Efe News

Thirty-seven migrants are feared dead after a dinghy carrying dozens of people capsized off the coast of Spain's Canary Islands, the sole survivor to have been found so far told Spain's maritime rescue services on Thursday.A rescue helicopter carrying the survivor - a 30-year-old woman who appeared exhausted and shaken - and two corpses landed at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria airport, in the Canarian capital, after a cargo ship found them 135 miles away from the coast.The woman told rescue workers that 40 migrants were aboard the dinghy…

A Chinese military ship entered the waters of south-western Japan on Wednesday, EFE news reported quoting government officials. This is the first such incident in over a decade and comes a week after a Chinese navy ship sailed near the disputed Senkaku islands. Ap reported Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko as saying that a Maritime Self-Defense Force plane spotted the ship in Japanese waters west of Kuchinoerabu island in southern Japan before dawn. The ship sailed out of Japan's waters about 90 minutes later. “The government will continue to take all possible measures for warning and surveillance activity for our territorial waters and airspace,” Seko said.

The opening of a newly expanded Panama Canal, previously scheduled for April, will be postponed due to cracks detected in the new set of locks that are the centerpiece of the $5.25 billion overhaul, EFE quotes Panama Canal Authority (ACP) head Jorge Quijano as saying. The interoceanic waterway agency was still planning for the inauguration to occur during the second quarter of 2016 and no later than June. Under the new timetable, the GUPC consortium that is carrying out the expansion will begin navigation tests in April, Quijano said in statements to business leaders that the ACP forwarded to EFE. "We moved it to April due to these problems we had," the administrator said.

The Director of U.S. National Intelligence, James Clapper, has expressed his concern at the progress of China in maritime zones it shares with its neighbors, accused China of expanding its outposts in the South China Sea in an “aggressive” effort to exert sovereignty. Clapper voiced concern over land reclamation activities in the South China Sea that could further escalate tensions between China and its neighbors over disputed islands, especially with artificial islands being created as aerial platforms, The Associated Press reports. Beijing rejected the charges saying that China has shown restraint and a responsible attitude in the South China Sea. "Outsiders have no right to make groundless accusations," foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said.

The 19th Annual Career Days organized by the Istanbul Technical University Maritime Faculty Career Club hosted V. Ships today as the first guest. V. Ships was represented by the personnel managers Efe Sipahi , Volkan Imamoglu and Saygın Suner. Imamoglu and Sipahi started their speeches by introducing their company to the students. They emphasized that they give importance to professional education as a company and underlined that professionalism could be achieved with education.

Paragon Shipping Inc. The M/V Diamond Seas, a 2001 built 74,274 dwt Panamax bulkcarrier, has been fixed to HYundai Glovis Co. Ltd for a period of 3 to 6 months at a gross daily rate of $9,150. As a result, the Company's fixed revenue days now stand at 97% in 2012, at 69% in 2013 and at 35% in 2014 based on latest redelivery dates. The new time charter contracts are anticipated to contribute a minimum of about $2.6 million of gross revenues to the Company. Paragon Shipping is a Marshall Islands-based international shipping company with executive offices in Athens, Greece, specializing in the transportation of drybulk cargoes. The Company's current fleet consists of twelve drybulk vessels with a total carrying capacity of 779,270 dwt.

The first annual Turkish Ship Brokers’ Association Dinner (Bosporus 2012) will be held at the Haliç Congress Center, located in the historical district of Sütlüce in İstanbul on June 29, 2012. The Turkish Ship Brokers’ Association is expecting an attendance of about 1.400 ship brokers, ship owners, charterers, ship agents and representatives of all areas of the global shipping industry. With the support of the Turkish Transportation, Maritime and Communication Ministry and IMEAK DTO/Turkish Chamber of Shipping, Bosporus 2012 is being sponsored by Statu Shipping, Ulgenbulk, Densa Tanker, Hkalkavan Shipping, Burtrans, Bulk Atlantic, Efe Chartering, Catoni Shipping, United Shipping Agency Romania, Forsa Shipping and Green Black Marine Logistics.