The old man and the sea

A pensioner has discovered a patch of the sea off the coast of Sussex that is as warm as Caribbean waters. John Kapp, 76, goes for a swim every day in the football field-sized stretch of water, which can reach up to 20C. The former engineer believes the heated stretch is a result of water coming from the outflow of the nearby Shoreham power station. People not in the know watch in amazement as John takes to the apparently icy waters in just his trunks for a 45-minute swim.

According to John, during the summer the sea never normally gets above 17C. However, the waste energy from the power station means that even on the coldest day he can enjoy water as warm as a bath. In total, seven tons of sea water is pumped per second through the condensers of the power station.

Despite enjoying his daily swim John would like to see the hot water put to better use. He is a member of the Hove Civic Society, which is campaigning for the heat to be recovered from the water and used in nearby homes and businesses.

John will be appearing on the E&T home page later today in our Big Picture image carousel (halfway down the page, enjoy the scrolling), as we salute his aquatic endeavours. Check it out, along with other striking engineering images.

In the meantime, here’s a small preview:

John Kapp: a swimmer in all weathers

Costa Concordia image of ship’s bell found by police divers

On the E&T home page, in our Big Picture image carousel (halfway down the page, enjoy the scolling) we have a lovely picture showing police divers searching the submerged Costa Concordia wreck and the ship’s bell that they found. Check it out.

Here’s a small preview:

Costa Concordia image: the ship's bell found by police divers

Costa Concordia lifeboats – an annotated graphic

As a final reflection on the Costa Concordia disaster, we thought we’d share this graphic about the kind of maritime escape craft to which pleasure-cruising seafarers may unfortunately find themselves obliged to resort.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Spotlight on escape craft

Costa Concordia cruise ship – an annotated graphic #4

As recovery and investigation continues aboard and surrounding the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, we look today at the approach taken by the salvage operation.

Dutch salvage experts SMIT plans to use “hot tapping” technology to remove close to 2,500 tonnes of heavy fuel oil from the vessel, along with other oils and lubricants on board. This graphic describes the process.

You may also like to read E&T’s news story on a review of cruise line safety, prompted by the Costa Concordia disaster.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Salvage hot-tapping process

 

Costa Concordia cruise ship – an annotated graphic #3

In the wake (no pun intended) of the Costa Concordia sinking, it has transpired that cruise operator Costa Cruises has had something of a chequered history, its corporate safety record leaving something to be desired. Safety, mostly.

You may also like to read E&T’s news story on a review of cruise line safety, prompted by the Costa Concordia disaster.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Costa Cruises accident history

Costa Concordia cruise ship – an annotated graphic #2

In the wake of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, the usual questions, facts and reported hearsay have emerged. Apparently, the captain was navigating by eye, not by the ship’s instruments, and was sailing close to the island as a salute to a former colleague. Most importantly, of course, a number of passengers died as a result of the vessel capsizing.

This graphic details the timeline from the Concordia departing port to it striking the island of Giglio and capsizing. Total elapsed time: three hours.

You may also like to read E&T’s news story on a review of cruise line safety, prompted by the Costa Concordia disaster.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Costa Concordia timeline

Costa Concordia cruise ship – an annotated graphic

The Costa Concordia is the largest vessel of its kind to sink, considerably larger than that most famous of sunken ships, the Titanic. This graphic illustrates quite how large it is, with a nifty comparison to the Statue of Liberty. Now, your correspondent has seen the Statue of Liberty up close and I can tell you that she’s no diminutive icon: she a big lady. The Costa Concordia must have been a whopper.

Personally, the concept of cruise ships has never appealed to me much and with this unfortunate business of running aground and capsizing uppermost in our minds at present, it’s become even less attractive a proposition, no matter how many bars, casinos or fitness centres a ship may have on board.

You may also like to read E&T’s news story on a review of cruise line safety, prompted by the Costa Concordia disaster.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Costa Concordia factfile