New Ferry Link Proposed Between Aberdeen And Iceland
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Talks are under way for a ferry from Aberdeen to Seydisfjordur in eastern Iceland, reviving a North Atlantic connection that endured for 150 years
These three paragraphs add more detail.
There were wild celebrations when the first ever regular mail steamer from Scotland arrived in Iceland.
Cheering crowds gathered as the Clyde-built Victor Emanuel, her single funnel belching black smoke, slipped into Reykjavik harbour in 1858 after crossing the North Atlantic from Leith. It was an historic day, marking a service that was to bind Britain and Iceland in a way they never had been before.
There was little or no emotion, however, when the last regular sea connection between Scotland and Iceland was lost in 2008 amid the rise of low-cost airlines, ending a century and a half of shipping history.
But now it appears that the ferry might be revived, as The Times article reports.
This Google Map shows the seas between Aberdeen and Iceland.
Note.
- Iceland is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Seydisfjordur, which will be the port, where the service will terminate is indicated by the red arrow.
- The Faroe Islands are in the middle of the map.
- Aberdeen is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The Orkneys and Shetlands are North of Scotland.
I was rather surprised, I could get everything on the single map.
This second map shows all the wind farms being developed around the North of Scotland.
Note.
- These seventeen wind farms have a total capacity of 24 GW.
- Currently, in total, as I write this we’re using 35.7 GW and generating 32.9 GW.
- The difference is made up of transfers.
- There are more details on these wind farms in Ørsted, Simply Blue, Subsea7 Submit Application For 100 MW Scottish Floating Wind Farm.
There would appear to be plenty more space for wind farms.
What Will Happen To This Energy In The North Of Scotland?
The Germans have a shortage of green energy and it is likely that they will build a system of pipes and wires called AquaVentus between Aberdeen and Wilhelmshaven via Humberside to bring green hydrogen and electricity to Germany.
I can see a need for ferries linking Wilhelmshaven, Aberdeen, Orkney, Shetland, the Faroes and Iceland, if construction really takes off in the area, where there is one of the largest undeveloped areas in Europe, that is suitable for wind farms.
And much of the area is in the UK EEZ.
I do wonder, if in his recent visit to Merz, Burnham and the German Chancellor agreed to develop the Northern part of the UK EEZ for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
I will finish with these questions.
What Is The Offshore Wind Potential Of Iceland?
I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.
Iceland possesses massive theoretical offshore wind resources, estimated by the World Bank at approximately 847 gigawatts (GW), which is more than the combined potential of countries like France and Spain.
Key Aspects of Iceland’s Offshore Wind Potential
Resource Scale: The World Bank estimates Iceland’s coastal waters could yield up to 847 GW of power, far exceeding the country’s domestic electricity consumption (which is currently met almost entirely by geothermal and hydroelectric power).
Geographical and Climate Challenges:
Shallows and Coastline: Unlike shallow North Sea basins, Iceland’s rugged coastlines have relatively few shallow areas, which can complicate conventional fixed-bottom turbine installations.
Harsh Conditions: Winter wind speeds and power densities are exceptionally high (with offshore values exceeding 1,000 W/m² in southern, eastern, and western coastal areas), though extreme weather, tectonic activity, and volcanic-glacial sediments require specialized foundation engineering.
Export and Cross-Border Concepts: Because Iceland’s domestic energy needs are already satisfied by low-cost renewables, large-scale offshore wind developments are often proposed for export. For example, developers like Hecate Independent Power (HIP Atlantic) have explored multi-gigawatt offshore wind projects off Iceland’s coast linked directly to the United Kingdom via long-distance subsea HVDC transmission cables.
Emerging Research: Scientific bodies like the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the Icelandic Geological Survey (ÍSOR) have partnered on grants to map Iceland’s seabed and glacial outwash plains to better evaluate site suitability and turbine foundation designs.
Iceland could be Europe’s largest power station.
It’s lucky Trump has no engineering, mathematical or scientific knowledge, otherwise he’d be jealous.
What Is The Offshore Wind Potential Of The Faroe Islands?
I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.
The Faroe Islands possess substantial wind resources, though deep surrounding waters present engineering challenges for standard bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines. To bypass these constraints and overcome local onshore resistance (“NIMBY” opposition), the territory has actively explored and planned offshore installations:
Planned Offshore Wind Projects
Tórshavn Offshore Wind Farm: The Faroese power company SEV planned an initial offshore wind project near the capital, Tórshavn, sized between 96 MW and 120 MW.
Replacement of Onshore Plans: This single offshore initiative was designed to replace at least five delayed or contested onshore wind farms, accelerating the territory’s push toward its goal of 100% sustainable electricity generation by 2030.
Technical & Geographical Challenges
Deep Waters: Standard fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines are difficult or costly to deploy because the waters surrounding the steep volcanic islands become deep very quickly.
Alternative Approaches: Studies and strategies have investigated floating offshore wind options, as well as integrating offshore wind with green hydrogen and ammonia production to power local maritime and industrial sectors.
Tidal Complement: Because standard wind and solar can be variable or affected by harsh salt and wind conditions, the islands are heavily supplementing their wind strategy with predictable underwater tidal kite technology (such as Minesto systems) which hold a separate 2 GW national tidal potential.
It looks like The Faroes goal of 100 % sustainable electricity generation by 2030, will mean they won’t be exporting large amounts of energy.
What Is The Offshore Wind Potential Of The Shetland Islands?
I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.
The Shetland Islands possess some of the most consistent and high-capacity wind resources in Europe, with multi-gigawatt offshore wind potential supported by ScotWind leasing rounds.
Key Offshore Wind Projects & Potential
Arven Offshore Wind Farm: A major floating offshore wind project targeted for the early 2030s located east of Shetland. It features a planned capacity of 2.3 GW (enough to power roughly 2 million homes annually).
Stoura Offshore Wind Farm: An early-stage floating wind project awarded to ESB via Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind process. Located about 40 km east of Shetland, it has a targeted capacity of 500 MW.
NE1 Site & Regional Leasing: The broader waters surrounding Shetland have yielded licensing for roughly 2.8 GW to 3 GW or more of offshore floating wind capacity through recent leasing rounds, utilizing deep-water floating technology for depths exceeding 60 meters.
Complementary Energy Infrastructure
Onshore Integration: The massive 443 MW Viking Energy Wind Farm (103 turbines) and related onshore sites operate alongside a 260 km subsea HVDC interconnector cable linking Shetland directly to the UK mainland grid.
Industrial Transition: The historic Sullom Voe Terminal is shifting into a clean energy and carbon storage hub (via projects like Veri Energy and ORION), exploring how excess offshore and onshore renewable power can drive green hydrogen production and offshore platform electrification.
Local Challenges: Developers and authorities must balance this massive marine energy potential with spatial constraints, local fishing industry concerns, and grid-connection capacities.
Shetland seems to have implemented an excellent local solution.
What Is The Offshore Wind Potential Of The Orkney Islands?
I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.
The Orkney Islands possess massive offshore wind potential, with surrounding regional waters estimated to hold anywhere from 5 GW to over 17 GW of immediate local generation capacity, alongside broader island and northern Scottish shelf sharing over 100 GW of combined offshore wind potential.
Key Offshore Wind Scale & Figures
Immediate/Local Potential: Between 5 GW and 10 GW of generation capacity lies within 12 miles of the islands, with broader regional models citing up to 17,000 MW (17 GW) of nearby offshore wind potential.
Broader Northern Potential: Orkney—alongside Shetland and the Outer Hebrides—shares access to a regional pool exceeding 100 GW of offshore wind capacity.
Major Projects: The landmark West of Orkney Windfarm (located 30 km off the west coast) features a capacity of 2 GW (up to 125 fixed-foundation turbines), designed to power over 2 million homes and target initial power generation around 2030. It is the first ScotWind project to secure both offshore and onshore planning consents.
Infrastructure & Grid Challenges
Grid Bottlenecks: Orkney frequently generates more than 130% of its local power needs from renewables, leading to significant wind curtailment because legacy interconnector cables to the Scottish mainland are heavily constrained (limited to roughly 40 MW).
Upcoming Upgrades: A new major transmission interconnector cable project is slated to scale up export capacity and relieve these constraints by the end of 2028.
Ports and Supply Chain: Strategic port developments—such as the Scapa Deep Water Quay project at Scapa Flow—are receiving multi-million-pound investments to transform Orkney into a primary assembly, manufacturing, and maintenance hub for Scottish and European floating and fixed offshore wind farms.
It appears that the priority is better transmission of the generated electricity.
Conclusion
It looks like a substantial amount of green electricity can be harvested and brought South, either as electricity or as green hydrogen.
Trump Vows To Give Every Adult $5,000 If He Wins Midterms
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
At the first-ever Republican midterm convention, speakers called the Democrats ‘communists’ and championed the president’s policies of ‘common sense’
These are the first two paragraphs.
President Trump pledged to issue a “dividend” of $5,000 to every American adult if the Republicans hold the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
Speaking at the opening night of the first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump said the payout — which would amount to $1.35 trillion — had only one caveat: that it should be spent in the United States.
I first read this story, whilst I was recovering in Homerton Hospital, after a fall that appeared to knock me out in my bedroom. I suspect a rug slipped, while I was getting dressed.
Reports of the convention, sound more like that of a Mafia or drug-dealers convention, than that of a supposedly responsible political party.
Trump Is Flailing While Iran Calls The Shots
William Hague in The Times is generally a good read and today’s piece on the US and Iran negotiations, is no exception.
After this sub-heading.
US negotiations displayed hopeless naivety and for all the tough talk now, the president keeps showing he’ll back down
He then starts the article with these two paragraphs.
A month ago, when I read the memorandum agreed by the US and Iran to end the war between them, I literally gasped with surprise. To anyone who has ever been in negotiations with the Iranians, as I was over nuclear issues a decade ago, the concessions made to them seemed extraordinary.
Most striking was that the US is to develop a plan “with at least $300 billion” for the economic development of Iran — a huge incentive to keep the peace but also a colossal subsidy for a regime that President Trump had only weeks earlier set out to destroy.
Is this $300 billion money from the US Treasury, the oil sheikhs’ underwear drawers or from tariffs on uninvolved countries like the UK, Germany, China and Canada?
How many citizens of the UK would sign up for the deal?
About three I would think and two of them would be Nigel and Farage.
The rest of the article is very much a worthwhile read and it finishes with this concluding paragraph.
There have been obvious costs to the war — increased inflation, severe disruption to the Gulf states and of course loss of life. But what we are seeing this week is the cost of the concessions made to get out of it, with much more to come.
We will all be paying more to live our lives, because Donald Trump wanted the Nobel Peace Prize. All he deserves is a pointed hat with a D on it.
There Was Only One Lion Of Vienna, But Fifteen Lions Were Too Much For Mexico, The Crowd And The Officials
One of my earliest memories of football in the 1950s, is the exploits of England centre-forward Nat Lofthouse of Bolton Wanderers.
- I have vague memories of watching the 1953 Matthews Final on our first television, where Lofthouse was on the losing Bolton side.
- I don’t have any memory of the infamous game for England, that gave Lofthouse his nickname.
- But I do remember the controversial 1958 Cup Final between Bolton and Manchester United, which came three months after the Munich disaster. The final was controversial because Lofthouse barged the Manchester United goalkeeper; Harry Gregg into the net for the second goal, in their 2-0 win.
But football was a much tougher game in the 1950s.
The Lion Of Vienna
This except from Lofthouse’s Wikipedia entry, explains how he received his nickname.
On 25 May 1952, Lofthouse earned the title ‘Lion of Vienna’ after scoring his second goal in England’s 3–2 victory over Austria. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper.
I’m afraid some of the tactics of the Mexicans needed more punishment than the officials gave them. And where did the officials conjure up eleven minutes of added time from?
Perhaps Trump had promised a nice holiday in one of his resorts, if they could not stand in the way of a Mexico-USA final, or at least ensure, that England didn’t progress to the quarter-finals.
After all FIFA rescinded a red card for USA’s star forward. Read about this surprising decision in this article on the BBC, which is entitled Red Card System In Disarray Over Trump, Fifa And Balogun Decision.
Thomas Tuchel On The Officials
This article on the Independent is entitled Thomas Tuchel Hits Out At Mexico v England Referee In Furious Rant: ‘Everything Went Against Us’.
Trump Administration Withdraws Appeal, Leaving Wind Energy Leasing And Permitting Freeze Vacated
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Trump Administration has withdrawn its appeal of a federal court ruling that vacated the section of its January 2025 Presidential Wind Memorandum that halted federal leasing and permitting activities for onshore and offshore wind projects, leaving the court’s decision in place and the wind permitting and leasing freeze overturned.
These two paragraphs add more details.
The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has granted the federal government’s motion to voluntarily dismiss its appeal of a December 2025 ruling by the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, which found the challenged section of the Presidential Wind Memorandum unlawful and vacated it in its entirety.
With the dismissal, the district court’s ruling remains in force, meaning the indefinite nationwide pause on wind energy leasing and permitting activities can no longer be enforced.
To quote one of my favourite accountants and a very good friend.
Trump has been screwed, glued and tattooed.
Thankfully, he also has appeared to have given up fairly quickly and has stopped throwing good money after bad.
Council Says ‘No’ To East West Rail Demolitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A council has strengthened its opposition to houses being demolished to make way for a huge railway project.
These three parargraphs add more details to the story.
Bedford Borough Council said any demolitions for the East West Rail line, from Oxford to Cambridge, would be “unacceptable”.
The Conservative-led authority’s response to the latest consultation on the project, external was finalised at a meeting on Wednesday.
The East West Railway Company (EWRC) said the demolitions were necessary to speed up construction time.
In February, I wrote Delays To Opening Makes Station A ‘Laughing Stock’ and if Winsford station was a laughing stock then, it now appears that the whole East West Rail Line, is one gigantic omnistambles.
In the linked post, I said this.
My feeling is that this project has been badly affected by too many adverse factors.
- A lack of overall leadership at the top of the project.
- Too many changes of Government in the UK.
- Are all these governments committed to the project?
- No Overall Control In Bedford Council
- The uncertainty about the Aylesbury Spur, which I wrote about in East-West Rail: Aylesbury Spur.
- The inability to reach a sensible compromise on route through Bedford, with the large number of Nimbys in the area.
- I used to live near Newmarket and their ideas for the town will arise the anger of the horse-racing industry.
- The theme-park I wrote about in ‘Rollercoasters In My Back Yard’: Welcome To Universal Studios Bedford, hasn’t exactly helped.
- Stories like East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?, don’t help.
The planning for East West Rail hasn’t been good.
I can see Universal Studios Bedford with the backing of Donald Trump, suing Bedford Council for all the money they’ve wasted.
I Hope The American Army Doesn’t Navigate Using Google Maps
There is an article in The Times today, which is entitled As The World Watches Kharg Island, Iran Gets Oil Out Another Way.
This is the sub-heading.
Satellite imagery reveals millions of barrels have been shipped from the ‘forgotten’ port of Jask — used only once before
The only Jask, that Google Maps can find is a marketing agency in Solihull. At least Jask,Iran finds it.
Looks a bit deserty to me!
I just had to ask Google AI if the US Army has a Camel Corps and I received this answer.
Yes, the U.S. Army operated a “Camel Corps” experiment between 1856 and 1866, using camels for logistics and supply transport in the Southwest, particularly Texas and California. While considered hardy and effective, the corps was never an official unit and was abandoned due to the Civil War, soldier preference for mules, and lack of long-term support.
Key Facts about the U.S. Army Camel Experiment:
Origin: Proposed by Jefferson Davis (then Secretary of War) and approved by Congress with a $30,000 budget.
Acquisition: Around 70 camels were imported from the Mediterranean (Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia) in two shipments.
Operation: The camels were based primarily at Camp Verde, Texas, transporting cargo across desert terrains.
Key Leaders: Major Henry C. Wayne directed the experiment, and Lt. Edward F. Beale praised the camels’ endurance in reports.
End of Project: The program was abandoned during the Civil War. Confederate forces captured some camels, and the remaining herd was sold at auction in 1864-1866.
While the camels themselves were durable, they were often disliked by soldiers due to their difficult temperament compared to mules. Some camels were sold to miners or escaped, leading to reports of wild camels in the Southwest for decades following the experiment.
Ocasio-Cortez, Markey Ask Trump Admin To Explain Paying TotalEnergies USD 1 Billion ‘In Taxpayer Money’ To Drop Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
US lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ed Markey have sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on the plan by the Trump administration to pay nearly USD 1 billion to TotalEnergies to cancel offshore wind projects off the US East Coast, calling on the administration to stop the payment and explain the legal basis and funding source for the proposed transfer.
These four paragraphs add detail to the story.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
As reported recently, the US government’s agreement with TotalEnergies concerns the company’s exit from offshore wind development in the country by relinquishing leases for projects off New York/New Jersey and North Carolina, for which the administration intends to pay approximately USD 928 million.
The agreement also stipulates that TotalEnergies would redirect that money to oil & gas projects in the US. The company, in a press release issued after signing the agreement with the government, indicated that it would invest proceeds from the payment into a liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas and other oil and gas activities in the US that will support both domestic supply and the demand in Europe.
Trump may have got what he wanted and stopped development of wind farms, but at what cost to US taxpayers?
Out of curiosity, I asked Google AI, “Which LNG Terminal In Texas Have TotalEnergies Agreed To Develop”, And Received This Answer.
TotalEnergies has agreed to develop and invest in the Rio Grande LNG (RGLNG) project located in South Texas.
Key details regarding TotalEnergies’ involvement include:
Partnership: In June 2023, TotalEnergies signed a framework agreement with NextDecade Corporation to participate in the development of the Rio Grande LNG project.
Ownership and Phase 1: TotalEnergies holds a 16.67% stake in the first phase of the project, which includes three liquefaction trains with an annual capacity of 17.5 million tons per annum (Mtpa).
Offtake Agreement: TotalEnergies has agreed to purchase 5.4 million tons per annum (Mtpa) of LNG from Phase 1 for 20 years.
Expansion (Train 4): As of September 2025, TotalEnergies has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) for a 10% stake in the joint venture developing Train 4 of the Rio Grande LNG facility.
NextDecade Stake: TotalEnergies also acquired a 17.5% stake in NextDecade Corporation, the developer of the project.
The Rio Grande LNG project is located in Brownsville, Texas, and is expected to contribute to TotalEnergies’ goal of expanding its U.S. LNG export capacity to 15 million tons annually by 2030.
I shall be watching this project. Especially, as several new techniques have come forward in the last few months.
Has Donald Trump Made Any Reasoned Comments About Lord Sugar?
This was an obvious question to ask Google AI and I received this answer.
Donald Trump has not made any significantly “reasoned” or analytical comments regarding Lord Alan Sugar. Instead, his public comments have been focused on a 2012 Twitter spat and personal attacks aimed at undermining Sugar’s business reputation.
Twitter Spats (2012): The feud escalated when Trump used Twitter to criticize Sugar’s support for wind turbines in Scotland. Trump attacked Sugar’s business acumen, stating, “If you think ugly windmills are good for Scotland you are an even worse businessman than I thought and, in my opinion, should not be doing The Apprentice”.
“Small Timer” Accusations: Trump has accused Sugar of being “not successful enough” to host The Apprentice and claimed that the show’s success in the UK was solely due to his own American format.
Personal Claims: Trump asserted that he “approved” Sugar for the British version of the show and instructed him to “drop to your knees and thank me”.
Earlier Admiration (2010): Before the feud, Trump reportedly made a positive comment to the BBC in 2010, expressing admiration for his counterpart and stating Sugar had “done great” on the show.
Lord Sugar has responded by calling Trump “useless,” “not in his class,” and a “blatant liar”.
Has Lord Sugar Made Any Reasoned Comments About Donald Trump?
This was an obvious question to ask Google AI and I received this answer.
Yes, Lord Alan Sugar has made several reasoned and critical comments regarding Donald Trump over the years, primarily focusing on Trump’s business acumen, his performance on The Apprentice, and his political actions.
Based on his public comments, primarily around 2016–2020 and later, Sugar’s views can be summarized as follows:
Apprentice Performance: Sugar has frequently argued that he is superior to Trump in the context of hosting The Apprentice, calling Trump “useless” in comparison and asserting that Trump was “not in his class”.
Business Acumen: Sugar has challenged the notion of Trump’s extreme wealth, at one point suggesting he would challenge Trump to show whose check for £100 million would clear, referring to Trump’s claims of wealth as “nonsense”.
Political Style and Media Handling: Sugar has criticized Trump’s handling of the media, describing him as “childish” for blaming media outlets and labelling him a “blatant liar”. In 2020, he referred to Trump as a “comedian” who talked “rubbish” regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that his advice was erratic and contradictory.
Trade and Policy: Sugar has criticized Trump’s economic policies, such as tariffs, describing them as “a disaster” that do not take into account the “ramifications of his actions”.
Despite these criticisms, Sugar acknowledged in 2020 that Trump possessed a “fighting spirit” that resonated with his followers.