Balisage

We have been informed through a correspondent in Asia that the Indian owner Prayati Shipping devoted to buying ships to be demolished has acquired the Ocean Pearl IMO 8226650, presently in a Chinese port. Since June 2010 this general cargo carrier built in 1983 is flying the Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis flag, famous to host ships for their last trip.

The life saving and fire fighting equipments are in a very bad condition, especially both lifeboats. Bridge, crew’s cabin and engine equipments are in a deplorable state. In a sanitary point of view the worst is that water aboard is not drinkable. The internal communication system does not work, electrical wiring is not installed properly. The 22 crew members are not paid. According to Prayati Shipping usual business, they are under a nine months contract.

While, forest fires are ravaging over Russia and the nuclear sector is menaced and in confusion, France is not dissuaded and continue to exchange radioactive materials with Russia.

Today, at least 9 depleted uranium containers and 16 enriched uranium containers (each of them with around 100 billion becquerels “Bq”) should be loaded aboard a small cargo carrier Kholmogory at the Port of Le Havre. Photos and a video are available of the atomic train on Robin des Bois’s internet site. They were taken on August 9th in Le Havre, France.

French-Russian exchanges of nuclear materials.

Convoi radioactif au Havre par association-robindesbois

Forest fires and slash and burn farming are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases which in his book “Forests: The Shadow of Civilization”*, Professor Robert Harrison suggests to call the “fever effect”.

Russia is an expert in the matter. Satellite observations show that the extent of forest fires is always downplayed by the authorities. 2 million hectares were declared burnt in 2003 while 14 million were observed. During the summer of 2006, cinders and soot from fires around St Petersburg caused high concentrations of particles and air pollution in Finland, Scotland and Northern England. Forest fires are an important source of mercury scattering in the atmosphere.

Forest fires and slash and burn farming are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases which in his book “Forests: The Shadow of Civilization”*, Professor Robert Harrison suggests to call the “fever effect”.

Russia is an expert in the matter. Satellite observations show that the extent of forest fires is always downplayed by the authorities. 2 million hectares were declared burnt in 2003 while 14 million were observed. During the summer of 2006, cinders and soot from fires around St Petersburg caused high concentrations of particles and air pollution in Finland, Scotland and Northern England. Forest fires are an important source of mercury scattering in the atmosphere.

Forest fires and slash and burn farming are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases which in his book “Forests: The Shadow of Civilization”*, Professor Robert Harrison suggests to call the “fever effect”.

Russia is an expert in the matter. Satellite observations show that the extent of forest fires is always downplayed by the authorities. 2 million hectares were declared burnt in 2003 while 14 million were observed. During the summer of 2006, cinders and soot from fires around St Petersburg caused high concentrations of particles and air pollution in Finland, Scotland and Northern England. Forest fires are an important source of mercury scattering in the atmosphere.

Only in French.

Fifty six years ago today, the Andrea Doria, the Italian star of the transatlantic cruise liner sunk off the coast of New York taking the lives of 47 passengers.

Fifty six years ago today, the Andrea Doria, the Italian star of the transatlantic cruise liner sunk off the coast of New York taking the lives of 47 passengers.

While the Gulf Jash, ex-Probo Koala, is leaving the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico and while the Aristos II, another tanker chartered by Trafigura, is being scrapped on the muddy beaches of Chittagong in Bangladesh, the judgement of the Amsterdam court course is showing a new light on the dark side of traders and marine traffic.

The misinformation by the multinational Trafigura is denied. According to their spokespeople, lawyers and their spin doctors everything which happened in Abidijan is “a myth”. Amsterdam’s judgement confirms that the waste from the Merox desulphurisation onboard the Probo Koala was toxic and dangerous. Four years after the Probo Koala’s stop in The Netherlands, this judgement puts an end to the alleged irresponsibility of Trafigura. In spite of the breaking up of responsibility in place in shipping, each link in the chain, on land and at sea, has been grasped by the justice.