OCEAN: Stopping Extraction & more – 27th Feb 2024

Ahoy from BA! This is Rorshok’s Ocean Update from the 27th of February twenty twenty-four. A summary of what's going down in the 70% surface of the Earth covered in saltwater.

Canada took over almost 230 offshore oil and gas permits on the Pacific coast, stopping extraction activities. The decision came after the multinational energy company Chevron voluntarily decided to renounce twenty-three permits because of environmentalist groups. Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Energy Minister, welcomed the move as he considered it would protect marine life in the Pacific Ocean. There were mixed reactions among the public as there was concern about energy security, but also celebration for climate and marine protection. Up-coming elections could influence future energy strategies and decisions: left-wing politicians are likely to push for emission cuts, while right-wing ones for hydrocarbon resources.

Michael Lodge, Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (or ISA), said during an interview with CNBC published on Monday the 19th that deep-sea mining is going to become inevitable. Industries have a strong economic interest in deep-sea mining because it is way cheaper than land-based mining. Norway’s recent approval of seabed mining exploration opened the doors for other countries to try and do the same.

He also anticipated that the matter of deep-sea mining will be discussed in March during the 29th Session of the International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica. Many minerals lying in the ocean floor like cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese are worth trillions of dollars. Scientists and environmentalist groups are still concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining on the marine ecosystem.

Next up, researchers from the Californian University Santa Barbara found a collection of deteriorating barrels 3,000 feet (around 900 meters) underwater near Santa Catalina Island. The high amount of the toxic insecticide DDT found in the barrels suggests they might have been discharged from a former DDT manufacturer, turning a blind eye to the toxic pollution implications. The discovery provoked alarm about the environmental impact, motivating researchers to map and analyze the extent of DDT contamination and the movement of pollutants in the deep ocean.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the average surface temperatures worldwide kept rising through mid-February. Ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic have reached levels typically observed in July, creating a significant threat as hurricane season approaches: warm water holds more moisture than cold water, which acts as fuel for hurricanes, making them bigger and more dangerous. Besides, the transition from the climate phenomenon El Niño (which warms the ocean surface) to the opposing La Niña (which cools it) in the tropical Pacific Ocean further increases the possibility of an active tropical Atlantic hurricane season.

The climate situation is due to human-induced climate change.

The Indian Navy released a report on Thursday the 22nd, revealing a 20% increase in armed robbery incidents and piracy in the Indian Ocean Region (or IOR) in twenty twenty-three compared to twenty twenty-two. The Information Fusion Center – Indian Ocean Region made the report and highlighted an increase in incidents, specifically in South East Asia, reaching more than 100 cases. East Africa also saw an important rise, particularly in hijackings off the coast of Somalia. Most of the episodes took place during the night, and targeted bulk carriers, tankers, and pleasure crafts. Moreover, the report noted an increase in contraband smuggling, particularly narcotics, with East Africa experiencing a rise in drug-related incidents.

The good news of the bad news is that 78% of reported incidents involved no violence.

In more news about the Indian Ocean, Australia is planning its first offshore wind farm there. The government released the plan, looking for public input to accelerate the process of wind energy development. The proposed site is located off the Bunbury region in Western Australia, and it covers around 3,000 square miles (7,700 square kilometers). The government chose the area based on the presence of high-speed winds and its proximity to energy users and industries. The Consultation period will start in mid-March and will last until May twenty twenty-four. The public will have the chance to give feedback and express concerns on the matter. The country plans to have the wind farm operational by the end of twenty twenty-five..

On Wednesday the 21st, a European satellite launched in nineteen fifty-five fell back into earth in the North Pacific Ocean, between Alaska and Hawaii. The European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite orbited around our planet for thirty years, collecting data about lands, oceans, and polar ice. It weighed 5,000 pounds (more than 2,200 kilograms). The European Space Agency reassured that the reentry of the satellite didn’t pose any danger, as space debris wouldn’t cause any hazard.

Moving on to the Antarctic Ocean. A study published on Sunday the 11th in the journal Ecology reveals the reproductive behavior of giant Antarctic sea spiders, which are famous for their size. In fact, while most sea spiders carry their eggs, this giant species deposits their eggs on the seafloor. During an expedition in Antarctica, scientists observed that one of the mating spiders, most likely the father, attaches the eggs to rocks at the bottom of the seafloor for two days, hiding them behind algae, probably to protect them from predators.

Let’s now talk about the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The shipping transit in the Canal decreased severely during mid-February, and the traffic around the Cape of Good Hope spiked by 75%. The decreased transits in the Canal are due to the Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, which have been going on for three months now. They have brought a route shift, with many ships passing around South Africa. The delicate situation is affecting trade worldwide, pressuring Egypt's economy, which deeply relies on the income from the Canal, and raising the costs for many products.

In other news, Sébastien Lecornu, France's defense minister, said on Thursday the 22nd that Russia threatened to shoot down French aircraft flying over the Black Sea, which would indicate an increase in Russia’s aggression linked to the still-ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Colonel Pierre Gaudillière, the French military spokesman, explained that the minister was referring to an attack dated mid-November. France usually monitors the Black Sea region with aircraft as a member of NATO, in response to Russia’s action towards Ukraine.

Jimmy Graham, a former American football tight end, will join a four-person crew aiming to row non-stop across the Arctic Ocean in July twenty twenty-five to support three charities: the Jimmy Graham Foundation, Laureus Sport for Good USA and New Orleans’ own Covenant House. Graham will join the team as the lead navigator, rowing in two-hour shifts, twenty-four hours per day. They will travel around 620 miles (1,000 kilometers): their row will begin at Tromsø, Norway, and will end in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. One of the crew’s goals is to be the first mixed-gendered team to cross the Arctic Ocean. They want to be the fastest one as well, but to do so their journey should last no more than fifteen days, five hours and thirty-two minutes. Graham will also be the first black person to row a polar Ocean.

Closing with watersports. On Thursday the 22nd, in the framework of the Ocean Globe Race, the skipper Dominique Dubois and his crew sailed Evrika FR (07) to Punta del Este despite a broken mast, while White Shadow's Jean-Christophe Petit faced challenges with a broken forestay. Also, Translated9 rejoined the race after having diverted to the Falklands Islands to repair the hull a few days before. The next leg - leg four - will start on Tuesday the 5th of March from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Cowes, United Kingdom.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week.

Do you know that besides the Ocean Update, we also do others? Our latest ones are the Arctic Update, about the area north of the Arctic Circle, and the Multilateral Update about all the world's major multilateral institutions. The other ones are all country updates, we have a selection of countries from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Check roroshok.com/updates to see the full list. We left the link in the show notes as well.

See you next week!