Ever wonder what it would be like to work on a container ship, traveling across the Earth’s oceans and seeing its cities from a new perspective? Canadian photographer and sailor Jeffrey Tsang provides a window into world with videos like this one:

Spanning a month at sea, the sped-up images capture the barge’s journey from the Red Sea to Hong Kong. Around 80,000 photos shot in 4K depict “breathtaking views of quickly shifting skies, deep red sunsets, and brilliant blue lightening amidst ferocious storms,” per Colossal. For the full effect, enlarge it to full size, sit back and enjoy the ever-shifting weather and scenery.

Tsang has produced a huge collection of excellent videos detailing his life and work, giving viewers insights into the world of cargo shipping one container at a time with bridge tours, anchor demonstrations, safety explanations and reasons to (or not to) pursue a similar maritime career.

“Sailing in the open sea is a truly unique way to grasp how significantly small we are in the beautiful world,” the photographer says. “Chasing the endless horizon, witnessing the ever changing weather, and appreciating the bright stars and galaxies.”

His are not the only high-seas adventures out there for container fans and cargo lovers, however. Below is another documentary video worth a watch for those anyone interested in the inner working of these ocean-going behemoths.

New to cargo ships and how containers revolutionized shipping? Took a look at this explainer video from Vox and take a listen to the podcast series Containers produced by Alexis Madrigal.

Built in the 1860s and now on sale for half a million pounds (under $1,000,000) , it is hard to beat what this sea fort offers by way of views, a prestigious address (No 1 Thames) and amazing location (a short commute by speedboat from London).

The massive fortified structure (featuring 15-foot-thick walls) can be accessed by boat or walked to when the tide is low, albeit a long and muddy way to go. A BBC interview (screenshots above and below) shows both the problems and potential of this amazing piece of real estate – there are precedents, too, for converting old British army and sea forts as well as harbor bases.

The current owner purchased the property from the Crown Estate, which is to say he approach the “Lord High Admiral for Her Most Excellency Majesty Queen Elizabeth”, made an offer and had it accepted.

However, the buyer-turned-seller, himself a London resident, never found the time or funds to refurbish the place, so it remains in a state of partial decay – a would-be purchaser should expect a significant outlay for renovating the building’s exterior and interior alike.

Still, for someone with a fortune as well as a vision, it is hard to imagine a neater place to escape from city life. The firm WT Architecture has already taken a stab at conceptual designs for rehabilitating to structure (renderings shown above and below). As their drawings illustrate, there is a rich variety in terms of materials, shapes and spaces to work with, including a cavernous central stone circle with a tall wood-and-concrete watchtower and an adjacent rectangular brick structure (that could be used for guests).

As BldgBlog notes, “At first glance, it’s an amazing offshore castle, a fairy tale artificial island of 19th-century military Romanticism roughly an hour’s boat ride east of London. But don’t jump in too quickly, lest you overlook the ruinous state of the place: it needs almost literally everything, from plumbing to electricity, glass windows to the most thorough cleaning you could imagine, having been open to the oceanic elements for decades”

Using the existing vessel-shaped space of a six-decades-old dry dock, the Danish National Maritime Museum in Helsingor, Denmark takes visitors on a unique subterranean tour of the areas used to build, maintain and repair ships.

Historically, the zone would be drained to bring in or assemble vessels then flooded to send them back out into open waters. Today, thanks to BIG architects (images by Rasmus Hjortshøj and Luca Santiago Mora), people can follow a staircase directly down and enter the area at the lower levels then cross through it via interior sloping skyways.

Alternatively, a grand entry path begins above via the bridge system that zigs and zags along the length of the museum to a main entry just below ground level. This route offers a gentle slope and stellar views of everything happening below and on all sides. Passers by can also enjoy a good look down when traversing a smaller connecting bridge that simply spans from one side to the other.

The main museum exhibition, auditorium, classroom, office and cafe areas are arrayed around the outdoor void on the levels below. Their borders are in turn defined by an off-axis rectangle the emphasizes their contrast with the curved ship shape of the center space and connect to other nearby attractions, monuments and landmarks.

(images via: divenorway, hyperfish, vigidal and sanjuan)

Like trains, ships once played a much larger part in the worldwide economy than they do now.  Their reach has been significantly reduced with the advent of quicker and more efficient modes of transport.  As a result, there are amazing shipwrecks and abandoned ships, boats and docks and other vehicles around the world, along with the shipyards where they were stored and the boat docks where they once loaded and unloaded.

(images via: Container Shipping, Ben Cooper and Michael Alan)

Because of the vast numbers of ships and boats that were abandoned in the late 19th century, many were repurposed into shops, homes, and restaurants.  Some were dismantled and the wood was used for other construction purposes.  But many simply rotted and rusted away, and some are still floating in harbors, ship yards and boat graveyards, waiting for their eventual fate.

(images via: Opacity)

The Staten Island Boat Graveyard is well-known to almost every kid who grew up in the area.  Many old boats, ships and other less-than-seaworthy vessels have come here to die.  They are used for scrap, sunken into the water, or simply left to decay and sink on their own.  The Boat Graveyard has become a popular visiting spot for photographers and boat enthusiasts.  Photographers delight in the unique shots and boat enthusiasts love seeing these relics up close.

(images via: SF Genealogy, Kumasawa and Ariel)

One of the most bizarre instances of boat abandonment is that of the city of San Francisco.  During the late 19th century, the Gold Rush brought untold numbers of people to California.  Because many of them arrived by boat, Yerba Buena Cove was clogged with vessels.  While the boats’ owners left to seek their fortunes in the hills, the boats themselves were forgotten – often still containing belongings and supplies.  The city expanded rapidly, eventually encompassing Yerba Buena Cove.  Buildings were built further and further out, and over time Yerba Buena Cove was ordered to be filled in with sand.  The hulking masses of ships that remained were often incorporated into new buildings, but many were simply built over.  Over the last hundred plus years, construction and natural disasters have revealed these buried boats beneath the city.

(images via: Forgotten NY)

Continuing a long tradition of sea-related legends, NYC residents often spoke of the Yellow Submarine of Coney Island.  The story sounds like an urban legend: an ordinary man set out on a wacky quest to retrieve the riches of a famous shipwreck, the Andrea Doria, and built a homemade submarine to do it.  But this was no urban legend.  The Andrea Doria went down in 1956, laden with materials that could be sold for millions of dollars.  Ship fitter Jerry Bianco decided to go after them and raise the old ship to the surface.  He sold stock in his newly-formed corporation to raise money for the expedition.  With these funds, he built his own submarine (yellow, because the paint was cheap) and prepared to launch it in 1970.  Unfortunately, the sub never fulfilled its destiny; it failed to launch and Bianco’s supporters lost interest.  In 1981, it got loose and drifted away.  While it was assumed to be an urban legend for quite a while, some brave boat explorers have found and examined the Yellow Submarine of Coney Island Creek.

(images via: Magic River WV)

The locations associated with commercial boats have suffered with the decrease of water transport’s popularity.  The coal industry once relied heavily on boats to take the cargo to where it needed to be.  But when trains were found to be cheaper, faster, and more versatile, the boats that carried the coal and the docks and machinery used to load them fell into disuse.  These pictures from the Monongahela River between West Virginia and Pittsburgh show some of the mammoth relics that still dot the landscape of coal country.

(images via: Infiltration)

Even when you’re lucky enough to see a historical abandoned boat or ship, it’s almost never possible (or advisable) to explore inside. The crew of urban exploration zine Infiltration did just that near Lake Ontario. La Grande Hermine, the large wooden ship resting in an artificial cove, proved to be too tempting to resist, so they paddled out to it and hopped aboard. These pictures show an interior that is beautiful, if only a little spooky.