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While arctic ice patrols and real-time satellite imagery has made iceberg avoidance routine, some ship captains still seek the thrill of getting close to these ice-cold arctic behemoths. Lucky for us, most of these thrill seekers take video cameras with them.

Labrador

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Filmed by Mike Earle this video shows an iceberg collapses off the National Historic District of Battle Harbour, Labrador. And, sorry Mike, Icebergs aren’t always “attached to the bottom” as you mention in the video.

Too Close For Comfort

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If you think a cruise ship “flyby” is dangerous in the warm waters of the Italian coast then close your eyes for the next video because Captain Francesco Schettino certainly has nothing on the captain of Antarctic Dream. Watch as he wrestles an iceberg with the bow of his ship.

Flying Shrapnel

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Crashing your ship into an iceberg is a dumb way to get your thrills but it’s not half as crazy as these videos of rock hard ice being thrown by claving bergs.

Capsize

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Ice melts in water, so what happens when the bottom of an iceberg melts leaving a massive amount of ice up top? Capsize!

“Tsunami” of Ice

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Filmed by a local resident, this footage shows a massive wave that was generated by the calving of an iceberg into the sea. The wave is small at first, but builds in size crashing into a nearby coast where fishing boats are tossed and broken apart.

As Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas departed Port Everglades, Florida last week, the hydrodynamic response of the ship as it interacted with the surrounding tidal areas left beach-goers puzzled, and for those who were in the water, perhaps even a bit worried as they were sucked toward the channel…

Video and Images shot by maritime headhunter and University of Miami sailing coach, Craig Johnson –  Flagship Management www.flagshipmgt.com

Photo Sequence:

This dramatic video shows UK forces stopping a group of Somali pirates that were trolling for ships in the Indian Ocean on January 13.  A total of thirteen Somali pirates were arrested by a boarding team of Royal Marines commandos following a concerted effort by RFA Fort Victoria and the U.S. destroyer USS Carney to stop the dhow.  Despite repeated warning shots, the pirates continued on but eventually forced to give in.

Note to pirates: If the Royal Navy asks you to stop, you do it.

A full account of the operation can be found HERE.

We’ve all been there.  That lucid moment when all of a sudden you look around and realize,

“I am wasting my life right now and it’s time for a change.”

For some people, it’s a matter of finding a new job, relocating, or perhaps changing your relationship situation.  For Jay Bahadur, he had a few beers and decided Somalia was the change he needed.

Here’s his remarkable story:

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Well done sir.

Jay Bahadur is Managing Editor of Somalia Report.com, the leading online news source covering East Africa.

In another big hint that digital and shareable media is fully spreading into the commercial shipping world, Maersk Line announced the launch of their Vimeo channel.  Lots of good stuff on there with a particular focus on their new Triple-E class containerships.  Once built, these 400-meter long vessels will be the largest ships on the ocean and capable of carrying a whopping 18,000 containers at once.  This resultant economy of scale will reduce the price per TEU by 20 to 30 percent along the Asia-Europe trade route.

Here’s another video that shows how the hull design and cargo arrangement differs from current containerships.

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Now to give you some perspective as to the size of the vessels; imagine a basketball court seating several thousand, a full sized American football stadium with some twenty thousand spectators, and, finally, a spectator packed ice hockey stadium.  They can all fit below deck… at the same time!

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ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 5, 2012) A U.S. Navy SH-60S Sea Hawk provides support to a visit, board, search and seizure team (VBSS) in a 7-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat, assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100). The VBSS team boarded an Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai after the dhow’s master stated he was being held captive by pirates. The Kidd’s VBSS team detained 15 suspected pirates who were reportedly holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for the last two months. Kidd is conducting counter-piracy and maritime security operations while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

USS Kidd (DDG 100) rescues an Iranian dhow, (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

A US Navy Sailor aboard a safety boat observes a visit, board, search and seizure team assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) board the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 6, 2012) A Sailor assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS KiddÕs (DDG 100) visit, board, search and seizure team greets a crew member of the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai. (U.S. Navy photo/Released) U.S. Navy

Watch the video:

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“You’re looking at militants spraying the wheelhouse with machine gun fire before they even get on board.  Once they are on board, beating crews with rifle butts, being whipped with electrical cables, and stabbed and shot quite openly.”

The threat of piracy and violence in the Gulf of Guinea continues to grow, check out this recent video…

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Travis Niemi, a commercial fisherman, talks to the US Coast Guard about the importance of offshore lifesaving equipment after his boat capsized and sank off Key West, Florida at the end of December.  He and his friend Curly Egan were both rescued after being stranded 170 miles offshore in a liferaft for 10 hours.

1. The helicopter pilot is bad ass and;
2. It was released by Prism Defence, an Australian-owned company that specializes in ship helicopter integration.

Actually through some research we found out that the video is presumably taken during system testing aboard the HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen, a Royal Danish Navy patrol vessel.  Check it out.

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