European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Poindexter guilty on All counts a Page 28 stripes authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces vol. 48, no. 356 sunday april 8,1990 Good morning a a 25 Dally and sunday d 8693 a a Rescue helicopter hovers near the Bow of the burning scandinavian Star. At right survivors walk Down the Gangway of a Rescue ship the freighter Vadnas fire kills at least 110 on North sea ferry Oslo Norway apr at least 110 people were killed on a North sea ferry the Leader of a swedish Rescue team said saturday night hours after a suspicious fire swept the vessel carrying Young weekenders retirees and family vacationers on a pre easter voyage. Another 20 to 40 people were missing and believed dead. The ferry scandinavian Star was still burning a More than 16 hours after the tire first broke out a As it was towed to Lys Ekil a swedish port near Goteborg. Some passengers said the boats fire alarms did no to work and the Crew seemed unprepared for the emergency. A swedish Seaman a Union official said the ferry had been operated dangerously. Conny Englund head of the swedish ii St Center at Lys Ekil told Sweden in that firefighters transported to the ferry had reported 110 to 130 deaths among the approximately 495 people who had been aboard. He said an exact tally could not be made until after the ferry reached port and the fire was put out. About 200 passengers were norwegians and the rest were Danes. Previous sea Rescue reports had put the dead at 75 and the missing also at 75. Most of the dead had apparently succumbed to smoke and few were seriously burned. Hundreds stumbled sleepily into smoke filled corridors when Crew members and passengers knocked on Cabin doors to Rouse sleepers As the fire spread. Soviet and West German freighters helped norwegian and swedish vessels Rescue survivors and ferry them to ports in Sweden Norway and Denmark. As Many As 340 people were picked up from lifeboats by helicopters and about seven nearby vessels in the Skagerrak Strait 40 nautical Miles South of the norwegian Ferder Island. More than 20 injured were taken to hospitals. Firemen who probed the blackened compartments of the ferry hours later said they found three passengers alive and apparently uninjured among the Many bodies. The ship is owned by the Miami based Seascape ltd., registered in the Bahamas. It had norwegian officers and a portuguese Crew. Officials at Seascape could not be reached immediately for comment. Ole Hansen managing director of Vogtman Druten the danish shipping company that operated the ferry was quoted on danish radio As saying he was see fire on Back Page . Execs pick up on e. German Market by Randy Mcclain financial writer e5,? Balint marketing director for Ujj j California Walnut commission Oopik Wanup be accused of falling asleep the Iron curtain cracked wide open. That s Why his commission which presents 5,000 West coast Walnut growers was on hand along with companies from 60 countries last month at a Trade fair in Leipzig East Germany. U/hll0m, llssl0n wanted to investigate in p orthere was any Hope of adding l a a Ria s $400 million Walnut a a new by exporting to Eastern european nut lovers. A a you a have to be rip Van Winkle not to know that things Are changing in Eastern Europe a a said Balint whose family traces its roots to Hungary. A one would assume there a some potential for the Walnut Industry but the degree to which it exists is a question Mark. We were sticking our toe in the walnuts May not be the most important thing on the minds of the people of Eastern Europe these Days but Balint does no to want to miss a Sale even if its Halfway around the world. He s not alone. In the five months since the Berlin Wall was thrown open hundreds of american companies have sent executives on scouting missions to East Germany Hungary Poland Czechoslovakia and other emerging Eastern european democracies. So far Many of the business deals signed Between East and West involve High profile companies with enough capital to survive a few years of slow sales until economic conditions in the East improve. Coca cola Mcdonald a Pepsi and general electric Are among . Companies that figure they have the staying Power to turn a toehold in the East into lucrative sales somewhere Down the line. Opinions differ though on whether now is the right time for Small to midsize companies to set up shop in Eastern Europe. �?o1 wonder if companies wait a Little bit longer to see How things turn out a said Thomas Beyer managing director of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a foreign Trade office in Frankfurt West Germany. Nations in the East still face big hurdles in attempting to forge Western style economies he said. A a it a going to be 10 years before some of these economies reach parity continued on Page 3
