OCEAN: Cutting of Tonnes of CO2e & more – 25th Sep 2025

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 25th of September twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Starting strong this week with two shipping giants’ quest to cut off nearly 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. The Electric & Hybrid Marine Technology online newspaper reported on Thursday, the 18th, that DHL Global Forwarding and Henkel are expanding their sustainable marine fuel deal. The DHL Ocean carriers will burn waste and residue-based fuels, with emissions cuts allocated to Henkel via Book & Claim.

DHL says using sustainable marine fuel (or SMF) for most of Henkel’s ocean freight could cut around 4,700 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent, which is the unit of measurement of the impact any greenhouse gas has on global warming).

SMF uptake can clean shipping, nudge prices lower as carbon costs bite, and speed goods to shelves without waiting for new ships.

While the private sector is steering towards the right direction, government bodies may need more guidance, as the Pacific Island Times reported on Wednesday, the 17th, that the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council moved to open commercial fishing inside four U.S. marine monuments, including the Marianas Trench, Rose Atoll, Papahānaumokuākea, and the Pacific Islands Heritage area.

The council is advancing rules under the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act further pressing ahead to allow commercial fishing under the protected waters, despite a federal judge already voiding a previous attempt.

Supporters say eat our own fish. Native Hawaiian and groups warn of harm to protected species and culture.

Speaking of the government sector, Inside Climate News reported on Tuesday, the 23rd, that the UK and Chile will include ocean solutions in their Paris Agreement pledges ahead of COP30.

Plans include phasing out offshore oil and gas, scaling offshore wind, decarbonizing shipping via green corridors, and expanding marine protected areas and fisheries management.

Advocates say that ocean actions could close up to thirty-five percent of the twenty fifty emissions gap. If these plans translate to outcomes, the world may be looking at cleaner air in port cities, cheaper power, and potential new jobs for the sustainability industry.

Now, threats from the seafloor to the surface. The Australian Broadcasting Network reported on Friday, the 19th, that a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Pacific coast, triggering a tsunami advisory. The quake hit 128 kilometers (or nearly eighty miles) in Russia’s far east, located near northeastern Japan, with a depth of ten kilometers (six miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later cancelled alerts for Alaska’s Aleutians, Hawaii, Canada, and the US West Coast, but warned that dangerous waves remain possible near Russia. The quake had hit the same zone in late July.

Another proof of nature’s fury may threaten life in the ocean, as the CBC News reported on Wednesday, the 24th, that a Planetary Health Check warns ocean acidity has crossed a safe boundary, undermining shellfish, corals, and the ocean’s carbon-buffer role.

As fossil fuel emissions rise, aragonite saturation falls, stunting larvae and weakening shells in mussels, oysters, crabs, and plankton with higher risks in colder Canadian waters and the Arctic.

Scientists say continued acidification could shrink fisheries, cut jobs, and blunt the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon, worsening warming. If this persists, coastal economies will be further stressed, and stronger pressures to cut emissions should be expected.

It’s not just acidity that threatens the Ocean, as the Weather Channel reported on Sunday, the 21st, that The Blob, a North Pacific marine heatwave, has formed as high pressure suppresses winds and upwelling, pushing sea-surface temperatures higher.

Low-oxygen waters disrupt food webs, favoring sardines and tuna while stressing salmon, plankton, seabirds and marine mammals, ultimately raising harmful algal bloom risks.

On land, the Blob can tilt West Coast weather toward warmer, heavier storms and thinner snowpack, while jet-stream shifts may bring colder winters east.

Seafood prices, water supplies, and energy demand, and even the entire tourism industry can swing.

From the North Pacific to the Atlantic’s North Sea, where there is a blast from the past. The BBC reported on Saturday, the 20th that scientists confirmed an asteroid struck the North Sea over 43 million years ago, carving the Silverpit crater beneath the seabed and unleashing a one-hundred-meter (or 330 feet) tsunami.

This finding sharpens hazard models, guides coastal planning, and boosts education on tsunami risk.

Space rocks weren’t the only ones that showed astronomical prowess this week, as the Naval News reported on Wednesday, the 17th, that Leidos unveiled Sea Dagger, a next-gen Commando Insertion Craft for the UK’s Royal Navy at Defense and Security Equipment International.

Designed for stand-off landings, the amphibious unit carries a strike team, cruises above twenty-five knots (forty-five kilometers per hour), while keeping a low signature. It integrates AI, autonomy, sensors, and weapons into a maintainable, repairable platform.

Once fully deployed, people can expect tech application spillovers from military to humanitarian and civilian purposes like search-and-rescue and disaster response. However, it will probably spark debates over national spending on military operations, AI autonomy and their socioeconomic and security implications, and overall maritime oversight.

While the UK rolled out its next-gen arsenal, another strong trilateral power did not sit idle, as the US Naval Institute reported on Friday, the 19th, that the U.S., Japan, and South Korea wrapped the Freedom Edge 25 training exercise after five days off Jeju Island.

The drill expanded air, sea, cyber, special operations, and missile-defense coordination.

For the first time, a U.S. carrier has not participated in the drills, but the country was still represented by the Seventh Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur. Together with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts, they carried out multiple drills, which concluded the trilateral multi-domain exercise. Allies also trained in the South China Sea.

Military defense isn’t the only development we have seen this week, as the Ocean News reported on Wednesday, the 17th, that Eco Wave Power teamed with BladeRanger to debut drone-powered maintenance for its onshore wave systems.

Autonomous drones cleaned and inspected floaters, aiming to cut operating costs, reduce downtime, and lift electricity output.

Cheaper, steadier wave power means more resilient grids, lower bills over time, and cleaner coasts as renewables scale.

This is indeed a week for wave energy developments, as the Ocean News reported on Thursday, the 18th, that CorPower Ocean, a wave energy technology developer, finished a geophysical survey off Aguçadoura, Portugal, clearing the way for its C5 wave energy demo and a ten-megawatt VianaWave project.

Teams mapped seabed layers, cable routes, and anchor sites using multibeam and seismic tools. Results de-risk engineering and speed approvals.

Wave power can lead to cleaner electricity, steadier grids, jobs, and fewer fossil imports—benefits that can cut bills and emissions while adding resilience to heatwaves and winter peaks.

Speaking of waves, we’ve got exciting news about some friends who ride them, as the EuroNews reported on Thursday, the 25th that nine Magellanic penguins were released at Punta del Este, Uruguay, after months of rehab for hypothermia, malnutrition, and net injuries.

The Maldonado Society for the Conservation of Biodiversity vets restored waterproof plumage, while volunteers nursed the birds until they could feed and swim.

Crowds watched as the penguins shuffled to the Atlantic. The species nests in Argentina and Chile and migrates north in winter, reaching Brazil and Peru.

Finishing off this week, with more good news, the Times of India reported on Saturday, the 20th, that Karnataka’s Coast Guard led an International Coastal Cleanup at Panambur Beach, Mangaluru, rallying thousands of students and locals under the ‘Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar’ banner, meaning Clean Coast Safe Sea.

Oil handlers, municipal teams and surf clubs joined sapling drives and water sports to spotlight plastic waste. A parallel clean-up at Padukere Beach drew panchayat leaders and schools.

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

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See you next week!