St Helena News

NOAA and partners have joined together to launch approximately 100 new Argo floats across the Atlantic ocean to collect data that supports ocean, weather and climate research and prediction. These will bolster the international Argo Program, which maintains a global array of about 3,800 floats that measure pressure, temperature and salinity of the upper 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) of the ocean.The French sailing vessel Iris recently arrived in Woods Hole, Mass., after deploying the initial batch of 17 Argo floats across the Atlantic.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) yesterday (5th February) launched a five-day capacity building seminar to help UK Overseas Territories support safe maritime trade.The seminar, delivered as part of the Government’s Overseas Territories Seabed Mapping Programme, will focus on international regulations, with sessions on maritime safety information training, best practice governance and maritime law. This guidance, given by experts at both the UKHO and MCA, will help each of the 10 participating territories to comply with international obligations and share their own maritime safety information with ships operating in their waters.For these ships, this information, including up-to-date bathymetry (seabed mapping data), navigational warnings and observations, is essential to safe navigation.

The RMS St. Helena, Britain’s last working postal ship, was for nearly three decades the main source of contact between one of humanity’s remotest islands and the outside world.Now the ship, cherished by the 4,500 residents of British-ruled St. Helena, will start a new life as a floating armory, packed with automatic weapons, bullet-proof jackets and night vision goggles, all stored for maritime security operatives.Renamed the MNG Tahiti, the 340-foot ship will undergo some tweaks before sailing to the Gulf of Oman where it will be used to ferry guns and guards to passing vessels navigating stretches of water lurking with pirates, its new operator said on Tuesday.“The ship is good to go with a few adjustments…

St Helena Line has announced that it is to withdraw the Passenger Cargo Royal Mail Ship St Helena from service in February 2018 and has appointed London ship broker CW Kellock & Co Ltd to handle her sale. Operated by St Helena Line Ltd (SHL) on behalf of the St Helena Government (SHG), the RMS has been part of the Island’s history for over quarter of a century and provided the sole regular means of access to the Island, a remote UK Overseas Territory located 1200 miles off the West coast of Africa in the South Atlantic. She was built in the UK in 1990 specifically for the St Helena route. At 6,767 gross tonnes, she can accommodate 156 passengers in 56 cabins, together with a cargo capacity of 3750 cbm bale, and 92 teu (of which 17 reefer). She is staffed by 56 officers and crew.

South Africa’s ports are ramping up for a bumper cruise season with at least eight luxury cruise lines and over ten passenger vessels of varying sizes set to ferry international and domestic tourists across the country’s port cities. The South African cruise season kicked off officially in October with a number of smaller vessels already having called at South Africa’s ports. They are en route to and from travel hotspots in Africa, Europe, the Far East, the Mediterranean, South America and more. However the MSC SINFONIA – a cruise ship in the local cruise calendar – marked a highlight in the 2015/16 cruise calendar when she arrived in her homeport of Durban in the early hours of Thursday, November 19. This was her first South African call this season.

Marine salvage experts have recovered $50 million in silver coins from a ship sunk by a German submarine in 1942 as it was transporting the cash from India to London to help finance Britain's efforts in World War Two. Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, the firm in charge of the salvage 700 km (400 miles) south of the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, said the recovery from the wreck of the SS City of Cairo, lying at a depth of 5,150 metres, was a world record. "The ship was broken in two and buried deep in the sea-floor silt. Parts of the ship had meters of mud heaped upon it," Deep Ocean Search said on its website. A mixed cargo and passenger ship…

B&G, official supplier to The Volvo Ocean Race, has teamed up with journalist and author Mark Chisnell to create a series of weekly blogs providing behind the scenes insights into the race’s tactics and results. Starting with a preview of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 from Alicante to Cape Town, the former America’s Cup Navigator, sailing journalist, marine electronics expert and author will provide B&G with exclusive weekly, in-depth technical analysis of the action as it unfolds on the racecourse.

Andrew Weir Shipping Ltd. announced that it has been awarded the contract for the support and maintenance of HMS Protector (A173), following a competitive tendering process. HMS Protector is the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, and is deployed on operations for 334 days per year. The vessel was chartered from commercial service by the Royal Navy in April 2011, and purchased outright in September 2013. HMS Protector’s home port is HMNB Devonport. In addition to the support of scientific bases in Antarctica, HMS Protector is also equipped for patrol, survey and humanitarian tasking.

The duel between leaders in the Vendee Globe round-the-world race, 'MACIF' and 'Banque Populaire' stalls in light airs. With the official abandonment of Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) there remain only 12 boats in the race. The skipper of Cheminées Poujoulat pitstopped last night on the island of Horn refuelled, charged his batteries, climbed the mast to change a halyard, and to eat some pork and lentils prepared by the girlfriend of Unaï Bazurko. Leaders soon will be in the tradewinds The duel between MACIF and Banque Populaire is now stalled by light airs.

David Clark's record breaking bid to be the oldest man to sail solo round the world ended in disaster on Thursday as his yacht sank two days after leaving Cape Town, Reuters reported. He survived and has been picked up, but his white West Highland Terrier Mickey -- who had a life-saving operation while in Cape Town -- was lost. "His yacht started taking on water and he radioed for help. He abandoned ship and was picked up by a nearby vessel but his dog was drowned," Sea Rescue Coordinating Center spokesman Jinx Botes said. Clark left Cape Town aboard his 42-ft., steel-hulled boat "Mollie Milar" on Tuesday on the final 7,000 mile leg of a solo round the world journey that would have taken him back to port in Fort Lauderdale on May 17 -- his 77th birthday.

Atlantic Ocean. to Singapore for rebuilding. Titan did a preliminary survey at the end of October, and determined that the platform could be repaired and refloated. A tender for removal was issued in November and Titan was selected as wreck removal contractor. In December a "No-Cure, No-Pay" contract was agreed to with the owner and underwriters of the A Turtle. Titan's salvage team arrived at the site of the casualty Dec. 22, after a 1,743-mile-trip on the chartered vessel Kelso. The remainder of the 20 person Titan salvage team arrived 7 days later on the chartered tug De Hong. grounding and subsequent extreme weather. December. during the first week of February. topside of the rig and discarding them at an approved disposal site. away. at Trypot Bay. the A Turtle from the reef on Feb.

St. Helena island, an isolated British dependency where Napoleon spent his final years in prison, is facing a grim Christmas and millennium New Year's after its only supply ship broke down this month off France. A spokesman for St. Helena/Curnow Shipping Ltd., which has operated the service since 1977, said the RMS St. Helena - the RMS stands for Royal Mail Ship - was in Brest, a western French port and naval base, awaiting repairs that could last into next year. "This is the only ship to the island and without it the island is in a crisis. It's a lifelink for the island," spokesman Tony Bownes said. Press reports from St. Helena said there was already alarm.