Kenya Releases Ship Carrying Weapons

A Norwegian-flagged ship that was held in Kenya for more than a week over undeclared weapons belonging to the United Nations has been released, the owners of the vessel said. Kenyan authorities boarded the ship at the port of Mombasa on Sept. 17 and uncovered undeclared weapons in a U.N. shipment destined for peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.N. defended the shipment. "Höegh Transporter has finally been released from detention in Mombasa…
Dubai's Topaz Buys Two Ships

Dubai's Topaz Energy and Marine, a unit of Muscat-listed Renaissance Services, has bought two ships from Norwegian boat yard Vard Brattvaag for about $115 million, the Omani parent firm said on Sunday. The two vessels will be delivered in the second half of 2017, a statement to Muscat's bourse said. The chief executive of the Dubai-based oil services firm told Reuters in June it was in negotiations…
HMAS Newcastle Returns with Seized Heroin

HMAS Newcastle today returned triumphantly to Garden Island, Sydney, after seizing more than $1 billion in heroin in the Middle East region during her six-month Operation MANITOU deployment. The ship’s company of 228 was welcomed back by Commodore Warfare, Commodore Peter Leavy, RAN, along with family and friends. CDRE Leavy said Newcastle intercepted some 1.4 tonnes of heroin, valued at $1.2 billion.
USCG Transfer Man, Medevacs Woman in NC

The Coast Guard transferred a male patient on Saturday from Morehead City, then medevaced an 80-year-old woman from a cruise ship approximately 50 miles south of Cape Lookout. Coast Guard 5th District watchstanders received a request Saturday morning to transfer a male patient suffering head trauma from Carteret General Urgent Care in Morehead City to Duke University Hospital in Durham. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Elizabeth City at 9:15 a.m.
Can Company Strategies Enhance Competence?

Capt Pradeep Chawla, Managing Director QHSE & Training, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Ltd., delivered a theme address at the World Maritime Day symposium on "Shipping's future needs people: Is global maritime education and training on course?". Following is the Edited Abstract of his paper which discusses the strategies and efforts of a Ship Management company, to enhance competence of the seafarers through a comprehensive company training program.