21.   Maritime officials here say most Chinese ports, especially those along the region north of Shanghai, are small and old and cannot handle big freighters.

22.   Maritime officials puzzled over why the large Princess of the Orient began tilting in a tropical storm Friday night and then quickly sank.

23.   Maritime officials puzzled, meanwhile, over why the large Princess of the Orient began tilting in a tropical storm and then quickly sank.

24.   Maritime officials said several other ships had also reported difficulties Friday night in tropical storm Vicki, including some injured passengers.

25.   Maritime officials said the decision was made after repeated attempts to rescue the crew by helicopter failed overnight.

26.   Maritime officials said several other ships also reported difficulties Friday night in tropical storm Vicki, including injuries to passengers.

27.   Martime workers managed to free the Maltese-flagged Seasalvia from a sandbar by flushing out some of crude oil aboard, said a maritime official, Ahmet Topcu.

28.   Malaysian maritime officials claimed Tuesday that they had dispersed a giant oil slick caused by fuel seeping out of a sunken luxury liner.

29.   Meanwhile, other maritime officials warned that the slick could be driven by strong currents towards the heavily populated island of Penang, known for its beach resorts.

30.   Panamanian immigration and maritime officials have said they have no information about a rescue by a vessel registered in that country.