The "Daily News" on the Maritime Executive's Website

You can read the news daily at http://www.maritime-executive.com June 30, 2005 Snow: U.S. To Review CNOOC's takeover of Unocal U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said that the Bush administration would review China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)'s takeover bid for US oil producer "Unocal" on national security grounds. In an interview in New York yesterday, Snow said it was too early to make any definitive comments on the issue, but added: "We will look at anything that raises national security issues." Whether the bid is approved by the U.S. Government depends on the details of the purchase agreement and the situation of the companies involved, he said. The Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S., a body Snow chairs, is responsible for reviewing acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign corporations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Tuesday that China opposed any political interference in CNOOC's bid to buy Unocal. CNOOC offered US$18.5 billion in cash last week to acquire California-based "Unocal," a higher bid than the US$16.4 billion offer the company accepted from Chevron in April. July 1, 2005 Pirates Hijack Tsunami Aid Ship The "M/V Semlow" transporting United Nations food aid for tsunami victims from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Port Mossaso in north eastern Somalia was attacked by armed pirates. The 10-member crew aboard the ship was captured by gunmen approximately 190 miles from the capital of Mogadishu. The hijackers are demanding $500,000, but the director of the Kenya based Mokatu Shipping Agency told the hijackers that the company was simply delivering relief cargo. The UN World Food Program has appealed for the immediate release of the vessel carrying the food aid donated by Japan and Germany. Earlier this month, the International Maritime Board warned that had been a surge in piracy in the region and warned ships to stay at least 100 miles offshore. Damage from the tsunami was concentrated in the north-eastern coast of Somali, killing approximate 200 people, destroying 2,400 fishing boats and displacing as many as 30,000 people. July 5, 2005 NOAA Ship Runs Aground in Marine Reserve The Coast Guard is monitoring a research ship, carrying an estimated 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel, which went aground in a marine reserve in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The 145-foot ship "M/V Casitas," with 23 people aboard, was severely damaged and taking on water, the Coast Guard said. No one was injured in the grounding. Seventeen people were taken off the vessel, while six of seven crew members remained aboard to pump out water and try to re-float the ship. A USCG C-130 Hercules aircraft from Barbers Point dropped four dewatering pumps to the ship. Besides the diesel fuel, the "Casitas" has about 3,000 gallons of gasoline and 200 gallons of lubricating oil aboard. No leakage had occurred as of yesterday afternoon. The Coast Guard cutter "Walnut" is headed to the area with a Spilled Oil Recovery System to assist with clean-up, if any fuel oil pollution occurs. It is expected to arrive in five days. The "Casitas," under charter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was on its way to Maro Reef and French Frigate Shoals with NOAA and University of Hawaii Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) scientists onboard for their annual marine debris cleanup, when the ship ran aground on Pearl and Hermes Atoll. During its marine debris voyage last year, the "Casitas" discovered the remains of what were believed to be the whaling ships "Pearl" and "Hermes," which struck a reef in 1822. The atoll is named after the sunken ships. Six work boats from the "Casitas" were used to transport people to North Island, where they planned to camp. They will be transferred to Pearl and Hermes Atoll where three NOAA and JIMAR officials are monitoring the Hawaiian monk seal population. NOAA's research vessel "Oscar Elton Sette" has been diverted from another scientific mission in the area to assist the "Casitas." Two C-130 Coast Guard aircraft from Barbers Point planned to take turns monitoring the ship to ensure there is not pollution. July 6, 2005 Storms Shut Down Oil Rigs in Gulf of Mexico Tropical storm "Cindy" has prompted rig operators to evacuate crews from 29 rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The evacuations were done as part of the normal safety procedures whenever tropical storms bear down on the region. The potential storm has cut offshore production by 49,830 barrels per day (bpd), which is 3 % of the region's 1.5 million bpd, according to U.S. Minerals Management Service. The storm also shut down natural gas production in the Gulf by 352 million cubic feet, which is 3.5% of the 10 billion cubic feet of daily production. There are currently 819 manned production platforms and 135 mobile drilling rigs operating in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Cindy hit landfall last night at around 10:30 PM CDT. The Weather Service is tracking Tropical Storm Dennis. July 7, 2005 Federal Government To File Lawsuit Against ILA Union The federal government will reportedly file a racketeering lawsuit against the International Longshoremen's Association. The suit would be filed by the office of U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf and was based partly on recent criminal cases against mob-related crime on piers in Brooklyn. Evidence for the prosecution was provided by a "major waterfront mob figure." The suit would seek to prohibit five union leaders from any future participation in the union. They include John Bowers, its president; Robert Gleason, its secretary-treasurer; and Albert Cernadas, its executive vice president. Prosecutors will argue that Bowers, Gleason and Cernadas worked with mobsters to fix the election of union officials in 2000. The government has for decades claimed the union was controlled by the Genovese and Gambino crime families. Past attempts to topple the organization have proved unsuccessful, though individual officials have been indicted and convicted of stealing union money. The upcoming lawsuit "is likely to have a devastating economic impact on ILA members and the shipping industry," the union said in a statement released by its special counsel, Joseph McCann.