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!

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?

No need to turnaround!

 China's new vehicle ferries.

The concept has long been on the table, but no one could see it ever being implemented, but China thinks outside the box and have done it. 

Already these ships are working the English Channel and of course in the far-east, one will have to see how long it will take them to conquer the world and make life easier for the ferry companies to load and off load without the need to turn?

These ships have two bridges and thus two entry points with open decks to that of the conventional designs of hinged doors and the risk of flooding and capsizing.

Electrically powered shipping is slowly become more and more, but it will take time for the millions of vessels world-wide to be converted from fossil fuels to electric.

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!

HMS Sentinel Plus.

Patrolling the English/French Channel.

We have a problem that has mushroomed and will continue to exist wither we Brexit or not, that of smuggling people from France to the southern-England. The English Channel is one of the busiest in the world, with one ship every eleven miles apart east to west and mostly Ferries every five miles north to south, this does not include fishing boats, yachts and other military vessels.

One only has to go to Marine traffic to see the complexities and congestion of this sea!  Meanwhile the French navy has dedicated 30-40 ships to patrol their waters and the British Royal Navy 3-4 of the HMS Sentinel type cutters.

We have not heard much in relation to France intercepting these migrant smuggling boats? But it has mostly been the general public on this side of the Channel who see these flimsy craft sinking, if not the smugglers themselves.

Serious cut backs in the armed forces have over the last few years been pointed out by the U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama, as having a potential on N.A.T.O. deployment capability of lack.

These boats are fast and very manoeuvrable at sea and they are effective in use as Customs Cutters, the problem of just twelve for the U.K.'s waters is a serious lack and by the time more vessels are built and commissioned we may be swamped, as Nigel Farage is pointing out to the E.U. open borders policy?