Tech

14 APR 2019 Ice is a complex beast. While you and I only ever come into contact with one kind of it, scientists actually know of around 20 different molecular varieties – some so esoteric and rare, they may only exist inside computer simulations, or buried within distant planets. But just because water …

13 april 2019 The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Safety Alert on the dangers of confined space entry – citing a recent casualty where three people were asphyxiated on a drilling rig (MODU). 10 crewmembers were on board the MODU preparing it for a heavy lift transport to an overseas …

12 april 2019 Seaspeak is the official language of navigators the world over. Whether on the high seas or at port, misunderstood communication can lead to serious and even dangerous situations. Seaspeak, the official language of the seas, helps to prevent miscommunication. Have you ever wondered how crews on ships …

10 april 2019 In the coming months, a large drone will check emissions from ships in Danish waters to make sure they comply with sulfur emissions limits.  The drone is being provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency and is fitted with a so-called “sniffer” capable of measuring sulfur emissions. …

9 APR 2019 A pair of mathematicians from Australia and France have devised a new way to multiply numbers together, while solving an algorithmic puzzle that has perplexed some of the greatest math minds for almost half a century. For most of us, the way we multiply relatively small numbers …

09 april 2019 A mandatory requirement for national governments to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports came into effect from April 8, 2019.  The requirement, mandatory under IMO’s Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention), is part of a package of amendments under the revised Annex …

08 april 2019 The U.S. Department of the Treasury has blacklisted two shipping firms and dozens of vessels, including one Greek tanker, in connection with U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.  The two companies are Ballito Bay Shipping and “ProPer In Management Inc.” of Athens. Both share the same address in Piraeus. …

07 april 2019 Environmental monitoring organization SkyTruth watches for illegal activity using satellite data, and over the past several years, they’ve made it clear that “magic pipe” bilge water disposal can no longer be hidden at sea.  Bypassing the ship’s oily water separator to dump bilge waste is an illegal but …

06 APR 2019 Before there was life, ribonucleic acid (RNA) ruled the primordial soup. Or so the story goes, according to what’s known as the RNA World hypothesis. But it seems we may have been too hasty in leaving out RNA’s more complex cousin, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Chemists from the UK …

05 APRIL 2019 Simon Bennett, Deputy Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has warned that avoiding overcapacity and unsustainably low freight rates is still a major challenge 10 years after the massive downturn of 2008. “In that time shipping companies needed to show restraint when ordering new …