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Last week it was revealed that 54 oil tankers are anchored off the coast of Britain, refusing to unload their fuel until prices have risen. But that is not the only scandal in the shipping world. Today award-winning science writer Fred Pearce – environmental consultant to New Scientist and author of Confessions Of An Eco Sinner – reveals that the super-ships that keep the West in everything from Christmas gifts to computers pump out killer chemicals linked to thousands of deaths because of the filthy fuel they use. We've all noticed it. The filthy black smoke kicked out by funnels...

Check out this video of the "Oasis of the Seas" cruise ship. This is the biggest and most expensive cruise ship ever built and it recently sailed from Turku, Finland. It just arrived at the ship's home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida three days ago on November 11 where it faces a challenge to fill its multitude of berths as we Americans are now struggling under Obama's recession and trying to keep our heads above water. Built at the cost of $1.5 billion, this 16-deck cruise vessel is nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship and five...

SOMALI pirates fired in the air in jubilation after receiving a $1.8 million ransom in exchange for the release of a German-owned vessel and its 11-member crew. Somali sea gangs, operating in the strategic shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe, have made millions of dollars in ransom from hijacking vessels in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. "We have taken a $1.8 million ransom and released the German ship," pirate Ahmed said from a lair in the town of Eyl on the Somali coast. The 146-metre MV Victoria, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, was hijacked by eight pirates...

Note: The following text is a quote: 09 July 2009 EGYPT ARRESTS TERRORIST CELL OF 25 MEMBERS CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) The Egyptian authorities have arrested a terrorist cell of 25 members, 24 Egyptians and one Palestinian, for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Suez Canal, Egyptian Interior Ministry said in statement issued on Thursday. According to the statement, the members of the cell who believe in Jihad (Holy War) were located in Cairo, Alexandria and Daqahlia governorates and communicated through internet with other terrorist groups outside Egypt. The cell's members, mostly engineers, were developing high-tech and electronic devices...

(LEAD) Chinese ships shunning waters near Korea amid tensions SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- Chinese fishing vessels are leaving the Yellow Sea, where tensions between the two Koreas have escalated after Pyongyang's threats of military clash, a defense source here said Friday. "Chinese fishing ships operating near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) began withdrawing yesterday," the source said, adding the military authorities are trying to find out whether North Korea asked them to do so. More than 280 Chinese vessels were fishing near the NLL for crab earlier this week but the number has dropped to about 140, according to...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2009 – A recent agreement among the Defense Department, the Navy and shipbuilders will enable more efficient construction of the next-generation destroyer at one shipyard instead of two, a senior Defense Department official announced here today. The “swap” agreement calls for three DDG-1000 destroyers to be built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, John J. Young Jr., undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters at the Pentagon. Work on the DDG-1000 destroyers previously was to be split between General Dynamics’ Bath Works and Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls Shipyard in Mississippi, Young said. As part...

<p>MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) - Somali pirates vowed to hunt down American ships and kill their sailors and French forces detained 11 other brigands in a high-seas raid as tensions ratcheted up Wednesday off Africa's volatile eastern coast.</p> <p>Pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at an American freighter loaded with food aid but the ship escaped and was heading to Kenya under U.S. Navy guard.</p>

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Crews have held pirates off with Molotov cocktails, crates of rubbish and oil drums. They've electrified handrails, sprayed attackers with high-pressure fire hoses and simply kicked the pirates' rickety ladders overboard. But owners of ships plying the pirate-infested waters off Somalia's coast have balked at having firearms onboard, despite an increasing number of attacks where bullets pierced hulls or rocket propelled grenades whooshed overhead. The reason is twofold: Owners fear pirates would be more likely to continue shooting once on board if they confronted weapons, and the company might be held liable for deaths or injuries...

The International Maritime Bureau says 260 crew on 14 hijacked ships are being held off the coast of Somalia, not including the U.S.-flagged ship seized Wednesday — the Maersk Alabama and its crew of 20 U.S. nationals.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2009 – The incident in the South China Sea involving a U.S. ocean surveillance ship is serious enough to merit face-to-face discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. The USNS Impeccable – an unarmed Military Sealift Command vessel -- was conducting operations in international waters 70 miles south of Hainan Island on March 8 when the ship was surrounded and harassed by five Chinese vessels. Morrell said the U.S. defense attaché in Beijing has been talking with China’s defense ministry about the incident. The Chinese defense attaché also is speaking...

It turns out the oldest seafaring ships ever found actually work An archaeologist who examined remnants of the oldest-known seafaring ships has now put ancient Egyptian technology to the test. She teamed up with a naval architect, modern shipwrights and an on-site Egyptian archaeologist to build a replica 3,800-year-old ship for a Red Sea trial run this past December. The voyage was meant to retrace an ancient voyage that the female pharaoh Hatsheput sponsored to a place which ancient Egyptians called God's land, or Punt. Ship planks and oar blades discovered in 2006 at the caves of Wadi Gawasis provided...

My surface ship buddy Tim passed on these photos of the second class of littoral combat ship (LCS 2), named Independence, and built by General Dynamics/Bath iron Works in their Mobile, Alabama shipyards. The other ships built thus far for the LCS program have been by Lockheed Martin and have had their fair share of problems, having had two of their follow-on LCS programs cancelled for cost overruns. Both GD and Lockheed Martin had contracts canceled for their 2nd hulls, due primarily to an inability to agree on a fixed price contract with the Navy (edited thanks to Ken Adams...

(IsraelNN.com) Qatar and Turkey have joined Libya in an intensified attempt to break Israel sovereignty over the Gaza Coast. The Israeli government blocked the Libyan ship from landing at Gaza this week but refused to comment on further actions. However, Palestinian Authority legislator Jamal al-Khodary said that the boat, reportedly loaded with 3,000 tons of food and medicine, will try again. "We are holding pressing contacts with Ahmed al-Tibi, an Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, the Libyan health minister Mohammed Rashed and the ship's crew who are determined to go to Gaza," he told the Chinese news agency Xinhua....

NATIONAL MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION Washington 25, D. C. MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESS NO. M 26 - 49 IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 27, 1949 RE 6700 Ext. 3201 The following report is a digest of preliminary studies made by the Air Material Command, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, on "Flying Saucers." PROJECT "SAUCER" On Tuesday, June 24, 1947, a Boise, Idaho businessman named Kenneth Arnold looked from his private plane and spotted a chain of nine saucer-like objects playing tag with the jagged peaks of Washington's Mt. Ranier at what he described as a "fantastic speed." Arnold's report set off...

BAHRAIN (July 15, 2008) — Coalition warships operating in the Gulf region have seized 23 tons of narcotics, which could have been used to fund the insurgency in Afghanistan. The British warships involved were frigates HMS Chatham and HMS Montrose, and the destroyer HMS Edinburgh. They were supported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary helicopter support ship Argus and her embarked Sea King aircraft.Sailors and Royal Marines from the ships discovered hidden drugs in vessels along the so-called "Hash Highway," and often operated in the most unpleasant of conditions. The narcotics they seized included hashish, opiates, cocaine and amphetamines. "The scourge...

As President George W. Bush considers repealing a ban on drilling off most of the coast of the United States, a shortage of ships used for such drilling promises to impede any rapid turnaround in oil exploration. Slow growth in oil supplies, at a time of soaring demand, has been a major factor in the spike in oil and gasoline prices. In recent years, a global shortage of drill ships has created a critical bottleneck, frustrating energy company executives and constraining their ability to exploit known reserves or find new ones. As oil trades at more than $135 a barrel...

US researchers say they have developed an effective way to kill unwanted plants and animals that hitch a ride in the ballast waters of cargo vessels. Tests showed that a continuous microwave system was able to remove all marine life within the water tanks. The UN lists "invasive species" dispersed by ballast water discharges as one of the four main threats to the world's marine ecosystems. The findings will appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Shipping moves more than 80% of the world's commodities and transfers up to five billion tonnes of ballast water internationally each year, data...

We’ve been hearing rumblings about the U.S. Navy’s triple-hulled ships, but here’s one that was launched last month, the U.S.S Independence. Built by General Dynamics, it’s called a “littoral combat ship” (LCS), and the trimaran can move huge weapons around faster than any ship in the Navy. Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us of the Merrimac ironclad from Civil War days. Littoral means close to shore, and that’s where these fleet-hulled babies will operate, tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns....

Titanic, left, and Olympic sat next to one another in a double gantry in the last photo of the two together, weeks before Olympic set sail Researchers have discovered that the builder of the Titanic struggled for years to obtain enough good rivets and riveters and ultimately settled on faulty materials that doomed the ship, which sank 96 years ago Tuesday. The builder’s own archives, two scientists say, harbor evidence of a deadly mix of low quality rivets and lofty ambition as the builder labored to construct the three biggest ships in the world at once — the Titanic...

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency is announcing strong new pollution controls on the nation's locomotives, ships and passenger ferries. They will have to cut soot by 90 percent and smog-causing chemical releases by 80 percent over the next six to seven years through technology improvements in locomotive and ship diesel engines. Those engines often operate for decades. The pollution improvements would be required of new engines as well as old when they are overhauled. The Associated Press has learned that EPA will announce the new requirements Friday in Washington. These requirements would be in addition to regulations already in...

Two New Navy Ships USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) Seeing it next to the Arizona Memorial really puts its size into perspective... ENORMOUS. BEAUTIFUL! When the Bridge pipes "Man the Rail" there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement. Capability Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling. 1. Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years. 2. Carries over 80 combat aircraft. 3. Three arresting cables can...

PORT KAVKAZ, Russia (AFP) - Hundreds of Russian soldiers were deployed on Tuesday to clean up a 2,000-tonne oil spill in environmentally sensitive waters caused by a fierce Black Sea storm that wrecked five ships.

Looks like liberals can't decide which is more important ... saving wild animals or the environment. The White House proposed a federal rule requiring ships to reduce speed when coming into U.S. ports. This is supposed to help the ships avoid collisions with endangered whales. Here's the dilemma. Now we know why they're endangered. They can't even get out of the way of a ship! International shipping companies say this is ridiculous and will cost them a lot of money – $100 million to $150 million a year in lost time and increased fuel consumption. That's right ... more fuel...

Majestic America Line Announces Farewell Celebration Throughout 2008 for the Legendary Delta Queen. Congress has decided not to enact legislation to grant the historic ship a statutory exemption; Ship will continue sailings through November 2008. Click on link above for full press release.

Canadian Coastguard icebreakers are smashing through a massive expanse of pack ice to try to free about 100 sealing vessels stuck off Newfoundland's northeast coast. According to officials about 15 vessels are in danger of having ice pierce their hulls.Seal ship stranded

MADRID, Spain - Spain wants ships to slow down and watch out for whales while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world's busiest maritime routes. The recommendation drew praise Saturday from environmentalists who sought the measure for years to prevent collisions with whales. Fast ferries, especially, can be a threat to endangered sperm whales, which come to the strait from the Mediterranean to feed between February and July. The whales "do not know what is going on around them," said Katharina Heyer, president of the Foundation for Information and Research on Marine Mammals, an environmental group based...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2007 – Operation Homefront is encouraging Americans to have a heart and “Share the Love” with a servicemember or military family this Valentine’s Day through its “eCarePackages.org” program. A Navy medical unit serving a Marine regiment in Iraq shows off boxes they received through eCarePackages. An Operation Homefront program, eCarePackages allows civilians to send boxes to troops through an operationally secure Web site. The program also is available for servicemembers and family members wanting to treat their loved ones. Courtesy photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You,...

THE Royal Navy has warned merchant ships in the Gulf to be on their guard after an al-Qaeda threat to target oil terminals in the area.Coalition naval forces in the area have been put on watch for possible terror threats to oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, officials said. A Royal Navy official said the threat had resulted in increased security and vigilance at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura terminal, as well as at a refinery in Bahrain. But oil exports were proceeding as normal, he said. The Royal Navy, part of the Italian-led Coalition Task Force 152 that patrols...

The United States, concerned about North Korea, will double to six by the end of the year the number of its ships in the Pacific capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, the head of the Pentagon missile-defense project involved said on Wednesday. "I think it gives the nation more options," Rear Adm. Alan Hicks, program manager for Aegis ballistic missile defense, told reporters here after speaking to a conference on the fledgling U.S. shield. In coming years, a growing number of ship-based interceptor missiles will be deployed on 18 Aegis cruisers and destroyers as part of a multibillion-dollar U.S....

Royal Navy ships head for Lebanon HMS Illustrious is currently in Gibraltar Defence Secretary Des Browne has given orders for HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark to "make ready" for operations off Lebanon. The pair will depart as soon as necessary, possibly within 24 hours. No order for evacuating UK citizens has yet been given, but ministers and defence staff are considering a plan to evacuate those trapped in Lebanon. It comes as Israel has stepped up its strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah militants seized two Israeli soldiers. 'Contingency planning' HMS Illustrious is currently in Gibraltar and HMS Bulwark is close...

I always lurk on these computer-help threads because they're so informative and downright useful. But this is my first request. My dear lady friend drives long-haul OTR and wanted me to help her with using a laptop logged on the net and without trailing a 3,000 mile cable.So we got a new lap top (a Dell that comes with a "wireless" card.)The question is: What do we need to do to enable (what kind of) wireless link from a mobile (tractor-trailer or a boat/ship) unit to the internet?

Trenton deal close to being sealed Shiv AroorPosted online: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 NEW DELHI, JUNE 27:As the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal comes up at Capitol Hill, back home, another deal is getting close to being sealed. It is New Delhi’s acquisition of the USS Trenton, an American amphibious warship which was offered to the Indian Navy last year. With Washington’s crucial letter of acceptance (LoA) in, South Block is set to close the deal by early next month. The warship, currently undergoing a complete refit at Norfolk, Virginia, and capable of carrying close to 1,500 personnel, will be delivered...

NEW YORK (NNS) -- The 19th New York City Fleet Week came to a close May 31, as Sailors and Marines left New York City in their wake, headed for their next destination. While visiting the ‘Big Apple,’ Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen participated in community service events, sports competitions, military demonstrations and Memorial Day remembrances in all five boroughs. “I’m just impressed by the good, positive attitudes and willingness to work that the young Sailors express,” commented Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Paul Ablaza, a Reservist with Naval Security Forces, Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, N.J. “Seeing the dedication of...

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2006 – Officials at U.S. Transportation Command headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., call themselves the "ing" command, because they're always supporting other commands. They call the geographic combatant commands the "ed" commands, because they're the ones supported, Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth J. McQuiston, the command's senior enlisted leader, told his peers from the "ed" commands here today. Senior enlisted leaders from combatant commands and the service senior enlisted advisors and their spouses are meeting in the Pentagon this week at the invitation of Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2006 – When the USS James E. Williams sets sail from Norfolk, Va., tomorrow, it will be a special moment for the family of a top Army noncommissioned officer. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. "Joe" Gainey poses in his Pentagon office next to a portrait of his cousin, James E. Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient and the most decorated sailor in Navy history. A ship named for Williams, the USS James E. Williams, sets sail on its maiden voyage from Norfolk, Va., May 2. Photo by Kathleen T. Rhem  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced April 27 that the first four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will be homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif. Key in the success of implementing these new concepts is the ability to colocate these ships to achieve readiness alignment and economy of scale. This colocation is especially important for the first ships in the class as waterfront facilities, infrastructure, training and maintenance efficiencies are developed. San Diego was chosen as the initial homeport because of the Navy’s increased emphasis on the Pacific theater based on the Quadrennial Defense Review. “Homeporting the first four ships...

MANAMA, Bahrain, April 25, 2006 – Making a coalition work is not an easy job. But the Friendly Forces Coordination Cell at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command here builds on more than 60 years of working with allies. The cell has 15 liaison officers from coalition partners whose job it is to coordinate and integrate their countries' naval forces contributions to the maritime element of the war on terror, U.S. Navy Capt. Steve Gabriele, the director of the office, said. Based here, the office serves as a focal point for queries, answers and coordination among many different aspects of the...

WASHINGTON -- While conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have drained American ground forces of personnel, equipment and cash, the U.S. Navy has quietly cruised ahead with a multibillion-dollar plan to build 30 new ships, despite years of controversial overspending and a one-time $2.7 billion shipbuilding price spike due to Hurricane Katrina damage. The plan envisions annual spending of about $13.5 billion to expand the fleet to 313 ships, including the stealthy DDX destroyer and smaller littoral combat ships to support military operations along coastal waterways. The Navy now has 281 ships, with some due to come on line and others...

FASLANE, Scotland (NNS) -- Three ships led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 24 departed Faslane, Scotland, March 11, having completed Neptune Warrior, a coalition course off the coast of Scotland with ships from the United Kingdom and Germany and aircraft from France. Capt. Carl W. Cramb, commander, DESRON 24, led the three ships, USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Barry (DDG 52), and USS Elrod (FFG 55), during their transit to Scotland and then commanded one of the international Task Groups during Neptune Warrior. Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff (JMOTS) Northwood in the United Kingdom led the Neptune Warrior course. The...

Ship operators who reduce pollution by observing a speed limit while entering the Port of Long Beach will be rewarded with lower dockage rates. The reduced dockage rates are part of the port's Green Flag Incentive Program, an annual $2.2 million clean air initiative that provides financial incentives and recognition to those who voluntarily reduce their speeds. The tariff reduction plan was approved Monday by the Board of Harbor Commissioners. Under the program, carriers will qualify for a 15 percent discounted Green Flag dockage rate during the following year if 90 percent of their vessels comply with a 12-knot speed...

FASLANE, Scotland (NNS) -- Three U.S. ships, led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (COMDESRON) 24 arrived in Faslane, Scotland, to participate in a coalition course with ships from the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, Feb. 23. Capt. Carl W. Cramb, commander, DESRON 24, embarked on USS Ross (DDG 71), will lead one side’s maritime component during the course, including ships from Germany, the United Kingdom and USS Elrod (FFG 55). The second maritime component will be led by the commanding officer of HMS Edinburgh (D97), a destroyer from the United Kingdom, and will also include USS Barry (DDG 52). “The staff...

UMATILLA COUNTY, Oregon — Umatilla County Sheriff John Trumbo didn’t expect a reply from the Mexican government, but he is surprised by all the national attention he’s received for a bill he sent to the country’s president. Trumbo sent a letter to Mexican President Vicente Fox recently asking for $318,843, the amount he says it cost his county to jail 360 illegal immigrants last year for offenses ranging from domestic violence to murder. “I didn’t expect this to be as big as it has gotten,” Trumbo said Friday. “I’m finding all over that people are just tired of it. They’re...

EXCLUSIVE Don't Dare mess with us Awesome ... Sun man on supershipPictures: PAUL EDWARDS       By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence Editor THIS is the deadliest ship ever built — the Navy’s awesome new Type 45 destroyer. HMS Daring boasts an extraordinary array of firepower. And The Sun was given an exclusive tour of the state-of-the art warship. Daring is the first of a batch of eight Type 45 destroyers — built at a total cost of £6BILLION. Weighing in at 8,000 tonnes, the 14-deck monster is almost twice the size of the current Type 42s. She is armed...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy is surging three ships Jan. 24 and 25 to conduct maritime security operations in support of the global war on terrorism. The amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) will deploy with their more than 1,100 Sailors for approximately three months. These ships will work with allies to detect, disrupt, and deny international terrorist organizations the use of the maritime environment. They will also work closely with allies to build regional security and long-term stability....

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which typically handles just one aircraft carrier at a time, will be home to three carriers at once this fall, said Navy Capt. Joseph Campbell, the yard's commanding officer. The three carriers make up one-quarter of the nation's flattop fleet and are scheduled to be in the yard simultaneously for several weeks. The USS Harry S. Truman arrived at the yard Jan. 9. It will be joined by the USS Theodore Roosevelt in September and the USS George Washington in October. The Truman is scheduled to depart in November.

Plans to 'top' 9/11 strikes 23/12/2005 20:13  - (SA)   Related Articles Pullout 'will lead to attacks' US at risk for more attacks US had 'bomber' in their hands Why is Osama so quiet?    Rome - Three Algerians arrested in an anti-terrorist operation in southern Italy are suspected of being linked to a planned new series of attacks in the United States, interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu said Friday. The attacks would have targeted ships, stadiums or railway stations in a bid to outdo the September 11 2001 strikes by al-Qaeda in New York and Washington which killed about 2 700 people, Pisanu...

The mainstream U.S. media outlets have failed to report a major terrorist plot against the U.S. - because it would tend to support President Bush's use of NSA domestic surveillance, according to media watchdog groups. News of a planned attack masterminded by three Algerians operating out of Italy was widely reported outside the U.S., but went virtually unreported in the American media. Italian authorities recently announced that they had used wiretaps to uncover the conspiracy to conduct a series of major attacks inside the U.S. Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said the planned attacks would have targeted stadiums, ships and...

ABOARD USS CLEVELAND, Arabian Sea (NNS) -- Members of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 are currently leading a group of six coalition ships conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. The strike group’s flagship, USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7) are joined by the guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79). The French ships Var (FS 608) and Lafayette (FS 710), and the Pakistani frigate Badr (PNS 181) round out the coalition task group. MSO are part of ESG-1’s regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th...

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates attacked five ships in the past week in a sharp rise of banditry apparently directed from a mysterious "mother ship" prowling the busy Indian Ocean corridor, shipping experts said on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ZIP code where you park at night: Do you currently have auto insurance? Yes No Have you had a U.S. driver's license for more than 3 years? Yes No Has any driver in your household had 2 or more accidents or moving violations in the last 3 years? Yes No Most vessels escaped, but one was commandeered, bringing to seven the number of...

LONDON, October 17 (IranMania) -With just hundreds of meters setting them apart, US ships guarding Iraqi oil terminals and Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats stare at each other across the waters of the northern Persian Gulf. The maritime zone lying at the edge of Kuwait's, Iraq's and Iran's territorial waters makes for "a fairly heady cocktail," said Captain Adrian Bell, commander of HMS Campbeltown, a British frigate which is part of the coalition naval group patrolling the area. Hence, caution is the order of the day for the seven or eight, mostly American, ships making up the naval force and currently...