MOGADISHU, Somalia (Oct. 29) - Paul and Rachel Chandler, a retired British couple who sailed to exotic locales aboard their 38-foot yacht, said in one of their last cheery messages they would likely be "out of touch for some time." After disappearing for a week, a somber Paul Chandler is back in contact, saying by telephone Thursday that he and his wife are being held captive by gun-toting pirates who stripped their vessel of everything of value. Skip over this content Despite the presence of warships and aircraft from more than a half-dozen nations, the pirates prowl the Indian Ocean off Somalia seemingly at will, pouncing on pleasure craft, fishing vessels and huge cargo ships. With the recent end of monsoon season in East Africa, there have been a rash of attacks as pirates return to the open seas. More than 190 crew members from eight ships are being held. The latest seizure on Thursday was of a Thai fishing vessel carrying 21 Russians, two Filipinos and two Ghanians, the Seychelles coast guard said. Paul Chandler told Britain's ITV News in a phone call that he and his wife were being held aboard a container ship anchored a mile from the Somali coast. They apparently had been briefly taken ashore. A fisherman told The Associated Press he saw two boats carrying eight pirates and a white couple come ashore in the village of Ceel Huur, just north of Haradhere, a notorious pirate stronghold. Dahir Dabadhahan said six luxury vehicles carrying about 30 other pirates cleared bystanders from their path. "The pirates fired into the air, waving us to move away," he said. Skip over this content Taken at SeaAP4 photos Armed pirates snuck aboard Paul and Rachel Chandler's yacht while the couple slept and demanded money before taking them hostage, Paul Chandler said in an interview with Britain's ITV News. He spoke via satellite phone, from a container ship near the Somali coast where the couple was being held.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relat ive_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=760778&pid =760777&uts=1256839075 http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf Lost at Sea Armed pirates snuck aboard Paul and Rachel Chandler's yacht while the couple slept and demanded money before taking them hostage, Paul Chandler said in an interview with Britain's ITV News. He spoke via satellite phone, from a container ship near the Somali coast where the couple was being held. AP APAt a European Union summit in Brussels, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appealed for the couple's release. Foreign Secretary David Miliband pledged that Britain would use "all the mechanisms at our disposal" to secure their safe return. Chandler told ITV the pirates crept aboard his yacht at night while he was asleep. "They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," Chandler, 59, said in the interview before the phone connection was abruptly broken off. The British navy found the yacht — empty — in international waters earlier Thursday. Warships had been searching for the Lynn Rival since it sent out a distress signal Oct. 23. Chandler later told the BBC in a telephone interview that he is being treated well by his captors. "We are well, and being looked after OK," Chandler said. "Food is OK." He did not appear to be able to speak freely. Asked whether he was in Somalia, he said: "I can't answer that," and responding to a question about whether he had a message for British officials, he said there was "nothing I can say." A pirate spokesman who identified himself as Abdinor said the bandits will negotiate a ransom for the couple. The British government does not make or facilitate "substantive concessions" to hijackers, including ransom payments, the British Foreign Office said. "We do expect a ransom demand," Rachel Chandler's brother, Stephen Collett, told the BBC. "The problem is they are not rich people. Most of the money is tied up with their yacht and other communications equipment, which is on board the yacht." Paul Chandler's sister, Jill Marshment, pleaded for the Chandlers' release and also said they weren't wealthy. Even with only two aboard, the couple described the Lynn Rival as cramped. It is powered mostly by sails and has a small outboard engine. "They are resilient people. They won't be weeping," Marshment said. "Instead, they'll be thinking: 'What are we going to do? What are we going to say?'" Paul Chandler has been identified in the British media as a retired construction site manager, while Rachel, 55, is described as an economist. The couple, married for 28 years, took early retirement about three years ago and have spent six-month spells at sea. They have sailed to the Greek islands, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Oman, Yemen, India, the Maldives and the Seychelles, chronicling their voyage on a Web log. The Chandlers were well aware they have been sailing through pirate territory, according to their blog entries. A March 2008 post reported that they "didn't see any pirates, just a few fisherman inshore and large ships passing further offshore." In February, they reported passing through a "high risk of piracy area," traveling in a convoy of five yachts for protection. They wrote in June that another couple had recently left for Tanzania after delaying their departure "because of the Somali pirate problem." According to an Oct. 21 entry, the Chandlers planned to set sail the next day and be at sea for eight to 12 days, heading south toward Tanzania. "We probably won't have satellite phone coverage until we're fairly close to the African coast, so we may be out of touch for some time," they wrote. The last message on the blog was posted Oct. 23, the day the pirates came, and cryptically read: "Please ring Sarah" — a possible reference to Rachel's sister, who lives in the London area. Piracy expert Nick Davies of the Merchant Maritime Warfare Center said the couple should have known better. "They sailed into the lion's den and they did it knowingly and they should be sternly told they have created an international scenario that was entirely avoidable," Davies said. Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion-dollar ransoms the pirates regularly collect are a strong lure for young gunmen in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid. The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region. Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writers Jennifer Quinn and Raphael G. Satter in London also contributed to this report. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2009-10-29 07:29:08
Posts: 2743 | From: Coral Springs, FL, USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Holy Man - the bottom dropped out of this one. DOWN 63% on 2.2 million. Not as bad as it looks - Last sale at .0028, current bid at .0055, ask .006
-------------------- Only ONE good stock away from retirement! Posts: 393 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: May 2009
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I've been away since last Thursday night - did RDXM really drop to .0028??? Or was it a typo? Geeez - and I felt "lucky" to get more at .0075 last week and .0105 last month!!!! Oh well - let's see what the future holds.....
Best - what's a one day reverse chart? TIA
Good Luck to us all...
Posts: 2743 | From: Coral Springs, FL, USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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I did drop to 0028 on couple hundred shares.I wasn't fast to place order.My guess someone sold at market price.Didn't put asking price at all.One day reverse is when stock drops on high volume really low and come backs in same day to the same point.I picked 1.5 mil yesterday in range between 005 and 0076.
Posts: 336 | From: st.louis | Registered: Dec 2003
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Best - this ride is starting to make me sea-sick! Up $3,000 - Down $800 (as of today)...
I've been really busy and haven't had an extra minute to call Mike or Tim. I'll possibly try next week - I'm going to Texas on Friday for Saturday's UCF vs. #2 Texas Longhorns game..... The chance of me bringing home some steer is about the same as me retiring on this stock! I love our team - but..... HEY- when they were #4 two years ago when we opened the new stadium on campus in Orlando we had them the whole game - lost by 3 on a fumble by Kyle Israel (our QB at the time) at the end of the game. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=272582116 - We had a GREAT comeback against Marshall this past Sunday night - it was 20-7 MARSHALL with 9 minutes left and we came back and won - with some luck and a fumble that FINALLY went OUR way - 21-20! Have a GREAT weekend. GO UCF !! I'll be back next Wednesday (We're going to go see San Antonio while we're there too - as it's only an hour away. Alamo, Riverwalk, etc.... Good Luck to us all.
Steve
Posts: 2743 | From: Coral Springs, FL, USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Be patient my friend.We will be rewarded here.One big news and this will rocket.I am not counting how much I am down,I am counting how many shares I am adding. Best of luck to you and your team this weekend.
Posts: 336 | From: st.louis | Registered: Dec 2003
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Hurry up RDXM - You're boars are needed NOW !!
Pirates Target Maersk Alabama AgainBy JASON STRAZIUSO, AP posted: 49 MINUTES AGOcomments: 261filed under: Pirates News, World News PRINT|E-MAILMOREText SizeAAANAIROBI, Kenya (Nov. 18) -- Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device. A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds. Skip over this content Drama on the High SeasSayyid Azim, AP8 photos Somali pirates attacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama on Wednesday, the same ship that was hijacked in April, seen here. In April, the ship's captain was held hostage for days. This time, the guards on the ship were able to fend off the pirates, who attacked about 350 nautical miles off the Somali coast.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relat ive_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=777261&pid =777260&uts=1258544297 http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf Drama on the High Seas Somali pirates attacked the U.S.-flagged ship Maersk Alabama Wednesday, the same ship that was hijacked in April. In that attack, the ship's captain was held hostage for days. This time, the guards on the ship were able to fend off the pirates who attacked about 350 nautical miles off the Somali coast. Sayyid Azim, AP Sayyid Azim, APPirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack. Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Tuesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said. An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the Maersk Alabama had followed the maritime industry's "best practices" in having a security team on board. "This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas," Gortney said in a statement. Skip over this content However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community. "Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade." A self-proclaimed pirate told The Associated Press from the Somali pirate town of Haradhere that colleagues out at sea had called around 9 a.m. — 2½ hours after the attack. "They told us that they got in trouble with an American ship, then we lost them. We have been trying to locate them since," said a self-described pirate who gave his name as Abdi Nor. A U.S. Navy P-3 surveillance aircraft "is monitoring Maersk Alabama and has good voice communication with the vessel," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, the Bahrain-based spokesman for the 5th Fleet. "Everything is safe and secure and Maersk Alabama is proceeding to their intended destination," Christensen said. The ship was heading for the Kenyan port town of Mombasa. Maritime experts said it was unlucky but not unprecedented that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted in a second attack. "It's not the first vessel to have been attacked twice, and it's a chance that every single ship takes as it passes through the area," Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. "At least this time they had a vessel protection detachment on board who were able to repel the attack." Phillips' ordeal last spring galvanized the attention of the U.S. public to the dangers of operating merchant ships in the Horn of Africa, one of the busiest and most precarious sea lanes in the world. Underscoring the danger, a self-proclaimed pirate said Wednesday that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday had died of wounds suffered during the ship's hijacking. The pirate, Sa'id, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals, said the captain died Tuesday night from internal bleeding. The EU Naval Force has said the Virgin Islands-owned chemical tanker the Theresa was taken Monday with 28 North Korean crew. Pirates have greatly increased their attacks in recent weeks after seasonal rains subsided. On Tuesday, a self-proclaimed pirate said that Somali hijackers had been paid $3.3 million for the release of 36 crew members from a Spanish vessel held for more than six weeks — a clear demonstration of how lucrative the trade can be for impoverished Somalis. Phillips told the AP last month from his farmhouse in Vermont that he was contemplating retiring from sea life after his ordeal. He's been given a book deal and a movie could be in the works. Phillips was hailed as a hero for helping his crew thwart April's hijacking before he was taken hostage, but he says he never volunteered, as crew members and his family reported at the time. He says he was already a hostage when he struck a deal with the pirates — trading him for their leader, who was taken by the Maersk Alabama's crew. Associated Press reporters Olad Hassan in Mogadishu, Somalia, and Barbara Surk in Dubai contributed to this report. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2009-11-18 06:00:34
Posts: 2743 | From: Coral Springs, FL, USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Subsidiaries > Integrated Maritime > GB-Challenger Class Craft GB-Challenger Class is a modular-concept high-speed work craft built on an aluminum, stainless steel, and rubber platform. Powered by twin 660-HP Caterpillar diesel engines driving 20-inch impeller NOMERA water jet propulsion units, Challenger is fast, maneuverable, and competent in coastal waters, rivers, and open seas. Challenger is available in models ranging from 7 meters to 16 meters. A variety of drop-in modules allow Challenger to adapt to a wide range of military and commercial missions.
These photos show the GB-Challenger during sea trials.
Product brochure (pdf)
Additional Radix Marine Craft
40+ Knots, Extremely Maneuverable
The Challenger's advanced hull design and turbo-charged engines coupled to powerful water-jet pumps give it unparalleled speed and maneuverability.
Accelerates from 0 to 40 knots in 10 seconds At 40+ knots, turns 180 degrees in 1.5 boat lengths Full-thrust reverse, 40 knots to full-stop in 2 boat lengths Shallow 1-meter draft capable of river and coastal patrol missions Rapid Reconfigurable Modules
All of the GB-Challenger craft have been designed to be reconfigurable platforms which will accept mission modules that plug into the front deck section of the basic craft. Available mission modules range from dive salvage, drug interdiction, environmental response, and firefighting, to mine countermeasures and weapons deployment. The Challenger's drop-in modules can be installed in minutes with a simple dock-side lift.
Personnel Transport Module (PTM) Light Freight Module (LFM) Fire Suppression Module (FSM) Oil Spill Recovery Module (OSM) Search & Rescue/Harbor Security Module (SRM) Dive Salvage Module (DSM) Mine Countermeasures Module (MCM) Anti-Air Warfare Module (AAM) High Quality and Reliability
The Challenger is designed to get you there faster than anything else on the water, to complete the mission required, and to come back every time.
Two 660 HP model 3196 DITA Caterpillar engines, supported by a worldwide parts and maintenance network Twin 20-inch North American Marine Jet (NOMERA) water propulsion units, direct drive Instantaneous electronic overspeed control SAFETM solid-cell foam sponsons not compromised by puncture or abrasion Two main and two reserve fuel tanks Transportable by Trailer and Aircraft
The Challenger is designed to be transported anywhere in the world.
Highway transportable on a triple-axle trailer (with foam sponsons removed) Air transportable by C-130 cargo aircraft (except the 14- and 16-meter models) Preparation for transport is a two-person, 30-minute operation U.S. Navy Testing
The GB-12 296 Challenger has performed exceptionally well in demonstrating the capability of the product to meet the requirements of potential clients. Throughout its research and development history, the GB-Challenger Class Craft has participated in testing and trials with the U.S. Navy and major defense contractors. Interest in IMPII's capability to promote their products in the global market, and an understanding of the craft’s unique capabilities, has led several major defense contractors into strategic relationships with IMPII. The essence of these agreements is to jointly develop new technologies for integration into mission modules which meet the tactical requirements of military organizations worldwide.
The U.S. Navy’s interest in the GB-Challenger has increased over recent years resulting from the demonstrated performance capability of the GB-Challenger Class Craft. Recent performance indicators include an independent study conducted for the U.S. Navy to meet the Navy’s requirements for Survivability, Transportability, Remote Control Capability, and Cost Effectiveness, in which study, IMPII’s 12 and 16 meter craft consistently rated #1 and 2, respectively.
Posts: 336 | From: st.louis | Registered: Dec 2003
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