A double-decker ferry carrying an estimated 350 people capsized, broke apart and sank in the Brahmaputra River in heavy weather. The ferry was traveling between Dhubri to Fakirganjan in Assam state and was reported to be overloaded with passengers and cargo, and carried … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
On the heels of the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic, Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer has announced his plans to build a 21st-century replica of the Titanic and sail it from England to New York accompanied by the Chinese navy by the … Continue reading
Sometime late Friday night or early Saturdaymorning, near the Coronado Islands, during the 125-mile Newport-to-Ensenada yacht race, something went terribly wrong on the 37′ yacht Aegean, leaving three sailors dead and one missing. A statement issued this morning by the Newport Ocean Sailing Association, which hosts the … Continue reading
The Space Shuttle Enterprise arrived in New York today on its way to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. The Shuttle Enterprise rode piggy-back on a NASA 747, flying a loop over the Hudson River before landing at Kennedy Airport. The shuttle will … Continue reading
You can’t make this stuff up. A container ship owner and ship manager are suing a California pharmacy for selling prescription drugs to a harbor pilot prior to an allision with a bridge five years ago. On a very foggy morning in … Continue reading
Updated: Sad news. Yesterday afternoon, the crew of the 91-foot tugboat, Steven Scott, called the Coast Guard to report that they hadn’t seen their captain for nearly an hour and believed that he had fallen overboard. This afternoon the US Coast … Continue reading
World War II ended in Europe on May 8, 1945. Nevertheless, over 60 years later, the threat from left over munitions continues and may be getting worse. Last November, we posted about bombs along the Rhine, where a drought was revealing un-exploded ordinance in German river banks. Then … Continue reading
This has been a busy day for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. They braved heavy rain and driving winds to name the Gloriana, a new 94-foot ornately carved royal barge, decorated with gold leaf. The Gloriana is … Continue reading
In December, 2008, we posted about “A Junk at Risk.” The Free China, a historic century-old Fujian sailing junk, was on the verge of being scrapped. The junk made international headlines in 1955 when an inexperienced crew of five Chinese … Continue reading
Boothbay is one of my favorite places on the Maine coast. Sadly, I will not be anywhere near by this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so I will miss the 39th Fisherman’s Festival. From the Shrimp Princess Pageant on Friday to … Continue reading
Since around 1991, whale watchers in Australia have kept an eye out for an all-white humpback whale, which they have named Migaloo. Recently researchers have spotted an all-white male orca whale off the coast of Russia. The whales, which they … Continue reading
Offshore energy, whether oil production or wind, seems to move in the same stages. Early offshore drilling was in shallow water using jack-up rigs sitting on the bottom. Now much of offshore oil production is from floating rigs, drilling in deep water. Likewise, … Continue reading
Earlier today we posted about an article by Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor, in which he referred to the Cutty Sark restoration as “a clucking, Grade A, Bernard Matthews-class turkey.” For a more positive perspective on the restoration one could turn to the … Continue reading
After a long commercial career, the 1869 composite clipper ship Cutty Sark became a museum ship in a drydock in Greenwich in 1954. Then in May 21, 2007, a fire broke out that burned a significant portion of the ship. After a 5 … Continue reading
The first headlines read, “Swan Kills Kayaker,” and “Aggressive swan kills kayaker.” Later versions were more moderate – “Swan attack contributed to man’s drowning death” and “Kayaker drowns after coming too close to swan” with “Chicago Kayaker Killed After Swan … Continue reading
There are over five hundred miles of waterfront in New York harbor. The Mary A. Whalen only needs around 200 feet of it to tie up, yet for the last six years, the historic tanker and PortSide New York, the non-profit educational … Continue reading
In February, Costa Lines invited ten companies to bid on salvaging the Costa Concordia (see our previous post.) Today, the salvage contract was awarded to Titan Salvage and Micoperi. Titan Salvage is a unit of Crowley Maritime Corporation and Micoperi is a Italian marine … Continue reading
Here is a cute trailer announcing the reopening of the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark in her drydock in Greenwich, UK. The ship built in 1869, caught fire on May 21, 2007 and has undergone a full restoration. The ship … Continue reading
This sounds like the teaser from a thriller or murder mystery. Unfortunately, it is all too real. Last Thursday, shortly after 7 AM, coworkers found the bodies of US Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jim Hopkins and retired Boatswain Mate Chief Rich Belisle, working as a civilian contractor, at … Continue reading
The image is wonderful to think about. At the start of the London Olympics, the trireme Olympias, with 170 of Britain’s finest rowers at the oars, was to proceed down the Thames bearing the Olympic flame. But it is not to be. As … Continue reading