ruben.maritime

LA CORUNA 19 February– Spanish maritime safety agency Salvamento Maritimo is evacuating the eight remaining crew members of the stricken Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Ostedijk, before an attempt is made to flood the ship’s burning cargo of fertiliser. The ship is under tow and will be taken to about 10n-miles of Estaca de Bares, near Cape Viveiro, Galicia, where a tug will pump water onto the ship. The salvage operation will take place in sheltered waters and not at a port, the Salvamento Maritimo spokesman added. Four Filipino crew members suffering from the effects of gas intoxication were airlifted off the Ostedijk yesterday afternoon. This new crisis off the coast of Galicia started when the Dutch-operated, 7,300dwt ship called for emergency assistance in the early hours of Saturday. It is reported to have been en route from Norway to Valencia. The ship was towed to around 14 miles off La Coruna where it was later allowed to continue sailing. However, it made a second emergency call little more than 12 hours later, on Sunday morning, from around 34n-miles off Cape Vilan. The crew members have since been released from hospital but have complained to local media that they should have been evacuated after the first emergency call was made.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

HOSTELTUR • 09-02-2007
“No se trata de una operación de compra y venta, sino de un proyecto en común para crecer en el mercado español de los cruceros”, aseguró el consejero delegado de Orizonia, Gabriel Subías, durante la presentación de la joint venture suscrita con Carnival, que ya adelantó ayer este diario.



Gabriel Subías y Pier Luigi Foschi, tras el acuerdo.
La joint venture se formalizará legalmente durante el segundo trimestre del año y será entonces cuando se conozca el nombre de la nueva marca, si bien el propósito es que sea una marca que resulte familiar y que recuerde lo más posible a Iberojet Cruceros. Si bien no ha sido confirmado y sus responsables aseguran que está por determinar, la nueva marca podría denominarse Ibercruise.

La joint venture supone, por parte de Orizonia, la aportación de Iberojet Cruceros (cuyos activos son sus dos barcos), que ha sido valorada en 320 millones de euros. La nueva empresa resultante será propiedad de Carnival Corporation en un 75% y de Orizonia en el 25% restante, si bien la gestión y comercialización se mantendrán en manos españolas y, de hecho, está previsto que se mantenga el mismo equipo y que el director general sea Alfredo Serrano, actual director general de Iberojet Cruceros.



Recuperación de inversión


Con esta operación, los fondos Carlyle y Vista (que tienen el 55% y 36% respectivamente de Orizonia) ven ya retornar 240 millones de euros de los casi 900 que invirtieron en mayo pasado en la compra al grupo Iberostar de su división emisora (liderada por Iberojet y Viajes Iberia), así como de las inversiones realizadas por Orizonia en las últimas semanas con la compra de Viajar.com y Cóndor Vacaciones.

Los barcos que Orizonia aporta a la joint venture con Carnival son el Grand Mistral (de 1.196 pasajeros) y el Grand Voyager (de 834 pasajeros).

A medio plazo, el objetivo de la joint venture es ampliar la flota con otros dos barcos, tal y como adelantó hace unos días Gabriel Subías. Lo previsible es que estas dos nuevas incorporaciones a la flota de la joint venture no sean de nueva construcción, sino que ya estén operativos, y de unas 40.000 toneladas, de modo que cuando la nueva marca comience a operar cuente ya con cuatro barcos.

Gestión española

Pier Luigi Foschi, presidente de Costa Crociere (una de las 12 marcas pertenecientes a Carnival Corporation), y que será el presidente del Consejo de administración de la nueva compañía resultante de la joint venture, aseguró durante la presentación que la filosofía de gestión de Carnival “contempla que las marcas que integran el grupo tengan una alto grado de autonomía”, y que se conserva “la identidad española” de la nueva joint venture “gracias a ese 25% que conserva Orizonia, que además mantiene la gestión y seguirá realizando la actividad de turoperación”. Por su parte, Gabriel Subías señaló que para Orizonia “los cruceros son una línea estratégica de negocio, y esta operación nos permitirá seguir creciendo en ese mercado”.

La compañía resultante de la joint venture seguirá operando los mismos destinos del Mediterráneo que Iberojet Cruceros opera actualmente. Iberojet Cruceros facturó 70 millones de euros en 2006 y transportó a 67.000 cruceristas.

Carnival Corporation es un grupo de compañías de cruceros líder mundial en el sector, que integra 12 marcas, entre ellas Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Princess, Seabourn y Holland America, entre otras. Cotiza en las Bolsas de Nueva York y Londres.

El grupo Orizonia está formado por los turoperadores Iberojet, Solplán, Viva Tours, Turavia y Cóndor Vacaciones; las agencias Viajes Iberia y a Viajar.com; la compañía chárter Iberworld, el broker aéreo Aerobalear y la compañía Iberojet Cruceros.

Su accionariado se lo reparten Carlyle (55%), el 36% Vista Capital (Banco Santander), el 5% es de la empresa financiera ICG y el 4% es del equipo directivo que dirige Subías.

Segunda operación del sector español de cruceros

Esta es la segunda operación de calado que se produce en el mercado español de los cruceros, tras la venta de Pullmantur a Royal Caribbean que llevó a cabo a finales de agosto el grupo Marsans. El precio fue de 430 millones de euros, según declaró a HOSTELTUR el hasta entonces presidente del turoperador, Gerardo Díaz. Además, el comprador se hizo cargo de los 270 millones de la financiación de cuatro de los barcos de la mayorista, que todavía estaba pagando. En total, 700 millones de euros.

Etiquetas: cruise market, spain

MADRID 08 February – Spain’s Ministry of Public Works has launched an enquiry into the absence of recordings of conversations held between the captain of the grounded reefer vessel Sierra Nava and the country’s maritime safety agency Salvamento Maritimo. The opening of the enquiry comes after the director of the Merchant Marine Authority, Felipe Martinez, said on Tuesday he could not say for certain whether the recordings of the conversations existed or not. The recordings, together with those held between the Harbour Master Authority of Algeciras and the master of the Sierra Nava, would provide vital evidence on the key moments leading up to the grounding of the ship at the mouth of the Bay of Algeciras. However, Martinez did confirm that a power failure had affected the conversations over the rescue of 14 crew members of the Sierra Nava in the night of 27 January. It is now known that stormy weather was the reason for loss of radar coverage at a maritime safety control tower in Tarifa near Algeciras. More than 170 tonnes of fuel has been recovered from a beach in Algeciras since the vessel hit rocks on a beach. Meanwhile salvors have extracted 106 tonnes of bunkers from the reefer’s tanks.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

BILBAO 24 January – Spanish ferry operator Acciona Trasmediterranea has suspended its service between Bilbao and Portsmouth, UK, until mid-April. The company said it had stopped operations but refused to confirm whether it had taken the decision because of a lack of customers and/or cargo during the winter months. "It is low season and we are taking advantage of this by putting the ship into drydock for annual maintenance," the spokesman said. The sudden suspension of the service comes eight months after it was launched. Acciona Trasmediterranea insisted the service will recommence in the second week of April.

Etiquetas: ferries, spain

CADIZ 23 January – Spanish maritime authorities are attempting to extract 600 tonnes of bunker fuel from the Bahamas-flagged bulker Ocean Globe, which ran aground last night in the Bay of Cadiz, just outside the Cadiz Bay port, in Southwest Spain. Four tugs are in attendance, safeguarding the casualty and further anti-pollution equipment is being sent to Cadiz. Spanish maritime authorities will this afternoon attempt to refloat the ship, which is carrying 38,000 tonnes of coal. An initial attempt to refloat the vessel at 0600 failed. However Salvamiento Maritimo, Spain's maritime safety agency, said the Ocean Globe faces no risk of sinking as its hull is on the seabed at low tide. The Ocean Globe arrived in Spanish waters from Texas.

Etiquetas: maritime incident, spain

PORTSMOUTH 15 January – DP World's ferry subsidiary P&O Ferries has extended the charter of the 1986-built 37,583-gt Pride of Bilbao for a further three years from October 2007. The vessel has been on charter from owner Irish Continental Group since the mid-1990s for the Portsmouth-Bilbao run. The move scotches fears for the future of the service after longstanding rival Brittany Ferries (Plymouth-Santander) was joined by newcomer Acciona Trasmediterranea (also Portsmouth-Bilbao) on the UK-north Spain route. A P&O spokesman confirmed that in another charter arrangement the chartered fast ferry Express, which operates on P&O’s Irish Sea routes between Larne and Cairnryan/Troon, has been contracted for another five years from October 2007. The Express is owned by Buquebus.

Etiquetas: ferries, spain

CADIZ 09 January – In a major shake up of its Canary Island services, Spanish ferry operator Acciona Trasmediterranea will this week move two of its largest ferries, the Superfast Andalucia and the Superfast Canarias, from Cadiz to the ports of Barcelona and Valencia. Cadiz is expected to lose up to 600 trucks a week currently using Trasmed's services to the Canary Islands. The move has sparked outrage from Cadiz's freight forwarder’s association, which claims it will lose up to three-quarters of its existing maritime trade and hundreds of jobs. Acciona Trasmediterranea’s decision to transfer the two ferries to ports closer to Spain’s major industrial and service production areas has not affected the position of the ferries Sorolla and Galicia, which will continue to serve the Canary Islands from Cadiz.

Etiquetas: ferries, spain

 BARCELONA 09 January – Catalan socialist politician Jordi Valls i Riera has been appointed chairman of Barcelona Port Authority. His appointment follows the departure of his predecessor, Joaquim Coello, last month. Valls i Riera, a senior member of the Catalan Socialist party, PSC, ran the Catalan regional government's work and industry department last year. Prior to his stint in government office, he was mayor of Manresa, a town near Barcelona. According to the APB, Valls i Riera will continue the policies of Coello, who instigated the restructure of the road haulier system at Barcelona and called for Barcelona to be run like a private company with less central government interference. Valls i Riera became chairman of the port authority on 22 December, but he will officially take up his new executive position tomorrow.

Etiquetas: ports, spain

Etiquetas: ferries, spain

El Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Navales y Oceánicos convoca una beca para colaborar con la Representación Permanente de España ante la Organización Marítima Internacional :

El Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Navales y Oceánicos convoca una beca para colaborar con la
representación permanente de España ante la Organización Marítima Internacional bajo las
siguientes premisas:
• CONDICIONES
o Ingeniero Naval o Ingeniero Naval y Oceánico recién titulado con no más de tres años de
experiencia profesional.
o Alumno de ETSIN-UPM, EPS-UC o ETSINO-UPCt a falta de la presentación del
proyecto final de carrera o como máximo a falta de menos de 2 asignaturas para acabar
la carrera y estar en disposición de presentar el proyecto final de carrera
o Dominio del idioma inglés (se realizará prueba escrita y oral entre los días 31 de Enero y
1 de Febrero de 2007).
o Realizará una entrevista personal
• CARACTERISTICAS
o Duración de la beca: 12 meses
o Compromiso personal de cumplir este período en su totalidad
o El becario deberá estar colegiado, ser aspirante a colegiado o asociado estudiante
o Trabajo: Colaborador Técnico del Representante Permanente de España en la
Organización Marítima Internacional.
o Lugar de trabajo: Embajada Española en Londres.
o Dependencia orgánica: Oficina de Gestión del Colegio.
o Dependencia funcional: Grupo de trabajo del PAT-14 de la COIN-AINE
o Dotación: 1.600 euros/mes y hasta 3 viajes ida y vuelta al lugar de residencia.
o El becario no tendrá relaciones laborales con la Embajada de España en Londres.
o Incorporación: 12 de Febrero de 2007.
o Fecha de adjudicación, en su caso, de la beca: 2 Febrero 2007.
• VENTAJAS
o Plataforma indiscutible de futura promoción en organismos internacionales.
o Formación en normativas de construcción naval, seguridad marítima y polución marítima.
o Buena formación para futuros inspectores de buques.
o Contacto con personalidades internacionales de primer nivel del campo naval.
o Participación en los comités de trabajo y subcomités de la OMI.
o Colaboración con personal de la Dirección General de la Marina Mercante.
o Colaboración con personal de astilleros y empresas españolas interesadas en OMI.
o Se dispondrá de un seguro durante la estancia.
o Oportunidad única para su carrera profesional.
o Conocimiento en profundidad de la Agencia especializada del sistema de Naciones
Unidas dedicada a asuntos marítimos.
o Oportunidad para dominar el inglés técnico-marítimo.
o Condiciones de trabajo flexibles en un entorno agradable.
o Cooperación con el personal de la Secretaría de la OMI.
• DESVENTAJAS
o La dotación de la beca puede no cubrir la totalidad de gastos de alojamiento y
manutención.
• DOCUMENTACIÓN A PRESENTAR
Los interesados deberán enviar la siguiente documentación al Servicio de Orientación
Profesional del Ingeniero Naval (S.O.P.I.N.) antes del 20 Enero del 2.007:
a) Fotocopia del Carnet de Identidad.
b) Certificado de estudios en el que consten necesariamente:
- El título y la especialidad del candidato.
- El Centro o los Centros donde se realizó la carera.
- La fecha de comienzo y de conclusión de los estudios.
- Las calificaciones obtenidas en todas y cada una de las asignaturas, con
indicación de la fecha de la convocatoria en la que se obtuvieron. Cuando en el
expediente figuren asignaturas convalidadas, se aportará documentación
aclaratoria de tal circunstancia, en la que figuren el Centro donde las cursó, las
calificaciones obtenidas y la fecha en que las aprobó.
c) Una exposición de los conocimientos informáticos que se posean (lenguajes,
programación, etc.) y forma en que se obtuvieron esos conocimientos.
d) El nivel de conocimientos de idiomas, indicando cuáles se hablan: muy bien,
bien, regular, se traducen: muy bien, bien, regular, y/o se leen: muy bien, bien,
regular.
e) Una relación de méritos académicos y de actividades desarrolladas, que sean
complementarios de los estudios que facultan a presentar la solicitud,
acompañada de las fotocopias de la documentación que los acredite.
Cuando se trate de cursos de especialización, máster, seminarios, etc…, se
indicará la denominación de los mismos, el Centro donde se realizaron y el
número de horas de que constaban.
En caso de publicaciones, deberá especificarse el título, personas que
colaboraron en cada una de ellas y el tipo de publicación.
Si se trata de prácticas relacionadas con la profesión antes de la obtención del
título se deberá indicar el nombre de la empresa donde se realizaron y el
período en que se desarrollaron.

Para cualquier aclaración podrán dirigirse a: D. Carlos Arias Rodrigo (shipcar@terra.es)
======================================

Etiquetas: IMO, ingeniería naval, spain

MIAMI 14 December – Celebrity Cruises is wasting no time in bringing Pullmantur’s younger ships to the US market, confirming the second transfer from the Spanish fleet. Parent Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd will shift Pullmantur’s 710-passenger, 30,277gt Blue Moon (ex-R7) to Celebrity sub-brand Celebrity Expeditions in October 2007, when it will be renamed Celebrity Quest. Previously, RCCL had announced that sister ship Blue Dream (ex-R6) would be transferred to Celebrity next May and be renamed Celebrity Journey. The Celebrity Expeditions brand also has a third ship, the 2,842gt Celebrity Xpedition (ex-Sun Bay I), which sails the Galapagos. Both the Celebrity Journey and Quest will undergo extensive drydockings (valued at $35M combined) during which 32 suites will be added to each vessel, among other enhancements. The Celebrity Journey will sail Bermuda cruises next summer, then be repositioned to South America, while the Celebrity Quest will inaugurate with a season of longer Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises next winter. In addition to shifting the two Pullmantur vessels to Celebrity, RCCL is transferring Celebrity’s 1990-built Zenith to Pullmantur.

 

Etiquetas: cruise market, cruises, international maritime affairs, spain

(Via Fairplay.co.uk)

MADRID 14 December – Loyola de Palacio, the Spanish minister who served as deputy president of the European Commission and transport commissioner between 1999 and 2004, died in Madrid yesterday. She was 56 and had been suffering from cancer. De Palacio will be remembered as strong, determined and committed to European values. She was rarely shifted from her course of action and was often described as “implacable”. In October 2003 she scolded EU member states for lacking the political will to find solutions to deal with maritime disasters, and warned that she was considering legal action against governments whose response to the requirement to implement safety legislation had been apathetic. That came after she had driven through a proposal to make maritime pollution a criminal offence on the grounds that the existing civil liability regime for pollution by ships “do not provide sufficient financial disincentives to ship owners … to behave in the most responsible way.” Her hard-line views on the imprisonment of Prestige captain Apostolos Mangouras won her few friends in shipping circles, while her port reform initiative was viewed by insiders in Brussels as a something of a “personal mission”. The determination to bring in unprecedented levels of regulation was handed on to her successor, Jacques Barrot, at the end of 2004.

Etiquetas: international maritime affairs, spain

MADRID 12 December – Spanish ship owners have renewed their attempt to encourage the government to support short-sea shipping after the finance ministry rejected proposed amendments to the state budget for 2007. According to shipowners’ association Anave, amendments included incentives for road hauliers who used short-sea services and funding for ‘motorways of the sea’ projects’. The proposed changes would have cost euro8M ($10.5M) and were initially presented by the Catalan conservative party (CiU), but failed to win support in either the parliament or senate. In a comment published this week, Anave said the shipping projects – which the association claims would have benefited the maritime sector – would now be delayed for a year. The owners have called on the public works ministry to present the amendments to parliament early next year for inclusion in the 2008 state budget.

 

Etiquetas: shipowners, shipping business, spain

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 04 December – The Spanish government is to contract energy company Repsol YPF to launch an inspection of the wreck of the tanker Prestige. Saturday's decision by deputy prime minister María Teresa Fernández De la Vega follows a rejection of calls for an investigation last week, but comes after tests on samples of fuel oil that confirmed leaks of up to 50 litres of fuel a day from the stern of the wreck. “I am certain and can guarantee 100% that the leaks will neither increase nor affect the land and marine environment,” De la Vega said at the weekend, but added that the government wanted to provide “another guarantee” for the environment. De la Vega announced the move after talks with Repsol YPF chairman Antonio Brufau on Friday. Meanwhile De la Vega has unveiled a tool that will give an indication of changes to ocean currents, thereby offering better preparedness in a crisis. It will be a scientific basis for decision-making that was dearly missed four years ago, the minister said.

 

Etiquetas: casualty, Prestige, spain

MADRID 01 December – The sale of the former Izar shipyards in Spain has been made official following the signing late yesterday of sale contracts between the new owners and the state industrial holdings company SEPI. The signing of sale contracts provides the new owners – CNN (Sestao), Astilleros de Huelva (Seville) and Factoria Vulcano (Gijon) – with the official approval to contract new orders. Other than the postponed sale of engine maker Manises, which is subject to a European Commission enquiry, the signing of sale contracts brings the privatisation process to a close. The completion of the sale of former bankrupt Izar yards comes after unions and government signed a labour agreement on 23 November. The agreement provides salary increases in line with inflation. It will be renewed for 2007 and 2008 by the new owner of yards and unions. The signing of sale contracts comes after the Spanish government's council of ministers approved the sale of yards on 3 November. Under the sale agreement, the new owners of the yards are obliged to maintain current workforce levels for three years. The sale of yard land will be allowed as from 2012, but this will require authorisation from SEPI.

 

Etiquetas: shipbuilding, shipyards, spain

BARCELONA 09 October – Spanish shipowners have revealed that transport of containers by road to and from the port of Barcelona has been controlled by a violent organised gang for almost ten years. Quoting a source close to a judicial enquiry into the road transport system at the port, the owners' association Anave said today that the group has regularly demanded euro18,000-20,000 ($25,200) from individual truck owners for permission to operate at the port. Owners who do not pay risk having their vehicles set on fire or their tyres slashed. Anave says a judge has now lifted a veil of secrecy on the judicial inquiry that was put in place after Barcelona port authority asked for the matter to be investigated last November. A port authority internal report - revealed by Anave - says: "It is impossible to resolve this conflict completely as any initiative taken to undermine the activity of this player [a road haulage association] would result in the blockage of trade at the port [by striking lorry drivers].

via Fairpla.co.uk

Etiquetas: actos ilícitos, illegal acts, ports, shipowners, spain

Spain's state industrial holdings company, the SEPI, today declined to comment on further revelations over the sale prices for the former Izar shipyards. Basque daily newspaper Deia today claimed that in July the Sepi last accepted a €5.6M ($7.1M) bid from the winning consortium CNN (Construcciones Navales del Norte) for La Naval de Sestao yard. The newspaper also said that the Sepi had agreed to give the Seville yard to Astilleros de Huelva free, and that engine-maker Manises is to be sold for a symbolic one euro. The alleged undervaluations come after Fairplay announced in May that yard Factioria Vulcano had won the tender to buy the Gijon yard for under €5M. The Sepi authorised the sale of three former Izar shipyards in July, and since then it has refused to comment on details of the sale agreements. Spain's Privatisations Advisory Council is expected to approve the shipyard sales ahead of approval in October from Spain's council of ministers.
Via fairplay.co.uk

 

Etiquetas: politics, shipyards, spain