"Μέγα τὸ τῆς Θαλάσσης Κράτος" - "Great is the Sea's Power", Pericles 495-429 b.c.
Reconstructing nuclear confidence in post-Fukushima world is a long and painful process. But real-life energy demands especially in the developing countries predetermine a significant share of nuclear energy in their national energy consumption structure. Russian experience in this field can offer some interesting solutions to the decision-makers.
The ITF launched the previous month a series of free apps for seafarers. The Look up a Ship app will enable seafarers and charterers to look at basic information about the vessel they are sailing on, intend to sail on or are considering chartering. It will show the ship name, International Maritime Organization (IMO) number, where it is flagged, and whether or not it has an ITF agreement, and the status of any agreement. It will also show the latest crew list summary and ITF Inspection details.
Nowadays one cannot deny the widespread use of social media and the fact that they have find their way even in the Maritime Industry. Mark Clark, Director of Navigate Response wrote an interesting article regarding how social media can be used for the benefit of a shipping company. So you don’t work for a major shipping company, and you don’t have several thousand pounds to spend on large broadsheet adverts which showed your non existent links to the Olympic Games? Panic not, there is still hope to get the message out that you ship short sea aggregates from the UK to Europe, or run reefer ships to the West Coast of Africa, and are looking to build your customer base.
When the story first broke, when those 800 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 63 Office Clerical Unit walked off their jobs and effectively shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, it was treated by the media as your stereotypical union money-grab.
Sea level is rising 60% faster than the IPCC fourth assessment projected. That is according to researchers from Germany, the US and France. The researchers analyzed global temperature and sea-level data for the past few decades and compared them to projections published in the third and fourth assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results show that global temperature continues to increase in good agreement with the best estimates of the IPCC, especially if effects of short-term variability due to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, volcanic activity and solar variability are also taken into account. The rate of sea-level rise of the past few decades, on the other hand, is greater than projected by the IPCC models. This suggests that IPCC sea-level projections for the future may also be biased low.
Canadian and Chilean rescuers have been presented with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2012, during a special ceremony held on 26 November 2012 at IMO Headquarters in London.
BBC reported today that Ob River, a large tanker carrying liquified natural gas, has left Norway in November and has sailed north of Russia on its way to Japan. The tanker is due to arrive in early December saving approximately 20 days of regular journey. According to the owners the changing climate conditions and a volatile gas market make the Arctic transit profitable.
Reducing emissions from ocean-going vessels as they sail near populated areas is a widely recognized goal, and vessel speed reduction regulations is one of several strategies that is being adopted by regulators and port authorities. A Californian research shows that slowing the speed of cargo ships near coastlines could dramatically cut ships’ air pollution.
An American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company Titan Salvage alongside with Italian firm Micoperi have been awarded a Costa Concordia wreck removal contract in April. Together they presented a plan to refloat and tow away the cruise ship to one of the Italian ports where she will likely be scrapped. According to Carnival Cruise the salvage plan is the world’s biggest and most complex ship salvage operation and it will cost at least 400 million euros ($525 million).
The MV GL Lan Xiu, which was carrying 2000 head of livestock, was refuelling at Hamilton in Brisbane in January when an accidental oil spill occurred. It took less than five minutes for about 4.5 tonnes of oil to spew into the Brisbane River after a valve was not closed properly. The vessel’s owner of the ship that has caused the oil spill in the Brisbane River has been fined $60,000.
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