Suez Canal?

 Shipping Limitations!

We have a new problem developing with these new super sized container ships in that of weight, once three to four vessels were required to carry this amount of containers but no more?

The Suez canal is over crowded and despite being widened it is still not enough, with plans for another to be built, to make a two way lanes this option will improve safety and increase speed! 

With ships now only getting bigger, many of the current canals may not be able to take them. unless they are enlarged?

New designs for shipping will have to be produced, as well as better training for the crews to deal with navigation?

Emergency Vehicles Electric!

Conversions to alternatives Underway!

The emergency services are to introduce a new breed of electric vehicles soon, this will be the first service to do so, followed by the Fire and Police? It is hoped that these new vehicles will cut down on emissions and one supposes this change has to start somewhere?

This will be a test run in relation probably to speed and their viability for range between charges! Batteries means more can be done on board maybe before getting to the Accident & Emergency rooms!

Eventually technology will improve and most service vehicles along with the emergency services, buses and trains will start to pay off with the cutting down of carbon monoxide in the air? We still have a long way to go, but at least we are getting there!

Roads? Part- Two.

Dual carriage to Motorways!

The automobile still rules the world with other carbon burning vehicles and road building continues to be the most costly infrastructure building programmes around the world! With the improvement of steel and concrete more ambitious projects are being undertaken such as high-level motorways in China and Bridges in Sweden-Denmark!

The movement of goods is essential over difficult terrain and the road seems to be one of the best options over that of railways? Roads can get through most of the weather conditions and elements thrown at it, since metal will crack in the cold and melt in the heat!

Humanity is resourceful in that vehicles can be used in mining, many trucks are opting now for road train ability and can be fitted into specialised trains! Even the prospect of living on the Moon and Mars in this Century will still call for roads to be constructed to move from A to B/Z?

The negatives with roads is the cost of up keeping them and the problem with speed and it being broken by reckless drivers who kill others out of selfishness or irresponsible fun? 

The electric car will not change our need to keep what we have in the future, things will change in relation to speed control, robotic driving and many other areas, but the road is here to stay?

Demise of the Boeing 747?

Boeing 747/100/200/SP/300/400 and -8.

The Boing jumbo jet is a sixties baby and was really operational from 1971, it has had a great success world-wide as the first clipper of the skies but is now in demise or is it? It is not clear how many new orders have been placed for either the series 400 or the -8, but the Boeing 777X may be the true replacement since its proceeds a tried and tested 777 class after twenty-four years of service!

Boeing has had stiff competition from Airbus and its A380-800 Super Jumbo, but it to has declined, due to the more popularity of its new Airbus A350-900/1000 XWB extra wide body aircraft. 

Competition is ever on the increase in the aviation world with newer designs and improved technology, many aircraft that are smaller can do the job now of the Jumbos and they are cheaper on fuel consumption? 9/11 terrorism has also played a key factor, but so has Airbus and its popular A330, which is one of the best sized aircraft in the world today?

Oil and Gas Platforms. Part-One.

Steel Islands to New types of Ships!

There is a massive change on the way in this area of sea work from the static rigs to a ship built like a catamaran to replace some of the test platforms! This is now one of the largest ships in the world and if proved to be a success we will see more of them built and put into service?

The rig or steel Island has been around for some time, these structures are in their own right floating vessels but they have to be towed from construction to the drill sites. There they are chained to the sea bottom, as in the Gulf of Mexico, North-Sea and the Persian Gulf!

These shallows are ideal for rigs and over the years many designs have come and gone with three to four legged ones being common, but their some with five legs. Four seems to be the best for stability, while these steel islands are more than just drilling platforms they are also accommodation blocks and are serviced by helicopters.

Over the years safety has been improved, after many serious fires in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. But the dangerous part of working on these today remains the journey to and from, with there being several fatalities because of bad weather, poor maintenance of machines?