'Ghost ship' washes ashore in Ireland after Storm Dennis

Yahoo – AFP, February 17, 2020

The 'ghost ship' washed ashore in southern Ireland after Storm Dennis lashed
the seas, bringing an end to her months-long voyage (AFP Photo)

Ballycotton (Ireland) (AFP) - A "ghost ship" drifting without a crew for more than a year washed ashore on Ireland's south coast in high seas caused by Storm Dennis, the Republic's coast guard said.

The abandoned 77-metre (250-feet) cargo ship MV Alta ran aground on rocks outside the village of Ballycotton near Cork, Ireland's second city, bringing an end to her months-long voyage.

The Alta's odyssey began in September 2018 when she became disabled in the mid-Atlantic en route from Greece to Haiti.

Her 10 crew members spent 20 days on board the listless ship as it floated 1,380 miles (2,220 kilometres) southeast of Bermuda, before they were taken off by the crew of a US Coast Guard cutter.

At the time the US Coast Guard said it was working with the then Tanzanian-flagged ship's owner to arrange a tug back to shore.

But the question of her subsequent movements then become clouded.

Maritime news site Fleetmon reported receiving correspondence from the alleged owner, saying the ship had been twice hijacked from Guyana in the process of being salvaged.

The next official sighting of the 44-year-old vessel came in August 2019 when British Royal Navy ice patrol ship the HMS Protector found the Alta floating crewless in the mid-Atlantic.

"We closed the vessel to make contact and offer our assistance, but no one replied," according to the ship's Twitter feed.

The Alta's journey ended on the rocks over the weekend as Storm Dennis raged, lashing Ireland with heavy rain and winds up to 110 kilometres (70 miles) per hour.

The Irish Coast Guard said a rescue helicopter was sent to the scene on Sunday but no crew was found.

Cork County Council said Monday there was no sign of pollution spills in the area around the ship and that a contractor would board the vessel at low tide on Tuesday for a further assessment.

"Consultations are continuing between the Irish Coastguard, Cork County Council, the Receiver of Wrecks and other relevant bodies in relation to the future of the wreck," it said in a statement.

Carolijn Brouwer makes history as first woman to win Volvo Ocean Race

DutchNews, June 25, 2018

Photo: Volvo Ocean Race

Dutch sailor Carolijn Brouwer has become the first woman to win the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race following a dramatic finish in Scheveningen on Sunday. 

Brouwer’s Dongfeng Race Team passed Team Brunel in the final hour of the last stage from Gothenburg to The Hague on Sunday, denying her countryman Bouwe Bekking a first victory in eight attempts. 

‘It was an insane race. The main thing was to keep a cool head and we managed that,’ said Brouwer, 44, who was trimmer in a crew skippered by Frenchman Charles Caudrelier. 

‘It was the most important race of my career,’ she said. ‘It’s a dream come true. We pulled it off.’ 

Originally from Leiden, Brouwer currently lives in Australia and has competed in the Olympics with both Dutch and Belgian crews. 

The Volvo Ocean Race lasts eight months across 11 stages spanning 45,000 miles. The rules were changed this year to encourage more mixed crews by restricting the size of all-male teams to seven. Mixed teams could have up to 10 members while all-female crews had a maximum of 11. 

Brunel, which finished fourth in the stage and third in the overall standings, was one of two Dutch crews participating in the nine-month race. The other crew, sponsored by AkzoNobel and skippered by Simeon Tienpont, took second place on the final stage to secure fourth place overall.

Fishermen from detained Taiwanese ship freed by Philippines

Want China Times, CNA 2015-05-14

The Sheng Feng No. 12. (Photo/CNA)

The captain and crew aboard a Taiwanese fishing ship detained in Batanes province of the Philippines last week for alleged poaching in territorial waters were released and allowed to return home Wednesday after paying a fine of US$50,000.

Lin Tung-heng, a section chief of Taiwan's representative office in the Philippines, and Hsu Chz-yeh, an official with Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration, presented a check for US$50,000 to the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to pay the fine.

The sum had been remitted to the Philippines by the family of captain Hung Tien-ting.

The fisheries agency then filed a motion with the Basco district prosecutors' office and court to drop the case, and the court agreed, leading to the immediate release of the ship, its captain and crew.

Hung, who will leave the Philippines Thursday along with his ship and crew, said after the court ruling that he was still considering whether to return to Taiwan or go on another fishing trip to make up for losses from the fine.

Expressing the financial pressure he felt in paying the fine, Hung told CNA that he will discuss the issue with his family before making a decision.

He also voiced his gratitude for Taiwan's representatives in Manila for their assistance over the past week.

The Pingtung-registered Sheng Feng No. 12 was detained last Thursday while passing through waters 6.5 nautical miles off the coast of Yami Island when inspectors on a Philippines ship approached and boarded the fishing boat to see if it was operating illegally.

The six people aboard the ship — Captain Hung, chief engineer Huang An-sheng and four Indonesian fishermen — were each released on 15,000 pesos (US$336) bail last Friday after negotiations with Filipino officials.

They were allowed to move freely in the Philippines before appearing in court Wednesday.

Related Article:

Fishing incident between Taiwan, Philippines resolved: minister

Costa Concordia captain Schettino sentenced to 16 years

Yahoo – AFP, 11 Feb 2015

Costa Concordia's captain Francesco Schettino arrives in the courthouse for his
 final declaration on the last day of his trial on February 11, 2015 in Grosseto, Italy
(AFP Photo/Alberto Pizzoli)

Grosseto (Italy) (AFP) - An Italian court on Wednesday sentenced Francesco Schettino, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia, to 16 years and one month in prison for his role in the shipwreck that claimed 32 lives.

Schettino, 54, was sentenced at the end of a 19-month trial, three years after the January 2012 disaster, which occurred after the huge cruise ship hit rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio. His conviction is subject to appeal.

An Italian court on Wednesday sentenced Francesco Schettino, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia, to 16 years and one month in prison for his role in the shipwreck that claimed 32 lives.

Schettino, 54, was sentenced at the end of a 19-month trial, three years after the January 2012 disaster, which occurred after the huge cruise ship hit rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio. His conviction is subject to appeal.

The disgraced skipper, who had earlier tearfully appealed to the court for mercy, had been charged with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship with passengers and crew still on board.

It was not immediately clear which of the various counts he was convicted on.

Prosecutors had sought a total sentence of 26 years and three months.

Schettino was accused during the trial of recklessly steering the giant cruise ship onto the rocks with more than 4,000 people on board, negligently delaying an order to abandon ship and then leaving the ship himself in a cowardly and unprofessional manner.

In his defence, Schettino said his crew was to blame for the collision, that the delayed evacuation might have saved lives and insisted he fell off the tilting boat rather than fleeing in fear.

Schettino had also claimed he was being made a scapegoat for the disaster and had been the victim of a media witch-hunt.

Wrecked Costa Concordia enters Italian port to be scrapped (AFP)

Related Article:

Wrecked Costa Concordia enters Italian port to be scrapped

Helicopters and lifeboats rescue 25 crew from stricken car carrier in Solent

• Transporter ship ran aground near the Isle of Wight
• Four lifeboats also involved in rescue effort

theguardian.com, Press Association, Sunday 4 January 2015

Coastguard helicopters scrambled to rescue the crew from the stricken car
carrier on Saturday 3 January. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/Guardian

All 25 crew members of a car carrier run aground in the Solent have been rescued by a coastguard helicopter and lifeboats.

The Singapore-registered Hoegh Osaka had just left Southampton for Germany when it became grounded on Bramble Bank near the Isle of Wight at around 9.20pm on Saturday and began listing to one side.

A 50-degree list is never good. Car carrier HOEGH OSAKA tonight in the Solent UK. https://t.co/FRiKhch85L pic.twitter.com/SCaHqbiEFm
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) January 4, 2015

HM Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said a helicopter mounted a rescue for the crew while RNLI lifeboats from Yarmouth, Calshot and Cowes were also sent to the scene.

National Maritime Operations Centre commander Steve Carson said: “All of the crew have been accounted for and other then a couple of non life-threatening injuries, everyone is safe and well.”

4 Lifeboats & Helo currently rescuing crew in Solent pic.twitter.com/nidCjquAha
— RNLI Girvan Lifeboat (@GirvanRNLI) January 4, 2015

A statement from the MCA added: “The crew who were on board the car carrier Hoegh Osaka have all now been accounted for. Some were airlifted off the ship by coastguard helicopter and others were rescued from the sea by the three lifeboats that were on scene.”

Three crew members who remained on board the vessel to assist with salvage operations have also been airlifted off the vessel.

A spokesman for the RNLI said: “Currently four RNLI lifeboats from Calshot, Cowes and Yarmouth are in attendance alongside the Solent coastguard helicopter, Southampton patrol and four tug boats, two from Esso and two from Southampton Docks.

“The ship’s crew are being rescued from the water and from on board the stricken vessel, which is at a list of 45 degrees.”

It is not yet clear how the 51,000-tonne vessel got into difficulty.

Carson told the BBC the ship, which was leaving Southampton bound for Germany, had started to list again during the rescue operation.

He added plans for salvage were under way and would not comment on how the ship ran aground.

“The salvage operations have commenced, not the removal of the vessel but the plans for its removal. We will have to wait until daylight to fully assess. The owners have appointed salvage operators and did so quite swiftly.”

Related Article:

Car carrier ran aground in Solent deliberately to prevent capsizing

Eight missing after cement freighter capsizes off coast of Scotland

Lifeboats crews are waiting to resume a search for the crew of an overturned cargo vessel spotted off the northeast coast of Scotland. Eight people were aboard the ship, which issued no distress call.

Deutsche Welle, 4 Jan 2015

Lifeboat crews called off their search for the crew late on Saturday, after the boat's predicament had been reported by a passing ferry.

Eight people were believed to be on board the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord when it capsized, although no mayday call was issued by the crew.

Brise of Hamburg, which operates the cement carrier, confirmed that the crew of eight - consisting of seven Poles and a Filipino mariner - was missing "following a severe accident."

"No distress call was received from the vessel," said a statement from the company. "Bad weather prevailed in the area at the time and conditions remain difficult at the scene, with storm force winds."

Brise said that it was in the process of informing the sailors' families. The 83-meter freighter was carrying 2,000 metric tons of cement from Alborg in Denmark to Runcorn in northwest England.

The ferry was reported capsized by the passing ferry crew at about 2.30 p.m. local time (1430 UTC).

Lack of mayday 'very strange'

Four lifeboats and two rescue helicopters were involved in the search, which was being coordinated by the Shetland Island coastguard and set to resume at first light on Sunday.

Bill Farquhar, from the local lifeboat station, told the BBC that the weather had been bad, but that the absence of a distress call was notable.

"It is very, very strange, especially with all the weather technology we have nowadays," he said. "Whatever happened, it happened very rapidly."

In a separate incident, the BBC reported early on Sunday that all 25 crew members of the car transporter Hoegh Osaka, which was heading from Southampton to Germany, were safe after the ship ran aground in the Solent, near to Southampton.

rc/bk (AFP, dpa)

Captain sentenced to jail in Sewol ferry case

The captain of a South Korean ferry which sank in April has been sentenced to 36 years in prison. A court found Lee Joon-seok guilty of negligence.

Deutsche Welle, 11 Nov 2014

The 36-year prison sentence was handed down by a court in South Korea on Tuesday, after a five-month long trial.

According to the AP news agency, the court said Lee was professionally negligent and abandoned his passengers, but he was acquitted of the most serious charges of homicide. If convicted on those charges, he could have received the death penalty.

"We find it hard to conclude that the defendants...were aware that all of the victims would die because of their actions and they had an intention to kill them," the trial's three judges said, according to the AFP news agency. "Therefore the murder charges are not accepted."

Lee, 69, has apologized for abandoning the passengers but said he didn't know the actions would lead to so many deaths.

The captain, along with three other senior crew members, was charged with homicide and willful negligence. Eleven other crew members faced lesser charges.

Search for bodies stopped

South Korean officials also announced Tuesday that the search for the bodies still missing after the April sinking was called off.

The bodies of 295 people have been recovered, but nearly seven months after the accident, nine are still missing.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Lee Ju-young told reporters there was only a remote chance of finding those bodies.

"The government deployed as many resources as possible ... to bring the last missing person to the families," Lee said. "But the situation in the ship has become too difficult for search operations to continue."

On April 16, the Sewol ferry capsized while en route from the South Korean mainland to the holiday island of Jeju. Of the 476 people on board, 325 were high school students on a field trip. Only 75 of the students survived.

se/lw (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Palm oil tanker, 25 crew believed seized off Kenya

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Singapore, Sun, 05/01/2011

A Singapore shipper says pirates have likely hijacked a palm oil tanker and its 25-member crew off the coast of Kenya.

Glory Ship Management Pte. Ltd. said in a statement Sunday that pirates are believed to have seized the Singapore-registered MT Gemini and its more than 28,000 tons of crude palm oil.

Glory said the ship was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, from Indonesia when it was believed to be hijacked and is now likely headed to Somalia.

The shipper said it is making every effort to secure the release of the crew, consisting of 13 Indonesians, five Chinese, four South Koreans and three Myanmar citizens.

Indonesian`s seafarers support petition to end piracy

Antara News, Sunday, September 26, 2010 13:23 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian seafarers have supported a recent petition to combat piracy launched by several international organizations.

"Every country has been urged to care for and be proactive in the fight against piracy frequently taking ship crew members hostage," Hanafi Rustandi, the president of the Indonesian Seafarers` Association (KPI), said in a press statement received by ANTARA News on Sunday.

The End Piracy Now petition, presented on UN-designated World Maritime Day, September 23, was drawn up by a coalition of 14 seafarers` unions, trade organizations, insurance companies and other relevant bodies, with support from shipowners, trade unions and welfare organizations.

The International Transport Workers` Federation (ITF) has collected around 920 signatories from 185 countries to support the petition calling for action to end Somali piracy.

"Originally intended to achieve half a million signatures, it has far exceeded that figure and definitively proves that immediate action is needed," a statement of ITF said.

KPI and other world seafarers hoped that the petition could stop piracy, a maritime crime which has often made seafarers suffer, according to Hanafi.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has declared the 2010 as the Year of Seafarer. There are about 1.5 million seafarers in the world.

"Starting next year, all seafarers throughout the world will celebrate the Seafarer Year annually," he said.

KPI members and seafarers whose ships are docking at Tanjung Prior harbor, celebrated the International Maritime Day modestly last Friday.

The petition was launched in June this year "as the centerpiece of a campaign to persuade all governments to commit the resources necessary to end the increasing problem of Somalia-based piracy.

Piracy has become a serious problem for tankers carrying oil, petrochemicals and dry bulk commodities around the Gulf of Aden, the east coast of Africa as well as around southeast Asia.

The London-based ITF is a global union federation with membership comprising 759 unions representing over 4,600,000 transport workers in 155 countries.

7 Indonesian sailors arrested in Malaysia for illegally mining iron ore

The Jakarta Post   |   Mon, 03/09/2009 10:37 PM  

The Malaysian Maritime Agency on Sunday arrested seven Indonesian and 17 Vietnamese sailors for illegally mining iron ore in Tanjung Ayam, Johor Baru, Antara reported on Monday. 

Head of the agency, first admiral Che Hassan Jusoh, said the sailors were using two Vietnam-made ships, the Quoc Tu Giam and Bot Tunda Berlian, for their illegal mining operation in the area. 

“They do not have any legal permits or pay taxes to authorities,” he said. (ewd)

Foreign fishing crews in Tual liven up island economy

A section in the central market of the backwater Tual Island in Maluku seems to be detached from the surrounding bustle.

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 03/06/2008 1:22 AM

While many outsiders say the expensive goods drive away buyers from this section, locals blame the police.

They say this section of the market was severely affected by a police crackdown on illegal fishing in the waters of Tual in late November. The section had become a regular spot for foreign crew members of fishing vessels to shop for supplies, vendors said.

"Before the crackdown, this part of the market was always packed with Thai and Vietnamese crew members. A lot of locals made ends meet by supplying foreign crews," resident Upang Bugis told The Jakarta Post in early January.

Upang used to help transport supplies from the market to the fishing vessels.

Although fishing vessels operating in the surrounding seas mostly fly Indonesian flags, the captains and crews are mostly from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, while the Indonesians are only tasked with petty work, police say.

When police seized 14 fishing vessels for alleged poaching just off Tual and Benjina islands last Nov. 26 and Dec. 7, 306 crew members from Thailand, two from Myanmar and 18 from Indonesia were arrested.

The employment of these foreign crew members violates existing fishing regulations, which stipulate that an Indonesian flagged fishing vessel must have 70 percent locals among its crew.

However, the police and the fisheries ministry blame the ministry of manpower and transmigration for failing to supervise employment on fishing vessels.

"Most residents here are so dependent on income from foreign fishing crews they no longer bother about not getting chances to work on fishing vessels," said Maluku Tenggara Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ony Budyo Suswanto.

He estimated around 70 percent of the 90,000 natives of Tual Island either worked as traditional fishermen or provided supplies and services to crews of the vessels who regularly came to the island.

Following concerns that foreign crews would no longer stop by in Tual, dozens of residents staged a rally protesting the police raids on fishing vessels.

"Residents and some local legislators came to the police to protest the detentions. They claimed the arrests would scare off foreign fishermen from coming to Tual to buy food," said Ony.

Tual is the capital of Maluku Tenggara regency in Maluku. The island is around a two-hour flight from Maluku's capital Ambon.

The island can also be reached in four days on a passenger vessel operated by state-owned shipping company PT Pelni from East Java's capital Surabaya.

Fishing vessels, crewed mostly by foreigners, often stop at Tual to upload supplies or, ideally, download their catches to a local processing plant after weeks of fishing on the Arafura Sea, a hotbed for poachers, according to the National Police.

When the Post visited the island, the uploading activities of illegally collected fish directly to foreign trampers had become a daily sight at all ports on Tual Island.

Lack of supervision and the island's remote location seem to have created a haven for illegal fishing activities.

The Arafura Sea, where Tual is the main fishing harbor, attracts international poaching syndicates due to its abundant reserves and quality of the fish, according to the director general for supervision at the ministry of fisheries and marine affairs, Aji Sularso.

The sea is around 1,290 kilometers long and 560 kilometers wide, stretching between Papua and Australia.

"The (Arafura) sea is a meeting point between warm and cold waters. The quality and the types of fish there are unmatchable," said Aji, adding that poachers, mostly from Thailand and China, had been operating there since the 1980s.

The National Police's deputy director for special crimes, Sr. Comr. Sadar Sebayang, said a fishing vessel operating in Arafura could net fish worth at least Rp 20 billion per catch, while income received by the regency reached only around Rp 8 billion annually in the form of local fees.

The police believe some 5,088 fishing vessels above 30 gross tons are operating in the country's eastern waters, with most of the vessels regularly harboring in Tual.

Aside from providing supplies, Tual residents also provide nightlife spots for foreign crews seeking rest and recreation after weeks of struggle on the open sea.

When the Post visited the island, there were around five brothels operating in an area dubbed "Mona Lisa". These brothels are often packed with foreign fishermen.

A pimp there said sex workers from West Java were the favorite of Thai fishermen. Other sex workers come from East Java, Kalimantan and South Sulawesi.

Sex workers said they do not receive regular check-ups. Police chief Ony said there was no data on HIV infections, as most sex workers refuse to undergo regular medical check-ups. -- JP/Rendi Akhmad Witular (With additional reporting by M. Aziz Tunny)

Tanker leaves fishing boat to sink after crash

BATAM (The Jakarta Post) : A very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker with a foreign flag fled the scene after colliding with a fishing boat in the Malaka Strait, near Nipah Island in Riau Islands late last week.

The accident killed the fishing boat's skipper, Abdul Wahid, 44, and injured his eight crew members, who were hospitalized at Karimun hospital.

The head of the Safety and Control Section of Tanjung Balai Karimun Port, Fahrin, said on Saturday the tanker crashed into the fishing boat on Thursday at around 7 p.m.

The boat had departed from Tanjung Balai and was headed to Nipah Island for fishing. But on its way, the tanker crashed into it. Some witnesses said the tanker had given a sign but the boat's crews seemed to not hear it.

After the crash, the tanker stopped briefly but did not aid the fishing boat before continuing on. Another ship came to the aid of the crew members.

Chief for Security Operations at the Navy's Western Fleet Commodore Sugeng Dharmawan said he had sent a naval vessel to investigate the cause of the accident. However, Sugeng said he did not yet know the origin of the tanker.

Five dead, five others missing amid rough seas in Flores

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

A cargo ship sank in rough seas in Bonerate waters near Flores Island killing three people and leaving five missing, while the turbulent waters also killed two swimmers, officials and witnesses said Monday.

The KM Surya Jaya sank after leaving Flores island bound for Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday with 15 crew on board, East Flores Deputy Regent Joseph Lagadoni Herin said.

"Three people were found dead and seven survivors have been evacuated to shore," Herin said, adding that a search was still underway for the five missing crew.

Meanwhile, waves swept holiday-makers off one of the island's beaches late on Sunday, policeman Syamsul told AFP.

"A huge wave came in suddenly while people were swimming at the beach. I heard people screaming for help but another policeman and I were dragged into the sea as well," he said.

He said he and his friend were saved but that the incident killed two high-school students, as strong seas lashed islands right across Indonesia's east.

The local meteorology office warned of waves as high as six metres and winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

Torrential rains have inundated Indonesia's main island of Java over the past week, killing scores of people in landslides and displacing thousands following floods.

High seas and wild weather are not unusual from December to February in Indonesia, when the rainy season hits a peak across the world's fourth most populous nation.

RI seafarers to get new biometric IDs

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian seamen have hailed the government's ratification of an International Labor Organization convention allowing them shore leave, transit and transfer in transit privileges at destination seaports.

The chairman of Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI), Hanafi Rustandi, said that by ratifying the 2003 Convention 185 on Seafarers Identity Documents (SIDs), the government would need to issue new biometric SIDs for more than 35,000 Indonesian seafarers working on vessels flying both Indonesian and foreign flags.

The convention requires all ILO member countries to recognize the seafarers' SIDs and let them enter their territories for short shore leaves without visas.

"Certain countries, particularly the United States and Britain, will have no reason to reject our seafarers from stopping over or entering their territories," Hanafi told The Jakarta Post when asked to comment Friday on the ratification.

He said Indonesia moved quickly to ratify the ILO convention, which took effect on Feb. 9, 2005, because the U.S. and Britain had rejected Indonesian seamen entry following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington D.C.

"So far, Indonesia is still on the list of 25 countries considered prone to terrorism, which has affected our seamen," he said.

The House of Representatives endorsed the bill on the convention's ratification in a plenary meeting Friday to protect Indonesian seafarers overseas.

Chairwoman of the House's Commission IX for labor and health issues said the ratification not only showed Indonesia's commitment to implementing international labor standards, but also encouraged job seekers to work with shipping companies to reduce unemployment and improve the country's income through remittances from seafarers.

Related to the convention, the ILO approved in March 2004 a biometric verification system that provides a more rigorous response to the need for increased security in the maritime industry.

The new identity document for seafarers allows for the use of a biometric template to turn two fingerprints of a seafarer into an internationally standardized 2-D bar code on the SID.

Transportation Minister Jusman Safii Djamal praised the quick deliberation and ratification of the ILO convention to protect Indonesian workers working in international waters.

"Allowing seafarers to have shore leave at seaports means they can go to hospitals for medical treatment, mail letters to their families back home and report on any piracy and smuggling activities to the authorities," he told the plenary session.

"Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno and I will soon meet to coordinate the issuance of SIDs for all Indonesian seafarers."

26 Indonesian sailors feared dead: officials

Taipei (ANTARA News) - Twenty six Indonesian sailors are feared dead after their Panamanian freighter hit rough seas off Taiwan's north coast, officials said late Wednesday.

Television images showed coast guards plucking one surviving sailor from the sea, but transport ministry official Ho Wen-chih said he feared the others were dead.

"I'm afraid the other people are dead. After all, the chance of surviving (in) such bad weather for a whole day is really low," Ho told AFP.

Taiwan's coast guards launched a major sea and air search Tuesday after they received distress signals from the Mezzanine, Ho said.

The surviving sailor told rescuers the ship was submerged barely five minutes after tonnes of water gushed into the cabin of the ship, loaded with iron ore from Indonesia.

The survivor said he was on the ship's deck when the accident happened, allowing him time to throw himself to the sea.

"Given the emergency signals, the ship may have sunk," Jeffrey Tsao, another transport ministry official based in the northern Keelung Harbour, told AFP.

The accident happened as the ship was heading to the Chinese port of Tianjin.

The coast guards said the search for the missing sailors would not end before the 72-hour period in which they estimate people could survive is up.

Somali pirates free two vessels

BBC News

Somali pirates have released two South Korean-owned fishing boats held since May in waters off the Horn of Africa.

The two boats and their 24 Asian crew members were escorted to safe waters by the US navy.

US naval personnel later boarded the vessels and gave the crew medical check-ups, said a US spokeswoman, Cdr Lydia Robertson.

The South Korean foreign ministry says the boats are now heading for Yemen and that the crew members are safe.

The crew members include 10 Chinese, four South Koreans, three Vietnamese, three Indians and four Indonesians.

Cdr Robertson said the US navy was also urging pirates on three other ships to leave the vessels and return to Somalia.

The waters off Somalia's coast lie close to crucial shipping lanes and are notorious for piracy.

Four Indonesian nationals among abducted fishermen in Somalia

The Jakarta Post

SEOUL (AP): Talks between a South Korean shipowner and Somali pirates who abducted 24 of his crew have stalled on the size of the ransom being demanded by their captors, a South Korean official said Monday.

Four South Korean fishermen were aboard two South Korean-owned vessels along with 20 other crew of various nationalities when they were seized off Somalia on May 15. The 20 other crew comprised 10 Chinese, three Vietnamese, three Indian and four Indonesian nationals.

The shipowner, Ahn Hyun-su, has been holding direct talks with the Somali pirates to secure their release since, according to South Korean officials.

"As far as we know, negotiations are under way with a focus on their ransom payment, but a final progress has not been reported as differences on the amount (of money) is big," presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon told reporters.

"The government is providing various intelligence and other things that could help the negotiation procedures, but we cannot disclose details."

According to some South Korean media reports, the Somali pirates have been demanding between US$700,000 and US$1 million in ransom, and the shipowner has been appealing for the South Korean government to help pay the money.

In a press release Sunday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry reiterated that it does not pay terrorist organizations for the release of hostages, fearing that doing so would encourage more kidnappings.

They would most likely be freed together with the South Korean fishermen if the South Koreans are released, said a South Korean Foreign Ministry official who refused to give his name, saying he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Somalia lies close to crucial shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean, where valuable cargo and carriers must pass.

Somalia has had no effective government since 1991, when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other. The country's 3,000-kilometer coastline makes it difficult to prevent attacks.

Somali pirates are trained fighters, often dress in military fatigues, using speedboats equipped with satellite phones and Global Positioning System equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and various types of grenades, according to the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia.

Last year, another South Korean fishing vessel was captured off Somalia and released three months later after a ransom of more than US$800,000 was paid.

RI told to crack down on FOC cargo vessels

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) called on the government to take action against Indonesian cargo vessels flying flags of convenience (FOC), saying this practice did not contribute to the welfare of the country and abused workers.

"The rampant use of FOCs among Indonesian vessels serving sea transportation both home and overseas has cost Indonesia hundreds of billions of rupiah annually.

"It has also worsened the unemployment problem in the country since the vessels pay no taxes and employ Indonesian workers under contracts which are below international standards," Secretary General of London-based ITF John Wood said.

Wood made the call during a visit here Friday as part of ITF's world campaign against the use of FOCs in developing countries.

He said such a practice is rarely found in developed countries, which generally follow their own harsh laws due to annual anti-FOC campaigns that have been held for more than 60 years.

The ITF has identified 32 countries, including Panama and Liberia, as having facilitated the registration of FOC ships.

The Indonesian government issued a regulation on cabotage in 2005 in order to empower the national shipping industry. However, the regulation is yet to be effective because of weak supervision at ports and at sea. The regulation requires all Indonesian cargo and passenger ships to carry the national flag, putting them under Indonesian law.

Wood said that despite the regulation, it was quite difficult for domestic authorities to identify Indonesian FOC ships, but stressed it could be done through enhanced cooperation with seafarers and their labor unions.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI) Hanafi Rustandi said many Indonesian cargo vessels flying flags of convenience had exploited Indonesian workers because they could not be reached by labor laws.

"Thousands of Indonesian seafarers working on cargo vessels flying FOCs have been underpaid and employed in work places which lack health facilities and safety equipment. Despite Indonesian ownership, the vessels could not be sanctioned because of their FOC status," he said.

Hanafi, also a former captain, said the government should crack down on FOC ships operating in Indonesian waters and enforce the regulation requiring them to carry the national flag. "Such measures will force them to comply with the labor law and recruit more workers to be employed at seaports and in their ground offices," Hanafi said.

He said many unskilled workers, employed as laborers on FOC ships, had been paid below the minimum wage level and forced to work extra hours when engines on vessels were in trouble.

Fate of missing Indonesian shipcrew still a mystery

The Jakarta Post

BEIJING (Antara): The fate of an Indonesian shipcrew,Mihi Raja, 29, who was reported missing in the East Chinese Sea after a ship collision on April 9, 2007, was still a mystery.

"Up till now, the Indonesian embassy here maintained contact with the local security authorities asking for the fate of the missing Indonesian sailor following the collision. But no reply on his fate has been received," an official of the Indonesian embassy in Beijing, Nicolas Hendrik T Manopo, said Monday.

According to him, his side maintained contact with theauthorities in Zhejiang province, the location where the collision happened, but till now there was no reply on the missing sailor.

The search for the missing Indonesian continued in rough waters.

Recent reports said the local authorities would disassemble the ship's body to find the missing Indonesian shipcrew and other victims.

Dutch ship pay rise for Indonesian sailors

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian sailors will have the chance to work on Dutch vessels at higher rates of pay following the signing Tuesday of a collective labor agreement.

The Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI) signed the agreement with the Netherlands Maritime Employers Association (Nemea) for both crew and officers, providing them with a gross monthly salary ranging from US$1,520 to $4,586.

The agreement also allows Indonesian sailors to move or be transferred to vessels flying the flags of other European countries with similar remuneration systems.

Nemea Chairman Aaert Korteland R.A. hailed the agreement for ensuring labor safety for Indonesian seafarers working for European shipping companies as well as for supporting the booming Dutch shipping industry.

"The Dutch shipping industry requires thousands of crew and officers to fill in job vacancies in its current fleet of 4,700 ships, ferries and cargo carriers," he said.

"More seafarers from Indonesia will be required because we are still ordering 4,000 more new vessels to replace old ones."

Korteland was speaking during the agreement signing ceremony at the state-run Indonesian Merchant Marine Academy (STIP) in Marunda, North Jakarta.

He also called on state-owned merchant marine academies to improve the quality of their teaching to allow their graduates to compete with seafarers from the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea.

Meanwhile, STIP rector Rusman Hoesein said Nemea should allow his students to work as apprentices on Dutch vessels while they were finishing their studies.

Some 18,000 Indonesian seafarers work on non-European ships for monthly salaries of between $2,000 and $3,000 because the payment is not based on the international standards.

Senior offices and captains of Indonesian ships earn far less, between $500 and $1,500 per month, the lowest salary in the industry in Southeast Asia.

KPI chairman Hanafi Rustandi said the organization encouraged Indonesian crew, fresh graduates of Indonesian merchant marine academies and senior officers to work on European and American ships.

"We have enhanced cooperation with the academies to hold certified training programs to improve the quality of Indonesian seafarers, enabling them to make a smooth adjustment to the work environment on European and American vessels," he said.

"There are about 15,000 Indonesian seafarers working for American and European shipping companies. But only 100 are employed as captains, chief engineers and other top positions because of the low quality of education in the academies."

The International Maritime Organization recognizes the graduates of five state-run academies in Jakarta, East Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi. Indonesian crew are required to take advanced programs to improve their specialized skills.