As if the waters off North Carolina’s Outer Banks aren’t dangerous enough, this morning the US Coast Guard released an announcement that “70 stray cargo containers pose a threat to mariners off North Carolina.”
The Maersk Shanghai lost approximately 70 to 73 cargo containers due to high winds and heavy seas on Saturday. The over 10,000 TEU ship was the largest container ship to ever call on a Florida deep-water port on its first port call to South Florida, this summer.
The problem with shipping containers is that some do not sink, but can float mostly submerged for an extended period of time. They can be a real threat to small or moderate-sized vessels. There is solid evidence that the Irish sail-training ship Asgard II sank after hitting a floating container in 2010. Last year, Thomas Ruyant sailing in the Vendee Globe race, had his boat almost torn in half in a collision with what was believed to be a shipping container.
Estimates of how many containers go overboard vary widely. Continue reading
In a speech yesterday, 
Alexander V. Ezhkov, the owner of the ill-fated Polina Star III, has a 
Next Wednesday, March 7th, at 6PM, 
2017 was a disastrous year for the North Atlantic right whale and 2018 looks no better. In fact, it could be worse. Last year 17 North Atlantic right whales, died which is more than died in the past five years combined. Even worse, during this year’s breeding season, which typically runs from November through February, no newly-born calves have been sighted.
Last weekend, gold ingots and coins valued at $40 million salvaged from the wreck of the 
Around 1779, a portrait of two young women was commissioned by 
Here is a story well worth retelling. An updated repost from 2012. The remarkable story of Robert Smalls.
For years, naturalists have found the shells of giant shipworms, but have not located the giant shipworm itself. Last spring, that changed. Giant shipworms were discovered buried in the mud in a Philippine mangrove swamp. 
The timeline for when humans first took to the seas keeps getting moved back. A few years ago, stone tools were found on the 
A 30′ long stump of what is probably a hemlock tree has been floating vertically, bobbing up and down, in 
Yesterday, we posted about four barrels of rum from Lunenburg’s 
When the barque 
Joseph Conrad once wrote about a conversation with an old sailor who had just signed off a ship. The sailor said something to the effect that “the ship was alright. The problem was the people on it.” The comment seems to apply to a recent 10-day South Pacific cruise on the 
In October of last year, 
One hundred and twenty years ago today, on February 15, 1898, a mysterious explosion ripped through the hull of the American battleship USS Maine, at anchor in Havana harbor in Cuba. The ship sank killing 266 of the 350 men aboard. The loss of the USS Maine heightened the tension between the United States and Spain. Cuba was a Spanish colony and the island was gripped in a rebellion against Spain. USS Maine was in Havanna to protect U.S. interests. 
