Norway-Sweden News, Developments and Movements

[Kaiser Martens]

"Does this mean that the Germanic Union - Norway-Sweden MDP is cancelled? Because of the wording, "Aggressive treaties", we were not sure if a Defensive pact would be affected by this measure or not. In any case, we hope that Norge og Sverige will be able to find their path to peace with ease." - Martens.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

[quote name='Kaiser Martens' timestamp='1283549732' post='2440719']
"Does this mean that the Germanic Union - Norway-Sweden MDP is cancelled? Because of the wording, "Aggressive treaties", we were not sure if a Defensive pact would be affected by this measure or not. In any case, we hope that Norge og Sverige will be able to find their path to peace with ease." - Martens.
[/quote]
"As stated in the speech, both defensive and offensive treaties can be considered void; The idea of which being that our nation cannot be pulled into combat, under any circumstances.
"We thank you for your well wishing, and hope that one day the Germanic Union will too be able to see the light of peace."

[Kaiser Martens]

"Very well. If you need anything, let us know."

[i]Privately...[/i]

"These guys must be crazy...who would in today's world dare be an European nation without pacts..? Good ravens..."

[Il Terra Di Agea]

OOC:
[size="3"][b][center]Passage of The Commonwealth of Norway and Sweden and its RPer into Botha Mode[/center][/b][/size]

From the point forward (Or until such a time in the future that I opt to stop) I will be entering into Botha Mode. I am prepared to remain active among the community despite my presence in Botha Mode, and pledge to remain in Botha Mode for a prolonged period to prove my commitment. I will follow Botha's Two Laws of RPing to the letter, and will continue to do so, once again, until such a time that I feel the need to remove myself from the aforementioned mode.

As a side note, thee City of Ceuta, a part of my current land, is hereby presented to Uberstein, who will continue to RP it as it is, autonomous, but tied to Norway-Sweden; not a part of my nation proper, and RPed by a separate RPer. Speaking of which...
IC:

[size="4"]Recall Election Called Against Ceuta Governor[/size]
Following highly unfavorable public opinion, and the city-wide electricity crisis that recently struck the city, Juan Jesús Vivas Lara, governor of Ceuta, has been recalled by a staggering 78% vote. Lara, quoted as saying that "I know I have fallen out of favor with many of you, however, there is no man or woman better fit to run this state. I have overseen our city from the first acquisition by ADI, I know this city more than anyone. With time, I can fix everything, you can trust me, you've trusted me for three elections, and you can keep trusting me."
But even attempts to promote voter confidence such as this have failed. "He's screwing up," Concerned voter Ganzalo Marcos says, "He's done this in the past, and he'll probably do stuff like this again. Sure, he was great at the beginning, but he doesn't care about the people anymore."
Several candidates have stepped forward to run for the position, however, on Dr. Hektor Kettenheim, running as an independent, is the only one who has managed to get support in early polls. Asked for a statement on his early success, Kettenheim refused to comment, however ensured that he would be making a speech regarding his candidacy in the coming days.

[Sargun II]

OOC: Unless a GM specifically says that he is violating Botha Mode, I won't hear any accusations against ITDA. He has GM approval and if I so much as see a whiff of someone going "abuse" I will punish them so hard they'll be back in the Stone Age. I don't want any arguments over ITDA going into Botha Mode.

Sorry for the all-OOC post.//

[Il Terra Di Agea]

[quote name='Sargun' timestamp='1285561146' post='2465817']
OOC: Unless a GM specifically says that he is violating Botha Mode, I won't hear any accusations against ITDA. He has GM approval and if I so much as see a whiff of someone going "abuse" I will punish them so hard they'll be back in the Stone Age. I don't want any arguments over ITDA going into Botha Mode.

Sorry for the all-OOC post.//
[/quote]
OOC: I don't care, if something were to shoot into a big discussion, I'd be against it, but a post here or there doesn't hurt.

[Il Terra Di Agea]

[i]2100 Hours, Norwegian Sea[/i]
"Command, this is Rig 203, reporting in before shift change. All systems nominal. We're still having an issue with the main boring line, we probably have a week before the pressure seepage turns into a full blown rupture. We'll need a replacement line out here, or we'll have to shut down."
"Rig 203, this is Faroese Command, we hear you. New line is being sent out now, it should be there inside of an hour. Get that thing fixed, I don't want to have any problems staying up to code. Company has a good reputation as being the safest oil producer in the country, can't let that go down."
"We're keeping the old girl up, don't you worry. I'll call down to the deck, get the guys to start shutting the machinery off so we can run repairs in the morning. Anything else?"
"Yah, if you can, get someone to check over your supplies. Most of our rigs are low on their dispersant tanks, we need those--"
"Wait, I'm getting a radar ping, one second... Unidentified vessel, you are approaching a Faroese Oil platform, please change course."
"What's happening?"
"Some !@#$%^& is driving a motor boat at the rig. Please change course. You are coming too near our rig."
"Why on Earth would someone do that?"
"I don't know, probably drunk or something... Disengage! Hey $%&@WAD! Change course, you are going to collide with the rig."
"Oh God..."
"I'm not getting a Commonwealth Transponder... TURN AROUN--"
--<// Connection Terminated \\>--

[size="4"]Norwegian Sea Oil Disaster[/size]
[b]Tórshavn[/b]--The Coast Guard by sea and air planned to search overnight for 11 workers missing since a thunderous explosion rocked an oil drilling platform that continues to burn into the morning after it sent a fireball into the night sky. Seventeen people were injured, four critically.

Nearly 100 other workers made it aboard a supply boat and are expected to reach shore later today. The blast Friday night aboard the Faroese Oil Corporation rig 203 50 miles off the Faroese coast could prove to be one of the nation's deadliest offshore drilling accidents of the last century.

The Coast Guard held out hope that the missing workers escaped in one of the platform's covered lifeboats. Lt. Marta Engström said the cutters Cobia and Zephyr were in the Gulf searching for survivors along with three Coast Guard aircraft and a civilian helicopter. She said the search would continue overnight.

Authorities could not say when the flames might die out on the 400-by-250-foot rig, which is roughly twice the size of a football field, according the website of the Faroese Oil Corporation A column of boiling black smoke rose hundreds of feet over the Norwegian Sea as fireboats shot streams of water at the blaze.

The Corporation, under orders from the national government, has not released information regarding the cause of the explosion.

[Uberstein]

Kettenheim INC offers it's corporate helicopters for any oil cleanup uses needed.

[Justinian the Mighty]

"Nuke it" V. V. Putin

[Il Terra Di Agea]

[size="4"]Oil Rig Sinks After 48 Hour Blaze[/size]

[center][img]http://www.prisonplanet.com/images/june2010/090610top.jpg[/img]
[i]Coast Guard Fire Vessels work to put out the fire mere hours before the rig sank[/i][/center]

An oil rig that exploded off the Faroese coast has sunk, leaving little hope that 11 missing workers would be found alive.

Coast Guard officials said they were still searching for survivors Monday even though the rig sank just after 10 a.m. local time.

The Faroese Oil Corporation is still withholding the names of the missing workers, and the events leading up to the attack. The Coast Guard, as well as several boats dispatched by the federal government, are surveying the area for causes of the explosion, and the search for the eleven missing workers is ongoing.

"This is a tragedy the likes of which we have not seen since the Swedish Civil War," Said King Heimdall in a press statement last night, "Effective immediately we are launching an inquiry into the explosion to find the cause, and ensure just a disaster cannot happen again."

Following oil safety laws laid down in the Fossil Fuel Drilling and Procurement Act (A bill that failed to pass, but held as the proper course of action by most Commonwealth Oil Companies), Rig 203 had over 5000 litres of dispersant on board to combat any oil seepage that could occur during normal drilling operations. According to officials, this has slowed the release of oil on the surface. Despite precautions, oil has already began to rise from the main pipes, and is expected to continue flowing until capped.

The Faroese Oil Corporation is the second largest, and most profitable producer of oil in the commonwealth, only bested in size by ADI's subsidiary Norwegian Petroleum. It employs several thousand individuals, and before this accident has had a near perfect safety record.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Il Terra Di Agea

[Il Terra Di Agea]

[size="4"]Fears Confirmed as Oil Spreads From Sunken Rig[/size]
[center][img]http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2010/06/29/Gulf_Oil_Spill_Thir-1_s640x463.jpg?4aec07ac3bcce0262bcf41ceeab701ad9c8722c8[/img]
[i]"As the oil spreads, the likelihood of a quick fix lowers substantially."[/i][/center]

The Coast Guard said Tuesday that a sheen of oil that's been covering an area in the Norwegian Sea since an oil rig exploded off the Faroese coast is growing.

Eleven people have been missing and presumed dead since the rig exploded and sank last week about 50 miles off the island province's coast.

As of Tuesday morning, oil that leaked from the rig site was spread over an area about 48 miles long and 80 miles wide at its widest. The borders of the spill were uneven, making it difficult to calculate how many square miles are covered, Coast Guard Petty Officer Erik Swanson said.

"Right now, the weather's in our favor," Swanson said, explaining that the wind was blowing the oil away from shore Tuesday.

But Swanson said the winds could shift later in the week and there was concern about oil reaching the shore.

So far, skimming vessels had collected more than 48,000 gallons (182,000 liters) of oily water, Swanson said.

"Our goal is to fight this thing as far offshore as possible," he said, "as the oil spreads out, the likelihood of a quick fix lowers substantially."

The rig was owned and Operated by the Faroese Oil Corporation.

Crews used robot operated vehicles to activate valves in hopes of stopping the leaks, but they cannot gauge if that strategy has worked until a sufficient amount of time (Theorized to be a week) has passed. Faroese Oil also mobilized two rigs to drill a relief well if needed. Such a well could help redirect the oil, though it could also take weeks to complete, especially at that depth.

The spill, moving slowly north and spreading east and west, was about 200 miles from the Icelandic Coast, and 130 from the Norwegian Coast. The Coast Guard said kinks in the pipe were helping stem the flow of oil.

From the air Monday afternoon, the oil spill reached as far as the eye could see. There was little evidence of a major cleanup, with only a handful of vessels near the site of the leak.

The Government has released a statement confirming that foul play may have had a part in the destruction of the derrick, and that negligence on the part of the Faroese Oil Corporation is unlikely. The Nature of thee accident remains unknown.

Edited November 21, 2010 by Il Terra Di Agea