Category Archives: Ships and Barges

Sex, crime, and death on the high seas. A U.S. Senate investigation of the cruise ship industry

Posted on June 1, 2016 by

Senate 113–642. July 24, 2013. Cruise Industry Oversight: recent incidents show need for stronger focus on consumer protection. U.S. Senate hearing. 169 pages. Since 2011, cruise lines voluntarily reported 959 alleged crimes to the FBI, and 130 crimes that must … Continue reading →

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When Trucks Stop Running, So Does Civilization. Energy and the Future of Transportation.

Posted on January 16, 2016 by

When Trucks Stop Running. Energy and the Future of Transportation. Available at Springer, Amazon, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, Alibris When Trucks Stop Running: Table of Contents, Preface, References Book review: “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Electric Grid & Fast Collapse, Electrification, Energy Books, Oil Shocks, Railroads, Ships and Barges, Transportation Infrastructure, Transportation Supply chain, Trucks, When Trucks Stop Running | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on When Trucks Stop Running, So Does Civilization. Energy and the Future of Transportation.

NRC study on transporting ocean containers inland

Posted on December 15, 2015 by

[I was interested in this research because if trucks can’t be electrified, civilization ends (see “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the future of Civilization” (Springer 2015)).  This paper doesn’t have a solution to getting containers from ports to inland … Continue reading →

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Congressional hearings on why the Inland water way system is falling apart

Posted on November 15, 2015 by

[There are extracts from 2 hearings below.  Alice Friedemann. www.energyskeptic.com] U.S. SENATE. Jan 31, 2013. Harbor maintenance trust fund & the need to invest in the nation’s ports. S. HRG. 113-578. Hearing before the Committee on Environment & public works. … Continue reading →

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Barges are more energy efficient than rail and truck

Posted on June 16, 2015 by

  [After reading two congressional hearings, one in 2008, and another in 2013, about how the inland waterway system was falling apart, and had been for 30 years, I was curious to know why such an important asset would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Ships and Barges | 2 Comments

Oil shortages: Transportation needs to go back to high inventories, not just-in-time delivery

Posted on April 8, 2015 by

Huge amounts of fuel are wasted as trucks arrive half full with just the needed parts at factories and warehouses and return empty. As oil shocks strike, fuel will be less available.  Large inventories will help by cushioning businesses from … Continue reading →

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Super Rust Corrodes hundreds of ships and could sink the oil industry

Posted on October 4, 2014 by

Blame it on super-rust, a virulent form of corrosion that has destroyed hundreds of ships and could sink the oil industry. By Richard Martin, June 2002. Wired Magazine. Key points (see the full article at http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/10.06/superrust.html): Ships that cost hundreds … Continue reading →

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Moving oil by ship or barge to refineries

Posted on October 2, 2014 by

Frittelli, J., et al. May 5, 2014. U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service. Barge One river barge can hold 10,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil. Two to three river barges are typically … Continue reading →

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