erifish

Roxanna Samii, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) -I first visited Eritrea in 2008 and it was love at first sight. In December 2009 when I landed in Asmara airport, I felt like I was back home. I spent my first couple of days visiting the irrigation schemes in zoba Debub and then went east to zoba Northern Red Sea where I visited Massawa, the capital city of Northern Red Sea Zoba which is the centre of Eritrea’s fishing industry.

Massawa is one of the hottest places on earth, with temperatures soaring well above 40C (104F) and 80% or more humidity for much of the year. Yet, like rest of this beautiful country, it has its charm.

Eritrea is a relatively rich country in terms of natural resources. It has gold, potash, zinc, copper and salt. What is perhaps less known is the fact that Eritrea also has significant fisheries resources and that 20% of the coastal population’s livelihoods depends on fisheries. However, unlike the gold or copper, fisheries resources, if properly managed, can continuously provide food, employment and income to the coastal communities.

Eritrea’s 1,200km coastline is highly favourable for artisanal fishing offering rich and varied fish stocks and sheltered fishing grounds. Unlike artisanal fishers in other parts of the world, Eritrean fishers have not overexploited their resources and could potentially increase their catch from the few thousand tons per year to at least 40,000 if not 80,000 tons per year.

Their fish stocks include lizard fish, threadfin breams, and catfish (soft bottom demersal); snappers, emperors, grunts, job fish and groupers (hard bottom demersal and reef fishes); sardines and anchovies (small pelagic); tunas, mackerels and sharks (large pelagic); shrimp, crabs, lobsters (crustaceans); and squids and octopus and cuttlefish (cephalopods).

“Eritrea’s fisheries sector has the potential to contribute substantively to our national food security and can play an important role in reducing poverty in coastal areas”, says Andom Ghebretensae, Director-General Regulatory Services. “Currently we have 3,000 licensed artisanal fishers. Eritrea’s coast not only is rich in fisheries resources but also has great potential for tourism.”

The Government of Eritrea has long recognized this potential and in collaboration with a number of donors such as the African Development Bank and the European Union has built EU standard landing and processing sites. These sites are fully equipped with processing and storage facilities, where trained personnel weigh, process and grade the catch.

Eritrea’s fish exports may have been low in recent years (approximately 234mt in 2008), however, thanks to the upgrading of landing and processing facilities, today Eritrea is eligible to export fish products to European Union countries.

Eritrean artisanal fishers aspire to become entrepreneurs

Eritrean artisanal fishers use two types of fishing boats – houris or sambuks. Houris constitute 80% of the fishing fleet. These are wooden boats and measure anywhere between 8-13 metres. It has an outboard engine and can take up to five people on board.

Sambuk, 16 metre wooden boat with an inboard engine, constitute approximately 9% of the fishing fleet. Sambuks can take up to nine people on board.

The remaining 11% is made up of fibreglass reinforced plastic boats imported from Saudi Arabia or Yemen, although some are also being built in Eritrea.

“I have a traditional wooden boat called a houri which I bought thanks to a 5 year loan”, says Ahmed Hamid, an artisanal fisher. “There are three of us and with our boat we can go between 8-10 kilometres from the shore and we can always count on an average catch of 800 kilos”.

“During the fishing season – which is approximately seven months – we make about 2-3 fishing expeditions per month. We use small nets and usually stay out in the sea for an average of 10 days”, explains Hamid

“We buy ice from Massawa Fish Landing centre for 0.80 nakfa per kilo and use it to preserve the fish on board”, says Hamid proudly. “We sell our entire catch to National Fisheries Corporation which then sells it to processors such as Erifish. They buy the snappers for 22 nakfa per kilo and the groupers go for 25 nakfa. And we use 20% of our catch to repay the loan”.

On the landing site, Hamid and his fellow fishers unload their 800 kilo of first class tuna, snappers, emperor and groupers in big blue containers. Their catch is immediately taken next door to the EU certified Erifish processing plant, where a team of 24 people degut, process and packaged the fish for export.

“I have everything I need on my traditional boat – a cellphone, my medical kit and a transistor radio – but I would like to buy fibre glass reinforced boat, so that we can stay a maximum of a month and come back with an average catch of 1.5 tons”, said Hamid with a smile. “And I look forward to the day when I am able to sell part of my catch freely on the market”.

Fisheries sector can help ensure national food security and provide investment opportunities

In Eritrea, meat is the preferred source of protein. Fish consumption is estimated at 0.5-1kg/person/year which is low compared both to the average Africa consumption, estimated at 8kg/person/year.

“We need to encourage our people to eat more fish and to consider fish as an alternative source of protein”, says Seid Mohamed Abrar, Director, Office of the Minister of Marine Resources.

“We have high market value fish and we can fish approximately 80,000 tons per year without any risk of depleting the fish stock”, says Abrar. “By exploiting our fisheries resources, we can contribute to ensuring food security for our coastal population and help the artisanal fishers to improve their livelihoods.”

This is why the Government of Eritrea requested IFAD’s assistance to design a fisheries development project to support artisanal fishers in the Red Sea coastal regions.

“The IFAD-funded Fisheries Development Project under the auspices of the Ministry of Marine Resources will reorganize and strengthen fishers’ cooperatives and support artisanal fishers so that they can increase their incomes and improve their food security”, says Abla Benhammouche, Country Programme Manager for Eritrea. “This project will help Minister of Marine Resources to make the fisheries sector sustainable and at the same time reduce illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.”

The Fisheries Development Project will build the capacity of fishers such as Hamid and equip them with modern fishing techniques and better and secure boats and fishing gears. At the same time, the project will encourage private sector initiatives to add value to the processing and packaging process, also build the capacity of Erifish to better market the catch domestically and expand their export markets.

To support private sector investment, artisanal fishers such as Hamid will be allowed to sell 20% of their catch to private processors and traders, with the prospect of increasing this percentage as private sector further develops.

Last but not least, private sector investment can help transform Eritrea’s Red Sea coast into a flourishing tourist resort, offering spectacular diving opportunities and uncontaminated beaches. “We can become a viable rival to other Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh”, says a proud Abrar.

Legacy of a visionary American biologist: Mangroves for all

During World War II Dr Gordon Sato, a biologist spent some time in a concentration camp called Manzanar in California desert. During his internment he developed his vision of eradicating hunger by enabling African nations to feed themselves. He invested half a million dollar of his own money in the Manzanar Project.

This visionary philanthropic scientist conceived this project as low-tech solution to hunger and poverty and to combat the impact of climate change, when climate change was neither on the international agenda nor on the talk of the town!

The project started during the 30-year war to win independence from Ethiopia. Sato first joined the Eritrean fighters in 1987 and introduced fish farming. He succeeded in growing fish and providing high protein food for the wounded. After the war, he focused on issues related to economic development and applied what he knew best – biological principles – to develop a self-sufficient economy in a country that is prone to drought and famine.

However, soon he saw the potential of mangroves to increase food production all the way up the food chain.

In an interview, Sato said: “I was in an area with mangrove trees, and I noticed the camels eating them. I got the idea that the trees could also supply food for sheep and goats. There was lots of available space for growing mangroves, so it seemed like an obvious solution. Initially, I had to figure out how best to grow them and how to make the mangroves good food. We found that mangroves would be adequate food for livestock, as long as they were supplemented by a small amount of fish meal prepared from fish waste.”

Years later, thanks to the Manzanar project and Sato’s legacy, Eritreans are using fresh leaves and dried mangrove seeds as livestock feed. This project has also taught herders that the seaweed that washes up on shore can be dried, processed and used as animal feed.

Ammanuel Yemane, Manzanar project manager, takes pride to showcase Sato’s teaching. Sato and his team reached the conclusion the mangroves were growing in areas where rainwater was washing into the sea. The rain was providing nitrogen, phosphorous and iron – elements lacking in seawater. The team buried the seeds with a piece of iron and a punctured bag of fertiliser rich in nitrogen and phosphorous and saw the mangroves flourishing.

Today, Yemane and his team work with women, men, herders and fishers of Hirgigo village to teach them how to use the same technique to plant mangroves so that they can effectively address sustainable resource issues such as providing food for livestock, protecting the fish and preventing deforestation. “The village is now learning to manage the mangroves and we can recover the lost mangroves in approximately 6 months”, comments Yemane.

The IFAD-funded Fisheries Development Project will join forces with Yemane and his young group of dedicated and passionate Eritrean to support the rehabilitation of the mangroves and to:

• build capacity of fishers to develop viable and sustainable business plans
• teach fishers how to protect marine natural resources such as the coral reefs
• teach fishers to form cooperatives
• organize exchange visits

A brighter future

Through out their history Eritrean people repeatedly have shown their resilience and resoluteness. It goes without saying that they will be able to unleash the potential of their untapped gold mine – their fisheries sector – in the most sustainable manner and as a result contribute substantively to improve the livelihoods of the coastal population and create a vibrant local private sector.

Oil Rig

Saudi state-owned Aramco has been administering a tender for a seismic survey of Saudi territorial waters in the Red Sea. Industry sources said European companies have submitted bids to survey 14,000 square kilometers in a project worth up to $200 million.

Some of the bidders were identified as Norway’s Petroleum Geo-Services, the Netherlands’s Fugro and Britain’s WesternGeco. Aramco has been preparing to begin drilling for energy reserves in the Red Sea in 2012.

The sources said Aramco has deemed the Red Sea the next major source for crude oil and natural gas for the Saudi kingdom. Saudi Arabia has reached a capacity to produce 12.5 million barrels of oil per day.

Exploration activities are taking place across the red sea region. Sudan has recently started drilling its first overseas offshore exploration well in the Red Sea Basin off Sudan with the help of the state China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The well falls in Area 15 under the franchise of the Red Sea Petroleum Operating Co., a consortium of five firms including the CNPC, Malaysia’s state oil firm Petronas, Sudan’s state oil firm Sudapet, Nigeria’s Express Petroleum and Sudanese firm High Tech Group. Petronas and CNPC each have a 35 percent interest in the block 15.

According to the Sudanese minister of Energy and Mining the results from prospecting for oil and gas in the Red Sea are positive.

Tokar-1 is one of two exploration wells in Block 15, located some 130 kilometers southeast of Port Sudan. The CNPC and its partners plan to complete drilling in six months. The wells have a designed drilling depth of 3,700 meters, and water depths of 38 meters and 52 meters respectively.

Commander Steven Drysdale, officer of the watch Lieutenant Commander Andrew Cutler and navigation officer Lieutenant Lee Blair all admitted an offence of neglecting to perform their duty at a previous hearing.

The court martial at Portsmouth Naval Base was told that the charge relates to the grounding of HMS Superb as it travelled through the Red Sea on May 26 2008.

Captain Stuart Crozier, prosecuting, told the hearing that the submarine had been suffering from technical problems, causing it to lose speed.

He said there was pressure on Drysdale to ensure the submarine arrived in the Gulf on time for planned operations. Capt Crozier said Drysdale ordered a new route to be plotted which cut about four miles off the previous route.

He also ordered the submarine to dive at a deeper depth where there was colder water, allowing the submarine to travel faster. The new route was to be travelled at a depth of 250 metres rather than the planned depth of 100 metres.

But when the new route was charted by the plotting officer, who does not face the court martial, all three defendants failed to spot the pinnacle marked on the map as 123 metres deep. The hearing was told that the pinnacle, which was the sole shallow point in the area, was highlighted on other charts but these were not used by the submarine crew because they had not been approved for navigation.

Capt Crozier said that when the submarine collided with the pinnacle, the vessel was brought to an almost immediate halt. He said: ”The submarine collided with the underwater obstacle reducing its speed from 16 knots to three knots in a very short time.”

He added: ”There was a significant amount of damage to the forehead of the submarine but no casualties.”

Capt Crozier explained that because the margin of error used when charting the original route should have been adequate to identify any shallow points, no new check was made for potential dangers along the new route.

He said: ”All three looked at the chart. No thorough check was made as to the depths in relation to the decision to take the submarine to this dive depth (250 metres).

”The new navigational track went directly over the pinnacle which showed 132 metres. ”This fact had not been seen by the plot officer or officer of the watch (Cutler) and neither had the chart been properly checked after the decision to alter course. ”This pinnacle had also been missed by Blair and the commanding officer (Drysdale).”

The court martial was told that checking the chart would have been made more difficult because the line of the new route had been drawn directly across the spot where the pinnacle lay on the map, making it difficult to see.

The hearing was told that new procedures had now been brought in by the Royal Navy meaning that all depths had to be rechecked when a new route was charted for a submarine.

Cdr Alison Towler, representing Drysdale, told the court that the commanding officer had since been moved to a desk job. She added that the service had also stopped Drysdale from taking up the high-profile position of Royal Navy staff officer submarines in Washington DC, USA, shortly after the incident.

She said that Drysdale, who has served in the navy for 25 years, had inspected the chart but had misread the depth of the pinnacle as 723 metres rather than 123 metres.

She said: ”Cdr Drysdale wishes to express his deep remorse and regret in relation to the incident which has led to this court martial. ”He fully accepts his responsibility in relation to this matter.” Cdr Joe Turner, representing Cutler, said: ”He regrets the incident and fully accepts his responsibility.

”He will have to live with what happened for the rest of his life. He expresses his full remorse.” Cdr Stuart Wright, representing Blair, said that the navigation officer was ”fatigued” at the time of the crash having lost his signal communications officer to illness.

He said that since the incident Blair had been involved in officer training at the Britannia Royal Naval College but would be once again taking up a post of navigation officer on-board the submarine HMS Turbulent later this month.

Cdr Wright said: ”That is a measure of the confidence the service has in this very capable young man.” The collision caused damage to HMS Superb’s bow and its sonar equipment causing it to have difficulty diving. The submarine had to abandon its planned deployment but was able to return to the UK under its own power, the hearing was told.

The submarine, which came into service in 1976, was decommissioned in September 2008 although the MoD has said the accident had not led to the submarine being taken out of service earlier than already planned.

Cdr Towler said that this withdrawal from service had also meant the financial impact of the accident had been kept to a minimum. Drysdale pleaded guilty to ”failing to ensure the safe direction” of the submarine while Cutler pleaded guilty to ”failing to supervise the plot officer adequately”.

Blair pleaded guilty to ”failing to take into account all the dangers in or near the planned movements of HMS Superb”. Source; (The Telegraph)

Bly Harish Kohli

If you’re looking for an adventure that is physically active yet relaxing, mentally stimulating and spiritually uplifting, diving amid the wonders of a coral reef may be the ultimate answer. But where should you go, especially if you have a taste for something and somewhere a bit out of the way?

Here are four corners of paradise for the discerning reef diver, which are teeming with wondrous wildlife but not yet with truckloads of tourists.

ERITREA

Eritrea has perfect coral reefs untouched by humans and teeming with aquatic life in all the colours of the rainbow. At the bottom of the sea youll find sunken wrecks, ships, tanks, rocket launchers and even a complete dry dock. In the Dahlak coral reefs you can find 250 species of fish, as well as sharks, dolphins, barracuda, tuna, caranx narrow-bodied fish with widely forked tails and dugong, the near extinct sea cow. Dugong are large enough not to have many predators; on the other hand, they have a long life span and are slow breeders, which make them vulnerable to threats. See them while you can. You need a visa to visit Eritrea. There are good hotels to stay in but sleeping on the beach is free and fun.

BELIZE

The Barrier Reef off Ambergris Caye (island) lies about a kilometre off the windward side of the island. At about 300 km, it is the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland.

Inside the reef the water is shallow and blue-tinged; outside the reef, the water is deep and seen from the air looks a dark royal blue. Near Ambergris Caye the reef almost touches land and here it is a magnificent, almost so!id wall of coral formations, broken only by narrow channels called “quebradas”. The coral is astonishing in its endless variety of shapes and colours: rainbow-tinged tropical fish, delicate sea fans, sponges and gorgeous coral gardens.

Beyond the reef, the seabed drops sharply in a series of layers to enormous depths, where gamefish such as mackerel, tuna, sailfish and marlin.

To the east of the Barrier Reef there are three separate atoll reefs, which run northeast-southwest and are separated by deep marine trenches. Just to the north, in Mexican waters, is a fourth atoll reef, Banco Chinchorro, where there are abundant wrecks to explore. UK-based operator AwimAway.com (020 7430 1766, http://www.awimaway.com) an adventure specialist undertakes some interesting tours to the region.

SOUTH AFRICA

Tropical sunshine and the warm Aughlas current have allowed the formation of a unique coral reef at Sodwana, about 400 km north of Durban near the Mozambique border. The reef is home to over 1200 species of reef fish and also hosts visits from mantas, whale sharks, Zambezi sharks, humpback whales and dolphins.

Sodwana Bay the name means little one on its own in Zulu – is one of the most popular of the dive sites, being easily accessible by road from Durban and enjoying temperatures averaging a pleasant 2428C. There are many shallow coastal pools suitable for snorkelling, with interesting reef formations and fish life. Check out with http://www.awimaway.com for your customised tour to the region.

AUSTRALIA

Yes, of course theres the Great Barrier Reef, but for something a bit different, think about Ningaloo Reef, which is off the town of Exmouth, pretty much as far west as you can go in Australia (flights from Perth daily). Ningaloo Reef is a fringing, rather than a barrier reef, because it is quite close to the shore and only shallow water separates land and reef.

This intricate reef system stretches over 260 km and, at some points, is only metres from the beach. It is home to myriad marine animals, including the largest fish in the world, the rare whale shark, some specimens of which grow to 18 metres in length. Whale shark visit the Ningaloo Reef between March and June looking for plankton to eat. Humpback whales, manta rays and green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles can also be seen in their season.

The little damselfish, which hide in the coral, the colourful and conspicuous wrasses, the exquisitely patterned and graceful butterflyfish and the similarly gorgeous angelfish, abundant cardinalfish and parrotfish all contribute to making this an environment of rare splendour, impressive as a diving destination all year round.

ASMARA (Reuters) – An impending mining boom in Eritrea will challenge oil-rich neighbours to make it easier for foreign companies to prospect across a massive geological structure in the region rich in base metals and gold, analysts say.

Eritrea set the government’s stake in any mining project at 10 percent stake in 2008 with an option to buy a further 30 percent, a small claim compared to other countries in the area like Egypt which mandates a 50 percent stake or Sudan at 60 percent, according to industry experts.

The relatively liberal mining terms have led more than a dozen foreign companies to get licenses to explore in Eritrea which analysts expect to accelerate dramatically in the next five years and provide a lifeline for the impoverished economy.

Advanced projects are at Bisha, run by Canada’s Nevsun Resources Ltd, with gold production expected by the end of the year, and at Zara, run by Australia’s Chalice Gold Mines and expected to start producing a year later.

“In the next ten years other nations in the region will look at Eritrea’s mining boom and they will want in. They will relax their laws and it will become a regional boom,” Timothy Strong, Eritrea manager for British company London Africa, told Reuters.

“If you look at the geography, Eritrea is a relatively small nation compared to African giants Sudan and Egypt, but it has many more foreign mining companies than the others combined. Geologically speaking, they are just as prospective as Eritrea.”

The companies are attracted to Eritrea because it sits on a patch of the Arabian Nubian Shield, a geologic feature that stretches from Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the east to Sudan and Egypt in the west.

PRESSURE ON THE NEIGHBOURS

Tucker Barrie, an economic geologist and an expert on the Arabian Nubian Shield, says neighbouring countries have already taken note that foreign companies are now prospecting nearby.

“It is not going to wash with any foreign company if Khartoum keeps asking for 60 percent of gold mining projects. That’s why even though it’s 50 times the size of Eritrea, there is only one foreign company mining there,” he said.

“However Khartoum is well aware it needs to revise its mining law. In fact, they asked me to show them a copy of Eritrea’s mining law. The bottom line is, these are poor countries and they should take as much as they can of their own resource, but it’s a balancing act, they still need to invite foreign companies into their country.” Source: (Reuters)

Massawa

Meals are available in all hotels. There are also hotels and guest houses in smaller towns whose prices are generally slightly lower than for those in the main centers.

When making reservations, check for service charges and sales taxes. Hotel bills must be paid in hard currency known as Nakfa. Credit cards are accepted in major hotels, airlines and majortravel agencies.

Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the Commercial Bank of Eritrea in Asmara which provides the best exchange rate, private exchange offices and major hotels. Source: (PR-inside)

Major Banks and hotels in Asmara and Massawa accept traveller’s cheques, US Dollar traveller’s cheques being the most recommended. Don’t hesitate to go out and taste the food and drink in the restaurants. Italian cuisine dominates in larger cities while Massawa is renowned for its excellent seafood, especially prawns and lobster.

National specialities include kitcha (thin bread from wheat), injera (a spongy pancake), tsebhi and alicha birsen while national drinks include bun (coffee), shahi (plain tea), swa (beer from local grain) and fruit juices. Get yourself gold and silver jewelery, woodcarvings, leather items, spears, drums, carpets and wicker goods. A certain amount of bargaining is expected in market places but prices in shops are usually fixed.

Finding cheap flights to Eritrea is not that easy, you need to do researching as well as planning ahead of time. Airfares are usually the most expensive part of a vacation trip, next to it would be hotel accommodations, this is why most of those who plan to visit the Eritrea would surely want to go after those cheap flights to Eritrea. Nevertheless, once you arrive in the country, most of the things you will find there have adequately cheap prices, like food, transportation, souvenir items, clothing stuffs, and other accessories you may want to buy, way much cheaper compared to buying the same things from other countries.

There are many specially trained professional Travel Agents will always help you to book a convenient flight to the Eritrea and Travelhouseuk.co.uk is one of them so just call them to book flights which will best suit your budget and travel needs.

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Volcanic field

The satellite pictures shows  the massive chain of lava flows extending East to West across this Landsat image is the Assab volcanic field near the Red Sea coast in southern Eritrea. This spectacular range of basaltic cinder cones and associated lava flows covers a 55 x 90 km area, and flows reached the Red Sea along a broad front.

The vents of the Assab volcanic field were constructed along a broad east – west trending line that extends to the coastal city of Assab, out of view to right.

The volcanic area is produced fissure eruptions, which produced basaltic lavas flowing to the north and southeast. The most recent activity is represented by several kilometer long flows, associated with spatter cones.

The direction of most of the lava flows, the distribution of the spatter cones and some morphological lineaments are suggestive of east- west and northeast-southwest tectonic trends. These tectonic trends are quite different from those characterizing the Danakil Depression, and seem to occur only near Assab.

The following rock types are present in the Assab Range: picritic basalts tending to ankaramites; alkali olivine basalts; hmvaiites; mugearites; trachytic mugearites; mugearitic trachytes and trachytes.

The alkaline character of the recent volcanism of the Assab region contrasts with the transitional character of the recent volcanism of the northern part of the Danakil Depression.

Recent volcanism at Assab occurred on the coast side of the Danakil Rift and is related to eastwest and northeast – southwest tectonic trends, which are quite different from the north- northeast and south south -east tectonics characterizing the Depression. (Volcanolive)

Seadrill has been awarded a two-well contract by Red Sea Petroleum Operating Company Limited (RSPOC) for the jack-up rig West Prospero. The assignment is for operation offshore Sudan with mobilization scheduled for December this year.

The drilling assignment is expected to take some six months and the estimated contract value is approximately US$49.9 million inclusive of mobilization and demobilization.

West Prospero, which is currently idle in Indonesia, will be upgraded with high pressure, high temperature (HTHP) capabilities prior to moving to Sudan on a heavy lift vessel. (Scanoil)

Lion-Fish

The Northern Red Sea is surrounded by the world’s largest expanses of sand. It region of Eritrea is one of the country’s six regions, lies along the northern three quarters of the Red Sea, and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and the coastal city of Massawa.

The region borders the Anseba, Central and Southern regions to the west, and the Southern Red Sea region to the east. It has an area of around 27,800 km². The lowest point in Eritrea, Lake Kulul, is in this region.

The Red Sea is considered to be 1 of the 7 Wonders of the underwater world. This forms the basis of a marine eco-system which includes 1,100 species of fish, of which about 10% are endemic, the largest number of fish species in proportion to any other body of water in the world.

The Northern Red Sea has some of the richest coral in the world. In 1980, Dr. Clark wanted to make the Red Sea and its island a National Park. Ras Muhammad has sometimes called it an underwater “Garden of Eden.” The sun makes the Northern Red Sea turn different colors such as red, yellow, orange, and light green.

An amazing fish that lives on the in the water is the bright-red lionfish, it has a venomous dorsal spines, these fish usually swim near the bottom of the sea. They wait and trap fish in nooks and crannies.

Another creature that lives in the water is a beast they call “George” he is a Sea Monster, his head is in the shape of a beanbag chair. A humped head wrasse, he has cow lips, chameleon eyes and a body pattern in the form of an intricate green maze on a blue back round.

In the red Sea there are over 1000 different kinds of tropical fish and 400 different types of coral. 30 million years ago the Red Sea was closed at its southern end and open on its northern end, it opened up into the Mediterranean Sea allowing Atlantic species to enter and breed there.

About 10 million years later the earth shifted and closed the northern end and opened up the southern end. The Red Sea has fish and animals from both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

The Red Sea is a fine choice for diving any time of year but the water temperatures do vary significantly. From June to August the water can reach 28°C but it falls to a chilly 20°C in February. Do plan to bring an appropriate exposure suit to suit the time of year.

Therefore, you could find yourself on a coral garden atop a summit and the next a sheer wall could plunge thousands of feet into dark ocean depths. The Red Sea’s abundance of marine life and depths of the reef are a thrill that many divers will tell you is unbeatable. Source: (PhotographyToday)

The first phase of the port will cost 4 billion riyals ($1.07 billion) with operations expected to start in 2012 and have a capacity of 1.7 million containers, it added.

The statement did not say if the agreement with SBG meant the cancellation of another initial agreement signed in April, 2008 by EEC with DP World for the same purpose.

The agreement with DP World also aimed at developing and operating the port at King Abdullah Economic City, except that it predicted operations to start towards the end of 2010 and to have a 1.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) capacity by mid-2011.

DP World officials were not immediately available for comment. Earlier on Monday, EEC announced that it had has cancelled a 1.4 billion riyals contract which it awarded to SBG in 2008 due to a drop in costs. Dubai-based Emaar Properties is a key shareholder in EEC.

King Abdullah Economic City is the most prominent among a series of “economic cities” that are part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to diversify the country’s oil and gas-based economy and provide more jobs for the country’s growing population.

EEC has faced some delays delivering housing and business units, as well as a 6-12 month delay on the first phase of the city’s port which it expects to complete in 2011. Source: (BusinessMaktoob)

Red Sea

New Bedford fisherman James Peterson always dreamed of Africa.

Now he is exploring the continent’s northern ports as he shepherds a Stonington, Conn., scalloper to its new home in Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa that shares borders with Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.

When New Bedford’s groundfishing industry took a scheduled break in May, Peterson headed to Stonington in search of work on a scalloper. Instead, he was invited to be part of a four-man crew who would travel 7,000 miles across one ocean and two seas to deliver the 59-foot Rainmaker to Djibouti.

To claim his spot on the team, the 36-year-old New Bedford native quickly secured a passport, got vaccinated for yellow fever and helped prepare the steel-hulled vessel for the long voyage.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Africa,” he said. “I think it is a beautiful country.”

Muse Said, a Somali native who most recently lived in Seattle, purchased the Rainmaker so he could join fishermen who dredge for sea cucumbers off the coast of Somalia, Peterson said during an interview last week with The Standard-Times.

Peterson, who spoke on a cell phone from a wharf in Port Said, Egypt, said the crew was preparing for what was expected to be a seven-day trip down the Suez Canal.

He anticipated they would arrive in Djibouti within two weeks, given safe passage down the Red Sea.

When the Rainmaker steamed out of Stonington Harbor on June 29, Frank Serrano of Pawcatuck, Conn., was at the helm. Peterson was the first mate.

When engine problems led to a prolonged layover in Egypt, Serrano abandoned the team, Peterson said. He flew back to the United States to fulfill a prior work commitment.

Peterson quickly adapted to his new role and its increased responsibilities. He made Said, a novice fisherman, his first mate.

The Rainmaker’s trans-Atlantic voyage was blessed with good weather and relatively calm seas.

“It got a little rough,” Peterson said. “We would take on waves. But overall it was nothing like Georges Bank. It was very smooth.”

When the vessel’s water pump blew out, the crew radioed a nearby freighter to request repair parts from its machine shop. To retrieve the parts from the freighter, Peterson said he crawled out on the Rainmaker’s 50-foot outrigger wearing a lifejacket and a safety line.

“I grabbed the monkey’s fist (a knot tied at the end of a heaving line) and pulled in the pieces we needed,” he said. “Within a half hour we had what we needed to fix the water pump. It was awesome. It was a rush.”

Nevertheless, Peterson said his best moments of the trip have been on land. “The landings have been my favorite part,” he said. “We have been fortunate enough to get around and see some sites.” The Rainmaker’s first stop was Flores island in the Azores, where a couple watched from shore as the vessel steamed into port with its outriggers deployed.

“The lady said that when she saw the outriggers she thought it was a scallop boat from New Bedford,” Peterson said. “I told her that it was a Connecticut scalloper, but that I was from New Bedford.”

The couple, also from New Bedford, explained that the woman’s husband once worked on the New Bedford fishing vessel Fisherman. Peterson told them he had recently seen the same vessel tied up at the New Bedford docks. Later on the island of Faial, Peterson went into a pizza shop and ran into a couple who used to live in Taunton. “Is that a small world or what?” he remarked.

When the Rainmaker docked in Ceuta, Spain — on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar — Peterson crossed the border into Morocco, which he described as “just like the movies.”

The vessel’s next stop was Tripoli, Libya. According to Peterson, the Rainmaker was the first American-flagged vessel to land there in 40 years. “We made history on that,” he said. Without a visa or shore leave pass, the crew was restricted to the wharf during their 10-day visit, Peterson said.

Still, the crew enjoyed wandering the docks and observing the many freighters. “Everyone was so welcoming,” Peterson said. A highlight was watching the Libyan Navy ships practice for a Sept. 1 celebration of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s 40 years in power.

When the Rainmaker finally arrives in Djibouti, Peterson will be tasked with teaching Said how to dredge for sea cucumbers, spiny-skinned animals that live on the ocean floor and are a food staple in many Asian countries.

Peterson plans to stay in Djibouti until his six-month visa expires. Since he did not accept any money for delivering the vessel to Djibouti, he is eager to make some income while fishing for sea cucumbers.

“Hopefully, when I get down there it will be lucrative.” Source: (SouthCoastToday)

Austal High Speed Boat

The Government of Egypt’s two Austal-built high speed vehicle ferries have officially commenced operations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, introducing a new standard of ferry service across the Red Sea.

The important milestone was achieved on the back of Austal’s recent award of a technical management and maintenance contract for the two catamaran ferries.

Each 88-metre vessel now performs six return trips per week, operating on 100 nautical mile route between Dibba in Saudi Arabia and Safaga in Egypt.

The service has already proven popular with Pilgrims travelling on to Mecca, Egyptian workers travelling to and from Saudi Arabia as well as business and leisure travellers. So far more than 69700 people have utilised the service, which has also facilitated the transport of 3514 vehicles and 730 trucks.

Integral to the successful launch of the new service, Austal’s comprehensive technical management and maintenance package is being undertaken over a three-year period and includes options for an additional two years.

The package will see Austal perform planned and preventative maintenance support, unscheduled maintenance, management and performance of annual surveys and maintenance periods as well as shorebased engineering support.

As a result, Austal has established a dedicated, fully staffed service office in the Egyptian port city of Safaga, where it will utilise the region’s existing maintenance docking facilities where required.

Along with building on the company’s extensive experience in the Middle East region, Austal General Manager – Service, Michael McCourt, said the project demonstrated Austal’s growing technical management and maintenance capability.

‘Austal continues to grow its global Through Life Support (TLS) capability, which now includes countries such as Oman, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela,’ Mr McCourt said.

‘As this contract has already shown, Austal is committed to ensuring client vessels are fully maintained and available for operation in accordance with the vessels’ planned operational profile. We are pleased to be involved in establishing and maintaining this important public transportation service in the Middle East,’ he said.

Mr McCourt said Austal can tailor service packages to suit individual requirements by drawing on more than 20-years experience in aluminium vessel design and construction.

‘Having delivered more than 200 vessels to both commercial and defence customers worldwide, including 16 to the Middle East, we understand what is required to maximise the operational availability of every fleet,’ he said.

The two 88-metre ferries ‘Cairo’ and ‘Riyadh’ were originally delivered to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2008 and later gifted to the Egyptian Government to improve the standard of ferry services across the Red Sea.

Each vessel has the capacity to carry 1200 passengers, 120 cars and 15 trucks at an operating speed of 37 knots. Source: (AMEINFO)