Aap News

A cargo ship lost 83 containers over-board during heavy seas off Australia and items including nappies and sanitary pads are washing up on beaches while there are fears the ill-fated containers will pose a hazard for shipping and whales.The YM Efficiency, operated by Taiwan shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, was sailing from Taiwan to Sydney when it encountered 5-metre swells in the Tasman Sea, about 30 km off Australia's east coast late on Thursday."They're 40-foot containers, they sit about a foot or two off the water ... even in the best of conditions they're difficult to spot, but at night and in a swell, almost impossible…

Soryu-class JS Hakuryu and two warfare destroyers will work with Australian ships near Jervis Bay as part of bilateral exercises, reports AAP. The 4,000-ton Soryu-class stealth submarine JS Hakuryu, outfitted with a new lithium-ion battery propulsion system, will be joined by two JMSDF destroyers and two helicopters during the training exercise aimed to  “foster collaboration” and “improve tactical skills,” according to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). All in all, around 430 JMSDF personnel will participate in the drill. The Soryu class submarine will join forces from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in conducting a number of joint training exercises…

A large live cattle ship on its way to China has been stranded in Port Phillip for days after breaking down on the weekend, reports AAP. The Singapore-flagged Girolando Express left Geelong for Huanghua in China on December 6, but only made it as far as Portarlington. There are 4245 cattle on board, a spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed. Geelong Harbour Master Captain Dilip Abraham said there are no animal welfare concerns for the 3500 breeding cattle on board. “She started developing some steering and engine problems and the pilot decided to anchor her in Port Phillip Bay,” Capt Abraham said. “Today is…

Passenger numbers on the Bass Strait ferry service have grown by 16 per cent over the past two years, says Tasmania's Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding, says AAP. For the 2014-15 financial year 384,501 people travelled on the two Spirit of Tasmania vessels, up from some 330,000 in 2012-13. "I am delighted to report that the trend in passenger numbers on the Spirit of Tasmania has turned sharply upward," Hidding said. The remodeled and refurbished Spirit of Tasmania vessels are set to play a key role in assisting the government to meet its vision of increasing visitor numbers to the state to 1.5 million people a year by 2020, Chairman Mike Grainger said.

The Maritime Union of Australia is willing to use its power over the country's ports to disrupt a new free trade deal with China, reports AAP. The union movement’s opposition to the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has ratcheted up since the agreement was signed in Canberra on June 17. MUA Queensland branch secretary Bob Carnegie says his union controls all imports and exports and they're prepared to act against the deal, which he says is aimed at "breaking the back of trade unionism". "All it needs is a phone call and the Maritime Union of Australia will stand by any worker, anywhere, who is fighting for a free and better Australia," he said. About 400 people took part in the protest, held outside a Senate Joint Standing Committee on Treaties hearing into the deal.

At least 750 workers at a shipbuilding company elected to strike today at Fogracs in an effort to obtain better working hours and conditions, the Australian Associated Press reported. The workers reportedly set down their tools and closed up shop from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (AEST) at Fogracs four sites in Newcastle, while work stoppages also occurred at the company's smaller sites in Sydney and Brisbane. Source: AAP, Staff

US salvage company Resolve has taken over the salvage contract of the wreck on the Astrolabe Reef, New Zealand. The salvors have started cutting up internal sections of the bow of the container ship which ran on to the Astrolabe reef off Tauranga in October last year and broke in two during a storm in January, reports 'ninemsn' online. A spokesman, Steve Fisher, told AAP preparatory work had begun on cutting up the internal bow sections with a view to removing scrap next week. Meanwhile, the ship's insurer, The Swedish Club, was conducting studies on whether the bow should be removed entirely or levelled to below the water line. The stern section of the Rena is lying on a slope at a depth of up to 65 metres, while part of the ship's navigation bridge is 10m below the surface.

The Great Lakes Towing Co. announced a position opening for senior manager responsible for installation and testing of the company’s new 700-ton Marine Travelift and all Travelift business and engineering operations. Prepare business and marketing plans for development of the new business unit. •    Manage all Travelft projects and contracts, from solicitation phase, through estimating and proposal preparation, to delivery of products and services in accordance with agreed upon specifications and within time and budget constrains. •    Respond to inquiries from potential Travelift customers. •    Provide engineering to supplement efforts on various other projects, to help ensure effective estimating, bidding, progress monitoring and tracking, and budget adherence.

The Spirit of Tasmania III has docked in Devonport for the final time. The Sydney-to-Devonport ferry made a low-key entrance to northern Tasmania on Monday, almost two months after its sale to Mediterranean operator Corsica Ferries. Spirit III's final voyage lacked the fanfare of its launch in January 2004, when it was billed as a tourism boon to the island state. Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon announced the ferry's sale in June, saying the loss-making vessel was no longer viable. Only a year before that, the government threw Spirit III a $115 million lifeline, but Mr Lennon said the domestic tourism decline had changed passenger forecasts. Corsica Ferries purchased the ferry for $111 million, which was $6 million more than its 2003 purchase price, in July.

According to AAP, Brisbane’s new cruise ship terminal has been plagued by problems on its opening day. The $750 million Portside Wharf and Brisbane Cruise Terminal development on the Brisbane River at Hamilton welcomed its first vessel today – P&O's Pacific Star. The ship had been due to sail at 2pm but when passengers eventually boarded, the delay continued due to a problem with the vessel's holding tank. P&O spokesman John Richardson said the Pacific Star could not leave until a minor leak was fixed. Another 48 liners are due to berth at the terminal in the next 12 months – four times the number that visited Brisbane in 2003 when work on the development started. Source: AAP

Australia's newest Armidale Class Patrol Boat has been commissioned during a ceremony in the West Australian city of Albany. A Defense spokesman said HMAS Albany joined three sister ships in the Australian fleet. It is said the Armidale Class vessels substantially improved the Royal Australian Navy's capability to intercept and apprehend vessels suspected of illegal fishing and quarantine, customs or immigration offences. The four Armidale Class ships were built by Austal Ships in Perth as part of a $553m contract between the federal government and the Defence Maritime Services. Compared to the current Fremantle Class patrol boats, the Armidales are more than 14 metres longer, with longer range and endurance - 3,000 nautical miles more than the Fremantle Class. Source: AAP

According to an Australian Associated Press report, maritime services company Adsteam Marine Ltd is considering expanding operations into Asia and mainland Europe as part of its growth strategy. The firm was now considering expanding its existing markets as well as looking at new acquisitions since restructuring the business over the last two and a half years, according to the report. Adsteam - which operates more than 200 tugboats, barges, workboats and launches - earlier told shareholders at its annual general meeting that it expects net profit to be in the range of $42 million to $46 million this year. Last year the firm booked a $38 million net profit after adjusting for new international accounting standards.

A major environmental cleanup has been completed at Gruber's Grove Bay, a residential and recreational area of the Wisconsin River located near Badger Army Ammunition Plant (AAP) in Wisconsin. During the cleanup, about 90,000 cu. yds. of sediment were dredged from the bottom of the 25-acre bay. The sediments, deposited prior to 1972 by production at Badger AAP, had shown elevated levels of mercury, lead and copper. Dredging took place during spring, summer and fall 2001. Gruber's Grove Bay was closed throughout the cleanup, an action that demonstrated the strength of the partnership that made the cleanup possible. The partnership consisted of the Army, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S.