People who take to the sea During my second and third years at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1974-75), I spent twelve months at sea on various U.S. flag merchant ships. I’ve written three stories about the Captain of the second of those ships – the SS Export Adventurer. As important as he was to…
Over 90% of world trade is in the hands of the international maritime shipping industry. Every year, it moves more than USD 4 trillion of goods. For shipping companies, there’s a lot of pressure to remain on schedule, protect the cargo ship and crew, and ensure profitability. And we can’t say it’s easy. This interactive…
The Voyage Home Being at sea on a merchant ship is like what they say about flying – 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror. The routine of life at sea is highly regulated by the watch cycle and other duties The average voyage in those days was about 3 months, and one quickly falls into…
The Straights of Gibraltar and Into the Mediterranean It was 2 o’clock in the morning and the sound-powered telephone next to my bunk – a truly obnoxious machine – started jangling like a demented alarm clock. Sound asleep after coming off watch at midnight, I was in no mood to be polite but didn’t get…
Oh Captain, My Captain In the spring of 1974, after a year and a half at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (known as Kings Point to most), it was time to embark on the school’s real-world curriculum of spending a year at sea on various U.S. flag merchant ships. I was 19 years old. On…
Be sure to read Part I here! Michael Garbarino (MG): This is a question about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch since you’ve actually been there. When you enter the waters of the convergence zone, is it like entering a loose collection of plastic, or is it a very solid patch that you can’t see the…
What exactly IS a ship channel pilot? Retired Houston Ship Channel Pilot, Lou Vest explains who the ship channel pilots are, what they do, and why we need them!
The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) has recently released Part 1 of a 2 part interview series with Mary Crowley of the Ocean Voyages Institute on cleaning up plastic in the Pacific Ocean. This interview provides a necessary and disturbing view on the unfathomable tons of plastic and garbage floating around the Pacific…
This ain’t your grandfather’s barge…. with modern ships measuring up to 1,200 feet long and 175 feet wide, a ship channel built in the 1800s is struggling to keep up. How do the pilots handle it? Lou Vest sheds some light!
530 feet – (175 feet + 175 feet) = Not a lot of room for error! Lou Vest explains the “Texas Chicken” and how ships fight massive hydrodynamic forces to pass each other on the ship channel.
