Latest news with #maritime
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Inside the world of the shipwreck hunters (and the treasures yet to be found)
' Shimmering gold lies in wait… ' promises the website of treasure hunter Martin Bayerle. It is now 44 years since he discovered the ' billion dollar wreck ' of the RMS Republic, the White Star Liner that sank in 1909, three years before its famous sister ship, Titanic. The American adventurer, looking every inch the pirate in his eyepatch covering his left eye – which he lost the use of at 11 after an explosive accident – is still hoping to return to the wreck to recover an estimated 45 tons of gold that has lain 270ft beneath the Atlantic waves where vessel sank, about 50 miles south of Nantucket Island. But, perhaps somewhat hopefully, he is now seeking strangers to back an online crowdfunder to bankroll a proposed £372,000 salvage operation this year. The fund's total is currently £109,000, but the appeal's website claims it, 'now has the resources to plunder the Republic's riches and reward the team and himself with the biggest pay day in the history of maritime treasure hunting'. Shipwrecks, and specifically the hunt for them, is just having a moment after the San José, laden with gold, was found off the coast of Colombia, sparking an international row over who owned the booty. And the final resting place of Captain Cook's Endeavour was confirmed, off Newport Harbour, Rhode Island. 'It's possible that more investors will be tempted by this week's news reports of the gold coins seen aboard the wreck of the San José [the 300 year old Spanish galleon believed to be carrying more than £12 billion worth of gold] off the coast of Colombia,' says maritime historian Richard M Jones, referring to Bayerle's hopes. 'But for every treasure hunter who made a profit searching for treasure on the seabed, I could probably find you a thousand who lost everything.' Jones, 44 – who has published over 20 books on shipwrecks – admits there's 'an obvious romance' to the lure of sunken treasure. He drifts into a reverie himself, describing the jewel encrusted copy of the edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám – still believed to be sealed into a safe on Titanic – with 1,050 specially cut rubies, topazes and emeralds set into its gold and leather binding. Like many armchair adventurers, he fantasises about being involved in the discovery of 'holy grail' wrecks, such as the Portuguese carrack, Flor de la Mar, which sank in 1511 with the loss of 400 souls while transporting an estimated £1.9 billion of spoils home from the conquest of Malacca. Or, the more mysterious Spanish galleon San Miguel, which sank off Santo Domingo in 1551 carrying an unknown quantity of stolen Inca and Aztec artefacts looted by the conquistadors. Others are quickly skeptical of Bayerle's ambitions: '$500,000 wouldn't even begin to get that salvage operation started,' says Mensun Bound, the British maritime archaeologist, nicknamed the 'Indiana Jones of the Deep', who located Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea in 2022. 'It would cost millions to get that gold up, if it's even there.' After a lifetime of undersea exploration, Bound knows first hand that discovering gold isn't all it's cracked up to be. In 2001, he and his team excavated the Portuguese ship Espadarte, which sunk in 1558. 'We were pulling up Ming porcelain but finding [50kg of] gold was absolutely terrifying. Oh god. Like the novelist Jack London says, 'gold changes you'. It does. 'From one day to the next we became very furtive, untrusting. If any of the boat handlers knew what we were bringing up in our wetsuits they would have slit our throats and disappeared with the loot. We dug up the tiles in my bedroom, put the gold under them and tarred them over. For eight to nine months I slept over all that gold, which was very scary.' How much was it worth? 'I don't know. It wasn't ours.' He explains they were working under licence for a government he'd rather I don't name. Jones prefers to do his exploring from the safety of his local library in Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast. 'Although you need millions to find and salvage wrecks, you can do a lot of the detective work for the price of a few stamps, by combing your way through the national archives.' Obsessed with wrecks, since he watched the Titanic raised on TV aged 11 (and attending a Titanic convention to shake the hand of a survivor five years later), Jones began investigating shipwrecks in earnest in 2003, starting with the Great Gale of 1871. 'For a century people had said 70 people were killed on 30 boats. By studying the archives I found there were 28 boats and only 50 killed, including the lifeboatmen.' He was learning that, when it comes to the mysterious seas, 'People have a tendency to sensationalise, to let their imaginations take over because there is no evidence left to observe.' Hitting the jackpot Some treasure hunters hit the jackpot. Jones reminds me that in 1981, American treasure hunter Mel Fisher made worldwide headlines when he discovered the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, declared the world's most valuable shipwreck by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014. The Spanish galleon was sailing from the 'New World' to Spain, when it was hit by a hurricane and sank in 1622 with a cargo of 40 tons of gold and silver and around 70 pounds of Colombian emeralds. 'But Fisher paid a terrible price for his obsession with that treasure,' says Jones. 'In 1975 one of the boats involved in his quest sank. His son (Dirk, 21), daughter in law (Angel, 25) and a diver (Rick Gage, 21) all drowned.' Jones exhales. 'After that I guess he had to keep going or the loss would have been in vain. But how to do you celebrate the treasure after all that? Was it really worth it?' After an eight-year legal battle with the state of Florida, Fisher was able to keep the loot (then estimated to be worth £335 million) and appeared on the Johnny Carson show wearing the salvaged 'money chain', a gold necklace worth £74,000 reaching to the waist. But he was also fined for damaging the ecosystem of the seabed, and by 1998, pleaded guilty to selling counterfeited gold Spanish escudo coins, which he had claimed came from the wreck. He was ordered to pay £50,000 to customers who bought the fakes. Bound and Jones say the legal hassles alone make treasure hunting a poor investment choice. Jones points to the America Odyssey Marine Exploration team who went in search of the Royal Merchant in 2007. Nicknamed 'The El Dorado of the Seas' this English Merchant ship was lost off the Cornish coast in 1664 while carrying a rumoured £100,000 worth of gold (over $1.5 billion in today's money), 400 bars of Mexican silver (another $1 million) and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight. 'The operation was conducted in secret in the hope that the discovery would not be hijacked by other companies,' says Jones. 'Meantime, footage released of the treasure being flown to the United States showed boxes full of coins, but while the press were suggesting that this was the discovery of the Royal Merchant, the Spanish government realised that the team had actually located the warship Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, sunk in 1804 after a battle with the British.' In 2013, the Odyssey team had to hand 14.5 tons of treasure over to the Spanish after a court order was issued.' Jones chuckles. 'Imagine going to all the effort and expense only to lose the lot! And we still haven't found the Royal Merchant!' He goes on: 'One of the greatest treasures ship is the Blessing of Burntisland. It is believed to be an entire King's treasure loaded about the ferry in 1633. But it hit a squall, rolled over and sank. I first got interested in 1992 when I heard a news report that they were looking for it. The explorers were dressed up as King Charles I on the harbour mouth. 'In 1999 there were news reports that it had been found, there was a book and a website which has since been taken down. There is just no information. It leads me to believe they didn't find it – oops we got the wrong wreck. Nothing has been confirmed. Technically it is still out there for the taking. 'But because the Firth of Forth is a shipping channel, it has so many wrecks it would be very hard to figure out what's what. There is a liner that was converted to carry aircraft down there. There is so much and the Blessing is a wooden ship full of silver, it will be under the sea bed – the currents will have piled mud on mud.' Tales of heroic failure Jones stressed that the history of wreck hunting is littered with such tales of heroic failure. 'In 1986 Danish wreck hunter, Aage Jensen, found the wreck of the German submarine U-534, sunk by the RAF of the Danish island of Anholt in 1945.' Many believed she was carrying Nazi gold to South America.' But when they finally got her up, although there was a guide to South America, there was no Nazi gold. Instead they found 200 condoms!' He says that, 'U-534 is actually a wonderful historic find. It contained an enigma machine and an enigma decoded messages informing the crew that Hitler was dead.' The submarine became a museum in Birkenhead and a new visitor centre is planned for 2026. Jones also notes that 'treasure hunters can also forget that many of these wrecks are war graves'. 'The HMS Edinburgh, sunk by a German U-boat in 1942, went down with a crew of 58 and 465 gold bars, intended as payment from Russia to America for war equipment,' he added. British diver and treasure hunter Keith Jessop found it in 1981 – with $36 (£26.8) million going to the Russians and the other $36 million split between him and his secret investors. But Jones points out the headlines were all about the money and not the deceased sailors. 'Although people focus on the treasure, there is often more money to be made from the history,' says Jones. He points out that the Tudor navy's Mary Rose, raised from the seabed in 1982 – with an estimated 60 million viewers watching TV coverage – now makes over £3 million per year as a tourist attraction. 'In the long term, history can pay more than chests full of treasure,' he says. 'The same goes for good, liveable wrecks. If you really wanted a return on your investment you wouldn't gamble on salvage operations. You'd buy an interesting old ship, sink it on a pretty reef and start a local dive centre!' As an example, he points to the wreck of the Swedish ferry Zenobia, which sank on its maiden voyage from Cyprus in 1980. Now rated one of the world's top ten wreck dives, Jones says it has 'totally regenerated the local tourist industry'. Bound agrees that there might be some truth in that, but the man who has pulled a staggering array of 'wonders' from the deep – ranging from an Ancient Greek bronze helmet through to Ming vases and Tudor longbows – says there is nothing quite like the thrill of finding that your 'X' really does mark the spot. When he located Endurance, 100 years to the day after the polar explorer was buried in 1922, he 'felt the breath of Earnest Shackleton on the back of my neck'. He says there was 'crazy whooping and shouting on the bridge' of his search vessel. 'I had predicted the Endurance would be in very good condition, and she was. It was as if we had opened the freezer and there she was, just waiting for us.'
Associated Press
20 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Sustainability at Sea: How DP World Is Charting a Green Future for Maritime Trade
As the global maritime industry navigates the accelerating demands of sustainability, DP World is anchoring itself at the center of change. With a footprint spanning 74 countries and over 114,000 employees, our mission – to make trade flow – carries a critical mandate: it must flow sustainably. At the heart of this transformation lies a bold but pragmatic approach to port and vessel decarbonization. Through the ' Our World, Our Future,' sustainability strategy, we are committed to decarbonizing our port terminals, logistics, and marine services by 2030. Achieving net-zero emission by 2050 is our north star. Through our work, DP World is proving that environmental leadership and operational resilience are not opposing forces, but powerful allies. Electrification on the Front Lines of Port Decarbonization In Vancouver, DP World's Centerm terminal stands as a national first by providing shore power – also known as 'cold ironing' – to docked vessels. There, container ships can shut down their auxiliary diesel engines and plug into the local electrical grid while berthed – cutting emissions by up to 80%. This is a model for how port electrification improves air quality for nearby communities while supporting long-term climate goals. Centerm is not alone. Globally, our terminals are transitioning to electric cranes, yard equipment, and terminal tractors as part of our dedicated equipment electrification capital plane. In the Dominican Republic, we became the first port operator in Latin America to develop a charging station for our electric truck fleet. The station is powered by 100% renewable energy and is used to charge our fleet of 20 fully electric internal transport vehicles (ITVs). Earlier this year, we celebrated a major sustainability milestone when the trucks traveled more than 740,000 kilometers - the equivalent of 18 zero-emission trips around the world – avoiding more than 2,400 tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions. Around the world, we are proud to have achieved 100% renewable energy at our operations in Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, and Dry Docks World in the UAE. Internal carbon pricing now guides capital investments, ensuring environmental gains are paired with financial discipline. Driving Emissions Down at Sea: Marine Services Innovation While port operations evolve, DP World's marine fleet is transforming. With over 120 vessels handling 16,000+ port calls each year, this is where small efficiency gains yield massive emissions reductions. We've introduced new ships that run on cleaner-burning methanol, upgraded vessels for greater efficiency, and improved routes to achieve measurable fuel savings. In 2023, we launched the first hybrid-electric ferry in the UK, Pioneer, which runs on a combination of traditional diesel fuel and electric battery power. A second hybrid-electric ferry, Liberte, came online in 2024. We're not betting on a single technology. From biofuels to hybrid propulsion systems, our Marine Services business is continuously testing pathways toward a low-carbon fleet. Preparing for a Multi-Fuel Future The transition to alternative fuels is not just about switching tanks; it's a system-wide overhaul. We're preparing for a landscape where methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, and liquified natural gas (LNG) coexist. This requires new infrastructure, established safety standards, and a workforce equipped for complexity. Earlier this year, we successfully completed initial testing of a hydrogen fuel cell rubber-tired gantry (RTG) crane at the Port of Vancouver. RTG cranes are traditionally large consumers of diesel fuel, accounting for 50% of consumption in Vancouver alone. During testing, the hydrogen-powered system operated continuously for 16 hours, emitting only steam – in contrast to the 400 kg of CO₂ produced by a comparable diesel unit. On the heels of this success, we are conducting expansive field testing on the feasibility of electrifying our global RTG fleet. DP World is also creating fueling networks and sustainable shipping routes in key hubs like Singapore and Europe. We established protocol on handling very cold fuels and transporting them seamlessly from storage to ship – ensuring safety and scalability for a clean marine fuel future. We know this journey won't be linear. High costs and limited availability of green fuels like methanol and ammonia are current roadblocks. But through partnerships and policy advocacy, we're pushing to accelerate availability and affordability across our global network. Collaboration: The Cornerstone of Global Progress Progress at scale requires shared ambition. That's why DP World is an active member of initiatives like the Zero Emissions Port Alliance, the First Movers Coalition, and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. Through these partnerships, we're advocating for co-investment models, harmonized regulation, and infrastructure development that serves a broader vision: ports not just as gateways of commerce, but critical hubs in the world's renewable energy supply chain. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from DP World
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Stormy winds break cruise ship loose in Alaskan harbor
Stormy winds caused the cruise ship 'Celebrity Edge' to break free from its mooring in the port of Juneau, Alaska, on Monday. The ship drifted uncontrollably through the water – fortunately, the incident ended without a serious accident.
Al Bawaba
a day ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
DP World Egypt Marks Historic Week with Landmark Arrivals – Reinforces Sokhna as Egypt's Gateway to Global Trade and Economic Security
DP World Egypt marked a significant milestone last week with the arrival of the Energos Eskimo at Ain Sokhna Port, spearheading a series of three strategic maritime operations that highlight the port's expanding role in advancing trade, energy and tourism throughout Egypt and the wider vessel, a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) operated by New Fortress Energy (NFE), has docked for a series of specialised technical upgrades, including modifications to its high-pressure gas manifold. These enhancements are part of its preparations for a forthcoming call at SUMED Port, where it will begin injecting natural gas into Egypt's national grid. The project underscored Sokhna Port's capacity to support complex energy operations and its growing role in servicing the global gas FSRU vessel directly contributes to Egypt's energy resilience, ensuring a stable supply of natural gas to meet growing domestic Energos Eskimo operation was one of three high-impact achievements completed by DP World Egypt within the span of a single week, demonstrating the port's operational agility and its increasing contribution to Egypt's industrial and maritime development. Whether supporting energy, bulk cargo, or tourism, Sokhna continues to strengthen its position as a fully integrated hub for logistics, trade and passenger Shihab, Chief Executive Officer, DP World Egypt, said: 'DP World Egypt continues to prove its ability to manage diverse vessel types with efficiency and precision, from LNG carriers and dry bulk ships to cruise liners. Sokhna Port's strategic location and advanced infrastructure make it a vital connector between Egypt, East and North Africa, Asia and beyond, supporting both trade flows and the country's economic development goals.'Egypt's Largest-Ever Iron Ore ShipmentAlso, this week, Sokhna Port welcomed the Berge Kuju, a 300-metre dry bulk vessel arriving from Brazil with 180,008 tonnes of iron ore destined for Ezz Steel. Marking the largest iron ore shipment ever received at an Egyptian port, the cargo was efficiently discharged using the port's deep-water berths and high-capacity mobile harbour cranes, reaffirming DP World's capability to manage large-scale industrial imports with speed and delivery forms part of a long-term strategic agreement and supports more than 6 million tonnes of annual iron ore throughput at Sokhna, positioning the port as a key enabler of Egypt's manufacturing and industrial Operations Expand with Return of AroyaRounding out the week's achievements, Sokhna Port also welcomed the Aroya cruise ship on its second scheduled visit under an annual agreement with Cruise Saudi. The vessel carried 2,300 passengers, with disembarkation and customs clearance completed seamlessly – further strengthening Sokhna's position as a rising hub in the regional cruise tourism growing influx of cruise passengers stimulates Egypt's local economy, benefitting transport, hospitality and retail businesses in the surrounding Shihab added, 'Our continued investments in terminal capacity and integrated logistics solutions are enabling Egypt to support more advanced and diversified maritime operations, from heavy industry to tourism.'DP World Egypt remains committed to long-term investment in Egypt's trade and logistics landscape. The $80 million Sokhna Logistics Park, now nearing completion, will further enhance the company's ability to deliver seamless, multimodal supply chain solutions to local and global markets. By improving access to trade infrastructure and reducing logistical bottlenecks, the park is expected to attract foreign investment and boost Egypt's export competitiveness.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
French authorities finally promise to intercept small boats in the Channel as shocking figures reveal one migrant reaches Britain every four-and-a-half minutes
French authorities have finally promised to intercept small boats in Channel waters as figures reveal a migrant reached Britain every four-and-a-half minutes last week. A new 'maritime doctrine' set to come into operation next month allows French police officers to block dinghy departures within 300 yards of the shoreline. Currently, they are barred from intercepting any boat once it is in the water. But gendarmes have expressed concerns over their safety when the new policy comes into force. The new rules will be introduced after Channel migrants reaching the UK topped 2,000 in a week for the first time in 21 months, following 489 arrivals on Tuesday. The 2,222 arrivals over seven days meant an average of one migrant reached Britain every four-and-a-half minutes. Police unions are understood to have concerns their members may be required to enter the water wearing 'Kevlar' body armour, which can weigh up to 6lbs and would put them at risk of drowning. Sources said French officers had also raised concerns about being unable to carry firearms if they are required to go into the sea, because salt water would damage the weapons. However, French police colonel Olivier Alary said that his teams 'will be able to do more' once the 300-yard rule comes into force. 'If the rules change to allow us to intervene against these taxi boats, as close as possible to the shore, then we'll be able... to be more effective,' he told the BBC. Marc Musiol, of the police union Unity, said: 'I can understand an average British person watching this on television might say, 'Damn, those police don't want to intervene.' But it's not like that. 'Imagine people on a boat panic and we end up with children drowning. The police officer who intervened would end up in a French court.' He added: 'It's a complicated business, but we can't fence off the entire coastline. It's not the Second World War.' Last week's crossing total was the most since September 2023, when the former Tory government's Rwanda policy was still in legal limbo. It tipped the total since Labour came to power at last July's general election past the 40,000 mark, hitting 40,276. Since the start of this year, 17,034 migrants have reached Britain, up 38 per cent on the same period last year. The figure does not include hundreds more who reached Dover yesterday. Reform leader Nigel Farage said it was 'about time' Britain faced up to the fact it was 'our fault' – rather than France's – that so many migrants head here. 'We will never stop the boats from leaving France,' he told broadcaster Talk. 'They'd need 10,000 soldiers on the beaches to stop every boat from going. The reason they're coming isn't the French's fault, the reason they're coming – it's our fault. It's about time we faced up to that.' His remarks echoed comments from French politicians over recent years which blamed Britain's asylum system, as well as inadequate checks on illegal working, for making this country an 'El Dorado' for illegal migrants. In a new development, people-smuggling gangs have begun delivering inflated dinghies to the shore tied to car roofs rather than inflating them on French beaches, in a bid to reduce the risk of detection by police. It demonstrates how traffickers are constantly evolving their methods. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer cancelled the Tories' Rwanda asylum scheme – which was designed to deter crossings and save lives – as one of his first acts in office. Instead, Labour vowed that investment in law enforcement would solve the crisis. But migrant numbers are soaring and Downing Street this week admitted the situation was 'deteriorating'. A government source said last night: 'Any new tactics to prevent these criminals from facilitating these dangerous journeys are always welcome.' And a Home Office source pointed out: 'On exactly the same days in 2023, 2,375 people arrived – or one every 4.2 minutes – when Rishi Sunak was PM and Robert Jenrick was immigration minister.'
