Professional Skipper Magazine from VIP Publications

#92 Mar/Apr 2013 with NZ Aquaculture

The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft

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WATERFRONT BUSINESS In brief��� Waterfront space secures international events Nearly 300,000 visited the waterfront during the March 2012 Volvo stopover and Auckland���s world-class public spaces in Wynyard Quarter Silo Park and Te Wero Island, and buildings such as the Viaduct Events Centre, were pivotal to securing the event. The new development has gone a long way to forming the identity of the recently developed waterfront. Waterfront Auckland Chief Executive John Dalzell says, ���We recognize that the marine and fishing industries are a key part of the diversity of the waterfront and without that diversity we wouldn���t have the unique sense of place and authentic setting that all Aucklanders can be proud of and share in, as they just did with the fantastic Anniversary weekend just been.��� Sunken Kiwi WW2 ship found The wreckage of a New Zealand cargo ship, the MV Limerick, has been found off the New South Wales coast almost 70 years after it was torpedoed by Japanese submarines during World War II. The New Zealand-owned ship was part of a coastal convoy from Sydney to Brisbane when it was struck by a torpedo at 1am on Anzac Day in 1943. Of the 72 crew on board two went down with the ship: a New Zealand engineer and an Australian officer. The remaining 70 spent 10 hours in lifeboats or on rafts until they were rescued by the minesweeper HMAS Colac. A fisherman at Ballina, about 100km south of the Gold Coast identified the shipwreck in 100m of water about 18km off the coast last year. University of Sydney geologist Associate Professor Tom Hubble led the team that took an hour to map the wreck using 3D imaging. ���It was amazing to see the sea floor images come to life as the sea floor mapping technology transformed the data into a 3D graphic of the ship wreck,��� Dr Hubble said. ���Finding the wreck of MV Limerick is in the national interest. We were already in the area, we had the necessary technology and technical expertise on board, and it didn���t take long to create a 3D image of the wreck.��� The Limerick was a 140m merchant ship built in 1925 in the United Kingdom and belonged to the Union Steam Ship Company. 48 Professional Skipper March/April 2013 Sur Este 707 detained THE KOREAN FLAGGED foreign charter fishing vessel Sur Este 707, is being investigated over alleged abuse of its 21 Indonesian crew, after docking in Timaru. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says their investigation follows information provided by a government fishery observer who noted issues with vessel safety, excessive hours of crew work and falsification of crew time records. Officers from Immigration New Zealand, the Labour Inspectorate and representatives from other agencies, including the Police and Maritime New Zealand, visited the vessel in a coordinated operation. The government launched a crackdown on foreign charter vessels after a series of investigations by Fairfax Media and the University of Auckland Business School into slave-like labour conditions on 20 or more vessels involved. A number of Korean fishing boats including the Oyang 70, which sank off the Otago coast two years ago with the loss of six men were included in their investigation. Immigration manager Steve Stuart said agencies were alerted to the Sur Este 707 situation as a result of more effective information sharing between agencies following the inquiry. Sur Este is chartered by the New Zealand company South East Resources (2001) Ltd that operates three Korean charters. Its registered offices are an accountancy firm in Christchurch. Murray Williamson of Timaru and his wife are listed as shareholders. JAPANESE DRAFT ANTI-PIRACY BILL THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT will submit an anti-piracy bill, allowing foreign security contractors aboard vessels carrying the flag of Japan to have firearms with them. Japanese-registered vessels are not currently permitted to carry private armed guards on board, under the Sword and Firearm Control Law. The bill will allow warning shots, and while firing at people is still prohibited, doing so in self-defense will not be considered against the law. To ensure that the right will not be abused, ship owners will be required to submit details regarding the equipment carried on board, their security plans, and the capabilities of the security personnel deployed on their ship before the government gives its approval. Each journey will require a new application so that the government is properly informed. The bill is restrictive in that it only applies to vessels sailing in waters that are known to be populated with sea pirates, including those near Somalia and in the Arabian Sea. Government data shows that there were 237 cases of piracy reported in the waters near Somalia in 2011, five times more than in 2007. These pirates are believed to be mostly Somalians. In many cases, they are heavily armed with sophisticated artillery-like rocket launchers and automatic guns. While governments of different countries, Japan included, have deployed navy fleets for the protection of private vessels from piracy, shipping companies say that these are still not enough. At the end of the day the ship has to hold its own on the high seas.

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