Prayers Requested for US Crew onboard Ocean Atlas arrested in Venezuela
Dear Friends,
We ask for your prayers today for the Crew of the US Heavylift ship Ocean Atlas, which was arrested in Venezuela. The vessel is owned by Intermarine and operated by Crowley.
She has a crew of 15 with officers from the American Maritime Officers' Union, and crew from the Seafarers' International Union. Please see the article from Rajesh Joshi below from Lloyds' List.
May Our Lady Star of the Sea protect them and see them safely home.
Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
US crew detained in Venezuela for alleged arms trafficking
By Rajesh Joshi
Friday 7 September 2012
Courtesy of Lloyd's List
Weapons used by anti-piracy security team land heavylift vessel Ocean Atlas in trouble
THE master of the US-flag heavylift ship Ocean Atlas and 14 fellow crewmembers have been detained in Maracaibo, Venezuela, as part of an arms trafficking investigation, after weapons that normally are used by the ship's security team in pirate-infested waters were found on board.
Sources familiar with the situation told Lloyd's List that officials from the US consulate and the State Department had visited the ship. Separately, it was said that several other crewmembers were to be taken ashore for questioning.
The incident, which comes as Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez seeks re-election next month, is being viewed in certain quarters as a mixture of politicising and seafarer criminalisation. The master of the Intermarine-owned, Crowley-operated Ocean Atlas was confirmed to be off the ship, but it was not immediately clear if the ship itself had been formally arrested. Crowley spokesman Mark Miller said in an emailed statement: "The master, who is ashore, and the crew, who remain on board the vessel, are safe. In light of the sensitive nature of the situation and our desire keep the crew safe while issues are resolved with the Venezuelan authorities, we will not provide further comment at this time."
Sources said Ocean Atlas docked in Maracaibo on August 29, and within four hours was boarded by Interpol, local police and Venezuelan drug enforcement officials who claimed they were tipped off that the ship was carrying drugs.
They searched the ship stem to stern and found nothing. The crew was ordered to offload all cargo for X-ray investigation, which also showed up nothing. However, during the search they found weapons kept locked in the bonded locker, which are reportedly used by the ship's security team when it transits the Gulf of Aden and other piracy hotspots.
The sources said that the master had declared the weapons ahead of time and received clearance and they were on the manifest, but he was told that he did not have permission to have them on board. The weapons, said to be three rifles, were confiscated.
It is understood that the crew initially thought this was the precursor to pressure for a bribe, but it transpired that the ship had been charged with arms trafficking. The master was taken to court for questioning at one stage, but returned.
However, 20-30 armed guards arrived at the vessel and asked to be allowed on board. The master was taken away again. The crew of 15, including the master, are affiliated with the American Maritime Officers' Union and Seafarers' International Union. A source familiar with the union's evolving response to the incident told Lloyd's List: "Except for the US Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration, federal agencies no longer consider US merchant mariners as an important national asset. "My prayer is that these agencies will work as hard for these hijacked US mariners as they would for hijacked US air passengers."
The American Captain of the U.S.-flagged heavy-lift carrier MV Ocean Atlas has been detained by Venezuelan authorities amid an alleged weapons smuggling investigation, gCaptain sources have confirmed.
According to our sources, the Ocean Atlas was boarded by INTERPOL, local police, and members of Venezuelas' drug enforcement agency shortly after tying up in Maracaibo, Venezuela on Wednesday August 29, claiming that they had received a tip that the vessel was smuggling drugs.
A search of the Ocean Atlas failed to turn up any drugs, however, authorities found a locked-away weapons arsenal used by the vessel's security team during a recent transit of the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.
Details from this point on are a still unclear. We know for certain that the American Captain has been detained and taken off the vessel (and has returned at times), although we do not know if any official charges have been filed. Reports indicate that the weapons had been listed on the ship's manifest and given clearance prior to entering port.
At this time we understand that the ship itself has not been arrested but remains in the country until the captain is released or another captain arrives to take command of the vessel.
The M/V Ocean Atlas, one of four heavy-lift vessels of Intermarine's U.S.-flag heavy-lift affiliate, U.S. Ocean, is operated by Crowley and manned by AMO union officers and SIU crew. The 8,000 DWT vessel, with 400 metric tons lifting capacity, is particularly well suited for the movement of project/heavy-lift and military cargoes, the Intermarine website says. The Ocean Atlas has 15 crewmembers. We have been told that the crew has been treated well.
The incident follows the August detention of an unnamed U.S. citizen attempting to enter Venezuela from Colombia whom President Hugo Chavez said may be a "mercenary." The U.S. and Venezuela have frequently clashed since Chavez, a self-declared "anti-imperialist," came to power 13 years ago. Chavez, who faces elections on Oct. 7, accuses the U.S. of having supported a 2002 coup against him.
"The disturbing aspect of the matter in Venezuela is the possible politicization by the Chavez regime of the world-wide trend toward criminalization of the master and officers. This has occurred before in that state in similar circumstances such as in the cases of the B Atlantic (2007) and the Astro Saturn(2008) which seem similar in some respects to this case." says Dr. John A C Cartner, a world recognized maritime security expert and author of the book The International Law of the Shipmaster. "These are well-worn ways toward arresting first, asking questions later and in some cases waiting a year or more before moving toward charge and trial or release."
Intermarine and Crowley have not yet made any comments concerning the incident.
EVENING UPDATE: gCaptain has received word from sources aboard the ship that ship was visited this evening by State Department representatives from the American Consulate. Further, the location and status of the Captain remains unknown by the crew and gCaptain's sources in Washington. gCaptain has also learned that tomorrow some of the crew will be taken to shore for questioning by local authorities. gCaptain will continue coverage of this unprecedented event as new information is uncovered.
Story in progress... contact or editors at info@gcaptain.com or 805-456-8644 if you have information on this developing story.
AOS Lake Charles Holds Memorial Mass for Deceased Seafarer of M/V Kareela Spirit
Courtesy: Deacon Patrick LaPoint, AOS-Lake Charles, LA
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Today we held a Memorial Mass for Danilo Palma, a seafarer from the Philippines serving on the M/V Kareela Spirit as the Chief Cook.
He died while the ship was at sea, suffering a heart attack.
Myself and Fr. Rommel Tolentino went onboard this morning and blessed the ship for the crew. At noon we offered a Mass for his soul at the Seafarers' Center and at 1700 I went onboard and held a memorial service with Holy Communion.
The crew was very thankful for the Seafarers Center and the services. It offered closure for some of the crew.
Deacon Patrick Lapoint
Stella Maris Seafarers Center
Director
And finally...a bit of interesting reading courtesy of Dennis Bryant regarding the RMS Titanic's Sister Ships HMHS Britannic: The Younger Sister of the RMS Titanic By Dennis Bryant
White Star Lines contracted with the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast for construction of three luxury transatlantic passenger ships. They were to be the largest such ships in the world, White Star opting for luxury and passenger numbers, rather than speed. The first ship, the RMS Olympic, entered service in 1911 and had a 24-year career. The second ship was the RMS Titanic, lost on its maiden voyage in 1912. The third ship, originally designated the RMS Britannic, was under construction when tragedy struck the Titanic. Design changes were soon made.
The tops of the five forward watertight bulkheads were raised to the B-Deck level. More lifeboats and davits were added to fully accommodate all passengers and crew. A double hull was installed in way of the engine rooms and boiler rooms. The maximum hull width (beam) was increased by two feet to improve stability. Finally, a larger turbine (18,000 horsepower) was installed on the center shaft so as to retain the original design speed of 21 knots. As a result of these changes, the Britannic was not launched until February 1914, when fitting out began.
With the outbreak of World War I in August, military authorities placed warships at the top of the priority list, further delaying full completion of the Britannic. In November 1915, the British Admiralty requisitioned the Britannic for service as a hospital ship. Two large red crosses were painted on each side, along with a broad horizontal green stripe. The ship was officially designated as His Majesty's Hospital Ship Britannic. It made five uneventful trips to the Mediterranean Theater, returning wounded soldiers to Britain for medical treatment. Its sixth and final voyage departed Southampton for Lemnos, Greece on 12 November 1916.
It entered the Mediterranean Sea on 15 November and stopped briefly in Naples for refueling and resupply before proceeding toward Lemnos. There were 1,066 crew and medical personnel on board. Steaming around the Attica Peninsula, the hospital ship entered the Kea Channel between the peninsula and the island of Kea on 21 November. At about 8:12 in the morning, it was struck by a major explosion on the starboard side between holds two and three. The first four watertight bulkheads were damaged, allowing extensive flooding. Bulkheads were distorted, preventing closure of a number of watertight doors. In the panic, portholes in the lower decks that had been opened for ventilation were not closed, allowing for entry of even more water as the ship listed. As the captain attempted to turn the listing ship for beaching on the island of Kea, several lifeboats that had been launched without authority were sucked into the screws. The lifeboats and their occupants were destroyed. The captain ordered the engines to be stopped and for everyone to abandon ship.
The HMHS Britannic sank at 9:07 a.m. on 21 November 1916 several miles off Kea in 400 feet of water. There were 1,036 survivors, most of the 30 deaths resulting from the early and unauthorized launching of two lifeboats. The wreck was rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1975, who, with scant evidence, opined that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo. Mooring anchors for mines were later found in the vicinity. The wreck is a protected war memorial.
RMS Olympic: Sister Ship whose life was intertwined with the Titanic
By Dennis Bryant
The RMS Olympic was the first of three virtually identical transatlantic passenger ships built for the White Star Line by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. When completed in 1911, it was the largest passenger ship in the world, a title it held for most of its service, which ended in 1935. Work on the second ship (the RMS Titanic) in the three-ship flotilla commenced before the Olympic was finished.
The White Star Line assigned its senior captain, Edward Smith, as master of the Olympic for its maiden voyage. Captain Smith was subsequently assigned as master of the Titanic for its maiden voyage the next year. On 20 September 1911, during its fifth voyage, the Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. In addition to suffering holes in its hull near the stern, the Olympic's starboard propeller shaft was twisted. The ship returned to Belfast for repairs. A propeller shaft planned for the Titanic was installed instead in the Olympic. In addition, workmen were diverted from the Titanic to make repairs to the Olympic. As a result, the maiden voyage of the Titanic was delayed from 20 March 1912 to 10 April 1912.
But for the Olympic's 1911 collision, the Titanic's later date with destiny may not have occurred. The Olympic was steaming east-bound when it learned by radio of the Titanic casualty. At 500 miles distance, it was too far away to render assistance. Following the sinking of the Titanic, White Star Lines made the Olympic available to investigators to examine lifeboats, watertight doors and bulkheads, and other arrangements for clues regarding the tragedy. Thereafter, additional lifeboats and davits were installed on the Olympic. A watertight skin was installed in the boiler spaces and engine rooms to create what was effectively a partial double hull, providing additional protection to those vital spaces.
The tops of five of the watertight bulkheads were raised from E-Deck or D-Deck, as originally constructed, to the B-Deck. The ship's pumps were also replaced with those of a higher capacity. The Olympic returned to service in March 1913, a much safer ship as a result of lessons learned from the catastrophe that befell its younger sister.
Prayer for Hurricane Season
O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, and invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us.
Amen.
Originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957. - Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA
AOS Lake Charles Holds Memorial Mass for Deceased Seafarer of M/V Kareela Spirit