Category: Shipping

When the box falls into the sea

When the box falls into the sea

Gepostet von | 25 Apr 2025 | , , | 0

Six years ago, the MSC Zoe lost several hundred containers in the North Sea - and for hours the crew didn't notice. Researchers are now working on how to minimise the extent of such accidents. Six years ago, the "MSC Zoe" was one of the largest container ships in the world: a good 395 metres long and 59 metres wide, it can load over 19,000 standard containers (TEU). The Panamanian-flagged ship was on its way to Bremerhaven from Portugal on the night of 2 January 2019 when it happened: In several batches and in bad weather off the Dutch and German coasts, the...

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Using artificial intelligence to combat lost networks

Using artificial intelligence to combat lost networks

Gepostet von | 15 Apr 2025 | , , | 0

Every year, tens of thousands of tonnes of fishing nets, known as ghost nets, end up in the sea. Sea creatures and diving birds get caught in them indiscriminately and usually die an agonising death. Artificial intelligence is now helping to salvage them. Since the 1960s, fishing nets have no longer been made from the perishable natural materials hemp, sisal or linen, but from synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene and polyamide (nylon, Kevlar). Nets or net parts manufactured in this way and then lost or disposed of at sea only decompose after several hundred years and thus contribute to the plastic pollution of our oceans. According to the latest studies, ghost nets make up between 30 and 50 per cent of marine plastic and catch...

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Job with danger and depth

Job with danger and depth

Gepostet von | 26 Mar 2025 | , , | 0

Martin Sulanke has been a professional diver for 36 years. He works on the "Atair". In an interview on board, he explains what his job entails and why it can be dangerous underwater. "I originally come from deep-sea fishing," says Sulanke, who wears a white stubbly beard, a silver earring and a red cap. The 61-year-old, who now lives in Bad Schwartau near Lübeck, comes from the former GDR. He later joined a hydraulic engineering company and trained as a professional diver. After the end of the GDR, he joined the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). He has served the authority for 34 years, which...

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The wreck seekers from the Atair

The wreck seekers from the Atair

Gepostet von | 24 Mar 2025 | , , | 0

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency plays a key role in ensuring safety in German waters. Divers from the agency search for underwater obstacles in the Elbe. On the Elbe, between Hamburg and the estuary. A northern German autumn day, the water is grey-brown, sometimes it rains. Large ships pass by, heading for the Hanseatic city or the North Sea. A boat rocks on the waves, "Ruden" is written on the bow. Three hoses in blue, yellow and orange, wound around each other in a spiral, lead from the boat into the depths. They lead down to Tjark Lange. The diver is travelling towards the bottom. The blue hose is used to...

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By hook or by crook: Sinking of the cargo ship Melanie Schulte

By hook or by crook: Sinking of the cargo ship Melanie Schulte

Gepostet von | 18 Mar 2025 | , , | 0

Shortly before Christmas 1952, the cargo ship Melanie Schulte disappeared almost without a trace in the North Atlantic. The accident has now been reconstructed at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon. The sinking of the multi-purpose freighter Melanie Schulte west of the Scottish coast on the night of 21 to 22 December 1952 is considered one of the worst disasters in German merchant shipping after the Second World War. All 35 crew members lost their lives and it was not until weeks later that wreckage and a lifebuoy washed up on the Scottish coast. The parts indicated that the ship, which had a displacement of 10,000 tonnes, had broken apart. The Melanie Schulte, which only entered service on 9 November 1952...

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