A recent study, published in the journal Nature, reveals that oceanic shark and ray populations have declined by 71%, primarily due to overfishing. The New York Times quotes Nathan Pacoureau, a marine biologist at Simon Fraser University in Canada and … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The Vendee Globe 2020-2021 has been a remarkable race by many standards. It was incredibly close, more competitors are likely to complete the race than in previous years, and the race times didn’t set any new records. For most of … Continue reading
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, here is an updated repost from several years ago, remembering the ill-fated voyage of the German passenger liner St. Louis in 1939. The ship carried 908 Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany. The ship and its … Continue reading
Singapore has become one of the first states to prioritize seafarers to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Nautilus International reports that more than 10,000 maritime workers are scheduled for vaccination by the end of January 2021 under the country’s Sea – … Continue reading
The operator of the ex-Cunard Queen Mary has filed for bankruptcy raising concerns about the future of the converted luxury liner that has served as a tourist attraction and hotel in Long Beach, CA since 1972. The converted ship is … Continue reading
It almost sounds like a bad horror movie. Scientists have recently discovered a new species of electric eel, Volta’s electric eel (Electrophorus voltai). Found in the rivers of South America, it not only is capable of producing 860-V electric shocks … Continue reading
Sea-Cargo now has bragging rights to the claim that their 12,251 gross tonne ro-ro, SC Connector, is “Norway’s largest sailing vessel.” The ship was recently refit with two rotor sails by Norsepower and battery banks from Norwegian Electric Systems. The … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the Maersk Essen that recently lost 750 containers over the side in a storm in the North Pacific. An unknown number of containers still aboard the ship are believed to have been damaged during the storm. … Continue reading
In what is developing into a record winter for containers lost over the side, the Maersk Essen lost 750 containers overboard during a storm on January 16. An unknown number of boxes were damaged but still onboard. The loss occurred … Continue reading
Volkswagen Group Logistics has switched the first of two chartered car carriers from burning heavy fuel to biofuel. The fuel is supplied by Netherlands-based GoodFuels and is produced primarily from used oil from restaurants and the food industry. The car … Continue reading
After a stressful week or two, here is something that is just fun. A documentary crew on a Pacific Offshore Expeditions outing last week, caught some amazing footage of sea lions surfing huge waves off Santa Barbara Island, California. The … Continue reading
At about 6 PM on Sunday, the American Magic yacht Patriot was rounding the final mark in Race 3 of Round Robin 2, of the Prada Cup in Aukland, NZ, when disaster struck. The wind increased from 12 knots to … Continue reading
Saildrone‘s new 72’ long Surveyor is described as the world’s most advanced uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), equipped for high-resolution mapping of the ocean seafloor. The Saildrone Surveyor is a step up from the 22′ long Saildrone Explorer, yet both combine … Continue reading
An updated repost, a look back at the twin miracles on the Hudson from twelve years ago today. On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency water landing in the Hudson River. If the plane’s pilots, Captain … Continue reading
Of all the strangeness that has already transpired in 2021, the most pleasant and least expected has been the explosion of sea shanties on TikTok. If you are not familiar with TikTok, it is a social networking platform that is … Continue reading