Hassan 1 mystery : solved
Simon, from North Lincolnshire, UK, has identified the mystery-ship Hassan 1 beached for demolition in Pakistan (Cf Ship-breaking # 37, p 27): she is actually the ex-Chariot Bulker, a bulk carrier built in 1977 in Japan.
Hassan 1 is no longer a mystery. She is no stranger either. In 1999, her name was Maria K. On December 10th, 1999, she left the port of Saint-Nazaire (France) bound for England. She came back to Saint-Nazaire the day after due to bad weather conditions and was anchored there. She then dragged her anchor, was not loaded and represented a hazard and a pollution risk in case she hit the sea bottom. A pilot boat was supporting her, a harbor tug from the port of Saint-Nazaire, the Saint-Denis, was ready to take action.
Ship-breaking # 37
July / August / September 2014
A wondrous World Tour
– Pakistan pulls ahead of the pack (p 9).
– 6 genetically modified ships depart for the scrapyard (p 3).
– 8 giant Russian predators leave the fleet (p 11).
– A rotten egg for the US Navy: the dismantling of the USS Saratoga delayed by a brood of Peregrine falcons (p 7).
– Radioactive waste scrapped in the United Kingdom (p 61).
– Mexican tanker towed over 22,000 km to be broken up (p 62).
Ship-breaking # 36
Quarterly bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition
From April 1st to June 30th 2014.
A huge market. 263 ships, 2 million tons of metal, 1 billion US$.
Of the 74 vessels whose shipowner is based in the European Union or in an EFTA state (European Free Trade Association) only 5 have been dismantled in Europe. Iceland scraps ships any which way.
Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis, Tuvalu, Comoros, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Moldova, Togo are the preferred flags chosen for the last voyage.
Towing operations of ships towards ship-breaking yards are a critical phase. The Lyubov Orlova and Canada are attributed a black mark whereas the Costa Concordia deserves a gold star.
No to Discordia
Subject : towage of the Costa Concordia
Robin des Bois welcomes the achievement of operation Concordia. The NGO believes that is possible to tow the wreck with minimal risks. The final destination which was ultimately decided by the Prime Minister of Italy Mr. Matteo Renzi reinforces Robin des Bois’ positive assessment. Genoa was once an important ship-breaking yard for vessels at the end of their life and was, amongst all the options evoked over the last year, the most logical option with the best safeguards for a positive end to the demolition of the Concordia.
Ship-breaking # 35
bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition
The genealogical investigation of Robin des Bois and the comparison of photos of the Zanoobia and the Cosette show that it is very well the same ship. The Zanoobia is some sort of funder of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. France and Martinique have inherited a historic wreck. The French authorities hesitate between the scuttling and the dumping at sea or demolition. The first option is currently being used in the French overseas territories; the last would be an innovation.
Ship-breaking # 34
Ship-breaking # 34, Robin des Bois’s bulletin of information and analysis on ship demolition.
Overview November-December 2013.
Shock photos of the beaching for demolition of an ex tanker on Gadani Beach, Pakistan.
– The beaching of Luno in Bayonne, the TK Bremen the other way round (Lorient, 2011).
– The Port of Sète is scrapping reluctantly.
– The awful story of a Lebanese cattle carrier
– The German gas tankers choose Alang as ultimate Bay of Refuge.
– Rosatom is saving Sevmorput,-the Russian nuclear-powered cargo ship- from demolition.
Christos XXII, the salvage tug which brings bad luck
Unable to tow the Victoriaborg (*) to Saint Malo port of refuge, the salvage tug Christos XXII had yet won fame in the Channel Sea. Exactly one year ago, the Greek tug was towing a German training ship, the Emsstrom, bound to a Turkish ship-breaking yard.
The towed Emsstrom collided with Christos XXII following a wrong move of the latter off Torbay along the Devon coastline. Emsstrom took on water after the collision and sunk.
Christos XXII took on water too. The eight crewmen were evacuated and the salvage tug had to be towed and stationed in the Weymouth Bay. An oil spill was feared. The incident happened in January 2013.
