Amver, Saving Lives at Sea Since 1958

Welcome Wednesday!

2012-02-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the Costa Concordia incident there's no shortage of articles about cruise ship safety, salvage, and stability. Others are writing about cruise ship incidents in the Arctic. When it comes to safety at sea, you need look no further than Amver. Every 33 hours an Amver ship is saving a life somewhere in the world. From the Arctic to Antarctica, there are Amver ships available to assist in search and rescue.

How is Amver a success? Because of the participation from the commercial maritime sector. Help us welcome the latest members to enroll in the Amver safety network, ready to save lives when necessary.

AMITY
CALETTA
CANAL BEAGLE
CHANG HANG KAI TUO
CORONA POWER
DAN SABIA
DELIVERANCE
FEDERAL SKEENA
FRONT QUEEN
GLOBAL TRUST
GRAND BREAKER
HABRUT
KEN SPIRIT
MANDARIN CHINA
MAPLE CROWN
MARTIN SPIRIT
MELODY 9
NORTHERN SPIRIT
NORTHIA
PACIFIC SANTA ANA
PHOENIX CONCORD
RYBACHIY
SANKO FORTUNE
SESTREA
SONANGOL ETOSHA
ST NICHOLAS
SUEZ HANS
SUPREME VISION
TANDARA SPIRIT
TOKOMARU BAY
TROUBADOUR
UNION GROOVE
UNIQUE GUARDIAN
VIGOR SW
VISHVA BANDHAN
VISHVA EKTA
XIN HAI HU 5
YUE MAY

Photo credit: Fotolia

USCG warns of possible GPS outages

2012-01-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

The United States Coast Guard Navigation Center recently warned of possible unreliable GPS readings from February 3 to 10, 2012 from 16:00 hours to 21:45 hours Eastern Standard Time off the North Carolina Coast due to testing on GPS frequencies utilized by shipboard navigation. The entire message is below.

From Feb 03 through Feb 10, 2012, daily from 1600 EST to 2145 EST, the GPSnavigation signal may be unreliable due to testing on GPS frequencies used byshipboard navigation, aviation and handheld systems. Systems that rely on GPS, suchas E-911, AIS and DSC may be affected at an approximate testing center point of 3345.00N, 77 00.00W, with an impact radius of approximately 75 NM from center point.
More information is available at the Coast Guard Navigation Center websitewww.navcen.uscg.gov. During this period GPS Users are encouraged to report anyGPS service outages that they may experience to the Navigation Information Service(NIS) by calling (703) 313-5900 or by using the NAVCEN Website to submit a GPSProblem Report www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=gpsUserInput .

Amver participants should take note.

Welcome Wednesday!

2012-01-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

Ships, give me more ships! The entire Amver team is thankful to the shipping community for continuing to rally around this voluntary ship reporting system. In the past week another 54 vessels enrolled in Amver, proof you take safety at sea very seriously. It's a good think too, because several ships went down in the last week, further demonstrating the need for a system like Amver to help coordinate search and rescue. Help us welcome the latest additions to the team.

AFALES
ALPINE LIBERTY
ALPINE LIGHT
ALPINE LINK
AQUILA
ARK FORWARDER
BBC BALTIC
BOTTIGLIERI CHALLENGER
BRATTINGSBORG
BUNGA LOTUS
CHL INNOVATOR
CLIPPER BETTINA
DABA
DESERT SPRING
DORA C
EXCEL
FPMC C MELODY
FS DILIGENCE
GYRE
ICELANDER
J KEITH LOUSTEAU
JEWEL OF TOKYO
JUBILANT SUCCESS
LADY CORDELIA
LAURA D
LIA
MACONDO
MAERSK HAYAMA
MAERSK KUANTAN
MAERSK SENTOSA
MAPLE PIONEER
MARIA
MISS SARAH
MSC INES
NICOLINE BULKER
NORD AQUILA
NORTHERN LYNX
OCEAN HOPE 3
OCEAN RAINBOW
ORIENT ALLIANCE
OVERSEAS KILIMANJARO
PACIFIC SAPPHIRE
PANTHER MAX
PERIDOT
POS AQUAMARIN
POS TUERKIS
RMEIL
SEA VOYAGER
SEEB
SIVA GHENT
SK SUMMIT
TANGERINE ISLAND
TOBA
TONOSI

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Like reading about shipwrecks?

2012-01-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

If it's shipwrecks you crave, or information on what accidents happened at sea, then check out the Shipwrecks Log on the web. The authors have daily updates of sinkings, allisions, groundings, and other maritime incidents from around the world.

They're also provide updates on things such as the Concordia sinking and recovery efforts.

We've added it to the Amver reading list.

Welcome Wednesday!

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

What a week. The Costa Concordia has dominated the headlines for the last few days. What is the response to an incident like Costa Concordia, here is a good start.

The best response, however, is having adequate resources to assist in maritime disasters. Help us welcome the latest members enrolled in the Amver safety network.

ALMI HORIZON
ALPINE LEGEND
ALPINE MEADOW
ALYSSA CHOUEST
AMELIA
APL TURKEY
AQUALEGEND
ATLANTIC MERIDA
CALIDA
CAPE ALTHEA
CAPTAIN HARRY
CLIPPER ISE
ELBEBORG
ESHIPS AGAMID
ESHIPS BARRACUDA
ESHIPS EAGLE
FAIRPLAYER
FEDERAL SABLE
GENCO SPIRIT
GO POLARIS
GULF CAJUN
K GLOBAL PRIDE
KONDOR
LEWEK EAGLE
MARE SICULUM
MELITA
MILAU BULKER
MONT VENTOUX
NORD AARHUS
NORD HONG KONG
NORMAN ASTURIAS
OCEAN JEWEL
OCEANIC PESCADORES
POAVOSA WISDOM VI
PRINCIMAR HOPE
PRINCIMAR PROMISE
REECON EMRE
SEA DISCOVERY
SEACOR RELIANT
SFL HUMBER
SILVER SPRAY
SINFONIA
STADT CADIZ
STENA CRYSTAL SKY
STENA FORECASTER
STENA FORERUNNER
STENA FORETELLER
STENA PARIS
TORRENTE
TORVANGER
ULTRA SASKATOON

You can learn more about Amver here.

Photo credit: Fotolia

IMO praises Italian Coast Guard in wake of Costa Concordia sinking, urges investigation

2012-01-17T13:01:00.001-05:00

The IMO has declared 2012's World Maritime Day, "Titanic; 100 years later" and has recently posted a release after the Costa Concordia sank in Italy and several other maritime accidents.

Here is the complete statement by the International Maritime Organization.

IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has expressed his condolences and sympathy for all those caught up in tragic accidents involving ships over the weekend.

Speaking at the opening of the IMO Sub-Committee on Stability, Load Lines and Fishing Vessel Safety today (16 January 2011) Mr Sekimizu said, “I wish to express my sincere condolences and sympathy on behalf of IMO to the families of those who have lost their lives the cruise ship Costa Concordia.”

“Further, I appreciate the Italian Coast Guard for their rescue operations over the night of the accident and the continued efforts deploying patrol boats, tugs, helicopters as well as diver teams, which have resulted in the highest number of people rescued in the history of the Italian Coast Guard.”

“Causes of this accident are still not yet established. We must wait for the casualty investigation and should not pre-judge or speculate at this stage. I would like to urge the Flag State administration to carry out the casualty investigation covering all aspects of this accident and provide the findings to the IMO under the provisions of SOLAS as soon as possible,” he said.

He added “IMO must not take this accident lightly. We should seriously consider the lessons to be learnt and, if necessary, re-examine the regulations on the safety of large passenger ships in the light of the findings of the casualty investigation.”

“In the centenary year of the Titanic, we have once again been reminded of the risks involved in maritime activities.”

You can learn more about Amver here.

Photo credit: IMO

How to respond to a cruise ship sinking

2012-01-14T12:11:00.002-05:00

The recent sinking of the Costa Concordia (yes, some people are calling it a grounding while others are calling it a sinking) has many people asking how it could happen.

At Amver we don't speculate on how these incidents happen, we focus on the response.

What is Amver?

We coordinate search and rescue at sea using commercial ships. Read more about how it works here.

People may also wonder what sorts of plans are in place when a cruise ship does end up in trouble.

The United States Coast Guard has a robust Mass Rescue Operations program. In fact, there are international standards for cruise ships to prepare for such incidents. What sort of plans? Here are an example of the content available on mass rescue.

International Maritime Organization Guidance Documents on Mass Rescue (links to PDF files)

Alaska Maritime Mass Rescue Operations Job Aids

The Amver community is keeping the passengers, crew, and responders in our thoughts and prayers. Need to speak to someone about Mass Rescue or Amver? Contact us here.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Cruise ship runs aground in Italy

2012-01-13T21:59:00.002-05:00

News reports are starting to filter in about the cruise ship Costa Concordia running around in Italy. Some news reports state that passengers may have jumped off the ship to swim to shore.

While the details of the incident unfold its important to know that plans are in place for these types of maritime incidents.

First, the Amver system is a worldwide, voluntary search and rescue system that use commercial ships to assist in these types of incidents. You can learn more about Amver here.

Second, the United States Coast Guard has a robust Mass Rescue Operations program that routinely exercises with the cruise community for situations like this.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew members of the Costa Concordia as this situation continues to evolve.

Photo credit: twitter.com/cruiseshipcrew

Amver ship sinks, sparking second largest search and rescue mission in Amver's 53 year history

2012-01-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

The sinking of the Vietnamese ship Vinalines Queen on Christmas Day, 2011 started a large scale international Amver search and rescue effort not seen since the sinking of the Salvador Allende in 1994.

"We received a distress alert message from the Vinalines Queen at midnight on December 25, 2011," said Mr. Nguyen Anh Vu, General Director of the Vietnam Rescue Coordination Center. "We have carried out search and rescue operations with Taiwan Rescue Coordination Center, Philippine Coast Guard, Japanese Coast Guard, and U.S. Coast Guard rescue authorities in Hawaii," Vu added. The U.S. Coast Guard provided Amver information to Vietnam to assist in the search. The Vinalines Queen was carrying nickel ore from Indonesia to China with a crew of 23 when it sank.

"This is the largest search effort since 32 ships were diverted to assist the Ukrainian cargo ship Salvador Allende which sank on December 10, 1994 850 miles northeast of Bermuda," said Benjamin Strong, Director of the U.S. Coast Guard Amver Center in New York City. "Amver takes its history from the Titanic sinking 100 years ago," Strong added, "We are proud that so many ships agreed to divert, ensuring no call for help goes unanswered."

On December 30, 2011 the aptly named Amver participant London Courage found a drifting life raft and rescued Da Ngoc Hung, the only survivor from the Vinalines Queen. An additional 20 Amver ships from 12 different nations participated in the search for the remaining crewmembers. Vietnamese news reports Hung is unhurt and has returned home.

Amver participants from Japan, Monaco, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Norway, Greece, Germany, United States of America, Great Britain, Malta, and Hong Kong have searched unsuccessfully for the remaining 22 crewmen.

Want to learn more about Amver? Check us out here.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Holiday wishes from sea

2012-01-13T09:03:00.001-05:00

Every year we receive holiday wishes from our Amver participants at sea. These wonderful messages should serve as a reminder that life at sea is hard work, requiring our shipmates to be away from home and family. Thank you seafarers and shipmates. Here is a sample of some of the wonderful holiday wishes the Amver team received.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!! Best Regards, Captain Konstantin Borovik M/V BIC IRINI
We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy & Peaceful New Year! All the best for 2012! BRGDS MASTER M/V MATILDE CORRADO
The AMVER Team, We all onbd wish your team and family a MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR.Thanks & Best Regards Master M.V.Aquitania
25th Dec.'11 Dear All, The Officers and Crew of Aquarius Ace greet you all and your loveones "A Merry Christmas". The Bible says: For God so love the world (you & me) that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (in Hell) but have eternal life (in Heaven) John 3:16, And a safe and sound fruitfull New Year 2012. In Christ,
Capt. Failma & Ch. Engr. Tabalno
MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR BRGDS MASTER MSC LUCY

As we chart a course through the new yar we wish all of our members a healthy and prosperou2 2012! Remember, the IMO has declared 2012 the year to remember Titanic, 100 years later. The Amver system was established as a result of the Titanic disaster. Today Amver ships save a life every 33 hours, providing a blanket of safety at sea around the world.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver is looking for class; ice class that is!

2012-01-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

The recent cases in Antarctica (the Russian fishing vessel taking on water and the Korean fishing vessel on fire) demonstrate a need for a way to quickly identify ice class vessels that can respond to incidents in the Polar regions.

Ice Ice Baby

The Amver team is busy working out ways for search and rescue authorities to quickly find ice class ships that may nearest an emergency. We just need more ice/polar class ships to enroll.

Help us better respond to maritime incidents in the Arctic/Antarctic and enroll your ice strengthened ships today.

Photo credit: Fotolia

What is Amver?

2012-01-11T12:51:00.000-05:00

We were reminded recently that not everyone knows about Amver. This may be your first time visiting our site. With that in mind we thought it was important to explain just what Amver is and what we do.

Amver

The Amver (a fancy acronym for Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System) system is a voluntary ship tracking/reporting system managed by the United States Coast Guard. The mission of Amver is to provide search and rescue professionals with the location of merchant ships near a distress or other emergency at sea.

The Amver system has been in operation since 1958 and was established as a result of the Titanic disaster of 1912. As Titanic was sinking, passing merchant ships thought the distress flares were simply the passengers and crew celebrating the maiden voyage of the unsinkable ship.

Originally designed to track vessel voyages in the North Atlantic, the Amver system evolved and was a global search and rescue system by the 1970s.

Amver is unique because it is voluntary and leverages the voyages of merchant ships from any nation, flying any flag.

There are no fees associated with Amver. The United States Coast Guard does not charge survivors or for ships that participate in the Amver system.

Today there are over 5,000 Amver ships reporting every day. What does that look like? Here is a great example of the location of Amver ships around the world.

What to know more? Check out our video:

Can't see the video? Click here.

Why should a ship participate in Amver?

Participation is voluntary, free of cost, and open to all ships regardless of flag or nation.
Amver participation satisfies the requirements of 44 CFR, Part 307.11 for U.S. vessels to file position reports with the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Amver information is protected as commercial proprietary information and is released only to recognized search and rescue authorities during maritime emergencies.
Regular reporting to Amver ensures the location of your ship is known at all times during its voyage (in the event of an emergency).
Regular reporting to Amver decreases the search area if a ship is unreported, overdue, or goes missing at sea.
Amver reduces the time between notification and rescue response.
Amver can reduce the time lost to vessels responding to calls for assistance by coordinating the rescue effort, utilizing ships in the best position, with the best rescue capability and eliminating unnecessary diversions by other vessels.
Amver participants are under no greater obligation to render assistance during an emergency than vessels that do not participate. On the contrary, ships unfavorably located on the Amver plot may be released from their obligation to respond by search and rescue authorities.
Amver exchanges information with the Japanese Ship Reporting System (JASREP), the Australian Ship Reporting System (AUSREP), the Chilean Ship Reporting System (CHILREP), and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MAREP), so reports need only be made to any one system with a keyword added to the message authorizing exchange with another system.
Amver reports transmitted by the Amver/SEAS software provide reporting of both vessel positions and weather data simultaneously, reducing reporting workload and cost.
Amver is a demonstration of international humanitarian cooperation, mariner helping mariner, by assisting any person in distress at sea regardless of nationality or status.
Your ship may be the one called upon to assist in an emergency. You may also be a ship in distress one day.

How do you enroll your ship in Amver?

Amver enrollment is easy. The video below shows you how (a transcript of the video is available here).

Can't see the video? Click here.

How is Amver used?

Search and rescue professionals use a product of Amver called a surface picture, or SURPIC. Rescue professionals can learn how to request an Amver SURPIC here. All rescue coordination centers around the world are encouraged to do so.

What's the result? Rescues like this one, this one, or this dramatic rescue.

Learn more

You can see and learn more about what Amver does by checking out our other products-

Amver on Twitter
Amver on Facebook
Amver on YouTube
Amver on Flickr
The Amver podcast

If you like what you see consider joining the Amver system. If you're a journalist or media person and you want to contact us, just click here.

Welcome Wednesday!

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

The hits just keep on coming! You have helped Amver obtain over 5,300 ships on plot for a 24 hour period. We are thankful for your assistance to shipping, ensuring no call for help goes unanswered and for continuing to enroll in the Amver system. Help us welcome the latest participants.

ALASKAN DREAM
ALFIOS
BELLA SCHULTE
BERMUDA SPIRIT
BESIRE KALKAVAN
BLUE DRAGON
BRAZOS
COSL INNOVATOR
CS CALVINA
GULMAR EAGLE
HANJIN LONG BEACH
HYUNDAI ANTWERP
LARS GRAEL
MARAUDER
MARGRETH PISSAREK
OCEAN GALAXY
OVERSEAS ATHENS
PRIME ROYAL
SERENE SKY
SPICA
SUPER GRACE
TEMPEST
UBC LIMAS
ZHE HAI 169

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast; The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-05:00

2011 went out with a bang here at Amver. An incredible number of commercial ships enrolled in the Amver system during the final days of the year. Thank you for your support. Help us welcome the latest members of the Amver search and rescue system.

ACHATINA
ALPINE MONIQUE
ANTHEIA
APL GWANGYANG
AS ELBIA
BODO SCHULTE
CAPE MAAS
CHAMPION PRINCE
CHANG HANG ZUAN SHI
CHEMROAD MEGA
CLIPPER GEMINI
CMA CGM MAGELLAN
DESTINATION
DP AZALEA
FORTUNE ACE
FRONTIER PHOENIX
GOLDEN ENTERPRISE
GFAND ANIVA
HAKUTA
HEIDI L BRUSCO
HERMITAGE BRIDGE
HIPPO
KING COTTON
KIRILL LAVROV
LITEYNY PROSPECT
MAERSK GLOBAL
MAERSK ILLINOIS
MALMO
MIKHAIL ULYANOV
MOSKOVSKY PROSPECT
MSC CANDICE
MSC CRISTIANA
NAVE ANDROMEDA
NEW VENTURE
OBSESSION
OCEAN WORLD
OKHTA BRIDGE
OLYMPIA
OLYMPIYSKY PROSPECT
PACIFIC HONOR
PRETTY IVY
PURA VIDA
RN ARKHANGELSK
RN MURMANSK
RN PRIVODINO
SCF ALDAN
SCF ALPINE
SCF ALTAI
SCF BAIKAL
SCF CAUCASUS
SCF KHIBINY
SCF NEVA
SCF PACIFICA
SCF PECHORA
SCF PRIME
SCF PRIMORYE
SCF PROVIDER
SCF SAMOTLOR
SCF SURGUT
SCF TOBOLSK
SCF URAL
SCF YENISEI
SEA PRIDE
SFL SARA
SFL YUKON
SONANGOL KALANDULA
STADT RENDSBURG
SUVOROVSKY PROSPECT
TAVRICHESKY BRIDGE
TEATRALNY BRIDGE
TITANIA
TONOSI
TORGOVY BRIDGE
TOWER BRIDGE
TRANS NANJING
TRANSSIB BRIDGE
TVERSKOY BRIDGE
UBC ODESSA
VICTOR KONETSKY
VIKING DIAMOND
VLADIMIR TIKHONOV
YURI SENKEVICH

Thank you, Amver participants, for your continued support of the Amver system!

Photo credit: Fotolia

IMO recognizes Titanic; 100 years later

2012-01-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

The IMO has declared the theme of World Maritime Day 2012 as "One hundred years after Titanic". Many of you know the Amver system was established as a result of Titanic.
The need to identify ships in the North Atlantic near a distress location was realized, but wasn't established until the advent of the computer age- 1958.

Now the Amver system tracks over 5,000 ships per day globally, diverting them to distress locations around the world and saving an average of one life every 33 hours.

Let's not forget those people lost on that fateful night almost 100 years ago.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Happy New Year from Amver

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a prosperous and happy new year from the Amver team!

Madagascar opens Rescue Coordination Sub-Centre

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

According to a press release from the International Maritime Organization:

A further key link in the plan to provide effective search and rescue (SAR) coverage off the coast of Africa has been established, with the commissioning of a search and rescue sub-centre that will operate in conjunction with the regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

The sub-centre, at Antananarivo, Madagascar, was commissioned on 11 December 2011 by IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, together with Madagascar’s Minister for Transports, Benjamina Ramarcel Ramantsoa and Mr. Jérôme Sambalis Director General of the Agence Portuaire, Maritime et Fluviale (APMF).

The inauguration of the new facility, which will operate as a joint maritime and aeronautical centre, marks an important step in a process that began at a conference on Search and Rescue and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, convened by IMO in Florence, Italy, in October 2000. African Governments represented at the Conference agreed on a regional approach to the provision of SAR services in western, southern and eastern parts of the continent as well as in island States around Africa. To that effect, they adopted a resolution inviting the African countries bordering the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the nearby Atlantic and Indian Ocean Island States, to establish five regional centres and 25 sub-centres to cover their entire coastline for SAR coordination purposes.

The establishment of appropriate SAR facilities off the coast of Africa was seen as a key component in the implementation of the Global SAR Plan, the final part of which had been agreed in 1998 at an IMO Conference in Fremantle, Australia.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Madagascar MRSC, Secretary-General Mitropoulos said, “Manning the Antananarivo Centre on a 24 hour basis, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, will require vigilance, professionalism and a sharp reaction to events – it will not be an easy task! May those who serve in it live up to our expectations. In thus discharging their responsibilities, they will have the blessings of all those who will owe their lives to the prompt and effective execution of their duties. They and their families will be in their debt forever.”

The commissioning of the Antananarivo facility brings the number of sub-centres now in operation to 15. In March 2011, the fifth and final African MRCC was established in Rabat, Morocco, joining those previously commissioned in Mombasa, Kenya (2006); Cape Town, South Africa (2007); Lagos, Nigeria (2008); and Monrovia, Liberia (2009).

With the completion of the five regional MRCCs, IMO is now using the experience gained in the successful establishment and operation of these centres in Africa as an example for other regions to follow. The Organization is currently embarking on a similar project for seven countries in Central America, involving the creation of two regional MRCCs, covering areas of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea respectively, together with five associated sub-centres.

Rescue personnel in Madagascar can enhance their search and rescue capabilities by requesting Amver data from the United States Coast Guard. Requesting an Amver surface picture greatly enhances a rescue organizations ability to perform their search and rescue mission.

Photo credit: IMO via Flickr

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

We hope you're enjoying the holiday break! Here are the latest ships to enroll in Amver. Thank you for a record breaking 2011!

New Amver participants

ANNOU G.O.
BARKLY PEARL
BROVIG VINDUR
BUENOS AIRES
CAPE TROY
CELTIC SEA
CHRIS GR
CMA CGM SAMSON
FORTUNE BAY
FOUR SKY
FRONTIER HARVEST
GLOBAL GENESIS
GOOD TRADE
HARMONY STAR
JK GALAXY
KAMLESH
KEI
KIRANA NAREE
KOUJU LILLY
LUCIA BOTTIGLIERI
MAERSK HEIWA
MASON BEE
MEDI OKINAWA
MSC LUCY
NATHAN E. STEWART
ONOZURU MARU
PACIFIC CANOPUS
PACIFIC GLORY
POLYMNIA I
RICHARD BRUSCO
THURGAU
TRANS FRIENDSHIP II
XIN NING YANG
ZOSCO DALIAN

See you in 2012!

What we're reading

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

The best thing about the internet is the amount of niche information you can find. One blog we recently discovered is the Old Salt Blog.

Lot's of great maritime information for the Amver community. Check it out.

What else do we read here in the Amver office?

In addition to those blogs, we have Google alerts and RSS feeds for

Finally, you just have to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Happy Holidays from Amver

2011-12-23T03:00:00.000-05:00

The entire Amver team wishes you a very happy Holiday Season!

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

The numbers just keep going up. You have helped contribute to a record setting year and we thank you. This week another 38 vessels have enrolled in the Amver system joining the ranks of mariner helping mariner. Enjoy this holiday season, remember our shipsmates who are still underway, and help us thank these latest participants.

AMAPOLA
APL CHONGQING
ATLANTIC DREAM
AURORA
CABALLO XANTHUS
CACTUS K
CAPE COSMOS
CHARMEY
CHERRY DREAM
EAGLE ARROW
EXPANSA
HHL AMAZON
K-WAVE
KOWIE
LEDA C
MAERSK NGUJIMA-YIN
MAGSENGER 6
MARIA BRUSCO
MARIANNE STOEGER
MARIPERLA
MOONLIGHT II
MOTION SCAN
MSC MARIA ELENA
NORD ROTTERDAM
NYK TRITON
OCEAN DYNASTY 138
PRIMA DORA
SEAWIND
SEIFYR
STEFANOS T
STOLT FUJI
SUMMER
SUPREME ACE
TANGO
UNION BAY
VIKING STAR
W-EAGLE
WESTSEA PANTHER

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast; The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Lloyds List names the top 100 in shipping

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

Did you make Lloyd's List Top 100 in shipping list? Amver didn't. Maybe by sharing it with our readers it will give us a little clout and we can garner a spot next year? Who knows.

What we do know is that if the top 100 in shipping all worked to encourage Amver enrollment we'd have hundreds more ships available to save lives (hint hint).

Download the entire list here (link to pdf).

Photo credit: Fotolia

The Quarterdeck; Year end wrap up

2011-12-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

This episode of The Quarterdeck is a short wrap up of just how Amver performed in 2011. It was a record breaking year with over 2,000 ships enrolling and ended with over 5,000 vessels on plot. Our co-host, Admiral Jim Watson, is now Director Jim Watson of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement for the U.S. Department of Interior. We wish him well.

Here is a direct link to The Quarterdeck audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

Links:

We'll be back in 2012 with more interviews and Amver stories. Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com. Don't forget to download The Quarterdeck in iTunes!

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!

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy transfers training ship to Texas A&M University

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

According to a press release by the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has transferred the training ship Kings Pointer to Texas A&M University. The U.S. Merchant Marine academy is preparing for a renovation of Mallory Pier. The project is expected to take 12 to 18 months during which time there will be no docking facilities for a vessel the size of the Kings Pointer.

The Academy will still use the training ship Liberator and will continue to send midshipmen on commercial ships to obtain their sea time.

In addition to their sea time, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen learn about the Amver system and often file Amver reports while underway.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Amver participant Crystal Serenity rescues Atlantic rowers

2011-12-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

Two Atlantic rowers were rescued by the Amver participating cruise ship Crystal Serenity after their rowboat capsized several hundred miles west of the Canary Islands Tuesday December 13, 2011

The rowers, a Dutch and British national, were participating in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge from the Canary Islands to Barbados when their boat capsized.

They immediately activated their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon alerting rescue authorities at MRCC Falmouth, United Kingdom. Rescue authorities in Falmouth also requested Amver information from the United States Coast Guard. Using an Amver surface picture, the cruise ship Crystal Serenity was located 120 miles away from the rowers and asked to divert to rescue them. The cruise ship immediately changed course to assist the rowers. The rescue was complicated by winds in excess of 25 knots and 10 foot waves.

According to crew members aboard the Crystal Serenity the survivors are in good health and will stay aboard the cruise ship until it reaches St. Maarten.

The Bahamian flagged cruise ship enrolled in the Amver system in 2003 and earned over 6 awards for participation.

Want to learn more about Amver? Check out the Amver video.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-12-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

The end of the year is near. Despite the holiday rush, you continue to enroll your vessels and save lives at sea. During the holiday rush, take some time to think about the impact that makes in the lives of those you have helped. You, the Amver participant, provide a remarkable service. Thank you. Now please help us welcome the latest members of the Amver team.

ALLIANCE
AM CONTRECOEUR
CENTRANS APHRODITE
CK BLUEBELL
CMB ARIANE
CRYSTAL BAY
CSCC TIANJIN
DANCING WITH DRAGONS
DESERT VICTORY
DUBAI BEAUTY
DUBAI BRILLIANCE
EPIC EXPLORER
HELIOS LEADER
INCEPTION
JIA HUI SHAN
KALIBLOBO SPIRIT
MAJESTY
MS SOPHIE
NAIAD 1
NIKITA SCAN
ORION PRIDE
OSG ENTERPRISE
POS AMETRIN
POS TOPAS
RASHEED
RASHEEDA
SANTA ROSA
SFAKIA WAVE
STAR POLARIS
STENA SUEDE
STENA SUPERIOR
TEN JO MARU
VALE CHINA
VIL BALTIC
XIN TONG YANG
YULIA

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver ship rescues 7

2011-12-09T13:06:00.001-05:00

According to a press release by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Amver participating ship Ocean Titan rescued seven sailors yesterday after the collision of two ships (M/V Florice and M/V Afrodite) south southwest of Lands End within the British search and rescue region.

Using a combination of Long Range Identification and Tracking and Enhanced Group Calling the rescue professionals at Rescue Coordination Center Falmouth were able to divert the Ocean Titan to the distress position where the crew of the Florece had taken to their life raft. The seven crew members, made up of Russian, Polish and Ukrainian nationals, were safely taken aboard the Ocean Titan.

The United States flagged ship enrolled in Amver in 2005 and has earned six awards for participation. The Ocean Titan is managed by Pacific Gulf Marine of Gretna, La.

Photo credit: Marinetraffic.com

Amver awards in China

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

The Amver team recently returned from Marintec China where we exhibited, recruited more ships in the Amver system, and recognized the 15 companies and 27 Chinese ships that earned Amver awards in 2010. A special thanks to the U.S. Commercial Service and U.S. Coast Guard Captain Barry Compagnoni, Coast Guard Liaison to China, for helping ensure the ceremony was a success. We would also like to thank those companies that came to the ceremony to be recognized as partners in safety at sea. Those present to receive their awards were-

J.M. Cordeiro, Managing Director of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (China) Company Limited
Captain Li Yarong, China Shipping Container Lines Company, Limited
Zhang Lei, General Manager, Shanghai Costamare Ship Management Company Limited
Zhang Hongnan, Port Captain, Shanghai Costamare Ship Management Company Limited

Want to join these companies at the next Amver awards ceremony in China? You can if you enroll your ships in the Amver system.

Photo credit: USCG Photo by Beverly Howard

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-12-07T03:00:00.000-05:00

We're preparing for the holiday season and reflecting on what an amazing year it has been. It's been amazing because so many ships have enrolled in Amver, ensuring no call for help goes unanswered. Who are these partners in safety? Take a look-

ADRIATICA
AMERICAN COURAGE
ASTI SNUG
ATLANTIC GLORY
BAI CHAY BRIDGE
CALLISTO GLORY
CHRISTOS THEO
CK ANGIE
CROSBY ENDEAVOR
FRONTIER OASIS
G. SYMPHONY
GOTIA
HOEGH SINGAPORE
IBRI LNG
INCEPTION
KOTA BAHAGIA
LADY GERALDINE
MOURMOURA
MSC LISA
NORD INTEGRITY
OCEAN QINGDAO
ORPHEAS
QUINN J
SHARON DEHART
SIVA ANTWERP
TORM ISLAND
VITA

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver participating research ship saves 93 fishermen

2011-12-06T03:00:00.000-05:00

We recently learned the Amver participating research vessel, Atlantis, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution recently rescued 93 Egyptian fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Atlantis enrolled in the Amver system in 1997 and has earned another award for participation in 2011.

Here is information from their release:

The research vessel Atlantis, operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), rescued 93 Egyptians aboard a disabled fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea late Friday night (Nov. 25).

Atlantis was commencing an oceanographic research expedition, steaming toward its first study site, when it was diverted by a mayday call at 9 p.m. from a fishing boat that was relayed to all nearby ships by the Greek Coast Guard. Atlantis responded to the call and began the rescue, coordinating with the Greek Coast Guard and the Rescue Coordination Center.

Following standard security procedures, Atlantis Captain A.D. Colburn III raised the ship’s U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Level from I to II and took protective measures to secure non-crew members inside the vessel, locking all exterior hatches and portholes before boarding the Egyptians.

By midnight, all 93 men were aboard the deck of Atlantis, a ship that had 50 crew, technicians, and scientists aboard. The fishing boat was abandoned with its lights and power on, its position radioed to the Greek Coast Guard.

The Atlantis crew provided blankets, pillows, and clothing, including dry socks for the Egyptians, who had been standing in water aboard their boat and were cold, hungry, and dehydrated. Atlantis’s cook gave them loaves of bread and other food. Crew members stayed on deck with the Egyptians through the night, as Atlantis diverted 88 miles to the Greek port of Kalamata.

Atlantis arrived in Kalamata at 8 a.m. Saturday. The Egyptians disembarked and were processed by Greek officials. After Captain Colburn gave his statement to authorities, Atlantis departed Kalamata at 10:30 a.m. to return to its research mission Sunday.

In a statement to “all hands” aboard Atlantis, Captain Colburn wrote: “On the behalf of WHOI, I would like to commend you for your efforts during the rescue of 93 persons on the fishing boat last night. Foremost on our minds was the safety of the persons needing rescue and also the safety of all aboardAtlantis. We all can be proud that we did our duty as seafarers. It was a long and satisfying night, knowing we helped others in need. Now let's concentrate on our science mission.”

Photo credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Visit Amver at Marintec

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

Are going to be in Shanghai, China at the Marintec Shipping Exhibition November 29th to December 2nd? Stop by the Amver booth 4C68 and say hello the the team and learn how to enroll your ships!

We'll see you there!

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-11-28T19:22:00.001-05:00

Despite limited access to the Internet we are committed to bringing you the list of the latest vessels to enroll in Amver. Help us welcome the latest member of the Amver safety network.

ANGY R
CAPTAIN V. LIVANOS
CERRADO
CPO AUSTRALIA
DEBRA D
DUBAI ATTRACTION
FIGARO
GREEN PROVIDER
IDSHIP BULKER
MAERSK MIYAJIMA
MERMAID SAPPHIRE
MERMAID VANTAGE
MS JOLIE
MS SARA JANE
NEW ZOSCO HANGZHOU
NIKKEI VERDE
PACIFIC STAR
PERLA
RUDOLF SCHULTE
SAMCO REDWOOD
SCOTIAN EXPRESS
SEABOURN QUEST
SEDNA OCEAN
SELENE TRADER
SERTAO
STEFFI C
STX PRIDE
TALIA
TALIA
TURQUOISE OCEAN
UBC ONSAN
VEGA LEA
W-ACE
WADI ALKARM
WILLEM DE VLAMINGH

We hope you will join as well. Visit www.amver.com to enroll today.

Amver tanker rescues heart attack victim

2011-11-28T19:07:00.001-05:00

On Thursday November 24, 2011 the Amver participating tanker Clipper Daisy rescued a 56 year old sailor suffering a possible heart attack aboard his sailboat 170 miles southwest of Bermuda. Another Amver ship, the Mary Ann Hudson also diverted to assist but wasn't needed.

The Marshall Island flagged tanker was only 120 miles away from the 36 foot sailboat when U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel requested it divert and assist the operator of the Canadian sailing vessel Argo V. The yachtsmen's condition had been discussed with a Canadian doctor through a communication network involving HAM radio operators in Montreal and Coast Guard personnel in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The Clipper Daisy arrived on scene and safely transferred the sailor. The Clipper Daisy crew gave him food and medication but he remained weak. Captain Vivek Srivastava, operator of the Clipper Daisy, reported the sailors condition to the Coast Guard and immediately changed course for Bermuda. After arriving in Bermuda the patient was transferred by small boat to paramedics who rushed him to the hospital where it was confirmed the patient suffered a heart attack. Bermuda medical personnel reported the sailor was admitted to the hospital in stable condition.

The Clipper Daisy, managed by Clipper Group Management of the Bahamas, enrolled in the Amver system on December 27, 1998.

Photo credit: vessel traffic.com

The Quarterdeck; Interview with the Council on Foreign Relations

2011-11-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

This episode of The Quarterdeck comes from the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Admiral Jim Watson, Ben Strong and special guest U.S. Coast Guard Captain Melissa Bert discuss the Coast Guard's involvement in the Council and how Coast Guard involvement can help shed a better understanding of the maritime sector among the members of the Council.

Here is a direct link to The Quarterdeck audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

Links

The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com. Don't forget to download The Quarterdeck in iTunes!

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!

If Prince William cannot save you, who can?

2011-11-27T23:43:00.001-05:00

The internet is buzzing over the recent news that Prince William helped rescue two sailors from a commercial ship. His bravery is commended, but what if those sailors were farther out at sea? Who or what could have rescued them?

The United States Coast Guard Amver System is what would save them. Tracking the whereabouts of over 5,000 ships per day, the Amver voluntary search and rescue system saves a life every 33 hours saves a life every 33 hours. Listen firsthand to one of these amazing rescues here- http://www.amver.com/audio/sailing-vessel-triumph-rescue.mp3.

Your ships can join this amazing network of vessels working to ensure no call for help goes unanswered. Will you join today? You can learn more or enroll at http://www.amver.com.

Pole Star and Amver partnership reaches 1,500 ships

2011-11-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

There are now more than 1,500 vessels contributing position reports to the Amver search and rescue plot via the Pole Star automatic Amver link.

In close collaboration with Amver, Pole Star develoed the automatic link in 2008, allowing ship owners and operators to automatically send position reports directly to Amver, relieving the master of manually submitting reports from the bridge.

Initially available to Fleet Management customers, Pole Star extended the Amver link to their SSAS Alert Advanced customers in March. Since that time, the number of vessels using the feature has almost doubled, growing at a rate of 4 vessels per day and reaching a new high of 1,500 vessels this week.

"Pole Star is committed to promoting safety of life at sea which includes helping reduce the bureaucratic burden on the master and ship's officers," commented Paul Morter, Director of Sales (Commercial Marine) at Pole Star. "Automated reporting to Amver is one way of supporting these goals."

Pole Star's commitment to safety at sea is evident in this partnership. The number of Pole Star customers electing to participate in Amver helps ensure no call for help goes unanswered. It's a demonstration of the sorts of achievements that can be accomplished when government and private sector work together.

Happy Thanksgiving from Amver

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Amver staff!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-11-23T03:00:00.000-05:00

The year is coming to a close and this is the eve of the American Thanksgiving holiday. On that note we want to say Thank You to all of our Amver participants, especially those who enrolled in the past week.

You helped us reach a new all time high on plot! On Sunday November 20th there were 5.140 ships available for search and rescue! Now help us welcome the latest members of the Amver family.

A MAX
BAHIA BLANCA SW
BREEZE ISLAND
CARNIVAL MAGIC
CHEMROAD SEA
CHURCHILL BULKER
DARYA KANCHAN
DARYA MA
DARYA MANTHAN
DAVID REESE
EIT PALMINA
ELISALEX SCHULTE
GOLDEN ENDURER
KEY LIME
KROUSSON
KURE HARBOUR
LADY GLORIA
MINERVAGRACHT
MSC PAMELA
NAVIOS MARCO POLO
NEWLEAD GUJARAT
OCEAN PATRIOT
RUTH THERESA
SANKO FRONTIER
SKANDI PACIFIC
STOLT SANDPIPER
STORM RIDER
THERESA BEGONIA
VISHVA PRERNA
XIN BEIJING

Don't forget to listen to the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver ship Bright Ruby sinks in South China Sea

2011-11-22T07:12:00.001-05:00

An Amver participating bulk carrier, the M/V Bright Ruby, sank in the South China Sea 350 miles off the coast of Hong Kong, according to a news report from Tradewinds today, November 22, 2011. 14 crewmen have been rescued in what is being reported as a "... major search and rescue operation" involving rescue assistance from Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The Bright Ruby was reportedly on a voyage from Malaysia to China when it encountered heavy seas. 14 crewmen have been rescued. Seven crewmen remain missing.

You may remember the Bright Ruby was hijacked by pirates for 37 days back in 2008.

The South Korean flagged bluker enrolled in the Amver safety network in 1987 and earned 15 awards for participation.

What is Amver? Click here to learn more.

Photo credit: shipspotting.com

U.S. Coast Guard Admiral James Watson named Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

2011-11-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Jim Watson, the current Director of Prevention Policy and co-host of the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck, was recently named the new Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

According to a press release from the Department of the Interior-

"Admiral Watson has the experience, leadership, and vision that BSEE needs to be successful in establishing and enforcing safety and environmental protections for offshore oil and gas operations," said Secretary Salazar. "Admiral Watson will bring to the job a distinguished record, a commitment to tough and fair-minded enforcement, and the determination to advance our reform agenda for the benefit of the American people and industry."

"The safe and responsible production of oil and gas from our nation's oceans is vital to our energy security," said Admiral Watson. "I look forward to leading the dedicated BSEE professionals to ensure each and every offshore operation is safe, secure, and environmentally sound."

Congratulations Shipmate!

Read the entire press release here.

Photo credit: USCG photo

Amver tanker saves one in Atlantic rescue

2011-11-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

An Amver ship saved one sailor after his companion was washed overboard in a dramatic rescue 280 miles northwest of Bermuda on November 11, 2011.

The two were aboard their 38 foot sailboat, Triple Stars, taking part in the NARC Rally sailing from Newport, R.I. to Bermuda when one person was washed overboard. "We were hit by a 30 foot wave," stated the survivor. "My wife went through the bimini top and I saw her floundering in the water, there were 25 foot seas and I threw her a life ring which she grabbed onto, but when I brought the boat around, I saw her go under and not resurface."

U.S. Coast Guard personnel from the Fifth District Command Center diverted the Amver participating tanker High Jupiter. "We are proceeding to rescue other person who is on the sailing vessel," said the captain of the 600 foot tanker. "Man overboard reported missing for a long time however after rescuing person on sailing vessel, will initiate search and rescue for the MOB [man overboard]." Several Coast Guard rescue aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City was also used in the search.

The Hong Kong flagged tanker enrolled in the Amver system in March, 2009. The survivor is being cared for by the crew of the High Jupiter and will be met by U.S. State Department personnel when the ship arrives in France on or about November 22, 2011.

The other sailor was not found.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Amver ship rescues three sailors from the Atlantic

2011-11-17T03:00:00.000-05:00

Three sailors were rescued by an Amver participating container ship after their 38 foot sailboat, Shunpiker, lost power 246 miles east of Savannah, Ga. on November 4, 2011.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel received two Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alerts for the sailboat which had departed Washington, N.C. on a voyage to Marsh Harbor, Bermuda. Rescue personnel sent a rescue aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City and requested the Amver participating container ship, E.R. Albany, divert to the last known location of the Shunpiker.

The aircraft used their direction finding capabilities to quickly locate the sailboat but were unable to see it as winds were greater than 30 knots and waves were 7 to 10 feet. The E.R. Albany was only three hours away and quickly turned to offer assistance.

The E.R. Albany came alongside the Shunpiker and lowered a pilot ladder. All three yachtsmen were able to quickly climb aboard the 659 foot ship and were in good health with no injuries. The sailboat was left adrift.

The Liberian flagged container ship will take the survivors to its next port of call in Aljezier, Spain where they will return to the United States.

The E.R. Albany, managed by ER Schiffahrt GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, enrolled in the Amver system in April, 1996 and has earned 6 awards for participation.

Photo credit: Crew of the M/V E.R. Albany

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-11-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

Every week we take a moment and celebrate the latest members of the Amver system. These vessels enroll and become part of an incredible system of commercial ships dedicated to safety at sea. The sea is unforgiving, as demonstrated here, which is why Amver is important. Thank you for joining. Help us welcome the latest members.

AET INNOVATOR
AMAZING SALUTE
AQUALEADER
BALLYHOO
CHEM VEGA
CMA CGM BIANCA
DESTINATION
EPIC EXPLORER
FRONTIER LODESTAR
HELLESPONT CHIEFTAIN
INTREPID REPUBLIC
JAMES T. QUIGG
JASCON 25
JIN DA HAI
JIN MEI
KARIN LYNN
KOKUKA COURAGEOUS
NORD FUJI
OCTBREEZE ISLAND
OSG ENDURANCE
PRINCIMAR GRACE
Q MYRTALIA
SAOOK BAY
STENA PREMIUM
TATJANA
TEMPANOS
UNION ERWIN
WUGANG ATLANTIC
YANGTZE ETERNAL

Have you joined yet?

Photo credit: Fotolia

Four sailors rescued by Amver container ship

2011-11-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

Four sailors were rescued by an Amver participating container ship after their sailboat lost steering 160 miles northwest of Bermuda on Sunday November 6, 2011.

The Elle, a 46 foot sailing yachts, was participating in the North American Rally to the Caribbean, from Newport to Bermuda, when they encountered gale force winds greater than 40 knots and 30 foot seas.

Rescue authorities in Bermuda received the initial distress call and U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel agreed to assist in the search and rescue case. U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel launched a rescue aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City and diverted the 387 foot Amver participating container ship Oleander.

The Marshall Island flagged ship, on a voyage to Bermuda, was near the distress and Captain Jurszo agreed to diver and assist the sailboat.

"The Elle had lost her steering and we were helplessly adrift in the gale. In 30 to 40 knot winds and 30 foot seas Captain Jurszo expertly maneuvered the Oleander next to the Elle gently touching her side," stated Elle survivor Mr. Brian Finn. "Further complicating matters was the fact our mast was swinging wildly near his outside steering station, almost hitting him in the head," Finn added.

The rescue was not without additional challenges. "Things got even more challenging when I plunged in the ocean," Finn recalled in an email to the Amver office. "The crew reacted perfectly. They threw me a line that I tied onto my safety harness and they hauled me over the side. Thy successfully got us all on board!" he wrote.

The Oleander, managed by Bermuda Container Lines of Hamilton, Bermuda, enrolled in the Amver system in 1990 and earned 12 awards for participation.

Here are photos documenting the rescue operations.

Photo credits: Chris Melrose, NOAA

Amver in words

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-05:00

What are the words that make up Amver? Take a look and see.

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-11-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

More and more the value of Amver is demonstrated. Rescue authorities from MRCC Rabat recently requested Amver data for a possible disabled sailing yacht within their search and rescue region. Thankfully the yachtsmen did not require assistance. The value of Amver increases as more ships enroll, and this week we add an additional 63 ships to the roles. Help us in welcoming them.

GOLDEND CONENANT
GRAND MURCURY
FATIH
BRAVO
JURUTI
MARVELLOUS
CHANG HANG HU PO
ALPS WIDENSHINE
CAPTAIN ANDREADIS
PACIFIC PEACOCK
BAHRAIN VISION
GL QUSHAN
KT KONDOR
LITTLE PRINCE
NORD ANTWERP
HANHIN RIZHAO
DEEP SEA 1
WUGANG INNOVATION
MOL GLIDE
TOM SELMER
SEACOR RELENTLESS
BLUE TARPON
MANDARIN SINGAPORE
DESERT GLORY
PRINCE HENRY
AARGAU
CHEMICAL VOYAGER
POLAR DUKE
HARVEY HAULER
SUNNY AMAZON
E ELEPHANT
PETROLIMEX 11
PETROLIMEX 09
PETROLIMEX 12
PETROLIMEX 14
PETROLIMEX 15
VALCONCA
BLUE GADUS
EQUINOX
MAERSK WAKAYAMA
D. FRANCISCO ALMEIDA
HELENKA B
MAERSK MAGELLAN
VEENUS
KANCHANA NAREE
GANGES STAR
NORD VANCOUVER
BBC RHINE
ZIM TEXAS
GARDENIA ACE
METEOR
SONANGOL ZAMBIZANGA
FPMC 28
VALE ITALIA
HOW WILDWING
STEALTH SKYROS
GOOD NEWS
MAERSK NOBLE
LOBITO
UBC SALAVERRY
KT BIRDIE
MATISSE

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

The Quarterdeck; Interview with the National Maritime Center

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-04:00

This episode of The Quarterdeck comes to you from the United States Coast Guard Innovation Expo. Recorded in front of a live studio audience (actually the convention center crew that was taking down tables and chairs) Admiral Watson, Ben Strong, and special guest, from the National Maritime Center, U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Christy Casey discuss the merchant mariner credentialing process.

You can meet the National Maritime Center staff at the upcoming International Workboat Show in New Orleans, La., November 30 to December 2, 2011. You can meet NMC staff at booth 3604.

Here is a direct link to The Quarterdeck audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

Links

The National Maritime Center
Merchant Mariner Application checklists
TWIC Card information
Email the National Maritime Center (iasknmc@uscg.mil)
Merchant Mariner Personnel Advisory Committee
Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee
Prefer to call the National Maritime Center? The number is 1-888-427-5662

The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com. Don't forget to download The Quarterdeck in iTunes!

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!

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-11-02T03:00:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the week again. Time to single out the ships that enrolled in the Amver system in the past week. This week is especially important because your participation helped us over the 2,000 ship mark. Yup, over 2,000 ships signed up for Amver this year. Thank you! Now help us welcome the latest members.

AL RIQQA
AURORA ISLAND
BLUEGREEN TIGRE
CINDY BROWN TIDE
DAMAS HORSE
FOUESNANT
FOUR DIAMOND
FREJA ANDROMEDA
GIANNIS
HHL NILE
HOLY VICTORIA
HYUNDAI SUCCESS
KALYARA
KING HADLEY
LAUSTRAL
MALUKU PALM
MORNING CAROL
NORD CREST
ORIENT TRAIL
OSLO BULK 3
PHOENIX STRENGTH
SANTA CATARINA
U-SEA COLONSAY
UNITED MADERAS
VALIANT
WARNOW JUPITER
ZEN-NOH GRAIN MAGNOLIA

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck! The next episode is coming soon and will cover the merchant mariner credentialing process.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver cruise ship rescues 5 near Bermuda

2011-11-01T13:51:00.000-04:00

The Amver system proved is worth this past weekend when the cruise ship Norwegian Gem was diverted 256 miles north west of Bermuda to assist the five crew aboard the sailing yacht Sanctuary which was slowly taking on water.

Alert

U.S. Coast Guard rescue authorities in Portsmouth, Va. received a distress call from the 39 foot sailing boat after the crew reported they were taking on water in ten foot seas and 30 knot winds. The crew did not have an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and were using their satellite phone to provide updates to the rescue team.

The Coast Guard launched a C-130 rescue aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City and queried the Amver system, locating the cruise ship Norwegian Gem which was 50 miles away from the sailboat. The Bahamian flagged cruise ship, which enrolled in the Amver system in 2007, quickly changed course and headed to assist the stricken sailors.

Here is video of the rescue from the cruise ship point of view-

Click here if you can't see the video.

This is the view from the Coast Guard rescue aircraft-

Click here if you can't see the video.

Thanks to the crew of the Norwegian Gem for a job well done. Thanks are also in order for the crew of the Coast Guard aircraft for providing necessary communications and keeping an eye on the rescue operations!

Tsunami debris a possible risk to Amver ships

2011-10-27T03:00:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting report from MSNBC about the possible threat to shipping and the U.S. Coast from the large swath of debris washed out in the Pacific Ocean after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. This could also pose a risk to Amver ships transiting the Pacific. Have you encountered any debris?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-10-26T03:00:00.000-04:00

We never cease to be amazed by the numbers of vessels enrolling in the Amver system. Another 61 ships have agreed to divert, to make themselves available in time of need, to possibly save a life. We appreciate this dedication to safety at sea. Help us welcome the latest members of the Amver safety network.

AQUA VENTURE
ARDENNE VENTURE
ARMADA TUAH 101
ATHENA
ATLANTIC PROGRESS
BEIJING VENTURE
BON ACCORD
BULK ECUADOR
CAPE ASIA
CAPE MANILA
CAPE VICTORY
CS CALLA
DALIAN VENTURE
DAMAS VICTORY
DN MILLET
EASTERN JADE
EKULO CHEYENNE
EKULO TORNADO 5601
ELAND
ENERGY
FLAMINA
FLORES PALM
FORTUNATO
GRAND AMANDA
HANJIN HINASE
HD PRIDE
IKAN PARANG
INCE ILGAZ
INDUSTRIAL FREEDOM
JANICE N
JASA SETIA
JAVA PALM
KALIBOBO SPIRIT
KOTA CARUM
L/B MYRTLE
LARA VENTURE
LAS TORTOLAS
LONDON TRADER
MARIA V. LIVANOS
MOL GRANDEUR
MOONLIGHT VENTURE
NADINE VENTURE
NCC NASMA
NEW VENTURE
OCEAN HAWK
OOCL CANADA
ORANGE STARS
PAC BANDA
PAC DUBHE
PAC NATUNA
SEA PIONEER
SEA VOYAGER
SPAR CORONA
SULAWESI PALM
SUVRETTA
TRINITY GLORY
TUMINI
TURMOIL
VENTURE SPIRIT
WESTERN MOSCOW
ZUIDERKRUIS

Why hasn't your ship enrolled yet?

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver Awards in Greece

2011-10-24T20:49:00.002-04:00

Once more the International Propeller Club of the United States, International Port of Piraeus in cooperation with the United States Embassy of the Hellenic Republic and the United States Coast Guard organized the Amver Awards ceremony.

The ceremony took place at the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel on October 13, 20011, among 880 members of the maritime community. One hundred thirty six Greek controlled shipping companies received 94 awards on behalf of 944 vessels participating in the Amver system.

The President of the Propeller Club, Mr. Antonios Stamos Faraklas and the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mrs. Virginia Lynn Bennet of the United States Embassy of American to the Hellenic Republic, welcomed guests. The President remarked "We need to work together, owners and seafarers to achieve the common goals of safety at sea. During these times of world crisis, which has not left shipping untouched, by joining the Amver program you assist our common target, providing safety for the seafarer".

Hope dies last

Secretary General, Mr. Theodoros Kontes, Ceremony coordinator, invited the immediate past President of the Propeller Club and President of Intercargo, Mr. Nicky Pappadakis, who was presented by the President, the Propeller Club Special Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding services to the Greek and International Shipping community. Mr. Pappadakis thanked the Propeller Club for the award and said "Hope dies last, and many thought they were dead before being rescued by a ship in the Amver scheme, emphasizing the importance of the Amver program."

The representative of the United States Coast Guard, Read Admiral James Watson, Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship said he had never seen so many Amver participants and reflected on the fact that of the 5,742 participants in the Amver search and rescue system "In any one day an average of 4,000 ships worldwide are available to save lives". "So far 265 lives have been save this year," Admiral Watson added.

Governor Vasileios Mantzavinos announced the Amver Awards which were presented by Rear Admiral Watson, DCM Mrs. Virginia Lynn Bennet, with top receiving companies Tsakos Shipping and Trading with 53 awards. Mr. George Anomeritis, President of OLD and CEO, Vice Admiral of the Hellenic Coast Guard announced the Amver awards which were presented by Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson, DCM, Mrs. Virginia Lynn Bennet, with top receiving award company, Tsakos Shipping and Trading with 53 awards.

Mr. George Anomeritis, President of OLP and CEO, Vice Admiral of the Hellenic Coast Guard, Mr. Constaninos Soulis, Secretary General of Safety and Navigation Mr. Athanasios Christopoulos, Secretary General of Shipping, Mr. Nikolaos Litinas, Secretary General and Port and Port Policy Mr. Athanassios Pallis, Mr. John Plakiotakis, New Democracy Political Party responsible for the shipping domain, Second Vice President of the International Propeller Club Mr. Markos Foros, Dr. John Coustas, Chairman of HELMEPA were all on hand.

Following Mr. Dimitrios J. Fafalios, Propeller Club, Maritime Committee Coordinator, referred to the heavy artillery of Greece, namely Merchant Shipping and its contributions to Libyan evacuation and announced the Special Propeller Club Rescue Awards.

Honored by their presence, Captain Panayiotis Tsakos, Found of the Tsakos Group, H.E. Baizan Walter, Embassy of Malta, Mr. Rolle Davy, Bahamas Maritime Authority, Mr. Dalakas Aristidis, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), Mr. Houlirakis from ABS.

Also present were the Assistant U.S. Navy Attaché, CDR Jonathan Schwartz, Deputy Counselor for Economic Affairs Daniel Ross, U.S. Embassy.

Attended by Messrs: Mr. Elias Tsaokos Entrust Maritime, Mr. Apostolos Dougak, Regional Vice President of the Propeller Club for Northern Europe and Africa, Mrs. Despina Foros Tsirozidis, Second Vice President of the Propeller Club, Mr.s Katerina Kalafatides, Mr. Gregory Timagenis, First Vice President of the Propeller Club, mr. V. Katratozos, Mr. Zorbalas, Mr. Vasileious Koutentakis, Mr. K. Rokkos, Mr. I Perantinos Atlantic Bulk Carriers, mr. D. Patrikios General Manager of Springfield Shipping, Mr. S. Bertilone a RINA Regional Manager for Greece and Mr. S. Zolotas Head of RINA- Piraeus, Mr. K. Koutsoubellis Excel Maritime, Mr. D. Constantinou and C. Constantinou, Managing Director Moore Stephens Greece and Board member of the Propeller Club, Mr. F. Teissier Managing Director of Bureau Veritas, Mr. Alex Tomazos Warstilla Group, Mr. Poulovassillis Lloyds Register, representatives of DNV, Danaos Shipping Company Ltd, Kassian Maritime, Cayman Registry, Mrs. Lemou, members and friends of the Propeller Club.

GOLDSPONSORS

TSAKOSCOLUMBIA SHIPMANAGEMENT ("TCM") S.A.
ABSEUROPE Ltd.
CLASS NK

SILVERSPONSORS

MARYVILLEMARITIME INC
MARFIN EGNATIA BANK
MOORE STEPHENS CHARTEREDACCOUNTANTS
CHARTWORLD SHIPPING CORPORATION & MAJESTICINTERNATIONAL CRUISES
THE BAHAMAS MARITIME AUTHORITY

BRONZESPONSORS

HELLENICLlOYD'S SA
OLP
DELTASKY CONGRESS & TOURS LLC
RBS

VIPCOCTAIL SPONSORS

WARTSILA
CASSTECHNAVA
DNV

RECEPTION-OPENBAR

THE MARSHALLISLANDS REGISTRY
CHEVRON
A.P&A Group of Companies
SEVERNTRENT DE NORA

REGISTRATIONSPONSOR

BUREAUVERITAS

HOSPITALITYSPONSOR

INTERCONTINENTALHOTEL

AMVERNEWSLETTER

RINA

Congratulations to all those who earned Amver awards in 2010 and thank you to the sponsors, the Propeller Club Port of Piraeus, to the Greek maritime community, and to the men and woman who go to sea. All of you help contribute to safety at sea and ensure no call for help goes unanswered.

Photo credit: Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-10-19T05:36:00.001-04:00

Who enrolled in Amver in the past week? Take a look. Another 23 ships have agreed to assist when needed and we are grateful for their dedication to safety at sea. Perhaps your ship is listed below. If not, this is how easy it is to join Amver. In the meantime help us welcome the latest participants.

AL SHEEHANIYA
ALTE WESER
ATHINA L
BBC HUDSON
BETTY PFANKUCH
BORONIA K
CONTI LAPISLAZULI
DEEP STIM BRASIL I
DIAMOND WIND
DREAM JASMINE
FOUR BUTTERFLY
GAZ SYNERGY
GOLDEN UNITY
IVS MAGPIE
KOTA RANCAK
L/B KAYD
MAERSK BATAM
MALANJE
MARIA M
NAKOLO
PARTAWATI
SFL KATE
SONGA ECLIPSE

Don't forget, we want to hear your rescue stories. Will you share them with us?

Photo credit: Fotolia

We want to hear from you

2011-10-14T03:00:00.000-04:00

Do you sail on an Amver ship? Have you rescued someone at sea? We want to hear from you. Share your stories with us and the rest of the Amver audience. Write your story and email it to us here. This is your chance to tell the world how you contribute to safety at sea.

Are you a shipping company? Why not submit a story of heroism from one of your crews or ships? Perhaps you are the Propeller Club, why not solicit your members for rescue stories?

We'll publish what we receive here for the rest of the world to read. It's time to celebrate shipping and the good works of Amver!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus hosts annual Amver awards

2011-10-12T03:00:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again. Time for the illuminati of shipping to pack into the Intercontinental Hotel in Athens for the annual Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus Amver awards dinner. Tonight hundreds will gather to celebrate safety at sea and a tradition of seamanship that is unrivaled.

Over 940 Greek ships will be recognized tonight. It's certainly a party that's not to be missed.

Congratulations to the Greek Amver award recipients! Thank you for your continued support.

Συγχαρητήρια στην Ελληνική αποδέκτες βραβείο AMVER!

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-10-12T03:00:00.000-04:00

It's time to take a moment and welcome the latest members of the Amver safety network. Another 43 ships enrolled in Amver in the past week. We're thankful for their dedication to maritime safety and encourage you to take a few moments and do the same. It's easy to enroll today! Now, help us welcome the latest ships!

AENEAS
ANDES
ANKE
AQUA VISION
ARCTIC DUCHESS
BUDDY
C. S. STAR
CAPE JACARANDA
CATHARINA BULKER
CATTLEYA ACE
CLAN VIII
CMB KRISTINE
DESERT CONDOR
DOMINA
DRAKES MOON
GAS HAGI
IRIS ACE
KAPTAN ARIF BAYRAKTAR
KING HAROLD
MAGNATE
MARE PICENUM
MERCURY ACE
NAVIGATOR LEO
NCC DANAH
NIKI C
PACORA
PERUVIAN EXPRESS
PETROZAVODSK
PHOENIX BEACON
PILAR
POS TANSANIT
SEABULK NEBRASKA
SEAMERIDIAN
SHANTI
SKANDI SINGAPORE
TAURUS
TENO
TRANS PACIFIC 5
TUBUL
UNISON
UNISON EVER
UNIVERSAL PIONEER
VALE RIO DE JANEIRO

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver ship pirated, crew rescued by commandos

2011-10-11T13:54:00.001-04:00

According to a report by Reuters, the Amver participating bulker Montecristo was recently pirated Monday morning approximately 600 miles off the Somali coast. U.S. and British Royal Navy forces raced to the scene and freed the 23 crew members and arrested the 11 pirates. The Maltese flagged Montecristo, owned by Ocean Freight, Inc. enrolled in the Amver system in 2005 and was on a voyage from England to Vietnam with a cargo of scrap iron.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-10-05T03:00:00.000-04:00

Every week we are happy to bring you the latest vessels enrolled in the Amver system. Thank you for continuing to support the largest voluntary search and rescue system in the world. Who joined in the past week? Take a look, and help us welcome them.

ARHONTISA PINELOPI
BULK URUGUAY
CAPE MOSS
DESIMI
GUNES K
HELEN N
K. CORAL
L/B PAUL
LEWEK SCARLET
NISSOS KYTHNOS
OVERSEAS SAMAR
PRETTY
RYLAN T
SEA MELODY
SPRING GLORY
STAR STANDARD
STOLT QUETZAL
TPC LONGVIEW
TRIBU
UNITED FORTUNE
XIAO XIAO
YASA ANATOLIA
ZOSCO JINHUA

Don't forget to listen to the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

How to: how to enroll your vessel in Amver

2011-10-03T12:24:00.001-04:00

We thought we would take a moment to actually show you how easy it it to enroll your ship in Amver.

If you can't see the video click here.

Transcription of video:

Hey, it's Ben Strong from amver.com and we're here to show you how to -- this is kind of a how to series -- and right now, we're going to talk about how to enroll your ship in Amver. So the first thing you need to do is go to www.amver.com and there you go, voila, it takes you to the Amver homepage. To enroll a ship in Amver, use the frequently used links, the red button, click Enroll in Amver. That brings you to the enrollment page which has the SAR questionnaire link and the Amver ship reporting manual which is available in several different languages.But first and foremost, let's go ahead and get a ship enrolled. Click the SAR(Q) form. And we need an email address. That could be the email address on-board the ship, maybe you're on the operations department. Simply type in your email address. Woops, I should type it correctly. benjamin.m.strong@gmail.com. Your vessel name, maybe it's the -- what should we call it, the Amver? Call sign, OU812. And this is important, we need your IMO number. So put the vessels IMO number, 12345, and an Inmarsat Voice number which is a new feature that we're asking for. It's a new field that we're asking for in Amver enrollment, and what this does is it gives our search and rescue personnel direct access to the bridge. They're going to need to contact someone on your bridge in case of emergency. This is the number you would normally use for voice communications on the bridge. So type in that number so our SAR personnel can contact you if there's an emergency. You can also include medical personnel, is there a doctor on board, physician, nurse. Tick whatever box that's applicable. If you're unfamiliar with your radio watch schedule you can leave that blank. What is important, however, is the Completed By. We just want to know the name of the individual. So if there's a problem, we can get back to you and perhaps change things or update the questionnaire. Once you've done this one time, you don't have to do it anymore and this just stays in our repository and it gives our SAR personnel some necessary information when they look at your vessel in an Amver surface picture should you be called upon for a search and rescue case. Finally, you need to enter the Captcha information. That's this code right here. You'll need to enter that information into the field below. 97ECB. And then click Submit SAR(Q) form. Now I just want to make sure that they know that this is a test and we're going to submit SAR(Q) form. Once you've done that, your SAR(Q) request is complete. Thank you for your request, it will be processed as soon as possible, usually Monday through Friday during normal business hours. So, that's how to enroll a ship in Amver. I hope that it will spur you to get your vessels enrolled in our search and rescue system. I'm Ben Strong from Amver.com.

Amver Awards in Russia

2011-09-30T03:00:00.000-04:00

The Amver team had a successful trip to NEVA, the Russian shipping exhibition in Saint Petersburg. We met lots of Amver participants and held an Amver awards ceremony recognizing heroism and dedication to safety at sea by Russian vessels. We had the pleasure of meeting representatives from The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Sovcomflot, and Vega Joint Stock Company among others.

Here is a list of the Russian award recipients-

Akros Fishing Company
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Atomflot
Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute
Far-Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO)
IDK Comany
Murmansk Basin Administration for Fishery Protection and Conservation
Murmansk Shipping Company (MSC)
Murmansk Trawl Fleet Company
Sakhalin Shipping Company (SASCO)
SCF Novoship JSC (Sovcomflot)
PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology
Unicom Management Services
Vega Joint Stock Comany

Congratulations to all the award recipients!

Photo credit: USCG Photo by Beverly Howard

2011 Amver Assisted Rescue at Sea Award Winner

2011-09-29T03:00:00.000-04:00

Lloyd's List recently held their annual awards dinner in London on Sept. 20, 2011. The Amver Assisted Rescue at Sea Award, sponsored by Inmarsat, went to MOL Lines for the rescue of students from the sunken training ship Concordia by two of their Amver participating vessels.

The Amver Assisted Rescue at Sea Award praises seafarers for rescue activities demonstrating extraordinary courage and seamanship. This year's award honors the MOL-owned wood chip carriers Hokuetsu Delight and Crystal Pioneer, which rescued all 64 persons adrift from the sailing ship Concordia, which capsized in the Atlantic Ocean 550 km southeast of Rio de Janeiro.

The 57 meter Concordia, operated as a floating school, encountered fierce winds on February 17, 2010 and capsized around 8:00 pm that night, with the crew and trainees, high school and university students, abandoning ship. Search and rescue activities took place from the night of the incident until the morning of the 19th. Despite high winds, choppy seas, and limited pre-dawn visibility, the two wood chip carriers searched for and located the shipwreck survivors.

The task was all the more difficult considering that the huge wood chip carriers are easily affected by winds and difficult to maneuver. However, the highly skilled officers and crew members completed the rescue operation without any secondary injuries or damage.

In the winner photo:

Winner Mr. Mitsuhiro Iwata, Manager Director, Mitsui O.S.K. Bulk Shipping (Europe) Sponsor representative, Allison Horrocks, Senior Vice President Corporate Governance and Company Secretary, Inmarsat
Host: Matthew Parris

Photo credits: Lloyd's List

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-09-28T03:00:00.000-04:00

We're back from a successful trip to Russia where we presented Amver awards to vessels of the Russian Federation. But that's for another blog post. In the meantime we want to recognize the 41 new ships that have enrolled in the Amver network. These ships have committed to ensuring no call for help goes unanswered. Have you signed up your ships? You should. It's easy and free. The costs to participate are minimal. There are several commercial ways to participate as well, if you are a Pole Star or Transas customer.

In the meantime please help us welcome the new Amver members!

ABU DHABI-III
AL YASAT- II
ANNELIES ILENA
BERGE EVEREST
BERGEN TRADER
BLUE FIN
CAPE SAMPAGITA
CELANOVA
CMB BORIS
CPO EUROPE
E. R. BORDEAUX
EASTERN RUBY
ELVIRA BULKER
FAR SKY
GENCO AVRA
HEBEI KING
JAG ARYA
KANG SHENG
KARIMU
KASTELLI WAVE
KIMBERLY C
MBA ROSARIA
MINERAL MANILA
ONEGO BORA
PACIFIC FALCON
PALVA
PETREL BULKER
POMER
ROXEN STAR
SHAGANG HONGCHANG
SIMANO
SINAR SOLO
SONANGOL RANGEL
SUEZ RAJAN
SUNLEAF GRACE
TASSIE BRIDGE
TENDER SALUTE
VICTORIOUS ACE
VISHVA NIDHI
WAWASAN TOPAZ
YANGTZE CROWN

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, The Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver and the Inbound Marketing Summit

2011-09-26T21:34:00.002-04:00

How do marketers like Amver share their story? In the old days it was print advertising or other means of interruption. Now we use inbound marketing techniques like those we learned at the Inbound Marketing Summit this month in Boston. Take a look at what went on.

Can't see the video? Click here.

Video courtesy of the Pulse Network.

Marshall Island flagged Amver ship rescues 12

2011-09-22T03:00:00.000-04:00

A international search and rescue effort involving MRCC Madrid, U.S. Coast Guard rescue coordinators and an Amver ship resulted in 12 sailors being rescued from their vessel. On September 9, 2011 Spanish rescue authorities requested an Amver surface picture to assist a boat in distress in their search and rescue region.

The request was routed through the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center and Amver information was immediately sent back to Madrid. The Marshall Island flagged tanker, Cape Tallin, was near the distress and diverted to offer assistance.

Once on scene the crew of the Cape Tallin, managed by Columbia Shipmanagement of Cyprus, quickly rescued the 12 sailors. The Cape Tallin enrolled in the Amver system in April, 2009 and has earned three Amver participation awards.

Photo credit: marrinetraffic.com

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-09-21T03:00:00.000-04:00

You did it! You helped Amver achieve 5,000 vessels on plot! Five years ago we used to tout the number of days the Amver plot was over 3,000 vessels. This past Sunday the Amver plot achieved 5,067 vessels available for search and rescue. For that we are eternally grateful. Thank you. Who helped us achieve this goal? Vessels like those listed below, vessels enrolled in the Amver system.

ANAKENA
BALSA 59
BAOGANG SPIRIT
BAOSTEEL EMOTION
BERNARD A
BGP PROSPECTOR
BULK ORION
BULKERS ALESSIA
DESERT HOPE
DS VISION
EAGLE MELBOURNE
EAGLE TEXAS
EASTERN BUND
ELKA DELOS
EVGENIA
FANTASTIC
GRETA
HANSA SALZBURG
HIROSHIMA
IKOMASAN
JUNO
MBA FUTURE
MOTIVATOR
NAFTOCEMENT IX
NORGAS CAMILLA
NORTH SEA
PENTA
PORT MACAU
Q ARION
RHOON
SEA VOYAGER
TEIZAN
VIRGEN MARIA B

Congratulations for helping us reach 5,000 ships on plot!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Visit Amver in Saint Petersburg, Russia

2011-09-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Come visit the Amver team at the NEVA 2011 Shipping Exhibition in Saint Petersburg, Russia this week. We are exhibiting in booth 733. We would love to meet you, tell you a bit more about Amver and get your ships enrolled.

We are also hosting an Amver awards ceremony on Friday September 23, 2011 at 1100 hours in Hall 7 in conference hall 7-2 recognizing Russian Federation Amver participants.

Приезжайте AMVER команда НЕВА 2011 Доставка выставка в Санкт-Петербурге, Россия на этой неделе. Мы показываем на стенде 733. Мы будем рады встретиться с вами, рассказать вам немного больше о AMVER и получитьваши корабли поступил.

Мы также хостинг церемонии AMVER награды в пятницу 23 сентября 2011 в 11.00 часов в зале № 7, в конференц-зале 7-2 признании Русского ФедерацииAMVER участников.

IMO guidance on private security personnel on ships

2011-09-19T03:10:00.000-04:00

There is updated guidance from the International Maritime Organization on the use of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP). The guidance is a product of the intercessional meeting of the Maritime Security and Piracy Working Group meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee. Amver participants will find this information useful.

MSC.1/Circ. 1409 on Interim Recommendations for port and coastal States regarding the use of privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in the High Risk Area.

MSC.1/Circ. 1406/Rev.1 on Revised Interim Recommendations for flag States regarding the use of privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in the High Risk Area.

MSC.1/Circ. 1405/Rev.1 on Revised Interim Guidance to shipowners, ship operators and shipmasters on the use of privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in the High Risk Area

a joint MSC and Facilitation Committee (FAL) circular on Questionnaire on information on port and coastal State requirements related to privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships, which is aimed at gathering information on current requirements.

The circulars provide interim guidance and recommendations to be taken into account when considering the use of PCASP if and when a flag State determines that such measure would be lawful and, following a full risk assessment, appropriate.

As stated in the circulars, the interim guidance and recommendations "are not intended to endorse or institutionalize" the use of armed guards. Therefore, they do not represent any fundamental change of policy by the Organization in this regard. It is for each flag State, individually, to decide whether or not PCASP should be authorized for use on board ships flying their flag. If a flag State decides to perm is this practice, it is up to that State to determine the conditions under which authorization will be granted.

The use of PCASP should not be considered as an alternative to Best Management Practices (BMP) and other protective measures. BMP4 has recently been issued by the shipping industry and will shortly be disseminated by IMO (as MSC.1/Circ. 1339).

You can hear more about United States Coast Guard involvement in anti-piracy efforts in this episode of The Quarterdeck podcast.

Photo credit: IMO

Amver ship assists in rescue of French sailors

2011-09-16T03:00:00.000-04:00

The Amver participating tanker, Unique Sunshine, and an oil rig tender, Maersk Chancellor, were called upon to assist in the rescue of four sailors from a sailboat 1,400 miles east-northeasr of Provincetown, Mass. on Thursday September 8, 2011.

Rescue personnel received a distress alert from the 36 foot sailboat Roule Ta Bille after it capsized in rough weather. The sailors had a 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon as well as a SPOT emergency alert beacon.

United States Coast Guard rescue personnel from the First District Command Center worked closely with rescue authorities from Canadian Joint Rescue Coordination Center Halifax to divert a Canadian C-130 aircraft and the two commercial ships.

The Unique Sunshine arrived on scene first and provided communications and provided a lee to the sailboat until the Maersk Chancellor could arrive and safely embark the four yachtsmen. The rescue was complicated by 45 knot winds and 30 foot waves.

The Maersk Chancellor was able to safely embark the four sailors and brought them to port in Newfoundland. While the Maersk Chancellor isn't enrolled in Amver (yet!) the Unique Sunshine is not only enrolled in Amver but has been called on to assist in another case.

Oh, and to the crew of the Maersk Chancellor- Bravo Zulu! Now sign up for Amver here (please)!

Photo credit: crew of the Maersk Chancellor

Coast Guard Mariner Flag Forum launches

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the Coast Guard Mariner Flag Forum? The new forum, run by Admiral Jim Watson, co-host of the Quarterdeck podcast, is a way for professional mariners and maritime executives to foster open communications between the Coast Guard and the maritime community. This is a great way for Amver participants to ask questions or broaden their relationship with the Coast Guard.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-09-14T03:00:00.000-04:00

Who enrolled in Amver in the past week? Take a look below. If you don't see your vessels name perhaps you should consider encouraging your operations department to enroll your vessels today. Why? Because your ships could save a life. Now, help us welcome the latest members of the Amver safety network.

AGRIA
ALTAIR LEADER
BLUE MCKINLEY
BRIDGEGATE
BRIGIT MAERSK
BRILLIANT ACE
CHORUS
CRINIS
DIANE
HAKO ESTEEM
LADY MONA
MOL CREATION
OVERSEAS MILOS
PARSIFAL
PRABHU MOHINI
ROADRUNNER BULKER
SHAGANG HONGFA
SOYO
TINGHIR
TORM OCEAN
TRUST INTEGRITY

Don't forget about The Quarterdeck, the Amver podcast.

Photo credit: Fotolia

What's it like at the North Pole?

2011-09-13T03:00:00.000-04:00

If you've ever wondered what it's like at the North Pole your ship has come in, literally.

The USCG Cutter Healy is on it's Arctic West Summer 11 cruise and broadcasting on Twitter.

But if you want to really see what's going on you should click on the link to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for picture updates from the Healy's aloft con. Oh, and the Healy is enrolled in Amver as well!

Photo credit: USCGC Healy

Top 10 Flag of Registry

2011-09-12T03:00:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting list the Amver team found on the Maritime Administration website. It's the list of the top 10 Flags of Registry and the number of ships registered to each (current as of October, 2010).

Panama 4,436
Liberia 2,083
Hong Kong 1,088
Marshall Islands 1,069
Singapore 1,005
China 955
Malta 885
Bahamas 821
Greece 605
Cyprus 567

Photo credit: Fotolia

Remembering September 11

2011-09-11T03:00:00.000-04:00

The Amver offices have been located in lower Manhattan since Amver was founded in 1958. Today we remember the events of September 11, 2001 and the contribution made by the maritime community helping to save lives that day.

The Quarterdeck; September 11 ten years later

2011-09-09T22:22:00.001-04:00

This month's Quarterdeck comes a bit early as we remember September 11, 2001. Amver was fortunate enough to sit down with Coast Guard Captain Linda Fagan, Sector New York Commanding Officer and Captain of the Port of New York.

In this episode Captain Fagan discusses the maritime response to September 11th, how things have changed in New York harbor and the cooperation that has helped the response to incidents like the airplane crash in the Hudson River and Hurricane Irene.

Captain Fagan also says she wants to hear from you. If you have a question or comment for Captain Fagan feel free to share it in the comments section and we will pass it along to her.

Here is a direct link to The Quarterdeck audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

Links

The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com. Don't forget to download The Quarterdeck in iTunes!

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!

Rescue at Water's Edge, Merchant Mariners on September 11

2011-09-09T03:00:00.001-04:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Maritime Administration are proud to share this incredible story of survival and selfless actions by the maritime community in New York. When the call for all available boats went out, the mariners of New York answered the call.

If you can't see the video click here.

You can help make sure no call for help goes unanswered by enrolling your ships in Amver today.

Who needs to plan for a mass rescue? You do!

2011-09-08T03:00:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for an example why organizations like the United States Coast Guard have a Mass Rescue Operations program you don't need to look much further than this story from Korea. According to the Jeju Weekly, a Korean ferry caught fire sending all the passengers into the water. Twenty three Korean Coast Guard and Navy vessels, along with helicopters, rescued 128 passengers.

The IMO also recognized the need for a robust mass rescue program in COMSAR Circular 31. There are several other mass rescue related documents you may find useful, including:

Finally, the National SAR Supplement has guidance on mass rescue operations which could prove a useful planning tool.

Are you prepared to assist in a mass rescue?

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-09-07T03:00:00.000-04:00

In the United States, and perhaps around the world, it's back to school season. We figured it was a good time to remind the shipping community where they can learn more about Amver. If you need a copy of the Amver User's Manual you can find it here. Just curious what Amver does? You can see a short video about us here. The Amver fact sheet is available here. If you need to learn how to enroll in Amver, read this. Now, let's welcome those ships that are at the head of the class!

AIDALUNA
ALPHA CONFIDENCE
ALPINE HALLIE
ALSTERDIJK
BLANK
BOURBON HAMELIN
CMA CGM TANCREDI
COSCO HARMONY
D SKALKEAS
DHIRUBHAI DEEPWATER KG2
DOUBLE PRESTIGE
DWIGHT S. RAMSAY
FREJA TAURUS
GLOBAL KING
GUOYU51
JOSE LEONARDO CHIRINOS
KIRAN AFRICA
MAYAN QUEEN IV
MEHUIN
NCC SAFA
NEO
NORD AQUARIUS
SAMCO AMAZON
STRAITSMAN
TRUST AGILITY
TSHD RIVER BEE
U-SEA CORBITA
VISHVA MALHAR
WYAMBI
YELENA
ZIM CONSTANZA

If you haven't enrolled yet consider the benefits. You'll be helping save lives at sea... like these.

Photo credit: Fotolia

MARAD Advisory, Risk to Vessels Transiting High Risk Waters

2011-09-06T14:36:00.000-04:00

From the Maritime Administration and of importance to our Amver participants.

Advisory #:	2011-05
Date Issued:	Aug 31 2011
To:	MARINERS
Subject:	RISK TO VESSELS TRANSITING HIGH RISK WATERS

1.   THIS MARAD ADVISORY PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE RISK TO VESSELS TRANSITING THE HIGH RISK WATERS (HRW) OF THE GULF OF ADEN (GOA), RED SEA, INDIAN OCEAN, ARABIAN SEA AND WATERS OFF THE HORN OF AFRICA (SOMALIA).

2.   THIS ADVISORY WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE MARAD WEB SITE AT WWW.MARAD.DOT.GOV UNDER THE HORN OF AFRICA PIRACY PORTAL AND ON THE US COAST GUARD HOMEPORT SITE AT HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL/PIRACY. OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION IS ALSO POSTED ON THESE WEB SITES.

3.   U.S.-FLAG OPERATORS WITH SHIPS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD THIS ADVISORY TO THEIR SHIPS BY THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS MEANS.

4.   U.S.- FLAG SHIPS OPERATING IN HRW ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH US COAST GUARD MARITIME SECURITY (MARSEC) DIRECTIVE 104-6 (CURRENT VERSION). POC IS LCDR JAMES FOGLE, US COAST GUARD, AT 202-372-1038 OR JAMES.T.FOGLE@USCG.MIL. NONE OF THE GUIDANCE IN THIS NOTICE IS MEANT TO SUPERSEDE MARSEC DIRECTIVE 104-6 (CURRENT VERSION) OR SUPPORTING PORT SECURITY ADVISORIES.
5. PIRATES ARE ATTACKING VESSELS, INCLUDING YACHTS AND OTHER NON COMMERCIAL VESSELS – SUCH AS SAILBOATS , IN THE GULF OF ADEN, ARABIAN SEA, INDIAN OCEAN, SOUTHERN RED SEA, AND MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL. PIRATES ARE FIRING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS AND ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADES (RPG) IN AN ATTEMPT TO BOARD AND HIJACK VESSELS. IF AN ATTACK IS SUCCESSFUL AND THE VESSEL IS HIJACKED, PIRATES DIRECT VESSELS TO THE SOMALI COAST AND THEREAFTER DEMAND RANSOM FOR THE SAFE RELEASE OF VESSELS AND CREW. PIRATES USE HIJACKED FISHING AND MERCHANT VESSELS TO CONDUCT PIRACY OPERATIONS AS MOTHER VESSELS TO SAIL FAR FROM THE SOMALI COAST TO ATTACK AND HIJACK VESSELS IN TRANSIT OR AT ANCHOR. SMALLER SKIFFS ARE LAUNCHED FROM THE PIRATE MOTHER VESSEL TO ATTACK TARGETED VESSELS.

6. RECENT ATTACKS IN THE SOUTHERN RED SEA AND TO A SHIP AT ANCHOR IN OMAN SHOULD SERVE TO WARN ALL VESSELS OPERATING IN THE HRW THAT THE PIRATES HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO ADAPT TO SHIP PROTECTION MEASURES. THE TRANSITION BETWEEN MONSOON SEASONS BETWEEN OCT THRU NOV WILL BE MORE FAVORABLE FOR PIRATE SKIFF ATTACKS. MASTERS AND OPERATORS SHOULD ANTICIPATE ATTACKS THAT MAY VARY FROM PAST TACTICS. IN LIGHT OF THE EXTENSION OF THE THREAT TO PORTS AND TERRITORIAL WATERS, MASTERS AND OPERATORS ARE ADVISED TO MAINTAIN ALL APPLICABLE DEFENSIVE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES THAT ARE LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE DURING THE VESSEL’S TIME IN PORT OR AT ANCHOR.
7. TRANSIT BY YACHTS AND PRIVATELY OWNED SAILING VESSELS THROUGH HRW IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AND MAY RESULT IN CAPTURE BY PIRATES. THE COAST GUARD ADVISES AGAINST ALL OPERATION OF OR TRAVEL BY YACHT AND PLEASURE CRAFT IN HRW. VESSELS THAT MAKE THIS PASSAGE DESPITE THIS WARNING SHOULD MAKE CONTACT IN ADVANCE WITH THE NAVAL AUTHORITIES. IN ADDITION, AMERICAN CITIZENS ABOARD SHOULD INFORM THE NEAREST U.S. EMBASSY OR CONSULATE OF THEIR PLANS TO TRANSIT THE AREA AND/OR UPDATE THEIR INFORMATION VIA THE SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP) ON WWW.TRAVEL.STATE.GOV. BASIC GUIDANCE FOR TRANSIT CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.MSCHOA.ORG/YACHTINGGUIDANCE/PAGES/YACHTINGGUIDANCEONE.ASPX. IF YOU ARE DUE TO TRAVEL THE AREA OF HIGH THREAT, PLEASE INFORM MSC (HOA) BY EMAILING POSTMASTER@MSCHOA.ORG, WITH THE SUBJECT LINE 'YACHT VESSEL MOVEMENT'.

8.   RELATED COAST GUARD NOTICE: THE U.S. COAST GUARD ISSUED A NOTICE TO MARINERS ADVISORY FOR YACHTS AND SAILING VESSELS. FOR THE TEXT OF THE COAST GUARD NOTICE, PLEASE GO TO HTTP://HOMEPORT.USCG.MIL/PIRACY.

9.   ALL VESSELS SHOULD REGISTER FOR ACCESS TO MSCHOA WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.MSCHOA.ORG TO OBTAIN UP TO DATE INFORMATION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONDITIONS IN THE REGION.

10. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS ADVISORY, CONTACT CAPTAIN ROBERT FORD, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF SECURITY, CODE: MAR-420, ROOM W25-308, 1200 NEW JERSEY AVE, S.E., WASHINGTON, DC 20590, TELEPHONE 202-366-0223, FACSIMILE 202-366-3954, TLX II 710.822.9426 (MARAD DOT WSH), OR EMAIL: MARADSECURITY@DOT.GOV.

11. CANCEL ADVISORY 2011-01.

The Quarterdeck; Hurriquake edition!

2011-09-02T05:18:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the hurriquake edition of The Quarterdeck! We're a few days late getting the August edition of the Amver podcast Quarterdeck posted. We were hit with an earthquake and hurricane all in the same week!

Regardless of events we are happy to bring you episode 7 of the Quarterdeck. In this episode we discuss a few Amver rescues and Admiral Watson rejoins us to discuss his new duties at Coast Guard Headquarters Prevention Policy Directorate and other issues surrounding commercial mariners, including proposed changes to the STCW.

Here is a direct link to the Quarterdeck audio file.

The Quarterdeck transcript is available here.

Links

Proposed changes to the STCW press release and Federal Register link
Piracy Contact Group
International Port Security Liaison Program
Arctic Council
Marshall Island Report on Deepwater Horizon

The Quarterdeck theme song is Botany Bay by the Blaggards available on musicalley.com. Don't forget to download The Quarterdeck in iTunes!

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!

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-08-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene has come and gone. The Coast Guard is responding and providing assistance- from damage assessment to ensuring the aids to navigation are in the proper place. Thankfully there were no significant Amver rescues during the storm. Most ports along the east coast are opened as well. We're proud of participants and eager to welcome the latest members to enroll in Amver. Here are the latest members.

AETOLIA
ANEMONE
APHRODITE L
AQUALIBERTY
BULK INDONESIA
BUTINAH
CAPETAN COSTIS
CARMEN
COAST GUARD 72
COSCO DEVELOPMENT
CSL SAMS
DS CHARME
FARFAN
FREJA NORDICA
GENCO BEAUTY
HANSA MEERSBURG
HANSEN SCAN
INTREPID CANADA
INTUITION
KOTA KAYA
MAGDA G.O.
MEKONG STAR
MEZAIRA A
MORNING CARA
MOUNT EVEREST
NORTHWIND
OCEAN VICTORY
ORNAK
PACIFIC
SARA F. MCCALL
SELECTA
SUPRASTAR
THORCO SAPPHIRE
TOLL CRYSTAL
TIM HARMONY
UNIVERSAL BREMEN
ZIM TARRAGONA
ZUIDERKRUIS

Don't forget about the Amver podcast, Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Hurricane Irene and you

2011-08-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene is churning up the east coast of the United States. What does that mean for you? If you're an Amver participant you'll want to check U.S. port conditions. You can do that through the United States Coast Guard Homeport site. Just use the drop down menu to chose the port you want to know more about and click enter. Our link will take you to the Port of New York.

What do all those Coast Guard port conditions mean?

Here is the link to the following list of port conditions.

Pre-Storm Preparations

Hurricane season begins June 1st. All vessel owners and operators should review hurricane plans and checklists. Recommend reviewing the Industry Hurricane Plan.

Port Condition Whiskey- 72 hours prior to Gale Force Winds

The Captain of the Port will issue radio broadcasts and Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIB) as needed to keep mariners informed.

Port Condition X-Ray- 48 hours prior to Gale Force Winds

The Captain of the Port will update radio broadcasts and issue MSIBs.
Bunkering and Lightering are prohibited in the inshore anchorages.
Ships should complete cargo operations.
Anticipate the Captain of the Port will order the port closed to all vessel movements except for emergency and rescue traffic.

Port Conditions Yankee- 24 hours prior to Gale Force Winds

The Captain of the Port will update radio broadcasts and issue MSIBs.
Facilities will be made aware that the Captain of the Port will order cessation of cargo handling operations during condition zulu.
Ship's personnel should inspect mooring/anchoring lines, paying particular attention to the possibility of storm surge.
Movements will be permitted by the Captain of the Port only when a suitable lay berth or anchorage space is available nearby.
As a last resort, large crude tankers may be allowed to ballast down in the channel.
The Captain of the Port may close the port to all marine traffic except for emergency/rescue traffic when sustained winds exceed 35 knots.

Port Condition Zulu- 12 hours prior to Gale Force Winds

The Captain of the Port MAY update radio broadcasts and MSIBs to notify the maritime community that the port is closed to all commercial traffic with the exception of emergency/rescue traffic.
All cargo handling operations will be suspended.
Ship's personnel should inspect the mooring/anchor lines, paying particular attention to the possibility of storm surge.

Post Storm

Restoration of commercial operations.
Channels surveyed to insure safe transit.
Vessel traffic prioritized.

As of 1500 hours UTC this is the Mariners 1 2 3 map:

Are you prepared?

Photo credit: USCG

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-08-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

While Washington, DC and New York are suffering earthquakes and Hurricane Irene is churning in the Atlantic, Amver vessels are prepared to assist where necessary (at sea of course, not in earthquake damaged areas!). Help us welcome the latest members of the Amver safety network.

BALTIMORE HIGHWAY
BANGKOK BRIDGE
BUDAPEST BRIDGE
CHANG PYUNG
DRONE BEE
ETHEL L
FREJA PEGASUS
HARUKA
HONG YUAN
HONG YUAN (different vessel)
KITTY C
LISA J
LUCIA BOLTEN
MSC FILLIPPA
MTM ROTTERDAM
PACIFIC RESOURCE
PEDHOULAS LEADER
SARONIC TRADER
SKANDI SAIGON
SPARTACUS
THOMAS C

We're luck to have such an extensive network of vessels available to assist. Just how many? Take a look at the Amver density plot, updated recently.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Safety at Sea International gives annual Amver award

2011-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Safety at Sea International magazine announced the winders of the 5th Annual Safety at Sea International Awards at a dinner honoring thewinners and nominees aboard HMS Belfast on the River Thames in Londonon 23 June.

Winnersincluded an antipiracydevice that creates a propeller jamming zone around a vessel, aninitiative that helps U.K. fisherman to prevent a flooding vesselfrom becoming a sinking vessel and an advanced crew transfer platformthat reduces the need for helicopter shuttling in the dangerousoffshore environment.

Thesixawards were presented by Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive Officer ofthe U.K.’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Massey told theassembled guests that he was “aman on a mission to get the public on board on sea safety” and that“the Safety at Sea International Awards are in tune with the MCA’smission”.

Theawards were made by an independent judging panel of experts in thecategories of equipment, management/operations, security, systems andtraining.

Janvan der Tempel,CEO of Ampelmann, winner of the equipment award said, “We've triedto set the standard in safety and this award really fortifies that. It really shows us we're moving in the right direction in innovationand being recognised by our peers.”

“Youhave to keep safety at the forefront,” explainedMartin Shields, European managing director of Applied WeatherTechnology, the winner of the systems award. “It’s very easy tobrush safety aside, to try and make profit, but at sea the firstthingyou have to do is keep the crew and cargo in one piece!”

“Thediversity and ingenuity of the entries thisyear was remarkable,” said Nick Blackmore, editor of Safetyat Sea International.“All of these products and services can make a real difference tothe safety and security of life at sea.”

TheAutomated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER)award for seamanship was given to the crew of the containershipAdrian,owned by KomrowskiBefrachtungskontor, for the September 2010 rescue of seven crewmembers from the skinning general cargo ship Ocean Blue amid severeweather conditions off the Domican Republic. Adrian was selected forthe award by the staff of Safetyat Sea International inrecognition of the seamanship displayed during the rescue.

Safetyat Sea Internationalhas been the world’s only dedicated maritime safety magazine formore than four decades. The Safety at Sea International Awards areheldannually to celebrate the role that safety managers and manufacturersplay in saving and protecting life at sea across the internationalmaritime safety market. The magazine is published by IHS Fairplay.

Photo credit: IHS Fairplay

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-08-17T03:00:00.000-04:00

Who joined Amver this week? Let's take a quick look at the latest vessels that enrolled. You know you can participate in Amver through the commercial vessel tracking company you may already send reports? That's right, if you currently subscribe to services from Pole Star, Transas, or Marine Track. Just ask your customer service representative how to have your reports automatically sent to Amver. Now, please help us welcome our new participants.

AFRODITI
ASTERIA LEADER
AVIONA
C. S. SOVEREIGN
CAPE ENDURANCE
CENTENNIAL HARMONY
CHIEF BAYO KUKU
CLIPPER GALAXY
CLIPPER GRAND
CLIPPER NASSAU
CLIPPER NEWARK
DIMITRIS P
ERLYNE
GL ZHOUSHAN
GLOBAL COMMANDER
INDEPENDENT PURSUIT
ITHAKI
JASMINE C
KOTA KARIM
KOTA NIPAH
KOTA TENAGA
LIA
MAERSK MISAKI
NAVIMAR 3
NONNA ULIA
OZGUR AKSOY
PACIFIC QUARTZ
PRIMORSKY PROSPECT
REEF
ROLLDOCK SEA
ROSS CHOUEST
SAMAIL
SANKO NEPTUNE
SANTA RITA
SHAGANG HAILI
SHARON F
SHIN KOHO
SILVER PEACE
STENA CALYPSO
SUNNY HOPE
TORM REGINA
UNKNOWNVESSEL
UNKNOWNVESSEL
WILUTAMA

Don't forget to check out the Amver podcast, Quarterdeck!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Turkish Amver awards

2011-08-15T03:00:00.002-04:00

U.S. Consul General Scott Kilner recognized 16 Turkish companies for their outstanding participation in the Amver program at an awards ceremony at the U.S. Consul General's residence in Istanbul on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

Currently, 165 Turkish-flagged ships participate in the Amver program. "Amver is about assisting others and saving lives at sea in times of distress. In 2010, Amver-enrolled ships saved 267 lives while assisting many other ships in distress. We are here to applaud th perseverance, commitment and courage of those heroes," said U.S. Consul General Scott Kilner.

Turkish Companies earning Amver awards:

Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS (Geden Lines
ms ER Denizcilik Sanayi Nakliyat ve Ticaret AS
Dunya Denizcilik ve Ticaret AS
Odin Ship Management AS
Horizon Gemi Isletmeciligi Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
International Shipping Group and Trading Ltd
Vera Denizcilik Ithalet ve Ihracat Ticaret Ltd
Ya-Sa Denizcilik Sanayi ve Ticaret
Semih Sohtorik Deniz Isletmeciligi ve Agentelik AS
IDC Denizcilik Sanayi ve Ticaret
Akmar Denizcilik ve Ticaret AS
Platin Shipping and Trading Company Ltd
Yildiz Deniz Tasimaciligi AS
Denak Depoculuk ve Nakliyecilik AS
Bergen Denizcilik Ktd Sti
Atlas Gemi Isletmeciligi Ltd Sti

Congratulations to the Amver award recipients!

Photo credit: U.S. Consulate Istanbul

Iceberg attack!

2011-08-12T03:00:00.000-04:00

We saw this and thought our Amver partners would find it interesting. A giant iceberg temporarily blocked the Canadian harbor of Goose Cove.

Originally posted on the Black Eiffel blog.
Photo: Gene Patey

Amver ship debuts in stamp

2011-08-11T03:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks to gCaptain for alerting us of this release from the United States Postal Service July 28, 2011-

The Postal Service salutes the U.S. Merchant Marine by issuing 60 million Forever stamps to set sail through the nation's mail stream starting today.

"The new four-stamp pane that we are issuing today features vessels that have formed an important part of our country's maritime history- clipper ships, auxiliary steamships, Liberty ships and container shps," said Jim Cochrane, vice president, Product Information. "As we dedicate these stamps, we pay homage not only to the ships, but also to the valor of the thousands of dedicated members of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served their country and served it honorably."

Joining Cochrane in dedicating the stamps at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy were David T. Matsuda, administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Rear Admiral Philip H. Greene, Jr., superintendent, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; and Captain Eric York Wallischeck, chief of staff, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

"The men and women who built and sailed the ships depicted in these four postal stamps have buoyed our prosperity, liberty, and way of life," said Matsuda. "Their sacrifice is worthy of remembrance, as they continue to be an integral part of American's economy and national security."

Drawing upon contemporary lithographs of the 19th century ships and photographs of the 20th century ships, illustrator Dennis Lyall of Norwalk, Conn., created these four stamp designs under the art direction of Carl T. Herrman of North Las Vega, Nev. Text on the back of the stamp pane describes the types of vessels.

U.S. Merchant Marine

Since the founding of the republic, the United States has looked to the maritime industry for much of its growth and security. The U.S. Postal Service honors the U.S. Merchant Marine- the modern name for the maritime fleet- with four stamps featuring vessels that have played an important role in our nation's history.

The Clipper Ship stamp is based on an undated Frank Vining Smith lithography of the famous clipper Sovereign of the Seas, which launched in 1852. Clipper Ships, ushered in by the California Gold Rush of 1849 and noted for their streamlined shape and their majestic cloud of square-rigged sails, set numerous speed records for their time.

The Auxiliary Steamship stamp is based on contemporary lithographs of ships of the Collins Line, which provided service between New York and Liverpool in the 1850s. Auxiliary steamships- steam-powered ships with back-up sailing rigs- were the ocean liners of their day, competing in the 1850s with clipper and other sailing ships for trans-Atlantic mail and passenger service.

The Liberty Ship stamp is based on a photograph of an unidentified Liberty ship in the files of the Westport, Conn., Public Library. During World War II, the United States built more than 2,700 Liberty ships- plain but sturdy cargo vessels that sustained the Allied forces with a steady supply of food and war material.

The Container Ship stamp is based on an undated photograph of the R.J. Pfeiffer, a modern container ship launched in 1992 and operated by Matson Navigation Company. Container ships, pioneered in the 1950s, are key to today's global economy, carrying manufactured goods worldwide across the oceans and exemplifying the modern merchant marine.

Amver

Amver is proud of Matson Navigation and the R.J. Pfeiffer which enrolled in the Amver system in 1992.

Photo credit: U.S. Postal Service

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-08-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

Who's who in shipping? We may not be experts in the who's who of shipping. We leave that to the list makers at Lloyd's List or Tradewinds. At Amver we prefer to focus on who has enrolled in our life saving system. Help us welcome the latest members of our safety network.

AL SALMI
ALKIN KALKAVAN
ANANGEL SUN
AVALON
BROVIG LEVANTO
CRYSTAL ISLAND
DIMITRIS APESAKIS
EASTERN GLORY
EASTERN PEARL
FAIR WIND
FIDELITY II
FORTUNE ELEPHANT
GAN-TRIUMPH
GLOBAL PEACE
HAKO FORTRESS
HELENA KOSAN
HOEGH MAPUTO
JIN ZHOU HAI
KOTA RAJIN
KOTA RAKYAT
KOTA TABAH
KOTA TAMPAN
KOTA TEGAP
KOTA TEGUH
KRISTIN C
MELL SENANG
MINERVA NOUNOU
MYKALI
NEFELI
NEW LIU LIN HAI
NSU INSPIRE
POS AMETHYST
SEA MASTER
SELANDIA
SELATAN MULIA
SHENG SHI
SHIMANAMI QUEEN
SPAR CORVUS
STELLA BECRUX
STX BONA
VALLOMBROSA
WICKO

Curious what sorts of things Amver has been doing? Amver ships have been saving lives!

Photo credit: Fotolia

Pole Star contributes 1,000 ships to Amver safety network

2011-08-09T03:00:00.006-04:00

Subsea7's Acergy Petrel

Helen of Troy may have a face that launched 1,000 ships but it is Amverand Pole Star that linked 1,000 ships for search and rescue.

In 2008, Pole Star, a maritime software company tracking company looking after morethan 20,000 ships, developed their systems to allow ship owners and operators toautomatically 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 PoleStar monitoring system to link into the Amver system. Subsea 7 is a seabed-to-surfaceengineering, construction, and services contractor to the offshore energy industry.

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

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

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

The collaboration between Amver and Pole Star was quickly followed by othercompanies 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 theadministration for captains and seafarers. As a result, participation in the Amver programhas never been higher. I appreciate the example set by Pole Star and other commercialvessel 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 joininga fleet of remarkable and inspiring vessels and crews. Its participation is making the seasand oceans safer.”

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

Photo credit: Subsea7

Amver ship sinks off India

2011-08-04T08:04:00.000-04:00

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

Welcome Wednesday!

2011-08-03T03:00:00.000-04:00

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

Amver ship saves two sailors in the Caribbean Sea

2011-08-02T03:00:00.000-04:00

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

Amver ship saves two sailors in dramatic Atlantic rescue

2011-08-01T03:00:00.003-04:00

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

The Quarterdeck; Special interview with Pole Star

2011-07-29T03:00:00.003-04:00

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!

Amver crew held by pirates

2011-07-28T03:00:00.000-04:00

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.

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