Thailand, Burma, Sign Dawei Port Development Agreement
Presidents of Thailand & Mynamar (Burma) agree on port development for deep-sea port to enable Malacca Strait bypass route. Thailand and Myanmar agree to set up a joint committee to follow up on economic cooperation that includes linking Myanmar's future Dawei deep-sea port with the Thai Eastern Seaboard. The deal came at the end of talks between Myanmar President Thein Sein and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at Government House in Bangkok. Dawei, in southern Myanmar, is a key project for Thailand's economy, especially trade, more than for Myanmar, because it would cut travel time to the West for Thai goods (as well as goods from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam), allowing ships from the Indian Ocean to bypass the Malacca Straits.
ASA Member Recovers Air France Flight 447 Black Boxes
Arlington, VA – The expertise of an American Salvage Association (ASA) member culminated in locating and recovering the “black boxes” of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12 aircrew on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The black box recoveries took place in 3,900 meters of water (msw) and were made possible using the ASA member company-designed and operated Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The recoveries were completed in a very short period of time given the technical complexities of operating in extreme water depths. The ROV located the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) within 12 hours on its first dive on April 27. Unfortunately, the critical Memory Unit had separated from the chassis of the FDR.
Giant Fuel Oil Slick Threatens French Coast
Authorities along the length of France's Atlantic coast were on alert last Wednesday as a giant fuel oil slick slowly drifted south of Brittany, threatening an ecological disaster. Maritime officials said two navy ships were heading for the slick equipped with floating booms and giant vacuum cleaners to try to contain and pump the oil which escaped from the sunken Maltese-registered tanker Erika. Three more vessels, including a British ship, also equipped with vacuum pumps, were scheduled to join them on Thursday, and a Norwegian ship was due on Friday. Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot said France had also asked for help from Germany and Spain. Despite the international response of equipment and personnel, stormy seas were threatening to hamper the pumping.
