Category Archives: High Seas

1 Aug 2017, 11:38 a.m.

Red Bend's Neville Squire is home from his tall ship sailing adventure - read about his adventure.

For 16-year-old Red Bend boarder Neville Squire, the chance to sail on STS Young Endeavour was an opportunity too good to pass up.

With the encouragement of one his house coordinators from Red Bend Catholic College, the Year 11 student from Broken Hill applied and was selected for Voyage 09/17 and joined the square-rigged tall ship in Sydney.

From the start of the eleven-day journey, Neville said he loved exploring the New South Wales coast.

I was initially attracted to the challenge of being out on the open ocean, climbing and rigging a tall ship, he said.

Its all desert our Broken Hill way, so it was my first time sailing a ship.

The experience was really great.

I got a bit sick at the start, but it passed in a few days and I found my sea legs.

During the voyage, the twenty-two members of the youth crew learnt how to sail the brigantine; including how to navigate, keep watch, cook in the galley, take the helm and climb the 30 metre mast to work aloft, setting and furling sails.

My biggest challenge was climbing aloft, Neville said.

When I first went up it was nice and calm under anchor and I was thinking sweet this is good, but out on the open ocean it was a different story.

While living in close quarters with other people was new to some of the youth crew, Neville said it wasnt new to him.

Its second nature to me being at boarding school, you get used to living with, regardless if you like them or not. But its great everyone got along like one big family.

Over the course of each voyage the youth crew face a number of personal challenges and towards the end of each voyage, the youth crew elect a command team who take full responsibility for Young Endeavour for 24-hours.

Being on Young Endeavour I learnt that if you put your mind to something and really give it a crack, you can do it.

It was a really good opportunity. I have so many highlights. Seeing the islands and beaches up the coasts and experiencing the mateship between everyone - it was really great, Neville said.

Young Endeavour is Australias national sail training ship and was presented to the Australia by the United Kingdom for Australias bicentennial in 1988.

During her almost 30 years in service, almost 13,000 young Australians have joined the ship and participated in the youth development program delivered at sea by the Royal Australian Navy.

Young peopleaged 16 23 years old can apply for a chance to set sail on the voyage of a lifetime at http://www.youngendeavour.gov.au

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Neville home from sailing the high seas - Forbes Advocate

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MV Hennery anchored off Karachi before sailing to India.

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ICG officer says the contraband may have been brought on board near Karachi.

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Heroin worth Rs 3,500 crore was recovered from the ship on Sunday.

The dramatic high-seas drug bust, which turned out to be India's largest narcotics haul, may be connected to Pakistan, initial investigation conducted by the Indian Coast Guard has indicated.

On Sunday, two ICG ships apprehended a merchant vessel off the coast of Gujarat, seizing around 1,500 kilograms of heroin valued at around Rs 3,500 crore.

The ship - MV Hennery - was Panama-flagged but had anchored off Karachi port in Pakistan before sailing towards India.

While the ship's ultimate destination remains unclear, preliminary interrogation of the ship's captain, has revealed that the ship's crew was in touch with four people in India - two from Mumbai, one from Kolkata and one in Tamil Nadu.

According to a senior Coast Guard officer privy to the investigations, the ship had possibly anchored off Karachi to pick up the drugs. It remains unclear how the contraband was exactly brought on board the ship.

"The ship after starting from Abu Dhabi sailed towards Karachi but anchored at some distance off Karachi. The reason behind this could be that the drug contraband was uploaded," the officer said.

After picking up the heroin, the ship set sail for the Indian coast. All the while, the ship's eight-member crew - all Indians - was in touch with people in India. "The master of the ship was constantly in touch with two men from Mumbai. The master also contacted two more persons from Kolkata and Tamil Nadu. It is suspected that these four persons were contacted for the sale of the contraband", the ICG officer said.

However, soon after the ship Indian waters, it was apprehended by security agencies. The Indian Coast Guard, based on an intelligence input, with the help of two of its ships and a helicopter intercepted the vessel around 400 kilometers off the Gujarat coast.

The heroin recovered, the vessel was then taken to the Porbandar port and its Indian crew was placed under custody.

Investigations, including by the Narcotics Control Bureaus of Gujarat and Maharashtra, into the drug bust, which is India's largest ever, are ongoing.

WATCH | Vessel with narcotics worth over Rs 3000 crore intercepted off Gujarat coast

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High-seas drug haul: Ship carrying Rs 3500 crore of heroin anchored near Karachi before sailing to India - India Today

Delegations representing the US and Russian Navies held the annual Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA) discussions on 25 July at Newport, Rhode Island USA.These important annual reviews are a professional discussion of the agreement in place to prevent incidents at sea between US and Russian ships and aircraft.

Recent Russian air-to-air intercepts of US aircraft and interactions with ships in international airspace and waters are the types of interactions that are discussed. Established in 1972, the bilateral INCSEA agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union codified the mutual interest of both sides in promoting safety of navigation and safety of flight when operating on and over international waters and specified an annual meeting to review compliance with the articles of the agreement.

The last meeting occurred on 8 June 2016, hosted by the Russian Federated Navy in Moscow.

US European Command is one of the United States two forward-deployed Geographic Combatant Commands whose area of focus cover almost one-fifth of the planet, including all of Europe, large portions of Asia, parts of the Middle East and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The command is responsible for military relations with NATO and 51 countries with a total population of close to a billion people.

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#INCSEA: Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas - EU Reporter

As the human population continues to rise and the amount of industry increases, almost no part of the globe feels the burdens of this activity more than the oceans. Whether its temperature change, oxygen or carbon dioxide content, or other characteristics, the study of the oceans will continue to be an ongoing scientific endeavor. The one main issue, though, is just how big the oceans really are. To study them in-depth will require robots, and for that reason [Mike] has created an autonomous boat.

This boat is designed to be 3D printed in sections, making it easily achievable for anyone with access to a normal-sized printer. The boat uses the uses the APM autopilot system and Rover firmware making it completely autonomous. Waypoints can be programmed in, and the boat will putter along to its next destination and perform whatever tasks it has been instructed. The computer is based on an ESP module,and the vessel has a generously sized payload bay.

While the size of the boat probably limits its ability to cross the Pacific anytime soon, its a good platform for other bodies of water and potentially a building block for larger ocean-worthy ships that might have an amateur community behind them in the future. In fact, non-powered vessels that sail the high seas are already a reality.

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Autonomous Boat Sails the High Seas - Hackaday

Shen Jinke, a spokesperson for the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force (photo by AFP)

The Chinese air force says its combat drills over high seas have become a routine practice and will continue.

The air forces distant sea training has become routine, systematic, and practical, China Central Television quoted air force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying late on Thursday.

Shen, who was addressing reporters at a news briefing on Army Games 2017 in Wuhan, the capital city of central Chinas Hubei Province, said that Chinas high-sea drills have increased in frequency over the past years.

Chinas long-range flight drills at sea, which started three years ago, were not targeted at any specific country or region, Shen said.

He said the recent flight of various warplanes over the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait had tested the air forces actual combat capabilities on the high seas.

The air force said on its microblog earlier this month that its planes had recently flown through both the Miyako Strait which lies between two southern Japanese islands and the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan and the Philippines.

The spokesperson said such drills accorded with international law. They were legitimate, reasonable and justified, he said.

The drills were not meant to target any countries or regions but were the requirement of Chinas military and national defense building, Shen said.

The air force aims to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the interests of the countrys air safety through carrying out actual combat drills, he said.

China is in a territorialdispute with some of its neighbors in the East and South China Sea.

In the South China Sea, China has rival claims to territory with the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Vietnam.

Chinaand Japanhave been involved in a territorial dispute in the East China Sea over the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyus in China.

The United States, which has military presence in the regions, hasbacked up Chinasrival claimants in theterritorial disputes.

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China 'to continue flights over high seas' - Press TV

You dont need to be a fanatic Savoyard to love the current production of The Pirates of Penzance by the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre.

But it doesnt hurt to be up on your Gilbert and Sullivan trivia either. That way, youll catch all the inside jokes when they come flying fast and furiously.

As everyone knows, The Pirates of Penzance is a bit of comic opera nonsense lampooning the culture and manners of Victorian England. It was written with tongue firmly in cheek for its time, and the play has never grown stale because directors and performers have spent more than a century improvising new jokes and comic business for this show.

Not to be outdone by those predecessors, director Brad A. Carrolls rollicking interpretation of Penzance plays like a long Monty Python sketch (but its actually funny, not like British humour).

Along for the ride is a talented cast of UFOMT veterans who are obviously having a ball.

Edward Brennan is perfect as the dim-witted Frederick, an apprentice pirate determined to go straight if only his sense of duty (with a capital D) would allow it. Taking a break of a sting of serious roles, the awesome Ezekiel Andrew displays unexpected comic chops as the Pirate King.

Curt Olds is the epitome of oh-so-British professional and parental incompetence as Major-General Stanley.

Local favorite Kevin Nakatani also does his part, animating an extended opening gag that sets just the right tone for this production.

Olivia Yokers, an adorable newcomer to UFOMT, lends a touch of class and an amazing voice to Penzance.

Supporting cast members include Cabiria Jacobsen, Markel Reed, Elizabeth Frey, Jessica Mirshak and Kathleen Farrar Buccleugh.

Finally, in the roles of pirates, virgin daughters and less-than-intrepid bobbies, the shows ensemble performers provide the typically brilliant choral work that has become the hallmark of UFOMT productions.

An addition evening performance of The Pirates of Penzance will be presented at the Eccles Theatre on July 28. Matinees will be offered on Aug. 4 and 9.

Editors Note: Charlie Schill has directed and performed with theater groups in the United States and overseas. Schill also served as theater critic for the Temple Daily Telegram in Texas and the Pacific Stars & Stripes and Japan Times, both daily newspapers in Tokyo.

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UFOMT's 'Pirates' brings humor to the high seas - The Herald Journal

Playbill is thrilled to announce that Tony nominee Carmen Cusack will join the ninth voyage of Playbill Travels Broadway on the High Seas in 2018.

Previously scheduled to perform on Broadway on the Danube River with Michael Feinstein this November, Cusack will now reprise her leading role in Bright Star at Los Angeles Ahmanson Theatrethe performance for which she earned her Tony nod.

But Playbill Travel will still see the talents of the woman who has played such roles as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Elphaba in Wicked, Dot in Sunday in the Park With George, Fantine in Les Misrables, and more. Cusack will instead climb aboard Ponants five-star expedition yacht Le Solal in July 2018 alongside previously announced performers Drama Desk nominee Sierra Boggess, Tony nominee Jarrod Spector, Tony nominee Rob McClure, four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn, and two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole. Sirius XM radio host and Playbill columnist Seth Rudetsky returns as Chatterbox host and music director.

Having served over 1,000 passengers across visits to the most stunning locales on the planet (from the coast of Italy to the Caribbean, from the jungle of Vietnam to the isles of Greece), Playbill Travel combines the best of Broadway talent with the epitome in fine dining and accommodations. On this journey to Iceland, visitors will experience the richness of Icelandic culture and the breathtaking natural sites of the Arctic Circle by day and the intimate solo shows of stage greats by night.

From Reykjavik, the worlds most northerly capital, sail the rugged fjrds of northwest Iceland; see the fabulous wildlife and Atlantic puffin in colonies on Grimsey Island; visit the small Icelandic town of Akureyri before venturing to nearby Lake Myvatn and the astonishing Godafoss waterfall; and call at Heimaey Island, home to the infamous Eldfell volcano.

For booking and inquiries please visit PlaybillTravel.com.

If you cannot wait until July 2018 to experience the unparalleled experience in entertainment and exploration that Playbill Travel has to offer, join us on the Rhine River August 1320 or on the Danube River November 310. For travel and talent details visit PlaybillTravel.com.

Playbills first-ever river cruise sails from May 2128.

LOVE THE THEATRE? CHECK OUT THE PLAYBILL STORE FOR MERCHANDISE!

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Tony Nominee Carmen Cusack Joins Playbill Travel's Broadway on the High Seas: Iceland - Playbill.com

Inside the United Nations' Plan to Govern Marine Environments That Sit Outside Any National Jurisdiction Pacific Standard The fourth and final meeting of a United Nations Preparatory Committee ended last week with a recommendation that the U.N. General Assembly convene treaty negotiations aimed at protecting the high seas. The so-called high seas comprise more than 40 ...

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Inside the United Nations' Plan to Govern Marine Environments That Sit Outside Any National Jurisdiction - Pacific Standard

The fourth and final meeting of a United Nations Preparatory Committee ended last week with a recommendation that the UN General Assembly convene treaty negotiations aimed at protecting the high seas.

The so-called high seas comprise more than 40 percent of Earths surface and about two-thirds of the oceans. They are vast areas that lie 200 nautical miles or more from shore in other words, beyond any national jurisdiction. That means that, while the high seas can be said to belong to everyone, no one body or agency is tasked with their governance and there is no comprehensive management structure in place that is capable of protecting the marine life that relies on them.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2015 calling for a preparatory committee to explore the feasibility of an international treaty designed to protect high seas biodiversity and report back by the end of 2017.

Environmentalists applauded the outcome of last weeks meeting: We are pleased that the UN Preparatory Committee has completed its mandate and agreed by consensus to recommendations that will move this issue to the next phase of high seas conservation, Liz Karan, director of The Pew Charitable Trusts campaign to protect ocean life on the high seas, said in a statement.

While the Preparatory Committees report includes substantive recommendations on elements to be included in any eventual high seas agreement, there are some crucial issues that still must be hammered out through international treaty negotiations, such as determining exactly how marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine reserves could be created and managed on the high seas.

A patchwork of governance and management mechanisms regulate human activities like fishing, seabed mining, and shipping on the high seas, but there is little coordination between them, which has left marine ecosystems in the open ocean highly vulnerable. While protected areas cover 13.2 percent of marine environments in countries territorial waters, just 0.25 percent of marine environments beyond national jurisdiction are afforded some kind of protected status, according to the UN.

There would seem to be momentum building towards a treaty to address the lack of protections for marine environments in the open ocean. In addition to the recommendation made by the UN Preparatory Committee, world leaders meeting at the first-ever UN Ocean Conference in New York City last month issued a call for action to affirm our strong commitment to conserve and sustainably use our oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

The purpose of the UN Ocean Conference was for governmental representatives to come together and strategize around the implementation of the UNs Sustainable Development Goal 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. Delegates to the conference specifically mentioned MPAs in their call to action as management tools that can enhance ocean resilience and better conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity.

The impacts of climate change on both the open ocean and coastal areas is of particular concern. But, according to Pews Karan, even the countries that affirmed their support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 are unlikely to be able to meet their sustainability goals without an overarching governance framework for the high seas.

The ocean doesnt respect political boundaries, Karan told Mongabay. Whats happening within countries national waters affects what happens on the high seas and will be affected by what happens on the high seas. Making sure that theres proper governance on the high seas will allow for the establishment of marine protected areas, and ensure that robust environmental impact assessments are being conducted for any activities on the high seas. That will ultimately help benefit countries national waters and enable them to meet the sustainable development goals.

Research has shown that marine protected areas and reserves could play a crucial role in ocean conservation efforts in an era of rising global temperatures. An international team of researchers published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences (PNAS) earlier this year, for instance, that concluded that well-managed marine reserves may help marine ecosystems and people adapt to five prominent impacts of climate change: acidification, sea-level rise, intensification of storms, shifts in species distribution, and decreased productivity and oxygen availability, as well as their cumulative effects.

The authors of the PNAS study add that marine reserves are a viable low-tech, cost-effective adaptation strategy that would yield multiple cobenefits from local to global scales, improving the outlook for the environment and people into the future.

Its important to note that, while the Preparatory Committee recommended that high seas treaty negotiations be convened, the responsibility for actually launching an intergovernmental conference to hold those negotiations ultimately lies with the UN General Assembly.

Karan called for the General Assembly to move the process along quickly: After two years of meetings, the General Assembly must now decide to launch formal diplomatic negotiations as soon as possible so that countries can work towards finalizing a treaty that would protect the high seas starting in 2018.

CITATION

Article published by Mike Gaworecki on 2017-07-25.

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UN moves one step closer to convening high seas treaty negotiations - Mongabay.com

The contested South China Sea has large deposits of oil and natural gas. Perhaps luckily for the environment, drilling for these resources has been discouraged by political tension among nations in the region. In particular, energy companies worry about Chinas ongoing insistence that everything within its infamous nine-dash linewhich marks off nearly the entire seais its own territory, despite an international tribunal invalidating the sweeping claim last year.

The uncertainty has made it hard for energy companies to justify the hefty investments needed to extract carbon resources from below the sea floor. Recently, though the carbon resources have started to make headlines again, with Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippinesand, of course, Chinaall involved. Its a reminder that however quiet the issue gets at times, untapped energy riches are a key element to the South China Sea contest.

Reed Bank (also called the Reed Tablemount) is one of the major prizes in the South China Sea. Located near the Philippines coast, it is believed to hold large reserves of oil and natural gas. The nations main source of natural gas, the Malampaya field, will run out in less than a decade.

Reed Bank clearly falls within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. As set forth by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, an EEZ extends 200 nautical miles (370 km or 230 miles) from the shore. (Reed Bank is 85 nautical miles off the coast.) While the zone can be treated as the high seas in most regards, all the resources within it belong to the coastal nation. The Philippines should be free to partner with any energy company it desires to extract those resources, and then use them as it sees fit.

According to the nine-dash line, Reed Bank belongs to China. When the Philippines has tried to explore there, China has stopped it. In 2011, Chinese patrol vessels nearly rammed a survey ship operating with permission from the Philippines. And in 2014, Manila criticized China for conducting regular sovereignty patrols in the area.

Now, Reed Bank is back in focus. On July 12, a Philippine energy official said drilling at Reed Bank could resume before years end, with Manila getting ready to offer new blocks to investors via bidding in December. Ismael Ocampo, an energy official, said he was hopeful that China would not complain or harass the crews of survey ships this time around.

Thats not a given. In May, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had warned him there would be war if Manila tried to enforce last years tribunal ruling and drill for oil in disputed areas. Today (July 25), Duterte said that the Philippines and China will enter into joint oil exploration with China in those same parts, without saying when. That would conflict with Philippine law, however, as joint development within the countrys EEZ is prohibited by the constitution. It remains to be seen how that conundrum plays out.

Vietnam recently stopped a gas drilling operation located about 400 km (250 miles) off its southeast coast after receiving threats from China, according to a BBC report this week. While Vietnam had leased the area to one company, China had leased it to another. China threatened to attack Vietnamese bases in the Spratly islands unless the drilling stopped, according to the report.

China urges the relevant party to stop its unilateral actions that infringe upon Chinas rights and safeguard with concrete actions the sound situation in the South China Sea that does not come easily, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said today at a regular briefing.

It wasnt the first tussle between the two countries over energy resources in the sea, though it was the first in a while. In 2012, Vietnam protested the China National Offshore Oil Corporation inviting foreign companies to bid for oil exploration blocks falling well within Vietnams EEZ. And in 2014 China moved a massive mobile oil rig into another bit of contested water, sparking deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam. (China eventually removed the rig.)

On July 14, Indonesia announced a new namethe North Natuna Seafor the northern reaches of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Again, the nine-dash line overlapping with an EEZ was a big reason why. Within the overlapping area is the East Natuna Gas Field, one of the larger such fields in the world.

Indonesia isnt the first nation to counter Chinas nine-dash line with a name change: In 2012 the Philippines renamed the part of the South China Sea off its western side the West Philippine Sea.

In response to Indonesias name change, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that South China Sea has widespread international recognition. He added, Certain countries so-called renaming is totally meaningless. We hope the relevant country can meet China halfway and properly maintain the present good situation in the South China Sea region, which has not come easily.

Indonesia has also apprehended or chased off Chinese fishing vessels in the area in recent years, as another way of asserting its sovereignty.

Theres ongoing debate as to how much oil and gas the South China Sea actually holds, with some contending the potential riches are overblown and others arguing theyre underestimated. With surveying made difficult by politics, its hard to determine either way.

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The South China Sea's untapped oil and natural gas are back in focus - Quartz