Panama canal. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
A mammoth ship bearing 9,472 containers and the unwieldy name Cosco Shipping Panama on Sunday will become the first vessel to officially pass through the new expanded Panama Canal, a $5.25 billion project designed to modernize a 102-year-old landmark.
Others worry about the ability of the nearly 300 canal pilots to safely guide the new giant ships through the snug locks and channels…
Read Full Article, Washington Post
Panama Canal: Some Key Numbers, Le Figaro (in French)
In Paradisiacal Nicaragua, Contemplating a Canal, The New York Times (04-26-2015)
In late December, workers began building access roads for the $50 billion canal. It represented enough of a step forward that it sparked protests. But the future of the project remains in question, not the least because of Lake Nicaragua itself…
Nicaragua Approves Massive Canal Project, ABC News (06-13-2013)
A multi-billion dollar proposal to plow a massive rival to the Panama Canal across the middle of Nicaragua was approved, capping a lightning-fast approval process that has provoked deep skepticism among shipping experts and concern among environmentalists…
Beijing highway: $600m road just the start of China’s investments in Caribbean, Guardian UK (12-26-2015)
Stretching some 67 km north to south across Jamaica, the $600m four-lane nicknamed the “Beijing highway, is the single biggest investment by the Chinese in the Caribbean. This project is also prelude of the building of a $1.5bn deep water container port on islands off the south coast ,using dredging and land reclamation to accommodate mega ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal…
“FREIGHTENED – The Real Price of Shipping,” a movie by multi award-winning filmmaker Denis Delestrac-©-2016; (03-31-2016)
90% of the goods we consume in the West are manufactured in far-off lands and brought to us by ship. The cargo shipping industry is a key player in world economy and forms the basis of our very model of modern civilisation; without it, it would be impossible to fulfil the ever-increasing demands of our societies. Yet the functioning and regulations of this business remain largely obscure to many, and its hidden costs affect us all. Due to their size, freight ships no longer fit in traditional city harbours; they have moved out of the public’s eye, behind barriers and check points…
Super-sized ships: How big can they get? Independent (10-21-2014)
Despite the physical limits and risks, ships of more than 450m are anticipated within the next five years…
Worldwide Ship Traffic Up 300 Percent Since 1992, AGU (11-29-2014)
Maritime traffic on the world’s oceans has increased four-fold over the past 20 years, likely causing more water, air and noise pollution on the open seas, according to a new study quantifying global ship traffic…
Sonic Sea, Film Documentary, NRDC (05-15-2016)
Oceans are a sonic symphony. Sound is essential to the survival and prosperity of marine life. But man-made ocean noise is threatening this fragile world. “Sonic Sea” is about protecting life in our waters from the destructive effects of oceanic noise pollution…
