Shipping technology sits comfort-ably at the sharp edge of the confluence of physics, electron-ics, manufacture and architec-ture, with virtually every facet of modern ship operations far removed by technology from those of even the recent past. The gleaming exception to this becomes clearly apparent when a vessel comes alongside and the mooring gang begins to haul on ropes to tie the vessel up in the time-honoured manner. Though the hawsers have changed to cope with the vast bulks and resultant tensions that have arisen as vessels have grown over the years, the technology is basically unchanged from the earliest days of sail.
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