River Boats!

 River Ferries?

The role of the ferryman is not yet in demise, as many people in London, U.K. want to travel the river Thames for work, cutting out the car and all the costs that now go with it, as well as fines!

There are many places were the building of a bridge is not suitable, but there is a demand for traffic to go from A to B/Z and thus not much has changed over the years with the craft, except the introduction of GPS and more comforts for the passengers?

Journeys will vary from fifteen to forty-five minutes and the weather can play havoc, but despite all this there remains a demand across many parts of the world, were safety standards are not kept, ranging from Greece to W-Africa, and the far-east with occasional great loss!

Another Cop-out Conference?

 Saudis are doing fossil fuel sales under the cover of green energy!

The truth to the matter is that people are meeting together for many other reasons than what they claim is on the agenda for the future of alternative green energy and despite the fine speeches, most have arrived and will leave in their high energy burning jets!

Sp much for the future is being swept away, by the people with the money and what remains of oil in the Middle-East and Russia out pricing the Arabs. So Africa has become the new market for the Gulf States, whiles solar works on a local basis to charge mobile phones and tablets, vehicles still need fossil fuels along with the generation of power?

Here is the U.K. we are seeing the demise of Dowlais top (South-Wales) open cast mine, but there is no plans to do anything with it for now but later on it may re-open to meet the needs or demand on the power grid if needs be!

Ferries.

Improving and new power Sources!

Ferries in the shipping world are growing demand, new power propulsion and comfort more than many are lead to believe, despite the many new bridges being constructed around the world?

Island communities still need shipping and tourism to keep their local economies going and the roll on/off ferry is that vital link. Electric propulsion is now leading the way as far as we know to improve the environment as others forms are withdrawn.

Meanwhile comfort on these boats are being improved all the time and this is encouraging both their demand and use and this will be the more so as Diesel is replaced and newer designs for stability and endurance come to the fore?

Many older ferries that sink around the world, is more due to ignorance and maintaining rusty vessels!  Where many corrupt officials and governments turn a blind eye, instead of enforcing safety and declining licences to unscrupulous people!

Oil drill rig Platforms.

SERTAO.

Anchored at Port Talbot in South Wales, U.K. this ship is surprisingly large for its work of oil exploration and awaits a new buyer? 

But since the Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolf has finally gone under and the lack of new construction of oil rigs Sertao  may soon be bought up for new work in the Artic ocean for fossil fuels?

She is a ship with everything I think one needs to experimentally drill and be serviced to other vessels with her own helicopter deck and various cranes and the like?

One needs to get down to Port Talbot Tata steel dock or the Aber Afan river to see her before she goes, perhaps never to be seen again?

The Conventional?

Stuck with Now!

What we have today in technology, engineering and transport will still remain around for some time yet? Teething is always a problem with new technology, it works fine until its out trying to what is demanded of it?

Recently the U.K. has suffered from a railway cock-up failure which has not as yet fully resolved itself, yet shipping, aviation and vehicles all over the years have suffered a similar fate with breakdown, crack failures and engine problems!

Movement is big bucks today, ships provide coal, ores and grain along with chemicals, fertiliser and when things are late windows are missed and monies are lost? Many people do not understand that we cannot sow crops anytime of the year, steel has to keep rolling in the supply of sheet materials for car plants, timed foods!

Aviation is not just about moving people from A to B/Z, its also the military and specialised cargo from live produce to, flowers, horses and mail, packets that also share some of our aircraft! New Tech is promised and it will gradually come in the shape of machines may not radically change mush, but the way they are powered will!

The Electric Train!

Japanese Technology Applied?

Battery trains are nothing new, they have been operating on the London underground since 19th Century electrification was introduced. Meanwhile the Electric Multiple unit or overhead electrics, apart from third rail has been in service since the 1920's.

But the concept of an Electric train running on non electric lines is a new concept that will see it applied in the urban environment over the next twenty years and this may also be combined with driverless trains? 

Much new technology is being applied each year to the British rail network, thus the hike in train fares? Internet fibre caballing is the latest feature to hit the headlines, but it is a side track to what is really being planned and that is the phasing out of all old locomotives by 2020!

Early success with long life lithium batteries and solar-panels is proving effective, so the demand for cleaner air in our large towns and cities is driving this concept forward!

New Life. Part-Two.

Price of metals fall and Rise?

This is one of the major problems with the recycling process, the cost of metals? But there remains a high demand for old metal and spare parts for all those classic cars out there, with much encouragement to rebuild old motors?

Today in the age of the throw away there is now a demand for retro-era machines, because they do last longer and do the same job as efficiently without the tech!

in some aspects this has worked for ships, aircraft and locomotives, but their problem is the coating of asbestos and that is why so many diesel trains are in the slow progress of being scrapped?

Trawlers. Part-One.

Reapers of the Seas.

Many people today are against the idea of mass fishing and the work of the Trawler men, they have accused them of 'Raping the Oceans of fish and destroying natural habitat and fish stocks. In this three part series we will look at the machine that was created to use trawler netting, the international laws being implemented on net sizes and fish quotas and then move on to look at the counter debate and their ideas.

The Trawler began life in the Bristol Channel, off the North-Coast of Devon, U.K. These wooden boats used larger nets and weights to keep them being dragged along the sea bottom. Prior to this it was a process of hit and miss. There reason for being created, was the demand in fresh fish.

Today with the invention of the engine and many new designs of hulls, these boats are able to handle most difficult conditions at sea.

Fishermen or Fisherfolk have gone to sea for generations and this applies across the globe. The knowledge of knowing where the shoals of fish are, at certain times of the year has been traditionally handed down from Father to son. Whole communities have suffered severe tragedy over the centuries with losses to the cruel sea's.