Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Pole Star contributes 1,000 ships to Amver safety network


Subsea7's Acergy Petrel
Helen of Troy may have a face that launched 1,000 ships but it is Amver and Pole Star that linked 1,000 ships for search and rescue.


In 2008, Pole Star, a maritime software company tracking company looking after more than 20,000 ships, developed their systems to allow ship owners and operators to automatically send position reports directly to the Amver system at no cost.


Now Subsea 7’s Acergy Petrel, an IMR/Survey vessel, is the 1,000th vessel with the Pole Star monitoring system to link into the Amver system. Subsea 7 is a seabed-to-surface engineering, construction, and services contractor to the offshore energy industry.


“Having an automated link through Pole Star and being able to participate in the Amver program is important for plotting vessels and ultimately for search and rescue,” said Jonathon Tame, Subsea 7’s Group Fleet and Equipment Director. “Subsea 7 employees who have been on Amver rescues speak very highly of the service and its value to merchant vessels.”


Amver director Benjamin Strong presented a framed Amver pennant at Pole Star headquarters in London to acknowledge the significant contribution Pole Star has made to Amver. Strong presented the award to Pole Star Chairman Colin Hook. “As any seafarer will know, Amver reporting is usually transmitted by email and requires reporting of sail plans, daily position reports, deviation reports, and final arrival reports which is an additional administrative requirement that within the reams of paperwork they must already deal with,” Hook said.

“Amver’s success is tied directly to the number of merchant vessels regularly reporting their position, the more ships on the plot, the greater the chance the ship will be identified near the position of distress. Pole Star is immensely proud of facilitating more than 20 percent of the Amver ships on the plot,” added Hook.


The collaboration between Amver and Pole Star was quickly followed by other companies providing ship communications services, including Transas and Marine Track. Mr. Strong praised the work of these vessel tracking companies working with Amver. “Allowing ships to make Amver updates automatically has significantly reduced the administration for captains and seafarers. As a result, participation in the Amver program has never been higher. I appreciate the example set by Pole Star and other commercial vessel tracking companies.” 


“Every 33 hours an Amver vessel is saving a life somewhere in the world,” said Strong. “Amver continues to be as relevant today as it was in 1958. The Acergy Petrel is joining a fleet of remarkable and inspiring vessels and crews. Its participation is making the seas and oceans safer.” 


You can learn more about automatic reporting on the Amver podcast Quarterdeck.


Photo credit: Subsea7

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Amver ship sinks off India

Tradewinds newspaper reports this morning that 30 crewmen aboard the Amver participating bulk carrier  Rak Carrier were rescued off the coast of Mumbai, India after the ship started taking on water.

According to the report:
 
"The Indian Coast Guard sent a helicopter and rescue boat to the Rak Carrier and found some seafarers already in the water." 

The Rak Carrier was on a voyage to Gujarat carrying Indonesian coal when it sent a mayday message stating it had water in its holds and the bow was sinking.

The Panamanian flagged Rak Carrier, operated by Delta Shipping Marine Services of Qatar, enrolled in the Amver system in 2004.

More information is available in this Indian Press Bureau press release.


Photo credit: Tradewinds

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Welcome Wednesday!

It's time to welcome the latest members of the Amver team. This team ensures lives get saved. Thank you for willing to help us save lives. Who are these heroes? What vessels enrolled in Amver in the past week? Take a look.
  • AL KHATTIYA
  • ALBION BAY
  • ANANGEL SEAFARER
  • ASAHI MARU
  • ATLANTIC MEXICO
  • AURORA
  • BUNGA LILY
  • CHERAMIE BOTRUC NO. 41
  • DAR SALWA
  • DELMAR
  • E.R. BRISTOL
  • HIMALAYA
  • JULIANA
  • JULIANA (different IMO number)
  • LICHTENSTEIN
  • MSC PINA
  • MY FAIR LADY
  • NEW EVEREST
  • ORE PARA
  • OSLO BULK 8
  • OVERSEAS MCKINLEY
  • SHARK52
  • TANAGER BULKER
  • THOR THUNDER
  • TIM S
  • TROPIC EXPRESS
  • UMM AL AISH
Also, check out the Amver podcast, Quarterdeck!


Photo credit: Fotolia

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Amver ship saves two sailors in the Caribbean Sea

MV Clipper Glory
Two sailors were rescued by the Amver participating ship Clipper Glory after their sailboat lost power on a voyage from the Dominican Republic to Antigua July 24, 2011.

The captain of the Clipper Glory says his crew noticed two flares and diverted towards the distress location. They came alongside the sailboat and were met by two yachtsmen who requested to be taken off their boat. The skipper of the sailboat suffers from  high blood pressure and the other passenger, his daughter, strongly urged her father to abandon the disabled boat. Both survivors were helped aboard the Clipper Glory and stayed on board until the Hong Kong flagged ship reached port in Norfolk, Va. The sailboat was marked as hazard to navigation and left adrift.

The Clipper Glory, managed by Maritime Capital Shipping (HK) Ltd, enrolled in the Amver system on March 24, 2011.

Photo credit: Bob the courier via Flickr

Monday, August 1, 2011

Amver ship saves two sailors in dramatic Atlantic rescue

Two people were rescued from the sailboat Triumph on Wednesday July 27, 2011 approximatley 780 miles northeast of Cape Cod, Mass. after their boat began taking on water.

The sailors sent a distress call to U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel in Boston stating their sails were torn, their engine was disabled, and they were taking on water. Coast Guard rescue authorities immediately queried the Amver system and requested the tanker Kim Jacob divert to rescue the duo.

The rescue was complicated by the size of the Liberian flagged tanker and the worsening weather conditions  as winds over 30 knots and waves over 8 feet hampered the the operation. One of the Triumph sailors fell into the ocean while attempting to climb aboard the Kim Jacob but the crew kept a sharp lookout and recovered the survivor three hours after he fell into the water.

Once onboard the Kim Jacob the survivors received medical attention, food, and talked to Coast Guard personnel. The survivors were equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and life jackets. Their preparation, coupled with the skill and seamanship of the Kim Jacob crew, resulted in their rescue.

The survivors stayed aboard the Kim Jacob until it reaches its next port in Port Tupper, Nova Scotia. Their boat was marked as a hazard to navigation and left adrift.

The Kim Jacob is managed by Ernst Jacob GmbH and Company of Hamburg, Germany and enrolled in the Amver system on May 11, 1998. The Kim Jacob has earned 13 awards for for Amver participation.

Want to hear what a rescue like this sounds like? Take a listen-



Can't see the video? Click here.

Audio credit: USCG audio used with permission of the survivors

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Quarterdeck; Special interview with Pole Star

This month, as Admiral Watson finishes his move back to Washington, DC, we have a special interview with Pole Star's Julian Longson. Why a special interview with Pole Star? Well, Pole Star was the first commercial vessel tracking company to offer free automatic Amver reporting to its customers.

Several other companies, including Transas and Marine Track, now offer free automatic reporting to Amver as well. If your vessel is enrolled in Amver and a customer of any of these companies, feel free to ask how you can take advantage of this program.

Here is a direct link to the audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

You can also download The Quarterdeck in iTunes.

Links
The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com.

Is there something specific you would like to hear on The Quarterdeck? Leave your suggestion in the comments below and we'll do our best to cover it in an upcoming episode!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Amver crew held by pirates

In a disturbing video the captain of the M/V Leopard, an Amver participant since 1997, makes a plea for the safety of his crew. The Leopard crew, two Danes and four Filipinos, is being held by Somali pirates in a safe haven on shore.



Can't see the video? Click here.

You can learn more about the plight of seafarers by visiting the Save Our Seafarers website.