Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2006)

14 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News

The port city of Sibu, Sarawak - about 80 miles (130 kilometers) up from the South China Sea on the Rajang

River of Malaysian Borneo - was built on the wealth of the timber industry. Now that industry is in decline and the town is earning a global reputation as a quality builder of tugs and offshore supply vessels. It is also here that a variety of fast river ferries is built. While some of these are built for export, others are used to take passengers up river from Sibu to the smaller towns, logging operations and longhouse villages that have no road access.

Two of Capt. Ting Heng Sing's vessels, the Sri Jaya and Asian Vision, operate daily between Sibu and the up river towns of Song and Kapit. Along with about ten other vessels they depart on a scheduled basis from a city ferry dock that is built so as to provide shelter to the boarding passengers. Each boat makes one round trip daily with the first departure at 5:45 a.m. The 90 miles up river to Kapit takes three hours going up river with a brief stop at Song about half way. The trips back down river with the current takes about a half hour less.

The Sir Jaya has seating for 90 passengers with 32 in first class and balance in economy. The brightly paint- ed white, yellow and red, 113 x 9.67 ft. hull is remi- niscent of a Boeing 737 minus the wings and tail. An 18-in. deck extends out from the hull. The little pilot cabin with its streamline windows is bare of electron- ics except for a compact radar set and a pair of DVD players (for showing movies to the passengers). The key to navigating a fast flowing muddy river, with no navigation buoys but full of driftwood, is a good local knowledge and keen eyes. Having spent their lives on the Rajang, Capt. Ting and his son Capt. Ting Kee

Wong, who skippers the 103-passenger Asian Vision, have both. Power for both the Sri Jaya and the Asian

Vision is a single 1200 hp Cummins KTA38 M2 mounted well aft in each of the two all aluminum ves- sels' hulls. An extension of the hull's bottom plating allows the engine to be further aft and provides addi- tional lift. These boats are not only fast, but also high- ly maneuverable so as to avoid the heavy driftwood in the Rajang River.

In addition to passengers, the express boats carry general cargos of fresh vegetables, cans of paint, sacks

News

Circle 301 on Reader Service Card

Obituary: Professor Günther Zade

Professor Günther Zade, founding father and former Vice-Rector and Academic Dean of the World Maritime

University (WMU) has died in Germany. He was 70.

Professor Zade was involved with the design and establishment of the WMU prior to its opening in Malmö,

Sweden, in July 1983 and he then dedicated his life and intellect to the creation and progressive development of the University. As Vice-Rector and Academic Dean of WMU, he contributed towards the well-being and academic achievement of the University and, more importantly, those of its students. Even after his retirement in 2001, he continued to serve WMU as a research fellow and became editor of the WMU Journal of Maritime

Affairs. Zade grew up in East Germany and studied mathematics at Leipzig University. He embarked on a sea- faring career in the West German merchant marine in 1957, becoming a master mariner and subsequently com- pleting postgraduate studies in Nautical Studies and Education. From 1968 until 1983 he served at Bremen

Hochschule für Nautik, as Lecturer, Professor, Vice-Rector and, finally, Rector.

In 1982, the then Secretary-General of IMO, Dr. C.P. Srivastava, asked Professor Zade to assist in the design and establishment of WMU.

Professor Zade was founding member, first chairman, and President of the International Maritime Lecturers'

Association (IMLA) and played a leading role in many other international and national professional associa- tions such as the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN), the International Association of

Maritime Universities (IAMU) and the German Institute of Navigation. He was a prolific researcher and author of many studies on the subjects of maritime education and training.

To honor the memory of Professor Zade, WMU will establish the annual Günther Zade Lecture, to be held in connection with the annual meeting of the University's international Board of Governors. Distinguished experts from the international maritime education milieu will speak on issues of maritime education and train- ing, to which Professor Zade devoted his professional life.

Rajang River Express Boats

MR JUNE2006 #2 (9-16).qxd 6/2/2006 11:17 AM Page 14