The tropical paradise of Sri Lanka enjoys a close connection with the sea as the entire perimeter of the country is surrounded by the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean. The island’s picturesque beaches and seas are home to many hidden secrets and wondrous treasures, some of which can be glimpsed upon visiting the National Maritime Museum in Galle. The museum lies close to the Old Gate of the historic Galle Fort in an ancient Dutch warehouse that dates back to the 16th century. Visitors to the museum will be able to see numerous exhibits and artefacts that relate to the splendour of underwater life, sea-faring, fishing and maritime trading.

The National Maritime Museum contains several treasures from old shipwrecks that were retrieved from coastal regions such as Trincomalee, Mantai and Galle itself. The ocean close to the Galle town is reputed to be the resting place of approximately 20 maritime archaeological sites.  The extensive number of shipwrecks found near Galle was mainly due to the fact that the town was previously used as a fort and a maritime port.

One such exhibit at the museum is the wheel of the island’s first war ship that was known as the Sri Lanka Navy Vijaya dating back to the year 1949.

Various fishing boats and fishing artefacts can be seen at the National Maritime Museum. One such example is the oruva which is a local fishing boat that is used by Sri Lankan fishermen even today in different parts of the island. Another fascinating exhibit that is not to be missed is the vessel known as the Yatra-Doni. This extinct sail boat was used for trading activities with Maldives and India in the early 1900′s. Apart from this, there are several displays of aquatic life at the Museum.

Different types of coral reef and skeletal remains of underwater animals can be seen onsite.

Searching for Galle hotels from which to explore the beauty of this historic coastal town? Look no further than the luxurious Jetwing Lighthouse. Nestled on a hillock overlooking the Indian Ocean, this elegant Galle hotel exudes a tinge of Portuguese charm reminiscent of the island’s historic Portuguese influence. Enjoy a relaxing holiday in style and class when staying at this popular hotel in Galle.

US Maritime Law used to be vague when it came to defining the term seaman. At first, a person can only be considered as a seaman if he passes two requirements, namely establishing a connection to a water vessel in navigation and a role in that vessel which can be considered as an aid to navigation. In the past, if you are a painter of the sea vessel or watercraft, you will not be considered as a seaman. This means that you will not really be able to secure protection from maritime laws. Fortunately, throughout the years, the Supreme Court of the United States has started to use the term to encompass all ship workers.

In recent years, decisions by the Supreme Court concerning Maritime Law have expounded the definition of seaman. In case of McDermott International vs. Wilander, the court decided that a person can be considered as a seaman even if his duties or responsibilities do not involve functions related to transportation.

This means that you can be given a seaman status and privilege for as long as your role contributes to the function of the watercraft or vessel or to the accomplishment of the vessel’s mission. Subsequent court decisions also made it clear that an individual who spends not more than 30% of his work time in a watercraft cannot be considered as a seaman under the Jones Act. Thus, even if your role in a ship is very important but you are only spending 10% of your time onboard, then you are still considered as a land-based worker and not entitled to the rights and privileges of a seaman.

If you want to enjoy the rights under the Maritime Law, it is very important that you are considered as a seaman. Some of the forms of protection available to a person with a seaman status include the right to unearned wages, to cure and maintenance, to recover damages incurred in the watercraft or compensation for injuries caused by the un-seaworthiness of the watercraft, and to claim for negligence committed by owner or employer.

Meanwhile, the responsibilities of a seaman (particularly one in an entry level position) include maintenance, cleaning, watch-standing roles, knot-making, rigging, tying down the vessel, and other related responsibilities.

Again, in order for you to have protection under the Maritime Law, it is important that you know your status in the vessel where you work.

Maritime Billy is a leading online store selling merchant marine t-shirts for women. It sells garments with interesting maritime themes. Customers can check out their complete collection at their website. They sell a huge range of products with seafarer theme like t-shirts, accessories, nautical bling, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, hats, sweatpants, nauti doggies, jackets, polos, infant rompers, tank tops and more.

One can even buy the finely embroidered USMMA patch and use it in their jackets or favorite sweat shirts. One will be really amazed to see the cheap rate of this product. It is beautifully embroidered with vibrant colors. This 4” embroidered USMMA Kings Point Patch is one of the favorites among the customers.

The price of each t-shirt or sweat shirt is clearly mentioned, thus allowing the customers to compare its price and then add it to their cart.

This online store gives the customers an opportunity to get a close view of each product by zooming in on it. This helps one to get a clear view of what they want to buy. While buying any of the t-shirts or sweat shirts from this store, customer can be rest assured that they are getting the best deal on quality and price.

Apart from t-shirts or sweat shirts, one can even buy some interesting posters. One of the very popular posters are the “Let’ Finish The Job” WWII Merchant Marine Propaganda Poster, as this was used by the government during world war II to recruit Merchant Mariners. This merchant marine jobs poster measures 17″x24″ and is printed in good quality paper with matte finish. If one has a desire to buy a US Navy or Merchant Marine flags, they can get it from here. Some interesting books on US history are also available here. The book “The United States Merchant Marine at War” depicting the true stories of U.S. Merchant Marine during WWII is a reprint of the original book. It reflects the sacrifices of 250,000 men who laid their life for the honor of the country.

Buying graphitti t-shirt with maritime themes online is very easy, one can select the product and add in to their seabag. Calculate the shipping charges, fill in the transaction details and that’s it. The website is very secure for online transactions, so customers can be rest assured that their personal information is in safe hands. If customers order for more than , they get free shipping for the product. One can check out the shipping rates for different prices range from the website.

The best quality fabric makes it very popular among the customers. One can even buy accessories for their dogs with seafarer theme. Check out the nauti doggies section to the website to view some of the interesting products based on this theme. Another interesting range is the hats, which are available in three ranges: Merchant Marine, Coast Guards, and Navy. Some of the best selling hats are Merchant Marine Seal Mesh Trucker Hat, Coast Guard Veteran Hat, USMM cap, Coast Guard Veteran Hat, United States Coast Guard Crest Hat, United States Navy Trucker Hat and more.

Maritime Billy specializes in merchant marine t-shirts for women. It is one of the leading online stores selling some fascinating t-shirts. They offer an exclusive range of t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, tank tops, polos, long sleeve shirts, sweatpants, shorts or more with interesting maritime themes. The garments are manufactured from very high quality material. The quick links section of the website takes one to some interesting sites like Facebok, Customer reviews page, and the Merchant Marine jobs section. The reviews section features some great feedbacks of different customers, who have either bought the product from this store or are planning to. The different experiences of customers help one to judge in a better way and choose the right product for them.

One can buy USMMA Kings point patch from this online store.

This United States Merchant Marine Academy patch can be stitched on to the suit or jacket to give it an impressive and exclusive look. This patch is beautifully embroidered emphasizing on the fine details of the logo of United States Merchant Marine Academy. They have a wide range of long sleeves shirts that are ideal for winters. These long sleeve shirts come in various designs. They have shirts with Old School Merchant Marine Emblem, Merchant Marine Seal, US Merchant Marine Flag Design, Marine Engineer graphiti embossed on them.

The price of each and every product sold at this online store is clearly mentioned. They sell a huge range of products that re clearly categorized into t-shirts, sweat shirts, jackets and more. Customers can easily compare the price, size and color of each and every product and choose the right one that suits them the best. Before buying a good from this store customer can have a close look at each product to get a better idea. The accesories section of the store features some interesting products like 3″ external window decal of the U.S. Merchant Marine Seal, Merchant Marine Officer License Bumper Sticker, Handmade Brass/ Chrome Tugboat Belt Buckle, U.S. Merchant Marine Rear Window Decal and more. The STCW products are available in different price range. Customers can even order mass maritime products from Maritimebelly. The Merchant Marine range of hats is very stylish and elegant.

Customers can buy from this online store in a hassle free way. They offer safe payment options for the customers. The safe payment gateway options help customers to buy in a safe environment. The shipping cost is calculated based on the total cost of the order. If a customer orders more than , the shipping charges are free. One can even buy dog collars with nautical flags or maritime motifs. These collars are available in various price ranges. The collars have heavy duty rings and buckles. One can check out the thickness and the length of each dog belt from their product catalogue. The XL sized collars are ideal for big dogs and have long and thick leashes. They are available in different colors and shades. As per the quality and the finish the products come in affordable rates.

Charente Maritime, the coastal region of Poitou Charentes, France, has 300 miles of beaches. As you would expect from this region of France, the seafood is sensational, especially the locally harvested oyster beds, and is best washed down with a selection from the cellars of the local vineyards. A Charente Maritime property or some of the gites in Charente Maritime on offer here provide a perfect base for not only discovering the coast and beaches, but for cycle tours walks in the region.

Within a convenient distance of the stunning Atlantic coastline of Poitou-Charentes, holiday apartments and villas in Charente Maritime are perfect for anyone with a love of the sea, although with such an abundance of spectacular countryside throughout the region, holiday rental accommodation in Charente Maritime will appeal to those who just want to be surrounded by any of the outstanding natural environments of Poitou-Charentes – holiday gites and farmhouse rentals in Charente Maritime providing an entirely appropriate setting for an authentic experience of rural life in a fabulous selection of the charming towns and villages in Charente Maritime.

Cottage rentals are yet another typically rustic choice of holiday accommodation in Charente Maritime whose original features are irresistible to many, offering a very similar alternative to a gite rental in Charente Maritime in the same type of peacefully secluded situations that are so highly sought after as an antidote to a hectic urban existence. But if you fancy a change from your usual choice of self catering holiday apartment or villa rental in Poitou Charentes, bed and breakfast accommodation in Charente Maritime will give you the chance to spoil yourself with some pampered self-indulgence – and not a bit of washing-up in sight!

The beaches make taking a holiday rental in Charente Maritime worth it by themselves.

However, they are only a tiny fraction of the activities on offer here. If you take to the water, the sailing is exceptional, and there is equipment available for all levels of expertise. You can sail to discover some of the islands just off the coast, including Ile de Re or Ile d’Aix. There are many international sailing events here, including the Whitbread Trophy which is contested in the blue seas of Charente Maritime. The waters are also perfect for fishing, with sea-bass, sea bream and meagre all available.

Inland, anglers have a wealth of choice. The Charente, Boutonne and Dronne rivers are all available for angling. Following the rivers inland, you discover some areas of incredible natural beauty. There are national parks including Port des Salines and Cabane de moins encapsulating salt marshes and lagoons. This is an important area for migratory birds coming from America, so bird watching is also popular.

Charente Maritime is an established centre for Romanesque art, and information is available at the heritage centre in Lozay.

Lupain Holiday Rentals for the best holidays in Charente Maritime. Browse our website to see the full range of self catering accommodation in Charente Maritime.

Our latest defence report – The Maritime Security Market 2010-2020: Piracy, Shipping & Seaports – explores one of the homeland security markets most important sectors and reveals how this market will develop over the period 2010-2020.

Based on our research, global spending in 2010 on maritime security will total .4bn. We analyse, quantify and forecast the global and regional maritime security markets over the period 2010-2020. We also analyse and quantify separately the global and regional vessel security and seaport & facility security markets over the period 2010-2020.

The increasing occurrence of maritime piracy on larger and larger high value assets such as cargo ships and oil and gas tankers has raised the awareness of maritime security. Not only are these incidents costly for the shipping and oil and gas sectors, the incidents also raise profound questions about energy security in our globalised economy and this has concentrated minds to tackle the problem of maritime piracy. Furthermore, the threat of maritime terrorism remains a very real possibility as terrorist groups see the potential to target such potentially explosive targets. All of these factors and others are driving increased spending on maritime security.

Nevertheless, despite these pressing security requirements driving spending, the maritime security market will have to contend with other restraints over the 2010-2020 forecast period – including restrained defence budgets and a shipping industry recovering from a severe recession.

This report explains how the mixture of these factors and the combination of other factors will shape the maritime security market over the period 2010-2020.

Our market study reviews leading maritime security programmes and contracts and examines the prospects and outlook for providers of maritime security. Our market study also examines leading users of maritime security and explores the range of factors which are driving this sector. We assess the commercial prospects and outlook for companies offering maritime security products and services. This analytical report defines the current state of the maritime security market in detail and discusses its characteristics and potential from 2010 onwards, with market forecasting at the global and regional levels.

There are significant regional differences in acquisition patterns and market growth rates. The Maritime Security Market 2010-2020: Piracy, Shipping & Seaports report reveals where the potential opportunities will be for maritime security – allowing successful companies to exploit these growing markets. Crucially this report discusses how to adapt to this evolving competitive landscape.

How much are individual regions planning to spend acquiring and upgrading maritime security between 2010 and 2020? Who are the leading companies providing maritime security products and services? Where are the growth opportunities over the next decade in which geographical region and with which platform type and with which new technology? These critical questions and many more are definitively answered in this comprehensive report.

A comprehensive analysis of the maritime security market

The Maritime Security Market 2010-2020: Piracy, Shipping & Seaports report examines the global market for maritime security from an impartial standpoint. We offer a review of contracting activity, and products and services, based on our analysis of information obtained from multiple sources. The report draws on official corporate and governmental announcements, media reports, policy documents, industry statements and expert opinion.

The Maritime Security Market 2010-2020: Piracy, Shipping & Seaports report provides detailed sales forecasts for the global maritime security market and regional markets; a SWOT analysis; discussions of commercial and technological trends; and assessments of commercial drivers and restraints. This report also includes five in-depth original interviews with industry experts. This package of analyses cannot be obtained anywhere else.

Why you should buy The Maritime Security Market 2010-2020: Piracy, Shipping & Seaports

The main benefits of you purchasing this report are -

You will gain an understanding of the maritime security market and how it will develop, with global maritime security market forecasts from 2010 to 2020.
You will receive global forecasts for the vessel security market and the seaport & facility security market over the period 2010-2020
You will receive regional maritime security market forecasts for the leading 6 regional markets from 2010 to 2020.
You will receive regional market forecasts for the vessel security market and the seaport & facility security market for each region over the period 2010-2020
You will gain insight into major maritime security programmes and contracts being undertaken within each region.
You will gain a thorough analytical understanding of the maritime security market with over 80 tables, charts and graphs quantifying the market in detail.
You will gain knowledge of the 20 leading contractors within the maritime security marketplace.
You will gain an understanding of the new maritime security technologies that will affect the marketplace.
You will receive a SWOT analysis for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the maritime security market from 2010 onwards.
You will also read original interviews from five leading companies and organisations involved in maritime security -
EADS Defence & Security
HITT Traffic
Seaforce Ltd (SFL)
MPI Maritime Police International
ICC International Maritime Bureau

For more information, please contact :

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/The-Maritime-Security-Market-2010-2020-Piracy-Shipping-Seaports-40391.html

A survey done usually to know the condition of the boat, and the actions that should be taken for its maintenance is known as marine survey. This type of survey is required when buyers intend to purchase a boat, investing a fair amount of money. It has been noticed that the buyers who have good knowledge about the boats, also wish to determine the condition of the vessels he is purchasing. It helps them to gather an informed decision about the machinery, the structure and the equipments of the vessel. The survey also let them know the seaworthiness of the boats.

There are many organizations available where you will find a host of surveyors offering various kinds of marine services at different prices. Almost all of those surveyors are capable enough to examine the condition of vessel and its equipments.

 However, you will have to find the right surveyor to meet your marine survey needs in the most appropriate way.

A right surveyor would be one who is well experienced and associated with a registered professional organization. An expert surveyor would be capable enough to help you selecting the right boat out of different types of the same available in the market. They can also let you know the issues that might arise in future and the necessary steps that should be taken to resolve the same.

In maritime industry, the job of marine surveying holds a dignified position because of the roles played by a surveyor. Those who wish to take this job as a challenge must know that there various kinds of training courses available to choose from. Depending on the experience that the students already have obtained the courses differ from one another. At the very beginning of the training programs, the courses are offered for at least one year. During this period the trainees are liable to perform the job of marine surveyor on regular basis under the supervision of senior members.

North Korea Tuesday fired dozens of artillery shells on a South Korean island in one of the heaviest bombing in the South since the Korean War ended in 1953.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who has led a hard line with the reclusive North since taking office three years ago, said a response would be after the attack on the island of Yeonpyeong, only 120 km (75 miles) west of the capital Seoul.

The two Koreas are technically still at war in the Korean War ended only with a ceasefire – and the tension surged in the first years after Seoul accused the North to torpedo one of its warships , killing 46 sailors, because. “Houses and mountains were on fire and people were evacuated. You can not see very well the plumes of smoke,” a witness told the island’s YTN television.

“People are afraid of death and gunfire is continuing at this time.”YTN said at least 200 bullets struck North Korea’s Yeonpyeong, which is divided peninsula on the west coast near the maritime border disputes.

Most of the shells landed on a South Korean military. South Korean military said a soldier was killed and three seriously injured during the attack.

South Korea military returned fire and sent a hunting region. YTN showed pictures of smoke plumes flowing from the island and quoted witnesses as saying the fires were burning out of control. He said that many of the projectiles had landed at a military base on the island, about 3 km (1.8 miles) south of the maritime border dispute.

Witness said residents were evacuated during the bombing, which lasted about an hour and then stopped abruptly. News from the exchange of fire sent me falling to the offshore market has won the 1 month to about four percent NDF trading.

Futures USA in 10 years has increased the Treasury and the Japanese yen fell.

In addition, already shaken the world market to disrupt the Irish debt problems and concerns of riskier markets. South Korea’s central bank said it will keep for an emergency meeting to assess the potential impact of market bombings. The attack comes as the U.S. envoy is to visit the area after revelations that the North is in the process of uranium enrichment, a second possible path produces material for nuclear weapons.

A small glimpse at the map of the United States is always ready to show us that we are a mass maritime nation from past history till toady. So to the east we have the Atlantic Ocean and towards the west we have our Pacific. It is off to our southern border the Gulf of Mexico and finally in the north we have our Great Lakes and also crisscrossing our states there are great rivers like the Mississippi and other inland waterways as well. For all twenty four hours of every day through out the year, there are the ships of all types that may ply the waters in and around our nation daily. Now the economy and the great security of our nation positively have some needs that are met by the United States merchant marine that are compelling as well. So it is today that the places of United States import approximately eighty five percent of some of the seventy seven strategic commodities that are really critical to the industry and also for the defense of America.

The fleet of highly productive ships of the merchant marine which are with us is now a very major part of our system of commerce and that is also helping to guarantee our access to the newly assigned foreign markets for sale of our manufactured goods today. These ships leave our ports loaded with Unites States goods that are bound for foreign markets or some other times arrive in our harbors with their merchandise and the imported materials for American consumers on the whole. We although, as a whole nation, take an account for only six percent of the total population of the world, still we are able to achieve our goal. So we purchase nearly one third of the whole output of the world of produced raw materials. Now the Standards of Training, Certification & Watch keeping that is STCW was drafted in 1978. In it was the first version that had little impact on the US mariner. This was only because it really just formalized a system nearly identical to the US system, all round the world.

But majority that is ninety nine percent of the produced materials are totally transported by the merchant vessels. All knows that a ship at sea does not operate in a vacuum. If you are just staring out on the maritime industry, then this is the bottom rung on the ladder you have to start with. In families long in boating tradition the children usually start in this job and also work their way up to becoming the owner of the ship as well. The Merchant marine jobs have duties include guarding the ship while in port, or doing routine maintenance both at port and while at sea, and also some times generally taking commands from everyone else in the ship. So as an ordinary seaman, you will find yourself doing some of the tasks like painting and mopping while you learn the ins and outs of running the ship.

Reliability and safety methods saw a rapid development after the Second World War.These methods were mainly concerned with military use for electronics and rocketry studies. The first predictive reliability models appeared in Germany on the V1 missile project where a reliability level was successfully defined from reliability requirements and experimentallyverified on components during their development stages (Bazovsky (1961)).

The first formal approach to shipboard reliability was the Buships specification, MIL-R-22732 of July 31, 1960, prepared by the United States of America’s Department of Defence and addressed ground and shipboard electronic equipment (MIL (1960)). Subsequently in 1961 the Bureau of Weapons issued the MIL standards concerning reliability models for avionics equipment and procedures for the prediction and reporting of the reliability of weapon systems.

This was due to the fact that the growing complexities of electronic systems were responsible for the failure rates leading to a significantly reduced availability on demand of the equipment.

In February 1963 the first symposium on advanced marine engineering concepts for increased reliability was held at the office of Naval Research at the University of Michigan. In December 1963 a paper entitled “Reliability Engineering Applied to the Marine Industry” (Harrington and Riddick (1963)) was presented at the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and in June the following year another paper, entitled “Reliability in Shipbuilding” (Dunn (1964)), was presented. Following the presentation of these two papers, SNAME in 1965 established Panel M-22 to investigate the new discipline as applied to marine machinery and make it of use to the commercial marine industry.

In the last three decades, stimulated by public reaction and health and safety legislation, the use of risk and reliability assessment methods has spread from the higher risk industries to an even wider range of applications.

The Reactor Safety Study undertaken by the U.S.A (U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1975)) and the Canvey studies performed by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE (1978, 198 l a,b)) resulted from a desire to demonstrate safety to a doubtful public. Both these studies made considerable use of quantitative methods, for assessing the likelihood of failures and for determining consequence models.

There is a long history in the United Kingdom (UK) of research, development and successful practical application of safety and reliability technology. There is a continuingprogramme of fundamental research in areas such as software reliability and human error in addition to further development of the general methodology. Much of the development work was carried out by the nuclear industry.

Based on the considerable expertise gained in the assessment of nuclear plants, a National Centre for System Reliability (NCSR) was established by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to promote the use of reliability technology. This organisation plays a leadingrole in research, training, consultancy and data collection. The NCSR is part of the safety and reliability directorate of the UKAEA, which has played a major role in formulating legislation on major hazards, and has carried out major safety studies on industrial plants. It is noted that some of the major hazard studies commissioned at the national level in the UK have included the evaluation of the risks involved as a result of marine transportation of hazardous materials such as liquefied gases and radioactive substances. It is expected that the recent legislation in relation to the control of major hazards will result in a wider use of quantitative safety assessment methods and this will inevitably involve the marine industry.