OCEAN: Russia’s LPG & more – 28th May 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is Rorshok’s Ocean Update from the 28th of May twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Let’s kick off with some news about Russia. The country is planning to open its first Liquefied Petroleum Gas (or LPG) sea terminal on the Pacific coast by the end of twenty twenty-five, using funds from China. The Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Chinese petrochemical firm Haiwei have agreed to finance the terminal in Russia's Far East, investing seven billion roubles initially (more than seventy-eight million US dollars), with total investments expected to be around thirty billion roubles (340 million US dollars). This terminal, located at the Sovetskaya Gavan port, will allow Russia to redirect LPG exports from Europe to Asian markets like China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Indonesia.

Talking about the Pacific ocean, in a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday the 22nd, researchers demonstrated that temperature changes below the ocean's surface, away from the equator, play an important role in changes in the Tropical Pacific. When the Tropical Pacific is in the positive phase, changes in the air above the northwestern Pacific Ocean cause water to move, cooling the subsurface. This cooler water travels towards the middle of the Pacific Ocean, changing the surface temperatures there in around three years. These shifts in temperature also affect ocean currents which then influence other areas of the Pacific, making the temperature changes stronger before the cold phase fully sets in after five years. This process works also in reverse for the negative phase, creating a cycle that repeats every decade.

Moving on, on Tuesday the 21st, two shipping companies, Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret, have agreed to pay two million US dollars in fines after pleading guilty to federal charges related to illegally dumping oil in the Atlantic Ocean. The two businesses, owned by the same holding company, Prive Holding Company, admitted to obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges. They falsified the oil record log book of the tanker PS Dream to cover up the dumping, which occurred in January twenty twenty-three during a journey from Malaysia to New Orleans. Evidence included videos and information from whistleblowers aboard the ship, showing oil being pumped overboard. The whistleblowers may receive up to 500 thousand US dollars for their information. The companies will also be on probation for four years as part of the plea agreement.

Still in the Atlantic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (or NOAA) Fisheries announced on Wednesday the 22nd that it is giving six million US dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help protect North Atlantic right whales. The money will fund projects that create new technologies to prevent ships from hitting these endangered whales. This partnership aims to develop and promote tools that detect whales and alert ships, reducing the risk of collisions. The initiative is part of a larger plan to help the North Atlantic right whale population recover.

In other news, the Pakistan Navy has deployed the warship PNS ASLAT in the Indian Ocean for regional maritime security patrols. According to a press release from the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, published on Sunday the 25th, the warship will protect merchant ships entering and leaving Pakistani ports, using helicopters for additional support. The vessel will also ensure the safety of international shipping and participate in joint operations with allied countries. Additionally, it will visit regional ports to promote maritime diplomacy. Equipped with advanced weapons and sensors, the PNS ASLAT is capable of handling various threats and performing diverse maritime operations.

Moving on to the Arctic Ocean. Researchers from The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census, documenting the Arctic Ocean's depths, found a unique coral that is likely a new species. They left Tromsø, Norway, on Friday the 3rd of May, aboard the ship RV Kronprins Haakon and their expedition lasted three weeks. They found the new coral species on the stalk of a sea lily. Professor Alex Rogers, the Principal Investigator at Ocean Census, explained that this discovery shows coevolution in the deep sea and the effectiveness of using remotely operated vehicles to collect well-preserved specimens. During the expedition, the team also explored the Svyatogor Ridge, a deep site with hydrothermal vents, where they observed various creatures like tube worms and bivalve mollusks, which face threats from climate change and potential deep-sea mining.

From the Arctic to the Antarctic Ocean. On Thursday the 23rd, Kyodo Senpaku, the operator of Japan's newly built whaling mothership called Kangei Maru, stated that it currently has no intention to send the vessel to hunt in the Antarctic. The Kangei Maru, which cost seven and a half billion yen (almost forty-eight million US dollars), can reach the region but won't do so due to the high costs involved in the long journey. However, the company is prepared to dispatch the ship if the government mandates it, particularly in the event of a food shortage.

Japan resumed commercial whaling in its waters in twenty nineteen after pulling out from the International Whaling Commission. Plans to include large fin whales in commercial whaling activities have raised concerns among animal rights groups.

Let’s talk about microplastics in our waters. In a study published in the May edition of the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers from Stony Brook University discovered that many tiny microplastics in the world's oceans have likely escaped detection. The team used Raman microspectroscopy to analyze seawater samples from the Caribbean, the Gulf Stream, and the Arctic. They found that traditional net tow surveys miss the smallest particles, detecting microplastics mostly as small as 300 micrometers. However, the new method revealed particles as small as one to fourteen micrometers, with 60% being under five micrometers. This overlooked size range is crucial for understanding microplastic pollution, which poses risks to marine life and potentially human health through seafood consumption.

What’s new in deep-sea mining? Two companies, Loke and Green Minerals, announced on Wednesday the 22nd, that they had applied for permits to explore seabed mining areas on Norway's continental shelf, aiming to extract minerals such as copper, cobalt, zinc, and rare earth elements. This marks the beginning of a potentially controversial mining industry in Norway. The startup Loke has nominated many blocks rich in cobalt and rare earth elements. Green Minerals has applied for four areas and aims to begin pilot production by twenty twenty-eight. Environmental groups like Greenpeace have raised concerns about the potential irreversible damage to marine life. The Norwegian government plans to use the exploration phase to understand the environmental impact better and learn more about seabed ecosystems. Licenses for the first mining operations are expected to be issued in twenty twenty-five.

In other news, on Thursday the 23rd the travel company Viking announced to have achieved a significant scientific milestone by conducting real-time genetic sequencing of phytoplankton on their ship, Viking Octantis. This marks the first instance of such sequencing being performed at sea, eliminating the need to transport samples to a land lab. This project, part of the Genomics at Sea Program, helps monitor the environmental impact on phytoplankton, which play an essential role in carbon absorption and oxygen production. Viking plans to extend this capability to another ship, Viking Polaris, and continue hosting scientists on their expeditions.

The One Ocean Week is right around the corner! From Monday the 3rd of June to Sunday the 9th, the city of Milan, Italy, will host the fourth edition of One Ocean Week, organized by the One Ocean Foundation to raise awareness about marine conservation. The event features many activities, including conferences and workshops for young people, businesses, and the public in general, aimed at highlighting the importance of protecting ocean ecosystems. The week focuses on three main themes: investing in a sustainable economy that protects marine resources, exploring water as a vital resource through workshops and discussions with experts at the Civic Aquarium and the Natural History Museum, and, finally, various cultural and art forms celebrate the ocean's myth, including literature, art, music, and photography.

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

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See you next week!