OSLO, May 22 (Reuters) - Norway's Directorate of Fisheries has rejected Pure Atlantic's application for 45 salmon farming development licenses, arguing that the plan did not bring significant innovation to the industry, it said in a letter dated May 16. Pure Atlantic had planned to construct what would have been the world's largest ship, some 500 metres (546 yards) long and … [Read more...]
Saddam Hussein’s Former Superyacht Now a Hotel for Maritime Pilots in Iraq
By Ulf Laessing BASRA, Iraq, May 22 (Reuters) - The king size bed in Saddam Hussein's superyacht is made, the silk curtains around it have been drawn back and, in the gold-rimmed bathroom next door, a barber's chair awaits its occupant. But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-meter (270-foot) "Basrah Breeze" built for him in 1981 - and its amenities will now be enjoyed … [Read more...]
Mappers Look to Chart World’s Ocean Floor by 2030
By Jonathan Saul LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Using data collected from underwater drones, merchant ships, fishing boats and even explorers, a new scientific project aims to map the ocean floor by 2030 and solve one of the world’s enduring mysteries. With 190 million square km (73 million square miles) of water - or about 93 percent of the world's oceans with a depth of over … [Read more...]
Inmarsat Loses Monopoly in Global Maritime Distress Safety Systems
LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Britain's Inmarsat will lose its monopoly in maritime safety communications after the International Maritime Organisation gave Iridium and China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System the green light to develop competing systems. Inmarsat's shares fell as much as 14 percent after U.S.-based Iridium said late Monday its network had been recognised as … [Read more...]
Russia’s First Floating Nuclear Power Plant Arrives in the Arctic
By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW, May 21 (Reuters) - Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant arrived in the Arctic port of Murmansk over the weekend in preparation for its maiden mission, providing electricity to an isolated Russian town across the Bering Strait from Alaska. The state company behind the plant, called the "Akademik Lomonosov," says it could pioneer a new … [Read more...]