No. 6 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 6 General Information - World's Largest Ships

CRUISE SHIP - Freedom Class (Independence of the Seas)

MS Independence of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which entered service in April 2008. The 15-deck ship can accommodate 4,370 passengers served by 1,360 crew. She was built in the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku, Finland, builder of Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, her sister ships of the Freedom Class. At 154,407 gross tons, she joined Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels ever built (at the time of construction). She is 1,112 feet (339m) long, and typically cruises at 21.6 knots (40 km/h). The vessel operates from Southampton, England.

General Characteristics

Tonnage:	154,407GT
Length:	338.92m (1,111.9ft)
Beam:	38.6m (127ft) hull 56m (180ft) extreme width of superstructure
Draft:	8.8m (29ft)
Capacity:	4,370 passengers

Independence of the Seas is the third of the Freedom Class vessels. In 2009, the first in a new Oasis Class of ships is slated to displace the Freedom class as the world's largest passenger ships. Independence of the Seas, as of current, is the world's largest passenger cruise ship.

Independence of the Seas features an interactive water park (including the FlowRider onboard wave generator for surfing), a dedicated sports pool (for volleyball and basketball), and whirlpools which extend from the ship's sides. An internal street lined with shops, pubs and wine bars. An innovative "bridge" can be loweredfrom the ceiling void to provide a performance space above the crowds. A three story theatre the Alhambra seating 1,200, there is a complete conference centre, The show cabaret lounge is based on an ancient egyptian theme, known as the Prymid Lounge. A brand new Mortag sports car is bolted to the floor outside of the vintages wine bar . On a lower level is an ice skating rink ( home to a series of highly professional ice shows) and also available for personal skating. She also features a coffee shop and bookstore, Sorrento's Pizzeria, and a Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop. Other amenities will be a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, Wi-Fi capabilities throughout the ship, flat screen televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity. Independence of the Seas is also the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature heated, fresh water pools.

Independence of the Seas is based at Southampton, United Kingdom. After doing some preview sailings from Oslo, Norway, Southampton, UK and Hamburg, Germany, her itineraries will alternate between Mediterranean treasures and Italian Mediterranean itineraries, both 14 nights in length. She will also do three 4-night sailings to Cork, Ireland. In the Autumn she will do three 11-night sailings to the Canary Islands. During the winter months Independence of the Seas will be based at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Read More

No. 5 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 5 General Information - World's Largest Ships

AIRCRAFT CARRIER - USS Enterprise

USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CV

A(N)-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E." At 1,123feet (342.3m), she is the longest naval vessel in the world, though her 93,500tons displacement places her as the second heaviest supercarrier, surpassed only by the Nimitz-class.

General Characteristics

Length:	1,123ft (342m)
Beam:	132.8ft (40.5m)
Draft:	39ft (12m)

Enterprise is currently homeported at Norfolk, Virginia. As one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, she is scheduled for decommissioning in 2014-2015. Her intended replacement is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). Her current commanding officer is Captain Ronald Horton.

In 1958 Enterprise’s keel was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. On September 24, 1960 the ship was launched for the first time, sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Franke, wife of the former Secretary of the Navy. On November 25, 1961 the Enterprise was commissioned, with Captain Vincent P. DePoix in command. On January 12, 1962 the ship then made its maiden voyage conducting a three-month shakedown cruise. After commissioning, Enterprise began a lengthy series of tests and training exercises designed to determine the full capabilities of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

USS Enterprise is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2014-2015, with the exact year dependent on the state of the nuclear fuel currently in the carrier’s reactors. The subsequent fate of Enterprise is, as of yet, unknown. One possibility is that the CVN-65 may end up as an aircraft-carrier museum ship, because Enterprise is the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and the only remaining ship in the lineage of U.S. Navy ships named Enterprise. It is also possible that she could end up in the Ship-Submarine recycling program, in which case Enterprise would become the first nuclear powered carrier to be dismantled as part of the program.

Because of the huge cost of her construction, Enterprise was launched and commissioned without the planned Terrier missile launchers. These were never installed and the ship’s self-defense suite instead consisted of three shorter ranged RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) launchers. Later upgraded to carry two NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and three Mk. 71 Phalanx CIWS gun mounts. One CIWS mount was later removed and two 21 cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers were added.

Read More

No. 4 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 4 General Information - World's Largest Ships

BULK CARRIER - BERGE STAHL

The MS Berge Stahl is the largest bulk carrier ship in the world. She is registered in Stavanger, Norway. She was previously registered in Monrovia, Liberia.

General Characteristics

Length:	343m (1,122 ft)
Beam:	65m (208,3ft)
Draft:	23m
Capacity:	364,767

An iron ore carrier, the Berge Stahl has a capacity of 364,767 metric tons of deadweight (DWT) she was built in 1986 by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The Berge Stahl is 1,122 feet (343 m) long, has a beam, or width, of 208.3 feet (65 m), and a draft, or depth in the water, of 23 m.

Her Hyundai B&W 7L90MCE diesel engine is 30feet (9 m) high, drives a single 30foot (9 m) screw, and puts out 27,610 horsepower (20.59 MW), has a top speed of 13.5 knots, and has a 30foot (9 m) high rudder.

She is owned by the Norwegian shipping company Bergesen d.y. ASA.

Because of her massive size, the Berge Stahl can only tie up, fully loaded, at two ports in the world, hauling ore from the Terminal Marítimo de Ponta da Madeira in Brazil to the Europoort near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Even at these ports, passage must be timed to coincide with high tides to prevent the ship running aground. The Berge Stahl makes this trip about ten times each year, or a round-trip about every five weeks. In September of 2006, the ship carried ore to the port of Majishan, China, where she was dry-docked and given her twenty-year inspection. On the return voyage to Rotterdam, she picked up a partial load of ore in Dampier, Western Australia, and Saldanha Bay in South Africa (where the maximum depth permitted is 21 m).

Read More

No. 3 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 3 General Information - World's Largest Ships

OCEAN LINER - QUEEN MARY 2

The RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V. At the time of her construction in 2003 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the QM2 was the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, and at a gross tonnage(GT)of148,528tons, was also the largest. She lost the gross tonnage distinction to Royal Caribbean International's 154,407GT Freedom of the Seas in April 2006, but QM2 remains the largest ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) ever built, and her width, length, and waterline breadth are unsurpassed by any other passenger ship. Also, the QM2 displaces approximately 76,000 tons; the Royal Caribbean Freedom ships displace about 64,000 tons.

General Characteristics

Tonnage:	148,528GT
Length:	345m (1,132ft)
Beam:	41m (135ft) waterline, 45m (147.6ft) extreme (bridge wings)
Draft:	10m (32.8ft)
Capacity:	2,620 passengers

The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard flagship and makes regular transatlantic crossings. The ship was constructed to complement the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)—the Cunard flagship from 1969 to 2004—replacing it on the transatlantic route. The first RMSQueen Mary sailed the Atlantic from 1936 to 1967. QM2 had the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) title conferred on her, as a gesture to Cunard's history, by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route.

On 12 January 2004, the Queen Mary 2 set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the United States, carrying 2,620 passengers under the command of her first captain Ronald Warwick, who had previously commanded the Queen Elizabeth 2. Warwick is the son of William (Bil) Warwick who had also been a Cunard officer and had also been the QE2's first captain.

During the XXVIII Olympics the QM2 sailed to Athens and docked at Piraeus for two weeks for use as a hotel-ship, serving the then Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, the French President Jacques Chirac, US president George H. W. Bush, and the US Olympic men's basketball team.

In January 2006 the QM2 embarked on a circumnavigation of South America (the ship is too large to pass through the Panama Canal). Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale one of her propeller pods was damaged when it struck a channel wall, forcing the ship to sail at a reduced speed, which resulted in Commodore Warwick's decision to skip several calls on its voyage to Rio de Janeiro. Many of her passengers threatened to stage a sit-in protest because of the missed calls, before Cunard offered to refund the voyage costs. The QM2 continued to operate at a reduced service speed, and several itinerary changes were necessary until repairs had been completed after the ship returned to Europe in June, where the QM2 paid a visit to dry dock, and the damaged propeller pod was unseated. In November the QM2 was dry-docked once more at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg (drydock Elbe 17) for the reinstallation of the repaired propeller pod. At the same time, sprinkler systems were installed in all of the vessel's balconies to comply with new safety regulations which had come into effect since the MV Star Princess fire. Additionally, both bridge wings were extended by 2 metres to improve visibility.

After completing the journey around South America, on 23 February 2006, the QM2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach, California. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a "whistle salute" which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.

On 10 January 2007 the QM2 started her first world cruise, circling the globe in 81 days. On 20 February, she met her fleet-mate, the Queen Elizabeth 2, also on her 2007 world cruise, in Sydney harbour. This is the first time two Cunard Queens have been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941. Despite the early arrival time of 5:42 am, the QM2's presence attracted so many viewers that the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge were blocked. With 1,600 passengers leaving the ships in Sydney, Cunard estimated the stopovers injected more than $1 million into the local economy.

Famous passengers and/or guests of the QM2 include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, former French President Jacques Chirac, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, former US president George H. W. Bush, comedian and actor John Cleese, actor Richard Dreyfuss, author and editor Harold Evans, director George Lucas, singer Carly Simon, singer Rod Stewart, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, and financier Donald Trump.

Following the retirement of QE2, Queen Mary 2 will be the only operational ocean liner left in active passenger service.

Read More

May I please borrow $25?'

May I please borrow $25?'

May I please borrow $25

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard every day for such childish frivolities. '

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've bee n thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Read More

SN: 8762

SN: 8762

Everyone Is Different

Everyone is individual and different, in the same way as everyone's handprints are unique.

"We should acknowledge differences, we should greet differences, until difference makes no difference anymore." — Adela Allen

Read More

PMMA CADETS EMBARKATION MOVED TO JUNE 14

PMMA CADETS EMBARKATION MOVED TO JUNE 14

As a precautionary measure against A(H1N1), Philippine Merchant Marine Academy has postponed its opening of classes to June 14.

PMMA CADETS EMBARKATION MOVED TO JUNE 14...
June 8 2009, 0800H

PMMA Cadets embarkation to the Academy has been moved to 14th June 2009 based on the original embarkation time.

The changes are deemed needed to enable Academy administration in sanitizing all classrooms and billeting quarters to ensure the safety and welfare of all students pursuant to CHED urgent memo.

Please be guided accordingly.

Thank you,

PMMA ADMINISTRATION

Source: Pmma Website

Read More

No. 2 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 2 General Information - World's Largest Ships

CONTAINER - EMMA MERSK

Emma Mærsk is a container ship owned by the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. When she was launched, Emma Mærsk was the largest container ship ever built, and as of 2008 the longest ship in use. Officially, Emma Mærsk is able to carry around 11,000twenty-foot equivalent units(TEU) according to the Maersk company's method of calculating capacity, which is about 1,400 more containers than any other ship is capable of carrying.

General Characteristics

Tonnage:	170,974GT (55,396 NT)
Length:	397metres (1,300ft)
Beam:	56metres (180ft)
Draft:	15.5metres (51ft)
Capacity:	156,907 DWT, 11,000TEU

By normal calculations, Emma Mærsk's cargo capacity is significantly greater than the listed capacity — between 13,500twenty-foot equivalent units(TEU) and 15,200TEU. The difference between the official and estimated numbers is because Maersk calculates the capacity of a container ship by weight (in this case, 14 tons/container) that can be carried on a vessel. For the Emma Mærsk, this is 11,000 containers. Other companies calculate the capacity of a container ship according to the maximum number of containers that can be put on the ship, independent of the weight of the containers. This number is always greater than the number calculated by the Maersk method.

The ship was built at the Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark. In June 2006, during construction, welding work caused a fire within her superstructure. It spread rapidly through the accommodation section and bridge.

Emma Mærsk was named in a ceremony on August 12, 2006. The ship is named after Emma Mærsk, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller's late wife. The ship set sail on her maiden voyage on 8 September 2006 at 02:00 hours from Aarhus, calling at Gothenburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Algeciras, the Suez Canal, and arrived in Singapore on 1 October 2006 at 20:05 hours.

Emma Mærsk departed Singapore the next day, headed for Yantian in Shenzhen. She sailed on to Kobe, Nagoya, arrived at Yokohama on 10 October 2006, and returned via Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, the Suez Canal, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gothenburg and finally to Aarhus, with arrival at that port 11 November 2006 at 16:00 hours.

She appeared in headlines prior to Christmas 2006, when she was dubbed SS Santa because she was bound for the United Kingdom from China loaded with Christmas goods. The return journey after Christmas 2006 saw her return to southern China, loaded with UK waste destined for recycling in China.

Her appearance in the news prompted China's State Environmental Protection Administration to promise to "closely watch the progress of investigation into the dumping of garbage in south China by Britain". It added that no official approval had been given to any company in the area to import waste.

Emma Maersk's regular round trip involves Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong (westbound), Yantian (westbound), Tanjung Pelepas (westbound), Algeciras (westbound), Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Algeciras (eastbound), Tanjung Pelepas (eastbound), Yantian (eastbound), Hong Kong (eastbound) and Ningbo.

Read More

No. 1 General Information - World's Largest Ships

No. 1 General Information - World's Largest Ships

SUPERTANKER - KNOCK NEVIS

The Knock Nevis is a floating storage and offloading unit (FSO) currently owned by the Norwegian company Fred Olsen Production. The unit was previously a supertanker and as such held the record for the world's largest ship. As a tanker the ship was known under the names Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, and Jahre Viking.

General Characteristic

Tonnage:	260,941GT (214,793 NT)
Length:	458.45m (1,504.10ft)
Beam:	68.8m (225.72ft)
Draft:	29.8m (97.77ft)
Capacity:	564,650DWT

Knock Nevis was built in 1979 at Sumitomo Heavy Industries's Oppama shipyard as Seawise Giant. The ship was built for a Greek owner who was unable to take delivery of the ship.

The shipyard then exercised its right to sell the ship. A deal was brokered with Hong Kong shipping magnate C. Y. Tung founder of the shipping line Orient Overseas Container Line.

A deal was reached, but Tung required the ship's size be increased by several metres in length and 87,000 metric tons of cargo capacity by jumboisation. Two years later, the vessel was launched and named Seawise Giant.

After the refit, the ship had a capacity of 564,763 metric tons of deadweight (DWT), a length overall of 458.45metres (1,504.1ft) and a draft of 24.611metres (80.74ft). She had 46 tanks, 31,541square metres (339,500sqft) of deck space, and was too large to pass through the English Channel.

From 1979 to 2004, she was owned by the company Loki Stream AS. During this period she flew the Norwegian flag.

In this period, she was renamed Happy Giant from 1989 to 1991.

Jorden Jahre bought the ship in 1991 for the sum of US$39 Million. It was at this stage that the ship was renamed Jahre Viking. It was sold in 2004.

The ship was damaged during the Iran–Iraq War while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. As a result she was declared a total loss and laid up in Brunei. At the end of the war, she was towed to the Keppel Company shipyard in Singapore, repaired, and renamed Happy Giant. The ship was sailing again in October 1991.

In 2004, she was bought by First Olsen Tankers Pte. Ltd., renamed Knock Nevis and converted into a permanently moored storage tanker.On November 30, 2004 the conversion to FSO was completed. Since 2004, she has been owned by First Olsen Tankers Pte. Ltd. The ship is now permanently moored in the Qatar Al Shaheen oil field in the Persian Gulf, operating as an FSO.

In terms of length, Knock Nevis has a length overall of 458.45m (1,504ft), making her the largest ship ever constructed. The vessel is longer than many of the world's tallest buildings are tall, for example the Petronas Twin Towers at 452metres (1,480ft). She is smaller than the Sears Tower at 527.3 metres (1,730ft), and Taipei 101 at 509.2metres (1,671ft), and considerably smaller than the skyscraper Burj Dubai, currently under construction, at 636metres (2,090ft).

Read More

DUBAI DRY DOCK EXPERIENCE

DUBAI DRY DOCK EXPERIENCE

Last April we went to Dubai for Dry dock, which means they lift the ship out of the water to do maintenance. Located in one of the rapidly developing regions of the world and a busy trading route, Drydocks World – Dubai is one of the most prolific shipyards in operation. The shipyard is the largest facility in the Middle East. During this time we worked for about 2 weeks doing 10 hour shifts. The work was very intense and non-stop.

We would wire brush and chip rust all day in the heat. After awhile you felt like a machine. The nice thing is after 5 months of sailing with only the seas of middle east to far east, finally the taste of solid ground again.

At one point we had to go down inside the tank for inspection. We go into the gas freed tank on board. Two men have to be in there to make sure they take out all the slops properly, other wise they have to clean it again. I was one of those unlucky guys. The space is very cramped, dark and hot. I had to go up and down with a huge torch with me. The combination of having to use large amounts of energy to climb up and down in the ladder, the dust filled air, and the piping hot chain made this an extremely exhausting experience. No lie, at one point I was seriously wondering how much more my body could take before shutting down. Thank God nothing serious happened. I had a new understanding of what hell may be like, and it was not fun at all.

The high light of dry dock is going ashore, Dubai was a great experience. Very hot and humid, but lots to see and do. We log-out in to our ship at about 1800H. We didn't waste a second and saw a lot of Dubai.

It's a really clean and tidy place and a massive amount of construction going on. It's like a competition of who can build the biggest and most breathtaking buildings. There is no such thing as a 'plain' building in Dubai - it's really an eye opener.

We then spent the night touring around the largest mall in the world the Dubai Mall. It was a little bit tiring, I was surprise seeing our kababayan everywhere , there's a time that you will feel your in Divisoria or Shoemart, but fun all the same. The next couple of days we do shopping I bought some good stuffs a 48" Plasma TV a Home Theater and PS3 160gb. Others tried a different kind of fun. Dubai's infamous night life. I will not go into details but let's just say it's a great experience..

All in al it was a revitalizing experience, a memorable one and hope to experience it all over again.

Anyways, enough from me. Check out the photos! Off to Philippines now...

Read More