Protecting Titanic

One hundred years after it sank on April 15, the RMS Titanic still rests on the seafloor, vulnerable to damage and salvage. An international agreement was signed by the US, U.K., Canada and France that recognizes the wreck site as a memorial and one of great archaeological, historical, and cultural importance. Learn more about NOAA and Titanic here.

The RMS Titanic disaster helped spawn the U.S. Coast Guard International Ice Patrol and the Amver system. The U.S. Coast Guard and International Maritime Organization have also issued a statement about protecting the Titanic site.

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Welcome Wednesday!

This has been a busy week with the Amver on plot average continuing to hit records levels. Over 5,300 ships are available to assist in search and rescue. That's an amazing demonstration of voluntary cooperation. We're thankful to all the shipping companies who agree to help in times of maritime emergencies.

What ships enrolled in Amver in the past week? Take a look.

• ALAM SURIA
• AMANDA C
• ASPHALT SPIRIT
• BENJAMAS NAREE
• BIG FISH
• CHAMORRO
• CLIPPER SURPRISE
• CMB ADRIEN
• CMB CATRINE
• CMB LILIANE
• DARYA GAYATRI
• EUROSKY
• FRONTIER AMBITION
• GENUINE ACE
• GLADIATOR
• GREAT MIND
• JIN-EI
• LEGEND
• MAGSENGER 9
• MARYLAKI
• NANYANG STAR
• PRINCIMAR PRIDE
• SABRINA SCAN
• SAMJOHN DREAM
• SAN ANTONIO
• SEA SCOUT
• SEA SPLENDOR
• SKANDI FEISTEIN
• SKANDI KVITSOY
• ST VENESSA
• TAIZHOU KOUAN TKO509
• UNITED HALO
• WHITE HALO

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

Photo credit: Fotolia

Wanna avoid whales? There's an app for that!

Originally posted on NOAA news.

Amver vessels concerned about avoiding right whales can turn to their iPhone or iPad and download the Whale Alert app to steer clear of the endangered mammals. According to NOAA-

Mariners along the U.S. east coast can now download a new iPad and Iphone application that warns them when they enter areas of high risk of collision with critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The free Whale Alert app provides one source for information about right whale management measures and the latest data about right whale detections, all overlaid on NOAA digital charts. 

"Whale Alert represents an innovative collaboration to protect this critically endangered species," said David Whiley, NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Sanctuary research coordinator and project lead. "Whale conservation is greater than any one organization and this project show how many organizations can unite for a good cause."

A key feature of Whale Alert is a display linking near real-time acoustic buoys that listen for right whale calls to an iPad or iPhone on a ship's bridge showing the whale's presence to captains transiting the shipping lanes in and around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. "The idea that right whales are directly contributing to conservation through their own calls is pretty exciting," said Christopher Clark, whose team at the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helped develop the acoustic detection and warning system.

North Atlantic right whales, which live along North America's east coast from Nova Scotia to Florida, are one of the world's rarest animals and a species on the brink of extinction. Recent estimates put the population of North Atlantic right whales at approximately 350 to 550 animals. Collision with ships is the leading cause of right whale death.

Download the Whale Alert app from the iTunes store.

Graphic courtesy of NOAA

Amver assists in rescue of Clipper Venture sailors

The Amver participating container ship OOCL Tianjin was diverted to assist with the rescue of several crew members from the racing yacht Clipper Venture on Saturday, March 31, 2012. In addition to the Amver vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard dropped supplies by rescue aircraft and sent the Cutter Bertholf which rescued 3 of the injured yachtsmen.

The Hong Kong flagged container ship was 330 miles from the Clipper Venture but agreed to divert and assist. Coast Guard rescue authorities, recognizing the complexity of this rescue, had medical supplies dropped by aircraft and launched the Bertholf to minimize the possibility severely injured sailors would have to climb a pilot or embarkation ladder on the container ship.

When it was certain the Bertholf would be able to reach the Clipper Venture, the Coast Guard released the OOCL Tianjin to continue on its voyage to California.

Here is a video of the rescue taken from the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf.



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The OOCL Tianjin enrolled in Amver on April 5, 2005 and has earned Amver awards the last 12 years.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com

Billionaire Paul Allen's yacht Octopus assists in search for missing plane

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's mega yacht Octopus, an Amver participant since 2011, assisted in the search for a missing aircraft in the Pacific. The Palau maritime patrol aircraft, with an American and two Palau police officers on board, disappeared while tracking a possible illegal Chinese fishing vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard authorities in Guam first learned of the aircraft disappearance on April 1, 2012 when they were contacted by Palau maritime authorities who reported a Cessna, with three people on board, was low on fuel and experiencing troubles with its GPS. The aircraft crew stated they were lost, but had life jackets and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The last transmission from the aircraft was overheard by the Octopus and a policeman on the beach in Kokor.

The 414 foot yacht is an ideal platform for search and rescue. According to the Octopus Wikipedia page it's equipped with two helicopters, seven tenders, and two submarines. 

In addition to the Octopus, the Coast Guard  Cutter Jarvis was diverted to assist in the search.

Mega yachts can easily assist in search and rescue cases and are encouraged to enroll in Amver. You can learn more about Amver here.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Welcome Wednesday!

Every day we're impressed with the number of vessels that demonstrate their commitment to safety at sea. Want an example? You don't need to look much further than the ships listed below. These crews have made a decision to actively participate in the world's only global search and rescue system by enrolling in Amver. They willingly put their lives on the line to ensure no call for help goes unanswered.

• ANAGEL GLORY
• BRIGHT KOWA
• CHEMSTAR STELLAR
• CHERAMIE BOTRUC NO. 39
• CHESHIRE
• CPO NEW ZEALAND
• ELVIA
• HANJIN CHENNAI
• HYUNDAI TENACITY
• IONIC HALO
• KOKUKA VIGOROUS
• MARATHA PROMISE
• MARLENE DAMATO
• MASSALLIA
• NORD VOYAGER
• OCEAN CENTURY
• POLARCUS ASIMA
• R.J. COCO MCCALL
• RAVEN
• SIDER ORICONO
• SIVA CHENNAI
• SKANDI ATLANTIC
• SKANDI HAWK
• SPRING BRIGHT
• STALO
• STX PRIME
• SYDNEY
• UNION MANTA
• VALE MALASIA

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

Photo credit: Fotolia

Amver tanker rescues possible human smugglers

Six yachtsmen were rescued in a bizarre search and rescue incident involving up to nine sailors in a possible human smuggling case off the coast of Canada on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.

Through the combined efforts of an Amver tanker, a U.S. Coast Guard Falcon aircraft, and Canadian rescue aircraft and helicopters, 6 people were rescued from their disabled sailboat 240 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. and 90 miles from the Canadian coast.

The total number of people on the sailboat is unclear. Three of the survivors were rescued by the Amver tanker FSL Hamburg, three more survivors were rescued by a Canadian rescue helicopter although one survivor on the helicopter died. Three others may have been lost at sea.

One report suggest the survivors were trying to enter Canada illegally. The survivors, possibly Russian, Georgian, or Ukrainian, requested refugee status after their rescue. Canadian authorities are investigating the survivor's nationality and how they arrived off the coast.

The FSL Hamburg, a Singapore flagged product tanker, was on a voyage from New York to Canada when it was requested by Canadian authorities to assist in the rescue. The FSL Hamburg, managed by United Product Tankers of Hamburg, Germany, enrolled in the Amver system on April 14, 2011.

While the details of this case remain unclear, what is certain is that an Amver participant played a critical role in saving three lives. Bravo Zulu to the crew of the FSL Hamburg and the brave men and women of the Canadian rescue services.

Photo credit: marinetraffic.com