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Here is a short video overview on todays shipping industry.

In the vein of Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s On First,” only related to ships.

Thanks to BitterEnd reader Robert S, of Seattle and gCaptain forum user CMA_decky for this great find.

Here is some video of the cruise ship Voyager battling the 2005 cyclone Valentina off the coast of Majorca. The full story: LINK

During a January 4 storm, two 47-foot Motor Life Boats from Station Golden Gate responded to calls and assisted four boaters in distress, towing one of the vessels to shore after it broke away from its anchor. At the height of the storm, the crews battled high winds and rain to toss a heaving line to the boater. Attempts were successful and the boater was towed about one mile to a local pier. (Video by Petty Officer Erik J. Swanson)

gCaptain’s all time favorite TV commercial and worst nightmare.

Funniest video of last year! Thanks, Berlitz

(Is your company blocking access? View the file here: LINK )

A short clip from our friends at the USCG;

Kodiak, Alaska-Jan 17, 2008–An Air Station Kodiak C-130 crew perform drop training. USCG video by PA1 Kurt Fredrickson.

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Here’s the arial view;

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Finally, here’s how they test these boats:

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For more info on the history behind these types of lifeboats visit NOVA’s “Pioneers of Survival - An Interview with Martin Verhoef“.

Video look at some of the jobs on bard Oil Tankers

Want to know more about The Protector? Popular Mechanics tells us;

Robots versus pirates—it’s not as stupid, or unlikely, as it sounds. Piracy has exploded in the waters near Somalia, where this past week United States warships have fired on two pirate skiffs, and are currently in pursuit of a hijacked Japanese-owned vessel. At least four other ships in the region remain under pirate control, and the problem appears to be going global: The International Maritime Bureau is tracking a 14-percent increase in worldwide pirate attacks this year.

The Protector, which comes mounted with a 7.62mm machine gun, wasn’t originally intended for anti-piracy operations. But according to BAE Systems spokesperson Stephanie Moncada, the robot could easily fill that role. “Down the line, it could potentially be modified for commercial use as well,” she says. Instead of being deployed by a warship to intercept and possibly fire on an incoming vessel, a non-lethal variant of the Protector could be used to simply investigate a potential threat. Continue Reading…

Also be sure to check out BitterEnd’s video find: Tres Cool - RIB boarding a Chinook

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Video of the Oil Spill In South Korea.

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