Did you know Amver is on Facebook? If you haven't connected with us consider adding us as your friend.
You can connect with us here. We use Facebook to recruit new vessels, connect with the shipping community and to share Amver stories with our friends. It's amazing how many shipping people and groups there are on Facebook and we hope to connect with as many of you as possible.
What social networking sites do you use? Can you access social sites while underway?
What are you reading this summer? As the beach season comes to a close there is still time to fit in a good book. Here are some of Amver's favorites.
Pirate Hunter-The True Story of Captain Kidd, by Richard Zacks. A fascinating book highlighting the life and times of Captain Kidd. While non-fiction, it reads like an adventure novel.
The Amver office is taking a bit of a holiday. Don't worry, the routine day to day tasks will continue, ships can still enroll, and lives will still be saved. Some of the staff is just taking a little rest and relaxation.
Some of our readers are at sea for months at a time. How do you unwind or relax? Where is your favorite holiday spot?
Peter Bray, a British adventurer, was trying to set a world record by rowing single handed across the Atlantic Ocean when he sent a distress call to search and rescue authorities. While the nature of his distress is still being determined, Rescue Coordination Center Falmouth requested Amver data to assist in their search and rescue efforts.
It turns out, however, the James Cook is not enrolled in the Amver system! Perhaps some Amver blog readers would like to email the ship operators here and encourage them to enroll in Amver? Let's see how the collective efforts of social media can work to get the ship enrolled.
We will keep you updated as we learn more about the ongoing rescue efforts.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Editor's Note: Within a few hours of this post the James Cook enrolled in the Amver system! Thanks to all of you who may have emailed the vessel operators!
21 additional ships have enrolled in Amver this past week. We are happy to see our rolls increase. Soon we will have 20,000 participants! Thank you for supporting Amver. If you don't know how to enroll check this out. If you need an Amver's users manual you can download it here. If you are an international rescue coordination center and you don't know how to request Amver data you can learn how here.
Welcome new Amver participants:
BW GDF SUEZ BRUSSELS
FOUR WIND
WG MAGELLAN
WARNOW MASTER
CMA CGM FLAUBERT
DARYA LAKSHMI
EFFY N
SUNSET
CPO ENGLAND
TAG 5
ZEUS LEADER
SHROPSHIRE
OCEAN CHARGER
FREE ENVOY
GENCO PIONEER
NORD OBTAINER
KASTAV
COS INTREPID
MCP BALNKENESE
AMANDA
OSNABRUCK
Many of the Amver awards have been mailed. The remainder of the 2008 Amver awards are scheduled to be mailed at the end of August.
Tradewinds and Lloyds List report authorities have arrested up to eight suspects related to the missing Russian ship, Arctic Sea. The missing ship was located off the coast of West Africa on Monday.
According to news reports the suspects included Russians, Estonians, and Latvians. The Russian Navy has transferred the suspects from the Arctic Sea to a Russian naval vessel. The suspects ordered the crew to turn off all navigational and ship tracking equipment reported Lloyd's List.
What Tracking Equipment Did They Have?
The Arctic Sea most likely had two types of tracking equipment. We know the vessel was not enrolled in Amver. The first type of tracking equipment the Arctic Sea likely had is an Automatic Identification System, or AIS. What is AIS? According to the United States Coast Guard Navigation Center,
Picture a shipboard display system (e.g. radar, ECDIS, chart plotter, etc.) with overlaid electronic chart data that includes a mark for every significant ship within radio range; each as desired with a velocity vector (indicating speed and heading). Each ship "mark" could reflect the actual size of the ship, with position to GPS or differential GPS accuracy. By "clicking" on a ship mark, you could learn the ship name, course and speed, classification, call sign, registration number, MMSI, and other information. Maneuvering information, closest point of approach (CPA), time to closest point of approach (TCPA) and other navigation information, more accurate and more timely than information available from an automatic radar plotting aid, could also be available. Display information previously available only to modern Vessel Traffic Service operations centers could now be available to every AIS-equipped ship.
In addition to AIS, the Arctic Sea may have also been reporting through a newly implemented International Maritime Organization scheme called Long Range Identification and Tracking, or LRIT. While still a new program, LRIT will allow flag states, port states, or coastal states vessel position information for security and safety purposes. How does that differ from Amver? You can read that debate here.
USA Today recently wrote about an exciting way to cruise. No, it's not on any of the new luxury cruise liners. It isn't on a small sailing vessel either. It is cruising on a cargo vessel! What could be so exciting about cruising on a cargo ship? To start with the ship may be enrolled in the Amver safety network. If so you may in for the search and rescue adventure of a lifetime. Having boarded some ships to meet survivors or congratulate crews, the Amver team knows many of today's vessels are well appointed. We can only imagine how nice it must be to cruise on a vessel as it slowly steams across the ocean.
How Do You Do It?
According to USA Today, companies such as freightercruises.com and freighterworld.com can make the necessary arrangements for you. Once aboard don't expect throngs of tourists or port calls full of gift shops. As the report stated, these are working ships that are in the commerce business, not tourism. If you cruise on a commercial ship be sure to ask if the vessel is enrolled in Amver. If not, direct the master here to learn how to enroll!
Have you cruised on a passenger ship? What was it like? Have you had passengers aboard your vessel? Tell us what that was like.
MSNBC reported the Russian ship Arctic Sea, that went missing after it was reportedly attacked by Swedish pirates, has been found sailing off the coast of West Africa. The disappearance of the Arctic Sea prompted all sorts of conspiracy theories about its cargo, attack, and whereabouts. The Amver team is glad to know the vessel has been found.
Amver also hopes the Arctic Sea's managing company, Solchart Arkhangelsk, considers enrolling their entire fleet in the Amver safety network.
The other day the Amver center received an email from the Horizon Trader, a Horizon Lines vessel, that they had come across a derelict vessel. They snapped a few photos and forwarded a detailed email of the circumstances.
What happened to the occupants? It's hard to say. If there were people in need of rescue we are confident the crew of the Horizon Trader would have made the rescue.
It's good to know our Amver partners are keeping the watch.
There is a considerable amount of attention about the missing Russian cargo vessel Arctic Sea. The Maltese flagged ship is not a participant in the Amver system and Amver vessels have not been diverted to assist in the search.
The New York Times reports the ship's management believes the vessel was hijacked. CNBC reported the vessel was boarded by what appeared to be Swedish pirates. A recent European news report alludes to a possible mysterious cargo.
Amver's Role
Could Amver play a role in the search for the missing ship? Certainly. Another use of Amver is to narrow down the possible search area of a missing ship. If the Arctic Sea was an Amver participant, it would have filed a sail plan prior to departing port and its route and destination known. As the Arctic Sea submitted position reports they would have been checked against that sail plan. Once the vessel was determined to be missing, search and rescue authorities could have reviewed the last position report against the sail plan and focused search and rescue efforts in a more defined area.
Shipping companies should consider this when weighing the decision to enroll in Amver. While their ships may be called upon to assist in a distress, they may also need to use Amver data to help determine the last known position of their vessel in the event it goes missing.
Are you more likely to enroll your ship in the Amver system now?
It's that time again. Time to welcome the newest members of the Amver family. These vessels and companies have committed themselves to ensuring no call for help goes unanswered. Some of you may be thinking we get tired of writing this feature each week. Absolutely not. We enjoy recognizing our participants.
A Part Of History
Participating in Amver means becoming a part of history. Amver is over 51 years old. Amver continues to set records for the number of vessels on plot each day. Amver ships have been called upon to rescue people in most major maritime disasters in the last 50 years. To know your ship is part of something that historic, that important, is impressive. How can you join the legions of vessels supporting search and rescue? Enroll here.
The latest Amver members are:
IKAN BAGANG
UNITED SERENITY
BW GDF SUEZ PARIS
AQUA MARINE
LOIS H
HONG JING
JRS BRISBANE
PETROVSK
JBU SAPPHIRE
APL HAMBURG
VEGA SACHSEN
ZIM LOS ANGELES
MIHO PRACAT
MERMES ARROW
AWANUIA
Want to see your ship's name here? Enroll today and see your vessels name here next week!
Next month Amver is heading to Saint Petersburg, Russia for the 10th anniversary of NEVA September 22 to 25, 2009. NEVA is the largest maritime exhibition in Russia and offers opportunities unavailable at other maritime venues. Amver will be at Lenexpo, Hall 7, Stand 733. We invite you to come by and say hello.
Awards
Amver is also partnering with NEVA to host a Russian Amver Awards ceremony. 27 vessels from 8 Russian shipping companies earned awards in 2008 and we hope the awards ceremony sparks greater Russian interest in the Amver system. Amver is especially interested in ice class vessels. Amver vessels can make a significant positive impact on search and rescue in the Arctic. You can read more about Amver's contribution to Arctic shipping here.
Will you be at NEVA? We look forward to meeting you.
For our Russian friends-
В следующем месяце Amver движется в Санкт-Петербурге, Россия на 10-й годовщины НЕВА 22 сентября по 25, 2009. НЕВА является крупнейшей морской выставке в России и открывает возможности отсутствуют в других морских местах. Amver будет в "Ленэкспо", павильон № 7, стенд 733. Мы приглашаем Вас приехать, и сказать привет.
Награды
Amver также партнерские отношения с НЕВА принимающей российской Amver наград церемонии. 27 судов из 8 российских судоходных компаний, получила награды в 2008 году, и мы надеемся на то, что награждение искрообразованию больше российских интересов в Amver системы. Amver особенно заинтересованы в судах ледового класса. Amver суда может внести существенные позитивные последствия для поиска и спасания в Арктике. Вы можете прочитать больше о Amver его вклад в Арктике судоходство здесь.
Будете ли вы на Неве? Мы с нетерпением ожидаем встречи с Вами.
The truth, however, is that the Coast Guard wouldn't be as successful without your support. That's right, your participation in the Amver system helps the Coast Guard save lives. Thank you for helping ensure no call for help goes unanswered.
This week we welcome:
CARTAGENA
MATILDA
WEI XIANG
MURAT K
CSCL CALLAO
ATHOS
INGRED MCCALL
CSCL KINGSTON
ENTRANCE POINT
LOWLANDS SKY
GLOBAL BAY
AQUAMARINE
GENCO COMMODUS
ISE PRINCESS
DIAMOND
CELEBRITY EQUINOX
ELLENSBORG
WHITE CORAL
PACIFIC LEO
TONG YING
PRINCESS DANAE
NEFTGAZ-55
SANTIAGO BASIN
SAMAR
NS ASIA
DISCOVERER AMERICAS
PATROCLUS
CAROLINE THERSA
NISOS
GIANT ACE
VALENTE VENUS
HANJIN NEWPORT
DANIELA BOLTEN
SLOMAN SUPPLIER
SANKO MERMAID
OANA
CONRWALL
MALASPINA
FREJA FIONIA
ANDROMEDA GLORY
SUIKAI
If your ship is listed above we would love to hear from you. Where did you learn about the Amver system? What made you decide to enroll?
Today Amver celebrates Coast Guard Day. It was this day in 1790 that Alexander Hamilton authorized the building of 10 revenue cutters. You can read more about Coast Guard history on the official Coast Guard Historian's website.
Amver wishes Herman Melville a happy 190th birthday from his birthplace at 6 Pearl Street in Manhattan.
"Oh give me again the rover's life-the joy, the thrill, the whirl! Let me feel thee again old sea! Let me leap into thy saddle once more. I am sick of these terra-firma toils and cares; sick of the dust and reek of towns. Let me hear the clatter of hailstones on icebergs, and not the dull tramp of these plodders, plodding their dull way from their cradles to their graves. Let me snuff they up, sea breeze! And whinny in thy spray. Forbid it, sea gods! Intercede for me with Neptune, O sweet Aphrodite, that no dull clod may fall on my coffin! Be mine the tomb that swallowed up Pharaoh and all his hosts; let me lie down with Drake where he sleeps in the sea."
Herman Melville White Jacket, 1850
For an interesting take on Melville and ways to apply his writing to leadership be sure to check out Peter Mello's blog Sea Fever.
You can also track the Amver participating research vessel Melville here.
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