Depending on what one reads, the oil spill associated with the grounding of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand is either a “small leak” or a “looming environmental disaster.” Conceivably, depending on the integrity of the ship’s hull, both … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Nothing really surprising about this story but I do find it amusing. In August, it was reported that Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Russia and novice scuba diver, just happened to “discover” two jars dating back to the sixth century BCE … Continue reading
The Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand yesterday, flooding two cargo holds. The ship is loaded with approximately 2,100 containers and has around 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel. There has been no spillage of … Continue reading
Next month, the Russian nuclear submarine, Nerpa, will be delivered to the Indian Navy, which has leased the submarine for a reported $900 million from the Russians for ten years with an option to buy. The delivery of the new nuclear sub … Continue reading
The evacuation of British troops and civilians from France in 1940 did not end with Dunkirk. Several weeks later, on June 17, 1940, the British Cunard liner Lancastria was loaded to capacity with troops and civilians off the French port of St. Nazaire, when she … Continue reading
There is a certain magic to drydocks. They give you the ability to take in the whole ship in almost a single look and provide the one chance to get the bottom clean and whatever needs fixing below the waterline … Continue reading
What is it about ships being towed to the scrap yard? The MT Phoenix under tow, on her way to the scrap yard last July broke her towing cable and drifted ashore on Salt Rocks in Sheffield Beach, South Africa. She … Continue reading
The surf in San Diego county has been putting on quite a light show on recent evenings. The shore has been hit by a bout of “red tide,” a bloom of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum. The bad news is that this dinoflagellate … Continue reading
For the sake of full disclosure, I am not a huge fans of thrillers, particularly thrillers involving ships. The plots often strike me as implausible and the descriptions of the ships and ship operations often border on the laughable. (Too … Continue reading
Last March we posted that the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, the oldest commissioned Coast Guard cutter, was being sold in an online auction. The ship was reportedly sold to an unidentified buyer. The ship has now been put up for auction on … Continue reading
Marie Didieu, a disabled 66-year-old French woman, was kidnapped yesterday from her vacation home on Manda Island, part of the Lamu archipelago, not far from where a British tourist was killed and his wife abducted three weeks ago. The kidnappers arrived and departed by … Continue reading
About 14,000 humpback whales migrated between Australia and Antarctica each year. Among them is a white humpback, nicknamed Migaloo. Migaloo, or “white fella” in an Aboriginal language, was first spotted in 1991 and may be the most popular humpback whale in the world, being … Continue reading
We recently posted that Transportation Safety Board of Canada has concluded that poor training played a role in the knockdown and capsizing of SV Concordia. The official Marine Investigation Report examines the events leading up to the capsize in some detail. It … Continue reading
Laura Dekker has celebrated her 16th birthday and has set sail from Darwin, Australia on a westerly course across the Indian Ocean bound for Africa. Given the concern about piracy in the Indian Ocean, her exact route is being kept … Continue reading
Harold Hackett of Prince Edward Island started throwing bottles with messages inside into the Atlantic Ocean in 1996. Since then he has cast 4,800 bottles into the sea and has received 3,100 responses. He has received letters back from Africa, Russia, … Continue reading