ships

ships that turn off their location and sail “like the Vikings”

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In 2017, several merchant ships sailing near the Black Sea they began to detect something impossible on their screens: dozens of ships appeared sailing over a Russian airport located inland. For days, captains and maritime analysts tried to understand what was happening until a suspicion arose: someone was deliberately manipulating GPS signals on one of the busiest shipping routes on the planet. The ghost fleet of oil. we have been counting for months. Western sanctions against Russia, Iran and Venezuela have ended up creating something that just a few years ago seemed like something out of maritime espionage novels: a gigantic “ghost fleet” of aging tankers crossing entire oceans hiding your positionfalsifying documents and surfing foutside normal systems of control. It is estimated that more than a thousand vessels already participate in this opaque trade in sanctioned crude oil, a global network where ships constantly change flag, owner and operating company as they transport millions of barrels away from Western surveillance. The result is a parallel maritime world made up of rusty oil tankers, shell companies, cryptocurrency payments and crews recruited almost blindly to work on increasingly dangerous routes. The Financial Times said The most striking thing is that the business has forced the recovery of navigation practices that seemed buried by modern technology: there are ships that deliberately turn off their location systems and cross entire areas practically “in the dark”, guiding themselves with radar and manual calculations as if they had gone back centuries in time. Sail like ghosts. One of the most surprising details of this clandestine business is the way in which many oil tankers voluntarily disappear from the map. To avoid being tracked, ships they disconnect their transponders AIS, the system that automatically reports your position to other ships and maritime authorities. some even they falsify coordinates to appear browsing in completely different places. Crew members of these tankers they explain that it is common to see “ghost” ships on screens… vessels that apparently are there, but that in reality do not exist where their signs indicate. Others disappear completely for days on end while loading oil at Iranian terminals or carrying out secret crude oil transfers on the high seas. In some cases, GPS interference near Iran literally force sailors to navigate “like the Vikings”, using radar, experience and basic calculations to move authentic floating cities hundreds of meters in length with hardly any reliable references. The Bella 1 and the Atlantic chase. The history of Bella 1 It perfectly sums up how far this parallel world has come. The enormous supertanker, old, rusty and managed by practically invisible companies, ended up becoming the protagonist of a transatlantic chase with the US Coast Guard. The crew had been recruited through normal maritime employment advertisements and many they didn’t even know that the ship was linked to sanctions related to Iran. The situation exploded when they discovered that the real destination was not the Dutch Caribbean, but Venezuelaand that the ship planned to change flag in the middle of the trip to protect itself under the Russian flag. From there it began a surreal escape across the North Atlantic as the Bella 1 tried to escape from US authorities, with the crew trapped in the middle of an international operation that seemed like a mix of a geopolitical thriller and a military video game. A business built on old boats. A large part of this clandestine fleet is made up of oil tankers that should be on their way to scrapping. Many far exceed the twenty years of service recommended for this type of boats and present extremely precarious conditions. The sailors describe corroded decks, dilapidated cabins, broken systems and equipment that works thanks to improvised repairs made during the voyage. However, it is precisely these old ships that end up fueling sanctioned trade because They are cheap to buy and easy to hide behind networks of shell companies. The problem is that deterioration greatly increases the risk of accidents, fires, groundings and spills, especially when these vessels sail without recognized insurance and constantly operate at the limit to maximize profits. The war has reached the sea. The pressure on the ghost fleet has grown brutally since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war and the escalation with Iran. The United States has gone beyond simply imposing sanctions to directly intercept suspicious oil tankers even on the high seas. Europe start doing the same with ships linked to Russian oil. At the same time, Ukraine has taken the maritime war a step further using naval drones to attack oil tankers linked to Moscow’s energy revenues. The iimages of burning ships off Turkey, Malta or Novorossiysk are increasingly frequent. The sea has become another front of the global economic conflict: it is no longer just about blocking exports, but about physically pursuing the ships that keep this clandestine trade alive. Sailors trapped in the gray zone. The most striking thing is that many crew members are not spies or criminals, but ordinary sailors trapped inside a sgigantic and opaque system. He explained in his report on the FT that most accept these jobs looking for quick promotions or better job opportunities, without really knowing who controls the ship or what cargo they will end up transporting. some discover too late who are working for networks linked to sanctioned oil, Iranian militias or companies indirectly associated with Russia. And when things go wrong, they are the ones caught between governments, intelligence services and special forces. The Times remembered that the final scene of Bella 1 sums up perfectly that reality: American commandos boarding the oil tanker in the middle of the North Atlantic while the sailors, locked up under armed guard, played cards and watched movies with American soldiers in a situation as absurd as it was revealing. Ocean increasingly opaque. The situation reflects a much deeper change in maritime trade global. Massive sanctions have created enormous incentives to build parallel networks of transportation outside the traditional … Read more

They have brought Mad Max to ships

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In World War II, several Allied ships began to cover parts of your covers with mattresses, wooden logs, sandbags and improvised metal structures to try to survive the kamikaze attacks and the bombs that fell from impossible angles. Those modifications seemed absurd to many naval officers of the time, but they hid an uncomfortable reality: when a cheap and difficult to stop threat suddenly appears, even the most sophisticated war machines end up looking more like vehicles. improvised survival than symbols of military power. The war that turned the front into a “Mad Max” landscape. It we were counting during 2025. The war in Ukraine began to generate images that seemed taken from George Miller’s post-apocalyptic universe. Covered tanks with metal cagesvans protected with anti-drone nets and civilian vehicles transformed into improvised war platforms they became common on both sides. Those structures, baptized many times like “cope cages”were born as desperate solutions to FPV drones that attacked from above and turned any armored vehicle into a vulnerable target. The important thing was no longer to advance quickly or shoot further, but survive a few more seconds under a sky saturated with cheap and omnipresent drones. Little by little, this improvised aesthetic stopped seeming temporary and began to reflect a transformation much deeper than modern combat. Russia already escorts vehicles with “electronic guards.” One of the most revealing changes appeared at the end of January of this year with the Russian Zemledeliye systemsvehicles capable of laying mines kilometers away. Russia began to accompany them with GAZ-66 trucks loaded with electronic warfare equipment, antennas and even anti-drone networks to try to protect them during their operations. The important detail was not only the visual improvisation, but what it revealed tactically: Ukrainian drones have turned even the Russian rear into a dangerous zone. Convoys, engineering systems and logistics now need specialized escorts solely to defend against low-cost air attacks. And yet, defenses continue to have enormous limitations against fiber optic drones immune to traditional electronic warfare. GAZ-66 “Mad Max” Roads in hunting areas. While Russia improvises defenses, Ukraine is perfecting an attrition strategy based on increasingly autonomous drones. Ukrainian units no longer attack only positions close to the front, but deep logistics routes connecting Russian ports, warehouses and supply lines. The use of drones with artificial intelligence capabilities It allows trucks to be located and pursued with very little human intervention, increasing constant pressure on Russian mobility. The goal is not just to destroy vehicles, but to slowly erode Russia’s ability to sustain mechanized operations and supply the front lines. The consequence is quite clear: every major road begins to function like a hostile territory where any vehicle can be located from the air at any time. Grachonok a la Mad Max Mad Max, but in the water. The most disturbing evolution has appeared when this improvised logic has jumped from the land front to the naval field. They counted the TWZ analysts than a Russian patrol car Project 21980 Grachonok was spotted sailing in the Black Sea covered by enormous metal anti-drone screens installed on its superstructure. Seeing a military vessel equipped with a kind of improvised cage made clear the extent to which the drone threat is also disrupting naval warfare. The ship attempts to protect itself from aerial drones and munitions dropped from the sky, but the defenses themselves partially limit the operation of its weapons and leave vulnerable gaps. The image perfectly sums up the new reality: even relatively modern military ships are beginning to look improvised armored vehicles designed to survive in an environment saturated with cheap threats. Naval drones are changing maritime warfare. The problem for Russia is that Ukraine no longer uses only maritime suicide drones. Their unmanned vessels begin to act as mobile platforms capable of launching FPV drones and bomber drones against naval targets and positions in Crimea. This evolution has forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to reduce operations near the peninsula and transfer part of its assets towards Novorossiysk. However, withdrawal does not eliminate the threat. Ukrainian drones combine range, low cost and tactical flexibility in a way that is breaking traditional naval logic. In other words, maritime warfare is beginning to look less like a battle between large ships and more to a constant chase between small and extremely difficult to neutralize autonomous platforms. A much more chaotic phase. The most important thing about this evolution is that Ukraine is showing a broader transformation of contemporary combat. For decades, powers envisioned wars dominated by sophisticated platforms and extremely expensive technology. The conflict is proving something much more uncomfortable: Cheap, improvised, large-scale produced systems can completely upset the military balance. First it happened on land, where multimillion-dollar armored vehicles ended up covered with improvised structures to survive armed commercial drones. Now the same phenomenon is beginning to spread to the sea. The image of protected ships with metal cages reflects precisely that, a modern war that looks less and less like a display of clean technological superiority and more like a chaotic ecosystem of permanent survival. Image | Russia-24, X In Xataka | To achieve the milestone of building the largest drone industry without China, Ukraine has found an explosive ally: Taiwan In Xataka | Today in “the war in Ukraine beyond all comprehension”: drone pilots are training with ‘Grand Theft Auto’

one with drones, missiles and ships burning

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In the 1980s, during the conflict between Iran and Iraq, an American oil tanker was sailing through the Persian Gulf when a missile hit against his helmet without warning. For hours, the crew struggled to maintain control of the ship as it burned in the middle of one of the most strategic shipping routes on the planet, leaving a scene that surprised many analysts: even in apparently “protected” corridors, a single unexpected attack was enough to turn commercial transit into an high risk operation. The plan and the beginning of a new phase. It we counted yesterday. The United States launched an operation to free the ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, and did so by creating a kind of “safe” corridor without escort but under dense military cover that includes destroyers, aircraft carriers, more than 100 aircraft and thousands of troops, with the intention of reestablishing the commercial flow without resorting to direct escorts. The initiative sought to unblock a situation that keeps tens of thousands of sailors Nearly 1,000 paralyzed ships have already been detained, in a context where Washington is trying to balance military pressure and diplomatic output, while presenting the operation as defensive and coordinated with the maritime industry to encourage gradual transit through the area. The Iranian response. Iran has reacted immediate and calculatedunfolding a combination of drones, cruise missiles and attacks with speedboats that turn each transit attempt into an episode of maximum tension. In this case it is not a classic head-on collision, but rather a strategy designed to wear out, intimidate and complicate the American operation without necessarily crossing the threshold of total war. In this way, every movement in the strait is answered with distributed threats that force defensive systems to be activated continuously, generating a feeling of constant vulnerability even under the most sophisticated military umbrella. A strait turned into a geographical and tactical trap. As since the beginning of the war, the physical environment of Hormuz multiplies the dangerwith reduced distances that shorten the reaction time of anti-missile systems and an extensive coast from which attacks can be launched almost without warning. Hidden positions, drones at different levels, naval mines and light craft create an ecosystem multi-threat which calls into question the ability of any force to completely control the area. In this scenario, even advanced platforms face a critical challenge– Respond in seconds to simultaneous attacks coming from land, sea and air. The United Arab Emirates enters the line of fire. The crisis has ended up spilling directly to the United Arab Emirateswhich have suffered attacks with missiles and drones supposedly launched from Iranian territory against ships and strategic areas close to their ports. Emirati air defenses have reportedly intercepted multiple projectiles, although some incidents have led to boat fires and limited damage, raising the tension in one of the main energy hubs of the region. There is no doubt, this front expands the conflict beyond the strait and confirms that Iranian pressure is not limited to maritime traffic, but also seeks to impact key infrastructure to increase the political and economic cost of the US operation. The key role of helicopters and layered defense. Faced with this form of war, the United States has resorted to flexible tools like attack helicopters Apache and Seahawk, capable of detecting and neutralizing fast threats such as Iranian boats (Washington claims to have sunk six in the last few hours) before they approach commercial vessels. These assets are integrated into a layered defense which includes electronic warfare, aerial surveillance and interception systems, creating a dynamic shield that has already proven effective by shooting down drones and missiles on multiple occasions. That being said, this defense does not eliminate the riskbut manages it, maintaining constant pressure on the deployed forces. Trump between containment and escalation. On the political level, Donald Trump moves in a delicate balance between responding forcefully to Iranian provocations and avoiding an escalation that leads to open conflict. counted the wall street journal that the US president’s strategy at this time combines demonstrations of power with attempts to keep diplomatic channels open, while receiving internal pressure to act more forcefully. This ambiguity reflects the difficulty to manage a crisis in which every decision can tip the balance towards a broader war or an uncertain negotiation. A pulse that redefines the control of global trade. Beyond the immediate confrontationwhat is at stake is the effective control of one of the most important trade routes in the world, where Iran has shown that it can block or make more expensive transit without the need for a conventional fleet, while the United States tries to impose an indirect protection model that depends on the trust of shipping companies and third countries. The result is diametrically opposite to “plan A” ship release, with an unstable balance in which there are now burned and sunken ships, explosions and constant attacks coexist with attempts to normalize traffic, reflecting that new reality in which maritime warfare is no longer decided only by the large fleets of yesteryear, but by the ability to saturate, intimidate and sustain pressure at a critical point on the global map. Image | USN In Xataka | The strangest plan of the war is ready: guide the 1,000 ships trapped in Hormuz hoping that no one will shoot In Xataka | After gasoline, the war in Iran is about to skyrocket the price of something just as painful: your Zara clothes

from the characters to the most iconic ships

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Today, May 4, is Star Wars Day for the “May the 4th be with you“, and like every year the stores have launched offers on a good number of Lego sets. If you want to take advantage of this day so marked by fans of the franchise, we are going to review the best constructions that we can find right now, always taking into account that they are on sale at a good price. Logo by 52.49 eurosone of the best Star Wars sets to decorate a shelf. Grogu in air cradle by 74.99 eurosthe adorable character from ‘The Mandalorian’ along with the aerocradle from the first seasons. R2-D2 by 68.99 eurosone of the character sets with the best quality-price ratio. AT-ST Walker by 149.99 eurosa very well detailed construction of the Empire’s fighting machine. Millennium Falcon by 62.99 eurosone of the Han Solo ship sets with the best quality-price ratio. Millennium Falcon (75375) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Logo The logo is one of the most characteristic elements of Star Wars and Lego launched its own construction set a while ago. It is quite large (13 cm high, 30 cm wide and 3 cm deep) and its design is very well cared for. The set consists of a total of 700 pieces and inside comes with a nod to the saga. Its price in El Corte Inglés is 52.49 euros instead of 69.99 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Grogu in air cradle If you liked it’The Mandalorian‘, especially the first seasons, Lego has a set of Grogu who comes with his own air cradle. The character can be placed in the crib or both builds placed on a separate shelf, includes a total of 1,048 pieces and comes along with accessories, a Grogu minifigure and a nameplate with information about the character. Its price in El Corte Inglés is 74.99 euros instead of 99.99 euros. Grogu in air cradle (75403) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links R2-D2 If we talk about mythical characters, R2-D2 is one of them. To date, it has had several Lego sets and the one Amazon has for 68.99 euros (before 99.99 euros) is one of those with the best quality-price ratio. It is basically because it has a good level of detail, it is a large set with a height of 24 cm and comes with both a minifigure of the character and an identification plate with information about it. In this case, the set consists of 1,050 pieces. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links AT-ST Walker Perhaps they do not have a similar relevance to that which certain ships or characters have had, but the AT-ST Walker It is one of the most popular combat machines in the saga. By 149.99 euros In El Corte Inglés (previously 199.99 euros), we are talking about a set with 1,513 pieces and a considerable size, with a height of 37 cm. The construction is very well detailed, you can open the top to see the cockpit and it comes with a pilot minifigure and an identification plate with information. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Millennium Falcon He Millennium Falcon It is the most iconic ship in the entire saga, and it is not surprising because we have seen it countless times. It also has several sets, but the Lego that Amazon has for 62.99 euros It is one of the most balanced in terms of price and quality. The construction consists of a total of 921 pieces, despite its price it is very well detailed (it even includes the cabin, rear engine and cannons) and comes with both a support and two plates: one identifying and another for the 25-year anniversary. Millennium Falcon (75375) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Lego, Star Wars In Xataka | Your favorite series, comics and movies also in LEGO: 15 construction kits ideal to assemble yourself or give as a gift In Xataka | There is a LEGO Star Wars set that I would buy again without thinking twice. It’s wonderful and it’s not expensive.

Metajets, the luminous ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ that promises to take ships into space without the need for fuel

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A team of scientists from Texas A&M University has managed to lift and direct tiny objects without touching them. And no, he didn’t do it with a spell. Wingardium leviosabut with laser technology that could power the spaceships of the future. Metajets to fly without fuel. The new propulsion tool designed by these scientists uses something known as metajetswhich is based on the combination of laser beams and metasurfaces. The latter are surfaces that contain small nanoscale irregularities that direct light in many possible directions. When light hits the smooth surface of a mirror, it just bounces back. On metasurfaces, when encountering all those little mountains invisible to the human eye, it can deviate in multiple ways. On the other hand, when light hits a surface, the photons push it slightly. The authors of this study they compare it with tennis balls bouncing on a wall. When using a lot of balls, that push can be tangible. Therefore, by shining a laser on a surface, a movement can be produced that is also directed in the desired direction thanks to those tiny pillars. The more light the better. Something interesting about metajets is that to obtain greater thrust you do not necessarily need a larger device. It would be enough to increase the power of the light. Therefore, although at the moment the experiments have been carried out with devices the size of a human hair, these researchers consider that in the future they could be scaled enough to send ships into space without the need for fuel. Climb and turn. With these experiments it has been possible to both raise the device and make it rotate in the desired direction. It is a good start for that dreamed space future. Much shorter trips. With current technologies, If we wanted to travel to the Alpha Centauri star systemthe closest to our solar system, it would take hundreds of thousands of years. Instead, these scientists calculate that, using metajets, the figure would be reduced to only a couple of decades. In astronomical terms, that’s pretty little. Beyond space. In reality, the ability to move objects without contact or fuel could have many applications here on Earth as well. For example, metajets would be useful in precision manufacturing, microrobotics and advanced detection systems. There is still much to do. Logically, having demonstrated the effectiveness of metajets in a tiny device is only a first step. There is a lot of science and a lot of time left before we can scale enough to reach space. However, as Machado said, the path is made by walking, and this has already begun to be drawn. The next step will be to test the metajets in a laboratory under microgravity conditions. Thus, we would see how they will work in space. If this goes well, little by little we would try to scale it to a larger size. Other technologies that are also being investigated may possibly arrive sooner, such as the use of engines based on nuclear energy. However, metajets are also a very interesting option for future space travel. I’m sure we’ll hear about them again in the future. Image | Harry Potter, skateboarder (Wikimedia Commons) In Xataka | How many times have we gone to the Moon and why have only 11 military aviators and one geologist set foot on it in all of history?

the funnel is a fatal trap knocking down only two ships

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In 1988, during the call Operation Praying MantisIn a single day, the United States launched the largest naval offensive since World War II in the Persian Gulf, destroying a large part of the Iranian fleet after a mine hit an American frigate. That episode, which seemed to close a chapter, ended up marking the beginning of a completely different form of understand war at sea. A lock to strangle… or expose yourself. The United States has opted for one of the most aggressive tools available: block traffic to and from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to suffocate its economy, deploying a combination of aircraft carriers, destroyers, special forces and air support with the ability to intercept, board and detain oil tankers. The operation, however, does not consist of simply turning off a tap, but rather of monitoring and controlling a maritime funnel extremely narrow and saturatedwhere each movement forces high-value assets to move closer to the Iranian coast. This proximity, necessary to make the blockade effective, turns each maneuver into constant exposure to attacks, raising the potential cost of the operation from the first moment. The military paradox. A key point appears here, because, although the United States has devastated the Iranian conventional navy, sinking frigates, corvettes and large units, the true instrument of control of Hormuz still stands: the asymmetric fleet of the Revolutionary Guard. Talk later of more than 60% of their speedboats that remain operational, hidden in underground bases and specifically designed to operate in confined waters, launch lightning attacks, lay mines or harass commercial ships. In fact, this structure has not only survived, but has proven itself effectively. drastically reducing maritime traffic, making it clear that traditional naval power is not the decisive factor in this scenario. The strait turned into a weapon. This morning they counted the TWZ analysts that there is a wave of US minesweepers currently moving from Japan to the Middle East. The move is easy to understand, since Iran has transformed the strait in a hostile environment where any technological superiority loses part of its advantage in the face of saturation and difficulty of detection. Naval mines, explosive drones, ground-launched missiles and small fast vessels create a distributed threat network that does not need to sink large vessels to be effective. It is enough to generate uncertainty and constant risk to paralyze trafficmake insurance more expensive and deter shipping companies, as has already been seen with dozens of attacks and the drop in the number of daily crossings to minimum levels. Strategic funnel: control or get trapped. Because the US plan to “bottle” Iran on both sides of the Strait involves deploying forces in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to cut entrances and exits, but that same geometry makes the operation in a potential trap. As? A priori, the forces must operate within a corridor barely 30 km wide, under direct range of coastal missiles and surrounded by low-cost but high-impact threats. In this context, control of space does not eliminate risk, but it concentrates itforcing ships to remain within an area where the adversary has designed its way of fighting for decades. The critical point. Under that scenario, the logic of the confrontation favors Iran in one key respect, because it does not actually need to defeat the US navy as a whole, only to inflict limited losses, but symbolically devastating. Hence, as the retired admiral of the United States Navy, James Stavridis, explained, to CNNthe sinking or disabling of one or two Washington destroyers, or the damage to a single aircraft carrier, would not change the global military balance, but it would have an impact unprecedented political and strategicquestioning the entire operation in itself. In essence, a simple explanation: in an environment where attacks can come in the form of swarms of drones or relatively cheap missiles, the cost-benefit leans dangerously against whoever deploys the most valuable assets. Time, economy and global pressure. Not only that. While the blockade seeks to cut off Iranian income, its collateral effects are already hitting the global system: rise in oil prices above $100, tensions in fuel supplies, impact on aviation, fertilizers and industrial chains. Iran is precisely playing with this wear and tear, aware that prolonging the crisis increases the pressure on the United States and its allies, both economically and politically. In this scenario, every day that the strait remains altered reinforces the Iranian negotiating position, turning the blockade into a double-edged sword. Decades waiting for the battle. If you will, the latest analysis of the situation in Hormuz is perhaps the most disturbing for Washington’s interests. Far from being a surprise, the scenario fits exactly with the doctrine that Iran developed after the destruction of his fleet in the eighties: avoid conventional combat and dominate critical points through asymmetric warfare. The Strait of Hormuz is not just a strategic passage, but a battlefield custom designedone where the combination of geography, preparation and tools allows Tehran compensate for their inferiority in the face of an extremely superior naval power. Therefore, more than a decisive move, the US blockade opens the door to a confrontation on the ground where Iran it feels more comfortable and where the risk of an unpredictable escalation is maximum if Tehran is able to knock down a couple of “chips.” Image | Iran State Media In Xataka | The problem in Hormuz is not that it is closed: it is that Iran has “lost the keys” and without them the balance is broken In Xataka | The most buoyant market right now is selling streaming and satellite images of US movements to Iran.

the day ships stop arriving from the Middle East

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There is a date marked in red on logistics calendars across the continent: tomorrow, April 10. According to the projections of the analysis firm Argus Mediaaround this day the last shipments of aviation fuel (jet fuel) that managed to cross the Strait of Hormuz before its closure will dock in European ports. From that date onwards, entry volumes will plummet. The impact is no longer a theoretical threat. According to TVP Worldthe shortage is already palpable in Italy: the airports of Bologna, Milan Linate, Treviso and Venice have issued notices warning of possible restrictions on refueling due to the limited availability of fuel from their supplier, Air BP Italia. It is the first major warning of a domino effect that threatens to paralyze the European skies. The perfect storm in the Gulf. Since the start of the Third Gulf War on February 28 more than 20% has been canceled of the world’s seaborne jet fuel supply, and no less than 42% of seaborne imports from the European Union and the United Kingdom. The recent news of a “two-week truce” announced by US President Donald Trump has been received as a mirage in the industry. According to Politicalthe ceasefire will not solve the shortage in the short term. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), warned that rebuild damaged refining capacity in the Middle East will take months. Among the infrastructures hit is the Al-Zour refinery in Kuwait, responsible for providing approximately 10% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, as pointed out BBC. Furthermore, maritime logistics is unforgiving. In the most idealized scenario where Hormuz is completely reopened today, ships would take 25 days to reach Europe sailing through a Red Sea where the Houthis remain a threat, or up to six weeks if they are forced to go around the Cape of Good Hope. Prices are skyrocketing. The price of aviation fuel in Europe reached last week an all-time high of $1,838 per ton, compared to 831 dollars before the start of the war. This increase translates into an immediate logistical problem on the landing strips. Anita Mendiratta, special advisor to the Secretary-General of UN Tourism, explains to Euronews a crucial technical detail: airports cannot store aviation fuel in large quantities. The entire system is designed to rely on continuous deliveries through refineries and pipelines. Any slightest interruption breaks the chain. The consequences are already visible on the exit panels. Just two weeks ago, we reported in Xataka that more than 25,000 flights canceled over the Middle East, while European airlines such as Scandinavian SAS have canceled at least 1,000 flights in April alone. For their part, giants like Delta Air Lines plan to absorb $2 billion in extra costs during the second quarter alone due to fuel, according to Reuters. How does it affect the passenger? Analysts of Barclays, in statements collected by Politicalthey end the era of “super normal” prices and cheap tickets. Airlines will also have to make drastic decisions about their fleets: Willie Walsh, in an interview with Bloomberganticipates that companies will be forced to evaluate the accelerated retirement of high-consumption aircraft, such as the gigantic A380. United States to the rescue (at the price of gold). In this survival scenario, Europe has found a lifeline on the other side of the Atlantic, although at a very high price. According to Financial TimesAmerican fuel already accounts for half of British imports (compared to the usual 7%). However, Europe is waging a fierce bidding war with Asia over shipments that, as it warns, Argus Media in the British environment, they will barely cover half of the gap left by the Middle East. Internally, the resistance goes in other directions. While countries with their own refining such as Poland are more protected, the calculations of Argus Media collected by Euronews They estimate that, without new shipments, commercial reserves will be exhausted in three months in the United Kingdom, in four in Portugal and in seven in Spain, Italy or Germany. Faced with this fragmented map, the EU is in tow: its spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, has acknowledged to the same medium that Brussels still lacks a “complete image” of national reserves to be able to organize a solidarity plan. The lessons of a dependent industry. Beyond the April emergency, the crisis has uncovered deep structural flaws in global aviation. According to Aviation WeekMarie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s chief economist, was astonished at the world’s complacency in living “under the domination of this monopolistic industry that is oil.” Thomsen denounced the very serious lack of investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), pointing out that capital is overwhelmingly directed to sectors such as artificial intelligence. For his part, Willie Walsh launched a direct criticism of governments: while States maintain immense strategic reserves of crude oil to cushion global crises, “it does not seem that we have any strategic reserves of jet fuel,” collects Aviation Week. The underlying fear is not just a difficult summer, but a permanent paradigm shift. According to a European executive in the energy sector to Politicalthe “worst case scenario” is that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, but under new rules: with Iran applying permanent restrictions or charging tolls that alter global energy dynamics forever. A summer on the wire The high summer season is just around the corner and the market is walking on the wire. A firm analyst Vortexa warns in the BBC that, if these interruptions persist, maintaining the current level of flights will be logistically unsustainable without drastic route cuts and massive fare increases. Starting tomorrow, when the last ships that managed to escape the blockade unload their precious fuel in the continent’s ports, European aviation will begin to fly with the reserve light on. The era of absolute vulnerability of the European sky has just taken off. Image | Unsplash Xataka | The canary in the mine of the new oil crisis are the airlines: they are already canceling flights due to lack of fuel

build luxury cruise ships. And he’s doing it at full speed

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For decades, Europe has been without a doubt the world reference in the construction of cruise ships with four outstanding shipyards: in Italy, Germany, France and Finland. However, beneath those luxurious interiors hide ambitious works of engineering in the form of small (relatively) cities that navigate the oceans. China was already an authority in the construction of freighters and container ships, but cruise ships resisted it. three years ago timidly entered the sectorbut he is burning stages in record time. The Adora Flora City is almost ready. Last Friday the Love Flora City (in Chinese, Aida Huacheng), left dry dock in Shanghai. In short: only your test trips and final delivery are ahead of you on your roadmap, although tickets can now be reserved for their first cruises at the end of the year from Guangzhou. Everything is going as planned and at printing speed too: it was assembled in just nine months. This impressive luxury cruise ship has been built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. at the city’s shipyard and with Guangzhou Nansha as its home port. It is 341 meters long and 37.2 meters wide and inside there is capacity for 5,232 passengers, distributed in 2,144 cabins. Your design is inspired on the Silk Road and Lingnan culture, with floral motifs throughout the ship in a nod to Guangzhou. However, Huacheng is “City of Flowers” the nickname of Guangzhou. Why is it important. Because building a cruise ship is one of the most complex projects in naval engineering, which demonstrates its scarcity and the seniority of the classic European shipyards, and China has demonstrated both its technical power and its enormous learning capacity. And in what way: China has stepped on the accelerator on its learning curve. From the first to the second cruise it has shortened construction deadlines and reduced its external dependence, with a near date to be completely independent. Aid from the West has been a double-edged sword (for the West): it has helped create a competitor that, based on precedents in other sectors, can change the naval industry drastically. Context. Adora Cruises was born in 2015 as a joint venture between CSSC and Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise operator in the world. China provided shipyards and the market and Carnival provided its experience and the brand. But the pandemic disrupted plans, the relationship cooled and Carnival ended up withdrawing completely. When it was born, its goal was for the ships to be operated by the Asian division of Aida Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival (hence its name Aida). At the beginning of this year, Adora integrated with other state operators under the China Cruises brand in a movement in which, although Adora maintains its recognizable name, it seeks to optimize its operational performance and consolidate its presence in the Chinese market. It is already an entirely Chinese project. The first cruise. He Love Magic City (Aida Modu) was the first large cruise ship manufactured entirely in China. Among its specifications, a length of 323 meters, capacity to accommodate up to 5,246 passengers on its 14 decks and 2,125 cabins with a style that combines Western with Chinese. In this case, assembling the helmet cost them a little more: 11 months. detaching from Fincantieri. But while for the Adora Magic City intensive technical support from the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, with the Flora City, Chinese engineering is almost on its own. The construction and coordination of work is now entirely Chinese. Ficantieri and the RINA classification society are still in the project, providing licenses, the design platform and some parts, but they are no longer supervising. What’s coming As reported by XinhuaLast Friday, China Tourism Group and CSSC signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a new cruise ship. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding plans to accelerate the construction of a cruise ship assembly base and already has in mind the date to deliver the first independent, that is, 100% Chinese, large cruise ship: in 2030. The idea is to pave the way to enter the mass production phase. In Xataka | We believed that the most incredible thing about megacruises is their size. It turns out that the real miracle is their kitchens In Xataka | From trips for honeymooners and retirees to Gen Z phenomenon: this is how cruises are being saved Images | Adora Cruises

One trick is unblocking the passage of ships in Hormuz without the need for drones or escorts. And the US is not going to be amused

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In 2023, some of the world’s largest oil tankers have already begun sailing with transponders off in risk areas to avoid being tracked, a known practice like “dark shipping” which makes it difficult to know what cargo they are transporting and where they are going. In scenarios of maximum tension, these opaque movements tend to multiply and anticipate deeper changes in how it circulates really the energy for the world. The new rules. Although it may seem like it, in reality, the Strait of Hormuz is not formally closed, but in practice it has stopped be a neutral space to become a conditional passage through Iran, where transit depends on implicit authorizations and specific routes under its control. In the midst of attacks, mines and a constant threat that has paralyzed hundreds of ships, some oil tankers have managed to cross a simple tactic: follow trajectories close to the Iranian coast, avoiding the usual corridors and suggesting the existence of a selective passage system that redefines who can circulate and under what conditions. Tehran’s invisible filter. The ships that manage to cross the strait do not do so by chance, but within a pattern increasingly clear: negotiated transit, “acceptable” flags and destinations aligned with countries that do not directly participate in the conflict or without directly “friends.” There it appears mainly India and China along with neutral actors who have begun to secure shipments through diplomatic contacts, while ships linked to the West remain outside or directly exposed. This model allows Iran to maintain a minimum flow of energy that avoids a total collapse of the market, but at the same time turns the passage into a tool of geopolitical pressure, where each transit is a concession and not a right. Minimum flow with global impact. Although the number of ships that manage to cross is still a fraction of the usual, that small trickle is enough to influence prices energy and avoid further escalation, especially towards Asia. That said, the bottleneck is enormous, with hundreds of ships waiting and logistics extremely limited in a passage that already functions as a two-lane highway. The constant threat of drones, mines or specific attacks maintains the risk at maximum levels and deters the majority of operators, consolidating a system where the exception, and not the normality, sets the pace of commerce. China in the lead. In this context, China emerges as one of the main beneficiaries of this selective system, absorbing much of the crude oil that manages to get out of the Gulf and using its ambiguous position to keep open supply lines that others cannot guarantee. In other words, the appearance of ships with Chinese ties among the few that cross the strait reinforces the idea that access to Hormuz no longer depends only on geography, but rather on political alignment, consolidating a transit network where Beijing gains margin while other actors lose access. The Eurasian plan B. In parallel, China and Russia are accelerating construction of structural alternatives to vulnerable routes such as Hormuz, promoting its own logistics corridors that include lto Arctic Route and terrestrial networks across Eurasia. With investments in ports, icebreaking vessels and independent logistics systems, both countries seek to reduce their exposure to bottlenecks controlled by third parties and create a commercial architecture more resilient and politically aligned. This strategy not only responds to the current crisis, but also aims at a lasting reorganization of global trade. An uncomfortable scenario for the United States. There is no doubt, the combination of a partially narrow controlled by Iranan energy flow that is redirected towards Asia and development of alternative routes Outside of Western influence, it sets up an increasingly unfavorable scenario for the United States. As Washington tries to respond with naval escorts and pressure international (although at the last minute started again back saying that it does not need help from the allies), its capacity to guarantee free transit is limited compared to a system where a mine or a drone is enough to paralyze everything. The result is a silent but profound change: the control of energy flows begins to depend less on direct military force and more of political and logistical networks that escape US control. Image | x In Xataka | The war with Iran is leading the US to a plan B that no one imagined: avoiding the nuclear objective at all costs In Xataka | The US nuclear supercarrier has a problem: its marines are sleeping on the ground in the middle of the war with Iran

Ships have been damaging the oceans with noise for centuries. Germany is working on silent propellers to solve it

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Every time a boat crosses the seas, it is accompanied by a continuous noise underwater: that of the propellers that propel it. The noise problem of propellers in marine ecosystems is identified academically since 2004, but its reason for being is even older: the first time they analyzed its cause It was in 1893. What there is no solution to that disturbing low-frequency sound that spreads for kilometers, disturbing fish, cetaceans and other marine living beings. And its reason for being is even older: the first time cavitation was analyzed was in 1893. A team from the Kiel University of Applied Sciences has set out to remedy it with its project MinKav. Brief notes on cavitation. To understand the problem, we must first see what happens to the blades of a propeller when they rotate at high speed. With their movement, the blades generate a pressure difference between their faces. Thus, on the back side the pressure drops so much that the water changes state, going from liquid to gas. More specifically, thousands of small vapor bubbles. The problem is when these bubbles leave that low pressure zone: they then implode violently, returning to the liquid state, which causes pressure waves that are transmitted at high speed through the water. If the waves collide with a surface, they can deteriorate it considerably. The phenomenon of cavitation is accompanied by vibration and noise, as if it were gravel falling on a machine. This sound is broadband, with low frequency components capable of traveling long distances. Why is it important. Of all possible aquatic pollution, human-caused acoustics are the least mainstream, but their effects are documented. A couple of concrete examples of the importance of sound for aquatic species: whales They use sound to communicate, orient themselves and huntthe fish for such essential tasks how to detect predators or spawning and crustaceans are sensitive to vibration in the background. To get an idea of ​​the magnitude of the problem, according to the International Chamber of Navigation There are approximately 50,000 merchant ships operating continuously around the planet and they all emit that sound. It is not something specific. And the research team adds a twist: a propeller with less cavitation is not only less noisy, it can also potentially be more efficient (cavitation is wasted mechanical energy). Less noise and fewer emissions. The discovery. The HAW Kiel team has identified when the problem originates: the sound peak does not occur when the bubble forms, but right at the end of the collapse. And its intensity depends directly on the speed at which this collapse occurs. The faster you go, the stronger the blow. Illustration of human, marine animal and environmental sound sources in the marine environment, with proportional sound waves. National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration How are they doing it. The experiments are being carried out at the Naval Hydrodynamics Laboratory of the German university, in a kind of aquarium with a miniature propeller, so that they can reproduce the flow conditions around the propeller. Equipped with underwater microphones and high-speed cameras, they have determined where and when that noise peak occurs. The next step is computer simulations to experiment with designing different propeller geometries to reduce noise without sacrificing performance, efficiency or durability. The most obvious solution, lowering the rpm, is not an option: a commercial boat cannot afford to go slower. Pending subjects. However, MinKav started in January of this year, will last three years and have a budget of 390,000 euros, modest for a problem of global scale. Even if MinKav were to come to fruition, it would have to go from the laboratory to scale-up on a commercial ship. In Xataka | A Spaniard has patented a mast that transforms wind and waves into electricity: his invention challenges diesel in boats In Xataka | A “roomba” to clean rivers: the ship that the Three Gorges Dam has launched in China Cover | Pexels

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