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Miriam Matthiessen

@miriammthsn.bsky.social
776 followers 699 following 100 posts

shipping researcher / PhD candidate studying maritime labour regimes across the Rhine Delta. Amsterdam, NL. liquidtime.substack.com

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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 22h
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Magellan jumped more than 70% both in August and September from year-ago levels as ships diverted from the drought-stricken Panama Canal, data show
bloom.bg
Ships Take Long Way Around as Drought Snarls Panama Canal
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Magellan jumped more than 70% both in August and September from year-ago levels as ships diverted from the drought-stricken Panama Canal, Chilean Navy data requested by Bloomberg show.
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@jacobbolton.bsky.social and I have a new, open-access piece out in the Global Labour Journal today on the stranding of seafarers around the Strait of Hormuz. We go through the legal or contractual mechanisms meant to protect seafarers in war and argue that in practice they're virtually non-existent
liquidtime.substack.com
Stranded Assets: Wartime Work in the Gulf
New, open access piece in Global Labour Journal out today.
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@jacobbolton.bsky.social and I have a new, open-access piece out in the Global Labour Journal today on the stranding of seafarers around the Strait of Hormuz. We go through the legal or contractual mechanisms meant to protect seafarers in war and argue that in practice they're virtually non-existent
liquidtime.substack.com
Stranded Assets: Wartime Work in the Gulf
New, open access piece in Global Labour Journal out today.
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
There is a huge movement growing across the Spanish State that has come to include an encampment in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol (like the 15M of 2011) in protest against the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen and the capitalist housing crisis. There are calls for encampments across the country.
euronews.com
Madrid protests for 87-year-old Maricarmen and housing ends in sit in
Around 150 tents now occupy Madrid's Puerta del Sol after Saturday's protest over 87-year-old Maricarmen's eviction. Protesters, mobilised by the Tenants' Union, demand a housing decree on Tuesday: "E...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tomorrow!
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Nathan Tankus @nathantankus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
First of two turbulence podcast episodes with @shaabiranks.bsky.social. prepare yourselves and listen up turbulencepod.substack.com/p/episode-42...
turbulencepod.substack.com
Episode 42: Dollar Imperialism w/ Nathan Tankus
With Nathan Tankus
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Really excited to be part of this @rethinkecon.bsky.social book discussion with @lalehkhalili.bsky.social on her wonderful book The Corporeal Life of Seafaring. It will take place next Wednesday, September 30th, 4.30pm CET. You can register here: rethinkeconomics.org/events/book-...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Really excited to be part of this @rethinkecon.bsky.social book discussion with @lalehkhalili.bsky.social on her wonderful book The Corporeal Life of Seafaring. It will take place next Wednesday, September 30th, 4.30pm CET. You can register here: rethinkeconomics.org/events/book-...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Anthropic is looking for a three trillion dollar stock market valuation, meanwhile the shipping industry is quietly sitting on three trillion dollars in *profits* made since 2021
lloydslist.com
How will shipping spend its trillions?
Shipping is generating more cash than it knows what to do with. The smartest investment decision may be to do nothing at all
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
"While prediction market bets on the deaths of world leaders, the bombings of countries, or the burning of forests feel scandalous and obscene to many Americans, they are the direct descendants of those British underwriters betting on the sinking of ships or the starvation of helpless migrants—"
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Antipode @antipodeonline.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Join us at #RGSIBG26 for the the 2026 Antipode RGS-IBG Lecture, “Imperial State Capitalism and the Long Arc of History”, presented by @iliasalami.bsky.social on Wednesday 2nd September at 4:35pm BST antipodeonline.org/2026/08/26/t... @rgs-ibghe.bsky.social
antipodeonline.org
The 2026 Antipode RGS-IBG Lecture — “Imperial State Capitalism and the Long Arc of History” - Antipode Online
Ilias AlamiDepartment of Politics and International StudiesUniversity of Cambridge If you’ll be attending the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) annual international conference in London, please jo...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
During the 2018 drought, the navigable water depth* at the Kaub gauging station on the Rhine hit a record low of 25 cm, a level at which inland navigation becomes practically impossible. This morning it is *9* cm. *actual river depth is ~ navigable depth + 1 m
reuters.com
Rhine water level falls to new lows, halting sailings at chokepoint
The river Rhine in Germany has fallen to new lows, stranding cargo vessels, the country’s ​inland navigation agency said on Wednesday, as Europe has entered another ‌heatwave.
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
During the 2018 drought, the navigable water depth* at the Kaub gauging station on the Rhine hit a record low of 25 cm, a level at which inland navigation becomes practically impossible. This morning it is *9* cm. *actual river depth is ~ navigable depth + 1 m
reuters.com
Rhine water level falls to new lows, halting sailings at chokepoint
The river Rhine in Germany has fallen to new lows, stranding cargo vessels, the country’s ​inland navigation agency said on Wednesday, as Europe has entered another ‌heatwave.
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Faisal فيصل @faisalhamadah.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Unm this is actually insane lol imagine
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
omg our new redesigned Phenomenal World website is here! Did you know we are a tri-lingual publication in English, Spanish, Portuguese? Read and share our first 1st Issue: AMERICAN POWER phenomenalworld.org
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Rogier van Reekum @rvanreekum.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Meanwhile
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
“Due to sanctions, foreign re/insurers can withdraw support for any insurance policy that covers cargo or vessel carrying cargo, from the sanctioned country...Having its own insurance pool will give India the flexibility to navigate sanctions complications brought on by geopolitical volatilities."
lloydslist.com
India’s maritime insurance pool won’t replace IG P&Is but will aid in uncertainty
Counterparties may need time to accept the new pool launched by New Delhi. Reliance on traditional P&I clubs will remain, with the pool seen by industry experts as complementary
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
“Due to sanctions, foreign re/insurers can withdraw support for any insurance policy that covers cargo or vessel carrying cargo, from the sanctioned country...Having its own insurance pool will give India the flexibility to navigate sanctions complications brought on by geopolitical volatilities."
lloydslist.com
India’s maritime insurance pool won’t replace IG P&Is but will aid in uncertainty
Counterparties may need time to accept the new pool launched by New Delhi. Reliance on traditional P&I clubs will remain, with the pool seen by industry experts as complementary
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
The sublime Horatio Clare (the person who inspired me to take my own contrainer ship trips more than a decade ago) writes about the plight of seafarers in the Gulf: www.ft.com/content/2181...
ft.com
What life is like on the stranded ships of the Gulf
As leaders debate how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the voices of seafarers have been largely absent. Horatio Clare reports on the hidden world behind a global crisis
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Reuters @reuters.com · 12/05/2026
Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during Barcelona's open-top victory parade to celebrate winning LaLiga.
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Probably the first time a mainstream (perhaps unsurprisingly, Spanish) newspaper uses this term to refer to the ships turning off their AIS transponders to transport oil from Azerbaijan to Israel despite Turkey's trade embargo
english.elpais.com
The phantom fleet fueling Israel’s wars
Greek shipping companies transport Azerbaijani crude oil from a Turkish port in violation of the embargo imposed by Ankara, concealing their shipments by turning off their tracking signals
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Ståle Holgersen @holgersen.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
4-year post-doc in human geography, at @uio.no. Highly recommended!! * Deadline 15th May 2026. * Applicants must have native or near-native competence in a Scandinavian language.
jobbnorge.no
Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Geography (297915) | University of Oslo
Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Geography (297915), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Ilias Alami @iliasalami.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Finally caught up with this brilliant piece This should be required reading for anyone writing on China! www.nplusonemag.com/issue-52/the...
nplusonemag.com
Sinophobic Sinophilia | The Editors
In the contemporary Chinese context, the idea that crucial parts of the central government could simply cease to operate for more than a month, as part of a procedural standoff between rival governing...
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
What's Going on With Shipping (Sal Mercogliano) @mercoglianos.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Panama Canal auction slots more than double in price Middle East conflict raises auction slot prices as containers and LPG lift Panama Canal transits and cargo volumes. www.seatrade-maritime.com/maritime-tra...
seatrade-maritime.com
Panama Canal auction slots more than double in price
Middle East conflict raises auction slot prices as containers and LPG lift Panama Canal transits and cargo volumes.
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Rosemary Lee @machineagency.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
As a big Farocki fangirl, I'm ecstatic over the new issue of e-flux: Operativism: Labor, Automation, Agitation edited by Vogman and Pasquinelli 😍 especially Tom Holert's "Beneath the Information, the Operation: Harun Farocki and the Work of Images" SO GOOD www.e-flux.com/journal/162
e-flux.com
e-flux Journal #162 April 2026 - e-flux
with contributions by Elena Vogman, Matteo Pasquinelli, Harun Farocki, Tom Holert, Olexii Kuchanskyi, Alla Vronskaya, Aleksei Gastev, Evgenii Petrov, Aleksandra Selivanova, Devin Fore, Kalindi Vora, N...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
"Liberian" ship i.e. ship registered with 'The Liberian Ship & Corporate Registry' LLC, a US-incorporated entity headquartered in the greater DC area. Liberia's first ship registry was founded by Edward Stettinius, a former US State Secretary who also oversaw the creation of Liberia's Maritime Code
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
"While the US military says it has turned around over 20 vessels and ‘completely halted’ Iranian trade, Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows a steady flow of shadow fleet traffic in and out of the Middle East Gulf."
lloydslist.com
At least 26 Iranian shadow fleet vessels bypass US blockade
While the US military says it has turned around over 20 vessels and ‘completely halted’ Iranian trade, Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows a steady flow of shadow fleet traffic in and out of the Middle East Gulf
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I recently learned from a friend that finance bros refer to him as the 'quantatollah'
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
liquidtime.substack.com/p/90-of-the-...
liquidtime.substack.com
90% of the World’s Goods are Moved By Sea. Says Who?
If you’ve ever read anything about shipping then you will have read some variation of the lines “Shipping is the backbone of the world economy. 90% of the world’s goods are moved by sea.” This line – ...
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Jacob Bolton @jacobbolton.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
a while back me and @miriammthsn.bsky.social wrote a piece about how 90% of the world's goods do not, in fact, move by sea. now its the source for google's claim that they do. like come on man read just two words on
Screenshot of google search. It says, in the authoritative black text of google's answers, that '90% of the world's goods are moved by sea'. 

Underneath is a link to a blog, called '90% of the World's Goods are Moved By Sea. Says Who?'
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Rogier van Reekum @rvanreekum.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Check this out! There's a book launch of my essay "The Netherlands is a bad idea" in Moezeum (010), April 23. With responses from: Zakia Essanhaji ❤️, @quinsyg.bsky.social ❤️, and Nawal Mustafa ❤️. The book was made in collaboration with Multi Tool Press ❤️ and will be available in limited supply.
A book launch of The Netherlands is a bad idea, an essay by Rogier van Reekum, at Moezeum on April 23. Free entrance. Doors open 19.00. Hosted by Zouhair Hammana. With responses by Zakia Essanhaji, Quinsy Gario and Nawal Mustafa.
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"terms like ‘dark’ and ‘shadow’ are never invoked to describe the vessels that have...supplied Israel with military...carrying out its genocidal war, which highlights the geopolitical faultlines that circumscribe the use of this term" @miriammthsn.bsky.social liquidtime.substack.com/p/four-quest...
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"dark fleet" "Shadow fleet" "Ghost fleet" are mystifications often used by hawks Read @miriammthsn.bsky.social : "In an April 2023 report titled “Shifty Shades of Grey”, Lloyd’s List provides a ‘methodology’ which defines a tanker as part of the dark fleet if" liquidtime.substack.com/p/four-quest...
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"One of the challenges in defining ‘shadow’ fleet is that even if you resort to...terms like “opaque ownership structures”; “post-box addresses”; “obscure locations”;“shell companies”; “flags of convenience”“flag hopping” you just end up sounding like you’re describing the entire shipping industry"🤌
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Ntina Tzouvala @ntinatzouvala.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
this is remarkable
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Martha Berta @marthaberta.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"Terms like ‘dark’ and ‘shadow’ are never invoked to describe the vessels that have continuously supplied Israel with military and other equipment for carrying out its genocidal war, which highlights the geopolitical faultlines that circumscribe the use of this term."
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Aretousa Bloom @aretousa.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
This is so good @miriammthsn.bsky.social
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Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
This! Also, Greek ships delivering arms, coal etc to Israel have been basically turning off their AIS and faking their destinations on their manifests...
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet. For a while now I have felt that people use these terms without really examining their origins nor the assumptions that come with invoking them, so I wrote about why I think this is a problem:
open.substack.com
Four Questions About the So-Called ‘Shadow’ Fleet
In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, or the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet.
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Jacob Bolton @jacobbolton.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
What does calling a ship part of the 'ghost fleet' mean, and who gets to decide? New writing from @miriammthsn.bsky.social over at liquidtime dot substack dot com liquidtime.substack.com/p/four-quest...
liquidtime.substack.com
Four Questions About the So-Called ‘Shadow’ Fleet
In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, or the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet.
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Reposted by Miriam Matthiessen
Middle East Eye (Unofficial) @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza City - www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/liv…
middleeasteye.net
Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza City
<article data-history-node-id="437779" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-strike-kills-al-jazeera-journalist-gaza-city" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israeli-strike-kills-al-jazeera-journalist-gaza-city" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Israeli strike kills Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza City</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>An Israeli attack targeted a vehicle carrying Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Mohammed Wishah in Gaza City, killing him while he was driving on a main road.</p> <p>His death brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023 to 262.</p> <p>Conditions in Gaza City are worsening amid ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire.</p> </div> </div> </article>
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet. For a while now I have felt that people use these terms without really examining their origins nor the assumptions that come with invoking them, so I wrote about why I think this is a problem:
open.substack.com
Four Questions About the So-Called ‘Shadow’ Fleet
In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, or the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet.
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Geoffrey Hughes @geofffhughes.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
This war has been extremely revealing about the limits of the lived experience/local voices industrial complex:
Quote in a BBC report (since deleted): "Radon, also in his 20s and living in Tehran, said: "About them hitting energy infrastructure, using an atomic bomb,.or levelling Iran. My honest reaction is that I'm OK with all of these."
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Hello nerds has anyone written anything good on Irving Fisher’s hydraulic apparatus or more generally the use of hydraulics to simulate the economy/market equilibrium?
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
third time attending Courtisane, the best (and most principled!!) experimental film festival in this corner of the world ❤️‍🔥
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Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
The wonderful Jairus Banaji
Among the more exalted moments of Trump’s primetime speech last night was a threat to send Iran back to the “Stone Ages – 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔”.
I have no idea what Trump’s ancestors were doing in the 5th to 4th centuries BC but I doubt they were producing artifacts like the one in the picture here, an Achaemenid-period gold griffin-headed armlet, part of 180 pieces of metalwork discovered in Tajikistan in the late 19th century. Bactria as it was then was the easternmost province of the Persian empire of that period.     
The armlet comes from what’s known as the Oxus Treasure, on which see

https://www.academia.edu/34128317/The_Oxus_Treasure_British_Museum_Objects_in_Focus_London_2012_
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
heatmap.news
Here Comes Degrowth Donald
Mr. President, your commitment to radical climate and economic policy really does astound me.
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Ingrid Burrington @lifewinning.com · 01/04/2026
www.microsoft.com/en-us/micros... is it good to build an entire economy and software infrastructure on this
Highlighted section of the Copilot ToS which says "Copilot is for entertainment purposes only"
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Miriam Matthiessen @miriammthsn.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hitachi and Hitachi Systems to study the conversion of second hand vessels into floating data centres, with operations targeted from 2027."
thedigitalship.com
Used ships meet AI in MOL-Hitachi plan – Digital Ship
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