OCEAN: Cocaine Intercepted off Mexico & more – 21st July 2025

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

On Friday the 27th, the Mexican navy seized 3.5 tons of cocaine and detained three crew members after intercepting a semi-submersible vessel off Mexico’s Pacific coast near Guerrero. The vessel contained 180 packages of drugs. Authorities released video footage of the operation and displayed the cocaine beside a naval ship.

In early June, security forces raided drug labs and seized forty-two tons of methamphetamine. US President Donald Trump cited drug trafficking as a reason for imposing tariffs on Mexican imports. Cartels increasingly used semi-submersibles to evade detection while transporting drugs from Colombia toward the US, Central America, and Europe.

Still in the Pacific Ocean. On Tuesday the 24th, the cargo ship Morning Midas sank in the North Pacific Ocean after burning for weeks. The ship, which carried about 3,000 new vehicles—including seventy electric and 680 hybrid cars—caught fire on the 3rd of June, roughly 300 miles (or 480 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island, Alaska. All twenty-two crew members evacuated safely and escaped injury.

The fire disabled the vessel, and rough weather along with water seepage eventually caused it to sink in waters over 16,000 feet deep. The ship carried over 1,800 metric tons of fuel, but authorities reported no visible pollution. Zodiac Maritime, the ship's manager, deployed pollution control vessels to monitor the area and promised further response if needed. The ship had departed from Yantai, China, on the 26th of May, bound for a Mexican port.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. On Sunday the 22nd, an LNG carrier managed by NYK LNG Shipmanagement rescued eleven Portuguese fishers in the Atlantic Ocean after their fishing boat suffered hull damage. While sailing to Dunkirk, France, the vessel received a distress call and immediately diverted to assist. The crew retrieved all individuals safely, and NYK confirmed that all rescued fishers remained in good health.

Although NYK withheld the ship’s name, AIS data from VesselsValue indicated that the Bushu Maru, an LNG carrier built in twenty nineteen, likely conducted the rescue. The vessel carried LNG from the Freeport terminal in the US and belongs to a joint venture between NYK and Jera.

On Thursday the 26th, the European Space Agency (or ESA) highlighted the potential of its Next Generation Gravity Mission to directly monitor the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (or AMOC), a crucial ocean system that regulates Earth's climate. The AMOC, which includes the Gulf Stream, influences global temperatures but now shows signs of weakening. The ESA’s analysis identified ocean bottom pressure along the western North Atlantic as a key indicator of the AMOC’s strength.

To track it accurately, scientists must measure and compare pressure signals from both upper and lower continental slopes. The Next Generation Gravity Mission will enable this by capturing variations in bottom pressure. This mission will provide a vital tool for understanding changes in ocean circulation.

Speaking of the ESA, the satellite observation of its Climate Change Initiative Sea Ice Project, which compiles data from multiple satellite altimeters, shows that Arctic sea ice extent remains near record lows for this time of the year, highlighting a persistent decline

These datasets help scientists predict future sea ice levels, particularly in September when Arctic sea ice reaches its annual minimum. Recent data reveal trends in sea ice thickness from twenty eleven to twenty twenty-five, measured each March during the seasonal maximum. These insights help track the ongoing changes in Arctic ice and help address climate change impacts in the region.

From one Pole to the other. Louise Sime, a polar scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, explained to The Guardian on Friday the 27th that Antarctica has played a crucial role in global climate stability for thousands of years by storing frozen water and reflecting solar heat. She highlights that starting in twenty sixteen, Antarctic sea ice began to decline more noticeably, with a massive loss occurring in twenty twenty-three, which scientists linked to global warming and changes in ocean circulation.

Sime warns that ice shelves, which support larger ice sheets, can collapse rapidly, sometimes within weeks or months, accelerating ice loss and sea-level rise. Since the year two thousand, West Antarctica’s glaciers, including Thwaites and Pine Island, have retreated significantly, risking several meters of sea-level rise over centuries.

On another note, on Sunday the 28th, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to pressure Iran not to close the Strait of Hormuz after the Iranian parliament approved the shutting of the critical oil and gas passage. Speaking on Fox News, Rubio emphasized China’s reliance on the strait for its energy supply and warned that closing it would amount to "economic suicide" for Iran, while severely damaging other countries' economies. He described such a move as a massive escalation, warranting a strong response from the US and its allies.

Following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, which involved extensive military force, tensions in the region escalated. Rubio cautioned Iran against retaliation, calling it the "worst mistake" it could make.

From the Strait of Hormuz to the Panama Canal. On Wednesday the 25th, the Panama Canal Authority marked nine years since the canal’s expansion, reporting a 30% rise in daily transits and a 22% increase in tonnage for the first eight months of fiscal year twenty twenty-five. Restored water levels in Gatun and Alajuela Lakes enabled this growth. Since its expansion in twenty sixteen, the canal has handled more traffic and larger vessels, including LNG ships.

In twenty twenty-five, expanded locks surpassed 25,000 transits. The Authority continues to manage climate challenges, especially water shortages, by advancing long-term strategies like the Río Indio Lake project.

The canal boosts Panama’s economy, supports over 8,700 workers, and strengthens global trade.

Let’s sail to the Indian Ocean. On Monday the 30th, India launched the first ASEAN-India Cruise Dialogue aboard the MV Empress at Chennai Port, gathering over thirty delegates from ASEAN countries. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced India’s plan to collaborate with ASEAN to develop cruise tourism circuits across the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

India aims to improve cruise connectivity by professionalizing 3,100 miles (or 5,000 kilometers) of navigable waterways and creating an integrated cruise network linking Indian ports with ASEAN destinations. The dialogue focuses on strengthening maritime cooperation, aligning regulations, improving port infrastructure, and identifying routes that connect cultural and commercial hubs. It also proposes establishing an ASEAN-India Cruise Tourism Corridor.

Let’s have a look at the Black Sea. The Netherlands and Belgium just donated two minehunters to Ukraine to strengthen its mine countermeasure capabilities in the Black Sea. Renamed Melitopol and Mariupol, the vessels aim to protect infrastructure, trade routes, and grain exports. Both ships underwent maintenance and crew training before transfer.

The Netherlands also pledged a third vessel to be delivered by year-end. Belgium plans to donate two more Tripartite-class minehunters. These ships, designed with non-magnetic hulls, help avoid underwater mines. The Dutch Defense Minister stressed the strategic importance of keeping the Black Sea navigable.

Closing with the Mediterranean Sea. Germany’s Foreign Minister defended the government's decision to stop funding civilian sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean. Speaking in Canada on Thursday the 26th, he stated that the Foreign Office should not finance such missions. The conservative-led government, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, removed the funding from the new budget drafted by the Finance Minister.

The previous coalition, led by the Greens, had allocated two million euros in twenty twenty-four to NGOs. Critics, including NGO Sea-Eye chairman Gorden Isler, warned the decision could force rescue ships to stay in port, risking more lives. The decision aligns with Merz’s tougher immigration stance and follows past tensions with Italy over migrant landings from German-funded rescue vessels.

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

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