Grain Trades – Whenever a drought occurs, additional grain needs to be imported. The drought in South Africa during the 2015-2016 summer grain growing season resulted in the country needing about 4 million tons of additional grain, most of which was imported from Argentina. This swelled the demand for handysize bulkers (especially the Supramaxes) in the…
Coal Trades – Steam coal is used for powerstations, while higher quality coal is used mainly in the steel industry. An annual increase in demand for steam coal occurs from September to February to meet the need for greater electricity generation during the northern hemisphere’s cold and dark winter months. This in turn, increases the demand…
Iron Ore Trades – Brazil, north-western Australia and South Africa are among the major producers of iron ore that is moved in Capesize ships to China, Japan, Korea, Europe and numerous other industrialised countries that produce significant amounts of steel. From 2001 to 2008, a surge in Chinese steel production brought a wave of iron ore…
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Containerships 2100 2006 2114 2101 2156 2964 3118 3109 Bulk Carriers 204 232 241 221 248 1109 2115 2332 Tankers (VLCC) 367 393 379 381 369 387 392 369 Product Tankers 625 …
Once the steam engine had been invented and used to pump water from mines or on railway locomotives, several steam-powered ships were built. Initially these were small vessels, trading along the European coast or on American waterways. In 1818, the steamship Savannah was built for an American owner. Her steam engine powered a paddlewheel on each…
From the old sailing ships (that were dependent on wind and currents) to today’s ships with highly sophisticated engines, Marine propulsion systems have changed radically over the years. In this section, we study the varous types of marine propulsion. Sailing ships Steamships Modern steamships The change from steamships to motorships over the years Diesel-electric propulsion system…
A Note for Teachers Welcome to the Grade 12 section of the MaritimeSA website that has been made possible through generous sponsorship by African Marine Solutions (AMSOL), the well-known South African company that specialises in salvage and towing operations, as well as ship management, bunkering and offshore services. We hope that the website will help…
Study the details in the extract from Lloyd’s Register above and answer the questions set. Why is MDO used every day on a ship, yet HFO is used only at sea? IVS Gleneagles began a charter on arrival at Saldanha Bay at 00:01 on 7 July. Using her own cranes as there are no shoreside…
As countries struggle with air pollution from carbon fuels such as coal and vehicle exhausts, they try to find alternative sources of energy. Solar power is becoming widely used in industry, homes and even in transport – a few vehicle carriers have large solar panels on their upper decks to assist with the provision of…
See also the Grade 10 site for details of the various ships used to recover diamonds from the ocean floor and also the section covering vessels, platforms and other structures involved in undersea oil and gas production. The search for minerals on the ocean floor (e.g. diamonds off the southern Namibian coast) or oil and…