Foto Friday – Ashdod Ahoy

April 24, 2010 - 8:18 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business, education, Environment, Foto Friday, General, Life, Picture of the Week, Travel 

Ashdod, the New York Times noted in a recent article, is a Mediterranean city “that is shunned by most guidebooks”.

But, as the NYT discovered, Israel’s unglamorous port to the south has, in recent years, gained cachet among Israelis of Russian origin who have infused the once-drab city with color, culture and a lively night-life. It’s still not glamorous but there’s a lot to do, particularly if you like eating seafood and drinking vodka on the seaside, surfing or fishing.

The Port of Ashdod, calls itself “Israel’s Economic Gateway”, and that it probably true. Here are some facts: Just 40 km. from Tel Aviv, it is the closest to the country’s major commercial centers and highways. The Ashdod Port has been operating since 1965 and is one of the few ports in the world built on open sea.

The Port’s website is chock-full of the sort of information that shipping groupies love, such as timetables. cargo routes, wave measurements, and descriptions of facilities as well as videos and a 360 degree virtual tour that is really fun to play with. Oh, and of course, a photo gallery.

During 2005,the Ashdod Port inaugurated the Eitan Port, the country’s first fully computerized container port, following an investment of around NIS 3 billion. One of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Israel, the Eitan is a deep water port that includes a 1,150 m. extension to the main breakwater and 1,700 m. of new quays with a water depth up to 15.5 m.

The Ashdod Port Company handled about 827,916 containers in 2008, compared with 808,697 during 2007 in terms of TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit, a measure used for capacity in container transportation). More statistical information is available here.

The company also engages in community outreach and educational programs, including the Green Submarine project, which integrates ecological teaching with artistic activity, a school educational program together with IMMRAC – the Israel Marine Mammal Research & Assistance Center, and an Ornithology Center on the banks of the Lachish Stream adjacent to the port, together with SPNI – the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

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Aye aye sir – Israeli guards fight piracy on the high seas

May 6, 2009 - 12:32 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Crime, General, Life, War 

Piracy – just the word sums up visions of cannons, rigging, cutlasses and eye patches. But as shipping companies worldwide know only too well – piracy didn’t end in the 19th century, but continues to be an increasingly well-armed modern-day plague.

Piracy just ain't what it used to be.

Piracy just ain't what it used to be.

Now there’s a new weapon in the fight against 21st century pirates – Israeli security guards.

It’s hardly surprising is it? Security forces worldwide are turning to Israel to learn how to protect themselves, and Israeli bodyguards are the security of choice for all the Hollywood superstars.

Out on the high seas, Israelis are proving to be just as successful in protecting their charges from the 1,000 or so Somali pirates holding the world’s ships to ransom on the Indian Ocean. (Last year alone 100 ships were attacked, and pirates are currently holding at least 16 ships and more than 250 seamen to ransom.)

Not long ago, Israeli guards repelled a pirate attack on an Italian cruise ship, the Melody, off the coast of Somalia. There were 1,500 people on board the cruise liner, and pirates tried to storm it, firing automatic weapons at the ship.

As the pirates tried to clamber up the sides of the ship on ladders, the Israeli security staff employed by Israeli maritime security company Mano International, opened fire and sprayed them with fire hoses, driving the attackers away after a 10 minute battle. Surprisingly, given the situation, it was the first time a ship’s crew actually fought back.

In an Israeli newspaper, the head of the Italian cruise line said he hired the Israelis because they were the best-trained security agents.

Mano has been operating covertly in this area for 22 years, and the company’s owner told the press he has no interest in exposure. This is the same company, however, that extracted passengers from the Italian ship Achille Lauro when it was hijacked and set alight in 1985 by Palestinian terrorists.

With two other Israeli companies operating in this area, it’s nice to know that Israelis are helping keep the world’s waterways safe from modern day Blackbeards. Oh Arr me hearties.

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