OCEAN: Hurricane Erik & more – 24th June 2025

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 24th of June twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

On Wednesday the 18th, Hurricane Erick approached Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, threatening severe flooding, storm surge, and mudslides. The US National Hurricane Center reported Erick had strengthened into a Category Two hurricane and warned it could rapidly intensify into a major Category Three storm. Authorities issued a hurricane warning from Acapulco to Puerto Angel.

Forecasts projected heavy rainfall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lighter rain in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents to stay alert and follow emergency instructions. Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado closed schools, warned coastal businesses, and activated 582 shelters. The storm’s path threatens Acapulco, still recovering from Hurricane Otis in twenty twenty-three, which killed more than fifty people.

Still in the Pacific Ocean. On Saturday the 21st, the Agence France-Presse reported on classified New Zealand government documents revealing serious concern over a Chinese missile test conducted on the 25th September twenty twenty-four. The documents show New Zealand diplomats objected to China’s dismissal of the launch, which involved a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile fired into international waters near French Polynesia. It marked China’s first such test over the Pacific in more than forty years.

Though China gave vague notice to major powers, it failed to inform Pacific island nations. The test occurred within a nuclear-free zone, alarming regional leaders. Australia, Japan, and Fiji condemned the move.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. On Thursday the 19th, scientists launched a global initiative to map the Atlantic Ocean’s deep-sea biodiversity, aiming to build a high-resolution spatial digital twin of the ocean floor. Led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and supported by around forty researchers from nations including Brazil, Canada, and Germany, the project seeks to close critical data gaps in deep-sea conservation. Professor Kerry Howell emphasized that current protections rely only on known ecosystem locations, leaving vast areas vulnerable.

The effort aligns with the Challenger 150 program and supports the UN Ocean Decade and High Seas Treaty goals. By charting coral gardens, ancient black corals, and sponge reefs, the project hopes to guide better marine spatial planning and prevent damage from harmful activities like bottom trawling.

Next up, some news from the Arctic Ocean. In a study published on Thursday the 19th in the journal Nature, scientists investigated how the movement of warm Atlantic water in the northern Barents Sea affects winter sea ice. They used computer models and found that the amount of water flowing back out of the Barents Sea is closely linked to how much sea ice stays there in winter.

Over the last forty years, this return flow has gotten weaker, while the amount of warm water coming in has stayed the same. Because less warm water is being carried away, more heat stays in the sea, causing less ice to form and more ice to melt. This change in water flow helps explain why winter sea ice in the Barents Sea has been shrinking so much.

From one Pole to the other. Environmental campaigners and scientists urge a complete ban on industrial krill fishing to protect Antarctica’s ecosystem. They warn that emperor penguin populations in the Southern Ocean are declining faster than previously believed, also due to krill scarcity, as krills are the main food source for penguins and other marine life like whales and seals.

Growing demand for krill in fishmeal, farmed salmon feed, and omega-3 supplements has driven up fishing activity. Despite efforts by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to limit krill quotas, these measures fall short and call for a total ban. New research from the British Antarctic Survey reveals that emperor penguins dropped 22% between two thousand nine and twenty twenty-four, facing threats from climate change and competition for food with other predators. Without action, penguins risk extinction by two thousand one hundred.

In other news, the Indian Navy will commission its latest stealth multi-role frigate, INS Tamal, on the 1st of July at Russia’s Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad. Senior Indian and Russian defense officials will be present at the ceremony. INS Tamal is the eighth Krivak-class frigate from Russia and the second of the upgraded Tushil class.

The ship includes advanced weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine rockets, and a naval gun. Tamal can reach speeds above thirty knots and has passed and succeeded rigorous sea trials during the extreme conditions of Russian winters. Designed collaboratively by Indian and Russian teams, the frigate embodies strong Indo-Russian defense ties. Two additional frigates of the same class are under construction in India.

Let’s have a look at the Suez Canal. On Friday the 20th, the heavy lift vessel Red Zed 1 lost steering control and strayed from its course while transiting the Canal. The ship lost control near El-Qantara West, triggering swift action from the canal authorities. El-Qantara control staff detected the deviation, alerted ferry operators, and ensured a quick evacuation of nearby vessels and passengers.

Onboard pilots guided the ship into a controlled, parallel contact with the ferry dock, reducing potential damage. Authorities then moved the ship to El-Balah and later the Great Bitter Lakes for further inspection. The collision created a small hole above the waterline but caused no serious structural harm. No one was injured, and authorities brought the situation under control within an hour.

The Red Zed 1 is set to resume its voyage once final inspections and clearance processes are completed.

From the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz. After the US, under President Trump, bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, Iran’s parliament approved a measure to close the Strait, a key route for 20% of global oil trade. Analysts warn Iran could lay sea mines and deploy submarines, drones, and missile batteries to block the shipping lanes.

While Iran threatens retaliation, its leaders haven’t confirmed closure. Blocking the strait would spike oil prices and disrupt global trade but would also hurt Iran and its allies, including China, which imports nearly 90% of Iran’s oil.

The US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other military forces in the area are ready to respond. American officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urge China to pressure Iran against closing the Strait.

Sailing to the Black Sea. On Monday the 23rd, Norway confirmed it will fund and co-produce sea drones in Ukraine as part of a 665 million US dollars initiative under the UK-Norway-led maritime coalition. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace partnered with a Ukrainian company to develop and build weaponized uncrewed surface vessels using Norwegian technology. Ukraine, a leader in maritime drone warfare, has used such drones to push back Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

With Russia advancing its own drone capabilities, Ukraine and its allies aim to stay ahead. The Norwegian Defense Minister emphasized the strategic value of these efforts in strengthening Ukraine’s naval and air defense. These agreements are marking a deeper integration of the Norwegian and Ukrainian defense sectors.

On Thursday the 19th, four British rowers, Jack Jarvis, David Bruce, Sam Edwards, and Adam Radcliffe, set out to break the world record for rowing across the North Atlantic Ocean. Departing from New York, they aim to reach Southampton in under forty-three days, covering 3,500 miles to raise funds for Head Up, a UK charity supporting mental health for armed forces personnel.

Jarvis, an experienced ocean rower, previously made history in twenty twenty-two by rowing solo and unsupported from Europe to North America. Now, joined by a like-minded team, he embraces the test of endurance and camaraderie as they pursue adventure and raise awareness.

Closing with the Mediterranean Sea. A juvenile loggerhead turtle named Taito had originally been rehabilitated in Greece after a head injury and had been released in Attica in October twenty twenty-four. On Saturday the 21st, Egypt’s Turtle Rescue Center at Lake Burullus successfully rescued her again and released her off the coast of Alexandria, with officials confirming her full recovery.

The Egyptian and Greek environmental agencies coordinated efforts for the release as part of World Sea Turtle Day, reinforcing regional cooperation in marine species protection.

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

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