The South African economy has benefitted from security concerns in the Middle East as more freight and cruise companies call at Gqeberha, Durban and Cape Town ports while avoiding the Suez Canal.
Many South Africans, this writer among them, were able to take advantage of this forced rerouting and sail on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 (QM2) from Cape Town to Southampton in the UK in April this year, a total of 6 173,6 nautical miles, at significantly discounted rates.
Cunard’s QM2 is the only ocean liner in service today. She is built to make the Atlantic crossing from Southampton, UK, to New York, USA, in the safest and most comfortable way possible. While many cruise ships have a stabiliser to limit the roll and pitch that typically leads to seasickness, the QM2 has two 5m-long stabilisers that extend from the hull.
Her hull is made up of 94 steel blocks (made from 580 panels), some of which weigh more than 600t, involving some 1 500km of welding. The hull weighs 50 000t (more than a school of 330 blue whales) – not to be confused with her gross tonnage of 150 000 – all of which makes her the most comfortable place to be at sea, and that’s not even considering her luxury accommodations and five-star public spaces.
ROYAL MAIL SHIP
Designed by Stephen Payne OBE and built in France by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Queen Mary 2 (to use her full name) remains the largest ocean liner ever built, even if newer cruise ships carry more passengers.
When you divide the tonnage by the passenger number, you get the ‘passenger space ratio’, literally the ton per passenger, which is intentionally very high, giving QM2 guests plenty of space and removing any sense of claustrophobia on a voyage with many sea days. A typical Atlantic crossing is seven days.
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Denne historien er fra June 21, 2024-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
