Friday, February 23, 2018

CARRIER SEA TRIALS

23 February 2018: Having been at sea (in a much smaller destroyer) along side these big guys, I for one would have been surprised to learn how maneuverable an aircraft carrier really is. Generally speaking, they don't maneuver like this in the ordinary course of business, but it's nice to know (especially for those aboard!) that they can! Check out the video. Article from British Daily Mail.



Watch this 100,000 tonne aircraft carrier making sharp high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean
For a moment, it appeared the USS Abraham Lincoln would flip sideways but it nailed the manoeuvre perfectly.
Aircraft carriers are known for their massive profile targeted at arming, deploying and recovering fighter jets. The humongous seagoing airbases can be really useful in war zones, but the special capability of these carriers – their agility – is something we all need to see.
A video, shared by Warleaks on 12 January 2017, shows US Navy's fifth Nimitz-class aircraft supercarrier the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), taking sharp turns in the Atlantic Ocean. The carrier, which weighs around 100,000 tonnes and can carry around 70 jets on board at a time, creates a snake-like curved pattern – all while moving at a horrifically high-speed.


The 1,000ft long aircraft carrier can be seen twisting, drifting, and turning. For a brief moment, it appears that the whole thing will flip into the water, but USS Abraham Lincoln nailed the manoeuvre perfectly. Click on the link below: 
USS Abraham Lincoln


As Daily Mail reports, the capability allows the carrier to avoid unforeseeable collisions and enemy torpedoes. So far, the amazing video, originally captured by US Navy officers Mark Logico and Kristopher Ruiz, has got over 250,000 views on YouTube.

Wow! Very impressive! 

Until next time, 
                                      Fair Winds,
                                          Old Salt 


Sunday, February 18, 2018

ELECTRIC (and crewless) CARGO TRANSPORT

18 February 2018: Writing from the Winter headquarters (finally) where it's sunny and 80F with a lovely breeze.... Apologies for mentioning it to those readers putting on snow boots and heavy coats.....

 So today, some interesting news from the British Guardian on a Dutch innovation in cargo transport. 



World's first electric container barges to sail from European ports this summer

The world’s first fully electric, emission-free and potentially crewless container barges are to operate from the ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam from this summer.
The vessels, designed to fit beneath bridges as they transport their goods around the inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands, are expected to vastly reduce the use of diesel-powered trucks for moving freight.
Dubbed the “Tesla of the canals”, their electric motors will be driven by 20-foot batteries, charged on shore by the carbon-free energy provider Eneco.


The barges are designed to operate without any crew, although the vessels will be manned in their first period of operation as new infrastructure is erected around some of the busiest inland waterways in Europe.
In August, five barges - 52 metres long and 6.7m wide, and able to carry 24 20ft containers weighing up to 425 tonnes - will be in operation. They will be fitted with a power box giving them 15 hours of power. As there is no need for a traditional engine room, the boats have up to 8% extra space, according to their Dutch manufacturer, Port Liner.
About 23,000 trucks, mainly running on diesel, are expected to be removed from the roads as a result.
At a later date, six larger 110m-long barges, carrying 270 containers, will run on four battery boxes capable of providing 35 hours of autonomous driving. Their use alone could lead to a reduction of about 18,000 tonnes per year of CO2, it is claimed.
According to the latest statistics from Eurostat, 74.9% of freight in the EU is transported by road, compared to 18.4% by rail, and 6.7% along inland waterways, although the use of water routes has been rising.
The barges are being developed in the Netherlands with €7m in subsidies from the EU and additional funds from the ports involved. Port Liner believes it could produce about 500 barges a year to revolutionise the freight industry, although the electric motors and batteries could also be retrofitted into older boats.

The company’s chief executive, Ton van Meegen, told shipping industry trade journal the Loadstar that the barges would be the first in the world to sail on carbon-neutral batteries and that only the low bridges in the low countries prevented them from being loaded with more goods.

How's that for energy saving, pollution cutting, labor saving innovation? 

Until next time,
                                              Fair Winds,
                                                     Old salt

PS - Maritime Maunder has now passed 72,000 readers worldwide! WOW and thank you all!