1/16/2013 Station Identification and Notice Board:

WELCOME TO AMERICAN ADMIRALTY BOOKS!

Barque:  ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLT II, Named for the Oceanographer
Photo by Hans Georg Schroder

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2013

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THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IS PERFORMED  BY"MADISON RISING":
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8C7i9kdEf8

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IN THE NEWS:

Unprecedented Tokyo trial starts

Somali pair admit trying to hijack ship

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20130115x1.html

Two pirates captured by U.S. forces and turned over to the Japanese Coast Guard started their trials in Tokyo today. The turn over was to Japanese authorities because the assault was against a Japanese owned ship, though it was registered under a flag of convenience. New Japanese anti piracy laws allow for such prosecutions and U.S. authorities much prefer prosecution to the more usual "catch and release. If convicted the Somali men face sentences of five years to life.

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CHINA TO SURVEY DISPUTED MARINE TERRITORIES

http://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/global-issues/1380-china-to-survey-disputed-marine-territories

"The 2nd Chinese Comprehensive Survey of Marine and Island Resources will be started sometime in the first half of this year. The survey is expected to be completed by December 2016. By this survey, the Chinese hope to fill earlier gaps regarding the distribution, quality and quantity of resources in important marine and island territories like Sansha and other baseline points."

Undoubtedly, the unveiling of this new plan would draw criticism from other countries having disputes with China on marine territories (including islands), with the probable exclusion of Taiwan. But of greater concern is the escalation of disputes mainly in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

It remains to be seen what measures countries such as Japan and Vietnam resort to when Chinese survey vessels actually begin conducting surveys in marine territories and islands which they claim to be their own. One has also to watch what security measures these Chinese survey vessels employ to thwart actions from vessels of the other claimant countries."

Editorial Note: Couple this news with last week's news that Japan is beefing up its Coast Guard presence in the disputed area with China and we perceive another dangerous government vessel on government vessel confrontation looming for later in 2013. Unless of course the Dragon does something else rash sooner.

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IN THE BLOG POSTS TODAY:

THE STATUS OF AMERICA's BLUE WATER MERCHANT MARINE

IN THE BLOG POSTS YESTERDAY

Yesterday we posted the second of a series of semi annual reports on the economic health of the American Merchant Marine. We usually divide the report into two sections one for the domestic Jones Act service, and one for the international service. However this year's drought conditions in the Mississippi Valley so negatively impacted the towboat and barge industry that we have made that segment of the Jones Act trades the subject of a separate report. We have now posted our analysis on the economic performance of the rest of The Jones Act Fleet.Todaywe posted our report on the deep draft or international fleet, and possibly before the week's end we may have a report on the commercial fishing industry.  Previous reports from 2012 are posted in our News section.

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