Indian Navy Captures 16 Pirates, Frees 16 Hostages

On Sunday the MV Maersk Kensington reported an attempted boarding by pirates while underway off the southern coast of India.  The Indian navy ship Suvarna and Coast Guard ship Sangram responded, intercepting the Iranian fishing trawler Morteza which had been hijacked and was … Continue reading

Ferry Condor Vitesse Collides with Fishing Boat, Fisherman Killed

The 86m fast catamaran ferry, Condor Vitesse, collided with a fishing vessel this morning, seriously injuring a French fisherman. UPDATE: The fisherman injured in the crash subsequently died. French fisherman seriously injured in ferry crash The Condor Vitesse, travelling between St Malo in … Continue reading

Like a Robin in Springtime, Shipping Returns to the Great Lakes

The wonderful thing about the US Great Lakes is that being fresh water, the ships on the lakes don’t rust like they do in the saltier oceans. Of course being fresh water, the lakes do freeze close enough to solid … Continue reading

Update: Bulker Olivia Still Leaking Oil, Threatening Bird Life on Nightingale Island

Last Wednesday the bulk carrier MV Olivia ran aground on Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cuhna archipelago in the South Atlantic.  See our previous post. By Friday, she had broken up in heavy seas with 1,500 tonnes of heavy fuel … Continue reading

Relaunching of the Thames Sailing Barge Cambria

Last November, we posted about the rebuilding of the last commercial Thames sailing barge, Cambria. The reconstruction is nearing its completion. Tomorrow, Monday 21st March, 2011, the Cambria will be relaunched into Faversham Creek, and move downstream to Iron Wharf … Continue reading

Bulker MV Oliva Breaking-up on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha

The Greek-owned 75,000 tonne bulk carrier, MV Oliva ran aground  on March 16th at 04.30, at Spinners Point, on the far north-west promontory of Nightingale Island, a 4 square kilometer island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic.   … Continue reading

A Country in Trouble – A Glimpse of Post-Tsunami Japan

An excellent report by ABC which, among other things, highlights the humanitarian support being provided by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. [iframe: src=”http://widget.newsinc.com/single.htm?WID=2&VID=23365344&freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss” height=”320″ width=”425″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″]

Life Plus 80 Years – Five Pirates Sentenced for Attack on USS Nicholas

On April 1st, last year, fittingly enough, April Fool’s Day, a group of Somali pirates in open boats decided to attack the 445-foot guided-missile frigate, USS Nicholas.  The outcome was predictable.   Five pirates were captured and their boats were sunk.   At the … Continue reading

INS Kalpeni Nabs 61 Pirates on Mother Ship, Frees 13 Hostages

Last Friday, the Indian Navy picked up as distress call from the container ship MV Vancouver Bridge, which was under attack by pirates  in the Indian Ocean, about 600 nautical miles off the Indian coast.  When spotted by an Indian patrol … Continue reading