Two years ago, we posted about the keel laying of the Interlake Steamship Company‘s bulk carrier MV Mark W. Barker at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The ship is now completing sea trials and is expected to enter … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The bad news is that there have been three reported shark attacks off New York’s beaches in just over a week. The good news is that the injuries, so far, have been minor. Nevertheless, beaches in New York and along … Continue reading
In March, we posted about the sinking of a Russian Alligator Class landing ship by a Ukrainian ballistic missile strike in the Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk, which Russia captured in late February. The Russians are now salvaging the landing … Continue reading
In December we posted Hawaii Deputy AG: Pearl Harbor Leaking Fuel Tanks a “Ticking Time Bomb” describing the fuel oil leaks in the massive World War II era fuel tanks into the island of Oahu’s water supply that forced over … Continue reading
In 2019, we posted about an 8,850-kilometer Atlantic sargassum belt from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa. The floating mat of the brown buoyant seaweed had a devastating impact on beaches across the east coast of Mexico, the Caribbean, … Continue reading
Fifty-two years ago today, 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Avon in Bristol as the SS Great Britain returned to her birthplace. In the intervening years, the rusting hulk was meticulously restored to her former glory and now … Continue reading
An updated repost fitting for the day. Happy 4th of July! Those of us in the United States celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. Immediately after declaring independence from Great Britain, the representatives in the Continental Congress drank a toast … Continue reading
In February, we posted Billionaire Bezos’ Really Big Boat and the Rotterdam Railroad Bridge about reports that Rotterdam would dismantle the center span of a historic railroad bridge to allow the 417-foot-long, three-masted sailing yacht built for billionaire Jeff Bezos … Continue reading
Three crew members were rescued after Typhoon Chaba broke an unidentified engineering vessel in half. Twenty-seven crew remain missing and are feared dead. Search and rescue operations continued for others about 300 km (200 miles) southwest of the city, the … Continue reading
We recently posted about how the “Fat Leonard” Navy corruption scandal is being dramatized in a new television series, based on an award-winning podcast. In the real world, the decade-long investigation and years-long trials are wrapping up. The San Diego … Continue reading
For a decade, we have followed the various announcements by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer regarding his Titanic II project. In 2012, Palmer announced the construction of a modern “replica” of the doomed passenger liner RMS Titanic which sank after striking … Continue reading
Norwegian Cruise Line reports that the cruise ship Norwegian Sun hit a small iceberg on Saturday while underway in foggy conditions near Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. The company characterized the berg as a growler, a type of very small iceberg that … Continue reading
Last October, we posted about the Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg Asia Expedition, a voyage intended to promote and open new trade opportunities for Swedish and Asian companies. The expedition has now begun. Here is a short video of the first … Continue reading
Earlier this month, the 180,000 cubic meter ultra-large LNG carrier Prism Courage completed a voyage from the Gulf of Mexico to South Korea using a semi-autonomous navigation system developed by HD Hyundai subsidiary Avikus. Delivered to South Korea’s SK Shipping … Continue reading
The BBC reports that explorers have found the deepest shipwreck ever identified, a US navy destroyer escort sunk during WWII. The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during the Battle Off Samar in the Philippine Sea in October 1944. It … Continue reading
Here is a short video of Pip Hare giving a tour under sail of her foiling IMOCA 60 Medallia to Yachting Monthly’s Katy Stickland. Hare recently completed the Vendée Arctique, a qualifying race for the Vendée Globe 2024/25 in Medallia. Pip … Continue reading
The “Fat Leonard” corruption scandal has been described as “perhaps the worst national-security breach of its kind to hit the Navy since the end of the Cold War.” More than two dozen Naval officers have pleaded guilty to taking bribes … Continue reading
On June 13th, Moul Thun, a 42-year-old fisherman from Kaoh Preah, a remote island in the Mekong River, in northern Cambodia, hooked an exceptionally large giant freshwater stingray. At 4 meters in diameter and weighing 660 pounds (about 300 kilograms) … Continue reading
Jumbo Floating Restaurant, an iconic Hong Kong landmark, has capsized and sunk in the South China Sea, while under tow to an undisclosed location. NPR reports that the restaurant encountered “adverse conditions” on Saturday as it was passing the Xisha … Continue reading
A cruise ship that would have ranked as one of the world’s largest is going straight from the shipyard building ways to the scrappers. Cruise and resort business operator, Genting HK, contracted with its own shipyard in 2016 to build … Continue reading