There’s no denying that advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) technology are affecting every sphere of our lives, ranging from agriculture & filmmaking to security and communications down to logistics.
With growing worldwide interest in commercial, scientific, and military issues associated with both oceans and shallow waters, there has been a corresponding growth in demand for the development of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with advanced guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) capabilities.
To date, IMO is the only organization worldwide that has adopted energy efficiency measures that are legally binding across the world. IMO also regulates the emission standards for ships, which are more strict in areas designated as Emission Control Areas (ECAS). As the MARPOL Annex 6 regulations restricting air pollution, another of IMO’s measures, is progressively setting more exacting standards, the shipping industry is looking for alternatives; such as ships powered by distillate fuels, using scrubbers, alternate fuels such as LNG, Hydrogen, or ammonia, even nuclear powered or completely battery-powered ships are a possibility. However one of the most feasible possibilities in the short to mid future is LNG.
A void sailing or a blank sailing is when a ship does not sail. More specifically, it is a scheduled sailing which has been either cancelled by the shipping company or the company decided to skip a certain string owing to some shortcomings.
A string is a set of ports served weekly by a carrier. For example, one string might be: Shanghai – Ningbo – Los Angeles – Oakland – Shanghai. The string moves in a circular direction but always along with the same schedule of ports with a fixed departure day of the week set for each port.
Whilst travelling, many of us might have noticed that all vessels, with the exception of cruise ships, have circular windows. These windows are commonly known as portholes; shortened form of the word port-hole window. And these portholes are not just limited to vessels, but can also be found on submarines and spacecraft.
Climate change is shaping to be one of the most prominent threats so far in the 21th century. With the shipping industry being an inextricable part of global logistics, it contributes to about 18 percent of some air pollutants. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), with this in view has adopted regulations to reduce emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG). The directive in MARPOL annex 6 to reduce sulfur emissions to 0.5% is currently being enforced since 1st January 2020.
A software developer voluntarily supporting seafarers
The home office of AIS Partner Andrew. In the background, you see the port of Vancouver and the FleetMon AIS antenna on the left.
Applying to become an AIS Partner was super easy. I just filled out the form, and shortly afterwards an AIS support member reached out to me. I sent FleetMon my shipping address, picked up the station from the post office, and connected all the components. My office has a high elevation and line-of-sight to the harbour, so I just mounted the antenna, plugged the antenna into the AIS receiver, and then plugged the receiver into my router.
White is the best reflector and the worst absorber of sunlight. For this property of the colour, white exteriors save the ship from getting heated up, reducing the burden on air conditioning systems.
Happy 10th Anniversary, many would say. But this particular anniversary, which recalls the start of a visionary project, is somewhat different. In January 2010, a treaty was signed between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany for the construction of a fixed link under the Fehmarnbelt, the 18 km Baltic strait running between the Danish island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn. Yet not everybody in Denmark or Germany feels like celebrating.
