Tag: coral reefs

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.

After contacting aerial assessments on the Solomon Trader, AMSA confirmed that the oil spill has started to disperse across the surrounding sea and shoreline. The oil expands five to six kilometres across the shore and is moving towards the East Rennell world heritage site. It also added that 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.

Around 60 tonnes of oil has spilled from the bulker Solomon Trader, that ran aground on a coral reef in the Solomon Islands, on 4 February. The incident is already considered an environmental disaster, as well as the worst man-made natural disaster ever to hit the Solomon Islands. As of now, 600 tonnes more of oil are still on board the vessel.

The Solomon Islands prime minister asked Australia for help to clean up an environmental disaster after oil was spilled from the bulk carrier MV Solomon Trader, that ran aground on a coral reef near a world heritage area. Heavy fuel oil can be smelt from as far as 800 metres from the vessel. In addition, discoloured brown water was notices about 600 metres south east.

A disastrous oil spill could occur in Solomon Islands area, after the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier 'Solomon Trader' ran aground on a reef on the remote island of Rennell, south of the capital Honiara. The 225 meter-long ship grounded last week after she attempted to collect bauxite from a nearby mine site.

Spain announced that it will construct the second-largest marine national park in the Mediterranean, turning the Cabrera National Park area nine times larger and  taking the total area protected to 90,794 hectares. The park, located south of Mallorca, will offer legal protection for marine life that is threatened, such as corals, dolphins and whales. 

During 2018, human impacts and global climate change affected the world's oceans. What is more, the severity of the plastics problem became more clear, with plastics being found 36,000 feet below sea level. However, despite the alarming situation in our oceans, there are reasons to feel optimistic that this will change.