Global Fishing Watch Uses AI to Reveal That Up to 75% of Large Fishing Vessels Avoid Being Tracked

Way back in 2015, we posted – Can Big Data Stop Overfishing? Will Google’s Global Fishing Watch Succeed? The post described a new project in which Google partnered with SkyTruth and Oceana to produce a tool to track global fishing … Continue reading

Update: Oli & Sylph VI, First Cat Across the Finish Line in 78th Sydney to Hobart Race

We recently posted about Oli the cat, sailing with Captain Bob Williams and co-skipper  Chris Warren, on Sylph VI,  in the two-handed division of the 78th Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.  Oli and his crew finished the race, begun on … Continue reading

The End for the Falls of Clyde? Hawaii Seeking New Contractor to Remove Ship From Honolulu Harbor

The State of Hawaii is moving closer to removing the historic four-masted iron-hulled ship Falls of Clyde from Honolulu harbor, where it has languished since 2008.  Though owned by the nonprofit Friends of the Falls of Clyde, the state government … Continue reading

Shooting War Heats Up in Red Sea as US Helicopters Sink 3 Houthi Boats

On Sunday morning, Dec. 31, at 6:30am (local time) the container ship Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. The boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas … Continue reading

New Year’s Repost: Watching the Ball Drop — the Nautical Origins of a New Year’s Tradition

Tonight, millions will watch in person, online, or on television, as a jeweled ball drops in Times Square in New York City at exactly midnight to mark the arrival of the New Year, 2024. After several years in which the … Continue reading

Ukrainian Missiles Strike Russian Landing Ship Novocherkassk in Crimean Port

Today, the Ukrainian Air Force said that it had destroyed the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, in the Crimean port of Feodosia overnight. Russia’s Defense Ministry told the Tass state news agency that the ship had been damaged in an … Continue reading

NASA’s NGC 2264 — Twinkling Christmas Tree Cluster 2,500 Light Years From Earth

Merry Christmas! Here is a composite image and video of NGC 2264, also known as the “Christmas Tree Cluster,” that shows the shape of a cosmic tree with the glow of stellar lights. According to NASA:  NGC 2264 is, in … Continue reading

Update Storm Pia Aftermath : MS Maud Reaches Bremerhaven Safely, Mayview Maersk Loses More than 40 Boxes Overboard

We recently posted about the Hurtigruten cruise ship MS Maud that was disabled during the North Sea storm Pia on Thursday. The Maud arrived in Bremerhaven yesterday, under tow, after suffering damage by a rogue wave to the bridge deck resulting … Continue reading

Hurtigruten’s MS Maud Damaged by Rogue Wave in North Sea Storm — Under Tow to Germany

The cruise ship MS Maud was returning to the UK from a 14 night Northern Lights cruise when it was caught in a severe storm in the North Sea. During the storm, the ship was struck by a rogue wave, … Continue reading

“Fat Leonard,” Center of US Navy Bribery Scandal, Extradited to US in Prisoner Swap with Venezuela

The Washington Post reports that Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” the fugitive defense contractor who admitted to a $35 million bribery scheme in the largest corruption scandal in U.S. military history, has been arrested and returned by Venezuela … Continue reading

Jubilee Sailing Trust Shutting Down After Fundraising Efforts Fail

After years of financial struggle, the Jubilee Sailing Trust has announced the closure of the company that owns and operates the tall ship SV Tenacious. The charity Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) was founded in 1978 and has taken over 55,000 … Continue reading

Operation Prosperity Guardian — Initiative to be Announced to Safeguard Shipping in the Red Sea

During his visit to the Middle East next week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international effort to deal with Houthi threats, a U.S. military official told The War … Continue reading

Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korea’s Greatest Military Hero

Admiral Yi Sun-sin died 425 years ago today, in his final victory against the Japanese on behalf of the Joseon dynasty. He died of a gunshot wound at the Battle of Noryang on December 16, 1598, the closing battle of … Continue reading

Using Antibiotics & Probiotics to Save Diseased and Dying Coral Reefs

When we went on a family scuba diving trip to the coral reefs of Roatan, Honduras, we took the antibiotic amoxicillin as a prophylaxis for malaria.  Scientists are now using the same antibiotic to combat stony coral tissue loss disease … Continue reading

Yemen’s Houthis Rebels Rain Missiles and Drones on Norwegian Tanker & French Frigate

Last Saturday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced that the organization would target any ships heading to or from Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. On Monday, the group attacked the MT … Continue reading

Huge Skull of Sea Monster Pliosaur Discovered in Dorset Cliff on UK’s Jurassic Coast

The BBC reports that the skull of a pliosaur, a colossal sea monster has been extracted from the cliffs of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. The ferocious marine reptile terrorized the oceans about 150 million years ago. The 2m (6ft 5in)-long fossil … Continue reading