The press release from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) was clear — the cruise industry is now shut down. No more cruising from the United States. CLIA is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, representing more than 50 … Continue reading
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In recent weeks there been considerable interest generated by an application for a patent filed by the US Navy for a compact cold fusion nuclear reactor. For decades, “cold fusion” has been the holy grail of clean energy research. Progress … Continue reading
In January 2018, the news broke that a journalist believed that he had found the burned wreckage of the schooner Clotilda, the last vessel to carry Africans into bondage in the United States. By March, however, further research and excavation … Continue reading
The media has been full of reports about the sanctions violating North Korean bulk carrier, dubiously named Wise Honest. Virtually every headline begins with “US seizes North Korean ship” or some variation thereof. The Justice Department also used the word … Continue reading
Cruise Fever is reporting that Royal Caribbean is having to rearrange the itineraries for the Allure of the Seas for the next five months due to mechanical issues with one of the three Azipods, the pod propulsion units which drive … Continue reading
At one point in her long and storied career, the 1885 built, 131-foot schooner yacht Coronet was owned by a rather dodgy religious group which called itself “The Kingdom.” The group was led by Frank Sandford who circumnavigated the globe on the yacht in 1905. … Continue reading
The Flettner fleet is growing slowly but steadily. The LNG powered cruise ferry Viking Grace has become the latest commercial ship and the first passenger vessel to install a modern Flettner rotor sail. The 80-foot-tall rotor is expected to save … Continue reading
Norwegian Billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke has pledged to give away a substantial portion of his US$ 3.8 billion fortune to fund efforts to help save the world’s oceans. Last May, he announced the construction of a 596′ long state-of-the-art ice-strengthened oceanographic … Continue reading
Not all oil pollution is petroleum. Recently, there have been reports of strange yellow blobs washing up on the beaches of France’s Opal Coast. The blobs described variously as “foamy balls,” “strange spongelike clumps,” “yellow mousse” and “possibly the biggest … Continue reading
Today Carnival Corporation is the largest operator of cruise ships in the world with a combined fleet of over 100 vessels across 10 cruise line brands. Back in 1972, however, it owned exactly one ship, the RMS Empress of Canada, which … Continue reading
History was made yesterday at the Panama Canal when the container ship COSCO Shipping Panama transited the newly expanded canal. The ship carried over 9,000 TEU and has a beam of 158′ and is 984′ long, longer and significantly wider than was … Continue reading
June 25th is celebrated globally as the Day of the Seafarer, an official United Nations observance day. What does that really mean? Opinions vary. Click here to read Barista Uno’s slightly acerbic but largely on-target perspective on the official “observance … Continue reading
In October, the SS United States Conservancy announced that it had retained the services of a broker to explore selling the SS United States for scrap. Prospects for the ship looked dire. In a dramatic reversal of fortune, Crystal Cruises has … Continue reading
Hinckley Yachts announced that it has acquired Morris Yachts. Both are high-end boat builders and the boatyards are within a quarter mile of each other in Trenton, Maine. Hinckley says it plans to continue the Morris boatbuilding and service operations … Continue reading
Myint Naing, a Burmese man, recently made it home 22 years after being taken aboard a Thai fishing trawler, where he worked as little more than a slave. In the last six months an estimated 2,000 enslaved fishermen have been … Continue reading
Hawaii survived a near miss with two hurricanes. On Friday, Hurricane Iselle, downgraded to a tropical storm, hit the Big Island of Hawaii. Hurricane Julio is expected to pass roughly 200 miles to the north of the islands on Sunday … Continue reading
Today, June 25th, is the IMO sponsored International Day of the Seafarer. This celebration is intended to increase the awareness of the indispensable services rendered to all of us by the 1.5 million seafarers who deliver more than 12 billion tonnes of … Continue reading
A little over a week ago, we posted about a 90′ yacht, valued at around $10 million, which capsized and sank on her launching in Anacortes, Washington. Since then there has been no definitive determination as to what caused the … Continue reading
Sometime during the Civil War, the poet Walt Whitman wrote a poem about New York City, titled “The City of Ships.” The first stanzas begin: City of ships! (O the black ships! O the fierce ships! O the beautiful, sharp-bow’d … Continue reading
The schooner American Eagle is for sale. I have long been an admirer of the American Eagle from afar. She was the the last fishing schooner built in Gloucester in 1930. After a long career, the old and tired … Continue reading