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.........

Sunday, October 9, 2011

New Zealand : stranded container ship...[ 2477 ]

Stricken container ship could sink of Bay of Plenty

  • From: AFP
  • The Australian.,,October 09, 2011 12:18AM
Rena
Cargo ship Rena which has run aground and is leaking oil off the coast of Tauranga Picture: Doug Sherring/Herald On Sunday Source: Supplied
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THE New Zealand navy has been called in today to help clean up an oil slick in the pristine Bay of Plenty.
A stranded container ship is threatening to break apart on an offshore reef.
The navy had deployed four ships to assist efforts to contain pollution from the 47,000 tonne container ship Rena, which hit a reef off the North Island town of Tauranga earlier this week, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said.
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It said 300 defence personnel were on standby while a further 200 people, including specialists from Australia, Britain, Holland and Singapore, were part of the team hoping to contain the five-kilometre (three mile) oil slick.
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The toxic discharge has already killed a number of seabirds, while five Little Blue Penguins and two shags were being treated after being found coated with oil on the Bay of Plenty's beaches and islands, MNZ said.
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The government has warned the accident could become the country's worst maritime pollution disaster in decades if the Rena sinks on the reef.
The massive bay at the top of the North Island is regarded as one of New Zealand's environmental jewels. It contains two marine reserves and is home to whales, dolphins, seals and penguins.
The reef which the Rena struck is 22 kilometres offshore and MNZ said that while the oil slick had not yet reached the coast, computer modelling showed this was possible in coming days.
MNZ on-site controller Rob Service said a monitoring flight today showed oil appeared to have stopped leaking from the stricken vessel and much of the slick had been reduced to a “sheen” of thinly-spread oil.
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Some new oil was spotted later in the day but this appeared to have dispersed.
But the problem of dealing with the 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil on board the ship remains. A worst-case scenario would see the 21-year-old vessel, which is already badly damaged, sink on the reef, spewing the oil into the sea.
With the weather forecast to deteriorate next week, Service said removing the oil from the stricken vessel was the top priority.
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He said caps were being placed on the ship's fuel tanks to try to prevent the oil leeching out even if it sank.
Service said criticism that the fuel transfer was taking too long was uninformed.
“This is not like removing fuel from a dinghy,” he said.
“It's not even like removing fuel from a 30-metre (100-foot) fishing vessel. We're talking about an extensively damaged 236 metre-cargo vessel - this is a challenging and complex operation.”
He said a state-of-the-art tanker normally used to refuel visiting cruise liners was steaming to Tauranga from Auckland to help salvage the Rena.
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The salvage operation is complex because the vessel is in the unique situation of having one end stuck hard on the reef while the other half of the ship was floating, officials said.
MNZ's salvage adviser Captain Jon Walker said an international team was working on a salvage plan.
“I've worked with these people, they are the best,” Captain Walker said, as he admitted that the operation would be difficult because the ship is listing at an 11-degree angle and the decks are covered in containers.
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With no cranes on the ship, specialist heavy lifting equipment will also have to be brought to the vessel to remove the cargo.
As teams of naval architects are working around the clock to assess the strength of the ship, salvors are looking at how to safely refloat the vessel once the oil is removed and the ship lightened of some of its containers.
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Officials hope the salvage team can start pumping oil on Sunday, but this depends on the damage to the ship and the prevailing weather conditions.
The weather is expected to remain fine tomorrow but winds are expected to build, making the salvage difficult, from early next week.
Prime Minister John Key will visit the accident site tomorrow
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AFP
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