Sea and river Barges?

 Once known as Coasters!

Moving around Europe will small but essential loads is the work of the Sea barges that can work the the English Channel, the River Rhine and the Humber and many other rivers to to the Black sea and beyond into the Ukraine and Russia! 

They need certain conditions at sea, but on rivers they remain in their own league and so far there is no replacement for them?

But the coaster has seen its demise, with better Port facilities and ferries taking vehicle loads to and from islands and remote places along the coasts of the U.K. and Europe, despite being smaller that General cargo, they were bigger than a sea barge, but were limited to deep rivers and not canals?

What is next for Sir Richard Branston?

 Is space his final Frontier?

When you are super rich one can ones fantasies fulfilled both Musk and Bezos are doing their own things to get humans to the Moon and Mars if not further afield?

Touching space tourism will bring in the bucks for perhaps the next twenty years, but eventually this market will dry up, so one has to wonder what Mr. Branston has in mind for his next venture and will it be in space or maybe under the oceans?

Virgin Atlantic has been hit by Covid-19 and the rail franchises don't really make the money they once did, same reason this Pandemic!

Boaty McBoatface.

'I just could not resisit it.'

What a name for a southern oceans research ship?

Humour or not, they had to go with number two Sir David Attenborough?

Many nations employ these types of vessels, mostly to protect their isolated assests? The British case being the disputed Falkland Islands, South-Geogia and the Sandwich group.

 These vessels measure sea tempratures and study aspects of underwater volcanism and many other supposed secret of the deep on of them being the level of radioactivity from the dumping of deep water waste.

Russia and China have huge fleets of such vessels mostly used for spying in the name of science? They too have their intrest now with the illegal occupation of the spratley Islands between Vieatnam and the Philippines.

Cable laying, monitoring of submarines, oil slicks and plankton activity are a few of the other areas.

These vessels are of a new design to cope more with their longer periods at sea. The helicopter deck is now at the front, while the rear has winches and cranes. Mini manned and robotic subs are carried along with internal scientific facilities.