Five dead, 17 missing after Korean fishing vessel, No.1 In Sung, sinks in Southern Ocean

Another ship down.  Speculation is that the Korean fishing vessel No.1 In Sung either struck an iceberg or was hit by a large wave off Antarctica.   Twenty surviving crew  members  were  rescued and taken aboard the fishing vessel No. 707 … Continue reading

Violent weather in the Eastern Mediterranean – bulk carrier Adriatic sinks and Brilliance of the Seas battered

Heavy rains, strong winds and high seas hit the eastern Mediterranean over the weekend with winds of 100 kilometres per hour and waves reaching heights of 10 metres,  sinking the Moldavian bulk carrier, Adriatic, off the coast of Israel and  battering the RCCL cruise ship, Brilliance of … Continue reading

Cakewalk – Largest Yacht Built in US Since J.P. Morgan’s Corsair IV

While we may prefer prefer vessels with more sticks, cloth and string, we are overdue in acknowledging the construction of  Cakewalk, a new  $82 million 85 meter yacht, which was delivered from Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, CT yard in August. Cakewalk … Continue reading

Wikileaks, Russian Tanks and the Ro/Ro Faina – the Pirates were Right

Slightly over two years ago we posted about the hijacking of the Ukranian ro/ro Faina by Somali pirates.  The pirates were surprised to discover that the ship was loaded with arms, including 33 Russian T-72 battle tanks.   The pirates claimed … Continue reading

The Unsinkable HMAS Adelaide: Costs Sink Scuttling?

As difficult as it is to keep ships afloat, sometimes they can be devilishly hard to sink as well.   At least that has been the experience of a group trying to scuttle the decommissioned HMAS Adelaide as an artificial reef and recreational diving site off the central … Continue reading

An Old Problem, Warnings Unheeded – 3 Ships Sunk, 44 Dead in 39 Days

Ships carrying metallic ores should be the most stable ships on the ocean. These cargoes are dense and carried in low the ship. If improperly loaded, ore cargoes can indeed break a ship in half, but stability should not be an issue.  Nevertheless, three ships carrying nickel ore … Continue reading

Titantic eaten by bacteria while shipwrecked fleets in Baltic well preserved

Two interesting stories of shipwrecks in the press recently – the wreck of the Titanic is being consumed by newly identified steel-munching bacteria, while scientists are discovering large numbers of well preserved shipwrecks in the dark and cold Baltic where there are 1,500 confirmed wrecks … Continue reading

Tall Ship Sailing on EBay – the Other Perfect Holiday Gift?

A bit over a week ago we suggested an aircraft carrier as a holiday gift for the person who has everything.   OK, we admit that was not the most useful gift suggestion.  We now wish to suggest something far more practical and which also … Continue reading

Update: Disabled bulker MV Golden Seas under tow to Dutch Harbor

MV Golden Seas, a 74,475 DWT  bulk carrier, which suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engines and was in danger of drifting onto the Aleutian Islands, has been taken under tow by the tug/supply boat Tor Viking II.   The bulk carrier is … Continue reading

MV Golden Seas Struggles To Avoid the Aleutian Islands

The 74, 475 DWT  MV Golden Seas carrying a cargo of rapeseed oil suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engine late Thursday night,  reducing main engine power sufficiently so that the ship could not make headway against the 29 foot seas and … Continue reading