NAUTICAL LOG

Japanese F-15J fighter Su-30 fighter in Russian colours China scrambled jets on Friday in response to two U.S. spy planes and 10 Japanese aircraft, including F-15 fighters, entering its new ADIZ over the East China Sea according to news agency Xinhua.  Earlier the same news agency said the PRC sent an early warning aircraft into the ADIZ.  The PRC patrols were conducted as " a defensive measure and in line with international practices " - whatever that means.  The jets included Su-30 fighters a Russian design and PRC air force is " on high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats to firmly protect the security of the country's airspace" Of course the only persons bothering the PRC is the PRC itself which is creating this imaginary problem as an excuse to expand its national territory into the East China Sea.  While the PRC says there has been no impact on international civilian flights this is not entirely true because all it take...

Japanese patrol aircraft over Senkaku Islands Chart showing both Japanese Zones and the new PRC claimed zone which overlap    UPDATED FROM SOME LATER REPORTS   China claims to have monitored the flight of two USAF B-52 bombers that flew across its newly declared "air-defence identification zone" (ADIZ) its Defence Ministry said.  Well maybe.  It is quite easy to make statements like that after an event which the World Media has announced loud and clear.  South Korea also conducted a flight its Defence Ministry said, in the case of South Korea their claimed territory includes a sunken rock within the PRC defined zone. As can be seen from the chart above the new PRC zone overlaps with the air zone set out by Japan and covers disputed islands that are controlled by Japan which patrols the area. It is clear from their comments and the failure of discussions with China that both South Korea and Japan are going to continue with overflights and p...

Japanese Senkaku Islands USAF B-52 bomber    In response to the PRC Provocaion NAUTICAL LOG wrote about in the previous Post the United States using its Air Force (USAF) did some cage rattling of its own.  From various print Media sources the following information has been received. Two U.S. B-52 bombers flew over the Japanese Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea during a training mission from their base on Guam.  The two unarmed bombers were in the PRC claimed Air-Defence Zone for less than an hour during an overflight there.  They did not follow any of the PRC's newly declared mandatory flight rules for aircraft in the East China Sea airspace. Neither USAF aircraft encountered any problems. The bombers long-planned training mission underscores Washington's rejection of the PRC's new rules.  The U.S. which has many aircraft based in the region has absolutely no intention of complying with the PRC rules.  Japan has called the z...

Senkaku Islands of Japan   PRC website chart of Zone   More provocation from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) which seems to continuously want trouble no doubt to deflect its population from the lack of Human Rights and living conditions in that nation.  In today's BBC News Asia was the headline " China establishes 'air-defence zone' over East China Sea".   NAUTICAL LOG  quotes below from the article: " China has demarcated an "air defence identification zone" over an area of the East China Sea, covering the islands that are also claimed by Japan.  China's Defence Ministry said aircraft entering the zone must obey its rules or face "emergency defensive measures".  The islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China are a source of rising tensions between the countries. Japan lodged a strong protest  over what it said was an "escalation  ........................................Taiwan, which also claims t...

At this time of the year NAUTICAL LOG usually looks at the Posts of the past year, the reaction to them and about next year.  We will continue to publish and yes we will perhaps be even more aggressive in viewing the maritime world.  We shall be looking for websites and subject matter for Posts that are educational in Nautical Science .  NAUTICAL LOG feels that seamanship has died and automation taken over to the point of largely unskilled in traditional seamanship officers and crew on the Bridges of all vessels.  It seems that most cannot steer a ship in an emergency and cannot properly plot positions on a navigation chart using traditional methods or work sights to check on all that automation.  The cruise line vessels in particular are at fault here as observed and quietly reported by Port Pilots as well as other qualified seafarers. Then we have the disgraceful behaviour of the United States Navy which is suspend...

The following M -Notices have been published and are available at www.dft.gov.uk .   If there are problems call 023 8032 9391 MIN 469 (M)   Requirements for Updating Training in accordance with the 2010 Manila Amendments to the STCW Convention 1978. MIN 470 (M)   Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) - Additional Funds of up to £3 million. MIN 471 (M)   Training and Certification - Large Yacht Qualification, Navigational Watch Rating, Efficient Deck Hand and Able Seafarer Deck Certification Amendments. MIN 472 (M)   New Requirements for Security Training for Shipboard Personnel. MGN 499 (M+F)   Life Saving Appliances: Inflatable Liferafts, Marine Evacuation Systems, Inflatable Lifejackets and Hydrostatic Release Units - Serving Requirements. Good Watch

 November 22, 1963 is usually a date that people remember where they were.   John F. Kennedy 35th. President of the United States of America was murdered in Dallas, TX some 50 years ago today. NAUTICAL LOG remembers being on passage from the Panama Canal to Australia as 2nd. Officer in the MV Pinebank of Andrew Weir's Bankline, Glasgow, Scotland.  One of our Deck Apprentices was listening to the radio and picked up the news from an American station in Hawaii and immediately called me. Quite frankly it was confusing and hard to understand what had happened though one had overheard a very vicious conversation against him in the Agents car in New Orleans, LA which made it rather clear that many in the " South " disliked him.  Political opinion is always strong and outspoken in the States so it was not entirely a surprise but his being murdered was taking it to a different level. At the time we were all quite shocked on board and even though we were a Br...

Pine Island Glacier Reference navigation book More usual World maritime routes  Showing Antarctica and infrequently used southern maritime routes      It is NAUTICAL LOG believes fair to say that the Media have become " news creators " rather than just reporting accurately what has happened in the World as news.  Examples of this are seen daily, in fact hourly, particularly when criminal activity is involved, as the various Media groups led by CNN and FOX rush to be " in with it first " this they well may be  - but is it accurate?  Unfortunately the answer is it is not.  The Boston Marathon bombing reporting is a prime example of the rush to be first -  inaccurately. Taking just our own profession about which we seafarers do know what we are talking about reports of maritime incidents and events are usually scrambled, do not use the correct maritime terminology, a fine example are reports of cru...

No its not the " Affordable Care Act " but NOAA seems to have handled change just about as awkwardly as the Obama Administration   did its socialist national health service.  ( A thought about the wonders of Socialism in Norway the other day where taxes are a minimum of 60% of ones wages and a loaf of bread costs $7.31 - now there's food for thought!!) Back in October there was an announcement from NOAA that after 150 years of printing nautical charts they were going to stop.  Well of course the Media at large including NAUTICAL LOG jumped in with articles.  It seems that NOAA did pay some attention and in the style of our President explaining his " Obamacare" are trying to explain just what they meant.  It is that after 150 years they are not going to print nautical charts !! They sent out a long e-mail which states in part; " On April 13, 2014 the federal government will stop lithographic printing of NOAA's nautical charts.  It is...

  This morning NAUTICAL LOG was extremely annoyed to read the report from Hobart, Tasmania that the international negotiations aimed at creating a Marine Reserve in the Antarctic was unsuccessful - the debate was heated. The reason it was unsuccessful is that delegates from Russia, China and Ukraine resisted the efforts by the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.  The United States and New Zealand had proposed creating a 500,000 square mile Ocean Marine Reserve in the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea. It must be admitted however that while Australia, France and the European Union championed the creation of a Reserve none of these Nations make any serious attempt to send patrol vessels into the area when the whaling fleet and fishing fleets encroach the region fishing to excess. In the recent seasonal clashes between the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and the Japanese Whaling Fleet (JWF) the Australian Gover...