Pirated Amver ship catches fire

According to a report by Tradewinds, the Amver participating bulk carrier Orna, which has been held since late December 2010, caught fire forcing the nineteen crew and band of pirates to abandon ship. The entire group is reportedly safe on shore.

The Orna, a Panamanian flagged ship, is managed by Swedish Management of Dubai and enrolled in the Amver system on January 1, 1990.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew for a speedy resolution to this incident.


Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Welcome Wednesday!

The "ships" just keep on coming. Yes, that's our lame attempt at trying to rhyme with the hits just keep on coming. Perhaps we'll stick to our day job of managing the Amver system!

In the meantime we want to honor the last batch of vessels to enroll in the Amver system. Shipping and sailing are serious business and nobody knows that better than the brave men and women who make going to sea their profession. We hope you take some time out to thank them.

Naming their vessels here is our small way of saying thanks! So, help us thank (and welcome) the latest additions to the Amver safety network.

•          CONTI PYRIT            
•          ZAMPA BLUE             
•          SARAH                  
•          APJ JAI                
•          ULUSOY 11              
•          VOS PIONEER            
•          FIVE STARS FUJIAN      
•          G WHALE                
•          CSC CRYSTAL            
•          OCEANIC INDIGO         
•          ORIENT DEFENDER        
•          ZAKHER CROWN           
•          SHUNWA                 
•          BRAVE SAILOR           
•          SHIMANAMI QUEEN        
•          MARIE ELISE            
•          MERCURIUS              
•          DEAN ANDREW            
•          HOS SANDSTORM          
•          SUNNY YOUNG            
•          BULK PERU              
•          OCEAN ZIRCON           
•          SAKURA OCEAN           
•          CSAV LLUTA             
•          TAICANG DRAGON         
•          MARITIME KING          
•          FORTALEZA KNUTSEN      
•          CLIPPER LANCER         
•          DISCOVERER INDIA        

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

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver ship assists fishing vessel

The United States Coast Guard First District Command Center, working with search and rescue personnel from MRCC Ponta Delgada, JRCC Netherlands, and MRCC Stavanger, responded to a 70 foot Portuguese fishing vessel possibly in distress 1,250 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. on Monday June 13, 2011. The Coast Guard also diverted the Amver participating tanker Unique Sunshine.

The 600 foot Hong Kong flagged tanker, owned by Crucis Shipping of Panama, diverted and rendezvoused with the fishing vessel determining it was not in distress. A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft, from Air Station Elizabeth City, and a Portuguese search aircraft which were launched for the mission were also released.

Coast Guard personnel from the First District Command Center will continue to monitor the fishing vessel to ensure it is not in distress.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Norwegian ships earn Amver awards

The who's who of Norwegian shipping came to the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Oslo during Norshipping 2011 to receive their Amver participation awards. Ambassador White hosted the reception, which was sponsored by Comtech Mobile Datacom. 382 Norwegian vessels earned Amver awards in 2010.

Ambassador White was joined by Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, U.S. candidate for IMO Secretary General, and Mr. Sturla Henriksen, Director General of the Norwegian Shipowners Association, to celebrate Norway's contribution to safety at sea.

Congratulations to the Norwegian ships earning Amver awads!


Photo credit: USCG Photo by Beverly Howard

Welcome Wednesday!

Another week has passed and in that week a few Amver ships were diverted to search for possible vessels in distress while a handful more enrolled in the Amver system. What most people don't realize is the magnitude of shipping. Almost all of the things they touch, from the alarm clock that wakes them to the sheets they tuck under each night, come by ship.

As the Day of the Seafarer approaches we should be mindful of those at sea who risk their lives not only to save lives, but face every day dangers to make sure we have our iPads, Nike shoes, and Blue Ray players.

Help us welcome the latest members of the Amver team:

•          TAIPOWER PROSPERITY VI 
•          DESERT CALM            
•          NYK FUTAGO             
•          BALTIC KLIPPER         
•          DE PING HAI            
•          BROVIG CIERZO          
•          YANGZHOU DAYANG DY3036 
•          JOSHUA CHOUEST         
•          DEEP CONSTRUCTOR       
•          C ELEPHANT             
•          QI LIN ZUO             
•          HOS SUPER H            
•          SUNNY ROYAL            
•          CORONA BULKER          
•          PACIFIC DIAMOND        
•          MAERSK EVORA           
•          TEN JIN MARU           
•          STAR VOYAGER           
•          IKAN SAGAI             
•          SPYROS K               
•          MAKO                   
•          JO LYNN TIDE           
•          BERLIN BRIDGE          
•          GARY CHOUEST           
•          PALLAVI C              
•          DIYYINAH - I           
•          YAMILAH - III          
•          SEABULK WISCONSIN      
•          OCEAN PROJECT          
•          RAS GHUMAYS - I        
•          ABU AL ABYAD            

Also, don't forget about the Amver podcast, the Quarterdeck!


Photo credit: Fotolia

33

Did you know that every 33 hours an Amver participating ship saves a life somewhere in the world? Yup, we did the math. That's not too shabby. And we do it for free!

Thank you seafarers!


Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

Home. We're glad to be back home after a successful trip celebrating safety at sea and Amver participation. More on the Amver awards in Washington, DC and Norway in future posts. Today we're celebrating the most recent enrollees in the Amver system. Why enroll? Because your ship may just save a life. Isn't that reason enough?

Help us welcome the following vessels.

•          MORNING LENA           
•          CHRISTIANA             
•          SEAFRONTIER            
•          LYRIC SUN              
•          CAPE ISTANBUL          
•          NORGAS INVENTION       
•          NORTHERN PRELUDE       
•          RUI NING 3             
•          NORTHERN JUPITER       
•          ORIOLE                 
•          FRONTIER FALCON        
•          SAIQ                   
•          BBC MAGELLAN           
•          PACIFIC ENLIGHTEN      
•          GIOVANNA               
•          TAMAR                  
•          CHANG HANG CHENG GONG  
•          KM KOBE                
•          MINERAL SUBIC          
•          WELLSERVICER           
•          NYK FUJI               
•          EMIRATES KANAKO        
•          APL MINNEAPOLIS        
•          CHANG HANG FEI YUE     
•          CCNI PATAGONIA         
•          BELUGA MUMBAI          
•          CAP GRAHAM             
•          TS TOKYO               
•          MELLUM                 
•          MARATHA PARAMOUNT      
•          DORIC SAMURAI          
•          LADY HELENE            
•          FORTUNE                
•          ORALORA                
•          NORD OCEAN             
•          VERA                   
•          PGS APOLLO              

How about the Quarterdeck? Are you listening to the Amver podcast? It's a great listen and available on iTunes as well.


Photo credit: Fotolia