The Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas caught some nasty North Atlantic weather as she made her way across the pond towards Port Everglades, FL for her first voyage with passengers.  She is crossing without passengers as preparations continue on board with various contractors and workers continue last minute projects.  Royal Caribbean has been posting [...]

Came across this while reading Bryant’s Maritime Blog.  On the afternoon of November 2nd some 360 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Kenya, pirates attempted to hijack MV Harriette, a U.S. bulk cargo ship operated by Sealift Inc.
From the EU Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA) press release:

MV Harriette, a US flagged Cargo vessel [...]

A Japanese warship collided with a cargo ship off southern Japan last week, injuring three crew members and starting fires on both vessels. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Kurama and the South Korean container vessel Carina Star collided in the Kanmon Strait, some 500 miles southwest of Tokyo. The fire and damage appears to have been more extensive on the JS Kurama. Fortunately there were no serious injuries or deaths on either vessels. Minor injuries were reported for several crew members on the JS Kurama.

It appears that the old MARAD mothball fleet otherwise known as the Suisun Bay Ghost Fleet near Benicia California may soon be drastically shrinking, with many old warships and auxiliary vessels heading to scrappers in Texas.   Many of the ships in the mothball fleet have significant historical value, including several Victory ships and the [...]

The folks at Maritime Training Services have been shooting some pirates aboard the COSCO Tianjin….all in an effort to bring realistic anti-piracy training to a DVD player near you.
Producing a training film aboard a real container ship presents real challenges:  a constantly running generator creates ambient noise, variable lighting and weather conditions cause delays, a [...]