Update: Shackleton’s Lost Ship Endurance Located After 107 Years

The Endurance22 Expedition announced today that they have discovered the remarkably intact remains of Sir Ernest Shackleton‘s ship Endurance, which was crushed by pack ice off Antarctica in 1915.  A team of marine archeologists, adventurers, and technicians on the icebreaking … Continue reading

The Mystery of the Superyacht Scheherazade — Who is the Owner?

As Western governments scrabble to identify the luxury yachts of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, the ownership of Scheherazade, a 495′ long superyacht, docked in Marina di Carrara, a small Italian town on the Tuscan coast, remains a mystery. Valued at $700 … Continue reading

Stuck in the Ice, Searching for Shackleton’s Endurance

In early February, the Endurance22 expedition set off from Cape Town, South Africa for Antarctica’s Weddell Sea aboard the icebreaking research ship, SA Agulhas II. Their objective is to locate, survey, and film the wreck of Endurance, Ernest Shackleton’s ship that … Continue reading

UK and Major Container Ship Lines Ban Russian Cargo and Ships Over Ukrainian Invasion

The impact of Russian sanctions is spreading across the shipping industry. Yesterday, Britain announced that Russian ships would be banned from UK ports as part of a new package of sanctions against Russia. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that he … Continue reading

Ukrainian Engineer Attempts to Sink Oligarch’s Yacht — “My Boss is a Criminal”

A Ukrainian marine engineer was detained after attempting to sink the Lady Anastasia, a 48-meter-long $7 million superyacht owned by Russian oligarch and arms tycoon, Alexander Mijeev. The attempt took place on Saturday at Port Adriano in Mallorca. The 55-year-old … Continue reading

France Seizes Russian Ro/Ro Baltic Leader in English Channel Over Sanctions

France seized a Russian-flagged ro/ro cargo ship, Baltic Leader, on Saturday, in the English Channel, in accordance with recent sanctions put in place following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ship was bound for St. Petersburg, Russia, but was diverted … Continue reading

Black History Month Repost: Paul Cuffe — African-American Captain, Ship Owner & Shipbuilder

During Black History Month, it is worthwhile to remember early African-American shipmasters. Who was the first? That is hard to say. Paul Cuffe is a good candidate.  An updated repost. Paul Cuffee was born on Cuttyhunk Island, MA on January … Continue reading

Update: Fire on Car Carrier Felicity Ace, Adrift Off Azores, Burning Out

Reuters is reporting that the fire, which swept through the car carrier Felicity Ace carrying thousands of luxury cars, leaving it adrift off Portugal’s Azores islands has lost its intensity, probably because there is little left to burn, a port … Continue reading

Black History Month — First Black Liberty Ship Captain, Hugh Mulzac, Says No To Jim Crow

Hugh Mulzak served as the first Black Liberty ship captain in World War II. When offered the command, he refused to sail with a segregated crew. An updated repost in honor of Black History Month. Born in 1886 on Union … Continue reading

Twelve Missing After Euroferry Olympia Catches Fire Near Corfu

This has been a bad week for shipboard fires. The car carrier Felicity Ace caught fire Wednesday in the Atlantic, off the Azores, and is still burning and adrift, awaiting salvage tugs. Fortunately, the 22 person crew was evacuated safely. … Continue reading

Black History Month Repost — William Tillman and the Privateer Jefferson Davis

A repost in honor of Black History Month.  William Tillman was one of the first black heroes of the American Civil War. He was not a soldier but rather a 27-year-old  cook-steward on the schooner S.J. Waring.  On July 7, … Continue reading

Car Carrier Felicity Ace on Fire and Adrift in the Atlantic

The car carrier Felicity Ace caught fire yesterday in the Atlantic Ocean, 90 miles southwest of the Azores. The Portuguese Navy and four merchant ships in the area responded to the car carrier’s distress call. The crew of 22 were … Continue reading

Hybrid Cruise Ship Le Commandant Charcot Assists RRS Sir David Attenborough in Antarctic Ice

Britain’s new polar expedition ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, encountered particularly difficult sea ice conditions during a resupply mission as part of the research ship’s first polar expedition. It was assisted in its attempt to deliver the supplies to support … Continue reading

Update: The Weather Window That Never Opened, Sails of Change Postpones Jules Verne Attempt

In November we posted about the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change (ex-Spindrift 2) and its crew of 11, waiting to set off from La Trinité-sur-Mer, in southwest Brittany, on their latest attempt to claim the Jules Verne Trophy. To win the trophy, they … Continue reading

Putin’s Yacht Graceful Makes Hasty Departure from Germany

German media reports that the 83-meter yacht, Graceful, believed to be owned by Vladimir Putin, has made a hasty departure from Hamburg, Germany, bound for Russia, before finishing repairs and renovations at the Blohm and Voss shipyard. Some speculate that … Continue reading

Descendants of the Clotilda, the Last Slave Ship, Commemorate Discovery of the Wreck

For several years, we have followed the search for and the ultimate discovery of the schooner Clotilda, believed to be the last ship to carry enslaved Africans to the United States. Now, descendants of the survivors are commemorating the discovery … Continue reading

Flagship Niagara to Sail Again in 2022

Officials from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) have confirmed that Brig Niagara, Pennsylvania’s Flagship, will sail the Great Lakes again this summer. Erie News Now reports that because of concerns over COVID-19, Niagara hasn’t sailed since 2019 — … Continue reading

Update: Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony Arrested in the Bahamas

In late January, we posted about how the cruise ship Crystal Symphony, which had been bound for Miami, suddenly changed course and diverted to the Bahamas, after a United States federal judge ordered the ship seized over a lawsuit regarding … Continue reading

More Than 100,000 Dead Fish Dumped Off The Coast Of France After Trawler Spill

The Dutch-owned Margiris supertrawler, the second largest fishing vessel in the world, dumped more than 100,000 dead blue whiting in the Bay of Biscay off France’s Atlantic coast near La Rochelle, last Thursday. The Pelagic Freeze-Trawler Association (PFA) — which … Continue reading