First New Polar Icebreaker Under Contract, Delivery by 2024

Posted on by June 17, 2019

The good news is that after years of not-so-benign neglect the US Coast Guard is finally getting an appropriation to build three new heavy polar icebreakers, followed by the construction of three new medium polar icebreakers. The Coast Guard currently has one heavy icebreaker, USCGC Polar Star, which is 43 years old and has suffered repeated breakdowns. It has been kept operating primarily by scavenging from a sister ship, Polar Sea which has not been in service since 2010. The Coast Guard also has one medium icebreaker, the ten-year-old USCGC Healy.

The less than good news is that while the $745.9 million construction contract for the first heavy icebreaker, dubbed a Polar Security Cutter, has been awarded to VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, MS, the ship will not be delivered until 2024. The Polar Star and the Healy will have to hang on for another five years. The two follow-on heavy icebreakers are also not guaranteed as they are priced as contract options.

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Sailing the Around the World on Kamana — Five Years in Five Minutes

Posted on by June 14, 2019

Here is an incredibly beautiful video shot by Enrico Tettamanti and his wife Giulia Azzalli who spent over five years exploring the globe aboard their Solaris 72 Kamana.  Truly amazing footage. Well worth just over 5 minutes of your time.

“Our videos are our simple way to show the beauty of our planet – one that is strongly connected to the human impact we have on it,” says Enrico.


Kamana 2011-2016

Video of the Collision of Schooner No 5. Elbe & Container Ship Astrosprinter

Posted on by June 15, 2019

Disturbing video shot from the deck of the pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe immediately before her collision with the container ship Astrosprinter. It appears that the helmsman made the wrong maneuver at exactly the wrong time.

Kurz vor der Kollision mit “No. 5 Elbe” am 08.06.2019

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Hyundai/NorsePower Eco-Tanker Design — VLCC Powered by LNG, the Wind, and Cargo Vapor

Posted on by June 14, 2019

Hyundai Heavy Industries, in a collaboration with Lloyd’s Register and Norsepower, has developed the design of an “Eco-Tanker,” a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with a unique propulsion system combining wind power with natural gas. The design also includes a volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery system which mixes the VOC with the natural gas as fuel. VOC is naturally-occurring vapor from the cargo tank during operation. Wind-assist propulsion is provided by four Norsepower modern Flettner rotors.

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Two Tankers Attacked in Gulf of Oman, Near Strait of Hormuz

Posted on by June 13, 2019

Early this morning, two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, were struck and disabled by explosions. The 110,000-dwt Front Altair, built in 2016 was carrying naphtha and broke out in flames following the explosion. A second tanker, the 27,000-dwt Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol, was also damaged above the waterline by an explosion and was on fire. The 44 crew on the two ships were evacuated and were picked up by a rescue team from the southern Iranian province of Horozgan. Only one minor injury was reported. The US Navy’s U.S.S. Bainbridge, a guided missile destroyer, was also reported to be rendering assistance.

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Update: Danube Tragedy — A Crowded River & Second Collision for Viking Officer

Posted on by June 12, 2019

Mermaid on the Danube Before the Collision

The New York Times is reporting that well before Hungary’s worst boating accident in at least six decades, Hungarian officials had been warned that traffic on the Danube had soared to dangerous levels around Budapest, but the government did not curb the number of vessels plying the river. 

On the night of May 29, in a driving rain, an international cruise ship, the Viking Sigyn struck and sank a smaller sightseeing boat, the Mermaid, killing 28 people. The cause is still under investigation, but the accident has raised concerns that at the municipal and national levels, where tourism has become a major source of revenue, political calculations and the drive for profit outweighed safety concerns.

In related news, the captain of the Viking Sigyn, identified only as C. Yuriy, 64, of Odessa, was previously involved in another Viking collision in the Netherlands in April. He is reported to have served as the first officer of the Viking Idun which collided with the tanker, Chemical Marketer, in the Netherlands’ Western Scheldt, near Antwerp, on April 1. Five people reported minor injuries as a result of the collision.

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Remembering the Schooner Wander Bird — Rounding Cape Horn 1936

Posted on by June 11, 2019

Yesterday we posted about the sinking of the restored pilot schooner Elbe No.5, ex-Wander Bird, following a collision with a container ship near Stade, Germany on the Elbe River. The schooner, launched in 1883, had just completed a $1.7 million renovation. Fortunately while several were injured, none of the 43 passengers and crew died in the collision. An investigation of the incident is ongoing.

The schooner has had a fascinating history. It served as a pilot schooner on the River Elbe for 41 years, carrying pilots to guide ships from the North Sea up the river to the mighty port of Hamburg. She then spent a few years with several owners as a private yacht, named Wandervogel. In 1929, the schooner was purchased by American journalist Warwick Tompkins, who translated the German name to Wander Bird. 

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Pilot Schooner No. 5 Elbe, ex-Wander Bird, Sinks After Collision on River Elbe

Posted on by June 10, 2019

On Saturday, the restored pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe sank following a collision with a containership on its namesake river at Stade, Germany. The 43 people aboard the 1883 built schooner were rescued almost immediately thanks to a quick response from five rescue boats which happened to be in the area on another distress call. Six adults and two children were injured, one seriously, in the collision.

An investigation will determine the cause of the collision between the pilot schooner and the Cyprus-flagged container ship, Astrosprinter. Current reports suggest that the schooner turned across the fairway, directly into the path of the container ship. The Guardian describes the course change as a “failed tack” by the gaff-rigged schooner. Other reports suggest that the container ship was outside the channel lane. 

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Update: Jeanne Socrates Moors Off New Zealand To Make Repairs

Posted on by June 10, 2019

On May 18th, we posted that singlehander Jeanne Socrates, 76, on her fourth circumnavigation, suffered a knockdown on S/V Nereida off the South Island of New Zealand. Despite the loss of solar panels and damage to the wind generator system, Socrates was unhurt, and sails, rig, most instruments, autopilot, and radio were undamaged.

Socrates is attempting to become the oldest person to sail solo around the world non-stop and unassisted. After the knockdown, most would have given up and put into port, but Jeanne has not abandoned her quest. She has put into Timaru Harbour, South Island, New Zealand to make necessary repairs to her Najad 380, Nerieda. As long as she does not go ashore or receive support or supplies, she can continue on her voyage “non-stop and unassisted.”

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Carnival Cops a Plea — $20 Million Fine for Continuing to Pollute

Posted on by June 10, 2019

In April, we posted, Judge Threatens to Block Carnival Cruise Ships from Docking in US Ports, in which U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz considered temporarily blocking the largest cruise corporation in the world from docking its ships at ports in the United States as punishment for a possible probation violation of a previous pollution settlement.

In 2016, Princess Cruise Lines, a Carnival subsidiary, agreed to pay a $40 million fine for illegally dumping and attempting the cover up the dumping of oil-contaminated waste into the sea. Part of the deal was an agreement that Carnival, Princess and associated cruise lines would, figuratively and literally, clean up their act. The cruise giant was put on five years’ probation.

In a settlement announced on Monday, Carnival agreed to pay an additional $20 million, after admitted to failing to live up to the terms of the probation. A whistleblower reported the dumping of grey water and plastics, falsifying records, and hiding violations from Federal inspectors.

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Remembering the Battle of Midway, 77 Years Ago This Week

Posted on by June 5, 2019

The Battle of Midway, fought from June 3 — 7, 1942, seventy-seven years ago this week, was a major American victory in the Pacific theater in World War II. Only six months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Midway was a turning point in the naval war in the Pacific. Key to the victory was the American breaking of the Japanese naval code. Thanks to the code breakers, what had been intended to be another Japanese surprise attack became a well-laid trap by the US Navy. Here is a 15-minute tactical overview of the battle. Well worth watching.

Battle of Midway Tactical Overview – World War II | History

On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Remembering Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Higgins Boat

Posted on by June 7, 2019

I am aware of only one man who was praised by both Eisenhower and Hitler. A repost on the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

General Dwight David Eisenhower said that “Andrew Higgins … is the man who won the war for us. … If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different.”  

Adolph Hitler referred to Andrew Higgins as the “new Noah,” though his admiration was more begrudging. On the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, better known as D-Day, it seems worthwhile to remember Andrew Higgins and the amazing Higgins boat.

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Who’s the Pirate — Blackbeard or the State of North Carolina? Supreme Court Will Decide

Posted on by June 5, 2019

Queen Anne’s Revenge

Edward Teach, better known as the pirate Blackbeard, terrorized the Caribbean and the North American East Coast in the early 18th century. Now a documentary filmmaker is claiming that the State of North Carolina is engaging in modern-day digital piracy. On Monday, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the case brought by filmmaker, Frederick Allen, against state officials in North Carolina who he accuses of unlawfully pirating his footage of the wrecked pirate ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which went down in 1718.

As reported by the LA Times: The case began with the discovery of the wreckage of Blackbeard’s flagship, which sank in November 1718 and was found by a private research group in 1996.

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MSC Opera Crash Prompts New Calls to Limit Large Cruise Ships in Venice

Posted on by June 4, 2019

The crash of the MSC Opera into the dock and a river tour boat while docking on the Giudecca Canal on Sunday in Venice Italy, has prompted new calls for limits or an outright ban of large cruise ships in Venice. After the crash, Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro said, “Once again it is shown that big ships cannot cross the Giudecca Canal.”

“It worries me because it’s something that could’ve happened so many other times, and could happen again today, ” said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist who heads We Are Here Venice, which wants to ban cruise ships.

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Cruise Ship MSC Opera Loses Control in Venice — Hits Dock and Tour Boat

Posted on by June 3, 2019

At about 8:30 AM on Sunday, the cruise ship MSC Opera lost control while docking on the Giudecca Canal in Venice Italy, slamming into the dock and hitting a tour boat. Five people were reported to be injured, but none seriously. The ship was accompanied by two tugs which were unable to control the 65,591 GT ship.  MSC Opera was built in 2004 and has a capacity of around 2,150 passengers and 728 crew. 

“The MSC ship had an engine failure, which was immediately reported by the captain,” Davide Calderan, head of a tugboat company involved in accompanying the ship into its berth, told Italian media. “The engine was blocked, but with its thrust on, because the speed was increasing,” he said.

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World’s Largest Lionfish Tournament Removes 19,167 of the Invasive Predators

Posted on by June 3, 2019

For several years, we have followed the attempts to control, if not eradicate, the invasive lionfish from the waters around Florida and the Caribbean.  Recently, divers participating in Destin, Florida’s Emerald Coast Open, which is described as the “world’s largest lionfish tournament,” removed 19,167 of the invasive predators.    

Sometime in the 1990s, two different species of lionfish made it into the waters of the Atlantic off Florida. Native to the Indo-Pacific, the venomous, predatory fish spread rapidly, decimating local reef fish in the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Lacking local predators to stop its spreading, the lionfish have been described as “one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet.”

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Coast Guard Rescues Couple From Capsized Sailboat, 65 Miles East of New Jersey

Posted on by June 3, 2019

Coast Guard crews rescued a man and woman from a capsized sailboat in rough seas about 65 miles east of Atlantic City, NJ, late Wednesday night. Heidi Snyder and Peter Bailey, who have been sailing around the world for two years, were traveling from South Carolina to New York City when a microburst capsized their 55-foot wooden-hull sailboat, Bertie. 

Beyond the range of VHS radio, the couple activated their EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) which allowed the Coast Guard to locate them clinging to the capsized hull.

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Tragedy in the Congo — Overloaded Boat Sinks on Lake Mai-Ndombe, 45 Dead, 200 Missing

Posted on by May 31, 2019

Sadly, the sinking of overloaded ferry boats in the developing world is not new news. It happens with a great enough frequency that it is easy to overlook. Which may be why these tragedies are worth noting. Last weekend, an overcrowded boat sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The majority of those on board were teachers going to collect their salaries, a local mayor told the BBC.

According to the provincial governor, Antoine Masamba, the boat had been carrying some 400 passengers, of whom 45 were confirmed dead and 200 were still unaccounted for. The vessel was not meant to carry more than 80 people. Its official manifest indicates that it had about 130 passengers.

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River Cruise Ship Viking Sigyn Collides with Tour Boat in Danube — 7 Dead, 22 Missing

Posted on by May 30, 2019

Mermaid on the Danube

A Viking River Cruises ship, the Viking Sigyn, collided with a tourist sightseeing boat in the Danube River named Mermaid off Budapest on Wednesday night. Of the 33 Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew aboard the sightseeing boat, seven have been rescued, seven have been confirmed dead and 21 are still missing.  

The BBC reports that CCTV footage showed the boat that sank – Hableany, or Mermaid – being hit from behind by a larger tour boat – Viking Sigyn – near the Margit (Margaret) Bridge in central Budapest after 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

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USS Batfish Battles Flooding Rivers

Posted on by May 29, 2019

USS Batfish is a Balao-class submarine, known primarily for the remarkable feat of sinking three Imperial Japanese Navy submarines in a 76-hour period, in February 1945. Since 1973, USS Batfish has served as an unlikely museum ship hauled up on shire at the Muskogee War Memorial Park in Muskogee, OK, near the confluence of the Arkansas River, Grand River, and Verdigris Rivers.  Now with the rivers at historic flood levels, the World War II era submarine is afloat on the flood water, as volunteers scramble to keep the old sub from sinking or being overwhelmed by the swirling torrents. Continue reading →