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By Michael Grey* There can be few who were even remotely surprised at the guilty verdict and six-year jail sentence for the master of the container feeder Solong, which plunged like a misguided missile into the side of the anchored Stena Immaculate off the Humber last March. There seemed to have been no rational explanation

By Michael Grey* A nuclear reactor, I can recall my father, who was a naval engineer, explaining, was just “an advanced form of kettle” and nothing to be too excited about. I can remember him shaking his head at the decisions to fit warships with gas turbine propulsion, about the same time as I was

By Michael Grey* “Is it legal?” This was a question asked by a friend when we learned of the news that President Trump’s agile forces had seized a large tanker off Venezuela and several of us, including a distinguished maritime lawyer, were rather stumped for an answer. But a week later when this is being

By Michael Grey* There is not a great deal to cheer about as we stumble, haltingly, into the uncertainty of 2026. True, the major carriers are cautiously resurrecting their Suez transits, although there are precious few guarantees that what faction currently runs Houthi High Command will not decide to indulge in some target practice, to

By Michael Grey* At a certain time in one’s life, you begin to appreciate a good obituary. Not necessarily of a life well lived, as there can be much interest in learning about the life of a thorough blackguard, or someone whose stars have never been altogether in the ascendant. The late author John Winton