OCEAN: China’s Ballistic Missile & more – 1st Oct 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 1st of October twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

On Wednesday the 25th of September, after decades, China conducted its first public test of an intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM which landed in a designated area in the Pacific Ocean.

The launch coincided with China and Russia's joint naval drills and heightened military activities near Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Despite notifying some countries in advance, Japan stated it received no prior warning. The ICBM test highlighted China’s expanding nuclear capabilities and ongoing military buildup under President Xi Jinping.

To know more about this story, check out the latest episode of the Rorshok Japan Update on Friday the 4th! Link in the show notes!

Still in the Pacific Ocean. Geologists from the University of Maryland discovered an ancient seafloor buried deep in the Earth's mantle beneath the East Pacific Rise, which changed previous understanding of Earth's internal structure. The team used advanced seismic technology to explore the mantle, the layer between Earth's surface and core.

They discovered a thick area that likely formed when part of the seafloor sank around 250 million years ago. This discovery, which was published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, the 27th of September, shows that material inside the Earth moves slower than expected, offering new clues about Earth's history. The researchers plan to study more areas to learn how ancient movements shaped the planet.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. As we talked about in previous shows, Morocco is leading efforts to grant landlocked Sahel nations access to the Atlantic Ocean, aiming to strengthen economic ties and regional cooperation. On Friday the 27th of September, Nasser Bourita, the Foreign Minister of Morocco, met with his counterparts from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad in New York to promote this initiative.

King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s king, proposed the project in November twenty twenty-three. The foreign ministers reviewed the progress made since their first meeting in Rabat, Morocco’s capital, and expressed optimism about the initiative's transformative potential. They also discussed aligning the plan with the Confederation of Sahel States for greater regional collaboration.

In more news from the Atlantic… Forecasters are currently monitoring several systems in the Atlantic as Hurricane Helene continues to affect Florida. Hurricane Isaac formed in the central Atlantic, about 1,000 miles or 1,600 kilometers from Bermuda, but poses no threat to the US coasts. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Joyce has also developed in the central Atlantic. Meteorologists expect it to strengthen briefly before weakening in the next upcoming days, without posing a threat to any land.

Additionally, meteorologists are watching a new system developing in the Caribbean, close to where Helene formed. It could move toward the Gulf of Mexico by the next few days and may develop into Tropical Storm Kirk if it strengthens. So far, the season has produced ten named storms, six of which have reached hurricane strength.

Let’s sail to the Poles. According to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the Arctic sea ice shrank to near-record lows in twenty twenty-four, reaching its minimum extent on Wednesday, the 11th of September. The ice is covering 1.65 million square miles (or a bit more than 4.2 million kilometers), which is significantly below the nineteen eighy-one-twenty ten average, continuing the decades-long trend of shrinking ice due to rising temperatures.

In addition, Antarctic sea ice is also experiencing low growth, with near-record lows during the Southern Hemisphere winter. Scientists are concerned about a potential long-term shift in Antarctic ice behavior, likely driven by global climate change, contributing to further ice loss and warmer ocean temperatures.

The community and environmental groups successfully pressured the multinational gas company TGS to cancel its seismic blasting project off southwest Victoria, Australia. The project, which aimed to explore seven million hectares of ocean for gas, faced widespread opposition for its potential harm to marine life, ecosystems, and sacred Indigenous areas.

TGS withdrew the plan after failing to meet environmental protection standards. Activists warned that the fight isn’t over, as similar seismic projects targeting endangered whale habitats remain under consideration.

In other news, the US achieved significant progress at the 69th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (or IWC) in Lima, Peru, which took place from Monday the 23rd until Friday the 27th of September. The IWC extended subsistence whaling quotas for Indigenous communities, including Alaska Natives and the Makah Tribe, for six years starting in twenty twenty-six.

The Commission also put in more whale conservation efforts by approving new management plans for humpback whales in Central America and enhancing cooperation with other international organizations. Additionally, the IWC appointed its first-ever female leadership team for the Scientific Committee, with Dr. Lindsay Porter as chair and Dr. Aimée Lang as vice-chair.

Now, some updates on the Indian Ocean. Doctor S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, recently visited the Addu Atoll in the Maldives, an archipelago of almost 2,000 islands, to emphasize its strategic significance for India’s defense and countering China in the Indian Ocean Region. He inaugurated several projects, including water and sewerage systems on twenty-eight islands. India aims to enhance security ties with the Maldives by providing military training and equipment.

India is worried about recent Chinese investments, which raise concerns about potential military bases in the Maldives, threatening Indian security. Economic challenges brought Mohamed Muizzu, the Maldives President, to rework their relationship with India. India has invested around 220 million US dollars in various initiatives, including the redevelopment of Gan International Airport.

On another note, the US Treasury Department sanctioned seven Panamanian flagged vessels on Thursday, the 26th of September, for their roles in illicit activities, particularly in transporting Iranian products linked to destabilizing efforts and financing terrorist organizations. These vessels, including crude oil tankers like Eternal Success and Eternal Peace, are tied to Star Ocean Shipmanage Ltd. and manipulated their automatic identification systems to obscure their movements while engaging in ship-to-ship cargo transfers in East Asia.

Under Secretary Bradley T. Smith emphasized Iran’s reliance on illegal oil sales to support terrorism. Consequently, all assets belonging to these entities in the US are blocked, and transactions with them are banned.

Let’s talk about fisheries. On Monday the 30th of September, the European Commission released its first report on the multiannual plans (called MAPs) for fisheries management in the North Sea and Western Waters of the Atlantic. The MAPs, introduced in twenty eighteen and twenty nineteen, have helped reduce fishing pressure and support sustainable practices.

The report, based on consultations with fishers, national authorities, and NGOs, highlights the MAPs' role in ensuring long-term economic viability for the fishing industry. According to the report, 91% of total allowable catches (or TACs) for EU-managed stocks in the Western Waters are set at sustainable levels, and TACs for shared stocks like whiting and haddock in the North Sea have increased.

What about deep-sea mining? Based on the analysis by expert Luke Kilian published in the journal African Business on Thursday the 26th of September, deep-sea mining offers economic potential for Africa. Gerard Barron, the CEO of The Metals Company, keeps pushing for deep-sea mining, emphasizing the demand for metals like nickel, copper, and cobalt to support a decarbonized economy. The United Nations International Seabed Authority is currently developing a mining code, but concerns about environmental impacts and unequal benefit-sharing persist.

African nations have yet to sponsor exploration contracts, but the analyst Edwin Egede urges them to engage, warning they risk being left behind. Conservationists call for a moratorium, as more countries, including Austria and Malta, demand stronger protection for the marine environment amid scientific uncertainties.

For our final story, some news on watersports. During the final of the yacht racing competition, the Louis Vuitton Cup, on Friday the 27th of September in Barcelona, Spain, Luna Rossa reached speeds exceeding 100 km per hour, but Ineos countered effectively, tying the score at 1-1.

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

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