We're for the fair treatment of seafarers who figure in marine accidents, for due process, for legal assistance to the accused and for justice tempered with mercy. Those who are not, we dare say, are stone-hearted. But we don't understand the calls for leniency toward...
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Ocean garbage more than stinks
We all know that the world's oceans are being polluted by the day. We can see it. We can smell it. But just how serious is the problem? Meika Jensen sent us from the US an information graphic, which gives a pretty good idea, not only of the extent of ocean pollution,...
Grand river pageant for the Queen
More than a million people crowded the banks of London's River Thames on 3rd June to watch Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee pageant. BBC online has a splendid portrayal of the event - a composite high-definition image made up of 60 individual shots. You can zoom...
A reprise: romance with Iloilo River
Click here to zoom image We're sharing another picture of Iloilo River taken during our visit in Iloilo City south of the Philippine capital in late May. Our eyes have been so used to seeing the murky Pasig River in Metro Manila with its awful stench that we've almost...
A river restored and revitalised
"Who looks upon a river in a meditative hour, and is not reminded of the flux of all things?" wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. Though not in a meditative mood, we enjoyed watching the Iloilo River during our recent three-day sojourn in Iloilo City, some 470 kilometres south...
A training film on pollution response
A pollution incident is bad enough. What makes it worse is for the crew to respond to it in a confused and rattled fashion. That could turn nightmarish - something that's likely to happen in the absence of regular drills. But how do you plan, conduct and evaluate a...
AET’s first “eco-design” Suezmax
Natives of the Philippines, where almost everything is on a small scale, are not used to seeing mammoth ships. So we were delighted to view early pictures of the San Antonio - the first of four "eco-design" Suezmax newbuildings to join the owned fleet of tanker...
Green ports: the Cavotec solution
We constantly hear of "green ships" but not very often about "green ports". Not surprising, especially in Asia. Port operators are on a nonstop cargo chase. How many will stop to think about reducing emissions in the port area and do their bit to combat climate...
A precious resource taken for granted
It's the earth's most precious resource, the great sustainer of life. Yet, water is often taken for granted by most people. How many even noticed that the 22nd of March was World Water Day 2012? To mark the event, The Boston Globe put up an online gallery of pictures...
Market reality and anti-GHG measures
It looks like choppy waters ahead for the proposed market-based measures (MBMs) against greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. Ahead of the 63rd session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) from 27th February to 2nd March, the Round Table of...
Engine flooding: the Attwood solution
We don't own a boat. But we're fascinated with mechanical and electronic devices, a fascination that stems partly from our interest in computer technology and hardware. So our curiosity was piqued when we first learned about a product from US-based Attwood Corporation...
Climate change talks: the brighter side
The United Nations Climate Change Conference has concluded its 17th session (COP 17/CMP 7) in Durban, South Africa, meeting from 28 November to the early hours of 11 December 2011. As anticipated, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework...