Tag: coral reefs

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, surveys conducted in Escoda Shoal revealed visible discoloration of its seabed, strongly indicating that deliberate activities may have been undertaken to modify the natural topography of its underwater terrain.

The Gard P&I Club has published guidelines to advise interested parties against anchoring outside of designated areas, in order to prevent coral reef damage.

The Dubai Reefs project aims to accelerate the marine science and conservation capacity of Dubai, whilst building a diverse artificial reef, covering 200 square kilometers. 

Following the announcement at the last G20 Summit of the creation of the Global Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform aiming to improve coral conservation around the world, Saudi Arabia, as the governing body of the Platform, held its first meeting in June. 

Following pandemic-related delays, the 71-metre-long ferry boat Agenor Gordilho and the offshore tug Vega were deliberately sunk on Saturday to create an artificial reef off Brazil.

Campaigners are fighting a battle against the world's biggest cruise lines, Royal Caribbean and Carnival, with a combined market value of $55bn (£42bn), which want to redevelop the Cayman Islands’ port to accommodate bigger ships. Namely, BBC reports that the cruise lines are leading Verdant Isle, a consortium, with the aims to build a $250m new pier and berthing facility on Grand Cayman.

The Delaware State Division of Fish and Wildlife, got the retired cruise ship American Glory and sunk it 16.5 nautical miles off Indian River Inlet, adding another sunken vessel in their artificial reef program. The 200-foot ship got lifted by Norfolk,Virginia-based marine contractor Coleen Marine, which also prepared it for the reef.

AMSA launched its 2019 Review of the North-East Shipping Management Plan (NESMP) to improve the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait and Coral Sea region. The reviewed NESMP aims to assess the progress of the work items and improve management measures, while also ensure that those vessels visiting these areas are of the highest standards and they operate safely. 

The US  National Ocean Service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided a short overview of what are called Totten Beacons, one of the first aids to navigation which provided safe navigation through the reefs in 19th century.

Reports claiming that the crewmembers of the Solomon Trader were absent from the ship during the grounding or intoxicated celebrating Chinese are not true, the owner of the ship notes. The MV Solomon Trader was loading bauxite when due to rough seas, it ran aground at Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, on 4 February. Now, there is a high risk that the rest of HFO on the vessel, which is estimated to be more than 600 tonnes, will be released into the surrounding area.