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.

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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, September 15, 2010

BP May Plug Its Gulf of Mexico Well..[ 1812 ]

BP May Plug Its Gulf of Mexico Well in Four Days

By Jim Polson - Sep 15, 2010 8:04 PM GMT+0300 Wed Sep 15 17:04:56 GMT 2010

BP Plc may permanently plug in four days the Gulf of Mexico well that caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, National Incident Commander Thad Allen said.

A relief well is less than 25 feet (8 meters) from intercepting the damaged Macondo well and is expected to reach the outer cement shell within 24 hours, perhaps earlier, Allen said at a press conference today in Kenner, Louisiana. The relief well will be used to inject mud and cement into any remaining gaps, permanently killing Macondo. Injecting and testing the cement plug may take as long as four days, he said.

“They are almost touching the well,” Allen said. Operators aboard Transocean Ltd.’s Development Driller III rig are testing a new tool intended to measure the distance to the well while drilling. BP said yesterday the drilling bit had been temporarily withdrawn to check the distance using sensors.

The well began leaking oil after an April 20 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers aboard Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. The well gushed an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil before BP capped it on July 15.

BP, based in London, plugged the well’s steel casing with cement in August, and Allen said he wants to assure the space between that casing and the wall that surrounds the hole also is blocked with cement.

Allen also said he’s ordered a “task force” of government, private and academic research vessels to survey a layer of oil more than 3 centimeters (1 inch) thick found Sept. 5 about 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) from the well by researchers including Samantha Joye, a University of Georgia professor.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jim Polson in New York at jpolson@bloomberg.net

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