Shipping and industry

For many, Charles Dickens is synonymous with Christmas jollity. However, there was a darker side to Dickens’ work. Not only did he repeatedly refer in his novels and articles to the contemporary filth of the Thames, which culminated in the Great Stink crisis of 1858, he was also actively involved in kick-starting the reform programmes to resolve the issue.

What happens to offshore platforms when they are decommissioned? Follow their final journeys from the North Sea to the breaker's yard

Lifeline, water source, sewer – follow the murky history of London's relationship with the River Thames

Exploitation, slavery and even murder have been documented on board modern fishing fleets

Track the largest container ship in the world using the interactive map

From Cutty Sark to cutting edge technology, could a new era of wind power help global trade go green?

Photographer and offshore worker Peter Iain Campbell shines a light on one of Britain's most challenging working environments

This month we investigate a small notebook from the Journal and Diary collection (RMG reference: JOD/325), kept by Thomas Edward Chilvers from the time he was serving in the Merchant Navy onboard the ship Empire Baffin. The Journal and Diary collection offers a fascinating insight into life at sea in the Royal and Merchant Navy, the fields of exploration and leisure activities in the words of those who contributed to laying the foundations of Britain’s maritime heritage.

Did the polluted waters of the Thames contribute to Britain's worst inland waterway tragedy?