OCEAN: Australia Protecs its Oceans & more – 15th Oct 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 15th of October twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

On Tuesday the 8th, Tanya Plibersek, the Australian Environment Minister, announced a significant expansion of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve. With this move, Australia would protect more than 50% of its oceans, far more than the 30% targeted by twenty thirty.

Scientists have criticized Plibersek, arguing that industrial longline fishing is still allowed in areas designated as protected. Only about 25% of marine areas meet international conservation standards, with some newly protected zones allowing certain fishing methods. Critics believe the 50% figure is misleading, despite welcoming the expansion as a positive step.

Next up, on Thursday the 10th, Russian and Chinese coast guard ships completed their first joint patrol in the northern Pacific Ocean. The patrol started on Friday the 20th of September, and it involved the Russian ships Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Anadyr, but also the Chinese vessels Meishan and Xiushan.

The flotilla crossed the Sea of Japan, entered conservation waters in the North Pacific, and proceeded to the Bering and Chukchi Seas. During the mission, they carried out joint exercises to address security threats, assist vessels in distress, and perform sea rescues.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic. Hurricane Milton hit Florida's west coast before moving back into the Atlantic Ocean, where it continues to pose risks despite being offshore. The storm has left behind serious damage and at least thirteen deaths. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm with strong winds, heavy rain, and over thirty-six tornadoes. Sarasota County had high storm surges, while tornadoes in Saint Lucie County caused several deaths.

Rescue teams saved hundreds of people from rising waters, especially in the city of Clearwater. Even though the storm has moved back into the Atlantic, dangers like flooding, downed power lines, and contaminated drinking water still threaten coastal areas.

On the other side of the Atlantic… In previous shows, we talked about the Atlantic Initiative launched by Morocco in November twenty twenty-three to give Sahelian countries access to the ocean. According to the analysis of the researcher Abderrafie Zaanoun’s , published on Thursday the 10h in the journal Carnegie’s Sada, the project aims to enhance political stability, address security concerns, and drive economic growth through investments in agriculture, food, and infrastructure, including the Dakhla Atlantic Port.

However, the initiative seems to have obstacles, including the absence of key partners like Senegal, financial and security issues, and competition with Algeria over gas transport to Europe. Despite these challenges, Morocco is likely to gain support from Western nations due to aligned strategic economic and geopolitical interests.

Let’s sail to the Arctic Ocean. The Polarstern's expedition to the Central Arctic Ocean reached its end and has uncovered critical data on the region's changing conditions. Researchers from seventeen countries observed unusually sparse sea ice and noted potential alterations in Atlantic water circulation.

The team also discovered a hydrothermal vent plume in the Gakkel Ridge and documented a diverse marine ecosystem, including luminescent sardines, fish, squids, and prawns. This biodiversity indicates a richer Arctic environment than previously recognized, and constitutes important information for the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement, aimed to develop sustainable fishing practices.

Meanwhile, in the other Pole, Canadian photographer Neil Ever Osborne showcased the impacts of climate change in Antarctica through a new photo exhibition at Toronto's Berenson Fine Art gallery which ended on Saturday the 12th. His images, captured during a research trip in November twenty twenty-three, reveal the alarming consequences of melting ice, threatened wildlife, and striking iceberg formations, showcasing the fragility of this ecosystem.

Osborne not only raises awareness through his art but also engages in a global campaign led by the organization Only One, which seeks to establish four marine protected areas around Antarctica. This petition has already obtained over 300,000 signatures.

On another note, on Thursday the 10th, Iran and Oman conducted a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz, focusing on maritime rescue and relief operations. The exercise, hosted by the Omani Navy, included vessels from the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as units from Oman’s Royal Navy.

Key activities involved joint rescue missions, helicopter patrols, and area surveillance. Additionally, the Iranian and Omani armies conducted a combined counter-terrorism exercise in Oman, which aimed to have rapid response units and Special Forces collaborating on tactics for urban warfare and sustainable security.

As we discussed in previous shows, during the last year Houthi attacks in the Red Sea disrupted trade for Egypt and Israel by targeting vessels linked to Israel. This forced ships to reroute around Africa, extending journeys and raising shipping costs.

According to an Aljazeera article published on Tuesday the 8th, Egypt experienced a 25% decline in revenue from the Suez Canal, dropping from nine to seven billion US dollars in one year. In Israel, increased transportation costs led to rising consumer prices, with the consumer price index reaching its highest level since October twenty twenty-three. Mahmoud Alkassas, the author of the article, thinks that efforts to find alternative transport routes were futile, interfering with Israel's ambitions to become a liquefied natural gas hub.

Let’s have a look at the Panama Canal. The twenty twenty-four-twenty twenty-five cruise season at the Panama Canal kicked off on Monday, the 7th of October, with the transit of Brilliance of the Seas. More than 225 cruise ships will pass through the canal this season, driven by high demand for vacation travel. Major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian, along with smaller vessels, will be part of the transits.

Fourteen ships, including World Explorer and Sapphire Princess, will cross the Canal for the first time. Despite some cancellations, the growing number of Neopanamax ships is projected to increase the overall traffic this year.

On another note, the Black Sea is becoming increasingly dangerous for merchant shipping as Russia steps up its military activity, targeting Ukraine’s exports. In less than a month, Russian forces have attacked four commercial vessels, including grain ships in Odessa, which Ukraine describes as deliberate acts of terrorism. Russian naval presence in the region has doubled, intensifying the conflict.

Despite these attacks, Ukraine continues its own maritime operations, damaging a Russian minesweeper and setting fire to an oil depot in Crimea. Ukrainian grain exports had been growing rapidly before the recent strikes, using alternate routes after the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the deal between the United Nations and Turkey made in July twenty twenty-two to facilitate the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the sea during the ongoing conflict with Russia.

In other news, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (or IOC), the EurOcean Foundation, and Portugal announced the second edition of the Mário Ruivo Memorial Lecture Series, encouraging emerging ocean professionals to showcase their innovative work. This initiative pays tribute to Professor Mário Ruivo, a significant figure in ocean science and sustainability, and aligns with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The selected ocean professionals will deliver a keynote lecture at the IOC Assembly in twenty twenty-five. The submission deadline is February twenty twenty-five. This series aims to highlight groundbreaking research that supports the Ocean Decade's vision of achieving The Science We Need for the Ocean We Want, a guiding principle of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Finally, an update on the Mediterranean Sea as it will implement new Emissions Control Area (or ECA) regulations from May twenty twenty-five, reducing the allowable sulfur content in marine fuels to 0.1%. Ships that exceed this limit will face higher costs.

Some vessels will switch to marine gas oil or ultra-low sulfur fuel oil, while ships equipped with scrubbers may continue using heavy fuel oil, though not all scrubbers might meet the new standards. The ECA rules will also affect cargo flows in the region, increasing demand for compliant fuels and imports from the US and the Middle East.

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

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