Ouch! Brand new superyacht crashes through door of Lürssen dry dock

Things clearly went awry recently at the Lürssen shipyard in Bremen resulting in the shipbuilder unveiling project Ali Baba ahead of schedule due to an accident. A technical glitch in the dock gate was said to be the culprit as it forced water out of the dock, thereby pushing the nose of the 140m yacht into the dock curtain.
“Damage occurred to the dock door in the dry dock at the Lürssen site in Aumund, Bremen,” Lürssen said in a statement. Continue reading “What caught my eye: January 2024”
If you thought taking selfies was without risk, this bizarre story proves otherwise. Have you ever wondered about the dangers of taking a selfie on an unstable vessel for example? Well, here is one such incident. Fortunately, on this occasion, nobody was seriously injured, but it could have been far worse.
Of all the stories I have unearthed this year, this one is one of my favourites and one of the strangest too; and please forgive me for it sounds like something that could only happen in America – a sort of rodeo with boats instead of cattle!
Well this story, or should I say photo, certainly stopped me dead in my tracks and This Is It. No, that’s actually the name of the vessel!


I must admit when reports of orcas attacking yachts off the coast of Spain started hitting the news headlines about 2 years ago, I and many others, found this strangely amusing, if a little far-fetched. I presumed the orcas were being playful and that this was an isolated incident or two that would soon pass.

It fascinates me when two industry sectors combine, and it is great to know that an older OSV can be put to good use as a new spaceport. Recently I read an article about a former offshore supply vessel that is reportedly destined to become the world’s first marine spaceport for human spaceflight. Classification society ABS has reported it is supporting the planned reactivation and modifications to the 25-year-old vessel, which is expected to be operational later this year as part of test flights in advance of an anticipated 2024 commercial launch.