Azam Marine and Coastal Fast Ferries operate passenger ferry boats between the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and mainland Tanzania. Azam operates a fleet of five vessels – three catamarans, and one RIB Passengers speed boat. The speedboats are popular among local people and foreign tourists visiting Tanzania. As international tourists discover the magnificent destination of Tanzania, Azam Marine and Coastal Fast Ferries are moving with the times to provide them with swift and comfortable ferry services. The Tanzanian companies are pursuing a vigorous policy of modernizing and maintaining its fleet in line with fast-moving developments in the world of water transport. The air conditioned catamarans were built in Australia to Azam’s specifications to provide that best possible services for Tanzanian travelers, international tourists and businessman.
.
The entire fleet of vessels has up to date communication and
navigation instrumentation along with stringent safety equipment on board. The
crews are well trained and experienced.
Azam Marine and Coastal Fast
Ferries are the first passengers ferry company in Tanzania to deploy a modern
online ticketing system. Our system can be used from anywhere in the world as
long as the user has access to the internet.
Catamarans
We boast a fleet of 8 vessels
with a spreed range from 25 knots up to 58 knots allowing passengers to be in
Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam within 40 minutes! Our newly launched Sea Rocket
Limousine is a speed and comfort machine. We believe in servicing our customers
with the best options and convenience available, beginning from VIP to economy
class, we are driven by our customer satisfaction. With the capability to carry
minimum and maximum (around 300 passengers), we facilitate our services at all
times
All foreign passengers (none Tanzanian citizens)
are required to carry their passports when traveling between the islands of
Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania.
Foreign passengers are required to pay for their
tickets in United States Dollar (USD$). We do however accept payments in UK
Pound Sterling (Stg?) and Euro (€). All other currencies are not acceptable.
Foreigners with resident permits or exemption
certificates are allowed to pay for their fares in Tanzanian Shillings and will
be charged the normal fares applicable for citizens.
Tanzanian citizens are encouraged to carry some
identification to prove their citizenship.
PARIS, September 5- A decade after the strongest tsunami
in living memory, 24 countries spanning from Australia to South Africa will
take part in a UN backed simulation exercise next week to test their capacity
to forecast and tackle similar disasters.
The exercise, organized by UNESCO, will simulate a 9.1
magnitude earthquake south of the Indonesian island of Java beginning September
9.
A second 9.0-magnitude quake will be simulated at the Makran
Trench south of Iran and Pakistan.
“Both scenarios will simulate tsunami waves travelling
across the Indian Ocean,” UNESCO said in a statement.
The test is designed to examine an Indian Ocean tsunami
warning system put in place after the December 24, 2004 disaster which killed
over 230,000 people, displaced more than one million people, and left a massive
trail of destruction along the coasts of the affected countries.
It will check the efficiency of communication flows between
the 24 countries, general readiness and the efficiency of emergency procedures.
Many of the countries involved will also stage evacuation
exercises for coastal populations.
An evaluation will be conducted after the exercise to
identify gaps and weaknesses in the system.
The participating countries are Australia, Bangladesh,
Comoros, East Timor, the French overseas department of La Reunion, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania, Thailand and Yemen
Indian Ocean-wide tsunami exercise to test readiness ten
years after the 2004 disaster
Ten years after the strongest tsunami in living memory in
2004, 24 countries of the Indian Ocean Rim* will participate in a large scale
simulation exercise organized under the auspices of the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO on 9 and 10 September to test the Indian
Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. The goal is to measure the
capacity and response times of the various stakeholders involved to address
such rare but potentially destructive events.
The exercise, known as “IOWAVE14”, will comprise two
scenarios: the first simulates an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 south of
Java, Indonesia, on 9 September (00:00 UTC); the second simulates an earthquake
with a magnitude of 9.0 in the Makran Trench south of Iran and Pakistan. Both
scenarios will simulate tsunami waves travelling across the Indian Ocean. The
exercise will be conducted in real time. The Indian Ocean Regional Tsunami Service
Providers (Australia, India and Indonesia) will issue notification messages to
National Tsunami Warning Centres alerting them to the simulated threats.
The test is designed to assess the effectiveness of communication
flows between the stakeholders involved, country readiness and the efficiency
of emergency procedures. Several countries will also include public evacuation
exercises of coastal populations. An evaluation will be conducted after the
exercise to identify gaps and weaknesses so as to improve the System.
The Indian Ocean nations called for the establishment of an
Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) in the wake of the
2004 catastrophe. An Intergovernmental Coordination Group was established with
the support of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to
provide a governance mechanism for the new System, which became operational in
2011.
So
many islands across the globe are facing extinction. Two theories surround why
this is happening; rising sea levels due to global warming or the islands are
simply sinking into the ocean. Whichever the case, the fact is that these
islands and the people who inhabit them are losing the battle against nature
a
paper in New Scientist by Paul Kench and Arthur Webb entitledShape-shifting
islands defy sea-level rise(behind paywallhere) actually found that far from being inundated, the
majority of coral islands are actually growing not shrinking – they can adapt
to sea-level
Referred to by many as a “sinking
paradise”, over a thousand people originally lived on these islands. Over the
last decade the Papua New Guinea government has been gradually relocating
families, making Papua New Guineans the first climate change refugees. Like
many other atolls throughout the Pacific Ocean, this one is very low-lying and
its main constituent, the coral, needs to be covered in water most of the time.
The islands are expected to disappear completely by 2015.
UPDATE: Papau New Guinea’s
islands are perhaps in the worst situation of all islands facing this threat.
In addition to Carteret, Mortlock, Nuguria, Tasman, and Nissan are also facing
sinking below the depths of sea level. Families continue to be relocated to
four cities; Tinputz, Tearuki, Mabiri and Tsimba. Unfortunately the efforts are
slow and the island is dissipating. Now the food supply is in jeopardy due to
the high salt content of the soil. Neighboring islands are selling surplus food
to them, but as an island with little revenue it is not easy for the people. On
the bright side PNG (Papau New Guinea) is now inline to receive funds from the
American Climate Change. This island has been relying on the good will of
organizations such German Church groups like Misereor and Bread for the World.
2.
KIRIBATI
Coconuts are no longer on the
menu on Kiribati; they’ve stopped
growing on the trees of some islands, as fresh water areas are being flooded
with salt water instead. Vegetation is starting to die off and the shorelines
aren’t far behind. This central, tropical Pacific Ocean nation has already lost
some of its islands to rising sea levels, and the remaining 33 are estimated to
sink completely in the next 100 years.
UPDATE: The people of Kiribati (like
all these islands) have fought to keep their home, but unfortunately mother
nature is winning the war. The highest point on the island is just three
meters, and if you stay at a hotel here you will be given a life jacket just in
case. Most recently hitting headlines is the story of Iaone Teitiota, a native
to the island who is fighting to stay in New Zealand under refugee status. New
Zealand law says he doesn’t fit the bill (pun intended) and should be deported.
This case is making way for new legislation regarding climate refugees. Most
recent guesses indicate the island has 25 to 35 years left before it is no
longer above sea level. In the meantime though the food supply and fresh water
shortages are a current issue and the island may be uninhabitable long before
the 35 year prediction.
3. SOLOMON ISLANDS
Islands don’t tend to disappear overnight, but the
warning signs of coastal erosion and salt water damage have started to make a
serious impact here. These stunning islands (numbering close to a
thousand) are a sovereign state of Oceania ; divers flock here to explore coral
reefs, lagoons and underwater volcanoes. Apart from rising sea levels, cyclones
and flooding are chipping away its shorelines.
UPDATE: Salt water continues
to embed itself within the island, contaminating water supplies and making it
very difficult to grow food. No timeline has been estimated about how long the
island has left, but the food and water resources may make it a state similar
to Kiribati where habitation won’t be possible due to the lack of resources.
4. SARICHEF ISLAND, ALASKA
This traditional Eskimo village has seen some of the
world’s harshest weather conditions threaten its existence. The Chukchi Sea
which surrounds this long narrow island is normally frozen from mid-November
through to mid-June, protecting the island from storms and wave surges. Shown below
is the village of Shishmaref where many are losing their homes due to erosion.
UPDATE: We tend to think
that disappearing islands only affect warm areas, but this is not true.
Sarichef Island’s seaside is eroding quickly. One storm can see 5 feet of the
islands edge disappear. Over the past 10 to 20 years more than 30 feet of
shoreline has dispersed.
5. TUVALU
Formerly known as the Ellice Islands, Tuvalu is midway
between Hawaii and Australia and it looks like paradise. It is a real shame
that this Polynesian island nation is predicted to be completely under water
within 50 years. Climate change and high tides have been known to ravage the
low lying shores; if the unthinkable does happen, 11,000 people that live here
will not only lose their homes, but their whole country.
UPDATE: Vete Sakaio, Deputy
Prime Minister of Tuvalu recently addressed the UN general Assembly with a plea
to address climate change and save their country. His point was that this is
not just a Tuvula problem it is a worldwide issue. Perhaps his partying words
were the strongest though: “Save Tuvalu in order to save yourself.”
7. FIJI
Fiji is an island nation in Melanesia. As much these
islands are all about sunny relaxation and snorkeling its spectacular reefs,
global warming is starting to chip away at Fiji’s shores. With inches of the
islands’ beaches eroding each year, the coastlines are taking a serious hit.
There is a current debate about whether the Pacific islands are adapting to
rising water levels or will succumb to the watery depths altogether.
UPDATE: The WWF is actively
fighting against the erosion of Fiji by building resilience in tropical
mangroves, in hopes to preserve the coastline. Fiji is not slated to disappear
from the map, but the serious concern lies in its water supply. If the fresh water
becomes diluted with salt water it would potentially become uninhabitable
because no food could be grown or water consumed. Flooding, droughts, shoreline erosion, and extreme weather are other
worries that climate change has brought to life. Tourism is an important discussion right now,
as finding ways to keep this economic must in play while balancing it with
sustainability and environmental efforts is vital.
8. MARSHALL ISLANDS
1,156 islets make up this Micronesian nation, but
things could look very different in the not so distant future. Some scientists
predict that the Marshall Islands will start to be swallowed up by the Pacific
Ocean in the next 50 years. The main culprit? Extreme weather conditions. In
2008, extreme waves and high tides caused widespread flooding in the capital city
of Majuro and other urban centers, located at 1 meter
(3 ft 3 in) above sea level. According to the president of
Nauru, the Marshall Islands are the nation ranked as the most endangered
due to flooding from climate change.
UPDATE: The Marshall Islands
do not view climate change as a distant threat, it is an actual and current
one. This year they have seen extreme weather conditions from severe droughts
to floods a few weeks later. recently their president Christopher J. Loeak
wrote an open letter on the opinion page of the New York Times titled “Climate
Change Has Reached Our Shores”.
9. SEYCHELLES
The Seychelles is made up of about 115 islands
in the Indian Ocean some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland
Africa, surrounded by spectacular coral reefs. The coral is what stops beach
erosion; unfortunately, rising water temperatures are resulting in one of the
worst coral die offs ever seen. Some scientists have predicted that most of the
Seychelles will be under water in 50 – 100 years.
UPDATE: Seychelles has been
developing policies to protect the island, food supply, and people against
climate change for several years now. The results are unclear as most of the
legislation is in regards to evaluating and not so much how to solve the
problem. However, they have certainly taken a pro-active and hands on approach.
10. TOKELAU
Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand that consists of
three tropical coral atolls. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, this tropical
haven looks heavenly, but could disappear from view before the century is out.
Rising sea levels and water temperatures are threatening the coral reefs and
coastlines. Just four metres above sea level at its highest point, the odds are
against this beauty spot surviving beyond 2100.
UPDATE: The government of
Tokelau is facing eroding and disappearing island head on. Tokelau is the first
place in the world to operate 100% on renewable energy, this means there are no
more fossil fuels, just solar energy.
Lying just two metres above sea level at its highest points, the
island nation of Kiribati is the poster child for climate change, with
predictions that many of the 32 islands in the group could be lost to the sea
in the next 50 years.
But what is it really like? Julian Siddle from BBC Science reports
from South Tarawa, Kiribati's main island.
The stereotypical image of Kiribati is of classic pacific atolls,
palm trees, coral reefs and people living a simple lifestyle, able to fish in
abundant seas. But it is threatened by rising sea levels and facing the full
force of climate change.
All that is real, but in addition this island nation is one of the
most populated places on earth. Current estimates suggest around 110,000 people
live here, and half of these in South Tarawa - a chain of small islands,
sharing a lagoon and coral reefs now linked by concrete causeways topped with a
dusty road.
The population has boomed since the island obtained independence
from Britain in the late 1970s. Villages are now joined, forming a near continuous
strip of urbanisation along the roadside and down to the sea.
A shortage of land means there is very little agriculture and the
population is now heavily reliant on imported and predominantly processed food.
Many people come from the rural outer islands to the urban centre
of South Tarawa. This has been a largely economic migration, though a loss of
land to the sea has also provided a push.
"The outer island communities have been affected, we have a
village which has gone, we have a number of communities where the sea water has
broken through into the freshwater pond and is now affecting the food
crops," says Kiribati's president, Anote Tong.
"That is happening on different islands, it's not an isolated
event, serious inundation is being witnessed. These are the realities we are
facing, whether they are climate change induced or not."
The less populated Island of Abaiang to the north of Tarawa is
where a village disappeared beneath the waves. This island has a much lower
population than Tarawa, approximately 10,000.
---
Climate scientists have expressed
surprise at findings that many low-lying Pacific islands are growing, not
sinking.
Islands in Tuvalu, Kiribati and the
Federated States of Micronesia are among those which have grown, largely due to
coral debris, land reclamation and sediment.
The findings, published in the magazine
New Scientist, were gathered by comparing changes to 27 Pacific islands over
the last 20 to 60 years using historical aerial photos and satellite images.
Auckland University’s Associate
Professor Paul Kench, a member of the team of scientists, says the results
challenge the view that Pacific islands are sinking due to rising sea levels
associated with climate change.
“Eighty per cent of the islands we’ve
looked at have either remained about the same or, in fact, gotten larger,” he
said.
“Some of those islands have gotten
dramatically larger, by 20 or 30 per cent.
“We’ve now got evidence the physical
foundations of these islands will still be there in 100 years.”
But, the article continues [bold mine]:-
Dr Kench says the growth of the islands can keep pace
with rising sea levels.
“The reason for this is these islands
are so low lying that in extreme events waves crash straight over the top of
them,” he said.
“In doing that they transport sediment
from the beach or adjacent reef platform and they throw it onto the top of the
island.”
But Dr Kench says this does not mean
climate change does not pose dangers.
“The land may still be there but will
they still be able to support human habitation?” he asked.
Adelaide University climate scientist
Professor Barry Brook says he is surprised by the findings.
So just why are the Kiribatians looking to relocate? Is it a real
problem? Is it just “give us the cash”, or is it some other problem?
Many of these smaller Island Nations are doing a fantastic trade
in tourism, indeed the Maldives is building airstrips right, left and centre.
Kiribati has two international airports (Godzone only has three or perhaps
four).
As Willis points out, water appears to be a big issue, as is coral
mining and fishing (yes fish can upset the coral atoll growth). Others point to
rubbish – simply put they are running out of places to dig holes and bury the
stuff.
"These two factors mean that seas rise a tenth of an inch annually, eroding about 580 acres of Maryland a year."
A combination of geological forces and climate change have raised water levels in the Chesapeake Bay in recent decades, forcing residents to leave once-habitable islands
Holland Island was one of the largest: Historians say it had more than 360 people around 1910, with two stores, a school and a baseball team that traveled to other islands by boat. But the inhabitants' luck, and their land, would not hold. Sea levels in the Chesapeake, scientists say, are rising faster than they are in some other coastal regions of the United States. One reason is ancient: The land here has been slowly sinking for thousands of years, settling itself from bulges created by the weight of Ice Age glaciers. The weight of glaciers to the north pushed the Earth's crust down, and the crust in this area went up like the other end of a see-saw. Now, the whole region is slowly sinking again.
The other reason is modern: climate change. The Earth's oceans are rising, scientists say, because polar ice is melting, and because warmer water expands. They have noticed the effect of climate change more in the past couple of decades, government scientists say. These two factors mean that seas rise a tenth of an inch annually, eroding about 580 acres of Maryland a year, according to the state. The loss of land is all around the bay but is most noticeable on the low islands. Holland Island was especially hard-hit: Like other Chesapeake islands, it was made of silt and clay, not rock, so its land eroded readily. Today, the ragged piece of marshy land is smaller than Holland's outline in colonial times. "It's just like a dipstick," said Michael Kearney, a professor at the University of Maryland. "The water goes up, it just gets drowned." - Washington Post.
Tangier Island lies in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and is 92 miles (148km) southeast of Washington, DC. This small piece of land is barely above sea level and its 500 residents are fighting for its survival. First settled in 1686, the island at times had over 1,200 residents and during the War of 1812 it served as a staging area for British soldiers. Now fishing restrictions, erosion and rising sea levels have resulted in most of the younger members of this tightly knit community looking for opportunities elsewhere. - BBC.
WATCH: BBC's Franz Strasser went to Tangier Island to see how the remaining islanders are coping with a difficult future.
Wall St. Ferry Crash Spurs NTSB Safety Recommendations
By Eric HaunTuesday, July 08, 2014, 1:44 PMSeastreak Wall StreetThe National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into the allision of passenger vessel Seastreak Wall Street with Pier 11, Lower Manhattan, New York early last year has led the board to issue a safety alert regarding stairway hazards during docking and undocking.Of the 331 people on board when the vessel allided with the dock on January 9, 2013, 79 passengers and one crewmember were injured, four of them seriously. As the vessel approached the pier, some passengers stood in the ferry’s five stairways providing passenger access between three deck levels as they anticipated arrival. When the vessel unexpectedly struck the dock, passengers lost their balance and fell, causing head injuries, fractured ribs and cuts and bruises. The most severely injured passenger fell down a stairway and suffered a broken neck, brain hemorrhage, lung collapse, facial fractures and lacerations and nerve injuries. He spent more than five weeks in a hospital.The NTSB advises vessel passengers to avoid unrestricted stairways during docking and undocking as a momentary loss of balance can cause falls and serious injuries.
To additionally reduce the risk of injuries, NTSB recommends passengers remain seated or hold onto a handrail or seat back during docking and always be prepared for unexpected vessel movement.To further reduce the risk of serious injuries, the NTSB recommends vessel operators develop procedures to control passenger access to stairways during docking and undocking
— at Mombasa Likoni Ferry — at Kigamboni Ferry Terminal, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
They
rarely reach passenger capacity, however, notwithstanding the spectacle of the terminals/dock
overflow of crowd happen mostly during peak hours
Still, counting people is
important. Captains need to know when their vessels exceed the magic number of passengers
. That's how many people they can strap into life vests and fit on lifeboats.
The number of people per boat
can exceed the lifesaving capacity, since help from other vessels is readily
available on most runs, but the Coast Guard must be alerted, along with other
vessels on the same route and boats on adjacent routes that will be expected to
help in an emergency. Most ferries have a maximum passenger capacity of 1,500 people.
Ferry terminal staff provide
counts for each trip, as accurately as possible with the tools available
It
makes the master more comfortable," in the case of an emergency how he is going to
use his personnel and what equipment to use to save lifes.
The first three things the
Coast Guard will want to know in an emergency is the nature of the problem, the
location and how many people are on board. The goal from a search-and-rescue
perspective is to recover everybody possible. You need the count to accomplish
that."
The Tsunami Warning Focal Point (TWFP) is a 7x24 contact person,
or other official point of contact or address designated by a government,
available at the national level for rapidly receiving and issuing tsunami event
information (such as warnings). The Tsunami Warning Focal Point either is the
emergency authority (civil defense or other designated agency responsible for
public safety), or has the responsibility of notifying the emergency authority
of the event characteristics (earthquake and/or tsunami), in accordance with
national standard operating procedures. The Tsunami Warning Focal Point
receives international tsunami warnings from the Regional Tsunami Service
Providers (RTSPs) for the IOTWS. The role of the TWFP is summarised as
follows:
• Reception of the messages transmitted by the Regional Tsunami
Service Providers
• Evaluate and issue national warnings in accordance with the
National Emergency Plan
• Transmission of warning messages to the National Emergency Authorities
UNESCO supports Member States in improving capabilities for
tsunami risk assessment, implementing early warning systems and enhancing
preparedness of communities at risk. UNESCO works closely with national
institutions and promotes inter-institutional and regional cooperation.
Specialized regional centers provide tsunami information that, together with
national analysis, is the basis of the warnings issued for the public. In
addition, UNESCO promotes community-based approaches in the development of
response plans and awareness campaigns which strongly involve education
institutions and end-users.
Azam Marine and Coastal Fast Ferries operate passenger ferry boats between the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and mainland Tanzania. Azam operates a fleet of five vessels – three catamarans, and one RIB Passengers speed boat. The speedboats are popular among local people and foreign tourists visiting Tanzania. As international tourists discover the magnificent destination of Tanzania, Azam Marine and Coastal Fast Ferries are moving with the times to provide them with swift and comfortable ferry services.
