Charting a Course for Sustainable Transport:  Luna Project Aims to bring Sail Freight to the Chesapeake Bay

The Colonial Seaport Foundation, based out of Deltaville, Virginia is undertaking a massive reconstruction project. With the hull of a 1976 gaff topsail ketch, they are recreating a colonial era Bermuda sloop painstakingly pieced together from parts salvaged from destroyed vessels. Measuring 76 feet in length with 50 feet on deck, the vessel will be used for educational outreach and, in keeping with its historical objective, cargo transport.

President of the Colonial Seaport Foundation, John Collamore, exhibiting a model of the of the Luna.

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Avoiding a Collision Course - Local & Global Action

Last winter, the Virginian-Pilot reported sightings of two humpback whales suffering injuries characteristic with ship strikes off of Cape Henry, and this year, 3 juvenile humpback whales stranded near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay all apparent victims of ship collisions. To mitigate potential impacts that naval operations in and around the Chesapeake Bay region could have on migrating species, the Navy initiated a local 3 year study to establish a baseline of behavioral patterns for humpback whales in training and vessel transit areas. Whale ship strikes are unfortunately not just a local concern, they are an international problem. When you look at a map of the volume of ship traffic, its easy to see why. As an ecological dilemma of global proportions, the United Nations is now considering how to protect whale species in their habitat which often overlaps with economically important trade routes.

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Automated Vehicle Testing & Research in the Commonwealth

In the Fall of 2015, federal and state officials were treated to an automated driving experience courtesy of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Among the participants of the test drive conducted on a 10 mile stretch of Interstate 395 in Northern Virginia was Senator Mark Warner. Read More.

Sailing Into a Sustainable Future

With the return of sailing cargo ships, the testing of biofuels in Navy vessels and the completion of a year and a half long circumnavigation of the globe powered entirely by the sun, we are witnessing the transformation of the shipping/water craft industry. Whether you look at commercial shipping and transport, military vessels or recreational/pleasure craft, noteworthy examples of sustainable technologies are being deployed. In the posts that follow, information will be provided on sustainable programs, cleaner fuels and renewable energy systems that are being utilized to power vessels as well as designs or devices that are being used to increase fuel efficiencies.

Read Post - See Also, Marine Propulsion – Is Wind back on the Horizon?

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