Video Construction of Panama Canal from 1908 and 1914 in color! Part-1
published on 13 October 2020
Spectacular (silent) film footage of the construction of the Panama Canal more than a century ago. The film shows the construction of the Miraflores and Gatun locks in detail as well as the digging of "The Culebra Cut" including steam trains, steam shovels and steam dredgers at work and scenes of the locks an the Canal in its first days op operation in 1914. Wikipedia: The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82 km (51 miles) waterway in Panama that connects the...
Video Every Climb is Life or Death - What do maritime pilots do?
published on 20 March 2022
Opinion Hybrid War at Sea
by Frank Diegel - published on 25 March 2025
Electronic warfare in the Baltic Sea is escalating rapidly, with GPS and AIS disruptions posing growing risks to maritime navigation. Russia’s hybrid strategy is targeting both safety and stability in one of Europe’s most critical shipping regions. Pilots and crews now face a new reality: navigating under threat.
Video 2006 Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller - Hebridean Princess
published on 22 November 2023
In 2006 I was invited to join Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller on one of his last few voyages before his retirement. A pilot cutter ferried us from the Gravesend Port office to the Port of London Terminal where the Hebridean Spirit waited for us to board. Once aboard, the ship's captain manoeuvred the vessel off its moorings and into the channel. After handing the vessel over to Capt. Miller, the Captain joined the ship's company for dinner, and the first offer and a helmsman remained...
Video "Majesty of the Seas" berthing Portsmouth International Port. Tug view
published on 10 August 2020
Video by Andy Mabbett, UK
A lovely morning for the arrival of the Royal Caribbean International Majesty of the Seas into Portsmouth International Port. Apologies for my basic editing but the overlays in each corner provide an idea of what my tugs azimuth thrusters were doing along the way with the sliders showing engine and propeller power. The Damen Shipyards Group ASD 2411 'MARKSMAN' of SMS Towage is an awesome tug with 70t Bollard Pull. This ensures the customer's v/l is handled safely...