Category: Magazine

Danger from container fires

Fires are one of the most frequent and dangerous causes of accidents in shipping - and the most spectacular in recent times have been fires on container ships. Just recently, the ZIM CHARLESTON (8,586 TEU) was hit so hard that the ship had to return to Colombo. Around 300 boxes were destroyed or damaged by the fire. According to insurers, a major fire on board is said to occur on average every two months. As far as container ships are concerned, incorrect information about the contents or incorrect loading of the boxes are the most common causes of fire. It becomes particularly tricky when dangerous goods are being transported...

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LNG bunkering hub planned on the Suez Canal

Egypt is planning to build an LNG bunker hub on the Suez Canal using its own resources, thereby competing with the existing LNG hubs in Rotterdam and Singapore. At the beginning of the year, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding (Egas), Norwegian Kanfer Shipping and Danish Leth Suez Transit signed a letter of intent with the aim of establishing LNG bunkering services in the Egyptian Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. To this end, a newly established joint venture will charter an LNG bunker vessel from Kanfer for daily operations. Egypt is a strategically important location for international shipping thanks to the Suez Canal and, according to the joint venture partners, could become a significant...

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Man against mine

Those who wear the sawfish on their chest can count themselves among the illustrious circle of mine divers. However, the training is tough and the number of applicants is constantly decreasing. Many outsiders are prejudiced and have a particular idea of mine diver training, which often does not correspond to the truth. Then you hear comments such as: "As a mine diver, you have to have fainted underwater at least once", "A mine diver's job ends with finding a mine", or: "Only really muscular soldiers can pass this tough training". So what is reality? What has become a myth in the media over the years? Time to...

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Evolution of warfare

Commentary In the early 21st century, the nature of war and violence has changed. Fortunately, and thanks to a functioning deterrent, the horror vision of nuclear war has not yet materialised. The era of classic war and major military interventions abroad, such as the recent one in Afghanistan, seems to have come to an end. War has now taken on a new form. This is evidenced not only by the global centres of crisis and conflict, the endless "small wars" in the fight against terror or the civil wars in failed states. These conflicts usually have neither declarations of war nor peace agreements. War and peace are therefore difficult to distinguish. New weapons such as...

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Renaissance of naval warfare?

The 21st century is already characterised by maritime issues. The struggle for power and an arms race at sea harbour great potential for escalation. Sea power is back in the headlines - even in Germany. Here, maritime security issues rarely dominate the news. For a globally active industrialised nation that is dependent on maritime transport and still ranks third behind China and the United States in terms of exports, this is remarkable anyway. But it fits in with the shadowy existence of security policy in the attention of the German public. And here the navy is particularly overshadowed. At best, occasional missions against piracy or people smuggling create...

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