigate
- INS Aditya (A 59), Indian built oil tanker
participating ships from French Navy
- Primauguet (D 644): Anti Sub-Marine (ASM) type F 70 Destroyer, with Lynx helicopter
- Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Hénaff (F 789): Avisos type A69 Frigate, specialized in ASM warfare in coastal waters
- Casabianca (S 603): Submarine Nuclear Attack (SNA) type Rubis
- Aircrafts: Maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2, Fighter aircraft Rafale Marine, Super Etendard Modernized (SEM) of naval aviation

Here are the photographs of the French Navy ships taking part in Varuna 2009:

Primauguet (D 644)

Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Hénaff (F 789)

Nuclear Attack Submarine Casabianca (S 603)

Varuna 2008 was held from May 08 to May 16, 2008 off Visakhapatnam.

View an interesting video clip: Rafale on the French aircraft carrier

Read more from Press Information Bureau, Marine Nationale (in English through Google Translate).

All the above photographs are from Marine Nationale.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Biodiesel Powered Earthrace Set to Break World Record

Update: July 05

View an interesting video clip from NDTV: Indian Navy sends fleet to France for joint exercise

Royal Navy Diver Receives Medal Underwater

OldSailor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:34:20 +0000

Medals are presented ceremoniously in the parade ground. But for Petty Officer Andy Coulson, a Royal Navy diver it was something different. He received his medal underwater.

Some interesting features of this medal presentation are:

Petty Officer Andy Coulson of Southern Diving Unit 2 (SDU2), received his 15 year Long Service and Good Conduct Medal underwater.
The citation and medal was presented by his Officer in Charge SDU2, Lieutenant Simon Leightley at the bottom of a military outdoor swimming pool.
Petty Officer Andy Coulson joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16 as an Air Engineer Mechanic and he was transferred to the diving branch 11 years ago.

Here is the amazing photograph from the Royal Navy.

From left: Warrant Officer (Diver) Robin Rickard watches Acting Petty Officer Andy Coulson (centre) receive his medal for loyal service from Lieutenant Simon Leightley

Kursk: Play by Young Vic Theatre of London on Russian Submarine Tragedy

OldSailor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:17:21 +0000

Young Vic Theatre of London has staged a play on Kursk Submarine Tragedy. K-141 Kursk, an Oscar II class Russian nuclear cruise missile submarine sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000. The reason for the accident is reported to be as torpedo explosion onboard and as a result all 118 crew perished despite rescue operations.

Some interesting features of the play Kursk by Young Vic are:

Being played from June 03 to June 27 as a tribute to the victims of the submarine.
Played at Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LZ.
Ian Ashpitel plays as one of the crew, and is an ex-submariner himself.

About the play as reported by Young Vic:

Kursk is a promenade production. This means you are free to walk around within the space and that there are no conventional seats as in our other spaces. There are benches which you are welcome to lean on and should you be unable to stand for the duration of the show a chair can be provided. For your safety baggage, food and drink cannot be taken into the auditorium. We want your visit to be as enjoyable as possible. If you need a chair or have any access requirements please contact our Box Office staff on 020 7922 2922.

View some video clips:

From Russia Today: Kursk sub tragedy on stage
The last seconds of the Submarine Kursk – Part 1, Part 2

For more details regarding the play, log on to Young Vic.

Above photograph of Play Kursk is from Young Vic.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

MV Princess of the Stars Disaster Ship Owner Not Aware of the Latest Guidelines of Philippine Coast Guard

Cargo Ships Collide in Tianjin Port Anchorage of China

OldSailor — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:33:43 +0000

A Panamanian ship and a Cambodian ship collided in the Tianjin Port anchorage in the eastern part of China on June 20.

Some information available from Chinese media regarding this collision are:

The collision took place around 0325 hours.
Ships collided are: Panamanian ship “Hong Kong movie star” and Cambodian ship “SO Fuk” (also reported as “Fu-Hsin Su”)
Panamanian ship “Hong Kong movie star”
- 269 metres long and 43 metres wide, bulk carrier
- carrying 142,000 tons of iron ore
- 25 crew members on board are Chinese nationals
- due to collision the 150,000 ton ship was partially submerged
Cambodian ship “SO Fuk”
- 100,000 ton ship’s bow damaged
- 146 metres long, 20.6 metres wide
- carrying 14,550 tons of cargo

Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration (TMSA) immediately sent two coast guard ships for assistance and also made arrangements to prevent oil spill including safe transfer of fuel from the damaged ships.
Timely action by TMSA has prevented casualties, oil pollution due to fuel leakage and sinking of the vessels.

View a video clip from NTDTV: Two Ships Collide off Chinas East Coast

Read more from Tianjinwe: in Chinese and through Google Translate in English.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Jason-2 Satellite of OSTM to Monitor Rising Sea Levels

Chennai Port: MV Captain Ali Without Any Instructions

OldSailor — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:48:57 +0000

MV Captain Ali (IMO: 6619920), Mercy Mission ship is off Chennai Port for almost a week without any instructions.
Some developments on MV Captain Ali so far:

The vessel carrying 884 tons of humanitarian aid of food, medicine, and other essential humanitarian relief items to Sri Lanka Tamils left Fos-Sur-Mer, France on May 07.
On June 04, the vessel was intercepted by Sri Lanka Navy and taken to Colombo for investigations. During the search operations onboard, the Sri Lanka Navy did not find any lethal cargo. But, Sri Lanka denied permission to unload cargo saying that the vessel was not conforming to the International Ships and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
On June 09, the vessel was safely escorted to a distance of 100 nautical miles off Sri Lankan shores by Sri Lanka Navy.
The vessel then headed to Chennai with the aim of unloading the cargo at Chennai Port.
The vessel reached off Chennai Port on June 14, and it was reported that some crew members were sick and the vessel had acute shortage of drinking water.
On June 19, the Tamil Nadu government requested the central government, to persuade Sri Lanka to permit the vessel to unload cargo in Sri Lanka.
On June 20, Chennai Port supplied 200 litres of drinking water to the vessel.
On June 22, the vessel was inspected by the Indian Navy/Coast Guard and after the inspection, the vessel was directed to move further away from Chennai Port without assigning any reasons.

Now MV Captain Ali is waiting for instructions from ship owner for further action.

Why MV Captain Ali is not getting any support from Sri Lanka ?

Answer is at Sri Lanka Army’s website : ‘Captain Ali’ Ordered Out. Part of the news report is given below.

Commander Karunaratne said funds raised from gullible EU citizens and some forcibly taken from the Tamil diaspora in those countries and the UK by an organisation called ‘Act Now’, a pro-LTTE organisation via the fund raising campaign ‘Mercy Mission’, were utilised to purchase the supplies.

Kristjan Guomundsson, the Iceland national was on board the vessel at the time of its seizure monitoring the mission. He is an ex-Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Naval monitor turned LTTE sympathiser who headed the SLMM’s Liaison Office in Kilinochchi and later in Jaffna, Commander Karunaratne said.

India: Unanswered questions ?

If the vessel is not having any lethal cargo, what is the harm in permitting the vessel to unload cargo at Chennai Port ?
Is it fair to keep a vessel at sea with sick crew, without giving any clear instructions ?

Read more from Express Buzz, Hindustan Times, Vanni Mission.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

JMSDF Destroyer Sazanami on Goodwill Visit to China

Update: June 24

View some video clips from Times Now:

Another video clip: Outside Chennai – interview Kristjan 23 june 09

Update: July 03

Now MV Captain Ali, has received instructions. The ship anchored off Chennai with relief material for Sri Lanka Tamils, was permitted to dock at Chennai Port on July 02. The relief material is being offloaded in the presence of Customs, Coast Guard and the police. The consignment would then be loaded into a container and sent to Colombo by another ship in 3-4 days for distribution through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Read more from The Times of India.

View photographs of unloading relief material from, Vanni Mission.

Update: July 04

View a video clip from Videos From India: Sri Lanka aid ship permitted to offload at Chennai

Update: July 05

MV Captain Ali, after unloading of humanitarian cargo has sailed out of Chennai Port in the morning on July 05. Read more from Vanni Mission.

Konkan 2009: Indian Navy Exercise with Royal Navy in U.K Waters

OldSailor — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:55:26 +0000

Indian Navy and the Royal Navy are conducting Exercise Konkan 2009 in U.K waters for the first time. Sea phase of Konkan, has commenced on June 20. Four exercises have been conducted so far since 2004.
Some interesting features of Konkan 2009 that commenced last week are:

Conducted every year as a bilateral exercise to build maritime interoperability and mutual understanding.
Indian Navy ships reached Portsmouth on June 17 to take part in the exercise.
Indian Navy Ships participating in the exercise
- INS Delhi (D 61), Indian built Delhi class destroyer
- INS Brahmaputra (F 31) Indian built Brahmaputra class frigate (Type 16A), after goodwill visit to Israel.
- INS Beas (F 37), Indian built Brahmaputra class frigate
- INS Aditya (A 59), Indian built oil tanker
Royal Navy Ships participating in the exercise along with an RAF Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft
- HMS Westminster ( F 237), Type 23 Duke class frigate
- HMS Northumberland (F 238), Type 23 Duke class frigate
- HMS Trafalgar (S 107), Trafalgar Class (SSN) Fleet Submarine, nuclear powered
- RFA Mounts Bay, Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) of Royal Fleet Auxiliary
- RFA Fort Rosalie, Fleet Replenishment Ship

Harbour phase:
- training alongside
- visits to naval establishments in and around Portsmouth including sight seeing
- a sports competition for the Konkan Cup, currently held by the Royal Navy
Sea Phase:
- from June 20 for six days
- anti-submarine warfare
- practise anti-air and anti-surface skills, including boarding operations
- exchange of personnel to experience life at sea
In addition, a team of Indian Navy divers will also be conducting Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training with the Plymouth-based Southern Diving Group.

Konkan 2008 was conducted off Goa in April/May last year.

Read more from Press Information Bureau and the Royal Navy, for photographs of Indian Navy ships.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Largest Aquarium of Japan Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Weekend View: Sea Turtle Conservation by Royal Thai Navy

OldSailor — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:55:58 +0000

The Royal Thai Navy is doing a commendable job by protecting sea turtles at their Sea Turtle Conservation Center.

Some interesting features of sea turtles and Sea Turtle Conservation Center are:

Sea Turtles
- Khram Island is the nesting site for green sea turtles, where hundreds of sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs
- Sea turtles in Thailand are being killed by humans for their meat, eggs and their shells which are considered precious
- Also large number of sea turtles die by getting trapped in fishing nets during migration
- To save the sea turtles, the Royal Thai Navy has Sea Turtle Conservation Center
Sea Turtle Conservation Center
- A research institute of Thai Navy at Sattahip with turtle breeding farms and nursery ponds
- The eggs of sea turtles are identified by observing the softness of the sand and the eggs are then moved closer to the beach side for further nurturing
- Eggs are kept inside sixty centimetre deep sand pits for hatching after noting down the number of eggs, the date of nesting and the expected birth date
- After birth, the new born turtles are taken to tanks for a wash to remove the sand and then are provided with anti-fungus treatment to keep them healthy
- For almost six months, the baby turtles are looked after and grown up turtles are then released into the sea
- The center also provides valuable information on sea turtles through lectures, video presentation and exhibitions
- The center is also opened to visitors

View some interesting video clips:

from NTDTV: Thai Navy Launches Sea Turtle Conservation Program
from Reuters: Thai navy watch over sea turtles

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Weekend Tips: Use Rescue Line Launcher to Save Life from Drowning

Discovery Channel Reveals Real and Untold Story of Captain Richard Phillips Rescue

OldSailor — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:51:02 +0000

This weekend, Discovery Channel is going to reveal the real and untold story of Captain Richard Phillips’ rescue from Somali pirates in their exclusive show “Somali Pirate Takedown-The Real Story”. The show brings out the very real story of the heroic Navy SEAL actions, to finally free Captain Richard Phillips of Maersk Alabama from Somali pirates in April.

You can

hear the untold story of the dramatic hostage situation onboard MV Maersk Alabama.
view the extraordinary measures taken by the U.S. Navy to free Captain Richard Phillips alive.
see how the Navy SEALs pulled off three impossible shots to put a sudden end to a modern day pirate standoff.

When ?

June 21, Sunday, 10:00 pm
June 22, Monday, 1:00 am
Jun 26, Friday, 7:00 pm

Duration: 60 minutes

You can also view the show on June 23, 9:00 pm and June 24, 12:00 am from Discovery-Military Channel.

For more details, log on to Discovery Channel.

Posts in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Graphical Presentation: Coast Lines of Countries

Gas Leak Kills Two Workers in Vessel Undergoing Conversion in DryDocks World Singapore

U.S.Navy Tracks Suspicious North Korean Vessel Kang Nam

OldSailor — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:47:23 +0000

USS John McCain (DDG 56) is tracking a suspicious North Korean vessel Kang Nam I in the Pacific Ocean.

Some interesting features of North Korean Vessel Kang Nam I are:

Kang Nam I, left a port in North Korea on June 17 and appears to be heading to Singapore.
The vessel is suspected to be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials.
This is in violation of U.N. Resolution 1874, that bans North Korea (DPRK – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) from exporting weapons, including missile parts and nuclear materials.
Past record: In October 2006, the same vessel was detained in Hong Kong for proliferation activities.

However, as per the U.N. Resolution 1874, the vessel can not be inspected at sea without the consent of the vessel.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1874 (2009) under Chapter VII, the Council sharpened its weapons import-export ban on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea enacted in resolution 1718 (2006) ‑‑ which included armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, attack helicopters, warships and missiles and spare parts ‑‑ by calling on States to inspect, seize and dispose of the items and by denying fuel or supplies to service the vessels carrying them.

The Council called on all States to cooperate with those inspections, and, if the flag State did not consent to inspection on the high seas, decided that that State should direct the vessel to proceed to an appropriate and convenient port for the required inspection by the local authorities.

Any Member State that undertook an inspection, or seized and disposed of such cargo, was required to promptly submit reports containing the details to the Committee monitoring the sanctions, and to report on any lack of cooperation of a flag State.

View some video clips:

from Video Reuters: U.S. Navy eyes North Korean ship
from Fox News: Suspicious Ship

Chennai Port: China Uses Sea Routes to Send Fake Drugs to India

OldSailor — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:45:24 +0000

Fake drugs from China reach Chennai port, India through sea routes. Fake drugs in three consignments were seized at Chennai port in the second, third and last week of May. Traders in China had sourced spurious drugs and sent them to Indian importers for distribution in other Indian cities.

Some disturbing features of fake drugs from China reaching India through sea routes are:

India’s 12 billion dollar pharma industry generates 40 per cent of its revenue from exports.
To kill the Indian pharma industry, China’s two pronged strategy
- directly supply fake drugs with “Made in India” labels in international market (recent seizure in Nigeria confirms this)
- supply fake drugs to Indian pharma industry to ensure spurious drugs are manufactured in India
Drugs are permitted to be imported in India through Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) only at
- sea ports:
  - East Coast: Chennai, Kolkata
  - West Coast: Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Kochi, Kandla
- airports: Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad
Why Chennai Port ?
- being shortest sea route from China
Reason:
- Traders who import from licensed drug manufacturers in China get only 5-7 per cent margin when they sell the commodity in India
- If they import fake drugs, they get 15-20 per cent margin

Details of fake drugs seized in the month of May:

Consignment details	Name of Indian Trader – Imported	Name of Chinese Trader Supplied	Name of Chinese Licensed Manufacturer, whose fake labels were used
May, 2nd week: First consignment of 500 kg of roxithromycin, valued at Rs 21 lakh	Envee Drugs Pvt Ltd in Kheda district of Gujarat	Sinobright Development Ltd	Zhejiang Zheyuan Pharmaceutical Company Ltd
May, 3rd week: second consignment of 400 kg of progesterone (female harmone) valued at Rs 40 lakh	J B Khokhani and Company, a Mumbai-based trader	Hong Kong-based Tiangao International Economic Development Corporation	Zhejiang Shenzhou Pharmaceutical Company Ltd
May, last week: third consignment of 2,000kg of cimetidine worth Rs 15 lakh	Sheetal Pharma of Mumbai	Zhejiang Chemicals Import and Export Corporation in China	Jiangxi Juermei Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd

Here are some more activities by China towards India:

garlanding with string of pearls
supply of mobile phones without IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number that are used for illegal activities in India.

Unanswered questions:

Can fake drugs leave China without the knowledge of Chinese Authorities ?
How long this supply of fake drugs were going on ?
How much and what type of fake medicines have already reached the Indian consumers ?

Read more from The Times of India: Report 1, Report 2

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Robofish of University of Washington can Now Talk Underwater

Update: June 24

According to the Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH) of India, export of textiles and ready-made garments to Nigeria virtually halved from Rs.224.7 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.119.2 crore in 2007-08. Reason ?

Chinese garments with fake “Made in India” tags are being sold in Nigeria. Again misuse of sea routes by China. Read more from The Times of India.

Update: June 25

Chennai Port Customs have confiscated two lakh automobile spark plugs with “Made in India” tag from China, valued at Rupees one crore. Read more from The Times of India.

Sri Lanka: Operational Mini Submarine of LTTE Found

OldSailor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:36:49 +0000

Sri Lanka Army on June 14, while conducting search and clearing operations recovered a mini submarine from the Vellamullaivaikkal coast, Mullaittivu. The 24 feet long, 4 feet height submarine was most probably used by the senior cadres of LTTE, for their underwater movements during the final phase of war on terrorism.

The mini submarines mostly recovered in the past were from the boat construction yard.

Here are some photographs from MOD, Sri Lanka.

GMTV Offers Bikini Diet Live from Cruise Ship Ruby Princess

OldSailor — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:36:09 +0000

Fitness freak Mr Motivator and GMTV are offering Bikini Diet at cruise ship Ruby Princess from June 15 to remain healthy and fit. Some interesting features of this Bikini Diet and Ruby Princess are:

Mr Motivator and GMTV fitness expert Deanne Berry are onboard Ruby Princess to host on-deck workouts to members on Bikini Diet.
GMTV has selected three Bikini Ladies of apple shape, pear shape and tofi (thin on the outside, fat inside) to be part of this Bikini Diet plan in the cruise ship for a week.
The 28 day Bikini Diet plan encourages members to
- try at least one of Mr Motivator’s daily dozen exercises (videos are available at GMTV)
- prepare at least one of Amanda’s delicious and nutritious healthy recipes (available at GMTV)
- have a piece of fruit everyday to keep the doctor away
- drink at least two glasses of water everyday
- resist at least once a day allure of unhealthy temptations
Members of Bikini Diet plan will be
- put through exercises at the ship’s gym
- learn to prepare recipes and follow a Mediterranean diet onboard
- on ship’s organized shore excursions to remain active
You can view everyday during the cruise, GMTV’s live broadcast from a different port onboard Ruby Princess, as she sails through a 12 night Greek Isles and Mediterranean cruise.
Cruise Ship Ruby Princess of Princess Cruises
- can accommodate around 3000 plus passengers
- is 952 feet in length
- has nearly 900 balcony staterooms

View some interesting video clips from GMTV:

View Bikini Diet live from GMTV.

Read more about Ruby Princess from, Princess Cruises.

To join Bikini Diet, log on to GMTV.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Global Need to Develop Submarine Escape and Rescue Systems

Update: June 17

View video of June 17: Mr Motivator and Deanne Berry workout on GMTV

Update: June 18

View video of June 18: Banish those bingo wings with Deanne Berry

Update: June 19

View video of June 19: GMTV’s bikini diet – Mr Motivator – Deanne Berry

Also view a video of Mr Motivator and Bikini Diet recruit Rachel making a simple, healthy bowl of pasta: Simple spaghetti recipe

Update: June 22

Bikini Diet onboard cruise ship Ruby Princess has come to an end.

View a video clip of Deanne Berry on war against bingo wings with her latest Bikini Diet workout: Banish bingo wings

Update: July 01

View some more video clips

Deanne shows some exercises to Tofi recruit Rachel: Bikini Diet Tofi workout
Deanne shows some exercises for women and men: Bikini Diet Workouts for Everyone

Update: July 02

Deanne shows some fantastic exercises for toning your legs and bum: Bikini Diet Bum and Thighs

Update: July 03

Deanne shows some new exercises for apple shape women to try: Bikini Diet Apple Dieter

Also, Deanne shows some exercises for men: Swimming Trunks Diet

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