It takes about 7,000 tons of bunker-fuel to fill the tanks of a 5,000-container cargo ship for a trip from Shanghai to Los Angeles. Over the last year and half, the cost of that fuel has jumped 87% to $552 a ton, according to the World Shipping Council, boosting the cost of a fill-up to more than $3.8 million.
Below is a link to a recent LA Times article – “Envisioning a world of $200-a-barrel oil”
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-oil28-2008jun28,0,2080126,full.story
Richard Pace 
Rick, as a sailer I find this information about Beluga Skysail interesting: the return of the sail to the ocean cargo shipping. Beluga Group is trying this new.. uh.. I mean old concept.
http://www.beluga-group.com/News.345.0.html?&cHash=8d7c34a750&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=505
And some info about the SkySails in general.
http://www.skysails.info/
-Stas
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