The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch and Coastal Flood Watch for Boston and surrounding towns from Friday morning (March 7) through Saturday afternoon.

The dockworkers are flexing their muscles again, threatening a strike beginning Sunday, December 30, 2012 that would shut seaports from Massachusetts to Texas. It would be the first such coastwide strike since a two-month walkout in 1977 paralyzed the flow of tens of billions of dollars of imports — and the nation’s retailers and other businesses fear a painful replay if the 14,500 dockworkers make good on their threats. bostonglobe.com/b...

A Maine seafarer said he had found the wreck of a World War II merchant ship off the Massachusetts coast, sunk while carrying a cargo of the precious metal platinum valued today at nearly $3 billion, an unprecedented find that has raised some doubts. Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research in Gorham, Maine, said on Thursday he had discovered the submerged ship in 2008 some 50 miles (80 km) off the Massachusetts coast and, using a remotely run submersible vessel, identified it last summer as the British freighter Port Nicholson. The coal-fired ship, which is resting 700 feet (300 meters) under water, was sunk by torpedoes in a June 1942 attack by a German U-boat, Brooks said. The vessel had been bound for New York from Nova Scotia in Canada with 1.707 million ounces (48,393 kgs) of platinum, intended as a special wartime payment to the United States from the Soviet Union, he said. That much platinum, if verified, would have a value today of $2.77 billion, at a market price of $1,624 per ounce. www.reuters.com/a...

A car ferry in the Massachusetts Steamship Authority Fleet was taken out of service Sunday morning after striking another vessel. A passenger onboard the Eagle said as the vessel was pulling away from the dock in Hyannis at 9:15 a.m. when it hit the Sankaty, which was not moving. No injuries were reported. The boat came back to the dock to let the passengers out. They were then put on the Sankaty and transported to Nantucket. Read more: www.thebostonchan...

Cruiseport Boston is busier than ever! Today is the first of 12 days this season when three ships will stop at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal on the same day. The 12 “triple plays” doubles last year’s six days. The Enchantment of the Seas, Carnival Glory, and Silver Whisper were the season’s first trifecta “one behind the other” lineup. From now through October, those 36 ships will bring more than 74,000 passengers to Boston to shop, sightsee and dine – evidence of Boston’s popularity as a stop on Canada & New England cruises. Source:cruise industry news, www.cruiseindustr...

Two low-profile cranes from the Port of Oakland go through the Panama Canal Aug. 27 on their way to their home at the Port of Boston. The cranes are a critical part of the Massachusetts Port Authority’s plan to meet future demand and accommodate post-Panamax vessels. Massport must use low-profile cranes, because the Conley Container Terminal is under the flight path of a runway at Boston Logan International Airport. The cranes left Oakland on Aug. 2 and are expected to arrive in Boston by mid-September. Source: marinelink.com Link: www.marinelink.co...