Goodbye to Antitrust Exemptions for Cargo Shipping? & more–17th Oct 2023

Saluton from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 17th of October twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions

The European Commission is about to drop antitrust exemptions for cargo shipping. The Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (or CBER) has ensured exemptions from some antitrust regulations for container shipping since two thousand nine, but now the authorities want to change that. Because of these exemptions, the category has gained a lot of profit in the last decade. The CBER will expire on Thursday, the 25th of April twenty twenty-four, and probably it won’t be extended —the European Commission has in fact launched a review process in August twenty twenty-two to monitor the function of the CBER in the previous two years, and has now decided that “a dedicated block exemption regulation is no longer fit for purpose.” As a consequence, from next year Consortia will have to review their cooperation agreements, specifically, the European Union will again ban agreements between companies that restrict competition.

Still on cargo ships. The Balticconnector natural gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland leaked on Sunday, the 8th. According to the shipping website Marine Traffic, the Russian cargo ship SVG Flot was near the site of the pipeline’s leak for the whole weekend. Why is the vicinity of SVG Flot and the leak relevant? Seismic activity was registered on Sunday but, according to Norwegian seismologists, it wasn’t connected to any earthquake. They suspect that a collision between the gas pipeline and an anchor could have caused it. Expert on Russia Marko Eklund and many other analysts suspect that Russia sabotaged the pipeline and communication cable to intimidate Finland, which recently joined NATO. The leak will certainly damage the environment since natural gas is composed of methane, a greenhouse gas that captures the heat and doesn’t let it back out to the atmosphere —some of this methane will remain stuck in the ocean.

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In previous episodes, we talked about the UN Ocean treaty, signed by more than sixty countries and the European Union to protect the ocean’s ecosystem. Doctor Okafor-Yarwood, lecturer at the University of Saint Andrews in the Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, warns that the treaty will force water fleets that usually fish outside their own territory to fish closer to land. Many international vessels might find African grounds attractive and lucrative, as there are several fish species and waters are not properly monitored. The World Trade Organization reported that illegal and unregulated fishing costs Africa over $2.3 billion dollars in losses every year. This possibility is also worrying Small Scale Fisheries Organizations, as it can put African fish stocks at risk.

In other news, the Third UN Ocean Conference recently published the results of the civil society consultation held in preparation for the conference. Back in May twenty twenty-three, the co-chairs of the Conference, France, and Costa Rica, invited 125 Civil Society Organizations (or CSOs) to participate in a survey to identify the most important topics and the expected outcomes. The results are remarking on the areas of fisheries, education, science, and marine conservation. CSOs also urged the Conference to be more inclusive and take into account scientists, women, youth, indigenous peoples, and local communities.CSOs suggested improving communication with the media and the general public, as it prioritizes sustainable fisheries, pollution, and marine protected areas.

Moving on, new research published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that marine heat waves are lasting longer in deep waters, causing displacement and mortality of several marine species. Specifically, the most intense marine heat waves occur at a depth from fifty to 250 meters (or 160 to 820 feet). The heat waves at a depth from 250 to 2,000 meters (or 820 to 6,600 feet) are less intense, but last longer.

From research on heat waves to research on plastic in the ocean. Specialists have recently estimated that around 500 million kilograms of plastic debris enter the ocean every year. The amount is less than estimated in previous investigations, but, according to the researchers, there is still an increase in plastic pollution. Most of this plastic debris consists of water bottles and fishing nets. The team, led by Mikael Kaandorp, a physical oceanographer at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research center in Germany, found three primary sources of plastic: rivers, coastlines, and fishing activity. The new investigation also remarks that plastic will stay longer in the environment than estimated in previous research.

Moving on to North Yorkshire, in England. On Tuesday, the 10th, a wave of marine deaths hit Saltburn Beach. Dead starfish and other species of small fish completely covered the coast. Two months ago, residents of the area spotted a dead porpoise along with other dead seabirds and hundreds of lion mane jellyfish at this same beach. The cause of the deaths in these two events is still unclear: the hypothesis varies from avian flu, toxicity, and starvation. However, this is not the first time an incident like this occurred in the area. In October twenty twenty-one, thousands of dead marine animals were washed up on the northeast coast of Yorkshire.

From England to Australia. The design company Reef Design Lab came up with a new invention called Erosion Mitigation Units, which consists of concrete module units mixed with locally recycled shells. The company aims to create a livable habitat for marine life like mussels and oysters and has already planted its innovative concrete modules in Port Phillip Bay, in the city of Clifton Springs in Victoria, and in the town of Greater Geelong. The concrete can generate marine life when put underwater. Its organic forms- resembling lotus roots -, allow the reduction of the number of materials required to create the module units and create a welcoming environment where fish and molluscs can live and grow.

And from Australia… to the United States. The kelp farming company Ocean Rainforest secured $4.5 million dollars in funds from the US government to produce giant kelp on a large scale in California. The company will operate on eighty-six acres in the Santa Barbara Channel. The funds will allow Ocean Rainforest to develop its cultivation technologies in offshore conditions, particularly in automated out planting, partial harvest technology, and automated monitoring. Seaweed cultivation is considered one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly forms of biomass production, as it doesn’t require arable land, freshwater, or additional fertilizers. It’s also recognized as the least environmentally destructive form of aquaculture because it provides habitat to marine sea life.

News from the digital training sector. Oldendorff Carriers, the biggest German bulk operator, will provide to the crews of ninety bulk carriers a Maritime Trainer’s extensive online schooling package. The training will also cover the topic of Tanker Management and Self Assessment, a great asset for the company that will implement inspection and assessment procedures on its cargo ships. The Maritime Trainer’s schooling provides digital training and assessment to over 50,000 seafarers on around 600 ships, but the company wants to reach 1,500 ships by the end of next year.

Moving on to watersports. On Thursday, the 12th, the sixth Megha Kayak Festival started at the Shillong White Water village in Ri-Bhoi, India. Ri-Bhoi Water Sports and the Tourism Corporation Society organized the event, which lasted three days. The festival celebrates sportsmanship, nature, and kayaking. This year, the groups of participants were widely international, with fourteen different nationalities. The festival offered two categories: the Down River Sprint and the Canoe Slalom Cross. The Department of Sports & Youth Affairs sponsored the event in collaboration with the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association.

And to close this edition, an offshore earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale occurred on Sunday, the 15th, on the southeastern coast of Japan, in the North of the Pacific Ocean. The epicenter was located 196 kilometers (or 122 miles) southeast of Katsuura. The tremor happened at a depth of about sixteen kilometers (or nine miles). Authorities warned about aftershocks in the upcoming days. The earthquake didn't cause any damage or injuries.

And that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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See you next week!