Communications Station News

A Chinese intelligence ship was tracked off Australia's west coast within 50 nautical miles of a sensitive defense facility, Australia said on Friday, raising concern amid an election campaign about China's behavior in the region.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Chinese navy vessel was not in Australian territorial waters but its presence was "concerning"."It is clearly an intelligence ship and they are looking at us and we're keeping a close eye on them," he told reporters.Australia…

The Coast Guard Communications Station in Kodiak received a mayday call from the tender, relayed by the fishing vessel Heidi Linea, reporting that they had experienced a loss of steering in 20-foot seas. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Cordova to respond. Later, the vessel St. Joseph was confirmed aground between Yakutat and Kayak Island on the Gulf of Alaska. An overflight revealed that the vessel was on the beach and a vehicle and portable storage tank were dislodged from the aft deck of the vessel and thrown ashore. The St. Joseph reportedly has 1,400 gallons of diesel aboard but responders report that there are no signs of pollution at this time.

The Naval Academy of the Uruguay Navy has successfully completed the acquisition and installation of a simulator complex by Transas including navigation and maneuvering simulator NTPRO 5000, GMDSS Communications simulator TGS 5000 and Engine Room simulator ERS 5000 SOLO. The project acquired through international bidding, with the participation of five world leading manufacturers culminated in the award of the contract to Transas USA and its local representative Arnaldo C. Castro SA. The new simulators replace the previous Transas simulators installed in 2000.

1909-The schooner Nelson Y. McFarland issued a distress call after dropping anchor near the White Head, Maine, Life-Saving Service station. Although anchored against the tide, she was becalmed, yet her stern swung so close to the ledge that "a change of wind or tide would have thrown the vessel upon the rocks. A pulling boat and crew from the station responded to the call and the men rowed to the ship's aid. 1993-Communications Station Guam received a mayday broadcast from the M/V East Wood. The ship's radio operator claimed that the vessel had been taken over by hijackers and that there were 400 people in the vessel's two main cargo holds. Another transmission claimed that 10 persons were going to be thrown overboard.

Two Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews conducted a medevac of a Filipino-crewman off the 656-ft Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Stellar Harvest 200 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor Saturday at 9:25 a.m.on Feb. 14. Angelo Tomado, 30, reportedly suffered two broken arms when he fell 16 feet in a cargo hold Feb. 11. The master of the vessel contacted radio watchstanders at Communications Station Kodiak who relayed the request to search and rescue controllers at the Seventeenth Coast Guard District Command Center in Juneau. The vessel was 975 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor en route to Coos Bay, Ore., at the time of the request. Due to the range of the helicopters the vessel altered course toward Dutch Harbor to close the distance.

1909-The schooner Nelson Y. McFarland issued a distress call after dropping anchor near the White Head, Maine, Life-Saving Service station. Although anchored against the tide, she was becalmed, yet her stern swung so close to the ledge that "a change of wind or tide would have thrown the vessel upon the rocks. A pulling boat and crew from the station responded to the call and the men rowed to the ship's aid. 1993-Communications Station Guam received a mayday broadcast from the M/V East Wood. The ship's radio operator claimed that the vessel had been taken over by hijackers and that there were 400 people in the vessel's two main cargo holds. Another transmission claimed that 10 persons were going to be thrown overboard.

SeaWave, a wireless communications company serving the maritime industry, has completed a new, state-of-the-art SeaWave Communications Station. The facility is located in Rhode Island and is used to provide SeaWave subscribers Internet e-mail and NOAA weather data using high frequency radio and advanced signal processing. The new station, which consists of multiple antenna arrays that provide worldwide coverage for SeaWave customers, has dedicated directional antennas support different geographic locations throughout the world to maximize coverage. Using a high-speed satellite link to interface with multiple servers located at SeaWave Corporate Offices in Middletown…

Station 12, the Netherlands-based mobile satellite communications company, has signed an agreement with Visma ASA for the acquisition of its marine division, SpecTec. The price for SpecTec is $75.4 million in cash plus the assumption of net inter-company debt of $893,000. SpecTec is a leading supplier of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which has been designed to improve efficiency on board vessels. The company has 230 employees and is represented in 30 countries through its own subsidiaries and agents. In 1999, SpecTec increased net sales by 19 percent to $19.8 million, while operating profits increased by 83 percent to $2.6 million. SpecTec is the market leader with a 40 percent share of the market with systems installed on some 6,000 vessels worldwide.

Transas has supplied a full-mission bridge simulator, Navi-Trainer Professional 3000, to the training center of Split Ship Management, Croatia, to be officially opened on March 1, 2001. This will be the most advanced simulator training facility of its type in the country. The focus of the new simulator will be the Main Bridge, which will be provided with seven visual channels permitting a 210-degree panoramic view. Other bridge equipment will consist of a maneuvering console with a conning display station and overhead panel; two ARPA/ radar stations; and an ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) console. Also provided…

The Coast Guard Loran Station here will hold a Change of Command Ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Senior Chief Robert A. Merick will relieve Chief Richard J. Isabelle as Commanding Officer of the unit during the ceremony. Isabelle, of Springfield, Mass., will serve as executive officer of Loran Station Port Clarence. Isabelle’s previous duty stations include Loran Station Marcus Island, Japan, and the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma in New Bedford, Mass. He graduated from Springfield Technical Community College with an associate’s degree in Electronics Technology in 1985 followed by a degree from the Advanced Integrated Electronics School in Memphis, Tenn. Merick, of Sikeston, Mo., most recently served at the Kodiak Communications Station as the Electronics Technician in Charge.