OCEAN: Israel Seizes Aid Boat & more – 10th June 2025

Ahoy from BA! This is the Rorshok Ocean Update from the 10th of June twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

On Monday the 9th, Israeli forces seized the UK-flagged aid boat Madleen in international waters as it attempted to break the Gaza blockade, towing it to Ashdod port. The vessel started its mission on Monday the 1st from Catania, Italy, and carried twelve activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan, and journalist Omar Faiad, who now face deportation hearings. The crew had aimed to deliver symbolic humanitarian aid, baby formula, medicines and some food, amid Gaza’s deepening famine and siege. Activists lost contact after Israeli troops took control early Monday.

Israel’s foreign ministry mocked the mission, calling it a “selfie yacht”, and shared images of soldiers offering food to detainees. Human rights groups, including Adalah and the UN’s special rapporteur, condemned the seizure as illegal under international law. Many argue the operation also violated the International Court of Justice’s ruling for unrestricted aid access.

On Tuesday the 3rd a fire broke out aboard the cargo ship Morning Midas, forcing its twenty-two-member crew to abandon the vessel about 300 miles (or 480 kilometers) southwest of Adak, Alaska, in the North Pacific Ocean. Zodiac Maritime operated the ship, which was carrying about 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric ones, on a route from Yantai, China, to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.

The US Coast Guard coordinated the crew’s evacuation and dispatched air and sea units to assist. Smoke first appeared from a deck carrying electric vehicles, which pose a high fire risk due to their potential for reignition. Three nearby vessels joined the response as Zodiac Maritime focused on salvage efforts.

The incident follows rising concerns in the shipping industry about fires on vehicle carriers and container ships.

From the North to the South Pacific. On Friday the 6th, Greenpeace activists disrupted an industrial longline fishing operation near Australia and New Zealand, ahead of the upcoming UN Ocean Conference. From aboard the Rainbow Warrior, the team seized nearly twelve miles (or twenty kilometers) of fishing gear and freed nine sharks, including an endangered longfin mako.

They removed over 210 baited hooks from an EU–flagged vessel and documented the capture of endangered species. Greenpeace also published a new analysis revealing that blue sharks made up almost 70% of the catch by EU vessels in twenty twenty-three. The group condemned longliners as destructive and urged world leaders to protect 30% of oceans by twenty thirty through the Global Ocean Treaty. Greenpeace is also calling on Australia’s re-elected government to ratify the treaty within 100 days and create new marine sanctuaries.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, a satellite image captured on Wednesday the 4th, by EUMETSAT, the European operational satellite agency that monitors weather from space, shows Saharan dust moving westward over the Atlantic Ocean near the Cape Verde islands. Strong surface winds lift dust particles from the Sahara Desert into the atmosphere, allowing them to travel thousands of kilometers. When the dust reaches populated areas, it can lower air quality and cause respiratory issues, as well as disrupt flights.

However, over the ocean, the dust acts as a natural fertilizer, triggering blooms of phytoplankton that support the marine food chain. EUMETSAT’s meteorological satellites play a key role in monitoring such events, aiding early detection of severe weather and improving climate forecasts.

Check the link in the show notes to see the satellite image!

Still in the Atlantic. French researchers are launching an unprecedented mission this summer to locate and study over 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean between nineteen forty-six and nineteen ninety. These barrels, coated in bitumen and cement, were discarded in deep abyssal plains, once thought lifeless but now known to support diverse ecosystems. Now, scientists remain unsure about the barrels’ condition and environmental impact.

The Nodssum project will map around 2,300 square miles (or 6,000 square kilometers) of the seabed using high-resolution sonar and the UlyX autonomous submarine, capable of reaching extreme depths. Following the mapping, the team will collect sediment, water, and marine life samples to assess potential radiological risks.

Let’s sail to the Indian Ocean. From Sunday the 1st until Tuesday 3rd, the European Union Naval Force (or EUNAVFOR) and the Indian Navy conducted a milestone joint naval exercise, which aimed to strengthen maritime security and collaboration between the two navies. It featured a simulated piracy attack scenario to test coordination in intelligence sharing, monitoring, and hostage rescue. The Italian vessel Antonio Marceglia, the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia, and the Indian frigate Trikand, all supported by aircraft and helicopters, participated in the exercise.

It marked the first joint complex at-sea operation between India and EUNAVFOR’s naval military operation ATALANTA, highlighting the deepening maritime partnership between the EU and India.

In other news, on Thursday the 5th Egypt celebrated fifty years since reopening the Suez Canal, aiming to boost traffic after Houthi attacks in twenty twenty-three-twenty twenty-four drove vessels away. To attract shipping, Egypt offered a 15% discount for large containerships over ninety days and held talks with major carriers, who showed interest in restoring routes.

Despite no merchant ship attacks in twenty twenty-five, many carriers remain cautious and limit Red Sea transits until security improves. EU naval forces have been intercepting threats since February twenty twenty-four. The EU extended its mission through February twenty twenty-six to maintain maritime security in the region.

In news from another canal, on Thursday the 5th, US Marines arrived in Panama to begin joint military exercises aimed at protecting the Panama Canal. The drills are part of an April twenty twenty-five bilateral agreement, which allows US troops to deploy with Panama’s consent while prohibiting permanent bases.

President Donald Trump pushed for the deal, saying China wields too much influence over the canal, an allegation Panama and China deny. The canal handles 40% of US container traffic and 5% of global trade. Despite reassurances from Panamanian leaders that the agreement respects the constitution, unions and civic groups protested, fearing a covert return of US military presence.

On another note, journalist Lara Bullens’ analysis published on Sunday the 8th says that as Arctic ice melts four times faster than the global average, new shipping routes are opening, boosting maritime traffic and worsening the climate crisis. Vessels now navigate longer distances, especially along the Northern Sea Route, increasing pollution in this region. Black carbon, emitted by ships burning heavy fuel oil, darkens ice and accelerates melting by absorbing sunlight.

Increased traffic also harms biodiversity through noise, waste, and oil spill risks. Scientists warn that without strict regulations, growing Arctic shipping will trigger irreversible environmental damage with global consequences. The economic gains of faster routes must be balanced with aggressive climate protections to safeguard the Arctic’s ecosystem.

From one Pole to the other. As Antarctic sea ice continues to retreat, an increasing number of ships now access previously unreachable waters, dropping anchors that harm delicate seafloor ecosystems. Marine scientists captured the first underwater videos showing crushed sponge colonies, disturbed sediments, and anchor chain grooves near the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island. These anchors destroy vital habitats, including ancient giant volcano sponges that may live up to 15,000 years.

Ship anchoring disrupts marine life crucial for water filtration, carbon storage, and providing shelter to diverse species like octopuses, sea stars, and fish, key to the wider ecosystem that supports wildlife like penguins and seals.

Closing with the Black Sea. On Friday the 6th, during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Chief of Staff to President Zelensky, said that Russia plans to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and push toward Odesa and Mykolaiv to cut Ukraine’s Black Sea access.

Moscow plans to capture the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by autumn and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine’s northern border. Despite peace talks, Russia demands that Ukraine recognize its annexations and a ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership. Ukraine rejects these terms, calling instead for prisoner exchanges and a Western-backed ceasefire.

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

We’re looking for someone to write the Ocean Update, about the 70% of the world covered in salt water. Send us an email info@rorshok.com with “Ocean Writer Position” in the subject line if you’d like to join the Rorshok team.

Check out the job description with the link in the show notes.

See you next week!