Isis News

American Queen Voyages announced David Giersdorf has been named acting president for American Queen Voyages for a term of up to 18 months. He will report to Kevin Rabbitt, chief executive officer, Hornblower Group.Giersdorf has served in the role of advisor to American Queen Voyages for nearly three years and brings a deep passion and understanding of Hornblower’s overnight cruise industry including supporting the acquisition and reimagining of the independent shore excursions business…

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is carrying out strike sorties from the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The first aircraft launched from USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147. Accompanying Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 squadrons, part of that first flight include the "Black Knights" of VFA-154, the "Blue Diamonds" of VFA-146, the "Death Rattlers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, and the "Bluetails" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121. "For the Nimitz Strike Group, today is game day," said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of CSG-11. "When you hear the roar of the jets today it is for real. It's game on.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is currently launching missions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) from the Arabian Gulf. Rear Adm. Kenneth R. Whitesell, commander, CSG 2, said the missions are part of the key to accelerating the fight against ISIS. "The superb efforts made by the men and women of this strike group will be critical to continuing this fight," said Whitesell. "The George H.W. Whitesell credited the strike group's readiness on the extensive training leading up to deployment. "This is what we've been training for," said Whitesell. "We're ready to support the mission wherever and whenever we're needed.

Asia’s most populous democracies and emerging powers, have firmed up a blueprint for enhancing maritime cooperation and resolved to jointly combat terror. India and Indonesia enjoy a good maritime partnership. India has backed Indonesia on the latter’s escalating dispute with China on territorial claims in South China Sea. This nexus is expected to irk China. “Indonesia is our most important partner as part of our ‘Act East’ policy,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in a joint statement with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. India and Indonesia have affirmed their commitment to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). "Both leaders committed to maintaining a maritime legal order based on the principles of international law…

Vessel sales for September 2016 (as of October 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

The world is closely watching several contentious flash points that have potential to ignite. The behavior and rhetoric of China and Russia regarding vital shipping lanes in international waters have been alarming. Disputed sovereignty claims and efforts to enforce them have the maritime world on edge. China’s nine-dash line claims about owning the entire East and South China Sea have created a dilemma for themselves and the other nations in the region. The Philippines v. China case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague commenced on Jan.

Even though the coup attempt in Turkey  failed and the transportation situation normalized quickly thereafter, Poten & Partners take a look at the importance of Turkey to the tanker market. Turkey is not a large oil or gas producer; according to JODI its crude oil production amounts to about 48 thousand barrels per day (Kb/d) of crude oil and almost 400 million m3 of natural gas in 2015. The country’s oil consumption averaged about 927 Kb/d in 2015, about 1% of the global consumption. Neither of these statistics would make the country an important energy market player. However, the importance of Turkey to the energy market is related to its geographical location; the country is a major transfer hub for oil and gas.

Vessel sales for June 2016 (as of July 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is sending his country’s largest warship to Syria in an attempt to finally destroy the death cult ISIS, reports Daily Star. The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has been dispatched to Syria carrying 30 jet fighters and attack helicopters. Putin made the decision to dispatch the warship soon after the latest ISIS attacks in Bangladesh and Iraq. The 55,000 tonne ship will be deployed in the region from October until January, a military source informed TASS. The Admiral Kuznetsov will be packed with warplanes and attack choppers. The ship is expected to arrive in the Med by October where it will link up with land-based Russian forces who are already pounding the cult into submission with airtrikes.

BMT Isis, a subsidiary of international design, engineering and risk management consultancy BMT Group, has announced a name change effective immediately; the company will now take the name BMT Cadence. “Given recent global events, we recognize the sensitivities around any organization using the name Isis and we hope that the name change will serve as clear affirmation of BMT’s support to our clients operating within U.K. and global defense markets and the front-line forces that we collectively serve,”   explained Mike Prince, Managing Director of BMT Cadence.

Vessel sales for February 2016 (as of March 1) as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.

Islamic State (ISIS) militants armed with Russian weapons could commit brutal terror attacks on cruise ships in the Mediterranean,  Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone, the UK’s highest naval officer in Nato has warned. NATO is aware of the fact that the Islamic terrorists group wants to create a maritime arm and use the Mediterranean to freely travel along the North African seaboard, target maritime trade and oil platforms, and control the maritime access, Clive said. "We know they have had ambitions to go off shore, we know they would like to have a maritime arm, just as Al Qaeda had a maritime arm," UK Vice Admiral was quoted by The Telegraph newspaper. Cruise liners, oil platforms, container ships in the Mediterranean could be targeted by the militants, he noted.

According to the Independent, oil tankers owned by Bilal Erdogan, son President Erdogan, has involved in the illicit  oil trade with  Islamic State (ISIS). The ships are  registered in Malta and all fly the Maltese flag. Russia's allegations of Turkish involvement in ISIS' oil trade have focused primarily on the Turkish president's son, Bilal Erdogan. The 34-year-old is one of three equal partners in the BMZ group, a major Turkish oil and marine shipping company, which both the Russian and Syrian governments have accused of purchasing oil from ISIS. Officials as well as Russian and Syrian media said Bilal Erdogan is involved directly in the oil trade with IS. They said that Turkish warplanes shot down Russian mainly aimed at protecting the illicit oil trade of Bilal.

Export hulls – through the FMS Program, as well as Direct Sales – are a key piece of the business model. Even as the crash in energy prices feeds the oversupply of offshore support vessels – a key staple of U.S. boatbuilding diets – and the dwindling backlogs of some so-called ‘second tier’ yards,  a number of U.S. boat builders are still seeing robust demand for security vessels. Separately, tightening federal, state, municipal and overseas budgets are being trumped by the increased need for security craft that can perform more than one function.

The first true three-dimensional picture of submarine canyon habitats has been produced using a combination of marine robotics and ship-based measurements. The information captured in this new set of maps ranges in scale from the 200km canyon down to the size of an individual cold-water coral polyp, and will be used to inform the management of the only English Marine Conservation Zone in deep water. This ‘nested map’ is the result of a recent scientific expedition to the Whittard Canyon in the Bay of Biscay, led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

Egypt staged a show of international support on Thursday as it inaugurated a major extension of the Suez Canal which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes will power an economic turnaround in the Arab world's most populous country. The former armed forces chief, who led a military takeover two years ago but ran for president as a civilian last year, told a ceremony attended by leaders of France, Russia, Arab and African states that Egypt would defeat terrorism. The $8 billion New Suez Canal project was completed in just one year instead of three on Sisi's orders…

The situation in Iraq has taken center stage in the oil markets. Iraq is now in a state of sectarian civil war and the most likely situation is that the country will become mired in a protracted Syria-like conflict, with the population divided along ethno-sectarian lines. But this offers little upside for currently depressed tanker markets, considers PIRA Energy Group's Weekly Oil Market Recap. Iraq’s Baiji refinery is likely to be idle for a prolonged period, requiring Iraq to import additional refined products. Possible sources are other Middle Eastern countries, Turkey and India. There is capability to import products at the southern port of Basrah, but deliveries by truck from neighboring countries will certainly be needed.

The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) is delighted to announce the first of a portfolio of soft skills courses tailored to the needs of engineers called Effective Presentations and Networking which will take place on July 29th 2015 at RINA headquarters in London. This one day course introduces engineers from all disciplines to the fundamentals of how to communicate in business effectively, with a specific focus on customer and colleague engagement through enhanced presentation and networking skills. The course was developed following a survey of RINA members asking them if such training would be useful to them and their teams and what learning outcomes they would look for. It has been shaped by survey feedback and the subsequent pilot run at RINA headquarters.

BMT Isis (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that it will provide safety and environmental support for JFD’s five-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS). JFD, which was formed by the merger of James Fisher Defence and Divex in 2014, has been awarded the five-year contract which includes options through to 2023 and encompasses all aspects of operation and through-life-support. The service will be managed by JFD’s Submarine Escape and Rescue team in parallel with existing similar services for Australia and Singapore. Engineering and technical support will be provided by JFD’s Engineering Support Cell.

Commissioner David Porter of the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) Tuesday visited several south Texas border oil and gas facilities and pipeline rights-of-way to meet with field staff, operators, law enforcement and security officials to examine the vulnerability of Texas’ critical industry infrastructure. "While oil and gas operators take every precaution to limit any threat to their equipment and product, the unfettered flow of illegal aliens complicates their efforts,” said Porter. Commissioner Porter recently sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, questioning the agency’s commitment to border security and the protection of vital U.S. interests and infrastructure.

The restructuring of port facilities in Libya will only take place when a unity government is in place, says British maritime security company MAST. “UN sponsored unity government negotiations appear to have stalled for now, with the Tripoli government withdrawing from the talks,” said Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of MAST. “These talks will be partly driven by the common interest in fighting ISIL, but achieving the level of agreement required to form a unity government is unlikely in the near term,” Northwood added. Northwood noted that it has been reported that the National Oil Company (NOC) has lifted the force majeure declared in December 2014 at Ras Lanuf Oil Terminal on the Gulf of Sidre. Once operational the facility could increase Libya’s oil exports by up to 300,000 bpd.

Shipping in general and oil tankers in particular should increase levels of security to counter the threat of an increasingly likely terrorist attack, maritime security company MAST has warned. The company issued the warning after Al-Qaeda insinuated it could execute strategic attacks on chokepoints of oil shipments in its first issue of “Resurgence,” an English-language digital propaganda magazine posted to the terrorist group’s online forum Shamikh1.info. Whilst ISIS activity has been more recently featured in the western media, the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and affiliate organizations is occurring alongside some of the worlds’ most strategically vulnerable and crowded waterways.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWB CSG) transited through the Suez Canal marking the end of more than seven months of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO), Oct. 27. Commanded by Rear Adm. DeWolfe Miller, GHWB CSG comprises aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW 8), Destroyer Squadron 22 (CDS 22), guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) and guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80). GHWB CSG deployed Feb. 15 from homeports in Norfolk, Virginia, Mayport, Florida, and Whidbey Island, Washington, as part of a routine deployment of forces.