Category Archives: High Seas

The bodies of four victims from the Seacor Power liftboat have been recovered as of Friday.

PORT FOURCHON, La. Coast Guard crews have recovered three more bodies of victims from the liftboat that capsized Tuesday in rough seas off the coast of Louisiana.

Two unresponsive people were recovered Friday by Donjon Marine commercial divers.

A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter spotted one of the victims Thursday night near the capsized Seacor Power.

One otherbody was recovered Wednesday, eleven are still missingand six people have been rescued.

The Coast Guard is not releasing the names of the victims -- or of any of the mariners involved in the accident -- out of respect for the families.

Editor's note: The video above originally aired on April 15.

Divers returned to the area early Friday, but dangerous weather conditions forced them to resurface a few hours later. They were able to resume diving around 1:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard confirms its possible some of the missing could still be on the vessel, which is owned by a Houston company.

We don know for certain, right now, but thats something that were looking into as the investigation unfolds, Coast Guard spokeswoman Ensign Shelly Turner said. Were trying to figure that information out, but it is a possibility right now.

Determined searchers say theyre not giving up hope.

We have to remain hopeful and optimistic. We are giving it all weve got, Captain Will Watson said. We are saturating the area with available resources to assist in the rescue mission, and we will continue to do so.

The Coast Guard said it has already covered an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

The Seacor Power overturned in high seas and hurricane-force winds. The Coast Guard said winds were 80 to 90 mph and waves rose 7 to 9 feet high, worse than what was forecasted.

The boat is still overturned, partially submerged and grounded in about 55 feet of water. It was on a 100-mile journey to the Talos platform.

Liftboats transport equipment and workersto and from oil rigs in the Gulf. They lower huge legs to the sea floor to become offshore platforms.

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4 bodies of crewmembers recovered from capsized liftboat off Louisiana coast - KHOU.com

Chinese state media has released new videofootagethat could suggest that the first domestically-built People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)aircraft carrier,Shandong,could soon conduct even more high sea trials.

The new carrier, which is based on the same design as the Soviet-builtLiaoning, is expected to fully enter service by the end of this year.

Shandongis Coming

Shandongwas officially commissioned in December 2019 in a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping, four years after she was laid down inLiaoningprovince in March 2015 by Dalian Shipbuilding. It was seen as a milestone achievement for the PLAN, even as the carrier remains far less capable than anyU.S. Navycounterparts. However, the fact the Beijing was able to build a carrier puts it in a rare club of nations.

Now the first homebuilt carrier is about to undergo its next level of tests before entering service.

"TheShandongwill probably start its drills and training on the high seas later this year, which is a necessary step for it to achieve initial operational capability [IOC], a source to the PLAN told theSouth China Morning Post.

Not Exactly Ready for War

Earlier this month state broadcaster China Central Television had released footage that showed how the carrier had been continuing preparations for ever more advanced high sea trials during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The carrier has a crew of some 5,000 sailors including the air wing, and due to Covid-19 restrictions, much of the official state TV footage was actually shot by the crew offering a rare view inside the twenty-story accommodation and operations block of the carrier.

After being handed over to the PLAN from the shipbuilder it was expected that it would take at least eighteen months for the aircraft carrier to reach IOC. According to the CCTV video footage, the carrier features more than 12,000 different equipment systems, which all of course would need to be tested. To date, theShandonghas conducted nine sea trials, which were completed in Bohai Bay or the South China Sea relatively close to the warship's home base in Sanya, Hainan province.

The video also gave some insight into the carrier's capabilities including its ski-jump for launching jets, which was reported to be fourteen degrees rather than the twelve degrees that past experts had believed it to be. TheSouth China Morning Postalso reported that because of the thrust of China'sJ-15 fighter jet, the ramp angle was believed to been reduced but various angles were tested range from eight to sixteen degrees.

Flight operations are just some of the testing to be completed before the carrier will reach IOC.

Shandongisn't alone in having to undergo such lengthy trials. The United States Navy's newest carrier,USSGerald R. Ford(CVN-78) has also been undergoing numerous sea trials. It was only last year that the nuclear-powered warship and the largest military vessel in the world completed its Flight Deck Certification (FDC) and Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC) Certification

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear includingA Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

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China's New Aircraft Carrier Has All the Makings of a Powerhouse - The National Interest

Climate 101 is a Mashable series that answers provoking and salient questions about Earths warming climate.

Stay updated with the latest in Tech, Science, Culture, Entertainment, and more by following our Telegram channel here.

The last time CO2 levels were as high as today, ocean waters drowned the lands where metropolises like Houston, Miami, and New York City now exist.

Its a time called the Pliocene or mid-Pliocene, some 3 million years ago, when sea levels were around 30 feet higher (but possibly much more) and giant camels dwelled in a forested high Arctic. The Pliocene was a significantly warmer world, likely at some 5 degrees Fahrenheit (around 3 degrees Celsius) warmer than pre-Industrial temperatures of the late 1800s. Much of the Arctic, which today is largely clad in ice, had melted. Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels, a major temperature lever, hovered around 400 parts per million, or ppm. Today, these levels are similar but relentlessly rising, at some 418 ppm.

Humanity is currently on track to warm Earth to Pliocene-like temperatures by centurys end unless nations ambitiously slash carbon emissions in the coming decades. Sea levels, of course, wont instantly rise by tens of feet: Miles-thick ice sheets take many centuries to thousands of years to melt. But, critically, humanity is already setting the stage for a relatively quick return to Pliocene climes, or climes at least significantly warmer than now. Its happening fast. When CO2 naturally increases in the atmosphere, pockets of ancient air preserved in ice show this CO2 rise happens gradually, over thousands of years. But today, carbon dioxide levels are skyrocketing as humans burn long-buried fossil fuels.

"CO2 in the atmosphere has gone up 100 ppm in my lifetime," said Kathleen Benison, a geologist at West Virginia University who researches past climates. Thats incredibly fast geologically."

"You dont have to be a scientist to realize something totally weird is going on, and that weird thing is humans," noted Dan Lunt, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol who has researched the Pliocene.

Sure, it takes a long time for sea levels to catch up with Earths warming. But in a plethora of other ways, the planet is already reacting to about 2 F (1.1 C) of warming since the late 1800s: Wildfires are surging in the U.S., major Antarctic ice sheets have destabilized, heat waves are smashing records, storms are intensifying, and beyond.

More warming will further exacerbate these consequences of increased heat. It will get worse. But will it get Pliocene bad? Thats up to the most fickle, unpredictable factor of the climate equation: humans.

"CO2 levels are going to increase," said Lunt. "We could hit the Pliocene in terms of temperature. But it depends on how rapidly we emit [greenhouse gases]."

"CO2 levels are going to increase."

Some of the human-driven changes happening on Earth today wont be reversed for centuries or thousands of years. In large part, thats because civilization continues to deposit prodigious loads of carbon into the atmosphere each year, and all these heat-trapping gases wont magically vanish from the air, even if we instantly stop adding carbon to the atmosphere. Rather, theyll have impacts upon the planet like gradually rising seas and acidifying oceans for at least centuries. Already, sea levels have risen by some eight to nine inches since the late 1800s, and a conservative estimate, from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is sea levels will rise by another one to two feet by the century's end. But, this could very well be more like two or three feet, or even more depending on what Antarcticas colossal, melting Thwaites Glacier (its the size of Britain) purges into the sea this century.

"Sea level rise and ocean acidification are permanent on a human time scale," said Julie Brigham-Grette, a geologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who researches how the Arctic has changed since the Pliocene.

The Pliocene certainly cant give us all the answers for where were headed. We dont know, for example, how quickly the seas rose during this far-off period. But the Pliocene does show us how sensitive parts of Earth are to just a few degrees of warming. For instance, much of the vast Greenland ice sheet, which is two and a half times the size of Texas, melted during the warmer Pliocene. And ancient evidence of long-ago beaches, dated to the Pliocene, show where past shorelines lay: A ballpark height of 30 feet or so higher than today is ominous.

"That means the ice sheets are really sensitive to a modest amount of warming," said Rob DeConto, a professor of climatology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who studies the response of ice sheets to a warming climate.

This doesnt bode well for human civilization, which heavily populates the coastlines. "Thats where civilization has built much of its infrastructure," said DeConto. "Were a species that gravitated toward the coast."

Earths CO2 levels have always naturally wavered. Humans didnt exist (and wouldnt exist for millions of years) during the Pliocene though our hirsute primate ancestors were already walking around Africa at the time.

So what explains the high Pliocene CO2 levels (400 ppm) without a world of fuel-guzzling cars and coal-fired power plants? The answer lies in deep time.

Long before the Pliocene, CO2 levels were extremely elevated during the age of the dinosaurs (which ended 65 million years ago), perhaps at some 2,000 to 4,000 ppm. Tremendous CO2 emissions, from incessant and extreme volcanism, heated Earth and allowed dinosaurs to roam a sultry Antarctic. But over millions of years, Earths natural processes (specifically the slow, grinding, but potent process of rocks absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, dubbed "the rock thermostat") gradually reduced CO2 levels to some 400 ppm during the Pliocene. (We know this because there are indirect, though reliable, ways to gauge Earths CO2 levels from millions of years ago, including the chemical make-up of long-dead plankton and the evidence stored in the breathing cells, or stomata, of ancient plants.)

"Were on our way to the Pliocene."

After the Pliocene, Earth continued to pull CO2 from the air, finally settling CO2 levels between some 200 to 280 ppm during the more recent ice ages, when mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths dominated a cooler earth, and humans eventually appeared. But humanity, by rapidly digging up and burning fossil fuels, has now promptly returned CO2 to Pliocene levels.

"We, in 150 years, have completely reversed everything the rock thermostat has done in the last 3 million years," explained Brigham-Grette. "The transition from a warm Arctic to a cold one that has ice sheets took a million years. Were jumping out of that in less than 150 years."

Indeed, the Arctic has changed dramatically in just the last 40 years. Arctic sea ice is in rapid decline. Greenlands melting is off the charts.

Humanity, fortunately, still has the ability to stabilize Earths temperatures this century at levels that would avoid catastrophic impacts like more extreme storms, coral devastation, punishing heat, and beyond. But, as of now, were on a trajectory to the climes of 3 million years ago. (And in some respects notably atmospheric CO2 were already there.)

"Were on our way to the Pliocene," said Brigham-Grette.

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What Earth was like last time CO2 levels were this high - Mashable SE Asia

MANILA Typhoon Bising (international name Surigae) weakened further as it moved over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau said Sunday night.

The country's second storm this year will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Bicol region, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran and Leyte from Sunday night until Monday, PAGASA said in its 11 p.m. weather bulletin.

The following areas were placed under tropical cyclone wind signal no. 2, where winds of up to 120 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours, which may cause old wooden electric posts to be tilted or downed:

Storm signal no. 1, which may cause slight damage to some houses of very light materials or makeshift structures in exposed communities, was hoisted over the following areas:

Bising was last estimated 270 kilometers east of Virac town, Catanduanes, moving slowly west northwestward.

It was packing 195 km per hour (kph) maximum winds near the center and gusts of up to 240 kph, according to PAGASA.

It was forecast to continue moving slowly in the next 6 to 12 hours as it begins to turn generally northward over the Philippine Sea, PAGASA said.

It will then turn northward while gradually accelerating until Wednesday before turning northeastward and east northeastward away from the Luzon landmass, PAGASA added.

"The recent weakening of Bising after reaching its peak intensity was caused by a recently completed eyewall replacement cycle. The typhoon is forecast to maintain its current intensity in the next 24 to 48 hours before gradually weakening throughout the remainder of the forecast period," it also said.

The PAGASA warned that very rough to very high seas will be experienced over the northern and eastern seaboard of Luzon (5.0 to 12.0 m), rough to very high seas over the eastern seaboard of Eastern Visayas (2.5 to 7.0 m), and rough to very rough seas over the northern and western seaboard of Northern Luzon (2.5 to 5.0 m) and the eastern seabord of Caraga (2.5 to 4.0 m),

Rough seas are also expected over the remaining seaboards of localities where wind signals are in effect and the eastern seaboard of Davao Oriental (2.5 to 4.0 m), while moderate to rough seas may be experienced over the western seaboard of Central Luzon (1.2 to 3.0 m).

Sea travel is risky for all types of seacraft over these waters, especially those under storm signals, it said.

Globe Telecoms said Saturday its technical and support personnel and generators were on standby in areas threatened by Typhoon Bising.

It said its Libreng Tawag, charging, and WiFi services will be deployed in areas where the typhoon was forecast to bring heavy rains and strong winds.

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weather, weather top, PAGASA, typhoon Bising, Bising PH, Bagyo 2021, PH storms 2021

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Bising weakens further as it moves slowly over PH sea - ABS-CBN News

The U.S. Coast Guard medevacked a man suffering a broken arm from the Chinese research vessel Xue Long (Snow Dragon), 15 nautical miles from Nome, Alaska, 2017. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard.

The 2021 United States-China dialogue in Alaska began with unprecedented harsh accusations from both sides, but by the end of the summit, the top diplomats from both countries were obliged to agree that there are several areas where U.S. and Chinese interests intersect. One of these issues is the climate crisis. The two sides expressed their willingness to enhance cooperation in tackling climate change and stated that they will establish a joint working group on that subject.1)Xinhua (2021). Dialogue, win-win are right choices for China-U.S. relations Xinhua Commentary. March 21. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/21/c_139824328.htm

The Arctic, warming at nearly three times the global average, is a glaring focal point for the U.S.-China climate change working group. Based on an existing history of bilateral collaborations, U.S.-China scientific cooperation to tackle climate change in the Arctic is achievable and can have meaningful benefits even in the face of mounting hostilities between the two countries. This article focuses on these countries as they are the two largest carbon dioxide emitters and leaders in the production of knowledge as measured by the number of scientific publications. There is likewise Chinese scientific cooperation with other Arctic states.

As the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world, China is fulfilling its responsibility to the rest of the world to contribute to global knowledge on climate change. Chinas rise as an industrial power has produced black carbon emissions that have played a significant role in the warming Arctic.2)Yamineva, Y. (2020) Reducing Chinas Black Carbon Emissions: An Arctic Dimension, The Arctic Institute. April 14. https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/reducing-china-black-carbon-emissions-arctic-dimension/ Conversely, China is affected by changes in the Far North. The loss of sea ice and altered wind circulation in the Arctic was found to contribute to Chinas airpocalypse severe air pollution that hung over eastern China for nearly a month in 2013. Scientists warn that the warming Arctic will continue to have severe effects on China.3)McGrath, M. (2017) Chinas airpocalypse linked to Arctic sea ice loss, BBC News. March 15. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39279500 The climate crisis in the Arctic in the form of sea-level rise, loss of sea ice, and rising ocean and air temperatures affects all countries with no regard for national borders.

The rapidly changing Arctic and the internationalization of the Arctic situation form the rationale for Beijings interests in the Far North, according to documents published by Chinas State Council Information Office.4)Xinhua (2018) Chinas Arctic Policy, State Council Information Office of the Peoples Republic of China. http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/white_paper/2018/01/26/content_281476026660336.htm China has formalized its Arctic ambitions with an official Arctic Policy published in 2018 that outlines aims to develop infrastructure, shipping routes, and energy extraction in the Far North. The document declares that China is ready to participate in Arctic governance and work with other nations in scientific research, academic exchanges, and environmental observation. China will improve the capacity and capability in scientific research on the Arctic [and] pursue a deeper understanding and knowledge of the Arctic science so as to create favorable conditions for mankind to better protect, develop, and govern the Arctic.5)Xinhua (2018) Chinas Arctic Policy, State Council Information Office of the Peoples Republic of China. http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/white_paper/2018/01/26/content_281476026660336.htm

However, some scholars argue that Chinas official approach to polar research and emphasis on international collaboration is for symbolic reasons. Some analysts argue that Chinese Arctic science is meant to advance Chinas strategic interests in the region which may ultimately include a military component.6)Koh, S.L.C. (2020) Chinas strategic interest in the Arctic goes beyond economics, Defense News. May 12. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/05/11/chinas-strategic-interest-in-the-arctic-goes-beyond-economics/ There is a concern that scientific research serves a dual purpose and is a precursor to the development of Arctic military technology. For example, Anne-Marie Brady points to studies by Chinese academics examining the feasibility of Chinese submarines navigating the Arctic.7)Brady, A.M. (2017) China as a Polar Great Power. Cambridge University Press. 138-76

Can Arctic states cooperate with China in understanding the Arctic if Chinas Arctic intentions are still hotly debated?8)Sun, Y. (2020) Defining the Chinese Threat in the Arctic, The Arctic Institute. April 7. https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/defining-the-chinese-threat-in-the-arctic/ Scientific cooperation is still an important pursuit despite mounting hostilities and suspicion. Working together on climate research can serve as a stabilizer of uncertainty amid a shift in the global balance of power. Chinese investments in land and infrastructure and resource extraction are viewed suspiciously in Northern European states, although Chinas scientific engagement has been positively received.9)Kopra, S. and M. Puranen (2021) Chinas Arctic Ambitions Face Increasing Headwinds in Finland, The Diplomat. March 18. https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/chinas-arctic-ambitions-face-increasing-headwinds-in-finland/ Rasmus Gjedss Bertelsen writes, [T]he Arctic states and China have used science to integrate China into Arctic institutions and build Sino-Arctic epistemic communities.10)Bertelsen, R.G. (2020) Science diplomacy and the Arctic, in Routledge Handbook of Arctic Security. An epistemic community is a transnational expert network that shares and co-creates knowledge about scientific problems and solutions. Arctic science diplomacy can build trust and produce valuable knowledge.

China has taken significant steps to contribute to Arctic science through both unilateral and cooperative initiatives. Scientists aboard Chinas research icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon) completed the ninth Chinese Arctic expedition in 2018 and deployed two Atmosphere-Sea-Ice-Ocean (ASO) unmanned stations on Arctic drift ice floes.11)Xinhua (2018) Icebreaker returns to Shanghai after completing Arctic research expedition, Xinhua. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-09/26/c_137494647.htm In 2019, China sent eighteen scientists and Xuelong to support marine surveys and data collection as part of MOSAiC, the largest international Arctic expedition in history.12)Yan, W. (2020) Arctic exploration: drifting with the ice, China Dialogue Ocean. March 2. https://chinadialogueocean.net/13226-arctic-exploration-drifting-with-the-ice/ MOSAiC produced unique new oceanographic and glaciological data to fill the knowledge gaps in Arctic climate science and allow for the production of better climate models. China has established and supported Arctic research centers with Arctic states, including the Chinese-Russian Arctic Research Center and the China-Nordic Arctic Research Center.13)Devyatkin, P. (2019) Russian and Chinese Scientists to Establish Arctic Research Center, High North News. April 15. https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/russian-and-chinese-scientists-establish-arctic-research-center A joint research team from Chinas Academy of Space and Technology and Sun Yat-sen University is planning to deploy satellites to monitor the ice conditions of Russian Arctic shipping routes in 2022.14)Humpert, M. (2020) China to Launch Satellite to Monitor Arctic Shipping Routes, High North News. December 8. https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/china-launch-satellite-monitor-arctic-shipping-routes By producing useful knowledge and opening communicational channels, science for diplomacy bolsters Chinas soft power and voice in shaping governance related to fisheries, natural resources, and shipping rights for non-Arctic states. China is already an active participant in Arctic governance; by being a member of the International Maritime Organization and party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, China plays a role in the development of the Polar Code and rules of marine research in the high seas.15)Eiterjord, T.A. (2020) Arctic Technopolitics and Chinas Reception of the Polar Code, The Arctic Institute. May 26. https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/arctic-technopolitics-china-reception-polar-code/. Chinas scientific engagement is intended to advance Chinas voice as a rule maker in Arctic affairs.

Having rejoined the Paris Agreement and identified climate change as a priority issue, the Biden administration will likely find it constructive to cooperate with China in tackling the climate crisis, as many analysts call for.16)Anonymous (2021) The Longer Telegram: Toward a new American China strategy, Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/atlantic-council-strategy-paper-series/the-longer-telegram/#strategic-cooperation; Stern, T. (2020) Can the United States and China reboot their climate cooperation? Brookings Institution. September 14. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/can-the-united-states-and-china-reboot-their-climate-cooperation/; Sengupta, S. (2021) Biden Wants to Be the Climate President. Hell Need Some Help From Xi Jinping, The New York Times. January 20. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/climate/biden-climate-china.html; Quincy Institute (2020) Greening U.S. China Relations: A Symposium Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. https://quincyinst.org/symposium/greening-u-s-china-relations-a-symposium/; Klare, M. (2021) The U.S. and China Should Anchor an Alliance for Survival Foreign Policy in Focus. March 3. https://fpif.org/the-u-s-and-china-should-anchor-an-alliance-for-survival/ A 2021 poll found that a majority of U.S. voters see climate change as the most important issue for the United States and China to cooperate on more so than COVID-19 and are even supportive of the U.S. and Chinese militaries working together to assess climate risks and improve disaster preparedness.17)Asia Society Policy Institute & Data for Progress (2021) Understanding American Voter Attitudes Toward U.S.-China Climate Cooperation, Joint Paper. https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/understanding-american-voter-attitudes-toward-us-china-climate-cooperation John Kerry, President Bidens newly appointed special climate envoy, says climate is a critical standalone issue that we have to deal [with China] on. Its urgent that we find a way to compartmentalize [and] move forward.18)Basu, Z. (2021) John Kerry: U.S.-China climate cooperation is a critical standalone issue, Axios. January 27. https://www.axios.com/john-kerry-china-climate-9c2f3a13-9c6f-46ef-a63e-26a8962059af.html

Moreover, Beijing has recently appointed veteran climate expert Xie Zhenhua, who has a personal relationship with Kerry, as Chinas special climate envoy. Many Chinese analysts see the appointment as a sign that the bilateral relationship may be productive when discussing climate change.19)Liu, M. (2021) Climate Offers a Glimmer of Hope for U.S.-China Cooperation, Foreign Policy. March 16. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/03/16/climate-change-china-united-states-cooperation/ There is ample support for the U.S. and China to come together and work on the climate issue.

However, relations between the countries have declined in recent years and growing bilateral disagreements may present obstacles to cooperation. The U.S. State Department has rejected Chinas claim to being a Near Arctic State and repeatedly expressed concern over Chinese actions in the region.20)Chorush, J.A. (2020) Prepared to Go Fully Kinetic: How U.S. Leaders Conceptualize Chinas Threat to Arctic Security, The Arctic Institute. June 16. https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/prepared-kinetic-us-leaders-conceptualize-china-threat-arctic-security/ The U.S. Department of Defense is likewise apprehensive of Chinas Arctic activities. Civilian research could support a strengthened Chinese military presence in the Arctic Ocean, which could include deploying submarines to the region as a deterrent against nuclear attacks, a 2019 Pentagon report to Congress asserted.21)Office of the Secretary of Defense (2019) Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China, Annual Report to Congress. https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/02/2002127082/-1/-1/1/2019_CHINA_MILITARY_POWER_REPORT.pdf However, there is no indication that China would try to match the substantial military presence of the U.S. and its NATO allies in the Arctic.22)Raspotnik, A. & A. sthagen (2021) A Global Arctic Order Under Threat? An Agenda for American Leadership in the North, Polar Institute at the Wilson Center. March 10. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/no-3-global-arctic-order-under-threat-agenda-american-leadership-north

Arctic expert Guo Peiqing of the Ocean University of China said China will not send warships and nuclear submarines to the Arctic because it is in Chinas long-term interests to maintain peace and stability in the Arctic.23)RIA Novosti (2019) China is not interested in militarization of the Arctic, says expert, RIA Novosti. May 7. https://ria.ru/20190507/1553326728.html Despite the suspicion and competitive rhetoric, there are several ways President Biden can depart from the climate skeptic and insulting anti-China rhetoric of the former Trump administration and work with China in the Arctic, where climate change is transforming the region. Moreover, cooperating with China in vital climate research does not preclude competition or disagreement regarding international trade, human rights violations, and maritime security in the Pacific Ocean. Such points of contention will likely remain with us for the foreseeable future, but a productive competitive strategy should also advance shared global interests.24)Ladislaw, S. (2021) Productive Competition: A Framework for U.S.-China Engagement on Climate Change, Center for Strategic & International Studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/productive-competition-framework-us-china-engagement-climate-change Andreas Raspotnik and Andreas sthagen write, After years of undermining allies and partners, the U.S. needs to re-find its international leadership in keeping its (old) friends close and its enemies even closer. The Arctic case is ideal to showcase the value of this approach. Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. tactic of name-calling and rebuking China did not achieve much.25)Raspotnik, A. & A. sthagen (2021) A Global Arctic Order Under Threat? An Agenda for American Leadership in the North, Polar Institute at the Wilson Center. March 10. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/no-3-global-arctic-order-under-threat-agenda-american-leadership-north

The COVID-19 pandemic has frozen Arctic research and delayed projects, making it critical to revive Arctic science through innovative and new practices.26)Uryupova, E. (2021) COVID-19: How the Virus has frozen Arctic Research, The Arctic Institute. January 12. https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/covid-19-virus-frozen-arctic-research/ There are several ways the U.S. and China can work together in this area. The U.S. and China should establish a high-level dialogue on Arctic climate research to maintain transparent communication on each countries research aims in the region and provide much-needed data sharing. Reviving climate-related cooperation will require dtente. The U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group, first launched in 2013 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in both countries but suspended during the Trump presidency, may provide a venue for meetings and a sustained bilateral partnership on addressing the climate crisis in the Arctic. Chinas emergence as a growing science actor in the Arctic should be welcomed but its scientific activities and research stations must be more purposefully integrated into a broader international collaborative effort, writes Heather Conley of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.27)Conley, H. A. (2018). Chinas Arctic Dream. Center for Strategic & International Studies: 11.

This can be achieved by both countries supporting and participating in joint research projects. China regularly invites foreign scientists to participate in its Arctic expeditions. For example, China invited American researchers to join the ninth expedition aboard Xuelong in 2018.28)Smieszek, M., Koivurova, T., and Nielsson, E. T. (2020) China and Arctic Science, Chinese Policy and Presence in the Arctic, eds. Koivurova and Kopra. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Nijhoff. Chinese and American researchers and institutions are already working together as part of the MOSAiC expedition, each contributing to a greater understanding of the evolving environment. A new U.S.-China dialogue on the Arctic should support and expand such initiatives. In practice, this may involve facilitating scientists access to civilian research infrastructure, metadata and data, and protected territories for research purposes. Moreover, both sides should facilitate easier movement for researchers by reducing visa requirements and restoring closed consulates and diplomats working in scientific exchanges. Such measures were discussed during the 2021 Alaska summit.29)Xinhua (2021). Dialogue, win-win are right choices for China-U.S. relations Xinhua Commentary. March 21. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/21/c_139824328.htm In general, the obstacles to research and collaboration should be eased.

The U.S. and China have a history of successfully cooperating in science and technology since the opening of relations in the 1970s. During the period of rapprochement, the U.S. and China cooperated in areas that would today be considered militarily sensitive. In the 2000s, China rose to become the U.S. top collaborator in science, as measured by the co-authorship of scientific publications.30)Lee, J.J., Haupt, J.P. (2020) Winners and losers in US-China scientific research collaborations, Higher Education 80: 5774.

The Obama administration extended the U.S.-China Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology and published numerous joint presidential statements on climate and science cooperation with Chinese Presidents Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. The success story of bilateral climate cooperation during the Obama era is in part due to the inclusion of climate change as a security issue in Chinas strategy, a process propagated by the Chinese scientific community.31)Jiahan, C. (2018) Recalibrating China-US Climate Cooperation Under the Trump Administration, China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies, 4 (01): 77-93. The U.S. Department of Defense now likewise regards climate change as a top national security priority.32)Mehta, A. (2021) Climate change is now a national security priority for the Pentagon, Defense News. January 27. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2021/01/27/climate-change-is-now-a-national-security-priority-for-the-pentagon/Overall, it is abundantly clear at senior levels of the U.S. and China that both countries have to cooperate on climate change. The Arctic has long been regarded as a peaceful zone of cooperation and is a suitable setting for U.S.-China scientific cooperation. Humans would look pityingly at two tribes of apes that continued fighting over territory while the forest around them was burning. But this is how America and China will appear to future generations if they continue to focus on their differences while the Earth is facing an extended moment of great peril, writes Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani.33)Mahbubani, K. (2020) Has China Won? The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy, Public Affairs.

Read the original:

Science Cooperation with the Snow Dragon: Can the US and China work together on the Arctic Climate Crisis? - The Arctic Institute

When a high school game gets postponed and theres not eight inches of snow on the ground, the first thought is COVID.

Friday, a game got canceled because of wind and this wasnt an outdoor sport.

The Block Island girls volleyball team was scheduled to make a trip to Central Falls to take on the Warriors, but CF athletic director Anthony Ficocelli tweeted the game would be postponed because of the expected high winds in the forecast.

Central Falls plays indoors, so the issue wasn't with windaffecting the actual game. High winds meanrough seas, which led to theBlock Island Ferry changingits schedule, so therewould be no late boat home for the Hurricanes on Friday.

In the past, it wouldnt have been an issue; Block Island girls volleyball team did a few overnight stays during its run to the Division III finals in 2019.

More: Block Island battles to compete with the state's best

But in COVID times, the Block Island School doesnt want its athletes staying overnight. So a canceled ferry means no game.

The good news for the Hurricanes and the Warriors is the game wont be canceled outright. While no official date has been set, there are plans to make the game up later in the season preferably when theres clear skies and no breeze to speak of.

Read the original here:

Don't rock the boat - Block Island volleyball's match at Central Falls called off because of ... wind? - The Providence Journal

Over the past few weeks, young children across Anacortes have been turning into fairies and pirates, taking to the high seas and navigating around the far-distant Neverland.

A total of 89 children between kindergarten and fifth grade are taking part in Adventures in Neverland, a Class ACT program.

The program, part of Anacortes Community Theater, had to take on a different format this year as part of staying safe during the pandemic. What started seven years ago at one of the elementary schools this year went virtual and included students from all three elementary schools participating together.

Weve had kids who have been in this program for years, Class ACT Coordinator Willow McLaughlin said. The younger ones are so excited to get to third grade, because in third grade you get lines. We had to find a way to do it this year.

Adventures in Neverland, based on the Peter Pan stories and written by McLaughlin, is comprised of four short stories, each featuring nine or 10 students from third to fifth grade.

Those in kindergarten to second grade learned songs and motions via video. Their parents are recording them individually, and then McLaughlin edits the videos together to make a chorus.

The older students each met, practiced and played games in breakout rooms on Zoom. Their teachers recorded their stories that way, with students turning their cameras on and off when they were exiting and entering the stage. Anyone who was supposed to be at the front of the stage would lean close to the camera and so on.

I was concerned that the students wouldnt be as motivated without an audience in front of them, teacher Rebecca Pursley said. It actually suited some of them; they felt more comfortable when they werent up on a stage.

To cast the shows, all 39 older students gathered in small groups, and teachers challenged them to some theater games.

In A Personal Fairy, directed by teacher Abigail Hanson, young Michael Darling is out to find his own, special fairy. During his quest, he meets several fairies and other characters.

The Great Race, led by Pursley, is similar to the story of the tortoise and the hare. Peter Pan, so confident about his abilities, challenges sea creatures to a race and things dont go as well for him as he thought they would.

Teacher Mike Jenkins took on Staying Lost, a story in which the Lost Boys find a treasure map and set off to find that treasure.

Wendy and the Pirate, was led by McLaughlin. It follows Wendy Darling as she takes on Captain Hook because she wants to lead the pirates.

The young actors really took to the parts they were given, Hanson said.

We have at least three different accents coming from our fairies, she said.

The pirates, too, took on physical comedy in new ways as they performed in front of a computer, McLaughlin said.

The kids miss this sort of creative interaction and flourished with the chance act again, Hanson said. They arent the only ones who have missed interacting and performing, she said. She jumped at the chance to lead the classes again, even though things look different this year.

She has been a teacher with the program for a few years now, and it is one of the reasons she switched her major to theater education in college, she said.

I love to see their joy as they discover theater, she said.

Even though things were online, the actual classes didnt feel much different, Hanson said. The young actors showed up with enthusiasm and worked hard.

Pursley is a retired classroom teacher and she said doing Class ACT brings out different things than she saw in the classroom, such as a new expressiveness in the kids.

It also helps students learn what it means to be a team, Pursley said.

You have to work together to make everyone look good, she said.

Jenkins said he misses theater, too. Doing virtual theater isnt the same as being on stage, but being with kids, acting and directing are all things he loves.

If this is what we have, this is what Ill take and make the best with it, he said.

Everyone wishes the performances were in person, but there are definite advantages to doing things online, McLaughin said.

Parents have often said they cant see their kids well during productions or that they have a hard time hearing. In a virtual show, everyones faces can be clearly seen and everyone can be heard, she said.

See more here:

Class ACT moves online and into Neverland | Arts And Community | goskagit.com - goskagit.com

Courtesy Suez Canal Authority

By Philip Teoh 03-28-2021 05:18:00

As the saga of Ever Given and the salvage efforts continue to unfold, the longer term effects bear examining.

The fragility of trade routes - which have been sorely tested by disruptions caused by Covid-19 and a shortage of containers - were once again exposed when the large container ship Ever Given ran aground while transiting the Suez Canal on March 23, lodging herself against both banks.

The ship is about 400 meters in length, roughly equal to the height of the Empire State Building, and she is capable of carrying about 20,000 TEU. She is owned byShoei Kisen Kaisha(a subsidiary of Imabari Shipbuilding)andtime charteredand operated byTaiwanesecontainer lineEvergreen Marine..Ever GivenisregisteredinPanamaand technically managed by the German ship management company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.

The ships large size has covered the entire width of the canal, holding up vessel traffic for days. This is causing knock-on effects on the movement of cargoes globally, as 12 percent of global trade is carried on board ships using the canal.

The blockage has caused vessels backed up in the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south. It is estimated that the costs to global trade is estimated to be about $400 million per hour, based on the approximate value of goods that move through every day, according to Lloyds List.

The effect on the global supply chain due to the incident will also result in insurance claims. The claims will not come only from cargo on board the Ever Given but from cargoes on ships which will be delayed due to inability to transit the canal. Many of these ships face a difficult decision over whether to wait or to divert around the Cape of Good Hope, which is a longer and costlier voyage.

Cargo insurance

The availability of recourse against marine cargo insurance policies is also not a given as most marine cargo insurance does not cover losses due to delays. Delay will arise for vessels already near the entrances to the canal where the vessels decide to wait for the blockage to clear. Vessels that decide to divert from their planned voyage to take the longer route through the Cape of Good Hope will arrive later than their planned schedules.

Most cargo insurance policies adopt the Institute Cargo Clauses issued by the Institute of London Underwriters Wordings. These wordings adopt the choice of English law and practice. This means that the terms of the UK Marine Insurance Act 1906 will apply. Most of these policies are of the all risks type, and delay is excluded, per Cls 4.5:

4.5: loss damage or expense caused by delay, even though the delay be caused by a risk insured against

This would apply unless the policy is amended by endorsement to remove this exclusion, which would be the reasonable and prudent action for the assureds to take.

Salvage and General Average

The Ever Given can carry up to 20,000 TEU of cargo on board. Unless the ship is freed the container cargoes cannot safely proceed to its final port in Rotterdam.

The efforts to refloat the ship and to undertake any repairs so that the ship and cargo can safely continue its voyage will form part of general average.

General average is part of the law of the sea founded on equity. It formed part of the Rhodian law, was based in earlier custom and existed many centuries before the existence of marine insurance. Rhodian law provided that, when cargo was thrown overboard to lighten a vessel, that which had been given for all had to be replaced by the contribution of all.

The most often cited legal definition of general average is all loss which arises in consequence of extraordinary sacrifices made or expenses incurred for the preservation of the ship and cargo losses within general average, and must be borne proportionately by all who are interested.

The cargo insurance of these container cargo on board is covered by the marine insurance cover using the English Forms, as above. See Clause:

2. This insurance covers general average and salvage charges, adjusted or determined according to the contract of carriage and/or the governing law and practice, incurred to avoid or in connection with the avoidance of loss from any cause except those excluded in Clauses 4, 5, 6 and 7 below.

Lessons can be learned from the Malaysian Federal Court decision of Fordeco Sdn Bhd v PK Fertilizers Sdn Bhd.The Court held that four elements are essential to establish a contract of salvage (as opposed to a contract for the provision of towage, pilotage or the carriage of goods):

(i) there should be a recognised subject matter; (ii) the object of salvage should be in danger at sea; (iii) the salvors must be volunteers; and (iv) there must be success by either preserving or contributing to preserving the property in danger.

In the case, the vessel was on a voyage from Ain Sukhna, Egypt to Lahad Datu, Sabah, carrying a cargo of about 22,000 metric tonnes of rock phosphate in bulk. The vessel grounded on coral rocks, and both the vessel and the cargo were in peril. The cargo was owned byPKFertilizersSdn Bhd (the cargo owner) who was the plaintiff in the High Court and the respondent in the Court of Appeal and before this Court.

The mode of rescuing the stranded vessel was to lighten it, so that it could be refloated and continue on its journey. The lightening of the vessel in turn meant that cargo had to be offloaded. It could not simply be jettisoned because that would give rise to marine pollution. The cargo had to be offloaded onto other vessels in order to lighten the load on the vessel.

The master could not refloat the vessel without assistance. He notified the vessel owners, and the owners declared general average and took steps to refloat the vessel. This was done by discharging a part of the cargo on board the vessel onto two other vessels - one of which belonged to the defendant - until the vessel could be refloated. In order to procure the lightening of the load on board the vessel, the owners agents sought the assistance of a tug boat operator.

When the cargo was unloaded at a port in Sabah, a portion of the cargo was found to be wet and contaminated with debris. The plaintiff brought a claim in bailment and/or negligence against the defendant. The plaintiff contended that the defendant was a sub-bailee of the cargo and thus the defendant had a duty to deliver the cargo in the same condition as the defendant had received the cargo - rather than wet and contaminated with debris. The defendant, on the other hand, contended that the operation was one of salvage and not a contract of carriage of goods - thus, it was not in breach of any obligation to the plaintiff.

The questions of law which the federal court following the leave to appeal which had been obtained included:

Where a vessel had run aground on the high seas and the owners of the vessel had declared general average in respect of the cargo, whether the rescue operation to save so much of the cargo as possible by other vessels hired for that purpose would in maritime law be classified as a salvage operation?

The court held there was no dispute that general average was declared, accepted and that the cargo owner voluntarily contributed towards general average. It follows therefore that the cargo owners agreed and accepted that there was a common jeopardy or misadventure that affected the common interest of the parties involved, warranting the incurring of expenditure beyond the agreed contractual duties.

The next issue that falls for consideration is whether, general average having been declared, it would follow definitively that the contract for the rescue and refloatation of the vessel through the discharge and transport of the cargo on the vessel carrying the cargo, was one of salvage, rather than towage or carriage of goods

The adjustment of general average will proceed under the procedures set out in the York Antwerp Rules, which will apply through incorporation in the bills of lading of the carrier.As the efforts are still continuing, the legal and claim issues will come to fore later, after the ship is freed. It is clear that the saga of Ever Given will continue long after the canal is cleared.

Philip Teoh has been in legal practice in Singapore and Malaysia for the past 31 years, handling both contentious and non-contentious areas. He is the partner heading the Shipping, International Trade, Insurance Practice in Azmi & Associates Malaysia. He is an arbitrator with the key International Arbitration Centres of LMAA, SCMA, EMAC, ICC, LCIA, AIAC andKCAB, amongothers.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Read more from the original source:

Ever Given: Legal and Insurance Implications - The Maritime Executive

The boat is unstuck. If youve been following the news, you know exactly the boat and exactly how stuck it was: the Evergreen Marine Corporations Ever Given cargo ship has been stuck across the Suez Canal for the last six days, disrupting billions of dollars in global trade.

Nevertheless, its given people something to laugh about because it seems like a mostly harmless thing; according to Bloomberg, the big boat was blocking $9.6 billion in global shipping traffic a day, but those numbers are abstract enough that many havent felt an impact in their daily lives. You might not have been able to get your things on time, but at least you knew why. A big boat was stuck. The other boats had to traverse the historical route around the horn of Africa.

I am not a nautical man, though, like many other people, I am still in love with the sea. My job is pretty simple: I wake up, and I spend my day writing. (Emails and tweets both count.) I live in New York, a city on the water, but I hardly feel the impacts of living on the fringes of maritime culture unless Im at one of the parks that overlook the harbors or theres a disaster, like Hurricane Sandy.

There is an undeniable mystique to water. Even if you dont believe me, your body does: every vertebrate mammal has whats known as the mammalian diving reflex, which is a suite of physiological changes that happen to your body when your face is submerged and your nostrils fill with water. Your heart rate slows down, for one, and your body conserves its oxygen. You cant help it; it just happens.

The ocean is vast, powerful, and unknowable. Its nearly too big to comprehend and perhaps more mysterious than space itself. And yet, we float boats on it anyway. They get where theyre going, mostly, which seems to me a wonderfully human feat. It feels like hubris to deploy a ship like the Ever Given, which is 1,312 feet and 2 inches long, and maybe it is. (The Ever Given was launched in 2018 and wrecked a ferry in Germany a year later, which makes the time between then and the Suez incident the longest its gone without something bad happening in its history.)

The boat is unstuck. I am happy for the people who made it happen because they must be feeling pretty good right now. Im also happy for the boat because it was built for sailing and being stuck longways in a canal is not traversing the high seas. Im happy that I got to see a big boat get stuck like a childs toy across one of the most important trade routes on the planet. The Suez Canal opened for business in 1869, a year before the mammalian diving reflex was described in scientific literature by Paul Bert. (This was the second time; Edmund Goodwyn, the first guy, didnt get credit for his 1786 discovery.)

The ocean was the first frontier, which is why we call space the final frontier. Theyre more similar than they are different: unfathomably big and inimical to human life without some sort of supra-human contraption (a boat). Theres a reason why all of the American space shuttles were named after ships. Theyre both ways to get to other worlds.

Read more:

The big boat is unstuck, and its for the best - The Verge

Update 29/03/2021 (15:00): The Ever Given has been freed from the shoreline and is moving again, opening the Suez Canal for regular traffic.

Unless youve had your head stuck in the sand, you may have heard about a certain large ship that is currently blocking the Suez Canal. One of the most important trading routes in the world, the blockagehas disrupted a huge number of cargo shipsand iscausing an estimated loss of trade to the tune of $6 billion to $10 billion.

Of course,ever the sympathetic and benevolent force, theinternet has come out in pristine form to create an abundance of memes,uncover more hilarious parts to the story, and even make games based on it.

Now, amodderon Microsoft Flight Simulator has brought the game up to date by adding theEver Given into the Suez Canal in-game. For a game thatpridesitself on realism and accurate simulation, it is truly fitting.

In a video posted toTikTok, user @donut_enforcement shared themoddedcreation as he flew over the Suez Canal, commentating the hilarious new model. He accompanied the video with the caption Microsoft Flight Sim is a savage, and were inclined to agree.

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Unfortunately, this isjust a mod and probably wont be in the vanilla game.

The Ever Given isa Golden-class container ship, making it one of the largest vessels in the world, that is operated by Evergreen Marine. Whilst running a standard route towards Rotterdam, NL,the 220,000-metric ton ship was blown sideways by a severe dust storm, spinning it and firmly wedging bothendsinto the narrow banks of the Suez Canal.With a tiny width of under 1000 ft at its narrowest point, the Suez Canal is a nightmare for large vessels tonavigate already, let alone in poor visibility and strong winds.

Captain Bill Kavanaugh, a lecturer in navigation at the National Maritime College of Ireland, explained to The Pat KennyShow what the stresses of travelling through this international choke-point is really like.

The procedure is very stressful for the ship. Those ships are on the high seas and have a very good routine. Then they arrive in Port Said or even Suez and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Kavanaugh explains.

Luckily, there appears to be hope in the story. Just today, the Ever Given was finally refloatedfrom the shoreline,correcting the course by 80%. Whilst the bow remains lodged in shallow waters, the rescue crews hope tomake an attempt at shifting the vessel once high tide arrives later in the day.However, experts warn that it will not be an easy operation, and that caution should be taken beforehopes are held too high.

In the meantime, the ESA has now released incredible satellite images depicting the Ever Given lodged in its positionon the 25thMarch and the resulting traffic jam backed up in the Gulf of Suez.

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[H/T: PCGamer]

Link:

The Container Ship Blocking The Suez Canal Noticed In Microsoft Flight Simulator - IFLScience