Tag: marine environment

When scientists on a boat in the Gulf of Alaska pulled their net in August, they saw something stunning: a live ocean sunfish. Mostly found in the tropics or temperate waters, these giant 6-foot-long snub-bodied creatures are incredibly rare in Alaska. And that was just the start. Four days later, one of the same researchers saw a warm-water blue shark circling near another sunfish. Days after that, the boat hauled up yet another living sunfish. "No one had ever talked about seeing one alive," said Wyatt Fournier, research fish biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Not only did we get two aboard in one week, but my commercial fishing buddies started telling me they were bumping into them when fishing for salmon." The waters of the Pacific Ocean have been so unusually warm this year that fishermen and researchers from Alaska to California have spied a host of bizarre visitors, from thresher sharks that rarely make it north of Vancouver, B.C., to the northernmost recorded sighting of a skipjack tuna. Portions of the North Pacific haven't seen sea temperatures this high in at least a century of record-keeping. In some areas, waters are more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit above ...

On Wednesday, 29 October 2014, the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association-HELMEPA unveiled its revamped "Marine Environment - Shipping - Sciences" Exhibition in the Piraeus Port Authority΄s Events Hall. Chairman of HELMEPA΄s Board of Directors, Dr John Coustas, noted the significance of having the new Campaign commence in Piraeus, the heart of the Greek shipping community, before traveling to a further 13 cities around Greece until 2017. He referred to the success of the 2011-2014 Campaign, which just recently reached its completion, speaking of how it conveyed the important message for the protection of our seas and beaches in the best possible way to thousands of children across the country. He added that since its inception in 1982, HELMEPA has been aiming at the refresher training of seafarers, but that the Association has since evolved to also have the enhancement of an environmental consciousness and awareness-raising activities included in its key objectives. "The best guarantee we have that our seas will be protected in the future is the children who will take away with them this vital message from the Campaign" , Dr Coustas remarked as he thanked Lloyd΄s Register Foundation* for its financial support. In closing, he congratulated HELMEPA staff ...

Bureau Veritas has developed a voluntary notation intended to assist shipbuilders and operators reduce underwater noise radiating from ships. The comprehensive set of standards and measuring services is grouped as NR614 Underwater Radiated Noise (URN). It aims to control and limit the environmental impact on marine fauna of all self-propelled ships and provide a standard and a system to assess compliance with specific vessel requirements for underwater radiated noise.  It covers both shallow and deep water conditions, sets out a dedicated comprehensive measurement procedure, explains how to manage measurement uncertainties and sets specific underwater noise level requirements. Jean-Francois Segretain, technical director, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Division, says, “Underwater noise radiating from ships is acoustic pollution, and there is no doubt that it will be the next big area to be tackled by regulators. This notation, backed by careful research with an extensive network of partners, means we can help designers, yards and operators to be ahead of regulation. And it makes commercial sense. Reducing underwater noise directly contributes to reduced noise and vibration levels on board, which improves passenger and crew comfort. There is also a strong link between fuel efficiency and noise. Quieter ships burn less, and we ...

Marine and coastal environment specialist, BMT Oceanica (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s (APPEA) “Understanding the Risks of Unplanned Discharges” study. BMT Oceanica will be working with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to deliver this key project which will update current knowledge on the potential environmental impacts of unplanned releases of hydrocarbons and other chemicals into the marine environment.  Phase one of the project is already underway and includes an international scientific review and the development of vulnerability assessment model that will help APPEA members enhance environmental and oil spill response plans.  This will be achieved by aligning risk assessment to the vulnerability of key environmental receptors. This work complements BMT Oceanica’s other current energy consultancy engagements with major operators in Western Australia. Mark Bailey, Co-Managing Director of BMT Oceanica says that “This  project provides further validation of the value and expertise being provided to the Australian oil and gas industry by BMT Oceanica and CSIRO, we are grateful for this challenge and look forward to adding value for APPEA and its members.”   Dr. Kenneth Lee, Director of CSIRO's Oceans ...

Matson Inc. reached a plea agreement  with the U.S. Attorney in Hawaii on charges that the company illegally discharged more than 230,000 gallons of molasses into Honolulu Harbor in 2013, agreeing to pay a total penalty of $1 million, Pacific Business News Reports. According to a statement, Matson Terminals will pay a total $1 million  to inspire local communities to care for their coastlines through beach clean-ups The spill occurred on Sept. 9 and 10, 2013. In all, 233,000 gallons of molasses spilled into Honolulu Harbor, Nakakuni charged and contributed to the death of about 25,000 fish. Matson said it has not resolved any potential civil claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or claims by the state of Hawaii arising out of the molasses incident. Matson put a halt to the molasses pipeline system at the Sand Island terminal after the spill.  In the onset, I was outspoken with you propecia before and after has changed my essence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

Environmentalists have called on the eight Arctic nations of the Arctic Council to enact a ten-year moratorium on any increase in Arctic shipping to protect endangered beluga whales from the threat of growing ship traffic in their habitat. The moratorium will enable nations to finalize and implement the “Polar Code,” an agreement currently being negotiated under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), that aims to establish environmental, safety, and shipping controls, in order to constrain industrial accidents and ecosystem impacts in the Arctic. A new report released  by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA),  Endangered Belugas and the Growing Threats of Climate Change, Arctic Shipping and Industrialization  comprehensively documents the plight of the beluga whale, a species that was hunted to near extinction throughout its range. Today it continues to face a barrage of threats, including poorly-regulated subsistence hunting, climate change, oil and gas drilling, ship traffic, pollution, and live capture for aquariums. The EIA report reveals that belugas are the most widely exploited whale species in the world today. Of the 29 populations of beluga whales, 15 are already depleted, and ten populations continue to be overhunted, including five depleted populations. Only six subpopulations are considered to have stable or ...

Participants at the PACPOL workshop in Brisbane, Australia Representatives from 13 Pacific island countries and territories have gathered in Brisbane, Australia this week to review and update the Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Programme (PACPOL) strategy. This important strategy, implemented in partnership by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), defines activities to protect the public health, safety, environment and natural resources of the Pacific islands from the effects of marine pollution. Mr Kosi Latu, Deputy Director General of SPREP, explained, that for example, ship sourced marine pollution encompasses a number of issues including oil spills, dumping and ballast water management: "With a huge volume of ship traffic passing through the Pacific Ocean, all these issues pose a threat to the people and the environment in our region. Through initiatives like PACPOL, Pacific island countries and territories are better able to protect the marine and coastal environment, the natural and cultural resources of island nations as well as the general safety of the public." Significant inroads have been made in this area of the past few years, with ground-breaking initiatives such as the modernisation and revision of the Pacific Islands Regional Marine Spill Contingency ...

The IMO Committee on Protection of the Marine Environment (MEPC) held its 67th Session from Monday 13 through Friday 17 October 2014 in IMO Headquarters in London.  Among the many issues discussed by the Committee, developments on the Ballast Water Management were on the agenda. IMO MEPC 67 concluded the following: Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ballast Water Turkey presented their instrument of accession to the BWM Convention bringing the number of Contacting States to 43, though the total gross world tonnage is still 2.45% short of that necessary for ratification.  Basic approval of BWM systems making use of Active Substances was given to ElysisGuard and in addition, final approval was granted to MARIONMATE, BlueZone and KURITA.  Of interest, the total number of type approved BWMs is now 51.  Sampling performed during stripping operations was discussed thoroughly and deemed to be inadvisable hence it was agreed that there is no need to develop guidance on how to do so. Report of the Ballast Water Review Group In considering the report submitted by RG1, the Committee: adopted a draft MEPC resolution on Guidelines for port State control inspection for compliance with the BWM Convention.  Importantly, the thorny issue of SAMPLING when moving from ‘indicative’ ...

Brussels, 4th November 2014: A policy seminar on marine litter and the circular economy. Seas At Risk will host an event in the European Parliament on the 4th of November to discuss the upcoming review of EU waste legislation and new proposals for a circular economy. The event will consist of two panel discussions and question and answer sessions with the audience.  Marine litter is rapidly being recognized as a serious threat to our oceans, and many policy makers are actively working to find solutions. As the problem is too big and too diffuse to deal with in the marine environment, it must instead be stopped at the source. Individual measures such as more bins on beaches, better waste reception facilities for ships and education campaigns are important, but the reality is that we need to change our society to tackle this problem. We need to implement a circular economy which designs-out waste from the system. A circular economy is one in which products are designed to be repaired, durable, and at the end of their life are recovered and recycled into new products. It means a society where single use products such as plastic bags and cups have no ...