USS Guardian & Rainbow Warrior – Did Bad Charts Lead to Two Groundings on Tubbataha Reef ?

In 2005, when the Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow Warrior, ran aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, the captain claimed that the reef was incorrectly plotted on his charts. As reported by the UK’s Guardian in November 1, 2005: Red Constantino of Greenpeace Southeast Asia blamed the incident on a … Continue reading

Human Sushi – Interpretive Sushi Dances Sponsored by the Norwegian Seafood Council

We should probably add a new category to the blog, something along the lines of  “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.”  This post would certainly fit. The Norwegian Seafood Council has sponsored Human Sushi, a series of  dances to interpret sushi … Continue reading

Update: QE2 – New Plan Announced for Conversion to Luxury Hotel in Asia

Four years ago, the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2 was sold to financial interests in Dubai who planned on converting her to a luxury hotel. Unfortunately, the arrival of the ship coincided with a credit crunch and near financial melt-down in the emirate.  Last July, … Continue reading

Minesweeper USS Guardian Runs Aground on Reef in Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park

The minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground early this morning on a reef in the Philippines’ Tubbataha National Marine Park. The park is a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, 640 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Manila.  USS Guardian is an … Continue reading

Celebrating Surviving Sandy – South Street Seaport Reopens with Two New Exhibits

When I first visited New York’s South Street Seaport in the early 70s, it was a fairly lonely place. There was no shopping mall on Pier 17 and the high-end chain-stores like Guess, Abecrombe and Fitch and Brookstone had not yet been … Continue reading

Norway to Launch First Electrically Powered Car Ferry

The Norwegian shipyard Fjellstrand and Siemens are developing the world’s first electrically powered car ferry. Starting in 2015, the 80-meter ferry will will operate across the Sognefjord between the towns of Lavik and Oppedal. The ferry will have the capacity … Continue reading

Tug & Tow Collision & Rescue Near Hope’s Nose, off Torbay, Devon

Something things just don’t go as planned. The tug, Christos 22, was towing the decommissioned former German Naval training ship, MV Emsstrom, from Germany to Turkey.  On Sunday night, the tug slowed to check a problem with the tow off Hope’s Nose near Torbay, … Continue reading

Are There Whales Alive Today Who Were Born Before Moby Dick Was Written ?

A recent article in the Alaska Dispatch celebrated the recent population rebound of bowhead whales off Alaska’s North Slope.  The bowheads had been hunted to near extinction. A whale count in 1978 estimated that only 1,200 bowhead whales remained in the region. … Continue reading

One Year Ago Today, the Sinking of the Costa Concordia – What Has Changed and What Hasn’t ?

On the island of Giglio in Italy’s Tyrrhenian Sea, relatives of the 32 passengers and crew who died when the Costa Concordia crashed into rocks last year gathered today to mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. One year ago today, the cruise ship Costa Concordia … Continue reading

Fishing Trawler:1, Nuclear Sub:0 – USS Jacksonville Loses Periscope in Persian Gulf

At around 5:00 AM local time, the officer on watch of the nuclear submarine, USS Jacksonville, cruising in the Persian Gulf heard a noise and felt the submarine shudder. When he went to look out the periscope to see what had happened, he noticed that the … Continue reading