16 SEPT 2021 On Thursday, the ship management division of Stena confirmed that two tanker crewmembers were killed by a large wave off Cape Horn last weekend. On Saturday, as the Euronav-owned oil tanker Arafura was rounding Cape Horn, en route to Long Beach from Brazil, she ran into rough weather and …
Read More »CHINA’S BAN ON AUSTRALIAN COAL RESHAPES KEY DRY BULK MARKET
15 SEPT 2021 Every million tonnes of coal has recently been costing China’s steel mills more than $400 million, compared with around $250 million paid by steel mills everywhere else. The difference is entirely explained by China’s embargo on Australian coal. Since China’s mills use almost two million tonnes of coal every …
Read More »NASA TESTING ELECTRIC ‘AIR TAXI’ PROTOTYPE DESIGNED TO CARRY PASSENGERS IN THE SKY
11 SEPT 2021 NASA is commonly thought of as America’s space agency, but its name also emphasizes another research area. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is also America’s civilian aerospace research organization. In that role, it has been instrumental in developing new technologies ranging from rocket engines to aircraft …
Read More »UNION: OVER 300 HMM SEAFARERS RESIGN AS PAY NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
10 SEPT 2021 More than half HMM’s 600-strong seafarer workforce have quit following management refusal to meet pay demands. Some 453 staff voted in the seafarers’ union strike ballot last weekend, more than 90% backing action in protest at a reluctance to give generous salary increases after a pay freeze between 2011 and …
Read More »PERSISTENT BULLIES SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM SHIPS
09 SEPT 2021 A zero-tolerance approach to bullying should be in place on all vessels, with abusive crew members removed from the ship if they repeatedly harass a colleague, according to some mental health experts. Former chief engineer Stephan Vecchi believes the maritime industry must have a strict two-strike policy …
Read More »WHO PAYS FOR BOTTOM FOULING?
08 SEPT 2021 Bottom fouling by marine growth is a subject of frequent disputes in time charters. Fouling increases friction and affects the performance of the vessel in terms of speed and fuel consumption, and it also necessitates cleaning. The bottom may be in a fouled condition at the time …
Read More »PART II FISH FARMING IS FEEDING THE WORLD, BUT AT WHAT COST?
07 SEPT 2021 In September 2019, Gambian lawmakers gathered in the stately but neglected hall of the National Assembly for an annual meeting, where James Gomez, minister of the country’s fisheries and water resources, insisted that “Gambian fisheries are thriving. ” Industrial fishing boats and plants represent the largest employer …
Read More »STUDY SUGGESTS A NEW NUMBER OF DAILY STEPS FOR HEALTH BENEFITS, AND IT’S NOT 10,000
6 SEPTEMBER 2021 There’s no magic number when it comes to exercise, but that doesn’t mean numbers aren’t important. After all, numbers are easy, convenient things to remember. And because exercise is something that can be easily quantified, having numbers as symbols of how much exercise we should be getting can serve …
Read More »PART I: FISH FARMING IS FEEDING THE WORLD, BUT AT WHAT COST?
05 SEPT 2021 Gunjur, a town of some fifteen thousand people, sits on the Atlantic coastline of southern Gambia, the smallest country on the African continent. During the day, its white-sand beaches are full of activity. Fishermen steer long, vibrantly painted wooden canoes, known as pirogues, toward the shore, where …
Read More »SALVORS COMPLETE FINAL CUT OF GOLDEN RAY WRECK REMOVAL PROJECT
04 SEPT 2021 On Saturday, salvors completed the very last cut in the long-running Golden Ray wreck removal project. All that remains is to load out the last two segments of the hull and clean up the seabed, and the waters of St. Simons Sound, Georgia will have the same appearance as before …
Read More »