High Seas Trading Co.- Hawaiian shirts | Aloha Shirts | USA Made Clothing|

Give the Gift of Aloha with a High Seas Gift Card!

High Seas aloha gift cards are always a great idea for for the discerning collector. These can be used used online, by phone or in-store.

We have a huge stock of over 120 aloha shirt designs in sizes Xsmall-4xl in exclusive Hawaiian tropical and novelty designs. Come browse one of the largest selections of Hawaiian shirts in the world with more than 15 collections including car shirts, parrothead, under the seas, surf, music, seasonal and patriotic Hawaiian shirt designs.

All shirts are made in the USA locally with premium 100% high thread count cotton with authentic coconut buttons, side vents for comfort, and a perfectly matched to the design. We are passionate about art and design and you will always find new bold and finely illustrated prints.

2 locations to serve your aloha needs. Visit our flagship store or boutique inside the Open Market OC South County:

FLAGSHIP store

23482 Peralta Dr. D-2

Laguna Hills, Ca 92653

HOURS:

Monday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm

Sunday: Closed

Open Market OC South County

24100 Laguna Hills Mall

Laguna Hills, Ca 92653

HOURS:

Monday - Saturday: 10am - 7pm

Sunday: 10am - 7pm

Men's Hawaiian Shirt Gallery

We are excited to announce a new collection of ladies' aloha shirts in sizes Small-XXL . Our new women's shirts features 15new designs that are made of 100% high thread count combed cotton in bright tropical prints and are all made in the USA. The ladies' cut has a contoured fit with shorter set in sleeves, real coconut buttons, and 4" side slits so shirt can be worn outside or tucked in.

Women's Hawaiian Shirt Gallery

If you have questions or would like to order by phone, pleasecall888-941-4147

Aloha Face Mask Co.

In March 2020, at the request of Southern California Hospitals, we began making PPE Face Masks. We then created Aloha Face Mask Co. to bring the "Aloha Spirit" to these challenging times and now have over 110 designs of Hawaiian and novelty designs in our best and boldest designs. These face masks are made in Huntington Beach, Ca and are double layered with the same high thread count combed cotton as our premium Hawaiian shirts.

Aloha Safety Face Masks

Inspired by the Aloha shirts from the golden era of the 1930s-50s, we are committed to make our garments in that same tradition. We start with fine artistic illustrations and convert them to high thread count combed cotton which is tailored in the USA, one of only 2% of manufacturers that still do. We use authentic coconut buttons and have side vents for comfort. For more than 32 years we have been passionate about art, culture, and design and are committed to creating collectible wearable art. View more than 140 designs for men:

All Men's Shirts by High Seas Trading Co

Please click link below for sizing guide:

Shirt Sizing Chart

Company History:

Three Decades ago, the journey began in the coastal city of Dana Point, Ca. Drawing inspiration from the ocean, nature, travel, and culture, we are dedicated to converting fine art to cloth which is tailored and brought alive on each one of our Hawaiian shirts. Our shirts have been designed and made in California since 1988.

High Seas Trading Co. is a family run company and is proud to be in the less than 2% of apparel companies that manufacture in the USA. Being a local company gives us the speed and flexibility to make limited edition and small runs of rare fabrics. We are passionate about art and design which drives us to constant design and release 7-10 new prints monthly.

High Seas Trading Co. would like to thank our many customers who have supported us for more than 32years. We have gained valuable feedback and great ideas which has helped us to continually improve our line.

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High Seas Trading Co.- Hawaiian shirts | Aloha Shirts | USA Made Clothing|

Romance on the High Seas (1948) – IMDb

Doris Day was a huge radio and recording star when she appeared in "Romance on the High Seas". However, she was not a movie star...as this is her first film. Some of this shows...particularly her makeup as she is very freckly...which I thought was quite cute but which the studios hid in subsequent movies. She went over very well regardless and Warner Brothers soon signed her to a seven year contract...and she soon became a mega-star in pictures.

The plot is a bit silly. Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) suspects her husband, Michael (Don Defore), is cheating on her. And, he suspects the same thing of her. So they each come up with a plan...she pays Georgia (Doris Day) to pretend to be her and take a cruise while she stays home and secretly keeps an eye on him. And, he hires a detective (Jack Carson) to take the cruise and follow Elvira and prove she's been cheating! But there's a problem...the detective slowly begins to fall in love with the woman who he THINKS is Elvira!

The plot is quite slight...but the picture excellent for many reasons. Carson and Day are simply terrific and Day sings some very lovely tunes. The picture also is quite romantic...and fun and made more so by the presence of some wonderful character actors (S.Z. Sakall, Franklin Pangborn and Oscar Levant). All in all, this is the sort of fun picture Warner Brothers could make best...and you can't help but enjoy it.

By the way, while Defore and Paige receive higher billing, clearly Doris Day was the star or at least co-star of the film. I guess the studio just didn't have much faith in her drawing power...but that wasn't to last!

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Romance on the High Seas (1948) - IMDb

High Seas and High Stakes Communications: Securing the Maritime …

Recall the last time that you stood on the shore, enjoying the briny breeze that gently caressed your skin, and the sounds and smells of the sea.You may have noticed in the distance a large sailing vessel.Have you ever considered all the moving parts that contribute to these floating cities? Beyond the logistics of setting out to sea, a ship contains an impressive array of communication devices and capabilities. Whether that ship is in port, or 500 miles from shore, the ship is never without communication.

There are often more than 150,000 ships at sea over a 24-hour period. To add some perspective, this is three times greater than the average number of airplanes that are tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration on any given day. When combined, all the ships at sea form one of the largest mobile communication networks imaginable.As is often the case with a security mindset, this level of complexity creates great challenges.

A ship is capable of ship-to-shore communication at close range through the use of traditional terrestrial radio, or shore stations, and when far out to sea, satellite communication is used. To add to the complexity, there are more than ten satellite companies that provide maritime communication services.The international scope of sea-based communications is governed by both multinational organizations, as well as advisory organizations, such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

It is easy to think that these impenetrable hulls are immune to security problems. After all, they are somewhat akin to a remote island, far removed from our land-locked security concerns. However, there are threats to maritime vessels, both physical, and virtual. In the event that the physical criminals increase their technological competencies, the results to a fleet could (Read more...)

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High Seas and High Stakes Communications: Securing the Maritime ...

Review: ‘The Sea Beast’ is a high-seas animated adventure with surprising depth – WTOP

The film is done with a nuance that will win your heart regardless of politics, keeping its core themes at the center of the story with beautiful animation and lovable characters.

WTOP's Jason Fraley reviews 'The Sea Beast'

Live-action audiences have set sail in blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), but theres never been a high-seas animated adventure with this much social depth.

The Sea Beast premieres on Netflix this Friday for families to embark on a voyage that will dazzle the kids and teach parents a thing or two about lauding heroes of the past.

Set in a time resembling Medieval Europe, the film follows a young orphan named Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator), who stows away on the ship of the famous sea-monster hunter Captain Crow (Jared Harris). She soon finds a father figure in first mateJacob Holland (Karl Urban) as they sail into uncharted waters to pursue the legendary red Sea Beast.

While Jacob looks a lot like Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid (1989) with his white shirt, red sash and blue pants, the rest of the cast is refreshingly diverse from Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast) to Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies), drawn withracial ambiguity and gender fluidity to reflect the real world rather than whitewashed stereotypes.

Directed by Chris Williams, who storyboarded for Frozen (2013), won an Oscar for Big Hero 6 (2014) and should have won for Moana (2016), the computer animation is visually striking right from the opening shipwreck with dynamic flames on realistic waves. The characters are rendered with round strokes compared to the sharp lines of anime.

Sure, hardened cynics could argue that the premise of The Sea Beast borrows heavily from How to Train Your Dragon (2010) with another brave youngster teaching Medieval adults not to fear the unknown, this time replacing Toothless with a sea monster named Red and an adorable sidekick named Blue that acts a lot like Lilo & Stitch (2002).

However, youll mostly forget youre watching a cartoon as Williams crafts a high-seas adventure that feels ripped from the pages of Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea, Melvilles Moby Dick or Benchleys Jaws with seafaring, swashbuckling action echoing Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) or Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk (1940).

The spell is only broken twice. Early on, Captain Crow is dragged underwater by a sea monster, but the next scene hes back on the ship without explaining his apparent rescue. Later,Maisie and Jacob ride inside the Sea Beasts nostril, but no water rushes in. Even if the creature waits to breath above water, some residual water would splash inside, no?

No matter, these are minor nits to pick compared to the brilliant character work byWilliams and co-writer Nell Benjamin, who joined her husband Laurence OKeefe to adaptLegally Blonde for Broadway in 2011, then adapted Mean Girls for the stage in 2018. From Elle Woods to Cady Heron, Benjamin knows coming-of-age pathos, making Maisie a bold hero.

Beneath the action is adeceptively deep social commentary painting the king and queen as tyrants stoking a fear of sea monsters to control the peasants. Its Maisie who first realizes that her monster-hunting ancestors might not have been the heroes she thought, questioning what she learned in history books: They can be heroes and still be wrong.

The idea is that key historical figures (Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee) were deeply flawed. Theres no shame in admitting it, Maisie says, as were all just trying to grow. Perhaps the next generation wont fear cable-news buzzwords like Critical Race Theory because The Sea Beast effectively teaches how to fairly reassess history.

Its all done with a nuance that will win your heart regardless of politics, keeping its core themes at the center of the story with beautiful animation and lovable characters who lift our spirits as thescreen cuts to black for a closing line,Im going to have a great life.

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Review: 'The Sea Beast' is a high-seas animated adventure with surprising depth - WTOP

7 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more (July 8) – Tom’s Guide

Beat the heat with a sizzling slate of new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more streaming services. Theres something for everyone, from a true crime drama to a family-friendly animated adventure to teen comedies.

The lineup is led by Black Bird, which features the last TV performance by the late Ray Liotta. The psychological thriller, which is based on actual events, follows a young man (Taron Egerton) looking to get out of a prison sentence by eliciting a confession from a suspected serial killer.

If youre looking for laughs, several new comedies make their debuts. Maggie poses the question, What if seeing the future makes dating even harder? Meanwhile, To All the Boys reverberates in Lana Condors new supernatural outing Boo, Bitch! and Jordan Fishers high school romance Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between.

Fun for the whole family is in store with The Sea Beast, a charming swashbuckling fantasy epic set on the high seas.

Heres our guide on what to watch this weekend.

The late Ray Liotta turns in a final, masterful TV performance in this true crime thriller based on James Keenes autobiographical novel. Hes in a supporting role as a decorated policeman whose son Jimmy (Taron Egerton) has turned out to be a disappointment. The former high school football hero is now facing 10 years in minimum security prison.

Jimmy has a chance to avoid time behind bars, but its a dangerous gambit. He must enter a maximum security facility for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), in a bid to get Larry to confess to his murdering a string of girls. But Jimmys freedom could come at the steep price of his own life. Black Bird has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the latest acclaimed Apple TV Plus series.

Streaming now on Apple TV Plus (opens in new tab)

The ability to see the future sounds like something that would come in handy while dating, but it turns out to be a total bummer for psychic Maggie (Rebecca Rittenhouse). She has had the gift of foretelling most of her life her schoolmates used to call her Thats Not So Raven and regularly gives readings to family, friends, clients and even random strangers on the street.

Then, Maggie meets a cute history teacher named Ben (David Del Rio) and is shocked when she sees herself in his future. Things get even more complicated when Ben moves next door with his high school sweetheart Jessie (Chloe Bridges). Despite that, Maggie begins to fall for him. Now, her ability seems like a curse.

Streaming now on Hulu (opens in new tab)

The sci-fi mystery/thriller features a big ensemble cast including Joe Manganiello, Dominic Monaghan, Kadeem Hardison and Emma McDonald. Its set a century in the future, when Earth has been ravaged by overpopulation, a toxic environment and wars over dwindling resources. The planets only hope is Moonhaven, a 500 square mile lunar colony where residents with the help of a power AI are racing to find solutions.

Just as the long-awaited rescue/return to Earth is to occur, the idyllic colony is shocked by a murder. A pair of detectives, a pilot, an envoy and a bodyguard are pulled into the investigation, which uncovers a deeper conspiracy that could destroy humanity.

Streaming now on AMC Plus (opens in new tab)

Netflix may have another family-friendly animated hit on the level of Mitchells vs the Machines on its hands. Oscar-winning writer/director Chris Williams (Big Hero 6, Moana) is behind this action-packed adventure set in a fantastical universe where giant monsters roam the seas.

The brave crews who hunt the monsters are celebrated as heroes. A young girl named Maisie Brumble (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator) dreams of fighting alongside her favorite hunter, Jacob Holland (Karl Urban) and stows away on his ship. Led by Captain Crow (Jared Harris), they sail into uncharted waters to pursue the biggest conquest yet, the legendary Red Bluster. But Maisie and Jacob soon discover the monsters are not what they seem.

Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)

This cheeky supernatural teen comedy brings To All the Boys star Lana Condor back to Netflix as a motherf*%king ghost. High school senior Erika Vu is a bit of a wallflower whos spent more time on academics than her social life. Her best friend Gia (Zoe Colletti) convinces her to go to a big party, where she attracts the notice of handsome Jake C. (Mason Versaw). Think Booksmart, but with a supernatural twist.

After the successful outing, Erika decides to let loose for the rest of the year just before shes hit by a semi and dies. Somehow, shes able to stick around as a ghost but only if she becomes famous in the afterlife. With newfound confidence, Erika embarks on a quest to achieve popularity (and a big social media following). But her no f***s to give attitude may turn her into a truly horrific monster: a mean girl.

Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)

Based on Jennifer E. Smiths young adult novel, this teen romantic comedy comes from the producers of the To All the Boys franchise and stars P.S. I Still Love Yous Jordan Fisher. Seniors Aidan (Fisher) and Clare (Talia Ryder) have a meet-cute at the beginning of senior year, but shes skeptical about whether love can last. So, while theyre on their first date, the couple makes a pact to break up before heading to college.

After a whirlwind courtship, the deadline approaches, so Clare and Aidan go on one last epic date which they spend retracing the steps of their relationship, like their first kiss and their first argument. But when the night ends, will these two crazy kids actually say goodbye?

Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)

Television has seen plenty of emergency responders saving lives in hospitals and fighting fires. In SkyMed, theyre soaring through the sky. The Canadian medical drama follows nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote northern Canada.

They experience triumphs, heartbreaks and tribulations as they face life-or-death situations in remote, rural areas. Out in the wilderness, they have no one else to rely on but each other. The ensemble cast includes Natasha Calis, Ace Nadjiwon, Morgan Holmstrom, Praneet Akilla and Aaron Ashmore .

Streaming Sunday, July 10 at 3 a.m. ET on Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)

Next: A new Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power teaser adds more mystery, while Netflix is losing three of its best shows this month. This is the one Roku accessory everyone should buy.

Today's best Apple TV+, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu deals

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7 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and more (July 8) - Tom's Guide

Canada hopes to lure more nations into fighting illicit fishing on the high seas – Canada’s National Observer

Canada aims to tackle illegal international fishing and lead global commitments on marine protected areas with the close of the United Nations Ocean Conference last week.

Joyce Murray, minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), headed a delegation at the five-day summit in Lisbon with a focus on sharing science and data to solve the ocean crisis driven by climate change, overfishing, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The nations and other stakeholders such as policymakers, scientists and environmental groups at the conference all agree on the urgency and need to protect oceans, Murray told Canadas National Observer on Monday.

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Oceans are critical to buffering a changing climate, absorbing 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by human activity. But theyre in trouble: since 1993, the rate of ocean warming has doubled, leading to the bleaching of coral reefs, shifting fish populations, declines in biodiversity and ocean acidification that negatively impact shelled marine animals.

The global community has to work together on turning things around with the oceans, Murray said, noting climate change is the challenge of a lifetime and healthy oceans are a critical piece of the solution.

But the plague of ocean problems is not the sole focus of international co-operation, Murray added.

It's also about the importance of the ocean to communities and the variety of economic activities from food production to tourism that make (them) so incredibly important to our future.

At the gathering, Canada advocated for priorities such as sustainable fisheries and a global commitment to protecting 30 per cent of ocean area by 2030 in tandem with developing a blue economy, the minister said.

Canada, along with the United Kingdom, United States, Iceland and a number of scientific and ocean protection groups, agreed to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas, Murray added.

The scale of the IUU fishing threat is significant, representing 30 per cent of fishing activity globally and taking 26 million tonnes of fish from international waters annually, DFO reports.

Valuable Canadian fish stocks, including salmon and tuna, migrate beyond national boundaries into international waters where an increased threat of IUU fishing exists, the agency said.

The IUU Fishing Action Alliance Pledge commits members to implementing global agreements to prevent illegal fishing, step up monitoring, control and surveillance of illicit fishing and encourage transparency and data sharing.

Canada also shared information at the conference on the technology and methods its using to track IUU fishing, such as its Dark Vessel Detection program, which uses satellite data to help smaller coastal states, such as Ecuador, track illicit fishing in regions of concern like the Galpagos Islands, Murray said.

This ocean conference is about sharing ideas and best practices and being able to move together as a collective of nations more quickly by collaborating, she said.

As a member of the Global Ocean Alliance, Canada also encouraged other countries to commit to the 30x30 pledge to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) that conserve 30 per cent of ocean areas by 2030, Murray said.

While DFO has faced criticism from some First Nations on the West Coast that are tired of waiting on the federal government to establish MPAs, Murray said shes confident any stumbling blocks have been resolved. The MPA process integrates an Indigenous-led conservation model with the departments framework for fisheries management, which has resulted in temporary delays, she explained.

We have a renewed optimism as to how this is working and Im going to do my level best to be a problem-solver, Murray said.

The minister said she expects to make an announcement concerning the B.C. Northern Shelf Marine Protected Area Network on the West Coast before February. Thats when Vancouver will host the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), a UN-endorsed conference where stakeholders, scientists and policymakers will hash out baselines for international parameters and protections for MPAs.

Canada took the opportunity of the UN Ocean Conference to invite international partners to IMPAC5, Murray said.

At this point, every country has its own definition of marine protected area and there is no co-ordinated approach, she said.

These kinds of collaborations are all really important for the global community to make progress that's real and measurable and to do it together.

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canadas National Observer

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Canada hopes to lure more nations into fighting illicit fishing on the high seas - Canada's National Observer

Man Accused Of Killing Mother At Sea To Inherit Her Millions Seeks Pre-Trial Release – Oxygen

The Vermont man awaiting trial for his mothers high seas murder hopes to be released from federal custody.

Nathan Carman, 28, is accused of killing his mother on the high seas in 2016 in what prosecutors say was a diabolical plot to inherit millions. He has been in jail since his arrest but, on Wednesday, Carmans attorneys filed a motion seeking the defendants freedom between now and the upcoming trial, according to the Associated Press.

The motion, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, promises that Carman is not a flight risk, despite prosecutors' claims.

Defense attorneys also argued that Carman would not pose a threat to society, citing his behavior during the years-long investigation.

At no time during that lengthy period has Mr. Carman ever attempted to threaten a witness, contact a witness inappropriately, or sought to influence a witness in any way, the motion stated. There is no evidence to support such a claim now.

During Carmans May arraignment, Vermont U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest claimed that because Carman was capable of killing his own relatives, nothing is off the table, including the possibility of harming others, according to CT Insider.

In Wednesdays filing, Carmans legal representation called the evidence against him tenuous at best.

Attorneys offered to attach conditions to Carmans potential release. If approved, Carman would be required to surrender his passport and be subject to electronic monitoring. They also claimed Carman would have to leave all of his confiscated funds a total of $10,000 to a separate party or contribute those funds as part of his bail.

Federal agents found the aforementioned $10,000 in cash during a May search of Carmans home, according to CT Insider. It was part of the foundation for why prosecutors considered Carman a flight risk to begin with.

Wednesdays filing also referenced Carmans strong ties to the community formed during his eight years living in Vernon, Vermont. According to his attorneys, Carman has maintained a quiet life between attending church and participating in town forums.

Linda Carman and her sonset off from the Ram Point Marina in South Kingston, Rhode Islandaboard a fishing boat named Chicken Pox"shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2016,according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. Coast Guard initiated an extensive search and rescue mission when the pair failed to return the next day as previously planned.

Nathan Carman was rescued near Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts eight days after the two set sail. Hetold Coast Guard investigators that the Chicken Pox began to take on water, forcing him to swim to a nearby inflatable life raft. When he called for his mother, he was unable to find her.

Neither Linda nor the boat was ever recovered.

Investigators, however, believe Nathan Carman murdered his mother on Sept. 18, 2016, off eastern Long Island before purposefully sinking the boat, according to the Hartford Courant. He then tried and failed to cash in on an $85,000 insurance claim for the loss of the boat one month after his rescue.

Federal prosecutors say Nathan Carman stood to gain $7 million from his mothers death money she inherited after the as-yet unsolved murder of her father, 87-year-old John Chakalos, in 2013.

Per the eight-count indictment charging Nathan Carman with his mothers murder and several counts of fraud, he has long been suspected of gunning down his grandfather on Dec. 20, 2013, as the elderly man slept in his Windsor, Connecticut, home.

Nathan Carman has not as yet been officially charged with Chakalos homicide.

Prosecutors accuse Nathan Carman of lying when they asked and he denied ever purchasing a Sig Sauer rifle weeks before Chakalos murder. According to the indictment, Carman had, in fact, bought the rifle using his New Hampshire drivers license.

Authorities believe Nathan Carman spent his portion of Chakalos inheritance about $550,000 in total between 2014 and 2016. When that money was gone, prosecutors say, he began concocting a way to kill his mother.

During Nathan Carmans arraignment, federal prosecutors claimed he lived with untreated mental health issues, citing his alleged history of social difficulties and explosive rages, according to CT Insider.

Carmans alleged conduct clearly illustrates danger to the community, U.S. Attorney Kerest stated. The evidence shows that he killed not once but twice.

Whether or not Nathan Carman will be granted conditional release has yet to be decided.

Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content.

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Man Accused Of Killing Mother At Sea To Inherit Her Millions Seeks Pre-Trial Release - Oxygen

Ubisoft finally shows us Skull and Bones, and it just makes me want to play Sea of Thieves – PC Gamer

After years of waiting, Ubisoft's open-world game of high seas piracy Skull and Bones (opens in new tab) is just about ready to set sail. We got our first proper look at it during today's Ubisoft Forward event, and more importantly we have a release date too: November 8 is when it finally arrives.

Skull and Bones is set in the Indian Ocean at the end of the 17th century, during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy. From humble beginnings at a small pirate outpost, players will set out to build their empires and legends by taking contracts, earning treasure, and expanding their fleets in "visceral, fast-paced, rewarding" PvE and optional PvP combat, according to Ubisoft. The only currency that really matters, though, is reputation: As a player's infamy grows, access to new ships, weapons, armor, and other equipment will become available, as will more lucrativeand more dangerousopportunities.

Players who prefer a life of solitary plunder can take on Skull and Bones solo, but it's built with a focus on co-op play. Each server can handle up to 20 players, who can team up in groups of two or three to attack convoys, plunder outposts, or square off against others who have opted into PvP battles. And yes, it's a live game: Ubisoft plans regular updates with new content, activities, and challenges "for many years to come."

For as long as Ubisoft has been working on Skull and Bones, I'm not entirely convinced it looks fun. It's essentially a spinoff of the naval exploration and combat in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, which came out in 2013, and it shows: I may be spoiled by Sea of Thieves, but the first thing I looked at in the live Skull and Bones gameplay presentation was the water, and it just does not compare. Neither does the movement of ships, which to my eye seem to handle like something you'd jack in a Far Cry game.

Gameplay didn't really knock my socks off either. Plundering ports is completed by entering a specific area of water and waiting for a progress bar to fill up, which isn't what I'd call the height of excitement, especially compared to (again, sorry) Sea of Thieves, where if you want the treasure you actually have to get off your ship to go get it. And there are no player-controlled crews, either: Each ship in Skull and Bones is controlled by a single player, while crews are made up entirely of NPCs. That might be better for workplace safetyyou won't have your whole damn ship and crew blown up (opens in new tab) because Dread Pirate Wes was horsing around in the captain's quartersbut getting up to shenanigans with the gang is what made Sea of Thieves so much fun for me.

I can only judge so much based on a video, and maybe Skull and Bones will play better than it looks. But I'm not convinced that a "darker and grittier approach" to piracy, as Ubisoft put it, with a greater focus on grinding than on goofing around, is all that interesting an idea in the first place, and what Ubisoft showed here today isn't changing my mind.

Skull and Bones will be available on PC through Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store, and will feature crossplay and cross-progression on other platforms including the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X-S, and Stadia. Pricing has not been announced.

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Ubisoft finally shows us Skull and Bones, and it just makes me want to play Sea of Thieves - PC Gamer

Battling Mountainous Seas Powerless Bulker is Moved to Shelter – The Maritime Executive

Portland Bay has been anchored in a sheltered areas to ride out the weather (Peter Williams/Twitter)

PublishedJul 5, 2022 4:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

Australian authorities were forced to switch to an alternate salvage plan for a disabled bulker caught in a fierce storm off the southern coast after a towline parted and the crew aboard reported that they were not able to complete repairs to the ships engine. After a struggle against high seas and heavy winds, they are now reporting the Pacific Basin bulker Portland Bay has been positioned in a more sheltered area where it should be able to ride out the storm.

Forecasting a temporary break in the bad weather that has plagued the bulker, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority early on July 6 has ordered that the vessel must move to a berth at Botany Bay on Wednesday."Bad weather preventing the movement of the vessel into harbor has now subsided. The vessel must comply with the direction to move to harbor today as more bad weather is forecast for Thursday," wrote AMSA in issuing its legal direction to the ship's master.

The efforts to secure the bulker began early on July 4 when the vessel reported that it had lost power after an engine failure. Unable to hold its position with its anchors, the vessel was in danger of being washed ashore onsome of Australias most pristine coastline. Fearing that the vessel would be driven onto the rocks, the authorities first attempted to airlift the crew off the ship, but the winds and high seas made it impossible, so they decided to pull the bulker out to sea.

The ongoing severe weather conditions makes moving the Portland Bay extremely hazardous so the vessel is being supported in position until the weather eases, said Captain Philip Holliday, CEO of Port Authority of NSW which is overseeing the efforts. Based on current weather forecasts, it is expected that the ship will remain offshore until at least Wednesday.

Three tugs were being used to reposition the vessel and as of Monday evening were making progress traveling at approximately 1.5 knots. The goal was to maintain a position approximately 12 nm offshore while the crew attempted to make repairs. However, the efforts to reposition the vessel stalled overnight as the towline parted.

With 11-meter swells experienced last night, an operational decision was made to suspend further attempts to tow the ship out to sea, explained Holliday.

The Premier of New South Wales spoke to reporters on Tuesday saying "I thank very much the crews of those tugs for the heroic work they did overnight. The Maritime Union of Australia echoed a similar sentiment, saying that crews reported the seas mountainous. The Ports Authority also posted a short video to show the challenging sea conditions.

They elected to move the vessel to the north into a sheltered area. The 28,000 dwt bulker has been positioned approximately 1.2 nautical miles off Port Botany with one tug remaining attached to the vessel. In addition, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority arranged for Svitzers heavy-duty tug Glenrock to travel from its homeport in Newcastle to provide support.

The third Emergency Tow Vessel, Glenrock has arrived onsite after punching through southerly headwinds and over 10-meter seas during the passage from Newcastle, said Holliday. The specialized vessel with additional deep-sea response capability, Glenrock, will be key in the next phase when moving the Portland Bay to safety.

The crew had initially reported that they had spare parts aboard and believed they could complete the repairs. However, as of Monday evening, they reported that it would require additional work. The plan is now to tow the Portland Bay to Port Botany where it will complete repairs.

Those smaller tugs have done amazing work over the past 24-36 hours ensuring the stricken vessel did not drift into the coastline," said AMSA Executive Director Response Mark Morrow. Explaining that the larger Glenrock has now secured towing cables, he said it is vital that the Portland Bay be moved into safe harbor before the next front of bad weather arrives.

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Battling Mountainous Seas Powerless Bulker is Moved to Shelter - The Maritime Executive

Taika Waititi Explains His Vision For Representation In Thor: Love And Thunder – Looper

From a representation standpoint, one of the highlights of the God of Thunder's (Chris Hemsworth) latest adventure is the characterization of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who is canonically bisexual in the comics. Before the film's release, Taika Waititi stated his support for exploring Valkyrie's sexuality in "Thor: Love and Thunder."

In a more recent sitdown with IndieWire, Waititi talked about his efforts to introduce queer characters and relationships into projects like "Our Flag Means Death" and his latest MCU outing. "What I love about [Our Flag Means Death] is that it's so normalized. No character ever says, 'I can't believe they're gay,'" said Waititi, adding that he was interested in the portrayal of the concept that "it's just a given that there's queerness on the high seas."

Similarly, he wanted the sexuality of characters like Valkyrie and Korg (Waititi) in "Love and Thunder" to be seen as no big deal within the narrative of the film. "It's the idea that these things just are, in a Marvel film, in a mainstream film that young, queer people will see," shared Waititi. "No one bats an eyelid and there's no monologue about it. Nobody ever stands up and says 'This is OK!' It just is OK. I think that's very important."

Now, it's up to the fans to discuss whether the latest "Thor" adventure lives up to Waititi's stated vision of representation in movies and TV.

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Taika Waititi Explains His Vision For Representation In Thor: Love And Thunder - Looper

The Metals Company and Allseas – GuruFocus.com

NEW YORK, May 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. ( TMC) (TMC or the Company), an explorer of the worlds largest estimated undeveloped source of critical battery metals, today announced the successful deployment of a riser system and flexible jumper hose which, alongside the robotic nodule collector vehicle, represent key components of the pilot nodule collection system designed by the Companys strategic partner and shareholder, Allseas Group S.A. (Allseas).

Engineers aboard the Hidden Gem vessel deployed the flexible jumper hose, connected it to the base of the riser and then launched the pilot riser, lowering the assembly to a depth of around 650m meters. Using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) installed on the Hidden Gem, engineers then made a sub-sea connection between the jumper hose and collector vehicle which was previously deployed to the seafloor in 745m water depth. Allseas used the derrick onboard the former drillship for at-sea construction of the pilot riser system which will ultimately extend to 4km deep when deployed later this year in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean.

The pilot system being tested by Allseas will be the basis for TMCs first commercial production system, and in March the companies announced a non-binding term sheet outlining the terms for developing and operating the worlds first commercial system to collect deep-sea polymetallic nodules to meet surging demand for critical battery metals.

Straight off the back of our collector trials, Allseas have once again shown why nobody else in the offshore business can think as big, or move as fast, said Gerard Barron, CEO & Chairman of The Metals Company. With the first deep-water deployment of the riser system and subsea connection between the collector and the riser successfully under our belts, we look forward to applying the lessons learned as we hook up and deploy the prototype collection system in the Pacific later this year.

Since 2019, Allseas and TMC have been working together to develop a pilot system to responsibly collect unattached polymetallic nodules from the seafloor and lift them to the surface for transportation to shore. Nodules contain high grades of nickel, manganese, copper and cobalt key metals required for building electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies.

Previously, TMC and Allseas announced successful trials of the nodule collector vehicle in deep-water in the Atlantic [see video] as well as harbor wet-test commissioning and shallow-water drive tests in the North Sea. All trials to date are in preparation for full pilot nodule collection system trials later this year over an 8 km2 section of the NORI-D contract area in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean. The trials are an integral part of the International Seabed Authoritys regulatory and permitting process and the environmental impact data collected both during and after the upcoming nodule collection test work, together with many terabytes of existing baseline data collected by TMC, will form the basis of the application for an exploitation contract by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nauru Ocean Resources, Inc. (NORI).

Development of technologies to collect polymetallic nodules first began in the 1970s when oil, gas and mining majors including Shell, Rio Tinto (Kennecott) and Sumitomo successfully conducted pilot test work in the CCZ, collecting over ten thousand tons of nodules. In the decades since, the ISA was established to develop the regulatory framework to govern mineral extraction in the high seas while technology development efforts have largely focused on scaling proven nodule collection technologies and optimizing for minimal seafloor disturbance and environmental impact.

About The Metals Company

TMC the metals company Inc. (The Metals Company) is an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, on a dual mission: (1) supply metals for the clean energy transition with the least possible negative environmental and social impact and (2) accelerate the transition to a circular metal economy. The company through its subsidiaries holds exploration rights to three polymetallic nodule contract areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean regulated by the International Seabed Authority and sponsored by the governments of Nauru, Kiribati and the Kingdom of Tonga. More information is available at http://www.metals.co.

About AllseasAllseas is a world-leading contractor in the offshore energy market, with dynamism, rapid progress and pioneering spirit at its core. Allseas specialise in offshore pipeline installation, heavy lift and subsea construction. The company employs over 4000 people worldwide and operates a versatile fleet of specialised heavy-lift, pipelay and support vessels, designed and developed in-house. More information about Allseas is available at http://www.allseas.com.

More InfoMedia | [emailprotected]. Investors | [emailprotected].

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as believe, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, should, would, plan, predict, potential, seem, seek, future, outlook and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, including related to upcoming trials in TMCs NORI-D contract area and future offshore operations. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside TMCs control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: Allseas ability to conduct a full pilot nodule collection trial in the Clarion Clipperton Zone; TMCs ability to enter into definitive agreement(s) with Allseas with respect to the proposed strategic alliance to develop and operate a commercial collection system on terms and conditionals substantially similar to those set forth in the non-binding terms sheet; the successful completion of the pilot collection tests; TMCs ability to obtain exploitation contracts for its areas in the CCZ; regulatory uncertainties and the impact of government regulation and political instability on TMCs resource activities; changes to any of the laws, rules, regulations or policies to which TMC is subject; the impact of extensive and costly environmental requirements on TMCs operations; environmental liabilities; the impact of polymetallic nodule collection on biodiversity in the CCZ and recovery rates of impacted ecosystems; TMCs ability to develop minerals in sufficient grade or quantities to justify commercial operations; the lack of development of seafloor polymetallic nodule deposit; uncertainty in the estimates for mineral resource calculations from certain contract areas and for the grade and quality of polymetallic nodule deposits; risks associated with natural hazards; uncertainty with respect to the specialized treatment and processing of polymetallic nodules that TMC may recover; risks associated with collective, development and processing operations; fluctuations in transportation costs; testing and manufacturing of equipment; risks associated with TMCs limited operating history; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; risks associated with TMCs intellectual property; and other risks and uncertainties, including those under Item 1A Risk Factors in TMCs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, filed by TMC with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 25, 2022, and in TMCs other future filings with the SEC. TMC cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. TMC cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. TMC does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based except as required by law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1ee07ab7-e437-4139-8626-26c431172698

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af6762d8-1a67-4926-a040-af4a4ffba2cf

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/83295f76-636d-4a28-b1cf-0f61e0278ec6

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/27da4aae-c8a7-4fc7-9883-e69c5367c3ea

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The Metals Company and Allseas - GuruFocus.com

PierPressure party boat hits Milford’s high seas in June – CTPost

The party boat that, according to owner Colin Caplan, could soon become Milfords most popular summer activity, will have its maiden voyage on June 1 after a ribbon-cutting event.

We are already booked for half of the season, said Caplan.

Caplan said the company, Pedal Cruise CT, has a four-to-five-month window to be on the water, starting in June. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., and the maiden voyage on the PierPressure is scheduled for 12:30.

The launch is our official way of saying that we are open, said Caplan. Weve geared the event to be a celebration of Milford.

A month before the official launch, the Pedal Cruise team is preparing to be ready by June.

Weve got captains and first mates being trained. We are taking care of all the little details that people dont see, said Caplan. We want to make sure we have the safest and most fun out on the water together.

Pedal Cruise is under the Taste of New Haven umbrella, which Caplan started 11 years ago doing walking tours, then transitioned to a party bike. When his team started to hear people wanted to be on the water, they decided to bring a party boat to the area.

We had our eyes set on different harbors, but the City of Milford, theyve really been supportive of all of our ventures over the years, he said. From the party bike to supporting anything local like charities, the library, and any event that is going on in Milford. They were excited to bring a party boat to Milford Harbor.

Caplan said they have put an immense effort into finding and putting a strong staff so people can enjoy themselves while on the boat.

They are going to be committed to the boat and this operation, but they are going to be really great on customer service, he said. Our main thing is safety. Having the ability to be safe is on the forefront of our planning. If we are safe, then the fun can happen.

Safety will dictate the planned route of the boat. When there is good weather, the plan is to get out to the Long Island Sound from Milford Harbor, see Silver Sands Beach and Charles island and come back to the harbor.

If there is a lot of wind, or its a wavy day, to make the experience comfortable for everyone else, we can easily shorten that route and stay within the safety of Milford Harbor, said Caplan. People will not lose the experience with the shorter route. Milford Harbor is extremely fun.

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PierPressure party boat hits Milford's high seas in June - CTPost

Cruise the Sea in These Luxury Five-Star Pods – The Market Herald

These luxury hotel suites will be able to sail the seas at a speed of up to 5 knots | Source: Robb Report

Fancy Travel

Delivering luxury smooth sailing, these sea pods have just revolutionised the hospitality industry.

A bit different from your average Airbnb, the motorised hotel suites will allow you to cruise the high seas from the comfort of your own room.

Founder of Lazzarini Design Studio, Pierpaolo Lazzarini, has reimagined luxury stays in the form of an emissions-free floating pod.

Watch the high seas cascade around you as you relax inside deluxe interiors. Roughly seven metres in length and with an interior of 22-square metres, the Pearlsuite pods are generously proportioned and configured for a penthouse-worthy stay.

And dont fret about safety; the pods are to be fitted with electric motors, autopilot GPS positioning systems and a gyroscope stabiliser system. Whats more is that they are self-contained and fully autonomous, complete with solar panels to power air conditioning, lighting and electrical appliances.

Lazzarini Design Studios are famed for their radical innovations in the automotive and yachting world, delivering a range of projects spanning from aerospace technology through to cyborg cars.

Prices for the Pearlsuites will vary according to the specific pod, with the highest reaching A$400,000, complete with a fridge, TV, bed and private outdoor deck. There is also ample storage space in the pods hull for gear and equipment.

For those who have high standards of luxury living and also a love for the ocean, the Pearlsuite pods may be exactly what you are looking for in your next holiday.

If youre looking for more luxury stays, check out La Mamounia: Moroccos Finest Luxury Hotel or a new luxury hotel in Tasmania.

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Cruise the Sea in These Luxury Five-Star Pods - The Market Herald

On the high seas with Engineers Australia’s Young Engineering Associate of the Year – Create – create digital

I chose a career in engineering because right from a young age, I would spend time with my dad working on our boat, installing and fixing both mechanical and electrical systems, Damien Richards told create.

Joining the Navy straight out of school at 17, he went through the trade route and undertook his training at HMAS Cerberus, located on Victorias Mornington Peninsula.

As a Marine Technician, we have three trade streams propulsion, hull and electrical with the opportunity to specialise within these streams he said.

Once you have chosen your trade, youre considered the subject matter expert in that particular stream and your career development is focussed on further developing these skills.

You will be posted into billets that focus on the utilisation and upskilling of your specialisation to maintain and operate that particular equipment, but theres always an expectation that you can and will be called upon to assist with any maintenance or defect rectification activity, he said.

Richards first posting after training was HMAS Cairns, before then serving a number of years on the landing craft heavy (LCH) HMAS Wewak.

I was promoted from Seamen, to Able Seaman and then Leading Seaman on the same vessel, which was quite fortunate for me, as I absolutely loved that posting, he said.

Richards did another three postings before being sent to his current role as Senior Instructor at HMAS Creswell in Jervis Bay, NSW, teaching at the School of Survivability and Ship Safety.

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On the high seas with Engineers Australia's Young Engineering Associate of the Year - Create - create digital

Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas? – Atlas Obscura

The water reared up and slammed onto the sand like an ambush predator. Then it withdrew, and came back. Again and again the surf attacked the beach, and exploded over a nearby concrete breakwater. White gulls stood out against a dull sky as they fought to stay aloft in winds that had gathered strength over hundreds of miles of open water. The National Weather Service had issued a gale warning, an alert used only for marine locations. But this wind advisory wasnt for the coast along Cape Cod or California, and the spray from the angry surf wasnt salty. This stormy seaside scene unfolded on a spring day along the shores of a mere lake, far from the nearest ocean.

The Great Lakes of North Americas midsectionSuperior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontariotogether span nearly 100,000 square miles, with a combined coastline just shy of 10,000 miles. They hold more than a fifth of Earths unfrozen fresh water, straddle an international border, and help move more than $15 billion dollars worth of cargo each year. They even have their own U.S. Coast Guard district, the only lakes with such a distinction. And the Guards rescue teams stay busy: Superior and its siblings are capable of storm surges, rip currents, tsunamis, rogue waves, unique extreme weather phenomena, and destructive surf. They have claimed more than 6,000 ships, more than the Gulf of Mexico and the Black Sea combined, according to estimates. So should we really be calling them the Great Inland Seas?

The most accurate answer youre going to get is, I dont know, says John Richard Saylor, author of the upcoming Lakes: Their Birth, Life, and Death. I do think it comes down to semantics, what you want to call a sea.

For many, the Great Lakes are indeed greater than lakes. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, for example, describes them as vast inland freshwater seas. A seminal 2017 paper in Limnology and Oceanography, authored by some of the most influential researchers studying the lakes, also refers to them as inland seas. But what makes a sea varies by source.

You might, for example, associate seas with saltwater, but Whether water is salty or fresh does not cleanly separate lakes from seas, says Robert Sterner, director of the Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth and one of the coauthors of the 2017 paper. Many lakes are saline, some more so than the oceans. And the Baltic Sea is pretty fresh, especially near its headwaters.

Generally speaking, seas are defined by size and bordersbut, from there, things get murky. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for example, describes seas as smaller than oceans and at least partially bounded by land (the Sargasso Sea, in the center of the Atlantic Ocean and defined by surrounding currents, is an exception). Merriam-Webster has more than half a dozen definitions for the word sea, including an inland body of water, citing the Caspian Sea as an example. However, most scientists actually consider the Caspian a lake because it is surrounded by land with no connection to an ocean. I generally say the Caspian Sea is not on the list of Earths large lakes mainly for cultural, not scientific, reasons, says Sterner.

Lets muddy the waters a bit more: The Dead Sea is a saltwater lake, and the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay are both seas. Meanwhile, a growing number of scientists believe the Red Sea may actually be a young ocean.

Back in the Midwest, even the people who have known the Great Lakes the longest havent settled on exactly what they are. The lakes themselves began emerging more than 10,000 years ago when mile-high glaciers, which had carved basins and gashes into the land, retreated at the end of the last ice age. Meltwater filled depressions left behind, creating first marshy areas and then deeper bodies of water over several millenniaand humans were there to witness it. A 2021 paper in the journal PaleoAmerica described initial research at Belson, a site in Michigan that may be 13,000 years old and represents some of the earliest evidence of humans in the Great Lakes region. Also in 2021, in the journal PLOS One, another team of researchers described 9,000-year-old flakes of obsidian, evidence of toolmaking, found at the bottom of Lake Huron. Interestingly, the materials chemical composition indicates that the volcanic glass originated in Central Oregon, about 2,500 miles to the west, hinting at extensive travel and trade networks across the continent at the time.

While the languages of these earlier people are not known, over the last few millennia the Great Lakes have been home to several Native American and First Nations peoples, most of which belong, culturally and linguistically, to the Anishinaabe. The term covers a number of communities dispersed over a broad and varied geographical area, but there is continuity among them in how the Great Lakes are perceived.

I refer to Anishinaabe as a confederacy of different nations, which include Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa, but also Menominee, Saulteaux, Meskwaki, Kickapoo, Shawnee, Waabanakiall of these tribes speak various dialects of the same language, says Michael Waasegiizhig Price, a Wisconsin-based traditional ecological knowledge specialist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Price notes that there are different dialects across the region, and varied orthographiesthe ways a spoken language is written down, including spelling and capitalization. Each lake also has a specific name but, when talking generally about one of the Great Lakes, Anishinaabe people say gichigami, gichi-gami, or chigamiing, depending on dialect, which all translate as big or great body of water. Whether that means lake or sea, well The Decolonial Atlas, which Price cites, refers to the Great Lakes as the five freshwater seas, but he takes exception to that.

As for the word sea, I believe this to be a colonial word that was brought here (by) Europeans, he says. Today, some Anishinaabe people refer to the Great Lakes as inland seas, but this is a new evolution in our languageEnglish is impacting how we use our Indigenous language.

So, the semantics remain imprecise across languages, but what about the science? Do the people studying the Great Lakes see them as inland seas? The answer is a resounding sort of.

Sterner of the Large Lakes Observatory, like many other scientists who study the lakes, calls them the Laurentian Great Lakes. Its a nod to their birth from the remnants of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, and distinguishes them from East Africas Great Lakes, in the Rift Valley region, where plate tectonics are slowly pulling the continent apart. The Midwestern lakes, he notes, are closer to seas in some aspects. Earths rotation is an important force in steering currents in large lakes but not small ones. Thats a characteristic large lakes share with oceans and seas, but I dont know if youd say that makes them a sea, says Sterner, adding, I think not.

Scientists might not classify the big lakes as seas, but they often study them as if they were.

The modelers here who work on things like currents and waves and ice use ocean models, says Lauren Fry, a principal investigator at NOAAs Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In fact, fieldwork on the Great Lakes is typically carried out using equipment designed for oceanography, including remotely operated vehicles, deepwater probes called sondes, and repurposed marine watercraft, such as R/V Neeskay, a steel-hulled former Army T-boat that conducts year-round research on Lake Michigan for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukees School of Freshwater Sciences.

For some who study the Great Lakes, relative size is a defining factor, particularly with Lake Superior, which is the worlds largest lake by surface area (aside from the much larger Caspian Seaif youre willing to call it a lake). Compared to other bodies of water in the U.S., I would definitely classify it as an inland sea, says Teso Coker, a water resource scientist at the University of Minnesota Duluth. When Ive shown videos and pictures to my colleagues overseas of Lake Superior, they have all said, That is a sea!

Fry, however, would not call the Great Lakes inland seasat least not scientifically. Despite their size, the lakes are beholden to what happens on the land that surrounds them in a way larger seas are not. For example, precipitation and runoff that drains into the lakes significantly affects their water levels, chemical composition, and other characteristics.

As a hydrologist, I have to say that, because of the influence of the land surface processes on the lakes, I think its tough to call it an inland sea, says Fry. She does, like most scientists studying the lakes, refer to them as a single system. Id call it a system of large lakes, connected by channels.

But, adds Fry, I would fall into different camps depending on whether Im wearing my hydrologists hat or my canoer hat. Im a paddler and, in terms of safety, you have to think about it as if youre on a sea. Its really big water. We have rip currents. We have storm surges. We have meteotsunamis.

Yes, tsunamis have been documented on all five of the Great Lakesat least, meteotsunamis, which have the same characteristics as tsunamis created by seismic events such as earthquakes and landslides. As their name suggests, meteotsunamis are generated by severe storms and other extreme meteorological events. They travel across large areas of water, growing in height, or amplifying, over shallows before crashing ashore. Meteotsunamis tend to be smaller and less destructive than seismic tsunamis, but can still be dangerous: One such wave-gone-wrong in Lake Michigan in June 1954 killed seven people in Chicago.

Studying meteotsunamis is a relatively new area for Great Lakes science: For many years, the phenomenon was grouped with seiche events, tide-like conditions that also can occur in all five lakes. Seiches are basically the sloshing back and forth of water across the entire lake over several hours or even days.

Seiches, says Fry, are particularly common on Lake Erie, which is aligned southwest to northeast, just like the path of most of the regions weather systems. It starts with a storm surge just piling up on one end, Fry says. You could be in Buffalo and the water would be several feet higher than in Toledo. Eventually, that water sloshes toward Toledo and then back again, its energy dissipating over time.

Lake Superior is notorious for dangerous waves of a different kind: clusters of rogue waves. These abnormally large waves are colloquially known as the three sisters because they appear to travel as a trio, the second and third wave swamping a ship before it recovers from the first battering. While scientists are still trying to understand how the waves form, the phenomenon has been implicated in the tragic 1975 loss of Edmund Fitzgerald; shortly before the ship went down, the captain of another vessel nearby reported being hit by multiple 30- to 35-foot waves in quick succession; the monster waves were heading in the direction of the doomed freighter.

In fact, the strongest case for describing the Great Lakes as inland seas may be to remind the public of the potential threat that they pose. About 100 people drown each year in the Great Lakes.

When folks come to Lake Superior to go kayaking or boating, its a much different experience than on a small lake, says Natalie Chin, climate and tourism outreach specialist for Wisconsin Sea Grant. They can be very dangerous. Respecting the power of the Great Lakes is very important.

Chin is based in Superior, a city at that lakes southwestern tip. (The very name of her organization hints at the special status of the Great Lakes: Sea Grant is a national network of universities and federal and state partners, mostly along the Atlantic and Pacific, that are studying and conserving coastal resources.) Shes currently developing a kayaking safety campaign for Lake Superior and, while she doesnt think a formal name change is in order, she sees the value in emphasizing its sea-like qualities.

It comes down to the question of how do we keep people safe, how do we convey that these lakes are unpredictable and there can be very dangerous situations that occur, says Chin.

Perception of the Great Lakes is, in the end, in the eye of the beholder. Modeled beside the Gulf of Mexico or the Black Sea, even mighty Lake Superior seems small. But when youre tossed around in a boat on any of the Great Lakes during a storm, youd swear you were in the open ocean.

To me, the distinction between lake and sea is more about language and culture than science, says Sterner.

I am attracted to the romance of thinking of large lakes as seas, and referring to them that way certainly makes an important point about large lakes being different in important ways from most lakes on Earth, he adds. But my opinion is that there is no unassailable scientific logic for lumping large lakes, say, with the Aegean Sea and not with other, smaller lakes.

University of Minnesotas Coker suggests that the Great Lakes belong in a category of their own. Perhaps its not the lakes that fail to fit our definitions, but rather our words failing to describe their unique nature.

Chigamiing or gichi-gami are much older words than sea or ocean, says Price. In my opinion, there is no difference between a large lake and an inland seaboth are chigamiing.

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Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas? - Atlas Obscura

How to Charter a Superyacht: Everything You Need to Know About Booking a High-Seas Vacation – Robb Report

The Beckhams do it. Jeff Bezos does it. Leonardo DiCaprio even did it last month. Chartering a yacht has become many celebrities favorite way to get away from it all, whether lounging on sunbeds or snorkeling remote atolls. According to Fraser Yachts 2021 market report, there are around 2,900 yachts available for charter in the world today. The global charter fleet keeps on growing, which means there is a charter-yacht vacation out there to suit everyone.

Ranging from 80- to over 450 feet, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to the South Pacific, elegant sailing yachts, high-performance motoryachts, explorer yachts with expansive deck spaces and award-winning gigayachts with armadas of water toys are available.

If youve never dipped your toe in the charter waters before, let us walk you through the need-to-know details of how to charter a yacht successfully and have the time of your life.

The biggest question for first-time charterers is where to begin. The tried-and-tested method is to engage the help of a reputable charter broker. Its their job to understand what you would like to get from the charter and then matchmake your preferences with the most suitable yacht.

Engaging a professional charter broker is free and they are key to ensuring your holiday is stress-free, Alexandra Groom, charter broker at Worth Avenue Yachts, told Robb Report. Professional charter brokers have access to exclusive databases with stringent membership, communication and ethics rules, meaning they are most likely to be able to find you the right yacht in the right location, even if what you require is off market.

Make sure your broker gets to know you and your family, adds Nick Trotter, chairman of the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Associations (MYBA) charter committee. Finding the right broker is often via word of mouth, so ask your friends, ask people you trust, find out what theyve done and who theyve done it with. The communication between you and your broker is paramount because the broker represents you, theyre acting on your behalf, so you need to be able to articulate your vision.

Neal Hornsby, co-founder and CEO of Yomira, advocates finding out about your brokers eco-credentials, too: Can they offset your carbon footprint from the charter, teach the kids about the marine environment or perhaps involve you in local conservation projects if you are keen to participate during your time aboard? The right broker for you is the broker that you not only connect with, but most importantly has the credibility to back up their advice.

You can find a listing of charter brokers and companies that adhere to global guidelines at theMYBA, the yachting industrys technical and ethics guide, as well as that of theInternational Yacht Brokers Association.

For those who feel safer behind a screen, several different online platforms, such asAhoy Club, Yotha and Borrow a Boat allow you to scroll and book your yacht. This flexible approach embraces a younger generation of digitally minded charterers. That said, hailing a $10 taxi ride with Uber is much less risky than booking a $500,000 charter on your iPhone. So be sure you have contact info for a live human in case anything goes wrong on your charter vacation.

Equally as important when choosing a yacht is making sure the crew are a good fit. If you have children in tow, youll want a family-friendly crew who can keep them entertained. If youre traveling with a group of active friends, having crew who double as watersports instructors is a great benefit. Or maybe youve been dreaming of a gastronomic itinerary that features a Michelin-caliber chef on board? A broker will go over all your options. June Montagne, charter consultant at IYC, recommends requesting references on the crew prior to making your final decision. Your crew are far more important than your yacht, she told Robb Report.

An important element of any charter is knowing where you would like to vacation. This will also heavily influence the yacht that you end up chartering. Different yachts are based in different locations and usually move throughout the year, so if you have your heart set on experiencing Lady Es brand-new beach club for spring break, youll be cruising the Indian Ocean. If youre more interested in exploring UNESCO World Heritage sites along Croatias coastline, then GECO, which cruises the Eastern Mediterranean in summer, would be a smart option.

Decide on your groups makeup and whether or not you have a particular destination in mind, Katya Hall, IYC sales and charter consultant, told Robb Report. Its fine if you dontyour broker will propose yachts in multiple locations and walk you through highlights of every destination.

The most common migration is the Mediterranean in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter. However, you will also find yachts cruising the waters of Central and South America, Antarctica, the Pacific islands, Northern Europe and even Costa Rica. In 2021, the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Greek islands were among the most popular summer charter destinations.

Most yachts carry the basic water toys and tenders for being towed and simple snorkeling exploration. But some yachts carry specific equipment, from personal submarines, decompression chambers for scuba diving, inflatable slides and even Hammam saunas and snow rooms. Does your charter have a theme? Or maybe you want to celebrate a birthday? Just be sure the yacht caters for your needs, whether planning a party with a DJ or hosting a business meeting.

A yacht charter opens up destinations in ways that staying in a hotel cant, says Groom. Instead of being restricted by transport links and journey times, you can start at one part of a coastline and end at another, taking in multiple islands, villages or bays in one short week, all from the comfort of your yacht. Even if a particular coastline is new to you, your captain will ensure that your trip focuses on the elements that are most important to you.

If you want to keep the yacht on the move, its speed, size, draft depth and flag will determine how many stops you can make. For example, cruising in the Bahamas requires a shallow draft if you want to visit out islands like the Exumas, though plenty of ports have deeper waters.

A yacht with stabilizers is key for first time charterers if they havent experienced the sea before, advises Lotte Barker-Hahlo, charter broker at Burgess.

The duration of the trip and number of guests is another consideration. One week for family and a second week for friends? Or maybe youre planning a three-week itinerary to island hop your way around the Florida Keys. Charter brokers usually list pricings per week and most charter yachts are certified to carry 12 guests, plus crew. If you plan to vacation with more than that, you will need a PYC- or SOLAS-class yacht, which is licensed for up to 36 passengers. Yachts such as 278-foot Victorious, an explorer vessel capable of circumnavigating the world, has 12 staterooms for 24 guests plus crew.

Guest cabin configurations tend to be varied and flexible. The principal (person who booked the charter) will typically take the master suite. But yachts with large VIPs, cabins with bunks designed for kids, and twin cabins with a Pullman bed make sleeping arrangements tailored to suit your group easy. Dont forget to include in your count any personal assistants, babysitters or other security guards. And if anyone in your party has concerns about limited mobility, factoring an elevator or stair-climber into your criteria early on is a must.

Once youve identified which yacht you prefer in your chosen destination, be sure not to leave booking until the last minute. Just like any other vacation, chartering over the summer holidays, Christmas and popular events such as the Monaco Grand Prix makes for the high-demand season.

Only book when youre ready! says Hornsby.But as with any holiday periods, July/August and Christmas/New Year are always in high demand so an early conversation with your broker is recommended. There are always some great deals to be done in the quieter months, but lead-in time is key, particularly as we emerge from a Covid world.

In 2021, Fraser Yachts reported an increase of 56 percent in bookings across their charter fleet compared to the previous year, as well as a slight increase in the number of tandem chartersclients chartering two yachts simultaneously so more of the family could be together. Booking your charter at the last minute could mean youre unable to secure your first, second or even third preference. If the timing and the yacht are both important, book a year in advance. If you are flexible with both dates and the yacht, most brokers can find a yacht for you.

Privacy and discretion form the backbone of yachting. Builders usually dont share who the owner of a yacht is, nor do the brokers or crew. If you have concerns about the confidentiality of high-profile guests during your charter, requesting your charter broker to sign an NDA is an option. As with all elements of a bespoke yacht charter, the choice is yours, from dietary needs and favorite cocktails to service etiquette and daily activities.

If you or your travel partners are inclined to remain plugged in, most yachts feature high-speed Wi-Fi, allowing you to keep in touch as much or as little as you would like. For those keen to get out and explore, options range from shopping for local artisan goods, taking a cooking class or dropping anchor in one cove all day to dive and fish. Its up to you how you spend your time, just be sure to give the crew a heads-up so they know what to be prepared for.

The final step is the contract. Most brokers use the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Associations (MYBA) contract or something similar. All these decisions lead down to the bottom line: How much does it cost?

Ask for all expenses involved, says Montagne. Does the charter fee include expenses or are they are additional? Is there any tax or VAT payable? What percentage is acceptable in the area you will be chartering? What about liability and trip cancellation insurance? All these points need to be considered.

As an example, for the 2021 summer season, the 160-foot Rossinavi EIV superyacht, with five cabins and nine crew chartered in the Mediterranean from approximately $280,000 per week. The overall price varies with fuel consumption (staying in port or cruising), location (France or Greece), the number of people you are traveling with, food and drink, as well as activities. Adding in food and drink; expenses for docking, fuel and other fees; and tips will tack roughly 30 to 50 percent of the charter rate to your trip. So, if you were onEIVfor a week last summer, it most likely cost you between $364,000 and $420,000 depending on how often the yacht moved, how many bottles of ros you went through, and what kind of gratuity you left the crew for your incredible stay on board.

When it comes to costs, the size of the yacht matters. A smaller yacht will cost less, while the 446-foot Flying Fox, one of the largest charter yachts on the market accommodating 25 guests and with an unprecedented 4,300-square-foot two-floor spa, charters from around $3,400,000 per week.

Certain destinations, such as Patagonia or Kamchatka, may bring a different set of fees if you intend on heli-skiing, while heavily protected locations like Antarctica and the Galapagos require permits confirmed in advance. Wherever you cruise, you will heavily rely on the knowledge, professionalism and help of the crew, so it goes without saying that the service tip is a crucial fee that should factor into your expenses.

MYBA suggests five to 15 percent as customary, though its left up to your discretion to reward an exceptional crew with a larger amount if you think thats fair, or a smaller amount if the service hasnt been up to par. In terms of how to hand the tip over, standard procedure is to leave the gratuity with the captain at the end of your stay so he or she can divvy among the various crew members you may or may not have seen, based on their duties.

All thats left is to prepare to have a vacation of your lifetime. There is nothing that compares to spending time on the water with your family and friends, says Hall. Its about enjoying watersports, having exquisite meals and discovering magical spots of the world along the way.

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How to Charter a Superyacht: Everything You Need to Know About Booking a High-Seas Vacation - Robb Report

Nexxiot equips a significant share of the 3 mio TEU fleet from Hapag-Lloyd with IoT Technology – CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly

Zrich/Hamburg, 26. April 2022 Nexxiot, the global TradeTech pioneer, will become one of the official suppliers to digitalize the Hapag-Lloyd container fleet. Nexxiot will equip a significant share of the 3 mio TEU fleet from Hapag-Lloyd with innovative IoT technology and analytics, enabling for the first time the worldwide monitoring of shipping containers which are indispensable for global trade. Hapag-Lloyd will be the first carrier in the world to be able to monitor and analyze the location, movements, and status of its standard containers in real-time.

Intermodal container shipping is the backbone of the global economy. Innovative sensor technology, such as that developed by Nexxiot and used by Hapag-Lloyd, is helping to make container transport a more resilient and transparent piece of the global supply chain puzzle.

This is the largest deployment of active hardware monitoring devices to date in the ocean and intermodal shipping space, with the potential to create a vastly more efficient and sustainable global supply chain, said Stefan Kalmund, CEO of Nexxiot. The location, status and associated processes of dry containers on the high seas as well as during inland transportation are mostly untraceable today. TradeTech projects, such as those implemented by Hapag-Lloyd with Nexxiot as a system partner, change this paradigm.

As part of Hapag-Lloyd LIVE, the shipping company will be the first carrier in the world with the ability to provide all customers with real-time data and full transparency about every container movement.

Nexxiot as a system partner provides us with an important technological building block, said Olaf Habert, Director Container Applications at Hapag-Lloyd. This allows us to detect delays earlier, automatically inform the affected customers and initiate countermeasures quickly. We are firmly convinced that not only our customers benefit from the new technology, but that this new approach will revolutionize the entire container shipping industry.

The innovative IoT device powering the transformation is Nexxiots Globehopper Edge which transmits real-time location and temperature data, monitors container impacts, and can connect to other sensors via Bluetooth. In order to ensure the safety and security of crew, cargo and ships, the devices are designed and certified in accordance with the ATEX Product Directive for use in potentially flammable or explosive environments (Zone 2). The data is processed using the latest algorithms and Big Data analytics create essential business intelligence on container fleet utilization, critical events, and supply chain processes for all stakeholders across the value network.

About Nexxiot:Nexxiot is a driver of the digital logistics of tomorrow. By leading TradeTech and the digitalization of cargo transportation, Nexxiot empowers global shipping companies and suppliers to harness the power of their data through proprietary, cutting-edge technology and integrated data solutions to ensure accountability, security, and efficiency.

Nexxiots solutions track, find, and protect cargo worldwide via 700 network roaming partners. The companys secure, industry-leading Cloud comprises data from over 2.5 billion traveled miles.

Headquartered in Zurich, Nexxiot operates throughout Europe and the U.S., employing people from 26 countries. Committed to sustainability through corporate and social responsibility, Nexxiots goal is to enable a five percent reduction in global supply chain carbon dioxide emissions by increasing cargo transport efficiency and eliminating waste caused by empty runs and inefficient routes. For more information, visit http://www.nexxiot.com.

Press contact:Nexxiot AGNick Fryer, FINN Partners on behalf of Nexxiotnick.fryer@finnpartners.com

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Nexxiot equips a significant share of the 3 mio TEU fleet from Hapag-Lloyd with IoT Technology - CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly

Cruising for beginners: Life on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas – bars, restaurants and activities – RSVP Live

Setting Sail

I owe at least four friends 20 after hitting the high seas for the first time. I always said Id never do it, I never saw the point and I cant swim not that it makes any difference. But Im a changed man now and going on Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas was an experience like no other.

Theres a stereotype or assumption that cruising is for the elderly, people that are retired, or those who are looking to save a few bob on their holidays.

Like so many others, I bought into that idea but, in reality, it couldnt be further from the truth. The ship was a hot mix of modern life with newlywed couples, young families, people enjoying their golden years and even a bunch of twentysomething American lads on a stag party, all enjoying the sunshine, pools and many bars and restaurants.

Read more: What to do on a weekend in Lisbon: Belm Tower, So Jorge Castle, River Tagus and Sintra

The maiden voyage of the ship brought me to destinations I had only ever seen on travel shows or in my dreams. First up was the Labadee peninsula on the island of Haiti.

With 300 local people employed at the beach resort, this single port contributes the largest amount of tourist revenue to the country. However, at 7am, tourism revenue wasnt top of my agenda as I prepared to zipline half a mile across the Caribbean Sea from a height of 600 feet.

My legs were shaking and I screamed far too much for a man of my age, so an 8am strawberry daiquiri afterwards never tasted so good!

The beach is full of cabanas and private areas, and it is the ideal spot to chill out. However, if you fancy some more adventure I tried the Dragons Tail roller coaster and mountain waterslide on the island.

With my left shoulder fully burned from the sun, I was more covered up for our next port of call in Puerto Rico two days later. The island is home to the pina colada, which was first created in the Barrachina bar, in the capital of San Juan, in 1963.

A visit to this famous bar was top of my itinerary but I have to admit that the sweet mix of coconut cream, pineapple juice, white rum and ice didnt go down well and I swiftly passed mine on to one of my new-found friends on the ship, opting for a refreshing cosmopolitan instead.

Another day of sailing followed before arriving in the capital city of The Bahamas, Nassau. The streets were lined with pastel coloured buildings, the sea was a clear turquoise but the group of Irish people I made friends with ended up in an Irish bar owned by a man from Donegal.

Seeing the world-famous Atlantis Hotel in real life was a pinch-me moment, but sharing the beach with a group of Americans on spring break is something I wont do again.

The Bahamas is also home to a private island owned by Royal Caribbean called CocoCay. This paradise was my own wonderland with drinks on demand and the tallest water slide in North America at my finger tips, which, once again, involved a lot of screaming. And you could even swim with pigs, which I did not do!

Before my trip, I read that you need to leave yourself 20 to 25 minutes to get from one place to another on board. While it is the biggest ship in the world, things are very accessible and its really easy to find your way around. However, a late-night trip to the nightclub did send me down the wrong corridor one night!

People watching is a national sport for the Irish and you wont find a better place to do it than The Promenade on deck 5. This long atrium is home to an authentic Italian pizzeria, English pub, karaoke bar, Latin dance club and the Rising Tide bar which floats up and down between decks and a number of other cafs and bars. It is the best spot to sit back and take in the atmosphere.

The best event is the formal night where everyone goes all out with their outfit choices it is like being backstage at the Rose Of Tralee. The top deck is filled with pools, waterslides, a full size basketball court, an outdoor cinema and my personal favourite, the surf simulator.

I have never surfed in my life, and I probably never will, but I gave the FlowRider a go. I tried to chicken out but there were three nine-year-olds ahead of me and they mastered it, so I couldnt let the side down.

People looked on as the hot Aussie instructor had to get down on his belly and give me step-by-step instructions on how to not injure myself or drown in the water.

There is also a dry slide that brings you from the top deck down 10 flights to land on the boardwalk, right outside a working fairground carousel.

I also have to mention Central Park on deck 8, where my cabin was located, because it is home to 12,000 living plants and trees as well as a gorgeous Italian restaurant and the tasty Chops Grill restaurant, two of the speciality dining options on board.

The Bionic Bar on The Promenade is like something from Star Wars . Order your drink from a tablet, tap your room key, and two robots mix up whatever drink your heart desires.

If you fancy yourself as a mixologist, now is your chance to get innovative. I tried a Midori (melon liqueur), vodka and Sprite and I was very impressed and not just because the double measures were included in my drinks package.

If youre in the mood for something upmarket or if you are with that someone special and you want a break from the dining room or buffet options, there are loads of speciality dining choices.

Sadly, I was alone and my Tinder was on the fritz but I adore Eddie Rockets here in Ireland and there is a Johnny Rockets on board, a similar American franchise, and you can have an all-you-can-eat la carte menu for $9.95.

If you love brunch as much as I do, book into The Mason Jar for a bite to eat and make sure you try the Red Velvet pancakes. Book in advance though because the slots fill up very quickly and it is hard to get a table. If you are between meals or fancy something light after a few gins, head to Sorrentos for pizza by the slice. And its free!

Wonder of the Seas sails from Rome and Barcelona this summer. Check out http://www.royalcaribbean.com for the latest deals and to put your package together.

Read more: Discovering Patagonia: A Natural Beauty with travel expert Geraldine O'Callaghan

Read more: 10 travel spots you need to put on your bucket list ASAP

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Cruising for beginners: Life on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas - bars, restaurants and activities - RSVP Live

New Wrtsil large bore engine will debut in Utopia of the Seas – Marine Log

Written by NickBlenkey

Wrtsil 46TS-DF is the latest addition to Wrtsils portfolio of future proof engines. [Image Wrtsil]

Royal Caribbean Cruises latest Oasis class cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas, will be the first ship powered by Wrtsil 46TS-DF engines. Designed with a focus on efficiency, environmental performance, and fuel flexibility, the 460 mm bore x 580 mm stroke 46TS-DF is the latest addition to the Wrtsil multi-fuel engine portfolio. Wrtsil says that it signals a new era of medium-speed marine engines and, In gas fuel mode, the highest efficiency thus far achieved in the medium-speed engine market.

The Utopia of the Seas, which is bring built by French shipbuilder Chantiers de lAtlantique, will feature six Wrtsil 46TS-DF engines with gas valve units, NOx reducer SCR systems, and LNGPac.

Cutting-edge efficiency and leading environmental performance are crucial factors when designing our new ships, says Harri Kulovaara, EVP newbuilding and innovation, Royal Caribbean Group. We were delighted to work with Wrtsil as well as with the shipyard Chantiers de lAtlantique from an early stage in development to make sure these engines are the ideal fit to power the latest addition to our fleet while advancing our sustainability journey.

Wrtsil says the overriding basis for this new medium-speed engine launch is to be able to offer a future-proof solution for owners and operators to reach decarbonization targets. The Wrtsil 46TS-DF has a two-stage turbocharging to deliver high levels of efficiency and power density across a wide operational range for vessels in all segments of the industry. This level of efficiency reduces fuel consumption and lowers emissions, while being easily retrofittable for future carbon-neutral and carbon-free fuels as they become widely available.

The maritime sector is having to adapt to the transitional effects caused by the need to meet decarbonization goals within a relatively short period of time, says Stefan Nysj, vice president, power supply, Wrtsil Marine Power. This new engine launch provides an important boost towards achieving those goals. It delivers the power to change by setting a new benchmark for greater sustainability through high efficiency, emissions performance, and fuel flexibility.

Development of the Wrtsil 46TS-DF engine has been based on the extensive experience gained from the companys Wrtsil 46, 46F, and 50 engine families. It is available in 6 to 16-cylinder configurations, corresponding to a power output range of 7.8 to 20.8 MW at 600 rpm. It features an intrinsically modular design, which simplifies upgradability and modifications for alternative future fuels.

The dual-fuel Wrtsil 46TS-DF engine can run LNG, which dramatically reduces air pollutants as well as offering a viable platform for further decarbonization through the use of bio- or synthetic methane in the future.

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New Wrtsil large bore engine will debut in Utopia of the Seas - Marine Log

India and the US Navigate Their Differences – Heritage.org

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in April hosted their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. The ministers met for the fourth edition of the 2+2 defense and foreign policy dialogue that began during the Trump administration.

The talks were preceded by a virtual meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations. The dialogue was largely successful, if not entirely groundbreaking. What was achieved may have been less important than what was avoided: a diplomatic rupture over the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

At the 2+2, both sides offered lofty rhetoric about the health and future of India-U.S. ties. Theres virtually no domain on which we are not cooperating with each other, Jaishankar declared. Austin called the relationship the cornerstone of security in the Indo-Pacific. Singh signaled Indias happiness with the numerous foundational military agreements signed in recent years, insisting the two sides would double up capabilities across conventional and emerging defense domains. Readouts of the discussions noted the two militaries are operating closely together across all domains and would jointly meet the challenges of this century.

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway from the meeting was a proposal to explore possibilities of utilizing Indian shipyards for repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Maritime Sealift Command to support mid-voyage repair of U.S. Naval Ships. Beyond that, the dialogue produced a handful of modest but positive developments. These included an agreement to cooperate on space situational awareness as well as the launching of a new Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue. They also involved commitments to joint service engagements to support high-end combined operations; to the co-production of air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles; and to expanded joint cyber training and exercises.

>>>Dont Let Putins War in Ukraine Damage U.S.-India Ties

India also announced that it would join Combined Maritime Forces Bahrain, a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity.

Arguably the most important outcome was the two sides ability to navigate differences over Russia and the Ukraine crisis. India and the U.S. have never seen eye-to-eye on Russia, but Putins invasion has brought their quiet disagreements to the forefront.

Some U.S. commentators cried foul when India voted repeatedly to abstain from criticizing Russia at the United Nations for its conduct in Ukraine. They called into question Indias credentials as a democratic member of the Quad while it continued to import Russian oil and gas.

The U.S. government, however, has adopted a more flexible approach. It recognizes that most of Indias legacy military hardware is of Russian origin. The Indian government believes it can ill afford to alienate its top defense supplier while its border dispute with China grows more violent and volatile. The U.S. government also recognizes that, in the subtle language of diplomacy, Indias position has shifted from stoic neutrality to criticism of Russias actions - without naming Moscow explicitly.

In a break from its early statements on the crisis, the Indian government is now denouncing violations of international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Ukraine. New Delhi has also condemned the horrific killing of civilians in Bucha and, unusually for India, called for an international inquiry into the atrocity. All these statements, without naming [Russia], are clearly aimed at indicating unhappiness towards what Russia has done, explained former Indian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin. Modi has also spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy twice. Modi is rumored to have signaled Indias opposition to the war in direct conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Bucha killings in particular may have marked a turning point in Indian public opinion. With several Indian reporters in Ukraine broadcasting images of the horrors back home, the Indian press has engaged in unusually lively criticism of Russias actions in Ukraine. Some have questioned Moscows ability to remain a reliable supplier, with Russias own military industrial base being drained by the Ukraine conflict. Others are increasingly unnerved by Russias deepening embrace of China and Moscows neutrality during recent flare-ups at the China-India border.

Arguably the only time Russia has notched a victory in Indian public opinion is when the U.S. government has been perceived as threatening or lecturing India over Ukraine. A trip to New Delhi by Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh earlier this month ruffled feathers when he was quoted threatening consequences for any Indian attempts to evade U.S. sanctions while importing Russian energy.

>>>The Indo-Pacific Strategy Needs Indo-Specifics

This month, the White House sought to clear the air. When asked if, during a pre-meeting phone call, Biden had pressured Modi to reduce Russian oil imports, a White House spokeswoman noted Russian energy represents only 1%-2% of total Indian energy imports, adding: Theyre not violating any sanctions by importing oil. Its a decision we made to stop importing oil. Different countries have their own calculation.

Meanwhile, on the defense relationship with Russia, Blinken explained that India developed those ties at a time when the U.S. was not able to be a partner to India. Times have changed. Today we are able and willing to be a partner of choice with India across virtually every realm.

In the spectrum of U.S. interests at stake with India, the Indo-Pacific, the Quad, and the China challenge outrank the countrys legacy ties with Russia. There is little merit to creating a rift with New Delhi over a war India opposes and whose outcome it is unable to affect. Rather than sanctioning India for its legacy reliance on Russian military hardware, it is better for the U.S. to show that it is a more reliable and superior alternative as India continues the important but sluggardly process of weaning itself off Russian arms. The April 2+2 was a step forward in the right direction.

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