Category: Shipping

Porte-avions de nouvelle génération - a video

In mid-April, the Marine Nationale published a video about France's future aircraft carrier, the "Porte-avions de nouvelle génération" (PA-NG), which is set to replace the current "Charles de Gaulle" in 2038. Larger (305 metres, 75,000 tonnes), more powerful (30 next-generation fighters, electromagnetic launch catapult), nuclear-powered with two reactors - every navy's dream. Public relations 2.0 However, the four-minute video that went viral was not commissioned by the navy - a hobby mariner named "Rama", who is experienced with programmes and graphically adept, built the virtual images from the facts known so far, underlaid everything with ear-catching music, added a sunset - and the video was ready...

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14th Armaments Report - K 130 & F 125 in focus

In mid-February - six days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine - we asked ourselves whether the German government was waking up from its slumber in view of the threat on Europe's eastern flank with regard to the defence force and its expenditure. Specifically, we wrote in an article: The media image is dominated by the Russian combat vehicles that have deployed in a horseshoe shape around eastern Ukraine. [...] Is Moscow's current threat sufficient to awaken Berlin from its slumber, or will it fall back into old patterns once the crisis is over? How do you finance the defence against the backdrop of an overstretched defence budget and...

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Maritime fact check for the 2021 Bundestag election - Party programme of the Free Democrats (FDP)

On Sunday, 26 September 2021, Germany will elect its 20th Bundestag - a good occasion and now a tradition for our blog #meerverstehen to take a closer look at the parties' election manifestos in terms of their maritime content! It is a truism that everything is connected to everything else: The modern global economy cannot do without maritime transport routes, energy production and supply are often dependent on free access to the seas, which is therefore one of the most important security policy issues in international politics. The current commentary "Between fine words and reasons of state" in marineforum online points out the importance and interconnection of various maritime issues for Germany as well...

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Private Public Partnerships - at what price?

Private Public Partnership was the magic word at the beginning of the 2000s, the concept was promised as the saviour for services in the public sector. Essentially, the idea was to privatise services provided by the state and public authorities - in themselves, mind you - in order to make them leaner, more efficient and, above all, profitable. Despite the transfer of the operational business, the federal government was to retain full or at least majority control over the shares of the newly created companies and thus the profits. The Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) also acquired a taste for this at the time: For example, the tasks of the clothing treasury of the...

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Silent hero 2.0: Success measures 8 - 8 - 20

The importance of containers in international trade They are the workhorses of the international economy - whether on the high seas, on land or in the air, the countless containers, such as sea containers, tank containers, refrigerated containers and other types of container, which are in circulation every day, do their work quietly and dutifully. Robust, with an impressive size, a considerable volume and perfectly stackable, these transport containers in various sizes provide reliable transport and are essential for global trade. From the food and fruit trade to the book trade and other specialised trade sectors, through to the entire spectrum of online trade, retail and wholesale - there are...

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