Sammy Ofer, Magnate and Israeli Power Broker, Dies at 89

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A spokeswoman for the family said he had died after a serious illness. The family provided no further details.

Mr. Ofer bought his first small cargo ship in the 1950s and built a vast global shipping enterprise, his fleets ranging from tankers to cruise lines, and he had interests in banking and real estate. The Forbes list of world billionaires listed his family as 79th, and Israel’s wealthiest, with a net worth of $10.3 billion.

It is, according to the Ofer Group’s Web site, “a classic tale of a family’s journey from rags to riches.”

It is also a tale tainted by scandal and intrigue.

Although media-shy, Mr. Ofer often made headlines in Israel for his business dealings, and was sometimes assailed for being part of a business elite that critics say wields disproportionate power. The Ofers are among about 20 families who together control 25 percent of the country’s exchange-listed companies.

But the biggest scandal broke two weeks ago, when allegations surfaced that the Ofer family empire was doing business with Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy.

The United States State Department announced on May 24 that it was imposing penalties on the company for violating American sanctions against Iran. The State Department said the Ofer Group’s Singapore subsidiary, Tanker Pacific, sold a ship to Iran in September 2010 for millions of dollars.

Tanker Pacific has denied knowing that the buyer was an Iranian front company.

Days later, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that at least 13 Tanker Pacific ships had docked in Iran over the past decade.

Tanker Pacific confirmed that its ships had docked in Iranian ports over the years, transporting refined oil and petroleum products, which the company said was permitted under international rules. It said that it ceased such trading in 2010 when new American restrictions took effect and that it stopped loading crude oil at Iranian ports in late 2010.

The Ofer family remained silent, but anonymous associates began hinting that the Ofers were not only after money, but had also been providing secret services to the State of Israel.

Adding to the mystery, Meir Dagan, Israel’s recently retired Mossad intelligence agency chief, has weighed in on the Ofer family’s behalf, saying he believed that the whole affair had been blown out of proportion and that the family had not broken any laws.

The Israeli news media have reveled in exposing links between Ofer-owned companies and former or would-be figures in the Israeli military establishment, and some critics accused the Ofers of trying to create a smokescreen of security ties to legitimize questionable dealings.

Ofer family associates have suggested that Israel had given the family permission to dock their ships in Iran. The prime minister’s office issued a statement last week saying there was no such authorization.

In a separate statement after Mr. Ofer’s death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Mr. Ofer for his contributions to the Israeli economy and society.

“Ofer was a true Zionist,” Mr. Netanyahu said, who even at the peaks of achievement never forgot his obligation to others.

Sammy Hershkovitz was born on Feb. 22, 1922, in Galatz, Romania, and moved with his family to Haifa, then in the British Mandate of Palestine, at age 2. His family later changed its name to the Hebrew name Ofer.

Mr. Ofer joined a shipping agency in Haifa, and served in the British Royal Navy on board a minesweeper during World War II. He then served as an officer in the Israeli Navy. Mr. Ofer and his brother Yehuda, known as Yuli, joined their father’s chandlery business after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and started their own shipping company in the 1950s.

Mr. Ofer lived much of his life in Monaco, but returned to Israel in recent years.

In his later years, Mr. Ofer became an avid art collector and a renowned philanthropist. The family said he had donated more than $100 million for hospitals and other facilities and charities in Israel.

In 2006, he withdrew a planned $20 million donation to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art after other donors and some members of the public objected to renaming the museum for him and his wife. The couple placed advertisements explaining their decision in the Israeli newspapers under the headline: “Excuse us for wanting to make a donation.”

He had deep connections with the London shipping community, and in 2008 donated $39 million to the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich. That same year, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to British maritime heritage.

Mr. Ofer is survived by his wife, Aviva; his sons, Eyal and Idan, who run the family businesses; eight grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

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Renewables 'can power societies'

 9 May 2011 Last updated at 15:49 GMT  By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News  Renewables can provide enough energy to power society, the IPCC concludes Renewable technologies could supply 80% of the world's energy needs by mid-century, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In a report, it says that almost half of current investment in electricity generation is going into renewables.

But growth will depend on having the right policies in place, it says.

The IPCC is charged with providing analysis on climate issues to the world community, and its conclusions have been endorsed by governments.

The summary of its Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN) was released on Monday following a meeting in Abu Dhabi at which representatives of all IPCC member governments signed off the wording.

"With consistent climate and energy policy support, renewable energy sources can contribute substantially to human well-being by sustainably supplying energy and stabilising the climate," said Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, co-chair of the IPCC working group that produced the report.

Solar energy can make a major contribution in isolated places in poor countries, the IPCC says

"However, the substantial increase of renewables is technically and politically very challenging," he added.

But expansion in renewables is not limited by any notion of a finite supply.

The report concludes there is more than enough to meet the world's current and future energy needs.

"The report clearly demonstrates that renewable technologies could supply the world with more energy than it would ever need, and at a highly competitive cost," said Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council.

"The IPCC report will be a key reference for policymakers and industry alike, as it represents the most comprehensive high level review of renewable energy to date."

The report analysed 164 "scenarios" of future energy development; and the ones in which renewables were most aggressively pursued resulted in a cut in global greenhouse gas emissions of about one-third compared with business-as-usual projections by 2050.

Policy, briefly

Currently, renewables supply 12.9% of the global energy supply.

Continue reading the main story

Ambitious national policies and strong international co-operation are together the key”

End Quote Christiana Figueres UNFCCC However, the biggest single source, accounting for about half of the global total, is the most traditional - the burning of wood for heat and cooking in developing countries.

This is not always truly renewable, as new trees to replace the burned wood are not always planted.

The fastest-growing technology is grid-connected solar electric power, which saw a 53% increase in installed capacity during 2009.

However, the report suggests that solar photovoltaics will continue to be among the more expensive options for some years.

But in situations where there is no grid connection, it and other renewables can be a significant aid to development, contributing to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, the IPCC concludes.

Of the various technologies available, bioenergy is assessed as having the biggest long-term potential for growth, followed by solar and wind power.

Climate changer

However, governments will need to step up policies to stimulate renewable investment if the industries are to grow substantially, it says: business-as-usual will not be enough.

Whether or not governments do so will be a major factor in determining whether international climate targets are met.

"[At UN climate talks] in Cancun, at the end of last year, governments agreed to limit the global average temperature rise to 2C at the most," recalled Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN climate convention (UNFCCC).

"They must reach their goal by making use of renewable energy sources on a very large scale... ambitious national policies and strong international co-operation are together the key to the swift and extensive deployment of renewable energies in all countries."

The Summary for Policymakers agreed in Abu Dhabi gives the top-line conclusions from the full report, compiled by 120 experts, which runs to more than 1,000 pages.