Sails

A cargo vessel with Flettner rotors—a modern equivalent to sails. Credit: Norsepower, Author provided In the vast expanse of the world's oceans, a transformation is underway. The international shipping sector made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits…

Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One is upon us now but given the phenomenal success of its predecessors, it was believed that this new entry would tread down a similar path. And it definitely did. Turns out that the film raked in a hefty $7 million in its Tuesday preview before its official release on Wednesday – thereby surpassing all the previous entries. No doubt the theatrical release has created enormous buzz amongst the franchise’s fans and currently, tickets are being sold at the utmost rapidity. As per…

A map of the automatic identification system (AIS) generated shipping route (blue line) and spatial graph points for the three case study routes in the North Sea (a), South Atlantic Ocean (b) and North Atlantic Ocean (c). Red points indicate filtered graph points, while the green points form the sailable region. Wind rose maps are also shown, depicting the wind speeds and wind angles in 2018, 2019 and 2020 in the Earth reference frame. Credit: Ocean…

Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), part of Britain's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is looking to reduce fuel costs and emissions of its fleet of ships used to transport spent nuclear fuel from around the world by retrofitting them with high-tech sails.The idea of retrofitting freighters with sails to cut down on fuel consumption and pollution dates back to the energy crisis of the mid-1970s and interest in the idea has fluctuated as the cost of heavy diesel fuel that ships run on has gone up and down.Part of the…

By travelling on modern day cruise ships, we inevitably leave our (carbon) footprint behind, in an ironic twist of fate destroying the very nature we have come so far to admire. That could soon change, at least along the magnificent fjord landscape of Norway. Weeks before its 130th anniversary, cruise company Hurtigruten has revealed the concept design for its very first zero-emission ship.  Cruise ships are among the most polluting means of travel. They utilise enormous amounts of fuel, and…

Loading docks are seen at the Port of Los Angeles, on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. A year ago, Los Angeles and Shanghai formed a partnership to create a green shipping corridor that would become a showcase for slashing planet-warming carbon emissions from the shipping industry, which produces about 3% of the world's total. The container shipping route is among the world’s busiest. Credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File It's…

The entertainment industry bids a heartfelt farewell to the beloved British actor Ray Stevenson, whose diverse portfolio of roles and unparalleled performances captivated audiences around the world. From his dynamic portrayal of Marvel's Volstagg to his compelling characters in historical epics, Stevenson's acting prowess shone brightly throughout his career. As we remember his extraordinary talent and contributions to the silver screen, we celebrate the enduring legacy he leaves behind. (ALSO READ: RRR actor Ray…

There are limitations, such as choke points like the Suez and Panama canals: “Neither of them allows vessels to operate under sail. The Panama Canal also has a bridge over it, with a height limitation of around 50 meters,” De Beukelaer says. And of course, not all ships adapt well to sails. Container ships, for example, have little space on deck to mount them, in contrast to car carriers or bulk carriers, which tuck away their load in the cargo hold—leaving plenty of available surface—and don’t require cranes for…

Amidst an unstable crypto market, is Dogetti a prudent investment decision? Just three weeks after the Shapella upgrade went live, the Ethereum Foundation is already planning the network’s next upgrade, known as Dencun. The main feature of Dencun is EIP-4844, also known as “Proto-Danksharding” or “The Surge,” which is expected to significantly reduce transaction costs associated with Ethereum Layer 2 by multiple orders of magnitude. Blobs will replace the current block space-intensive “calldata” stored on-chain alongside…

Weighing in at just 1.2 milligrams, a new robot called FAIRY – that's short for Flying Aero-robots based on Light Responsive Materials Assembly – is the first flying bot we've seen based on soft materials that respond to light.The robot was inspired by dandelion seeds, and ultimately it could be used in the same way: its creators are hoping that it might be deployed to help mitigate the loss of pollinators (such as bees) that we're currently seeing in the wild.Light can be used to get the FAIRY up into the air, and to…