The UK Government’s Department for transport launched a report civilian search and rescue helicopter operations between April 2018 and March 2019; The highlight of the report is the 8% decrease compared to the year ending March 2018.
The first cruise ship of the season, the 596 guest Silversea Cruises Silver Muse, will dock at the Port of Nanaimo, on Sunday, June 16. The vessel will arrive from Prince Rupert Sunday at 8 a.m., departing at 10 p.m. Tourism Nanaimo and Ambassadors from the Nanaimo Hospitality Association will be at the terminal and throughout downtown to greet and advise passengers on what to do during their stay.
Theresa May, prior to stepping down as Prime Minister, announced that she will follow the commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making Britain the first major economy to do so. The regulation includes domestic and international shipping emissions.
A record number of migrants and asylum-seekers were picked up from small boats attempting to make the perilous crossing of the English Channel to reach Britain within just one day. Only on 1st June, there were 13 incidents off the Kent coast, with 74 people rescued.
On 11th June, Rachel Reeves MP, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will present a Bill to Parliament which would hold the Government accountable to reducing UK carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Ms. Reeves has also published a draft Statutory Instrument (SI) which would enable the Government to achieve the same result of setting the net-zero target in law but do so faster.
England-based charity Seafarers UK and Sea Cadets charity launched the next phase of their joint Marine Engineering Pathway schools project, aiming to engage young people across the UK in learning more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and to think about a future in marine engineering.
The UK Government created 41 new marine conservation zones (MCZs) one week ahead of World Oceans Day. The new zones will be added to the existent ones, reaching the overall 91 zones, and covering roughly 32,000 square kilometres.
The UK Government established 41 new marine conservation zones. Now, an area almost twice the size of England will become a ‘blue belt’ of protected waters. The new protected areas range from Studland Bay, near Bournemouth, to the Goodwin Sands off the Deal coast in Kent.
The Chairman of the British Ports Association has urged for a return to stability and a relentless focus on creating a business environment that supports investment and skills. What is more, BPA believes that ports and shipping are very much part of the solution to UK decarbonisation challenges, but it raised concerns regarding the use of open-loop scrubbers in ports.
Red Funnel, a UK ferry operator, has been testing the use of biofuel in its ferries for nine months, but the company commented that although biofuel can be burnt, supply and legislation issues mean that the fuel is not currently viable for them.
