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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WATERWAYS – Waterfront Business In brief… Sixty tuatara on Motuihe Sixty tuatara were released onto Motuihe Island on March 25 in a translocation project led by the Motuihe Trust and supported by the Department of Conservation (DoC). They are aiming to establish a population of tuatara that is easily accessible and can be enjoyed for generations to come. The tuatara were carried by helicopter from Lady Alice Island in Northland and, watched by more than 320 visitors, were released into burrows prepared by the Motuihe Trust. The islands are pest free sanctuaries for native wildlife managed by DoC. Lady Alice, Whatupuke and Coppermine islands in the Hen and Chickens group of Islands each has a self- sustaining population of tuatara. The 60 tuatara moved to Motuihe represent less than one percent of the island's tuatara population. Everyone travelling to Motuihe and other pest-free islands in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is asked to check their boat, kayak and gear, and to be especially vigilant that stowaway pests are not inadvertently carried to the pest free islands. WCPFC tuna conservation inaction Talks on high-value tuna stocks at the annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Guam have deadlocked. Despite calls for action from scientists, decisions were deferred on substantial harvest cuts for overfished bigeye tuna, precautionary conservation measures for yellowfin tuna, and conservation measures for whale sharks entangled by purse seine nets. The WCPFC took positive action to protect oceanic whitetip shark and cetaceans. Longline fleets in the Western and Central Pacific targeting southern albacore tuna have risen from 53,000 tonnes to 71,000 tonnes in the last 10 years. "The WCPFC's failure to implement a precautionary approach to tuna management risks damaging the natural resources that these fisheries depend upon. Incentives to limit fishing effort in Pacific tuna fisheries must be given serious attention," said Daniel Suddaby of the World Wildlife Funds. 48 Professional Skipper May/June 2012 GULF OF ADEN PIRACY THE ASIA PACIFIC Maritime conference in Singapore has heard that armed guards have become a necessary evil in shipping, and that the killing of two fishermen mistaken for pirates in India underscores this. Although conceding that armed guards are not a long-term solution, shipowners are increasingly deciding to employ guards in pirate-frequented waters and acknowledge that they owe them a duty of care, have a duty to protect them, and that there should be proper regulation of guards and resolution of liability issues in the event something goes wrong. At the beginning of March the Asian Shipowners Forum proposed counter- piracy measures to the United Nations. If adopted, the forum would expect armed military personnel, sponsored and managed by the UN to protect merchant ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean using floating bases at sea as embarkation or disembarkation points for armed military personnel. Naked romper arrested A QUEENSTOWN MAN who allegedly stripped naked and jumped off the historic steamship TSS Earnslaw into Lake Wakatipu appeared the Queenstown District Court on March 12. Sergeant Keith Newell, of Queenstown, said the 32 year old Australian national was arrested at 1.30am after having drunkenly disrobed and climbed on board the vessel. "He ran around on the top decks of the Earnslaw and then climbed on to the roof and jumped into the lake." Sgt Newell said the man swam to shore and walked naked around Steamer Wharf and through Earnslaw Park, observed by patrons of the Lasseters Wharf Casino and "a whole lot of people in a bar, who called police". "He thought it was funny, but the patrons didn't," Sgt Newell said. The man was charged with obscene exposure and unlawfully being on a ship. SOUTHERN OCEAN HAMMERS VOLVO THE WINNER OF THE 7500 mile Auckland to Itajai leg in the Volvo Ocean race Puma, ran out of food a day and a half out of port but was the only boat in the leg that did not suffer serious damage. Boats and crews took a real hammering in the Southern Ocean, and four of the six boats suspended racing with two retiring. Second place winner Telefonica took 17 hours to patch a damaged hull but finished only 12min 38sec behind Puma. Camper diverted to Puerto Montt, Chile for four days to repair a damaged bow section, while Groupama set a jury rig after dismasting and continued racing finishing 2000 miles ahead of Camper. Sanya did not finish and is expected to rejoin the race in Miami. Five boats including Abu Dhabi, will start the 3590 miles sixth leg of the race from Itajai to Miami on April 22. 112 Bangladesh ferry dead AS OF MARCH 14 the death toll in the sinking of the Bangladesh ferry Shariatpur-1 after she collided with a small oil tanker on the the Meghna River reached 112, with 10 people still missing. Traffic levels are heavy on the Meghna River and many vessels travel at high speed and in darkness. The river is about 4km wide with a strong current and the ferry is believed to have sunk in water about 21m deep. Although it is believed that more than 200 were on board, exact numbers are not known because passenger lists are rarely compiled on Bangladeshi ferries. Similar accidents have happened when ferries have sunk in Bangladesh in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Officials admit most ferries do not follow any safety standards or regulations and many feel that ferry accidents could be avoided if safety measures were implemented properly.