In the Ocean Fast Lane

Work is currently in progress on a new jet-powered ship that aims to cross the Atlantic in just three days, half the current journey time for cargo vessels, according to BBC News. It is being developed by a British designer, Nigel Gee, and a consortium, ADX Express, backed by companies including Rolls-Royce. With a length of 280 metres (920 feet) Mr. Gee's ship will be immense, although not quite as long as some of the biggest container ships already on the water.

It will have a cargo capacity of 8,000 tonnes - again, not as big as the giants that currently circle the globe. But it is on speed that the Gee ship will set new markers. It will average about 38 knots (70 kilometres per hour), substantially shortening current journey times. The secret lies in the Pentamaran design, with its super-sleek look and stabilising outriggers, or outsponsons, as Mr. Gee likes to call them. The big container ships that carry most of the world's long-haul manufactured exports travel at about 25 knots at best, and barely 17 knots in bad weather. Even when operating in bad conditions, Mr. Gee's Pentamaran should only lose a couple of knots from its top speed of 41 knots.