Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig:enters disputed weaters

China's Maritime Safety Administration said on January 20 it would be drilling roughly 140 km (87 miles) south of the resort city Sanya on China's Hainan island, and 150 km (93 miles) west of the Paracel Islands that China occupies and Vietnam claims.   It is 210 km (130 miles) from the coast of Vietnam, which places it in roughly the same area as between June and October 2015.

The agency said it would be operating there until March 10 and warned ships to stay 2,000 m (6,562 ft) away.   China considers most of the South China Sea to be under its jurisdiction but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims. About $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes through the waters each year.




[August 25 2015 Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig:  110 nautical miles east of the Vietnam coast ]

Maritime Safety Administration said that  Haiyang Shiyou 981 would continue drilling until October 20.   The rig’s intended coordinates put it roughly 110 nautical miles east of the Vietnam coast and 72 nautical miles south of the resort city of Sanya on China’s Hainan Island.

[March 3  its first overseas deepsea exploration well]

The $1-billion, semi-submersible giant drilling rig started drilling on Feb. 7 in a water depth of 1,721 metres, in.   The same drilling rig had previously drilled in waters claimed by both China and Vietnam in the South China Sea. "Haiyang Shiyou" literally means "offshore oil".
The well offshore Myanmar is targeting a depth of 5,000 metres from the surface of the sea.     China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) is chartering the rig and is the operator of the offshore oil block in the Andaman Sea.   Myanmar authorities awarded to CNPC in early 2007 three deepwater blocks AD-1, AD-6 and AD-8, with a total area of 10,000 square kilometres.

[July 18 2014 China's National Petroleum Corp moved the rig back into Chinese territory July 15]

China's National Petroleum Corp moved Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig back into Chinese territory July 15.

Kang Lin, of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said a "good amount" of energy reserves with "huge commercial value" were found and he expected Chinese ships would return to the area near the disputed Paracel Islands - which China calls the Xisha Islands and Vietnam calls the Hoang Sa Islands - because signs of oil and gas were found.   Artificial islands that China had been building would be the base for logistics for further operations, Kang said.

The original three-month schedule was planned to allow for any impact from typhoons. But work had carried on without the need for any suspensions over the past two months.

The announcement came a day after Barack Obama had a phone call with President Xi Jinping . Last week, the US Senate passed a resolution calling on claimants in the disputed waters to freeze activities.

But there was no sign the moving of the rig was related to the phone call or the Senate resolution.   http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1555221/china-says-oil-rig-finishes-mission-waters-vietnam

[May 18]

Passenger ship "WU ZHI SHAN" leaves for Vietnam from Xiuying port in Haikou

Passenger ship "WU ZHI SHAN" leaves for Vietnam from Xiuying port in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, May 18, 2014.

China began on Sunday to send five ships to evacuate Chinese nationals caught in a deadly anti-China violence in Vietnam, the Ministry of Transport has said. "Wuzhishan" was the first ship leaving for Vietnam.


 Name of the ship WU ZHI SHAN
 Type of ship RO-RO/PASSENGER SHIP
   IMO number 9734458 MMSI 413523180
 Gross tonnage 10940 tons DWT 2073 tons Year of build 2013 Builder KOUAN SHIPBUILDING - TAIZHOU JIANGSU, CHINA
Flag CHINA
Home port HAINAN
Manager & owner STRAIT SHIPPING - HAINAN, CHINA

 China is sending five ships to evacuate Chinese nationals from Vietnam following a wave of anti-Chinese riots. The Chinese government has already evacuated more than 3,000 people, Chinese state-run media report


. [May 9]

During a visit to Hanoi May 8, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel urged both sides to "refrain from unilateral actions,” adding the global economy is "too fragile to brook the possibility of a crisis that could escalate into conflict." "Every country has the right to advocate for its position and for its claims to territorial sovereignty. However, the consistent position of the U.S. is that advocacy must be diplomatic and the means for advancing one's claims must be consistent with international law, including the U.N. convention on the law of the sea," Russel said. He said the onus is on China to define its claims in a manner that’s consistent with the convention. He said the Vietnamese officials with whom he discussed the issue accepted that the U.S. does not take a position on the relative merits of the sovereignty claims. [May 8]

 a notice issued by China's Maritime Safety Administration on May 3, which said the rig would be operating within a one-mile radius of 15-29.58N/111-12.06E for "South China Sea drilling work" from May 2 to August 15 this year.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters: "Given the recent history of tensions in the South China Sea, China's decision to operate its oil rig in disputed waters is provocative and unhelpful to the maintenance of peace and stability in the region."

"These events point to the need for claimants to clarify their claims in accordance with international law, and reach an agreement ... about what types of activities should be permissible within disputed areas,"

The Vietnamese government and state-owned PetroVietnam have objected to drilling operations by China National Offshore Oil Corp. in the South China Sea, saying that a rig owned by the Chinese company is in Vietnamese waters. Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said Sunday that CNOOC's deepwater rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 had been dispatched into Vietnam's waters. "Any activity conducted by foreign countries in Vietnam?s waters without its permission is illegal and has no value," Binh said in a government statement. Binh's response was to a notice issued by China's Maritime Safety Administration on May 3, which said the rig would be operating within a one-mile radius of 15-29.58N/111-12.06E for "South China Sea drilling work" from May 2 to August 15 this year. Binh said the location identified in the notice was "totally within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, about 120 miles from its coast." The drilling area overlaps Vietnam's block 143 and is 119 miles off the Vietnamese central coast, PetroVietnam-run Petrotimes daily said in a report Sunday. The acreage is located near Vietnamese blocks 118, 119 and 144. The first two blocks were previously awarded to ExxonMobil and the third to Murphy Oil by PetroVietnam. PetroVietnam said it had sent a letter of protest to CNOOC and requested it to stop its operations and move the rig away from Vietnamese waters, according to the statement by the Vietnam government. What fun for the lawyers

Rough Google translation from Vietnamese of Petro Times 05.08.2014 

(PetroTimes) - In 2 days, 7 and 8/5, while the water is boiling so brazen act of hegemonic China is on some Internet forums, social networking appears the idea that: The drag China Sea rig 981 in Vietnam's actions can be explained. These people cite some knowledge from the International Convention on the beach to say: 1 - In waters 12 nautical miles from the baselines: This is the area we have "sovereignty" and "jurisdiction" while other states have "right through to no harm." That is their Chinese vessels wandering about, we do not have the right to expel, or prevent threats. They did not need to ask permission. Unless we discover they have these problems detrimental to our sovereignty then we execute "sovereign right" to chase them away. 2 - From territorial waters, widened to 188 nautical miles (or 200 nautical miles from the baseline) as its exclusive economic zone, the waters that we have sovereign rights to perform the operation. At the same time, Vietnam has jurisdiction to agree or disagree to exploit other countries. However, China is the freedom to ships, aircraft operating in the area can match the freedom of navigation and aviation. This information is the conclusion: The HD 981 make a journey "through" exclusive economic zone or on the 12 nautical mile territorial sea adjacent to the slopes of Vietnam is also acceptable provided that they are not threats or exploit natural resources in such waters. This idea also justify the huge floating rig 981 can be understood as a means of sea - so it's going to be normal. Rig 981. From this perspective, we can immediately see the false information they need adjustment. First: There is no Chinese drilling rig 981 in the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam a "carefree", happened to pass by without anything ploy. The first is the day 3/5, on the website of the China Customs Department has taken some 14 033 maritime warning about Oceanic 981 rigs (HD 981) "operation in the South China Sea". The warning said, from 2/5 to 15/8, 981 HD rig will coordinate activities at 150 29'N / 1110 12'E. Blocks all types of vehicles are not entering HD 981 active areas within a radius of 1 mile. In accordance with the coordinates on the HD 981 rig in Block 143 infringed on the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam, Ly Son island 119 nautical miles (221km) south of the island and Tri Ton of pants Vietnam's Paracel island about 18 nautical miles. This area is entirely located in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam. As such, can not understand that China is the well-drilling "go through" the waters of Vietnam. That the purpose of exploration, exploitation and the ban was made clear. In this case, China has replaced the arrogant show host "sovereignty" and "jurisdiction". This is the first unruly. Notice no sail rig operating near 981 by the China Customs Bureau. Second: The Chinese ship carrying 38, including warships into the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam to protect the rig 981. This is not international waters or territorial sea of ​​China to this country have the right to ship with the aim of aggression on the ships of other countries. In this case, to take the waters with Vietnam to host aggression is even more impossible. This is totally contrary to the rights "movement is not harmful to the host country" in the Convention on the Law of the Sea. Third: It is the recognition means 981 as a mobile water (same ship) is the lack of awareness and actual machinery. In fact, the main General Maritime Corporation China Petroleum (CNOOC) announced drilling rig 981 is - there is no excuse that we must try to infer it is "ship". With all the preparation in terms of tactics, diplomacy, aggression ... China showed that this job really intentional and hegemonic ambitions. That those who have hegemonic ambitions often seek to go beyond the law. Let me explain some more information for you to read that China's actions are wrong about international law and is what Vietnam as well as international opinion is never acknowledged. So, the justification on a number of forums is not necessary and should cease immediately to avoid public confusion.

  A Chinese ship rams a Vietnamese ship in Vietnam’s water  

[April 2013]

China's first locally-built deepsea drilling rig has returned to work in a South China Sea gas field after almost two months of repairs, according to state-owned rig owner CNOOC.

The $1 billion rig Hai Yang Shi You (or Offshore Oil) 981 was being chartered by Canada's Husky Energy, which operates the Liwan project in the western part of South China Sea, a major offshore gas discovery, industry officials said.

"Leaks have been repaired and maintenance works finished. Offshore Oil 981 has returned to works at Liwan 3-1 gas field,"

[May 9 2012]
CNOOC has spudded its debut deep-water well.  Hai Yang Shi You - 981 or Marine Oil 981 has  been recently been moved into place 320 kilometers (or 198 miles) southeast of Hong Kong, at the northern end of the South China Sea and within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone. Operations at the rig are slated to begin 

"For to be strengthened to safeguard the state sovereignty, the maritime law enforcement. Safe operation of the hole must be ensured as well. Following the conventions of maritime safety laws, a water of 500 meters will be marked out around the hole. A trip of foreign vessels, including fishing boats, are prohibited in this water. "


[April 19]China National Offshore Oil Corp, the country's biggest marine oil producer, signed a production-sharing contract on April 18 with Eni China BV for a deepwater block in the South China Sea.
Italy-based Eni will operate the 30/27 block, which has a total area of 5,130 square kilometers and lies 400 kilometers off the coast of Hong Kong.
Eni will conduct three-dimension seismic surveys and drill one exploration well in the block and cover all expenditures during the exploration period.
CNOOC will have up to a 51 percent interest in any commercial discoveries in the block.Since China's near-shore area offers very limited potential for further oil and gas exploration, it's imperative for the company to go to deepwater projects.
CNOOC is testing its first domestic semi-submersible drilling rig, the Haiyang Shiyou 981, which is capable of operating at a maximum water depth of 3,000 meters, as part of its ambitions to achieve deepwater output of 50 million tons of oil equivalent by 2020. more

United States and European Union revoke sanctions on Iranian oil exports

The United States and European Union on January 16 revoked sanctions that had cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak to little more than 1 million bpd.

Iran, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), issued an order on January 18 to increase production by 500,000 bpd, the country's deputy oil minister said.

The following activities are allowed: sale, supply, transfer or export of naval equipment and technology for ship building, maintenance or refit, to Iran or to any Iranian persons engaged in this sector; the design, construction or the participation in the design or construction of cargo vessels and oil tankers for Iran or for Iranian persons; the provision of vessels designed or used for the transport or storage of oil and petrochemical products to Iranian persons, entities or bodies; and the provision of flagging and classification services, including those pertaining to technical specification, registration and identification numbers of any kind, to Iranian oil tankers and cargo vessels.
All cargo flights operated by Iranian carriers or originating from Iran have access to the airports under the jurisdiction of EU Member States.
Inspection, seizure and disposal by EU Member States of cargoes to and from Iran in their territories no longer apply with regard to items which are no longer prohibited.
Provision of bunkering or ship supply services, or any other servicing of vessels, to Iranian owned or Iranian-contracted vessels not carrying prohibited items is allowed; and the
provision of fuel, engineering and maintenance services to Iranian cargo aircraft not carrying prohibited items is permitted.

[May 1 2013 IRISL: new Iran sanctions by U.S. Treasury]

Babak Zanjani, chairman of more than 60 companies known as the Sorinet Group of the United Arab Emirates allegedly conspired with First Islamic Investment Bank of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as  accused violators of the Iranian sanctions.

Two Sorinet companies -- Sorinet Commercial Trust Bankers of Dubai and International Safe Oil of Labuan, Malaysia -- were named by the Treasury Department as allegedly being involved in the multibillion-dollar scheme .   Account International Safe Oil was previously reported to be involved in the transfer of Iranian oil at the port of Labuan, Malaysia

Glammarine agreed to let a company called Account International Safe Oil use the Titan Ruchira and Titan Tulshyan to store 4 million barrels of Iranian oil, shipping sources said. Account International is not registered in Malaysia or Hong Kong.   A Middle East industry source familiar with the company said Account International was an affiliate of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). A second source based in East Malaysia said the firm had business links to HK Intertrade, a Hong Kong-based firm sanctioned by the United States in July for operating as a front company for Iran.

Individual: AFZALI, ALI
DOB: July 1, 1967

Entity: PEARL ENERGY COMPANY LTD
Address: Level 13(E) Main Office Tower, Jalan Merdeka, Financial Park Complex, Labuan, 87000, Malaysia

Entity: PEARL ENERGY SERVICES, SA
Address: 15 Avenue de Montchoisi, Lausanne, 1006 VD, Switzerland

Individual: Mohhammad Hossein DAJMAR
AKA: Mohammad Hossein DAJMAR
DOB: February 19, 1956
Iranian Passport: K13644698, expires May 16, 2013

Individual: Gholam Hossein GOLPARVAR
AKA: Gholamhossein GOLPARVAR
DOB: January 23, 1957
Iranian Passport: U14643027, expires November 11, 2013

Individual: Hassan Jalil ZADEH
AKA: Hassan JALILZADEH
DOB: January 26, 1959
Iranian Passport: A1508382, expired February 24, 2010

Individual: Mohammad Hadi PAJAND
DOB: May 28, 1950
Address: 73 Blair Court, Boundary Road, London, NW8 6NT, United Kingdom

Entity: ASHTEAD SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: BYFLEET SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: COBHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: DORKING SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: EFFINGHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: FARNHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: GOMSHALL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man

Entity: HORSHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED
Address: Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Isle of Man




Mohhammad Hossein Dajmar, designated today, is Chairman and Managing Director of IRISL and three previously-designated front companies – Safiran Payam Darya Shipping Company (SAPID), Hafiz Darya Shipping Company (HDS), and Soroush Sarzamin Asatir Ship Management Company (SSA). Also designated today are Gholamhossein Golparvar, Managing Director of SAPID and a director of SSA and HDS, as well as Hassan Jalil Zadeh, Managing Director of HDS. Finally, Mohammad Hadi Pajand, Company Secretary of Irinvestship Ltd., and a company director of Lancelin Shipping Company Ltd. – two previously-designated IRISL affiliates – was also designated by Treasury today.


11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
ASHTEAD SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108116C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
BYFLEET SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 118117C (Man, Isle of);
OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL CHANGES TO SDNLIST IN 2010
- 88 -
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
COBHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108118C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
DORKING SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108119C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
EFFINGHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108120C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
FARNHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED,
Manning House, 21 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1
3DA, Man, Isle of; c/o Islamic Republic of Iran
Shipping Lines (IRISL), No. 37, Aseman Tower ,
Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Avenue,
PO Box 19395-1311, Tehran, Iran; Business
Registration Document # 108146C (Man, Isle of);
Email Address smd@irisl.net; Website
www.irisl.net; Telephone: 982120100488; Fax:
982120100486 [NPWMD]
GOMSHALL SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, c/o
Soroush Sarzamin Asatir (SSA) Ship
Management Co, Shabnam Alley, Golriz St, Vafa
Alley, Fajr St, Shahid Motahari Avenue,
1589675951, Tehran, Iran; Manning House, 21
Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Man, Isle of;
Business Registration Document # 111998C
(Man, Isle of); Email Address info@ssa-smc.net;
Website www.ssa-smc.net; Telephone:
982126100191; Fax: 982126100192 [NPWMD]
HORSHAM SHIPPING COMPANY LIMITED, c/o
Soroush Sarzamin Asatir (SSA) Ship
Management Co, Shabnam Alley, Golriz St, Vafa
Alley, Fajr St, Shahid Motahari Avenue,
1589675951, Tehran, Iran; Manning House, 21
Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3DA, Man, Isle of;
Business Registration Document # 111999C
(Man, Isle of); Email Address info@ssa-smc.net;
Website www.ssa-smc.net; Telephone:
982126100191; Fax: 982126100192 [NPWMD]
• 11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
AFZALI, Ali, c/o Bank Mellat, Tehran, Iran; DOB 1
Jul 1967; nationality Iran (individual) [NPWMD]
PEARL ENERGY COMPANY LTD., Level 13(E)
Main Office Tower, Jalan Merdeka, Financial
Park Complex, Labuan 87000, Malaysia;
Telephone:6087541688; Fax: 6087453688
[NPWMD]
PEARL ENERGY SERVICES, SA, 15 Avenue de
Montchoisi, Lausanne, 1006 VD, Switzerland;
Business Registration Document # CH-
550.1.058.055-9; Telephone: 0216140614
[NPWMD]
• 11/30/10
The following [NPWMD] entries have been
added to OFAC's SDN list:
DAJMAR, Mohammad Hossein (a.k.a. DAJMAR,
Mohhammad Hossein); DOB 19 Feb 1956;
nationality Iran; Passport K13644698 (Iran)
expires 16 May 2013 (individual) [NPWMD]
DAJMAR, Mohhammad Hossein (a.k.a. DAJMAR,
Mohammad Hossein); DOB 19 Feb 1956;
nationality Iran; Passport K13644698 (Iran)
expires 16 May 2013 (individual) [NPWMD]
GOLPARVAR, Gholam Hossein (a.k.a.
GOLPARVAR, Gholamhossein); DOB 23 Jan
1957; nationality Iran; Passport U14643027
(Iran) expires 11 Nov 2013 (individual)
[NPWMD]
GOLPARVAR, Gholamhossein (a.k.a.
GOLPARVAR, Gholam Hossein); DOB 23 Jan
1957; nationality Iran; Passport U14643027
(Iran) expires 11 Nov 2013 (individual)
[NPWMD]
JALILZADEH, Hassan (a.k.a. ZADEH, Hassan
Jalil); DOB 26 Jan 1959; nationality Iran;
Passport A1508382 (Iran) expires 24 Feb 2010
(individual) [NPWMD]
PAJAND, Mohammad Hadi, 73 Blair Court,
Boundary Road, London NW8 6NT, United
Kingdom; DOB 28 May 1950; nationality Iran
(individual) [NPWMD]
ZADEH, Hassan Jalil (a.k.a. JALILZADEH,
Hassan); DOB 26 Jan 1959; nationality Iran;
Passport A1508382 (Iran) expires 24 Feb 2010
(individual) [NPWMD]

Russia confirms submarine Rostov-on-Don fired cruise missiles at Raqqa

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on December 8 that Russia had for the first time struck Islamic State targets in Syria with missiles fired from a submarine in the Mediterranean.

"The targets were two large terrorist positions in the territory of Raqqa," Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting, adding that the Calibre missiles had been fired from the submarine Rostov-on-Don.

November 19 Varshavyanka-class sub strikes at Raqqa with cruise missiles
19 2015 15:01

Cruise missiles were launched from the diesel-electric submarine «Rostov-on-don». However, the Kremlin denied these reports.

The Varshavyanka-class (Project 636), an improved version of the Kilo-class submarines, features advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and provides the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets.   Designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine missions in relatively shallow waters, the submarines can cruise underwater at a speed of 20k and has a cruising range of 400 miles.

Capable of accommodating a crew of 52, the submarines can patrol for 45 days and are armed with 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles.

«I think the mere presence of these forces in the Eastern Mediterranean will not only be sober adversary, but will also force ISIS to make serious conclusions. When they see what power they are opposed, they will realize that it is pointless to do what they are doing now», — said the former commander of Northern fleet Admiral Vyacheslav Popov

[November 17 Russia strikes at Raqqa with cruise missiles from Med

Russian missile cruiser Moskva is moored in the Crimean Black Sea port of Sevastopol on May 10, 2013,   A variety of ships, including the Moskva, were reported to have left from Russia's Sevastopol port in Crimea September 25, according to the independent Turkish ship-spotting blog Bosphorus Naval News.

Two U.S. defense officials say Russia has attacked Raqqa, the Islamic State group's self-declared capital in Syria, with cruise missiles and bombs on Tuesday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss non-U.S. military operations. They provided no details on targets or the scale or outcome of the attacks.

One of the officials said the Russians gave the U.S. prior notification of the attacks by communicating with the U.S.-led coalition's air operations center at al-Udeid air base in Qatar. The official said this was in accordance with protocols worked out by U.S. and Russian officials in October

Grad Sviyazhsk and Uglich, are the first in the new Buyan-M class

[October 8 Russian Navy launches cruise missiles at Jaish al-Fatah, rather than on the Islamic State]

Moscow said it had fired 26 cruise missiles at Syrian targets from naval vessels in the Caspian Sea, 900 miles away, using a  Gepard-class frigate Dagestan and the Buyan-M-class corvettes Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug. They’re armed with Kalibr-NK launchers.

[September 23 2014] DDG launch of Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets]

Guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58)

Published on Sep 23, 2014
RED SEA (Sept 23, 2014) The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) launches Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets. Arleigh Burke is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.







Published on Sep 23, 2014
ARABIAN GULF (Sept. 23, 2014) The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) launches Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAM) against ISIL targets. Philippine Sea is deployed as part of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.





More than a dozen airstrikes have hit Islamic State military targets and administrative buildings in Aleppo and Raqqa provinces in the north as well as al Qaeda's official arm in the country, al Nusra Front in the northwestern city of Idlib.

[March 20 2011 Trafalgar: class submarine fire RN Tomahawks]


The UK has launched guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) from a Trafalgar Class submarine as part of a co-ordinated coalition plan to enforce the UN resolution on Libya.
A UK submarine is understood to have been stationed in the Mediterranean for some time without being detected.

Tankers sail in figure eights

reported tanker locations

Not everyone associated with the oil industry is losing these days. As the enormous ships sail in figure eights around the globe, the tanker companies are reaping the rewards, making as much as $70,000 a day, if not more, for their services.

 Such is the state of the oil industry these days that there is sometimes nowhere to put the oil. Off the coast of Texas, a line of roughly 40 tankers has formed, waiting to unload their crude or, in some cases, for a willing buyer to come along. Similar scenes are playing out off the coasts of Singapore and China and in the Persian Gulf.

[June 5 floating storage: low crude steep contango]

50 million barrels of crude were added to floating storage globally since January,   According to Iranian officials, the country's approximate 50 million barrels stored at sea is mostly condensate and fuel oil, and not crude as some traders fear.   Ccondensate condenses out of the natural  gas if the temperature is reduced to below the hydrocarbon dew point temperature of the raw gas.   Due to the steep contango in the forward curve, the investors best positioned to execute on a long oil trade are those who have the capacity to buy a few thousand barrels of oil, store it in their backyard, and sell it in a few months.  For everyone else, be prepared to pay handsomely for that storage.

[June 5 The fading contango: tankers used for floating storage.freed up as oil unloaded]

Physical oil is coming under pressure as trade houses unwind a profitable storage play after several months that saw them holding millions of barrels on tankers at sea.  Charterers made fresh efforts to get rates below the psychological mark of w60 Worldscale rates for VLCCs on the Persian Gulf to East routes, The key PG-Japan rate was assessed unchanged at w59.. The market is very volatile and if there are one or two replacement or date sensitive cargoes, they push up the rates,

[earlier]

Freight rates for dirty tankers in the East of Suez market have gone up sharply to hit their highest level so far in 2015 lately, amid strong demand to move crude and fuel oil and spike in interest for floating storage.   The long waiting time in Basrah for ships to load and delays in discharging at South Korea and China due to logistics and weather issues also reduced tonnage supply, contributing to firming rates.

[May 13 ]
More VLCCss were being used for storage over the last four – six weeks.   A third of the vessels taken on time charter earlier in the year are now used for floating storage. Most of these are in the Arabian Gulf, but there also some in Singapore, West Africa and the Mediterranean.

[April 24 tankers for crude storage]

Invalid locations?

As much as 90 percent of global oil storage capacity is “captive,” or controlled by major producers such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc or Chevron Corp. That means only a small part of land-based oil storage is available for independent traders to lease to exploit the market contango, which has prevailed since July.


Some of the world’s largest oil traders have moved to secure floating storage in tankers to take advantage of the market contango. Vitol, Koch Industries Inc., Shell and Trafigura Beheer BV, have booked tankers that could be used to store crude at sea for one-year charters, The last time the oil market moved into a significant contango during the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, traders stored 100 million barrels at sea.

[December 12 2014 ]
Seaborne oil trade will rise by 3.5 percent in 2015, against no change in the fleet,  83 very large crude carriers were bound for Chinese ports, at about 8:30 a.m. December 12in London. The ships would transport 166 million barrels, assuming standard cargoes, the largest number in data starting in October 2011. The cost of hiring the vessels surged to the highest in almost five years.   Part of the tanker freight-rate rally may be because of rising shipments from West Africa. Traders booked 33 cargoes of crude on VLCCs from the region this month, 43 percent more than a year earlier.

[October 29  Phantom Ships in the Northwest Passage]
To hide their crimes on the high-seas, hundreds of ships broadcast false identities by using transmitters taken from scrapped vessels on the black market and by typing in made-up ID numbers and hoping they don't arouse suspicion.    Fifteen percent of all ships transmitting fake identities are tankers, typically carrying oil or oil products.    Vessels smuggling oil shipments or other raw materials can lead to significant gaps in intelligence on supply and demand.    large shipping companies seeking to maintain market opaqueness, oil tankers circumventing international sanctions, and large oil producers concealing oil via floating storage in order to affect global oil prices. This group will likely be followed by far more ships seeking to conceal their information in the future.

The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

[May 9 2010 Sitting Ducks for pirates: idling tankers]

At least 15 VLCC crude carriers are idling in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Suez. The tankers can store a combined 30 million barrels of oil.

Traders store oil hoping to benefit from a so-called contango structure in futures markets, in which prompt prices are lower than contracts for later delivery. Traders can make money when the difference in prices is greater than the cost to charter the ship.

The contango between the front-month crude contract traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange and the second-month contract to the highest level since Dec. 15. Dirty products usually include crude oil and may include fuel oil.

The VLCC rate was $43,876 a day as of April 23, according to the London-based Baltic Exchange. The rate has more than doubled this year. VLCCs can carry about 2 million barrels of oil.


Iran, OPEC’s second-biggest oil producer, added three supertankers to its fleet of vessels storing crude, matching a similar program in 2008 that helped freight rates to triple, ship tracking data show.

Two years ago, Iran used as many as 15 tankers for storage, constricting vessel supply and helping to more than triple freight rates in less than three months.

Iran is likely storing oil because of weakening demand as refineries across Asia, accounting for almost two-thirds of global demand for supertankers, carry out maintenance. National Iranian Tanker Co., which operates the supertankers, also has a laden suezmax tanker idling off Iran, ship-tracking data show. A suezmax can hold about 1 million barrels of oil.

Liaoning: generally considered by military experts to be a training carrier

Oct 14, 2015    Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, when asked if China had or would send forces to Syria, told a daily news briefing that she had also noticed the reports.

"I can tell you that as for China's warships, for example the Liaoning, whether it has gone to join, for this issue, as far as I know, there is no such plan. At this time the Liaoning is in a phase of carrying out technical training and military exercises."   The Liaoning is generally considered by military experts to be a training carrier, while China builds its own carriers and works out how to operate them.

more

[February 2 

 The authority in Changzhou, in eastern Jiangshu province, boasted on social media on February 1 that a local firm had won a contract to supply electrical cabling for  China's second aircraft carrier.   It later deleted the post, but not before it had been widely circulated. 

[July 4 2013 Shi Lang Varyag: now  Liaoning, F-5 takes off]

Photo shows a J-15, China's first-generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, taking off from the deck of the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, on June 29, 2013.   Jane's Fighting Ships had previously stated that the ship would be named Shi Lang and assigned pennant number 83 but at the commissioning ceremony, the carrier was officially named Liaoning.




[September 25 2012]
China's first aircraft carrier was delivered to the Chinese Navy at the port of Dalian on September 23, 2012. The carrier, built on former Ukrainian vessel Varyag, is capable of carrying around 30 fixed wing fighters and helicopters and a crew of about 2,000. And the hull number, "16," has been painted on the ship recently. [earlier]China has renovated the Varyag, an incomplete Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier purchased from Ukraine, and carried out the first trial navigation in August 2011. China seems to be advancing training of carrier-based aircraft pilots and development of the J-15, a carrier-based fighter. In addition, it has constructed a structure on land which replicates an aircraft carrier and is developing an airfield for take-off and landing training. Based on these facts, it is believed that China is now earnestly advancing research and development on technologies necessary for possession of aircraft carriers. 
In view of these developments in the modernization of the Chinese Navy, it is believed that China is trying to build capabilities to conduct operations in more distant areas. 

In recent years, when environment surrounding military has greatly been changing including advancement in military specialization and diversification of missions according to the modernization of military, some see that relations between the CCP leadership and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been getting complex and others see that the degree of military influence on foreign policy decisions has been changing13. The situation attracts attention as a risk management issue too. Japan, Defense White paper, July, 2012


[6/8/11]The carrier was constructed in the 1980s for the Soviet navy but was never completed. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the rusting hull of the Varyag sat in dockyards in Ukraine.
A small Hong Kong company called the Chong Lot Travel Agency Ltd.it said wanted to turn it into a floating casino in Macau and purchased it at auction for US$20 million. The total cost of acquiring the hulk was over $30 million USD: $25 million to the Ukrainian government for the hull, nearly $500,000 in transit fees, and some $5 million for the towing.
The head of China's General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has confirmed that China's first aircraft carrier is under construction.
In fact, China faces severe ocean threats, Qi Jianguo, Assistant Chief of General Staff, says, China is now in the oceans are facing the pressure of several directions, to see how the situation changes. You see, now that the sea, the island chain, the South China Sea issue, the Taiwan Strait issue, the East China Sea issue, the question the Yellow Sea, the world can there be a large country like China is facing such a complex marine problems?" Hong Kong Commercial Daily

Gen Chen Bingde refused to say when the carrier - a remodelled Soviet-era vessel, the Varyag - would be ready.

Freedom, Lockheed Martin Corp frigate to Saudi?

Saudi Arabia is in advanced discussions with the U.S. government about buying two frigates based on Freedom a coastal warship [LCS] that Lockheed Martin Corp is building for the U.S. Navy,

September 29 2014 Philippine Bilateral Exercises start near Scarborough Shoal, seized by Chinese]

Joint air and marine exercises "Philippine Bilateral Exercises," or Phiblex, of Philippines and U.S marine units began on Sepember 29 near disputed waters in the South China Sea, testing the readiness of the two oldest security allies in the southeast Asian region to respond to any emergency.

China has expanded its territory in the Gaven, Johnson South, Cuarteron and Chigua reefs in the Spratlys, reclaiming land to build islands to assert its claims.

The Philippines has monitored the presence of more than 120 Chinese warships and fishing boats in the Spratlys in the first half of 2014, establishing firm control over disputed areas.

China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop north of the Spratlys, in June 2012 after a three-month standoff with the Philippines, denying Filipino fishermen access to the rich fishing ground.

In the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippines has also reported the presence of an increasing number of ships, from 11 in the last quarter of 2013 to 34 in the first quarter this year.Two U.S. amphibious ships, USS Peleliu and USS Germantown, are participating in the exercises. Besides simulating boat raids and beach assaults, they will feature aerial live fire, mechanized armor maneuvers and parachute drops.

Annual war games are being held under the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), part of a web of security alliances the United States built in the Asia-Pacific region during the Cold War.




[April 5 2013 USS Freedom: LCS bound for Singapore, nothing to do with North Korea]

  The U.S.’ littoral combat ship USS Freedom is en-route to Singapore for temporary deployment as part of the country’s recent military shift toward Asia. Such a shift can further strain relations with China, which is in territorial dispute with its neighbors. A brand new class of ship the USS Freedom is one of just two littoral class combat ships of the U.S. Navy and it pulled into Guam's waters this morning to dock at the Apra harbor. The USS Freedom carries with it two smaller boats that it can launch from two doors in it's rear or aft. These boats carry special interdiction teams trained to board vessels. Commander Timothy Wilke says it's deployment has nothing to do with recent threats from North Korea.

Before it can do that however, the $670 million ship has to get there. The USS Freedom has suffered three blackouts so far in its transit between Hawaii and Guam. As reported by Aviation Week: The most recent two this week — including one March 21 — brings the outage total to three, all during the ship’s transit from Pearl Harbor to Guam en route to Singapore, says U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman Darryn James. The outage problems appear to be similar to those the ship suffered during a deployment in the Atlantic when the vessel was first pressed into Navy service, a source intimately familiar with Freedom operations says.

Other than not being able to keep the lights on, the guns on the USS Freedom are also reported not to work properly, and her helicopter is too small to perform mine-sweeping. Additionally  the Navy has admitted in a recent report that the “LCS is not expected to be survivable…” in combat. 

[March 4 2011]






Northrop Grumman-built MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) flew its first test flights from the U.S. Navy's littoral combat ship, USS Freedom (LCS-1).
The U.S. Navy in the last week of 2010 awarded contracts to industry teams led by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics to build one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) with options for nine more over the next five years, as well as technical data packages and support services. Total value of the Lockheed Martin award is $491.9 million; the General Dynamics team contract is for $465.4 million. Saudi Arabia has expressed an interest in Freedom Class vessel, LCS-I
Suppression of enemy air defense for a no-fly zone is done with strike fighters or bombers. This means that any sort of no-fly-zone will have to be enforced by NATO allies, most likely England, France and Italy. There haven’t been any talks about increasing the number of ships near Libya but rather there have been discussions about repositioning naval assets already there. On March 8 that there were no plans to move the carrier Enterprise now in the Red Sea, around a day-long cruise from the Mediterranean. 

 [April 5 2013]U.S.Navy F/A-18 Warplanes have been sent To Philippines For Military Drills. "There will be table top exercises on how the militaries of the two countries would respond to a destructive typhoon as well as in the event of a major ship collision on the high seas," Garcia said, adding the combat aspect would showcase the capability of the U.S. Navy's multi-role fighters The F/A-18 Hornet, an all-weather aircraft, is used as an attack aircraft as well as a fighter. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18 is used primarily as a fighter escort and for fleet air defense; in its attack mode, it is used for force projection, interdiction and close and deep air support. The presence of the warplanes is not connected to tensions on the Korean peninsula, a Philippine army spokesman said.

Hercules Offshore files for voluntary bankruptcy

Hercules Offshore files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to navigate weak crude oil market.Hercules said its net operating days in the United States declined by more than half year-on-year and the average day rate to lease a rig declined from $108,237 during second quarter 2014 to $92,538.

[July 27 2013 Hercules 265: fire out - natural gas leak, then fire]

The natural gas well blowout and fire earlier in the week that spread to a jackup, causing part it to collapse, has gone out. The chain of events began July 23 when Walter Oil & Gas’ A-3 natural gas well in South Timbalier 220, off the coast of Louisiana, suffered a gas leak, resulting in a blowout. That brought about the safe evacuation of 44 rig workers, James Noe, a vice-president with Hercules Offshore, owner of the rig, told Rigzone. The gas that continued to leak from the well ignited around 10:50 p.m. local time Tuesday and the fire spread to the rig, the Hercules 265 (250’ MC) jackup. Several hours later, the rig derrick collapsed and continued to burn, and Walter Oil & Gas began officials thought about drilling a relief well. Before the well owner had to make that decision, the natural flow of sand and sediment into the well bore plugged the well in a process known as “bridging over”. With the flow of natural gas cut off, the well fire soon burned out, and the fire on the rig was contained to the portion of the rig that had collapsed. That fire has since burned itself out, as well.  A portion of the Hercules 265 (250’ MC) jackup has collapsed after catching fire .

“Two firefighting vessels were in the area and re-located a safe distance from the fire. A third vessel equipped with fire-fighting capability and improved monitoring system is enroute and expected to arrive late morning. The 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Pomano is standing by to assess the situation and enforce the security zone. The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress is enroute and will arrive at approximately noon,” the BSEE said in a press statement.There was no fire as of evening at the site, about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico, but natural gas was spewing from the Hercules 265 drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, Tuesday, July 23, 2013. No injuries were reported in the midmorning blowout.   The fire started around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday evening, when natural gas leaking from the A-3 natural gas well at South Timbalier Block 220 ignited off the coast of Louisiana. The fire then spread to the Hercules jackup.   Hercules 265 is a 250′ mat-supported cantilevered jackup unit.