New On The Scene

Cutting begins on the first steel sheet for the Bandido 148.

The steel megayacht market can now count one more among its members. To mark the event, the Horizon Group held a traditional Chinese ceremony for the start of the construction of the Bandido 148 Explorer Megayacht—a move that brings the boatbuilder into a new era by growing its model lines to include the steel luxury megayacht market. The steel hull and aluminum superstructure will be delivered in 2010.

The latest addition, under construction at Premier Shipyard, is a result of collaboration among the Horizon-Premier team, its dealer Drettman GmbH in German, and designer Juan Carlos Espinosa. Espinosa was tapped to design Horizon's first steel megayacht following the success of the Premier 130 and Bandido 75. The Bandido 148 will meet BV Classification, ICE Class, and MCA LY2 Compliance. The vessel will be powered by twin MTU 12V4000M60 1,800-hp engines, and reach a maximum speed of 15.6 knots, a cruising speed of 12 knots and a range of 4,500 nautical miles. The Bandido 148 will also will feature ABT’s TRAC stabilizers and four 22-square-foot fins driven by TRACSTAR technology will provide stability when at anchor or underway.

The first Bandido 148 Explorer Megayacht will have accommodations for eight guests in four staterooms on the lower deck amidships. Eight crewmembers will be situated in four cabins—with private bathrooms–forward, plus laundry facilities and a crew's lounge. The full-beam master suite with a king-size bed, office, and his and hers bath with a Jacuzzi can be found on the main deck forward. A large galley, full-beam dining saloon and main saloon are also located on the main deck.

Moving to the upper deck you will find the pilothouse and the captain’s stateroom, a large skylounge, an exercise room and a sauna, both which are designed with fold-down balconies. The Bandido 148 will accommodate an atrium staircase connecting all levels plus an expansive flying bridge with spa pool for ten, lounging areas, bar and dining amenities. In addition, the tender will be housed in a garage aft of the engine room and accessed via a hydraulic garage door off the transom.

Tis the Season

The holidays are upon us, if you can believe it, which means that it's that time of year again. Time for family, time for food, and time for festivities. And for many of us, its also time to reach out and give something back.

Well, it seems that the pre-holiday spirit recently took hold at the Daiwa Corporation: The tackle-manufacturing giant announced it was donating $10,000 to the FishAmerica Foundation."We wish to make this donation in support of FishAmerica's invaluable work in habitat and sport fish restoration," said vp of sales Terry Pederson. "As we and others who have been in this industry for so long realize, our hobby and livelihood could not exist without strong stewardship of our sport fishery."

Now that's a gift that promises to keep on giving...

Change Is in the Air

Brunswick Corporation is making some strategic organizational moves to strengthen its operations internationally and to ensure the continued integrity and quality of its Hatteras Collection.

William Naumann is taking the role of chairman of the Hatteras Collection, effective immediately. He will be charged with, among other things, leading the efforts to build upon relations with dealers, customers, and suppliers. Naumann retired from Hatteras in 2006. In addition, James Meyer is stepping up to president-Hatteras Collection, replacing Keri Theophilus. Meyer was formerly vice president-product development, supply chain and business integration for the Brunswick Boat Group. Both Naumann and Meyer will report to Dustan E. McCoy, Brunswick's chairman and chief executive officer.

In turn, Theophilus is taking a new assignment in Brunswick International; however, details were not released at this time. He will report to John Pfeifer, president-Brunswick Marine in Europe, Middle East and Asia.

“These actions are a testament to the managerial bench strength and resources we have at our disposal at Brunswick, both from within and outside the company,” McCoy said in a company release announcing the moves. Meyer joined Brunswick in 2006 from the Ford Motor Company. Theophilus, who joined Brunswick in 2007, had most recently worked for Samsung Petrochemicals, a joint venture between BP and Samsung based in Seoul. Naumann, who led Hatteras for nine years, recently had been heading up a number of civic and philanthropic activities in retirement.

Undercover Anglers Nab Non-Compliant Captains

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has charged Viking Starship Inc. with illegal fishing.

State officers and federal agents posed as patrons aboard charter vessels operating in New Jersey and New York. During these undercover operations, two charter operators, Jerome E. Hurd of Avalon, New Jersey, and Steven N. Forsberg of Montauk, New York, caught striped bass in federal waters with patrons. Forsberg, the owner of the F/V Viking Starship, and Hurd were also charged with submitting false oral or written statements about the catch to authorized federal officers. Forsberg and Hurd were each issued potential fines, $30,000 and $25,000, respectively. For Forsberg, the NOAA mandated a 30-day permit suspension.

Possessing, fishing, and harvesting of Atlantic striped bass, a prized sport fish, is illegal in federal waters, which exist beyond a states’ three-mile offshore boundary. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have been trying to manage the declining population of striped bass in state waters, and the government banned commercial fishing this valued fish species since 1990.

Sunken Pirates

An Indian naval vessel, the INS Tabar, stopped a suspected pirate ship off the Coast of Oman. When the officers tried to search the vessel, pirates fired upon them. Guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers were visible on the upper deck of the pirate’s ship. Once fired upon, the Tabar struck back, which set off explosions onboard, and consequently sank the pirate “mothership.” These motherships are often large vessels, used as bases to strike merchant vessels or to take smaller attack vessels and their pirate crews into deep water shipping lanes.

Following the firefight, the Tabar followed two suspect speedboats in that were originally being towed. One speedboat escaped while the other had been abandoned.

So far this year, 95 ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden. Thirty-nine of these have been hijacked. Attacks are spreading farther south off the Kenyan coast and farther north into the Gulf of Aden.

Noel Choong, the head of the Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia said, “The risks are low and returns are extremely high for these pirates.” Pirates receive millions of dollars in ransom for these acts without the consequences of prosecution. Seventeen of the reportedly hijacked vessels remain in the control of the pirates, along with 300 crew members.