NAUTICAL LOG

We mentioned in our Post "STRANGE COMMAND" that the Sea Shepherds do not have any news about the 2013 Southern Ocean Japanese Whaling Fleet when lo and behold today comes that news.  It is a calm clear report with no flamboyant bombastic language that usually accompanies such notices in past seasons. Their vessel DVV2 Brigitte Bardot met up at sea with the catcher vessel MS Yushin Maru No. 3 which was apparently making a latitude sweep along the coastal waters of Antarctica.  In spite of various remarks about them catching whales the SSCS pirate group do not actually know if the Japanese have caught any whales but they suspect they have not yet done so. This season the SSCS pirate group must remain 500 metres away from any Japanese Whaling Fleet vessel they say they will observe this distance.  The Ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District prohibits " navigating in a manner that is likely to endanger the safe navigation of any su...

From the time NAUTICAL LOG was first published we have always taken a highly negative position against the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS).  This is due not to their gallant efforts to protect whales but the tactics used - violent acts of piracy which endanger both their own and other seafarers lives. During 2012 the pendulum of opinion and finally the Law caught up with their leader whom we have usually referred to as " Wats-his-name " he is of course one Paul Watson.  During 2012 this individual was arrested on outstanding warrants and incarcerated in Germany.  After a period of time he was released on bail, which is an honour system, with the understanding that he would remain in Germany.  However having no personal honour or respect for the Law since he has always declared himself above the Law he decamped.  Leaving for " parts unknown " and so remains to this day but we understand that in actual fact he is on board one of the SSCS...

This week came an announcement from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines by Albert del Rosario the Philippine Foreign Secretary.  It stated that his government will take issue with the maritime disputes in the South China Sea that effect his Nation.  They will present for Arbitration under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) the behaviour of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) as it effects territory claimed by both his Nation and the PRC.  Both Nations are signatories of UNCLOS and both Nations have ratified the Treaty. The principal issue is the Scarborough Shoal/Huangyan Island which the PRC-PLAN took from the Republic of the Philippines by military force resulting in the Philippines being excluded from fishing in the area.  How was this done?  Well while the PRC was building a competent military structure the Philippines was doing nothing.  While the PRC developed PLAN the Philippines was busy elect...

Resulting from the tragedies of 2012 there is considerable discussion, from all points of view, about what is being referred to under the somewhat vague general term of " gun control " .  It has been interesting to listen to all these various points of view and throughout the discussion one as never heard the two points of the Amendment II mentioned let alone discussed. Under the Constitution of the United States " gun control " is in and of itself illegal - end of subject. Why is that?  The  Amendment II states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It  would seem that nothing could be clearer from that simple and straightforward sentence but there are two points which in the 21st. Century need clarification Militia and Arms because the U.S. Constitution was written in the 18th. Century and both these terms have changed in the intervening t...

Since NAUTICAL LOG ceased regular publication we have had requests to resume and some comments about not publishing comments!!  Of course if one thinks about it there is not much sense in publishing comments if we are not writing Posts about current maritime affairs. However as this year of 2013 progresses we do see that there are events in both the maritime world and outside it that may well be worth writing about.  We have therefore decided to on occasions Post about current affairs both maritime and outside. We hope that you will enjoy these occasional Posts and comment on them which comments will now be published under the same Rules as before. Good Watch