I wish everybody a happy, prosperous new year.
I wish calm seas and friendly winds to all seafarers.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Friday, 25 December 2009
A Disaster That Did Not Happen
A recent grounding of a cargo ship in Dardanelles revealed how close it came to a potential catastrophe.
On 17 December 2009, the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flagged cargo ship M/V Lady Juliet was traveling in Dardanelles in southern direction. She missed the turn at Nara point and rammed into the breakwater at Eceabat. She entered 6 meters in the breakwater and damaged a 10 meter wide section.
So far so good. Such accidents happen very often as the transit traffic in the straits increase constantly.
But when the captain of the ship refused at first any help adamantly it raised suspicion. It turned out that the ship was not only carrying 6900 tons of ammonium nitrate as declared by the captain. Along ammonium nitrate, 152.677 kilograms of rocket warhead primers, 24.600 kilograms of bomb primers and 69 tons of various goods were on board too.
Luckily for all parties involved the ship was refloated, late night on 18 December 2009. Of course the ship did not have a pilot on board at the time of the accident.
6900 tons of ammonium nitrate plus 176 tons of explosive primers are the basic ingredients for a magnificent bonfire which could have happened in the accident happened in a different way.
The incident clearly demonstrated the daily hazards the people among the banks of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus are facing. M/V Lady Juliet departed from Ukraine and was heading to Algiers. Therefore the accident could have happened in Istanbul. She could have rammed not just a breakwater but a resident at the coast of the Bosphorus. Her cargo could have caught fire and explode in a water way that bisect a city of 12 million people.
I know all these are a bunch of speculation. But they are not impossible. Click here to see what can be done with a friction of ammonium nitrate that M/V Lady Juliet has on board.
On 17 December 2009, the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flagged cargo ship M/V Lady Juliet was traveling in Dardanelles in southern direction. She missed the turn at Nara point and rammed into the breakwater at Eceabat. She entered 6 meters in the breakwater and damaged a 10 meter wide section.
So far so good. Such accidents happen very often as the transit traffic in the straits increase constantly.
But when the captain of the ship refused at first any help adamantly it raised suspicion. It turned out that the ship was not only carrying 6900 tons of ammonium nitrate as declared by the captain. Along ammonium nitrate, 152.677 kilograms of rocket warhead primers, 24.600 kilograms of bomb primers and 69 tons of various goods were on board too.
Luckily for all parties involved the ship was refloated, late night on 18 December 2009. Of course the ship did not have a pilot on board at the time of the accident.
6900 tons of ammonium nitrate plus 176 tons of explosive primers are the basic ingredients for a magnificent bonfire which could have happened in the accident happened in a different way.
The incident clearly demonstrated the daily hazards the people among the banks of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus are facing. M/V Lady Juliet departed from Ukraine and was heading to Algiers. Therefore the accident could have happened in Istanbul. She could have rammed not just a breakwater but a resident at the coast of the Bosphorus. Her cargo could have caught fire and explode in a water way that bisect a city of 12 million people.
I know all these are a bunch of speculation. But they are not impossible. Click here to see what can be done with a friction of ammonium nitrate that M/V Lady Juliet has on board.
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Trabzon Will Be The Next Naval Base
General Başbuğ talked about building a naval base in Trabzon, during his visit to this town last week.
The idea of establishing a naval presence in Trabzon was first discussed in public in March 2009. According to YeniÇağ newspaper General Başbuğ mentioned the increasing importance of Trabzon harbor and the need of establishing a permanent naval presence in this town.
The major port of Turkish Navy in Black Sea is Ereğli. Ereğli is located approximately 90 nautical miles east of Bosphorus and is home to the biggest steel plant in Turkey.
This location was very convenient during the Cold War as a forward base against a Soviet Naval attack directed to the Straits. But since the end of the Cold War the center of gravity shited from the Turkish Straits to the Caucaus and Ereğli as a naval base found herself away from the action.
The fact that General Başbuğ mentioned the need for warsahips permanently based in Trabzon, as the commander of Turkish Armed Forces means that it is not just a small talk or a exercise of ideas. It means that geostratic importance of Trbazon and East Black Sea region is increasing.
The idea of establishing a naval presence in Trabzon was first discussed in public in March 2009. According to YeniÇağ newspaper General Başbuğ mentioned the increasing importance of Trabzon harbor and the need of establishing a permanent naval presence in this town.
The major port of Turkish Navy in Black Sea is Ereğli. Ereğli is located approximately 90 nautical miles east of Bosphorus and is home to the biggest steel plant in Turkey.
This location was very convenient during the Cold War as a forward base against a Soviet Naval attack directed to the Straits. But since the end of the Cold War the center of gravity shited from the Turkish Straits to the Caucaus and Ereğli as a naval base found herself away from the action.The fact that General Başbuğ mentioned the need for warsahips permanently based in Trabzon, as the commander of Turkish Armed Forces means that it is not just a small talk or a exercise of ideas. It means that geostratic importance of Trbazon and East Black Sea region is increasing.
Friday, 18 December 2009
General Başbuğ On Board TCG Oruçreis
This was a highly unorthadox event. And first press conference held on a flight deck of a frigate.
This was a highly unorthodox event. And first press conference held on a flight deck of a frigate. According to General Başbuğ, he has especially chosen the frigate to deliver his speech.
Finally, as I have explained on various occasions, I would like to talk about certain aspects of the ongoing asymmetric psychological operations, against the Turkish Armed Forces. Today, it has a special meaning, if I am mentioning these issues, particularly on board of TCG Oruçreis. Probably everyone clearly understands what I mean. See, the geography of Turkey, is a difficult geography, and our country is surrounded by problems. A state that is not strong enough cannot survive in this geography. One of the essential elements of national power is military power. An effective and deterrent armed forces are vital and directly related to the to the country's survivability.There will be a lot of political discussion in the aftermath.
The full text of General Başbuğ's spech is here. And here is a video.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
ThyssenKrupp Is Selling HDW As Well
The sprit of Christmas seems to come to the managers of TK early this year. They are not only giving away the biggest commercial shipyard in Eastern Mediterranean, Hellenic Shipyards for 1 Euro, but also selling the HDW shipyard as well.
HDW is the leading shipyard of designing and building conventional submarines. And they are doing this since 1851.
According to German business daily Handelsblatt and German weekly Der Spiegel, TK has reached and agreement to sell 24,9 percent of HDW to Abu Dhabi Mar Shipyard (ADMS).
Back in October it was announced that the Abu Dhabi Mar Shipyard was buying %80 of the Blohm und Voss Shipyard. Yes, Blohm and Voss shipyard that also build the legendary battleship Bismarck is a subsidiary of TKMS, thus TK. There seems to a bonding chemistry between TK management and ADMS.
In a relatively short period ADMS has acquired a chunk of German shipbuilding and submarine building assets. The reaction of German government is to watch. The submarine technologies HDW posses are very much unique, highly critical and sensitive. There are many nations that would pay a fortune to have even a part of this high technology. TK believes that the partnership with ADMS will open new markets for their submarines. German government vetoed in 2004 the sale of HDW to the US investment firm One Equity Partners.
The papers report that TK sold less than %25 percent of HDW so that the ADMS will not have a power on the board and the deal will receive an approval from German government. There are also rumors that The UAE will buy submarines from HDW as a countermeasure to Iranian Kilo class submarines. Such an order would make this deal lucrative for everybody. But how Isreal, which wants to buy new submarines from Germany would react to such a deal, is not easy to guess.
Why Am I interested so much in the selling of a German shipyard to an Abu Dhabi one? Because all current and future Turkish submarines are of HDW design. This deal and its consequences is worth of keeping an eye of it.
For further reading:
Abu Dhabi will bei Waffenwerft HDW einsteigen, from Der Spiegel.
Abu Dhabi Mar ist erste Wahl für HDW, from Handesblatt.
Araber werfen ihr Netz nach U-Boot-Bauer HDW aus, from Handesblatt.
Berlin Wants To Keep HDW in German Hands: Report, from Defensenews
HDW is the leading shipyard of designing and building conventional submarines. And they are doing this since 1851.
According to German business daily Handelsblatt and German weekly Der Spiegel, TK has reached and agreement to sell 24,9 percent of HDW to Abu Dhabi Mar Shipyard (ADMS).
Back in October it was announced that the Abu Dhabi Mar Shipyard was buying %80 of the Blohm und Voss Shipyard. Yes, Blohm and Voss shipyard that also build the legendary battleship Bismarck is a subsidiary of TKMS, thus TK. There seems to a bonding chemistry between TK management and ADMS.
In a relatively short period ADMS has acquired a chunk of German shipbuilding and submarine building assets. The reaction of German government is to watch. The submarine technologies HDW posses are very much unique, highly critical and sensitive. There are many nations that would pay a fortune to have even a part of this high technology. TK believes that the partnership with ADMS will open new markets for their submarines. German government vetoed in 2004 the sale of HDW to the US investment firm One Equity Partners.
The papers report that TK sold less than %25 percent of HDW so that the ADMS will not have a power on the board and the deal will receive an approval from German government. There are also rumors that The UAE will buy submarines from HDW as a countermeasure to Iranian Kilo class submarines. Such an order would make this deal lucrative for everybody. But how Isreal, which wants to buy new submarines from Germany would react to such a deal, is not easy to guess.
Why Am I interested so much in the selling of a German shipyard to an Abu Dhabi one? Because all current and future Turkish submarines are of HDW design. This deal and its consequences is worth of keeping an eye of it.
For further reading:
Abu Dhabi will bei Waffenwerft HDW einsteigen, from Der Spiegel.
Abu Dhabi Mar ist erste Wahl für HDW, from Handesblatt.
Araber werfen ihr Netz nach U-Boot-Bauer HDW aus, from Handesblatt.
Berlin Wants To Keep HDW in German Hands: Report, from Defensenews
ThyssenKrupp Is Selling Hellenic Shipyards
The German steel giant ThyssenKrupp (TK) is selling the Hellenic Shipyards. The ThyssenKrupp Maritime systems (TKMS) a subsidiary of TK purchased the Hellenic Shipyards in 2002.
Since then, 3 Type 214 class submarines for Greek Navy were built in this shipyard. The problems experienced in the Archimedes and Neptune II projects were mentioned here, here and here.
After reaching a deal with the new Greek government and no new construction orders in sight, TK decided to sell the loss making subsidiary in Greece.
Back in November ThyssenKrupp executive board member Olaf Berlien said that TK was looking to sell Hellenic Shipyards for a symbolic price of EUR1, and added that TK wanted the buyer of the business to pay compensation of EUR220 million related to outstanding payments.
In early December it was announced that TK received several bids for the shipyard, but no further details were available
I assume now TK and TKMS are evaluating the received bids. There are rumors that the French rival of TKMS, DCNS is interested in purchasing Hellenic Shipyard as it has the capability to construct FREMM class frigates if Greece should find money to buy them.
Since then, 3 Type 214 class submarines for Greek Navy were built in this shipyard. The problems experienced in the Archimedes and Neptune II projects were mentioned here, here and here.
After reaching a deal with the new Greek government and no new construction orders in sight, TK decided to sell the loss making subsidiary in Greece.
Back in November ThyssenKrupp executive board member Olaf Berlien said that TK was looking to sell Hellenic Shipyards for a symbolic price of EUR1, and added that TK wanted the buyer of the business to pay compensation of EUR220 million related to outstanding payments.
In early December it was announced that TK received several bids for the shipyard, but no further details were available
I assume now TK and TKMS are evaluating the received bids. There are rumors that the French rival of TKMS, DCNS is interested in purchasing Hellenic Shipyard as it has the capability to construct FREMM class frigates if Greece should find money to buy them.
Monday, 14 December 2009
US-Build Radar Station On The Coast of Georgia,Will Open In 2010
According to defencetalk website a coastal radar station will open in Georgia in January 2010. This station is last of the three radar stations funded and builds by USA through, US Army Corps of Engineers.
“The radar stations are important because they permit the Georgian Coast Guard to monitor Georgia's maritime borders and identify vessels entering and exiting Georgian territorial waters," said James Kelly, chief of party for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Georgia Border Security and Law Enforcement assistance program
The stations, from south to north are located in Gonio near the Turkish border, in Chakvi, half-way up the Black Sea coast of Georgia and Anaklia, in the northern coastal area.
The cost of the three radar stations runs up to $1.500.000,-
This the photo of Anaklia radar station, located near the border with Russian-occupied Abkhazia from US Army official web page.
The radar seems to be a commercial maritime search radar.
“The radar stations are important because they permit the Georgian Coast Guard to monitor Georgia's maritime borders and identify vessels entering and exiting Georgian territorial waters," said James Kelly, chief of party for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Georgia Border Security and Law Enforcement assistance program
The stations, from south to north are located in Gonio near the Turkish border, in Chakvi, half-way up the Black Sea coast of Georgia and Anaklia, in the northern coastal area.
The cost of the three radar stations runs up to $1.500.000,-
This the photo of Anaklia radar station, located near the border with Russian-occupied Abkhazia from US Army official web page.The radar seems to be a commercial maritime search radar.
Russian Coast Guard Vessels in Ochamchire
According to Georgian web site Civil.Ge two Russian coast guard boats have arrived at the Ochamchire harbor in the break away region of Abkhazia.
Georgia wants to block the sea borne trade in Abkhazia in order to force this region to stay in the Georgian republic.
Georgian naval units intercepted more than 20 ships in the Black Sea off Abkhazia in 2009.
Russia announced back in September, that it was going to send own coast guard vessels in order to prevent Georigian coast guard to intercept ships traveling to Abkhazia. Now apprently the first units have arrived in the region.
It is possible that we soon hear small scale naval gun fights between Russian and Georgian coast guard vessels if the tension remains as high as it is now.
Georgia wants to block the sea borne trade in Abkhazia in order to force this region to stay in the Georgian republic.
Georgian naval units intercepted more than 20 ships in the Black Sea off Abkhazia in 2009.
Russia announced back in September, that it was going to send own coast guard vessels in order to prevent Georigian coast guard to intercept ships traveling to Abkhazia. Now apprently the first units have arrived in the region.
It is possible that we soon hear small scale naval gun fights between Russian and Georgian coast guard vessels if the tension remains as high as it is now.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
French Carrier in Greece
The French Navy aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" is visiting Greece.
The major overhaul of CdG was finished few weeks ago and now the carrier will conducting a joint exercises with the Greek Navy. The exercise will end on 11 December .
For more to read click here, but it is in French.
The major overhaul of CdG was finished few weeks ago and now the carrier will conducting a joint exercises with the Greek Navy. The exercise will end on 11 December .
For more to read click here, but it is in French.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
NATO's Comments on NUSRET 2009
It is not new, but the CC-MAR's article about participation of SNMCMG2 in Turkish exercise NUSRET 09, is interesting to read.
Photo: From the article.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Bosphorus Sail Through
Here is my latest article, as published on November 2009 issue of Warship International Fleet Review magazine.
I think I deserve a little bit of self advertisment. Please support us and buy the magazine.
I think I deserve a little bit of self advertisment. Please support us and buy the magazine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)