Aircraft identification No. - clairvoyance - and Airlines changes No..

TAM Airlines operates in Brazil. The company is currently the largest Brazilian airline by market share and fleet size.  Just as the Transport corporation buses have Nos.. eg., 21H runs on OMR passing Karapakkam …. it originates at Broadway and winds its way  through Kamarajar Salai; LB Road; OMR for Kelambakkam with scheduled time of 85 minutes for the 21 stops in between  … akin to route No. in MTC and IMO in Ships,  there is IATA codes.  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines. It represents some 240 airlines or more than 84% of total air traffic.  IATA airline designators are used to identify an airline for commercial purposes in reservations, timetables, tickets, tariffs, air waybills and in telecommunications.

The term clairvoyance (from French clair meaning "clear" and voyance meaning "vision")  refers  to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known senses, i.e., a form of extrasensory perception.  Premonition is the  feeling or belief that something is going to happen when there is no definite reason to believe it will.. then there is ESP (Extrasensory perception)  that involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. Foretelling the future is a complicated subject !

Nooravathu Naal (Hundredth Day) directed by Manivannan starring Mohan, Vijayakant, Nalini and Sathyaraj was released in 1984 ….the suspense thriller was of a psychopath who abducts young women and kills them.  In the film, they will see a weekly magazine with a cover photo of horse (much before the release of the magazine) and sooner the same will hit the stands ….more  such premonitions would follow ……… including killings..  In the 1990s, Malayalam films of Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi had good run in Chennai, especially in Saffire theatre… ‘Iyer the Great; was one such psychological thriller directed by Bhadran, starring Mammootty & Geetha.  The storyline was on ‘ESP’…..it was about Vaikundam Surya Narayana Iyer (Mammootty), a normal business executive who on a day climbing a tall tree in order to capture an escaped pet parrot, undergoes acrophobia (fear of heights) and suddenly acquires  the power of clairvoyance. A couple of days later, he foresees a train accident with exact train number, and time of incident and warns the railway authorities. A couple of days later, Iyer foresees a terrible airplane accident and informs the authorities about a future bombing at a flight in Delhi.

Ever wondered what will happen in real life, if somebody claims to have such power and forewarns about an accident, providing details including the area and the flight number – simple change the flight number ! – stumped by the answer – read this report that appeared on MailOnline on 24th Nov 2014.

TAM airlines left nothing to chance for a Sao Paulo flight to Brasilia following the warning from renowned psychic Jucelino Nobrega da Luz. The man who claims he predicted the deaths of both Princess Diana and Brazilian racing hero Ayrton Senna, claimed TAM flight JJ3720 would develop engine trouble and crash on Sao Paulo’s main Paulista Avenue.  He claimed he also correctly predicted the death of presidential candidate Eduardo Campos. However, his predictions that a cure for AIDS would be discovered in 2008 and the outcome of Brazil's 2006 elections did not come true.

Superstition over flight numbers is nothing new. Airlines don't ever schedule a flight 13 and many airlines opt not to have a row 13 on board their planes. Other numbers avoided include flight 911 and 666. Airlines also retire the flight numbers of jets that have crashed, with US Airways ditching flight 1549 following the 2009 crash which saw hero pilot safely land the plane in the Hudson River, as did Malaysian Airlines MH 370.

Brazilian authorities were concerned over the prediction. In light of the 'indispensable information', TAM changed the flight code to JJ4732, stating that passengers security was paramount at all times. Jucelino Nóbrega da Luz, 51, is considered the clairvoyant with greater credibility in Brazil. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

25th Nov. 2014.

Costa Concordia : Liability : Italy seeks staggering £177m (€220m) in damages

Costa Concordia is a Concordia-class cruise ship owned and operated by Costa Cruises. She was built at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yards in Italy. The name Concordia was intended to express the wish for continuing harmony, unity and peace between European nations.  Costa Concordia entered service in July 2006 and was the largest ship to be built in Italy, at 114,500 tons.  Costa Concordia was indeed a huge ship described in its website as a 'real floating temple of fun that will amaze you’.

On 13^th Jan 2012, in calm seas and overcast weather, under command of Captain Francesco Schettino, Costa Concordia struck a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western coast of Italy about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Rome.  This tore a 50 m (160 ft) gash on the port side of her hull, which soon flooded parts of the engine room resulting in power loss to her propulsion and electrical systems.  The vessel was abandoned and people evacuated.  32 people reportedly died in the accident.   The sinking of the cruise ship was cause of International concern and Insurance industry feared that this could well be one of the biggest losses underwritten in Marine portfolio as the estimates ranged  from  $600m-$800m.   Besides the Hull loss and passenger claims, there would be liability claims as well.  There were some reports that the vessel had a high deductible. 

We generally deal with Marine Cargo – insurance ship is known as Marine Hull – the insuring terms would usually be ITC Hulls 1.10.83 or the later version of 1.11.95.  The Policy would cover – Actual Total loss / CTL of the vessel;  vessel’s proportion of General average or Salvage; Sue and labour charges;  collision damage to other vessels or their cargoes together with any legal costs.  Hull policies do cover liability too but are generally restricted to 3/4^th of liability while the balance 1/4^th could be recovered from a P&I club depending upon terms of coverage. If the collision is with a ship which is also owned by the same assured, this will not affect a claim by virtue of ‘sistership’ clause. 

Costa Concordia no longer rests in the same place of accident but has been salvaged and taken for scrapping ……. Here is interesting news from Daily mail that Tuscany and Giglio seek £177m in damages over claims that Costa Concordia disaster tarnished their image and scared off tourists. 

Isola del Giglio  is an Italian island and comune situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Tuscany, and is part of the Province of Grosseto. Giglio means "lily" in Italian. The island is separated by a 16-kilometre (10 mi) stretch of sea from the nearest point of the mainland. Giglio Porto  is located on the eastern coastal side and hosts the port.  Reports now state that Officials for Italy’s Tuscany region and the island of Giglio are seeking  €220m (£175m) in damages from Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp, for the 2012 Concordia cruise liner disaster. The ship remained partially submerged near the port of the holiday island for more than two years before being raised and towed away this year in one of the largest and most complex maritime salvages ever completed.

“We will ask Costa for €30min damages to Tuscany’s image,” the region’s president, Enrico Rossi, told a court in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, according to a statement.  Rossi said the region had registered a decline in tourism, and that Giglio had lost 45,000 visitors due to the disaster. A consultant to Giglio’s local government, Carlo Scarpa, asked the same court for €190m in damages, most of it for tarnishing the island’s image. The two officials spoke during an ongoing trial against Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, who is being tried for multiple charges, including manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. “To reconstruct the image of Tuscany as a top tourist destination will require years of work, substantial investments and costly national and international advertising campaigns,” Rossi said.

Though the lovely Italian island of Giglio they have been dealing with shipwrecks for quite some time, Costa Concordia was dramatically different as there have been fears of this monster could ruin one of Italy’s lesser-known paradises.  Giglio a small island with a 27km coastline, is inhabited by about 2,000 residents. Before the Concordia it was visited by about 24,000 tourists a year, many of them attracted by the island’s natural delights, be they fauna or fowl, scuba diving or hilltop striding. In short, today’s Giglio is an environmentalist’s paradise where almost the only economic activity is tourism. When Costa Concordia ran aground, with its 500,000 gallons of fuel, not to mention five restaurants’ worth of food and 1,300 gallons of olive oil, as well as paints, cleaning fuels and other substances, an environmental disaster of monumental proportions was on the cards – not only for Giglio and the Tuscan archipelago but also for the nearby French island of Corsica. So far that disaster has been avoided by the good action of salvors…….. yet after the towage, there are Qs on  whether there could some  lasting environmental or economic damage has been inflicted on the island?  - by another yardstick, when the media first stomped out here, in January 2012,  there were only few rundown bars and restaurants; now  the port has elegant and chic bars.  

…. The liability claims of a different order are threatening big.  Italian officials are seeking a staggering £177m (€220m) in damages. Tuscany's government wants £25m (€30m) in compensation from Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp., arguing that its image has been tarnished and tourism has declined significantly.  A separate claim by the island of Giglio, where the 950-ft-long cruiser ran aground in January 2012, has been put in for £152m (€190m).  The mission to upright and salvage the ship had already  cost hundreds of millions of pounds

The 3/4^th Collision liability clause would read : The Underwriters agree to indemnify the Assured for three-fourths of any sum or sums paid by the Assured to any other  person or persons by reason of the Assured becoming legally liable by way of damages for

8.1.1 loss of or damage to any other vessel or property on any other vessel

8.1.2 delay to or loss of use of any such other vessel or property thereon

8.1.3 general average of, salvage of, or salvage under contract of, any such other vessel or property thereon, where such payment by the Assured is in consequence of the Vessel hereby insured coming into collision with any other vessel,

The indemnity provided by this Clause 8 shall be in addition to the indemnity provided by the other terms and conditions of this  insurance. The exclusions to this are :

8.4.1 removal or disposal of obstructions, wrecks, cargoes or any other thing whatsoever

8.4.2 any real or personal property or thing whatsoever except other vessels or property on other vessels

8.4.3 the cargo or other property on, or the engagements of, the insured Vessel

8.4.4 loss of life, personal injury or illness

8.4.5 pollution or contamination, or threat thereof, of any real or personal property or thing whatsoever (except other vessels  with which the insured Vessel is in collision or property on such other vessels) or damage to the environment, or threat  thereof, save that this exclusion shall not extend to any sum which the Assured shall pay for or in respect of salvage  remuneration in which the skill and efforts of the salvors.

The Protection and Indemnity clubs would generally cover : Loss of life, injury and illness of crew, passengers and other persons;          Cargo loss, shortage or damage; Collision; Damage to docks, buoys and other fixed and floating objects - Wreck removal;     Pollution;     Fines and penalties….. vessel diversion expenses and more including unrecoverable GA contributions.

Though there could be still specifically designed covers, the type of liability damages that Costa Concordia is facing now, appears not to be covered under any situation.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

21^st Nov. 2014.

the sad tale of Ahe, the hippo at Taiwan (on road)

In Oct 14, 8 year old Pragathi was in news – she rarely left the water and most visitors missed out on the sight of her coming out for her meal.  She is the eight-year-old female hippopotamus in Vandalur zoo who delivered a healthy calf.  The delivery took place in the water, soon after which the calf started swimming.  Vamboori, the male hippo, which came through an animal exchange programme from Basel zoo in Switzerland, is the father of the calf.

Hippopotamuses love water, which is why the Greeks named them the "river horse." Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to keep their massive bodies cool under the hot African sun. Hippos are graceful in water, good swimmers, and can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes.  These big animals are not exactly attractive and liked by many !   Some are minomers ~ the not so good looking  hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" is a large herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa.  After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal.   The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. One aspect that we may not know is that hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.

Few zoos in India have hippo and you could have seen them over there. Ever imagined seeing them on a road ? – sadly, not the right way as male hippo Ahe is in news of being on the road, having jumped out of a truck transporting him to a new zoo. 

Newsreports state that the hippo cried in pain after falling from back of truck ferrying it to a Taiwan zoo, only to die later when bungling staff dropped it  again after they rescued it.  Upon jumping out the hippo was pictured with a broken tooth and tears streaming down his face. The Zoo staff then hitched the 1.8 tonne animal into a harness which failed - Ahe crashed two metres to the ground and later died of his injuries.

Mail Online reports that Ahe, a 32-year-old male hippopotamus, was hurt with a damaged leg and teeth but still alive after falling from the moving lorry which was ferrying him to a zoo in Taiwan. That was not to last long as zoo staff hitched the 1.8 tonne animal into a harness that could not carry his weight - and he was dropped him for a second time. Medics said that the hippo died from injuries sustained as a result of being dropped the second time while being moved to a temporary shelter in the botched rescue attempt in Taichung city, a special municipality located in western Taiwan.

Television footage showed the enormous animal lying on the road -- where it remained for several hours -- with white fluid oozing from its eyes. Then, when the hippo was being taken back to the farm for treatment of its injuries, the cable on a hoist broke and its container crashed to the ground from a height of two metres (6.5 feet). An autopsy showed that the internal damage caused a massive supply of toxins to be released into his blood resulting in death. Local police who had calls from locals about the animal said several people have reported a dinosaur on the road causing some confusion and suspicion that it was a hoax.  The  deputy head of the Department of Animal Industry in Taiwan's Council of Agriculture is quoted as saying that the hippo's owner could face fines for animal abuse and be charged anywhere between £2,025 and £10,127 for losing the hippo in the first place and failing to secure him properly in the vehicle.

It is stated that Ahe was a star attraction at its ranch and even appeared in a popular television soap opera several years ago.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Jan 2015.

Build bridges ! ~ stay connected !!

 

Every place ~ every opportunity - build bridges.... Stay connected.

— at Pokhara,Nepal.