Tag: Ships

Saturday Snippet: “An elephant is better than a tractor”

  We’ve met the late explorer and adventurer Tim Severin in these pages several times before.  Today, I’d like to bring you an excerpt from my favorite among all his books, “The Sindbad Voyage“. The blurb reads: Sindbad. Perhaps the greatest fictional sailor of them all. But could his amazing voyages, recounted in the The… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: “An elephant is better than a tractor”

I’m a Golden Shellback, and proud of it!

  I was amused to read of what may have been the first ship to achieve Golden Shellback status, way back in 1899.  Larry Lambert brings us the tale. The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had… Continue reading I’m a Golden Shellback, and proud of it!

A split-screen view of a carrier landing

  Here’s an interesting look from two vantage points of the cockpit of a C-2A Greyhound, a carrier onboard delivery aircraft, as it lands aboard USS Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf.  It was filmed by the pilot some years ago, and he recently posted it on YouTube. It’s nice to see both the internal… Continue reading A split-screen view of a carrier landing

It’s lucky the harbor was shallow…

  Here’s a video clip of the small container vessel MV Mentari Crystal capsizing at the dockside at the Port of Tanjung Perak in Indonesia last Monday.  Note the explosive snapping of a mooring line 9 seconds into the video.  It wouldn’t have been healthy to be caught in the whiplash! She ended up with… Continue reading It’s lucky the harbor was shallow…

A ship with a vision – but is it practical?

  I was interested to read about a new sail- and electric-powered wooden cargo vessel, the Ceiba, currently under construction in Costa Rica. Here’s a CGI rendering of how she’ll look when she’s complete. Ceiba is tiny by commercial standards, carrying only 250 tons of cargo, but is designed to be ecologically friendly, creating no… Continue reading A ship with a vision – but is it practical?

Boys and their vast mechanical toys

  The statistics of this engine are mind-boggling. The Emma Maersk’s Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel ship engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover of super ships in the world today. The RTA96-C is the largest engine in the world and is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines.… Continue reading Boys and their vast mechanical toys

An old island ferry undergoes a radical transformation

  I was intrigued to read an article at the Old Salt Blog about a Norwegian island ferry, launched in 1961, that’s been converted into a houseboat for two Danish architects and their child. According to marine architecture sites, the MV Bukken-Bruse was built in 1961.  She was a small ferry, 126 feet long and… Continue reading An old island ferry undergoes a radical transformation

Ammonia as an engine fuel?

  I was interested to read that a South Korean shipyard has received approval in principle for a large container ship powered by ammonia.  It’s the most recent use of ammonia as a fuel, but far from the only one.  A Chinese shipyard has also received initial approval for such a design.  However, no operational,… Continue reading Ammonia as an engine fuel?

Er . . . oops?

  gCaptain brings us a video of a collision between a dredger and a tanker in the Malacca Straits earlier this month. The incident reportedly happened October 2 at the TG Beruas Anchorage near Malacca. The dredge in the video is believed to be the Oceanline 5001. It’s unclear what caused the dredge to slam… Continue reading Er . . . oops?