“Pirates Like To Tweet” – Tracking Somali Pirates on Social Media

Posted on by March 16, 2012

Tracking Pirate Tweets

At first this sounded like a joke. Pirates like to tweet, have blogs and are on Facebook.  Really?

According to security expert, Jessica Lincoln, director of intelligence at Rubicon Resolution, “Somalia is a very sophisticated economy, it has one of the best mobile phone communication systems in the world.”   By tracking tweets, Facebook entries and other social media, security experts working for shipping companies can piece together news and relationships in the pirate community and in organizations like al-Qaeda’s Somali affiliate Al-Shabaab.  Not surprisingly for the Internet, some care is required, however.  “Actually getting verified information from within Somalia is very difficult, because anybody can tweet, anybody can post anything,” Lincoln said.

#Pirate? Tracking modern buccaneers through Twitter
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Not Just Kiribati – Rising Sea Levels a Threat to Coastal U.S.

Posted on by March 17, 2012

This week we posted that the Pacific nation of Kiribati is considering purchasing land on Fiji as a possible site to relocate as rising waters threaten to submerge their home islands.  As distant and exotic as  Kiribati’s problem may sound an article in the New York Times brings it all a bit closer to home.  Whereas roughly 100,000 residents of Kiribati are threatened by rising water, “about 3.7 million Americans live within a few feet of high tide and risk being hit by more frequent coastal flooding in coming decades because of the sea level rise caused by global warming, according to new research.”  One scientist referred to it as an “invisible tsunami.”

Rising Sea Levels Seen as Threat to Coastal U.S.
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Costa Concordia Updates – Ship’s Bell Missing, Salvage Estimate More than 100 Million Euros

Posted on by March 15, 2012

The ship’s bell on the Costa Concordia has gone missing.  According to Reuters, “underwater thieves have evaded an array of laser systems that measure millimetric shifts in the Costa Concordia shipwreck and 24-hour surveillance by the Italian coast guard and police to haul off a symbolic booty – the ship’s bell…. Judicial sources said on Thursday thieves nabbed the ship’s bell more than two weeks ago from one of the decks of the Costa Concordia, which is submerged in 8 metres (26 feet) of water.”

Reuters also reports that Peter Berdowski, CEO of the Dutch dredging and maritime services company, Boskalis, says that the cost of refloating the Costa Concordia intact from the ledge where the ship is now perched off the island of Giglio, will cost “far beyond 100 million” Euros.  The ship was delivered in 2006 at a cost of €450 million.  Boskalis is one of six companies bidding on the salvage of the sunken cruise ship.  Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

New Battle for the Battleship New Jersey

Posted on by March 15, 2012

Retirement has not been easy for the Battleship New Jersey. After serving with distinction for 45 years in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the War in Vietnam, the highly decorated battleship became a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey in October 2000.  It has been plagued by chronic financial problems, and was almost forced to close in the summer of 2010.  Last year, the State of New Jersey cut its operating subsidy from $1.7 million to only $32,000.  The ship’s operator, the Home Port Alliance, is now struggling to repay $900,000 remaining on a $1 million bank loan from 2003, while state officials are reviewing its finances.

A rival group, the USS New Jersey Battleship Foundation, is now lobbying to bring the battleship to New York Harbor.  The nonprofit is working to raise $15 million from donors to dredge a site at Liberty State Park, between Jersey City and Bayonne, and to move the ship there.  Their plan is, however, opposed by the grassroots organization, Friends of Liberty State Park, which argues that the park lacks the infrastructure and access to support the volume of tourists likely to be attracted by the battleship.

A new battle for the USS New Jersey

Barque Picton Castle Goes Into Drydock

Posted on by March 14, 2012

In preparation for a busy summer of sailing and an upcoming Atlantic voyage, the barque Picton Castle was hauled up on the marine railway at Lunenburg Foundry today.

PICTON CASTLE Going Into Drydock March 14, 2012

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Happy Pi Day and Mercator at 500

Posted on by March 14, 2012

Rumold Mercator's double-hemisphere world map, ca. 1637. NYPL, Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division.

Today 3/14 is Pi day, a celebration of the irrational number that defines circles and spheres. Why celebrate Pi? Why not.  Circles and spheres have their own magic, from soap bubbles to the globe, as does Pi, a number that never ends and never repeats.

Generally related to spheres, or at least the projection of a sphere onto a chart, the New York Public Library is marking the 500th anniversary the birth of Gerard Mercator (1512-1594), the Flemish geographer, engraver, and maker of scientific instruments, maps, and globes, with Mercator at 500, “an exhibition of extraordinary cartographic works — some of which have not been displayed in decades — that not only illuminate the brilliant mind and skillful hand of the cartographer himself, but also highlight his esteemed position and enduring legacy within the long arc of the history of cartography and geography.”
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At Least 114 Dead After Ferry MV-Shariatpur-1 Capsizes in Bangladesh

Posted on by March 14, 2012

Rescuers carried bodies to shore after the MV-Shariatpur-1 sank on Tuesday. Photo: Abir Abdullah/European Pressphoto Agency

Yesterday, the MV-Shariatpur-1, a ferry crossing the the Meghna River, just south of the capital, Dhaka, in Bangladesh, collided with a cargo vessel in early morning darkness. The ferry capsized and sank, killing at least 114 of the more than 200 passengers believed to be aboard.  Around 35 passengers have been reported to have been rescued.

The story has a sad sameness.  As reported by CNN: Ferry accidents are common on Bangladesh’s vast river network. Hundreds of people die in such accidents every year as the operators often ignore rules. Nearly 4,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives in ferry accidents since 1977.

Death toll reaches 114 in Bangladesh ferry sinking

Voices of the Sea: The Poetry and Song of Maine’s Fishermen and Those Who Work on the Water

Posted on by March 13, 2012

Not long ago, we posted about the Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon.  There are indeed fisherman poets on all coasts and this Thursday, March 15th, the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine is hosting “Voices of the Sea: The Poetry and Song of Maine’s Fishermen and Those Who Work on the Water,” from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The event will feature “working fishermen and those who work on the sea reading their own original work, poems and songs that examine their water-borne careers through verse.
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A Rebuilt Hōkūle‘a for the Next Generation of Pacific Voyagers

Posted on by March 13, 2012

After 18 months in dry dock and 15,500 volunteer hours of labor, a wholly rebuilt Hōkūle‘a, a Hawaiian voyaging canoe, was launched last week at Sand Island, Oahu, 37 years to the day after she was first launched.  Following sea trials and outfitting, she will be ready to carry the next generation of voyagers across the Pacific.

Hokule’a Sets Sail Once More
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Pacific Nation of Kiribati Considers Relocating to Fiji to Avoid Rising Ocean

Posted on by March 12, 2012

The Pacific nation of Kiribati is sinking. Or, more accurately, the ocean is rising, which from a practical perspective amounts to the same thing. The nation of 33 tiny atolls and coral islands, scattered across an area of the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Alaska, is only, on average, 6.5 feet above sea level.  Scientists have estimated the current level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 2 millimeters (0.1 inches) per year. Many scientists expect that rate to accelerate due to climate change. Kiribati is already experiencing shortages of fresh water tied to rising sea levels and climate change.  The government of Kiribati is considering a plan to buy nearly 6,000 acres on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, as a potential refuge for the people of the island republic.
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USS Enterprise, the Largest, the Oldest and the First Nuclear Carrier Begins Last Mission

Posted on by March 12, 2012

The USS Enterprise has set sail on her final mission. The fifty year old carrier is heading to the Middle East on a seven-month deployment.  The “Big E,” as she is called, was the first nuclear powered air craft carrier in the world. She is also the longest US aircraft carrier as well as the oldest, commissioned in 1961.  Where all other US nuclear carriers have two nuclear reactors, the Enterprise has eight. She also has four rudders, where most carriers have two.

She has been deployed to conflicts around the world including Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Persian Gulf. The Enterprise was one of the first ships to respond after the Sept. 11 attacks.  She was a spotter ship for John Glenn’s historic orbit around the earth and played a starring role in Tom Cruise’s hit movie, “Top Gun.”
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One Year After the Tsunami – No.18 Kyotoku-maru, Remains As Tsunami Monument or Scar

Posted on by March 11, 2012

One year later, No. 18 Kyotoku-maru AP photo by Koji Sasahara

One year ago today, the largest earthquake in Japan’s history, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck 70 miles offshore, triggering a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that washed far inland smashing towns, airports and highways across the north-eastern Japanese coast. Over 16,000 people are known to have died and 3,000 remain missing.  Not long after the tsunami, we posted about the No. 18 Kyotoku-maru – the Ghost Ship of Kesennuma.   The 330-tonne, 200-foot-long fishing boat was carried over a half mile inland from the harbor by the tsunami and left on one of the main roads to City Hall. One year later, the No.18 Kyotoku-maru is still there.
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Busy Saturday at Sea – Container Ship Aground Off Norway & Tanker Aground off Sicily

Posted on by March 10, 2012

Photo: Celina - Aleksi Lindström, Gelso M - Willem Oldenburg

There are no weekends off at sea and this has been a busy Saturday. Off Sicily, the 18,000 DWT Italian tanker Gelso M ran aground in a storm, with reports of engine room flooding. The crew of 19 was evacuated by helicopter without injury. The tanker was said to be in ballast and no pollution has been reported.  Off Norway’s southwestern coast, near the town of Maaloeya, the container ship Celina also ran aground.  The crew of 14 is reported to be unharmed, but a visible sheen has been reported on the water.   Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the news.

Cameron Diving to the Bottom of the Mariana Trench

Posted on by March 9, 2012

We posted recently about the “race” to dive to the deepest spot in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, almost 36,000 feet below the surface.  The first and last time that anyone ever ventured to the bottom of the trench was over fifty years ago. We posted, “Now three and possibly four teams are preparing to return to the depths of the Mariana Trench….  Hollywood director James Cameron is … understood to be preparing for a descent.”

Rumors of Cameron’s attempt have been confirmed.  Reported to be making an attempt later this month, he may be the first to return to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Miles Under the Pacific, a Director Will Take On His Riskiest Project
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The Battle of the Ironclads – USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, 150 Years Ago Today

Posted on by March 9, 2012

The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia were not the first iron-clad war ships, but they were the first to face each other in battle. One hundred and fifty years ago today, the two ironclads met in Hampton Roads, VA and fought each other to a draw.  After hours of close range fighting, the CSS Virginia retired, having failed to break the Union blockade.
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Schooner Western Union Designated Florida State Flagship

Posted on by March 9, 2012

The Florida Legislature has designated the schooner Western Union as the state’s official flagship. The schooner was built in 1939 and served for 35 years as as a cable vessel for the Western Union Telegraph Company, repairing and maintaining undersea telegraph cable throughout Key West, Cuba and the Caribbean. The 130′ long schooner is now a sailing museum, operating out of Key West, offering both dockside and sailing tours.

Legislature designates schooner as state flagship

Pascal Vaudé Wins Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012 in Record Time

Posted on by March 8, 2012

Pascal Vaudé wins Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012 in record time

Pascal Vaudé has won the Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race  and has set a new record of 37 days, 10 minutes and 26 seconds.  This morning Julien Besson crossed the finish line taking second place just in front of Henri-George Hidair, in third.   The Bouvet Guyane Solo Atlantic Rowing Race 2012 is a 2,600 mile race between between Senegal and Guyana.  All solo rowers are competing in identical 8 meter long boats.  Of the 23 rowers who began the race, 12 are still rowing while 8 have abandoned the attempt.

Dust Off Your Sextants as the Solar Storm Rages

Posted on by March 8, 2012

No need to shorten sail but putting down the GPS and dusting off the sextant might be a good idea as the largest solar storm in five years strikes the earth today. A massive cloud of charged particles moving at 4 million mph could disrupt satellite networks and GPS services, especially in northern areas.  Power grids are also at risk. A strong solar storm in 1989 knocked out the power grid in Quebec, causing 6 million people to lose power.  The upside to the storm is that it may result in even more colorful auroras than usual.

NASA | Massive Solar Flare gets HD Close Up
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Omani Women Taking to the Sea

Posted on by March 8, 2012

I will admit to not knowing much about Oman. I know that it is a Sultanate. It exports oil. I can find it on the map on the south-east corner of the Arabian peninsula. One thing that I do know is that it has a rather remarkable sailing program.

The Omani national sail training ship Shabab Oman is highly thought of in the sail training community. Under the command of Captain Christopher Biggins, who died last year, Shabab Oman became well known as an extremely friendly ship, and as a result she won ‘The Cutty Sark Trophy’ a record four times, and its successor ‘The Sail Training International Friendship Trophy‘ another three times.  Last year the Sultanate of Oman began providing funding for up to 100 tall ship sail trainees yearly, with a focus on young people who are who are financially disadvantaged or with a physical disability.

In more modern sailing, Omani men have been increasingly active in international competitions. As of October, the state sponsored Oman Sail enrolled 40 women in a sailing program. Omani women are now competing in international sailboat races and may soon be competing in Olympic sailing events.
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