Amver tanker, attacked?

Various news agencies have reported the Amver participating tanker M. Star suffered damage after a possible attack in the Straight of Hormuz. MOL stated in a company press release that their ship was attacked at approximately 0530 hours local time while sailing to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The release went on to say that the damage seemed to come from an "... external attack..."

The Marshall Island flagged tanker enrolled in the Amver system in December, 2008 and has earned two Amver participation awards.

It is unclear who attacked the M. Star. What are your thoughts on the damage?

Photo credit: MSNBC

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Welcome Wednesday!

Is that time of the week already? It sure it. These weekly posts remind us who is the key to Amver. While there are plenty of important parts of Amver; marketing (that's us!), coordination at Coast Guard headquarters, and the technical people of the Coast Guard Operations Systems Center that ensure the Amver messages and computers work properly, the key to Amver is you. If you don't enroll we won't succeed. We won't be able to save lives. Often the lives saved are yachtsmen or recreational sailors. Other times the survivors are migrants. Still other times the survivors are your fellow mariners.

Amver works because we leverage our partnerships. The Commandant of the Coast Guard has set a course which includes strengthening our partnerships. The 43 ships listed below have just helped strengthen our partnership of saving lives at sea. Help us welcome them to the Amver family.

• HOEGH BEIJING
• REEM ISLAND
• DIANA ISLAND
• MAGIC STRIKER
• TPC LYTTELTON
• THEMIS LEADER
• RUDOLF SCHEPERS
• FRONT ENDURANCE
• SAN FRANCISCO BRIDGE
• AROWANA DISCOVERY
• CS SORAYA
• SEVILLA KNUTSEN
• EMPIRE STATE
• PISSIOTIS
• SUPERIOR PESCADORES
• PARAMOUNT HAMILTON
• STI MATADOR
• BALTIC COUGAR
• IGNAZIO
• ALPINE MAYA
• ORIENT VESTA
• MAERSK MISHIMA
• ASTORIA BRIDGE
• GARNET ACE
• ESHIPS DANA
• HANSE EXPLORER
• NORTHERN LIGHTS
• SULTAN
• DREAM SEAS
• SUNRISE SERENITY
• KAMBANOS
• KINGFISHER
• NEW BREEZE
• MARIANNA
• TAI HUNTER
• PUMA
• HANDY BAY
• MEGACORE HIBSCUS
• NORTH CAPE
• ARCTURUS VOYAGER
• AS FANCONIA
• HAMMONIA BAVARIA
• FOTINI LADY

Have you enrolled in Amver yet? We're ready for you to join the team.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Thank you note from Eagle Beaumont survivor

We don't often hear from the survivors rescued by Amver ships. It is a real treat when we do hear. Recently the Amver enrolled tanker, Eagle Beaumont, rescued a sailor off the coast of New Jersey. Here is the note the survivor left on the Amver blog.

My name Is Marcelo the sailor rescued from this event. I am very grateful for this distinct and worthy organization. I nearly lost my life and thank God the tanker was there when the mayday was radioed out. Then after words by speaking with a worker of the ship i found out that the tanker had a fire in the engine compartment and therefore the ship delayed 6 hours performing repairs before finding me in trouble. If you believe in God this is certainly a sure event to give Him the credit because otherwise he would not have had found me. Upon resuming trip I was left in Philadelphia save and sound. God be praised. Thank you AMVER, you saved my life. Continue this marvelous work and never take for granted what you do. What you do is the utmost importance and it truly saves lives.

Yours,

Eraldo Marcelo Kopp

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver box ship rescues 6 fishermen

Six men aboard the ill fated fishing vessel Tanya Rose were rescued by the Amver participating container ship CSAV Rahue (former Northern Debonair) on July 18, 2010 after their vessel started sinking approximately 475 miles north of Kauai.

United States Coast Guard rescue authorities launched a C-130 from Air Station Barbers Point and queried the Amver system diverting the Liberian flagged container ship. The CSAV Rahue enrolled in the Amver system on November 7, 2007.

According to Captain Budynsky, master of the CSAV Rahu, they had been in contact with the Coast Guard aircraft which dropped dewatering pumps to the sinking fishing boat. Captain Budynsky reported waves were about 6 feet with winds at 8 miles blowing from the east.

The CSAV Rahue maneuvered near the Tanya Rose as the crew abandoned ship into a life raft. Within an hour of abandoning ship, the crew had been rescued by the CSAV Rahue.

The CSAV Rahue, managed by Norddeutsche Reederei H Schuldt of Hamburg, Germany, was able to rendezvous with another fishing vessel and transfer the six survivors to the fishing vessel. The CSAV Rahue continued on its voyage to China.

Below are photos of the rescue events-


















Photo credit: crew of the M/V CSAV Rahue

Eagle Beaumont rescue photos

Here are some pictures sent to us by the crew of the Amver participating Eagle Beaumont. You may recall the Eagle Beaumont recently rescued a sailor off the coast of New Jersey. Our thanks go out to Captain Chander Bhan Berwal and his crew for a great rescue!









Photo credit: Crew of the M/V Eagle Beaumont

Welcome Wednesday!

42. While it may be just a number, it's the number of vessels enrolling last week. 42. That number is helping us reach 1,000 ships faster than any other time. We are on tap to break our annual enrollment record by almost 900 ships if the current trend continues. You can help us reach 1,600 ships enrolled in one year by telling your colleagues about Amver and its benefits. In the meantime, please help us welcome our latest members.

• CMA CGM RABELAIS
• TAMPA
• SANKO BIRDIE
• AQUAVICTORY
• PATRIARCH
• UASC SITRAH
• YUAN HENG
• DOMINIA
• MOL DIRECTION
• STOLT GULF MIRDIF
• JAWOR
• PACIFIC CONDOR
• ALPINE AMALIA
• PRIAM
• BRAVO
• GO ACAMAR
• MAERSK MERIDIAN
• KOTA LUMAYAN
• GAUNTLET
• BLOCK
• COSCO INDONESIA
• HANJIN SANTOS
• STANLEY PARK
• MAERSK NIJMEGEN
• SELENE LEADER
• SKS DRIVA
• ORIENT DREAM
• TOPAZ JURONG
• CAPE NASSAU
• JIN HYANG
• JAY
• KOHINOOR
• CO-OP AKENBONO
• WAWASAN JADE
• ORKAN
• ANL WARRINGA
  
• ITAL FIDUCIA
• MILYWAY
• AL SALMY 1
• AFRICAN HALCYON
• MOL MAESTRO
• LIJMILIYA

We hope you will consider enrolling in the Amver system and helping us reach our goal of over 1,600 ships helping ensure no all for help goes unanswered.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver awards in Bermuda

The United States Consulate in Bermuda hosted an Amver awards ceremony recently to recognize the seven Bermuda shipping companies nine ships earning awards. In all, there were a combined 45 years of service represented by the award winning vessels.

Companies earning awards included Container Ship Management, Frontline, Gearbulk Pool, Golden Ocean Group, Nordic American Tanker Shipping, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Berumuda), and Teekay Shipping.

The Royal Gazette reported United States Consul General Grace Shelton stated "It is always a pleasure to focus attention on the good that can come from working together to achieve a common result, and that is especially true when lives are at stake on the high seas. The success of Amver is the direct result of ships like yours that put safety first. Your participation in Amver is another example of the partnership between not only the United States and Bermuda, but also among ships around the world."

Your ship could be earning Amver awards. Simply enroll in the network and report at least 128 days in a year. Then you start earning awards!

Photo credit: U.S. Consulate Bermuda

From the archives

This press release announcing the implementation of the Amver system comes from the Coast Guard archives.

Hold until 3:00 P.M. Tuesday April 15, 1958.

COAST GUARD ANNOUNCES MERCHANT VESSEL REPORTING PROGRAM

NEW YORK, April 15- Vice Admiral Alfred C. Richmond, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, today invited the merchant shipping industry to participate with the Coast Guard in a plan which would make more efficient the present Coast Guard Search and Rescue activities by providing more timely aid to distressed vessels and aircraft forced down at sea.

This proposed new plan, called the Merchant Vessel Reporting Program, calls upon all vessels of the United States registry at sea in the North Atlantic Maritime Region to report regularly their positions and other information as they successfully cross specified areas.

This information will be compiled at Coast Guard Rescue Control Centers where it will be mounted on mammoth charts to show the positions of all merchant ships at sea at any given moment.

In the event a place is forced down at sea or a ship is in distress, the pots will immediately show what merchant ships are in the immediate area of the disaster; whereupon these ships can be diverted to the scene, thus cutting important hours from the search and subsequent rescue.

This new plan, which goes into effect at Midnight, Greenwich Mean time, on June 30th, was announced today by Admiral Richmond before a group of ship owners and operators, and other important officials in the maritime world at a meeting called by Rear Admiral H. C. Perkins, Commander of the Third Coast Guard District, Eastern Area, with Headquarters in the Custom House, New York. Over one hundred men attended the meeting at the office of the Captain of the Port at Pier 9, East River.

The program, which is strictly voluntary and which involves no extra cost to the shipping companies, is an extension of Coast Guard responsibilities under the National Search and Rescue Plan. The information collected under the new plan, according to Admiral Richmond, will fill a vital need of the Coast Guard in the conduct of its Search and Rescue operations.

Although Admiral Richmond's appeal is directed at this time to U.S. flag ships, registered vessels of all nations are invited to participate on a voluntary basis by sending in position reports under the same rules as for United States vessels.

After Admiral Richmond's remarks, Captain O.C. Rohnke, USCG, discussed the specific rules and answered questions from the audience.

Enroll your vessel today and continue the tradition. Happy Birthday Amver!

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Welcome Wednesday!

In 2010 over 900 ships have enrolled in the Amver system. While we are exceeding our on plot averages and nearing 4,000 ships on plot each day we are also breaking other records as well. There have been over 860,000 hits to the Amver website in six months, more than in all of 2009. We are thankful for your support.

We are also thankful for the companies and ships that keep joining the Amver safety network. Help us welcome the latest members:

• ZOSCO HUZHOU
• PAC AQUILA
• VIRGO STAR
• ESHIPS MAYA
• MERCURY LEADER
• STEVEN N
• URAGA PRINCESS
• SENTRY
• KAYE E. BARKER
• BOW BALEARIA
• MAERSK EDINBURGH
• EFRAIM A
• NYK RUMINA
• SEA BREEZE
• NORD STRAIT
• DIVINUS
• ANNA-REGINA
• MAGNUM ENERGY
• HALLE FOSS
• NORD EMPORER
• MOL DIAMOND
• ANGELES
• BERGAMOT ACE
• SEABOXER III
• CHANG HANG JI HAI
• MERWEBORG
• APL RIYADH
• STX ORIOLE
• JOHANNES WLFF
• GOLDEN QUEEN
• ENSIGN
• HERO
• E. R. BRIGHTON

Tell us why you have enrolled. We know you enjoy receiving your Amver awards, but what motivated you to join in the first place?

Photo credit: Fotolia

Remembering our shipmates and airmen

The Amver family sadly lost three airmen from United States Coast Guard helicopter, CG-6017, from Sitka, Alaska when their aircraft crashed on July 7, 2010. You can read about the crew here.

This passage is for them. I saw it inscribed on a granite overlook on the Hudson River in New York City. The author is unknown.

Who can sail without wind
Who can row without oars
Who can say farewell to a friend
without shedding a tear

I can sail without wind
I can row without oars
I can not say farewell to a friend
Without shedding a tear

Photo credit: Fotolia

Eagle Beaumont rescues sailor

The M/V Eagle Beaumont

What started as a typical sailing voyage ended up as an Amver rescue for one lucky sailor last month.  At 5:30 am on June 10th, a lone yachtsman on the 37 foot sailboat Elysium alerted passing ships and rescue authorities his boat was disabled with broken rigging and beset by weather approximately 150 miles east of Barnegat, NJ.  Winds were gusting over 29 knots and seas were 6 feet.

The Singapore flagged tanker Eagle Beaumont, managed by AET Ship Management, answered the call and diverted to assist the stricken sailor.  The Eagle Beaumont was on the scene of the distress in just over an hour.  In addition to rescuing the sailor, the crew tried to hoist the stricken sailboat aboard their vessel.  Unfortunately the hoist was unsuccessful and the drifting sailboat was marked a hazard to navigation.  The sailor was not injured in the ordeal.

The Eagle Beaumont, a 99,000 dwt Aframax tanker, enrolled in the Amver system in 1996.  The sailor was taken to the port of Philadelphia where he disembarked.

Photo courtesy of: shipspotter.com

The A Whale, more than just an oil eater

There is no shortage of stories about the oil eating super tanker A Whale.  Besides being known as a giant oil skimmer, the Liberian flagged tanker is enrolled in the Amver system.  A Whale, owned by TMT Shipping, enrolled in the Amver system on January 10, 2010 and has been available to divert over 180 days this year.

If you want to see more about the A Whale in the Gulf of Mexico check out this video from the United States Coast Guard.



Can't see the video? Click here.

Is there a market for other ships in situations like this?  Cruise ships have been used in disasters to house rescue workers and evacuees.  What other examples can you think of?

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Welcome Wednesday!

After a whirlwind tour to Europe the Amver staff is back in the United States and processing over 5,000 Amver awards.  Amver vessels are busy steaming the oceans, prepared to come to the aid of mariners in distress.  This willingness to be ready to assist is evident by the record number of ships on plot on July 4th.  There were 3,951 vessels ready to divert if necessary.  With the addition of the 31 ships below we may see the on plot number climb above 4,000.  You can help us reach that goal.  Are you ready to enroll?  In the meantime please welcome these ships to the Amver system.

• OBROVAC
• GSF DEVELOPMENT DRILLER II
• SEILLEAN
• STEN AURORA
• EUROPA
• GOLDEN IZUMI
• FOUR NABUCCO
• KRUZOF
• LAGUNA SWAN
• PACIFIC VEGA
• PANAMERICANA
• NORD BRIGHT
• EXPLORER
• APL OAKLAND
• CHRISTINA SCAN
• CAPT'N ANDREW
• KUMANO LILY
• RICHARD
• CLIPPER IWAGI
• AS VALENTIA
• IBIS VULKER
• ROSCO MAPLE
• CAPE TSUBAKI
• SPLENDOUR
• DIAMOND EXPRESS
• MAIRA LAURA PREM
• JIN PEI
• MIGHTY SKY
• SUZUKA EXPRESS
• MICHAEL G. MCCALL
• MARE TRANSPORTER

If you haven't enrolled you may want to reconsider.  Besides recognition for participating, your ship's crews get the satisfaction of knowing they are helping ensure no call for help goes unanswered.


Photo credit: Fotolia

Pirates use swarming tactic

It seems Somali pirates are using a new swarming tactic and we don't mean the kind of swarm you find on Foursquare! Lloyd's List recently reported the new tactic and its technique of "swarming" a ship with multiple skiffs, surrounding the vessel, and overwhelming the crew. It seems one attempt was quelled by Russian military personnel embarked on a ship to protect a sensitive cargo. We already know how the Russians deal with pirates.

We don't know how this is affecting Amver ships but mariners should continue to observe established anti-pirate tactics. You can find anti-piracy related details on the MARAD website.

How are your vessels dealing with piracy? Are you avoiding the Horn of Africa all together or are your crews employing other tactics?

Photo credit: Fotolia

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Amver eBooks?

We have been giving some thought to putting together some Amver eBooks. What's an eBook? We asked the same question. You can read more about ebooks and what they are/do here.

Some of the topics we are considering include-

• How to survive a rescue (geared towards yachtsmen)
• How to request an Amver surface picture
• How to enroll your vessel in Amver

How do those sound? Would you download an Amver eBook? Is there a topic you think we are missing?

Photo credit: Fotolia

Canada to track ships in the Arctic

The Canadian's are strengthening the previously voluntary NORDREG system for a, in their opinion, more robust Arctic vessel tracking scheme. The new system, dubbed the Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone, will keep an eye on all vessel traffic in the Canadian portion of the Northwest Passage and Canadian Arctic archipelago. The new requirement goes into effect on July 1st and appears to be a means of strengthening Canadian Arctic sovereignty.

Specific information about the requirements can be found on Transport Canada's website or by searching Canada Gazette.

We're not sure what this may mean for vessels enrolled in the Amver but you can be sure we will give you updates.

Photo credit: Fotolia

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