Closed Captioning Test

Amver strives to ensure everyone has access to our content.  Today we are testing closed captioning of video embeds on our site.  Videos that we produce in house (not news stories or rescue video) should contain closed captioning in the future.



Can't see the video?  You can access it on YouTube.

We know the closed captioning isn't perfect.  As YouTube learns our lexicon it should improve.

Welcome Wednesday!

As the calendar speeds towards February we are happy to bring you another edition of our Welcome Wednesday Amver post.  One of the things we have always wondered is just how does a ship get its name?  We have seen some interesting names posted on this post and we wonder where they come from. Does your ship have an interesting name?  Why not enroll it in Amver so we can see it too?  On with the latest ships joining the Amver ranks.

•          F WHALE                 
•          JUPITER CHARM           
•          ANANGEL DAWN            
•          FORTUNE BIRD            
•          PRIME EXPRESS           
•          NORDIC VICTORY          
•          EVERGREEN STATE         
•          NAVIG8 HONOR            
•          ZOSCO SHANGHAI          
•          KALAMAS                 
•          AMIYA SCAN              
•          CMB MAE                 
•          CLIPPER AKI             
•          OOCL SAVANNAH           
•          ARRILAH-I               
•          MSC GENOVA              
•          ZHI QIANG               
•          DEVON                   
•          RAHI                    
•          SITC NINGBO             
•          BOURBON OCEANTEAM 104   
•          SAFMARINE NILE          
•          CHRYSANTHEMUM           
•          FOURSEAS SW             
•          DAI SHAN HAI            
•          UNITED HONOR            
•          VIRTUOUS STRIKER        
•          DONG-A TYCHE            
•          PANAMERICANA            

If you know how a ship gets its name feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo credit: Fotolia

GPS Failures? Perhaps!

If you rely on GPS for navigation and will be sailing around the southeast United States you should be aware that the Department of Defense is conducting GPS "tests" from Jan. 20, 2011 to Feb. 22, 2011. According to the FAA the following area will be affected:

During testing, GPS will be unreliable and may be unavailable with in a circle with a radius of 370NM and centered at 304906N/0802811W or the location known as 105.25 degrees and 52.1 NM from the SSI VOR at FL400; decreasing in area with a decrease in altitude to a circle with a radius of 325NM at FL250; a circle with a radius of 260NM at 10,000FT MSL and a circle with a radius of 215NM at 4,000FT AGL.  

What does that actually look like?

Looks a bit like it covers an area around the Bermuda Triangle doesn't it?  Amver ships should be aware their GPS may give incorrect data or no information at all.  Is the Coast Guard aware of this?  Yes, and they issued this guidance (link to pdf) back in 1999. 

Worried you might have to rely on celestial navigation and you don't know how?  Check out gCaptain's post on celestial navigation 101.

Carnival Valor saves 3 Americans and a cat

The Amver participating cruise ship Carnival Valor came to the rescue of three American sailors and their cat on Saturday Jan. 22, 2011 as it drifted 12 miles from the Cuban coast.  The Carnival Valor enrolled in the Amver system on Jan. 5, 2005 and has earned Amver awards for each year it has participated.   According to reports, the cruise ship was on its way back to Miami from a seven day cruise when it encountered the battered boat.  What did the rescue look like?  Take a peek at what Carnival Valor passenger Carl Ray shot with his video camera.

FedNav breaking ice

How close have you been to a ship plowing through Arctic ice? Take a look at this video of the M/V Arctic pushing through the ice. The sound is incredible. The spectators? Perhaps a little too close.

The M/V Arctic is owned and operated by Fednav of Montreal, Canada and has all of their vessels enrolled in the Amver system. You can learn more about Fednav from the Amver interview with Tom Paterson, Vice President of Fednav's Owned Fleet and Business Development division.




Can't see the video? Click here.

Amver ship rescues Italian record breakers

Two Italian sailors, hoping to break a trans-Atlantic sailing record were instead rescued by an Amver participating Polish bulker, Delia, quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  The two Italian adventurers were attempting to break an Atlantic crossing speed record sailing from Senegal to Guadeloupe when their vessel capsized 1,000 miles from land on Monday Jan. 17, 2011.  Tradewinds reported rescue personnel from Martinique requested the Cypriot flagged bulker divert and rescue the duo.

According to the report, the Delia, managed by the Polish Steamship Company, was sailing from Brazil to Iceland when called upon to rescue the sailors. The Delia, an Amver participant since 1998, quickly changed course toward the distress location.  Despite fierce winds and battering waves the crew of the Delia were able to bring the two Italians on board. Sadly their catamaran was left to the elements.

What's it like to sail on the Delia? Take a look!



Can't see the video? Click here.

Photo credit: Fotolia

Welcome Wednesday!

Amazing!  75 vessels have enrolled in the past week!  Thank you for continuing to support the Amver system in earnest!  On with the welcome!

• PIERA
• TAURUS TWO
• EDWARD N
• HUGO N
• PATSORN
• CATHERINE
• SANYO
• TASMAN
• MC AMETHYST
• MTM SINGAPORE
• SPAR CAPELLA
• LOXANDRA
• OCEAN LOHAS
• PIRIN
• KL SANDEFJORD
• GOLDEN ODYSSEY
• ALASKA TITAN
• KINATSI
• AFRICAN BLUE CRANE
• FOUMA
• CIELO DI AMALFI
• LEO ADVANCE
• CASTILLO DE MACEDA
• DESERT SERENITY
• AHU DHABI STAR
• UNICORN OCEAN
• YARRAWONGA
• GRANDE PROGRESSO
• ATLANTIC TREASURE
• HANDYTANKERS MARVEL
• ALPINE MADELEINE
• AFRICAN SANDERLING
• FRIENDLY SEAS
• OCEANIC CERISE
• HANNAH
• NAVISION IVORY
• ANNA-DOROTHEA
• LENA
• INLAND SEA
• KEREM AYANOGLU
• EAGLE STRAIT
• SHOU SHAN
• MATUMBA
• KASHI ARROW
• CARIBBEAN FAITH
• SEA DREAM
• SEA DRAGON
• NORTHERN STAR
• TONY 
• BW LOTUS
• GOLDEN CREST
• AM POINT LISAS
• LENA
• MARIA CARMEN LEMBO
• KALLIROE
• ARDMORE CENTURION
• NOR PYXIS
• SPRING SPLENDOR
• GREEN PHOENIX
• KAMARI
• AETOS
• MAIRAKI
• NBA REUBENS
• BRIGHT LIFE
• ORE MANGARATIBA
• KL BRISFJORD
• PARAMOUNT HELSINKI
• ATHENIAN GLORY
• SAFMARINE LUALABA
• MARNARIN DALIAN
• NAVIOS CELESTIAL
• SARMARINE SKWABA
• SAFMARINE KOMATI

What's your barrier to joining Amver?


Photo credit: Fotolia