Russia to sell off its nuclear ice-breaker fleet

RT.com, 04October, 2011

Ice-breaker(RIA Novosti / Vadim Zhernov)

A state-runcompany that operates atomic ice-breakers in Russia may soon become private.

AtomFleethas been removed from the list of previously untouchable assets.

This,however, does not mean the state is going to sell it off completely. Thepresidential order is expected to allow the fleet to be put up for auction,while still keeping 100 per cent of it as state property under the supervisionof RosAtom.

Militaryspecialists say the main reason behind the move is economic. Ever since thecompany became part of state-owned RosAtom, the losses experienced haveamounted to millions of dollars annually. Private companies operating innorthern Russia immediately started looking for cheaper alternatives.

Thesituation was worsened by the growing popularity of diesel ice-breakers. As aresult, the demand for nuclear-powered icebreakers went down, while themaintenance cost of nuclear-powered icebreakers remained the same, making themhighly unprofitable to operate.

Russia hasbeen the only country to produce nuclear-powered icebreakers. Currently,Russia’s atomic fleet owns four two-reactor icebreakers (“Rossiya”, “SovietUnion”, “Yamal”, and “50 Years of Victory”), two one-reactor icebreakers(“Taimyr” and “Vaigach”), the “Sevmorput” container ship, and five floatingtechnical aid units.

Nuclearicebreakers are not the only pieces of Russian equipment rumored to be putaside.

Earlierthere were media reports that the Russian Navy was getting rid of its most powerful submarines, the Typhoon class.

Designed tocarry big nuclear warheads, the Typhoon-class submarines are the largest in theworld. However, their immense size was said to be the main reason why thecountry decided to decommission the underwater veterans.

Thevessels, it was said, did not meet the terms of the new START treaty signed byRussia and the US in the spring of 2010. The long-awaited treaty considerablylimited the strategic arsenals of each country to 1,550 nuclear warheads.

The rumors,however, proved to be a hoax.

Ship grounded on New Zealand reef watched for signs of oil spill

English.news.cn   2011-10-05

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12
 nautical milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m.
Wednesday and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).
(Xinhua/ReutersPhoto)

WELLINGTON,Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's shipping authorities have cordoned off aLiberian-flagged container ship that has grounded on a reef off the east of theNorth Island as they attempt to assess whether it poses an environmental risk.

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m. Wednesday and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).

None of the25 crew aboard the 47,000-tonne vessel were reported injured, it said.

A lightsheen of oil was visible around the ship, but it was thought to be hydraulicoil from the engine and was not considered "a significant environmentalrisk at this point," it said.

MNZ hadactivated its Maritime Incident Response Team (MIRT) of experts to providetechnical advice and oversight.

MNZ's25-strong National Response Team of oil spill specialists was setting up acommand center in Tauranga, and would lead the response in the event of a significantspill from the ship.

MIRTincident controller Renny van der Velde said the plans being put in place bythe oil spill response team would form a safety net in the event of any spilledoil.

"Whilethe aim is to remove the vessel with no oil spilled, it is important to havecontingency plans in place in case something goes wrong."

The vesselowner -- reported to be the Israel-based Ofer Brothers Group, one of theworld's largest private shipping firms - - was responsible for coordinating asalvage plan.

MNZ wasalso working with wildlife experts from Massey University and the Department ofConservation, which advised there were no immediate concerns for marine life,to prepare for any possible spill.

An MNZmaritime safety inspector aboard the vessel had assessed the damage and advisedthat the ship had several breaches to the hull, affecting cargo holds on theport side.

The shipwas on a 10-degree list, but was stable on the reef, and fuel in tanks on theport side was being transferred to the starboard side as a precautionarymeasure, said the MNZ statement.

Pumps wereworking remove water from the cargo holds.

The ship'scaptain was in discussion with the ship's owner and salvage experts to assesshow best to move the ship off the reef, but a decision was expected to take"some time."

The localBay of Plenty Regional Council staff has ordered a 1- kilometer exclusion zonearound the vessel, which was fully laden.

Taurangaharbour master Carl Magazinovic he had received reports of "sightseeingvessels" near the grounded ship, potentially causing safety issues anddisrupting response efforts.

"Thissituation is expected to continue for some time so we will be monitoringmovement of vessels around the area, and anyone found breaching the exclusionzone could face a fine of up to 20, 000 NZ dollars (15,220 U.S. dollars),"said Magazinovic.

MichaelHodgins of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which chartered the 21-year-oldRena, told Radio New Zealand it was carrying timber, milk powder, meat andfish.

He said thecrew would have been familiar with the route it was taking, which started inSingapore and included ports in Australia as well as New Zealand before headingback to Sydney, a journey usually taking about six weeks.

The236-meter cargo ship Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical

 milesoff the coast near Tauranga Harbour, at around 2. 20 a.m. Wednesday

 and waslisting, said a statement from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).

(Xinhua/ReutersPhoto)

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Container ship stranded off New Zealand leaking oil

Japan to go ahead with whale hunt

Whalerswill have heightened security after last year's season was marred by clasheswith activists

guardian.co.uk,Associated Press in Tokyo, Tuesday 4 October 2011

Japanese whaling ship No. 3 Yushin Maru (left) and the Sea Shepherd's ship
the Bob Barker collide last year. Whalers will have more security to fend off
activists this year. Photograph: AP

Japan willgo ahead with its whaling me in the Antarctic later this year under heightenedsecurity to fend off activists who have vowed to disrupt the annual hunt, thecountry's fisheries minister said Tuesday.

Japan'swhale hunts have become increasingly tense in recent years because of clasheswith the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The most recent expedition was cutshort after several high-seas confrontations, and it was unclear whether thehunt would be held at all this year.

Butfisheries minister Michihiko Kano said that measures would be taken to ensurethe whalers' safety, and that the hunt would go ahead. It is expected to beginin December.

"Weintend to carry out the research after enhancing measures to assure that it isnot obstructed," he said.

Commercialwhaling has been banned since 1986, but Japan conducts whale hunts in theAntarctic and the north-western Pacific under an exception that allows limitedkills for research purposes.

Japan'sgovernment claims the research is needed to provide data on whale populationsso that the international ban on commercial whaling can be re-examined – and,Japan hopes, lifted – based on scientific studies.

Opponentssay the programme is a guise for keeping Japan's dwindling whaling industryalive. The Sea Shepherd group, which is already rallying to block the upcominghunt, has been particularly dogged in its efforts to stop the kills.

Last year'sseason was marred by repeated incidents with Sea Shepherd vessels, one of whichsank after colliding with a Japanese ship. The boat's captain, New ZealanderPeter Bethune, was later arrested when he boarded a whaling ship from a jetski, and brought back to Japan for trial.

He wasconvicted of assault, vandalism and three other charges and given a suspendedprison term. Bethune has since returned to New Zealand.

Sea Shepherdrecently announced that it is calling its effort to obstruct the Decemberexpedition "Operation Divine Wind" – a reference to the"kamikaze" suicide missions carried out by the Japanese military inWorld War II.

Thoughvilified by anti-whaling organisations around the world, the government'sstrong pro-whaling position has the support of the Japanese public, accordingto an AP poll conducted in July and August which found that 52% favour it, with35% neutral and 13% opposed.

Once acommon item on school lunch menus, whale meat can be found in stores andrestaurants in Japan. But, because of its relatively high price, it isgenerally regarded as a gourmet food by the public.