The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Oil Rig in flames ,at lease 11 missing... [ 1008 ]

Oil rig blaze off Louisiana leaves at least 11 missing

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Injured crew lifted from rig blaze

BBC ., Wednesday, 21 April 2010 16:29 UK

US coast guards are searching the Gulf of Mexico for at least 11 oil workers missing after an explosion and fire on a drilling platform.

The rig was still burning hours after the blast on Tuesday night, 52 miles (84km) south-east of the Louisiana port of Venice.

Coast guards spoke of conflicting reports on the number of missing, which ranged from 11 to 15.

Seven badly injured workers were airlifted to hospitals.

Workers evacuated the Deepwater Horizon, a semi-submersible rig operated by Swiss-based contractor Transocean, after the blast at around 2200 on Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday).

There were 126 workers aboard the rig at the time.

'Burning pretty good'

Coast guard spokesman Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry said four helicopters, four coast guard boats and a plane were helping search for the missing workers.

DEEPWATER HORIZON
The Deepwater Horizon platfrom on fire (US coast guard photo)
designated a semi-submersible drilling unit
built in 2001 by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard
396ft (120m) long and 256ft (78m) wide
designed to operate in water depths of up to 8,000ft

"We're hoping everyone's in a life raft," he added.

The seven injured workers were airlifted to a naval air station near New Orleans, then taken to hospitals. Two were taken to a trauma centre in Mobile, Alabama, which has a burns unit.

Fire boats were still battling the flames on the rig on Wednesday morning.

"It's burning pretty good and there's no estimate on when the fire will be put out," the coast guard spokesman said.

Coast guard environmental teams were on stand-by to assess any environmental damage once the fire was out, he added.

Deepwater Horizon was drilling for BP on Mississippi Canyon Block 252.

In a statement, Transocean said "a substantial majority" of the crew were safe but "some" crew members remained unaccounted for.

BBC map

A Transocean spokesman in Houston, Greg Panagos, said it was too early to talk about the possible cause of the explosion.

The rig, he added, had been drilling and had not been in production.

Deepwater Horizon, built in 2001 by South Korea's Hyundai, is 396ft (120m) long and 256ft (78m) wide, according to the company's website.

It was working on a part of the block known as the Macondo prospect, in 5,000ft (1.5km) of water.

On its website, Transocean describes itself as the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, with more than 50 years' experience "with the highest specification rigs" and 18,000 employees.

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