m.v. FAVORITA

m.v. "Favorita" , owner Suisse Outremer Reederei A.G., Zurich, Switzerland, flag Switzerland. Built 1969 at France Gironde Yard, France. Grt. 8.426, dwt. 6.595, l.o.a. 144.10 mt. Engine type Motor, Burmaister & Wain-Creusot, 13.680 hp., speed 21.5 kn. Vessel type Reefer.

m.v. IRAN ADALAT

m.v. "Iran Adalat", ex Arya Sepehr '80. Owner Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, Bandar Abbas, Iran. flag Iran. Built 1977 by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., Oppama Shipyard, Yokosuka, Japan. Grt. 14.433, dwt. 18.910, l.o.a. 166.61 mt. Engine type Motor, Burmaister & Wain-Mitsui Eng. & SB Works, 13.700 hp., speed 18 kn. Vessel type General Cargo

m.v. ARGOSTOLI

m.v. "Argostoli", launched as Skorpios. Owner Kafalnia & Ithaka Shipping Company S.A., Piraeus, Greece. Flag Greece. Built 1977 by Th. Servas & Sons, Ambelaki, Greece. Grt. 2.052, dwt. 1.071, l.o.a. 94.98 mt. Engine type Motor, MAN., 5.600 hp., speed 18 kn. Vessel type RoRo Cargo/Ferry.

BOEING 707

The flightdeck of the Boeing 707.

DOUGLAS DC 8

The Douglas DC 8 was the second American 4-engine jet after the Boeing 707 to go on the market in September 1959 with its 10 and 20 series. This airplane also found its place on the international market and was in use by about 30 airlines, among them Alitalia, SAS, KLM and United.

AVIATION TODAY

Airlines are in difficult straits today because they have to invest substantial capital, which the banks are not willing to hand over due to the economic crisis, in new and still larger aircraft, without enjoying adequate passengers reservations to fill the seats on the new planes; This again because of the halting world economy. Also, the progressive increase in maintenance costs and the ever increasing price of fuel are not met by a comparable increase in turnover or in air fares. The ever growing competition among  airlines and the so called low fare air lines are also contributing to the problem.The market is dangerously saturated with aircraft which nobody really needs at this moment of crisis. In the aviation industry during the last few years names of well known and seemingly solid airlines have disappeared from the sky. TWA, PanAm, SABENA, Swissair, Eastern Airlines, UTA, just to name a few. Other airline companies were forced to merge with others, Like the KLM or Iberia.

m.v. ANGARSKLES

m.v. "Angarskles, owner Baltic Shipping Company, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), USSR (Russia), flag USSR. built 1962 by Stocznia Gdanska im. Lenina, Gdansk, Poland.Grt. 4.652, dwt. 6.500, l.o.a. 123.93 mt. engine type Motor, Sulzer Bros. Ltd., 4.500 hp., speed 15 kn. Vessel type General Cargo.

m.v. AGONISTIS

m.v. "Agonistis", launched as Cap Andreas, owner Armenistis Shipping Co. Ltd., Piraeus, Greece, flag Greece. Built 1979 at Watanabe Zosen K.K., Hakate, Japan.Grt. 5.187, deadw. 6.405 ton, l.o.a. 118.01 mt. Engine type Motor, Mitsubishi-Kobe Hatsudoki kk., 6.200 hp., speed 14.5. kn. Vessel type C/Con

m.v. ACHILLE LAURO

m.v. "Achille Lauro", ex Willem Ruys '64, owner Achille Lauro Armatore, Naples, Italy, flag Italy. Build 1947 at the Schelde Shipyard, Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Rebuilt and modernised at the Cantieri Navali Reuniti, Palermo, Italy. The work was deleayed by an explosion and resulting fire. On May 19, 1972 the vessel was badly damaged by fire during an overhaul in Genoa.

The vessel is here pictured afted she returned to Italy and a short lay-up in the port of Genoa after the hijacking by Palestinian terrorists.

The Achille Lauro Hijack Story.

On Monday night the 7th of October 1985 the Italian cruise ship "Achille Lauro" was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists as she sailed from the Egyptian port of Alexandria on a Mediterranean cruise. In the first reports it was indicated that the terrorists were holding the passengers and crew hostage against the relaese of 50 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The terrorists, claiming to be members of the PLO were heavily armed and carrying large amounts of explosives. Later it was learned that on board the cruise liner were only 114 passengers and 340 crew as she sailed for Port Said. The remaining 676 passengers had taken an overland trip to Cairo and were due to rejoin the ship in Port Said.The "Achille Lauro" spent two dramatic days sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean and was denied docking in Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus, while Egyptian, Italian and American warships shadowed the Italian liner. After cold-bloody murdering the 69 year old American tourist, Mr. Leon Klinghoffer, who was confined to a   to a wheel-chair, and throwing his body in the sea, the terrorists gave up up the ship, the remaining passengers and crew off Port- Said on the 9th of October. Although they threatened to blow up the vessel and murder all the hostages, the terrorists were clearly unable to deal with such an undertaking and had no support. There circulated the rumour that the hijacking was never intended but the terrorists had booked a cruise on the "Achille Lauro" as an underhand method of getting into Israel. The plan, the rumour continued, failed when the terrorists were recognised by a crew-member after which their cover blown, they had little choice then to go on the offensive in a classis take-over situation. Whatever the authenticity of these stories, the "Achille Lauro" and those on board found themselves the victims of piracy on the high seas with the passengers and crew subjected to a terrifying ordeal which ended with murder.