Unless the world's ocean's dry up and you can actually drive from New York to Paris, people will be seafaring for at least the next couple of decades. There's still not a more efficient way to get a large number of goods around the world than traversing nature's liquid super-highways.

That doesn't mean things won't change, even in an occupation as old as sea captain. Advances in technology are changing even the basic designs of boats and ships to create faster and (more importantly) more energy efficient vessels. While many ships were using wind power way before it was cool, diesel engines are still the choice for most companies—but that's changing too. Even the Navy is getting in on the game.

 

"Weeeeeeee!" (Source)

Thankfully all these changes also include better ways to stay safe. From GPS systems that are able to track every single boat on Earth, to rapid response communication equipment, sailing on the open ocean has never been safer (though that's not to guarantee a relaxing, straightforward trip). Who knows what else lies on the horizon? Maybe they'll even develop devices that allow us to communicate with whales.

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