OCEAN: Drug Trafficking in the Pacific & more – 8th April 2025

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 8th of April twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

The Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security said on Monday the 31st of March, that authorities arrested three Nicaraguan men and confiscated 1.2 metric tons of cocaine during a maritime operation off Cabo Matapalo in the southern Pacific. The Coast Guard intercepted the vessel after a short chase, finding over 1,200 cocaine packages and around 450 packages of marijuana, each weighing around a kilogram (around 2.2 pounds).

Costa Rica remains one of the main transit countries for drugs coming from South America to the US. This bust brings the country’s twenty twenty-five drug seizures to more than seven tons, after a record of over 21 tons the previous year.

Authorities turned the suspects over to judges. The investigation is still ongoing.

In more news from the Pacific, according to an article by Reuters published on Wednesday the 2nd, a proposed rocket cargo test project by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the US Air Force at Johnston Atoll, in the Pacific nearly 800 miles (almost 1,300 kilometers) from Hawaii, is raising alarm among conservationists. The plan, which includes landing hypersonic rocket vehicles on the tiny island, threatens critical nesting grounds for over a million seabirds across fourteen species.

Scientists fear the rocket noise and activity could disrupt breeding cycles, potentially driving adult birds away from nests and endangering future generations. Biologists who have spent years restoring the island’s fragile ecosystem warn that the project could undo decades of conservation work. The Air Force said the environmental impact will be minimal but is preparing a formal assessment as required by federal law.

Next up, Turkish scientists from the METU Institute of Marine Sciences have launched the DeepTrace project to look into deep-sea environments as potential space habitat analogs. The team will explore hydrothermal vents at depths of up to 2,6 kilometers (or 1.6 miles) in the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans and the Black Sea. Scientists think that there might be hydrothermal vents beneath the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter.

The project, supported by the European Research Council with 2.4 million euros (or 2.6 million US dollars) in funding, aims to better understand the potential for extraterrestrial life by studying Earth’s extreme underwater environments. Research will take place aboard Atlantis using the Alvin submersible. The project is scheduled to run through twenty twenty-eight.

Let’s move to the Arctic Ocean. According to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the Arctic Ocean is experiencing alarming changes as winter sea ice reached a record low in twenty twenty-five. As reported by the Guardian in an article published on Monday the 31st of March, on the 22nd of March, sea ice peaked at only five million square miles (or fourteen million square kilometers), which is one million square miles (or almost three million square kilometers) less than last year.

This thinning ice compromises the ocean's role in regulating global climate and supporting marine ecosystems. Unusual cyclones, warm ocean temperatures, and thin ice layers caused the sea ice decline, with temperatures up to twelve degrees Celsius (or fifty-four degrees Fahrenheit) above normal between northern Greenland and the North Pole. Scientists warn that the Arctic Ocean may see ice-free summers before twenty fifty due to the ongoing climate change.

From one Pole to the other. Melting ice sheets in West Antarctica could trigger volcanic eruptions, accelerating global sea-level rise. As ice thins, it reduces pressure on underlying magma chambers, causing them to expand and potentially erupt.

This process, known as isostatic rebound, forms a dangerous feedback loop where volcanic activity melts even more ice. West Antarctica's volcanic hotspot, home to over 100 volcanoes, becomes destabilized as the ice melts faster due to climate change. Researchers used simulations to show that rapid ice loss leads to more intense eruptions, which release gases that further accelerate ice melting.

In other news, the air company Air transat, in collaboration with the advertising agency network TBWA\Canada, has made a playful April Fools' joke by renaming the Atlantic Ocean as the Canadien Ocean. This stunt, part of the airline's Fly Canadien initiative, celebrates Canada's sense of national pride and emphasizes Air Transat’s growing presence across the Atlantic.

The campaign included a social media push, digital takeovers, and a petition for the Canadian government to make the name official. Passengers on relevant flights also received commemorative certificates and heard the new ocean name during onboard announcements.

Let’s sail to the Indian Ocean. The Defence Minister of India, during the flag-off ceremony of the Indian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel Sunayna in Karwar on Saturday the 5th, emphasized India's role in maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region. He said that the Indian Navy stops any nation from using its economic and military power to suppress others, ensuring the protection of national interests and regional stability.

The Minister stressed the importance of the region not only for security but also for trade, tourism, and culture, and he praised the Navy's proactive response to incidents like hijackings and piracy. The launch of the Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR, which stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region, with personnel from nine friendly nations aboard, proves India's commitment to regional cooperation and collective security.

In the same region, The USS Carl Vinson, a US aircraft carrier, entered the Indian Ocean via the Malacca Straits on Friday the 4th, joining the USS Harry Truman. This increased US naval presence suggests military action against the Houthis in Yemen, who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea. Each carrier strike group brings significant firepower, with around ninety aircraft and advanced warships.

As we talked about in previous shows, these attacks, allegedly supported by Iran, have disrupted global shipping routes, forcing ships to avoid the Suez Canal and take a longer, costlier route around Africa. US President Donald Trump has warned Iran to stop arming the Houthis, threatening consequences. India has also sent ships to the area to combat piracy.

On another note, according to the media company Bloomberg’s tracking data, three Greek oil tankers, Agios Gerasimos, King Philippos, and Nissos Antimilos, are making long detours around Africa to transport Russian oil from the Baltic Sea to buyers in Asia. These tankers are avoiding the typical route through Egypt’s Suez Canal and the Red Sea due to the Houthi attacks.

Even though Western ships are still permitted to transport Russian oil that costs less than sixty US dollars a barrel, such extended routes are unusual. The deviation suggests shipowners are prioritizing crew and vessel safety over shorter, more economical routes.

What about the Panama Canal? On Friday the 4th the Panama Canal Authority said that it will initiate a bidding process for the construction of a pipeline that would carry a new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) across the canal. This pipeline aims to allow LPG vessels to unload at one end of the canal, with other tankers collecting the cargo at the opposite end, reducing vessel traffic through the waterway and freeing up transit slots for other ships.

The Authority plans to start the bidding process in the coming months, seeking participation from technically and commercially qualified companies for the pipeline's development and operation. The final investment decision is expected by next year.

Closing with news from the Mediterranean Sea, where sixteen people lost their lives in two migrant boat disasters on Thursday, the 3rd. In the first incident, a boat carrying about thirty migrants capsized near Lesbos, killing seven people. In the second one, Turkish authorities recovered nine bodies and rescued twenty-five migrants after a boat sank off Ayvacik, but one person remains missing.

Migrants face continued risks attempting sea crossings to Europe. Greece remains a major entry point, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirming his government's strict stance on illegal migration, warning that undocumented migrants without valid asylum claims will be sent back to their countries of origin.

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

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See you next week!