# Ferries In Demand As Planes Grounded



## Pompeyfan (Aug 9, 2005)

Travel by sea is back in demand again at the volcanic ash from the Iceland volcano closes our airspace. 

Ships, once the only means of transport short and long haul lost business due to the arrival of the passenger aircraft. Now, thanks to mother nature, travel by sea is in demand again. Lucky for some that there are still ships left?!.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...ytXSDg&usg=AFQjCNEd2MNYCCdg1hHPppjJvsDtTUcfdQ

David


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Interestingly, a few days ago an Icelandic volcanologist told the B.B.C. News that this
volcano had erupted in 1821 and its emissions were recorded as lasting for.............

18 MONTHS.

Bring back the Passie liners.


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## Mike S (Dec 27, 2005)

Could be a few of these floating wedding cakes that they call ships these days might be put to some use! Hate to see them trying to keep a liner schedule mind you.


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## Pompeyfan (Aug 9, 2005)

With planes still grounded, cargo ships will be in demand again as well as ferries. Thank goodness we do not rely on the air for our supplies here on the IOW?!. 

David


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## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

One weary stranded air traveller in Belgium, on being told that the ferry he was attempting to board did not carry foot passengers, promptly nipped up to the nearest second hand shop and purchased the cheapest bicycle on sale. The ferry crew insisted he rode up the ramp, balancing his two suitcases. (Applause)


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## mrcanoehead (Sep 15, 2007)

not somthing to crow about, this eruption will cause far reaching effects in the production of food down on the farm, thoughts come to mind about flourine poisioning from sustained fallout


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

What about all the pollution this eruption will cause - far in excess of what Europe will produce as a whole for YEARS, yet I don't hear much of the green lobby banging on about it.
Remember to cut those emissions lads!


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## mrcanoehead (Sep 15, 2007)

not to worry before its all over it will circle the globe, avaiation must be looking at this with grave concerns for their future, as well as those who operate farms & those who live directly in the path of the fallout from this volcano.


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## Oz. (Sep 6, 2005)

Oh James-C, a posting lke that just brings scorn on you rather than the green lobby.


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## NoR (Mar 24, 2008)

Took the dogs for a walk on the common at Russells Water yesterday. Wonderful, sky clear, no contrails also very quiet. We are close to LHR (30+ miles) here, and have become so used to the background noise of aircraft at medium altitude that we don't notice it....until it's not there. Long may it last, we've become far too dependent on air transport.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

It is not the human passengers that matter as much as the air freight commerce that now goes on non stop around the globe,
A whisk through today's supermarket shows offerings like fresh asparagus from Peru, green beans from Vietnam, grapes from California and many more perishables that may now be rotting in the soil or a container near you.
Apart from tourism, which is no doubt hurting both the traveler and the hosts most human commerce can be carried out over the net by written word or via virtual meetings and so on.
What say the eruption continues for a long while, how will we cope, could this event become the biggest natural disaster, as it effects mankind,to date?

As for James-C's comment in post #7 the effects of this concentrated form of atmospheric pollution surely highlights the reason why we should minimise the man made portion of this damage as much as possible.

An aside or two, I note that Switzerland has the world's greenest footprint next to leader Iceland. Guess who has just won the wooden spoon?

Will SM learn another new language

Could Britain assemble another Dunkirk type flotilla 

Bob


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## J Boyde (Apr 7, 2005)

Being a Kiwi I have seen volcanos erupt a number of times during my life. It is a great sight watching one pouring its ash higher and higher into the atmosphere. I have seen one from an aircraft where we could see close to the cone and see the red ash pouring out. I have seen White Island explode and its cloud growing like an nuclea bomb. NZ has had many bangs over history with one wiped out a large part of the northisland, this before the big one. It is still capable of eliminating half our population, quickly. I dosnt take much to have a big upset in the world. As soon as it clears people will again forget all about it.
Jim B


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## James_C (Feb 17, 2005)

Oz. said:


> Oh James-C, a posting lke that just brings scorn on you rather than the green lobby.


The point is that eruptions such as at present have been going on for millennia and will continue for millennia - they eject far more Sulphur, Ash, CO2 and other general nastiness into the atmosphere than mankind ever will.
Therefore are we to believe that our own contribution, insignificant in comparison as it is, is what our future hinges on?
I would agree that we should cut pollution wherever possible, if nothing else it's better for my health and cuts down on the use of equally precious fossil fuels. 
But what I do object to is the fact that those people who dare question the Global Warming scenario in any shape or form are seen as heretics.
Again, in the light of this eruption, I would ask anyone in the know if they can tell us just how many years of pollution cuts has this set us back?
In the grand scheme of things not a lot I'd wager.


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Well Jim, in answer to this ,and it clearly depends on one's own standpoint is in my own opinion that of the stance of Professor Lovelock . Once discredited and 'highjacked' by the politics of science his hypothesis still makes the running. Lovelock is widely recognized as being one of the few truly great living scientists... even by those that criticize this particular aspect. 
He is effectively saying that the planet regulates itself (So you could say it won't make a blind bit of difference what we do!) In this regard we are already an extinct species, as the impact of humans has triggered the mechanisms by which this works. The planet will simply carry on as normal.(Without us) 

Go to : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis


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## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Time for another pint then..........


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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

Absolutely !


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## ROBERT HENDERSON (Apr 11, 2008)

SM
Blame Brown the Clown for the dilemma you face, the Sunday Express has (Jester)(Jester)(Jester)

Regards Robert


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## Davie M (Apr 17, 2009)

*Eurostar*

According to the BBC, Eurostar are charging four times the return London-Paris train fare for a Paris -London single, but say its got nothing to do with the present travel problems...another ripoff.


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## paullad1984 (Jun 6, 2008)

Ive never trusted those magic flying machine thingys, seems like a good time to be a boat owner?


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

paullad1984 said:


> Ive never trusted those magic flying machine thingys, seems like a good time to be a boat owner?


You mean, "Steam Chickens", Paul!


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## TonyAllen (Aug 6, 2008)

I have always had the opinion THAT THE EARTH REGULATES ITSELF as it has proved thruout history otherwise we would not be here. But and a big but,if it carries on for a few months it will couse a lot of problems for the food importers, but the upside is that our own farmers will reap the benifits,its also funny that the UK gov gave out a warning that we needed 65 thou more people to work the land.I really do not need asparagus from chile or unripe fruit flown in from god knows where,out here on the lancashire plain we can buy all we need locally so maybe that is the upside Regards Tony


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

S.T.U.F.T. which was my old department is now in operation as Lord West hinted last night. It will be interesting to see how many ships are made available these day's.


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## Pompeyfan (Aug 9, 2005)

Some interesting posts. My point for starting it of course was the news item of the day concerning the volcanic ash cloud that despite the invention of the aircraft, it was man's original means of transport that has suddenly become in demand again. We always seems to cope okay when we only had sea transport, it just took longer from getting from A to B to posting letters from one side of the world to the other. Cargo was still transported in refrigerated ships. It may not have been freshly picked asparagus flown across the world, but we did okay, and still do with sea exports and imports.

James C makes a good point. As J Boyed points out, volcanoes are going off all over the world including NZ. Just go to Rotorua and see all the steam coming from the ground, the whole area full of volcanic activity and smelling like rotten eggs. A little further south is Mt Ngauruhoe, an active volcano smoking all the time, although it use to when I lived there.

We who have been to sea have seen these volcano's all over the world mother nature at it best including rough seas caused by mother nature. Yet we still sailed the seas, still delivered the cargo whatever mother nature threw at the ships.

It will take more than a volcano to stop trading by sea even if the airspace is shut down. Also, this one volcano has put out more pollution that mankind could ever do.

The seas rule once more, if only for a day or two. How on earth did we cope before we invented the aircraft?!.

David


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