We have noted before the paradox of ocean shipping — it is simultaneously the most energy efficient means of transportation with the lowest carbon footprint while at the same time, it is a major polluter. (See our post from back in 2010 — Ocean Transportation – Beautifully Green or Murderously Dirty?) The problem is fuel. Most ships burn residual fuel which is the lowest cost but very dirty. Dirty fuel makes for dirty ships. Residual fuel, also know as Bunker C, 6 oil and HFO, is, however, slowly becoming a thing of the past. Phased restrictions on sulfur levels by IMO, the EPA and various other national regulatory agencies around the world are effectively forcing ship owners to use cleaner and more expensive fuels.
What is the fuel of the future? Is is merely lighter and more expensive oil distillates or something quite different? Continue reading
For roughly fifty years, scientists have listened to an unidentified sound in the Southern Ocean, which has been described as a sort of mechanical quacking noise. It has been come to be known as the 
The death toll in the sinking of the 
Last week, 
Happy Earth Day! Then again, I have always thought that we lived on a misnamed planet. The word “earth” is a synonym for dirt while 71% of the planet is covered by water. Perhaps we should be saying Happy Ocean Day!
Are passenger ro-ro ferries inherently unsafe?
Recently the folks at 
Whale sightings in and around New York harbor are getting less and less unusual. Unfortunately, the most recent sighting was of a dead 
