Coca Cola Charters Handysized Bulkers to Keep Production Running

We recently posted about Home Depot and Costco independently chartering containerships to address ship and port congestion problems. Now, Coca-Cola is taking another approach to fix its broken supply chains. Splash247.com reports that Coca-Cola becomes the latest global mega-brand to decide … Continue reading

Maersk Bets on Methanol — Orders One Feeder and Eight Large Dual Fuel Containerships

In February we posted about an announcement by A.P. Moller-Maersk, the largest container ship operator in the world, that it would launch the world’s first carbon-neutral cargo liner vessel in 2023 – seven years ahead of its initial 2030 target. Maersk’s … Continue reading

Saildrone Captures Video from Inside Category 4 Hurricane Sam

Saildrone Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released the first video footage gathered by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) from inside a major hurricane barreling across the Atlantic Ocean. From the Saidrone announcement: The Saildrone Explorer … Continue reading

North Pole Race in the Northwest Passage to Highlight Climate Change

Interesting news from France24.com: A French sports group on Saturday announced plans to launch a sailing race in the thawing Canadian Arctic to raise awareness of global warming. Due to kick-off in 2023, the North Pole Race will be run … Continue reading

‘Dinger’ Bell Completes 119 Day Unsupported Solo Transatlantic Row

The BBC reports that former Royal Marine Dave ‘Dinger’ Bell has successfully completed a 119-day, 3,118-mile, solo row the “wrong way” across the North Atlantic. He arrived in Newlyn in Cornwall at about 13:00 BST on Sunday. His team believes … Continue reading

Port Congestion Spreads to East Coast & Major Shippers Charter Ships Independently

We recently posted about the record congestion in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach where over 60 container ships wait at anchor or simply drift offshore awaiting berth space.  The port congestion has spread to the East Coast … Continue reading

Noah’s Violin Serenades Venice as it Sails the Grand Canal

We recently posted A Look at Venetian Gondolas — Designs New and Old.  Here is a post about a very different watercraft that graced Venetian waters last weekend. Named Noah’s Violin, it is a 12-meter electric-powered giant floating violin, the … Continue reading

World’s Largest Floating Wind Farm Goes Online Off Scotland

The world’s largest offshore floating wind farm has begun operation off Kincardine, approximately 15 kilometers off the southeast coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at water depths ranging between 60 and 80 meters. The five floating turbines are expected to generate up … Continue reading

Maersk Invests in Prometheus, Start-up Electrofuels Company

A.P. Moller – Maersk has announced that Maersk Growth, its venture capital arm, has made a leading investment in Prometheus Fuels, a Silicon Valley-based startup with a promising direct air capture technology to enable cost-efficient, carbon-neutral e-fuels for shipping. From … Continue reading

Trawling For Plastic — Ocean Cleanup Boom Yields Meager Results

The Ocean Cleanup‘s latest attempt to clean plastic from the Northern Pacific has proven to be unimpressive.  After two offshore supply vessels, donated by Maersk, towed a 520-meter wide boom for 120 hours, they succeeded in collecting around 8 tonnes … Continue reading

Sailing on Bubbles of Air — MSC Orders 30 Silverstream Hull Air Lubrication Systems

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has ordered more than 30 hull air lubrication systems from UK firm Silverstream Technologies to be installed on current orders of newbuild large container ships. The vessels applying the air lubrication systems are expected to be delivered … Continue reading

A Look at Venetian Gondolas — Designs New and Old

This is a post about contrasts – new and old, fanciful and time-tested, inspiration and tradition. This is also a post about Venetian gondolas. The gondola, the iconic Venetian rowing boat, has been around since at least the 11th century. … Continue reading

Record Slaughter of 1,400 Dolphins in Faroe Islands Triggers Anger and Review

The inhabitants of the Faroe Islands, a windswept archipelago in the North Atlantic roughly halfway between Norway and Iceland, have been hunting long-finned pilot whales and white-sided dolphins for food for almost a thousand years. The summer hunt is known … Continue reading

Golden Ray & the Billion Dollar Blunder — Tallying the Cost

We recently posted about the NTSB determination that the car carrier Golden Ray capsized due to an error in a stability calculation prior to sailing. Now as the salvage operation is wrapping up and the costs are being tallied, the … Continue reading

UK Startup Wins Funding for Unmanned “Green Submarine”

The UK startup, Oceanways, has been awarded funding to develop an autonomous hydrogen/battery-powered submarine in a UK government competition to tackle emissions from shipping. The firm has been given £380,000 ($525,000 ) to develop the sub to deliver parcels without … Continue reading

Australia to Build Nuclear Subs Under New Strategic Partnership with US & UK

AP reports that President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a new U.S. security alliance with Australia and Britain that will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. The agreement would make Australia the first country without nuclear … Continue reading

NTSB Determines Inaccurate Stability Calculations Caused Capsizing of Golden Ray

The final report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board Office (NTSB) summarizes what happened on Sept. 8, 2019, when the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier Golden Ray capsized as it transited outbound through St. Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia. ​​Less … Continue reading

Container Ship Port Backlog Breaking Both Ends of the Supply Chain

The Marine Exchange of Southern California reports a new record for congestion in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As of Monday, of 140 ships in the ports, 85 are container ships. Only 31 containerships are alongside the … Continue reading