TradeWinds' interest was piqued by a headline in the UK Independent daily this week revealing shipowners have been availing themselves of "cheat devices" to dump pollution into the oceans and avoid IMO 2020 rules.
What could this dastardly piece of equipment be? Was it a new "magic pipe" scandal in the making?
Well, no, as you've probably guessed, these fiendish companies were using a little-known system called a "scrubber".
They've spent billions on open-loop versions of these exhaust emissions cleaners, apparently, all the while transferring pollution from the air to the sea, the report reveals.
Now, putting to one side the rights and wrongs of the technology, surely it is no longer news that this is happening, even in a mainstream media that takes little notice of shipping until a tanker blows up in the Great Barrier Reef?
Streaming video
Perhaps shipping is just too boring for the press to cover?
Well, Ikea in Australia certainly reinforced this impression with its latest live Slow TV broadcast.
It chose to cure insomnia by streaming footage from a boxship's 14-day journey to its shores.
Kent and Sara Eriksson, narrators of the first Ikea Sleep Podcast, read out scintillating excerpts from the flat-pack giant's 2020 catalogue over the video.
The "real-time representation" continued with the unnamed vessel arriving in port, where containers filled with Swedish goodies were unloaded and transported to stores.
Ryan Burman, country commercial activity leader for Ikea Australia, said the retailer aimed to bring Australians the "least exciting" TV channel ever.
If that doesn't put you to sleep, TradeWinds doesn't know what will.
