About 6,000 of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands are inhabited by over 250 million citizens. Many of these citizens earn their living on the sea or live near the 54,720 kilometers of coastline. In addition to the islands, the country has 93,000 square kilometers of territorial waters.

As sometimes happens with boats in the maritime world, the recent repower of a tug shone a light on a pair of well-known independent companies. The tug Gretchen H.

Poland’s impressive history in maritime research will continue to grow with the delivery of two new multipurpose vessels in the second and third quarters of 2020.  Under construction at the noted Remontowa Shipbuiding yard in Gdańsk the two 60 by 12.8-meter vessels will replace two 35-year old vessels working under the direction of the maritime office in Szczecin and Gdynia.

With a rugged coastline and many fjords to cross Norway has become a world leader in progressive ferry design. Turkey, with a skilled work force and broad marine experience has become a leader in ferry construction. Put the two together and you have the teamwork that results in the Basto series of RO-RO ferries.

There is something special about workboats in the 20-meter range. Their size gives them versatility in the work from towing to pushing and anchor handling to ploughing while have the capability to handle most weather. With good design and adequate power they can run light at over ten knots.

The Zhoushan Islands are just off shore of east China's Zhejiang province, and lie south of Shanghai on Hangzhou Bay. The main island is home to a naval base, shipyards and a port. It is a busy island with a well-developed ferry system carrying both people and vehicles back and forth to the mainland.