Category Archives: High Seas

A person shovels snow in the city of Toyama in this January 2020 file photo. (Mainichi/Ikuko Aoyama)

TOKYO -- The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is calling for people to be on guard against blizzards, storms and high waves in areas across Japan through Jan. 30.

The JMA forecasts a developing low-pressure system and a winter pressure pattern will cause strong winds with snow and very stormy seas through the evening of Jan. 29 in western Japan and through Jan. 30 in eastern and northern Japan. Heavy snow is expected mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan.

The emerging low-pressure front is in the middle of the Sea of Japan, and is moving eastward to Hokkaido in the north. Cold air will cover many parts of the country through Jan. 30, causing a strong winter pressure pattern.

The JMA forecasts maximum instantaneous wind speeds of 40 meters per second in Hokkaido, 35 meters per second in the northeastern Tohoku region and the Hokuriku area on the Sea of Japan coast, and 30 meters per second in the western Kinki and Chugoku regions through Jan. 30. During the same period, 9-meter-high waves are expected along the coasts of the Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku regions, 7-meter-high waves are tipped for the Chugoku region, and 6-meter-high waves are forecast for the Kinki region. The JMA is warning of transport disruptions caused by blizzards, storms and high waves.

Over the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. on Jan. 30, the JMA is forecasting 70 centimeters of snow in the Hokuriku and central Tokai regions, 60 cm in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, and 50 cm in the Kinki region. Over the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. on Jan. 31, 30 to 50 cm of snowfall is forecast in the Hokuriku region, while 20 to 40 cm of snow is expected in the Hokkaido, Tohoku and Tokai regions.

The JMA is urging people to take precautions against transport disruptions caused by heavy snow and against avalanches and the accumulation of snow.

(Mainichi)

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Heavy snow set to hit regions along Sea of Japan through Jan. 30: weather agency - The Mainichi - The Mainichi

Oceanic sharks and rays live so far from land that the average person is unlikely to ever see them. But these species, which live in the vast open ocean, are also among the most revered, and include the great white shark and the giant manta ray. For millennia, their remoteness has allowed these species to largely avoid humans. But since the early 1950s, industrial-scale fishing fleets have been able to reach distant waters and gradually spread to exploit the entire global ocean.

Rising demand over the same period for shark and ray meat, as well as fins, gill plates and liver oil, has caused catches of the 30 or so oceanic species to soar. Marine biologists have been raising the alarm for several decades now, but their warnings were often limited to what regional trends showed. Now, new research has brought together disparate threads of data into a single, global analysis of shark and ray populations in the open ocean.

Worldwide, oceanic shark and ray abundance has declined by 71% since 1970. More than half of the 31 species examined are now considered to be endangered, or even critically endangered. Compare this with 1980 when only one species, the plankton-feeding basking shark, was thought to be endangered. These are stark statistics, and they indicate that the future for the oceans top predators is fast deteriorating.

To arrive at the first global perspective on oceanic shark and ray population trends, the study synthesised a huge amount of data. The researchers calculated two separate indicators of biodiversity, using indexes established by the Convention on Biological Diversity to track progress towards international targets. They used state-of-the-art modelling to estimate trends in the relative abundance of species. One of the indicators combined assessments of 31 species by the IUCN Red List over a 38-year period.

This story is part of Oceans 21Our series on the global ocean opened with five in-depth profiles. Look out for new articles on the state of our oceans in the lead up to the UNs next climate conference, COP26. The series is brought to you by The Conversations international network.

The results revealed huge declines in the abundance of sharks in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Once abundant species such as the oceanic whitetip shark have declined by 75% globally in just the past half-century, while populations of the endangered shortfin mako shark valued for its meat and fins have shrunk by about 40%. Manta ray populations have suffered even greater losses.

The study attributes these declines to overfishing. The researchers documented a greater than twofold increase in fishing pressure from longline fisheries for instance, which use lines stretching 100km and bearing 1,200 baited hooks. These lines are deployed each day by any one of the thousands of longlining vessels worldwide, snaring sharks in the open ocean either intentionally or as bycatch while targeting other marine life.

The study also found increases in the proportion of sharks that are being fished beyond sustainable levels. But its particularly worrying that unreported catches werent included in the studys analyses. This means the number of sharks and rays killed by fishing boats is likely to be an underestimate and the actual declines of these species may be even worse. Unlike most species of bony fish, sharks and rays produce few offspring and grow slowly. The rate at which they reproduce is clearly no match for current levels of industrialised fishing.

Immediate and far-reaching action is needed to rebuild these populations. Its clear that the rate of overfishing has outstripped the implementation of fisheries management measures and trade regulations. Since most oceanic sharks and rays are caught in the high seas areas beyond national jurisdictions agreements between fishing nations within management organisations are needed for conservation measures to work.

But, as this new study details, fishery limits imposed by management organisations of regional tuna fisheries bodies tasked with managing oceanic sharks and ray populations have been largely inadequate in following scientific advice. As recently as November 2020, the EU and US blocked a catch retention ban for North Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, despite scientific evidence clearly indicating that it was the first rung on a ladder to restoring this population of an endangered species.

To begin the recovery of oceanic shark and ray populations, strict measures to prohibit landings of these species and to minimise their bycatch in other fisheries are needed immediately. This must be coupled with strict enforcement. Reducing the number of sharks and rays caught accidentally will be crucial but challenging, especially for longline fishing, which is not very selective and inadvertently catches lots of different species. This currently means that bans on intentional fishing are unlikely to be effective on their own. One solution would include modifying fishing gear and improving how fishers release sharks and rays after capture, to give them a better chance of survival.

An equally important measure, noted in the current study, would be banning fishing fleets from hotspots of oceanic sharks and rays. Research published in 2019 highlighted where these areas in the global ocean overlap with fishing vessels most. Led by the UN, negotiations are underway for a high seas treaty which would create no-take marine reserves to protect threatened species in the open ocean. This new study should urge the international community to take such action while theres still time.

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Oceanic sharks and rays have declined by 71% since 1970 a global solution is needed - The Conversation UK

Maritime technology company ZeroNorth and leading global satellite and data company Spire Maritime have today announced a new partnership that powers up ZeroNorths vessel optimisation software Optimise with Spires world leading maritime AIS and weather data.

Optimise ensures that a tramp operators vessels are always sailing at thebest speed towards their destination. It enriches customer data with third-party information such as Spires AIS and weather forecasts to create itsrecommendations on optimal operating speeds and estimated time of arrival.

Having an accurate view of a vessels position and forecasted weather conditions in open oceans has an enormous impact on performance and safety. The high quality data input provided into Optimises algorithm will therefore provide owners and operators with greater assurance that the softwares recommendations are based on the reality that they face on the high seas.

The collaboration effectively puts Spires market-leading data directly at the fingertips of tramp shipping operators and vessels currently using Optimise, powering even greater decision-making to reduce emissions and fuel consumption, and increase revenue.

Withthe industrys growing focus on fuel efficiency, emissionsreduction,safety,andproductivity, itis more important than ever to have access toaccurate weather forecasts and AIS data.

Moreover, because of Spiresunique combination of Satellite AIS, Dynamic AIS and Terrestrial AISdata, Optimise users can now take advantage of anunprecedented level of coverage on global maritime shipping routes, including in busy areas such as the South China Sea.

Sren Christian Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth

Speaking on the announcement, Sren Meyer, CEO, ZeroNorth, said: We are delighted to announce this partnership with Spire Maritime, which further powers up our Optimise software with genuinely market-leading vessel position data.

This profoundly rich data input enables Optimise to generate even better recommendations on vessel route and speed, in turn unlocking emissions reductions and revenue optimisations. However, this partnership is about more than data integration: by partnering together, we unite forward-thinking technologies to advance digitalisation within shipping and prove to the market that these solutions can generate real action on decarbonisation goals.

We believe these partnerships and the creation of collaborative ecosystems focused on the same goal are vital if shipping is to meet the challenges of the next decade. We are excited to continue to deepen our partnership with Spire to generate even better outcomes for our customers and the wider industry.

Simon van den Dries, General Manager, Spire Maritime, added: We are excited by this new partnership with ZeroNorth. Optimise, and the powerful insights it can generate, is an obvious and fitting way to provide more users across shipping with access to our AIS and weather data.

The power of this data cannot be understated. Having a good understanding of positioning and open ocean condition is integral to optimising vessel performance. In the context of an increasingly conscious customer-base and with crew welfare front and centre, we believe that more people will recognise the importance of good data in shippings day-to-day operations.

Simon van den Dries, General Manager of Spire Maritime

Partnering with ZeroNorth allows us to champion these causes and prove to the market that collaboration and technological alignment are powerful tools in shippings toolbox to tackle the emergent challenges we all face.

Spires weather data is amongst the most accurate and comprehensive currently available within the maritime industry. While weather stations and sensors are widespread on land, the same cannot be said foropen oceans. Spire overcomes this limitation by using remote sensing techniques such as radio occultation from a growing constellation of satellites orbiting the globe. It allows the capture of detailed temperature, humidity, and pressure information across the entire planet, including our vast oceans under-observed corners. The resulting boost to weather prediction is beneficial to both the global maritime industry and global forecast models.

Both organisations have committed to constantly improve the outcomes of the partnership. Spires satellites, for example, have the capacity for continual software improvements to improve the quality of data input being provided into Optimise. Meanwhile, Optimises algorithm will also further develop as it receives more quality data. This means that this partnership effectively generates both improved data input as well as an improved data output continuously over time, showing the power of digitalisation as a force to generate real change.Source: ZeroNorth, Spire Maritime

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ZeroNorth and Spire Maritime partner to provide easy access to market-leading AIS and weather data - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Joining the Merchant Navy was one of the great job opportunities when I was growing up. I can hardly think of a household that didnt have a few sons sailing the high seas, returning home with wonderful stories about far off places such as Rio de Janeiro and Bahia Blanca.

And so we immediately got out the atlas and traced a line with a pencil from Lochboisdale all the way across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and on south round Cape Horn. We were Robinson Crusoe and Ralph Rover and, later on, Joseph Conrad sailing through the adventurous islands of Sumatra and Java. Though when we looked out from the deck of the Claymore as we sailed to Oban we could only see Tiree and Coll.

The Merchant Navy continues to be central to world trade as well as being a major employer. There are more than 50,000 merchant ships sailing in all corners of the globe, employing more than 1,500,000 sailors, 22,400 of them from the United Kingdom.

In my own patch of the sea, CalMac ferries are not just lifeline services to the islands but a major and highly-regarded employer. They operate 34 vessels running from the Ardrossan-Brodick service in the south to the Stornoway-Ullapool service in the north, employing 1,700 people, including 200 at their Gourock headquarters.

But whether sailing to Sumatra or to Scrabster, one of the major issues ships have to deal with is pollution; 90% of the worlds trade is still moved by sea and more than 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to ocean-going ships. Conservation group Oceana states that: If global shipping were a country it would be the sixth largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. Only the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan emit more carbon dioxide than the worlds shipping fleet. Neverthless carbon dioxide emissions from ocean-going vessels are currently unregulated.

Which is why I welcome a remarkable new development that has gathered pace in recent years; the building of eco-friendly trade ships to transport goods from one corner of the globe to the other. And not merely as a politically-correct and environmentally-friendly campaign but as a real and profitable proper shipping business. Its back to the future with wind in their sails.

A handful of companies are engaged in this growing trade, including: Fairtransport, a company based in the Netherlands; Timbercoast working out of Germany; Trans Oceanic Wind Transport in France; and New Dawn Traders based in Bristol.

And their ships are beautiful wooden with lovely traditional canvas sails. Of course there are also global container ships now fitted with high-tech sails made of extra-high tensile steel and alloys, with added solar panels and wave energy convertors to generate the energy required.

Even with Covid, the shipping trade is one that has an expanding future. As long as we want to drink coffee or tea, buy a car or build a home, eat a banana or drink orange juice this global trade will continue to grow.

It is market driven and, as long as our often preposterous demands exist, then someone will be willing to sell it to us. So if we want strawberries on Christmas Day, some company will transport them thousands of damaging miles across the oceans to sit on our plates. And if we want fresh salmon in the middle of winter, off we go to the supermarket to find it there freshly frozen from Alaska. It certainly didnt swim here on its own.

Ive always felt that our ferries should be equipped with sails to help them cross both the Minch and the North Sea. Aesthetically beautiful canvas sails flapping in the constant wind between Oban and Lochboisdale and between Shetland and Aberdeen would be best, though Id be more than happy to see button-operated carbon sails as well.

Im sure Murdo or Murdina could as easily press a button as climb the mast to unfurl the sails as you travel through a nice Force 10 in the sea of the Hebrides or the Pentland Firth!

My father-in-law joined the Merchant Navy as a cadet in 1948 sailing out of Leith. He told me the other day that the chief engineer he first sailed with was born on a sailing ship in 1890 on its way round Cape Horn. Think of the romance of it all. But mostly, think of his poor mother!

Angus Peter Campbell is an award-winning writer and actor from Uist

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Angus Peter Campbell: Can we sail our way to a better future? - Press and Journal

The global population of sharks and rays has crashed by more than 70% in the past 50 years, researchers have determined for the first time, with massive ongoing losses pushing many species towards extinction.

A huge increase in fishing since 1970 has ravaged the abundance of sharks and rays in our oceans, with previously widespread species such as hammerhead sharks now facing the threat of being wiped out, the study found. Half of the worlds 31 oceanic shark species are now listed as either endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The giant manta ray is also endangered.

The decline isnt stopping, which is a problem, said Nathan Pacoureau, a researcher at Simon Fraser University in Canada who was lead author of the study, published in Nature. Everything in our oceans is so depleted now. We need proactive measures to prevent total collapse, this should be a wake up call for policy makers.

Using a raft of previous studies and catch data, the researchers compiled the first global census for shark and ray species, finding there has been an overall 71% decline since 1970. The losses could be even deeper in reality, with insufficient data to chart population trends back to the 1950s, when the explosion in mass industrialized fishing started.

While sharks and rays can be affected by ship strikes, oil and gas drilling and, increasingly, the climate crisis, the researchers said that overfishing was the primary cause of decline. It has been previously estimated that 100 million sharks are killed by humans every year, overwhelming their slow reproductive capacity to replenish numbers.

Sharks are often killed unintentionally by fishers using nets to catch other marine creatures but are also targeted for purposes such as making shark fin soup, which involves sharks having their fins hacked off before their helpless bodies are discarded back into the ocean.

Ongoing declines show that we are not protecting a vital part of our ocean ecosystems from overfishing, and this will lead to continued decline in the health of our oceans until we do something about it, said Dr Cassandra Rigby, a biologist at James Cook University in Australia and study co-author.

The research highlights the patchwork quality of fisheries management around the world. Steep declines in shark and ray numbers in the Atlantic Ocean began to stabilize somewhat after 2000 amid conservation measures, while the rate of loss has also slowed in the Pacific Ocean. But in the Indian Ocean, shark and ray abundance had plummeted continually since 1970, with an estimated drop of 84% in overall population in this time.

Many species of shark are migratory, meaning their protection requires the cooperation of different countries, while much of the harmful fishing occurs in the largely ungoverned high seas. Previous international efforts to stem losses have had limited impact, although overfishing is set to be raised at a virtual oceans and climate summit this week featuring John Kerry, the USs new climate envoy.

Governments need to enforce science-based catch limits on a domestic and regional basis to ensure sharks continue their vital roles as ecosystem predators and protein source for poorer communities, Rigby said. Mariah Pfleger, marine scientist at Oceana, added that countries should also ban the sale and trade of shark fins. The ocean conservation group is pushing for the US to adopt such a ban, as Canada enacted in 2019.

The findings of this paper are horrifying but ultimately not that surprising, Pfleger said. We have long known that many species of sharks and rays cannot withstand extensive commercial fishing pressure.

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Global shark and ray population crashed more than 70% in past 50 years study - The Guardian

The agency added it was working to enforce its clear policy against recruitment fees, the withholding of wages, and excess working hours, which should guarantee 10 hours rest a day and four days holiday every month.

There would be zero tolerance of physical or verbal abuse and mechanisms were in place to report violations. Harbour inspections to monitor conditions for foreign crews had also been introduced in 2018.

On the US crackdown, the agency said it was willing to listen to suggestions from all walks of life with humility and discuss ways to improve.

But while efforts were being made to close the regulatory gap between domestic and foreign workers, it insisted that most fishing boat owners were willing to treat foreign crews kindly.

NGOs had generally presented a one-sided, subjective picture that unfairly tainted the industry and did not always take into account the views of the vessel owners, it claimed.

Pressure for action continues to mount.

In recent years, the Taiwanese government has instituted legal and regulatory changes. However, NGOs find these changes to be insufficient and they continue reporting serious abuses, said a report by the Global Labour Justice-International Labour Rights Forum in December.

To end forced labour in distant water fisheries, the government must abolish the discriminatory employment scheme and ensure all migrant fishers are afforded the same labour rights and protections as Taiwanese fishers, said Kimberly Rogovin, the group'ssenior seafood campaign coordinator.

I do hope the fishing industry in Taiwan can learn to adjust to international and local regulation against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and the violation of human rights, added Lennon Ying-Dah Wong, a workers rights activist.

What we want is merely to stop this kind of scandal and abuse, not to destroy the industryIf the industry doesn't change, they might face more international sanctions.

Hariyanto, the head of the Indonesia Migrant Workers Union, said he had heard of 21 cases,including five from Taiwan, of modern slavery on fishing boats from 2019-2020. The case where Arif had died was one of the worst cases we found, he claimed.

But perhaps nobody wants to see reform more than fishermen like Jack and Stanley.

Stanley was left in debt to the broker who found him the job, and still hasa scar on his leg where he was struck with a fishing spear.

Jack remains in hiding in Taiwan, where he has found construction work, but is haunted by his experience at sea.

I just want to be heard..to tell the whole truth about what happened in our fishing boat, he said. I want to get justice for what happened to all of us.

Additional reporting: Dan Olanday in Manila

Protect yourself and your family by learning more aboutGlobal Health Security

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Death on the high seas: Taiwanese rights groups demand end to modern slavery on fishing boats - Telegraph.co.uk

Arvin after breaking apart in the Black Sea (Twitter @Deniz_is_Pltfrm photo)

By The Maritime Executive 01-18-2021 11:27:15

Turkish authorities are reporting that a small general cargo ship sunk along the Black Sea coast on January 17. A search and rescue operation conducted by the Navy and Coast Guard reported that six crew members were rescued while three crew members had died. Later media reports raised the death toll to four while the Coast Guard said the search was ongoing for three additional sailors that were reported missing.

The 3500 dwt general cargo ship Alvin, registered in Palau in the western Pacific, was reported to be owned by a Ukrainian shipping company. The 46-year-old vessel, built in 1975, had sailed from Porti, Georgia, and was making its way along the northern coast of Turkey sailing to Burgas, Bulgaria before encountering bad weather. The Turkish Foreign Ministry reported that the ship had sought shelter in the Bartin anchorage on January 15 after encountering heavy rain, snow, strong winds, and high seas.

The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure reported that the vessel, which had a length of 374 feet, had broken its back, splitting into two pieces and sinking. There was a total of 12 to 15 crew reportedly aboard, including two Russians and 10 Ukrainian sailors.

A heavy storm was hampering initial rescue efforts preventing helicopters from flying to the area. The first rescue efforts were reported taking place from land with three of the sailors having been spotted in a rocky area along the shoreline. "We continue search and rescue activities by land, but by land and sea is not possible," the governor of the region told the Turkish Anadolu news agency. "We are not stopping search activities."

A Navy frigate was later reported sailing to the area and the Coast Guard said that one of its boats and a helicopter had also joined the rescue mission along with a dive team. The Navy reported that it had also spotted lifeboats from the Arvin less than 2,000 feet from the shoreline.

One of the rescued sailors - Turkish Coast Goard photo

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Cargo Ship Sinks in Black Sea; 6 Rescued and 7 Dead and Missing - The Maritime Executive

A coalition of NGOs is calling for an urgent ban on destructive bottom trawling in EU marine protected areas, after the failure of member states to defend seas.

The ban is part of a 10-point action plan to raise the bar to achieve biodiversity targets, which they say will not be met by current promises, such as last years high-profile pledge by world leaders at the UN summit on biodiversity in New York to reverse nature loss by 2030.

A raft of EU laws to safeguard marine life including a duty on EU member states to achieve good environmental status in seas by 2020, to achieve healthy ecosystems and to introduce sustainable fisheries management have not been enforced, says the group, which includes Oceana in Europe, Greenpeace and ClientEarth.

They warn that this failure, combined with existing pressures on Europes seas, including climate change, risks triggering irreversible changes to the ecological conditions under which humanity has evolved and thrived.

The 10-point call to action, which the groupwill present to EU leaders, MEPs and member states, follows the commitment of Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European commission, and many EU heads of state or government, to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

The call was published in response to a European parliament draft report on the EUs biodiversity strategy for 2030. That draft report, which will be presented to the environment committee on Thursday, expresses strong regret that the EU has neither fully met the 2020 biodiversity strategy objectives nor the global Aichi biodiversity targets.

While the NGOs welcomed the draft report, they said it does not go far enough to ensure enforcement of current EU laws or to set action plans to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Rebecca Hubbard, programme director of Our Fish, which aims to end overfishing, said: The EU has failed to achieve good environmental status for EU seas and the EU biodiversity strategy must be implemented if we are to have a chance of saving it this implementation needs to include the 10 action points we have in our report.

She said the EU has also failed to end overfishing, and to protect marine habitats from bottom trawling. What we really need to do is go from strategies and goals to action and outcomes. National pledges, goals and agreements are important for setting a direction but if we are going to save the planet we need action.

The 10-point action plan calls for a network of fully and highly protected ocean sanctuaries covering at least 30% of the oceans by 2030 and a drastic improvement in fisheries protections. It urges the EU to commit resources to dramatically ramp up, implement and enforce existing legislation to safeguard marine life.

The groups also call on the EU to carry out environmental impact assessments of fishing activities, to set fishing limits with precautionary buffers for climate change and mandatory remote monitoring systems for all fishing fleets. It calls for measures to mitigate bycatch and for protections of the deep sea, such as closing sensitive areas to hydrocarbon exploration. And it calls for an end to harmful fishing subsidies and controls on underwater noise.

Nicolas Fournier, the campaign director for marine protection at Oceana Europe, said: The EU 2030 biodiversity strategy is strong on marine protection targets, but we want the European parliament to raise further the EUs ambition on biodiversity, both internationally to champion the 30% of ocean protection and support the UN treaty for the high-seas, but also in Europe to call for a ban of all destructive fishing gear inside marine protected areas, starting with bottom-trawling.

Fewer than 1% of European marine protected areas are fully off-limits to fishing. Last month, the European court of auditors warned the EU had failed to halt marine biodiversity loss in Europes waters and to restore fishing to sustainable levels. In 2019, the European Environment Agency found signs of stress at all scales and warned the current and historical use of Europes seas was taking its toll on marine ecosystems

The call for action comes just days after warnings from international scientists that the planet is facing a ghastly future of mass extinctions, declining health and climate-disruption upheavals that threaten human survival.

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NGOs demand action not promises as EU accused of failing to protect seas - The Guardian

A judge has declined to dismiss rape and hate crime charges against a cruise ship employee accused of attacking a coworker, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.

Louie Ison Mangampat, 38, a citizen of the Philippines working aboard the Celebrity Equinox, was initially arrested in 2019 and charged with aggravated sexual abuse by force.

He has been jailed without bond at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, since his arrest.

A grand jury subsequently returned a superseding indictment in November under the federal hate crime statute, which charges that Mangampat willfully caused bodily injury to the victim because she is a lesbian.

Mangampat admitted to having sex with the woman, who is also a citizen of the Phillipines, but claimed it was consensual, according to the affidavit filed by an FBI special agent.

The FBI was tasked with investigating the reported attack because vessels on the high seas the open ocean more than 12 nautical miles from shore fall under federal jurisdiction.

Mangampats public defender filed a motion to dismiss the initial indictment on Nov. 26, 2019, arguing that the United States does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate this matter as the alleged offenses did not occur in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Before current U.S. District Court Judge Robert Molloy was assigned to oversee the case, former U.S. District Judge Curtis Gomez denied the motion to dismiss at a hearing on Jan. 9, 2020.

But because no reasons for the denial were stated on the record, Molloy took it upon himself to consider the motion independently, and wrote in an order filed Friday that he concurs that the motion to dismiss should be denied.

Molloy explained his reasoning, and recounted the facts of the case in the four-page order.

The incident occurred on Sept. 25, 2019, at around 4 a.m., a day after the ship had left Florida for St. Thomas.

A female ship employee reported that Mangampat cornered her in a bathroom, where he assaulted and raped her, according to the FBI affidavit.

Other crew members immediately brought the woman to the ships medical unit for a physical examination, and a doctor noted the victim identifies as a lesbian and had never had sexual intercourse with a male prior to this incident.

The cruise ship security staff prepared an incident report that recorded the ships coordinates at the time the victim reported the assault, and the nearest point of land was the Great Turk Island, which was approximately 40.5 nautical miles away, Molloy wrote.

The U.S. Code defines the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and including the high seas, or waters at least 12 nautical miles outside a coastal boundary controlled by a particular state or territory, as stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

As such, provided that the alleged offense occurred on the high seas, farther than twelve nautical miles from any other national coastline, the United States has jurisdiction to try this matter, Molloy wrote in denying the motion to dismiss.

A final pretrial conference is scheduled for Thursday, and trial is set to begin on Jan. 25.

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Cruise ship worker charged with rape, hate crime headed to trial - Virgin Islands Daily News

Even though The Adventure Zone is still in its third season, the McElroy family has already released some details about the next campaign. Here's what we know.

The hit actual-play podcastThe Adventure Zoneis right in the middle of its third campaign,Graduation, with the players gearing up for a big heist that may take them into the end game. However, even thoughGraduationhasn't yet concluded,the McElroy family is already preparing for what comes next.

In an interview with Dimension 20's Brennan Lee Mulligan forAdventuring Academy, Griffin McElroy discussed some of the preparations underway for the fourth campaign.Here's everything that's been shared so far about the next season ofThe Adventure Zone, including what listeners can expect.

Related: The Adventure Zones Most Critical Haircut, Explained

The fourth main campaign will return the McElroy family once again to theDungeons & Dragons 5th edition system. The current story also usesD&D, as did the firstBalance campaign, but the second arc relied on the Powered by the Apocalypse system. Smaller, experimental campaigns and one-shot live and bonus shows have also brought other roleplaying systems into theAdventure Zone universe, but the McElroys seem to have found success and comfort withD&D.

It also looks as if Griffin will return to his role as Dungeon Master for the next campaign. Each player has taken their turn at the helm, with Travis as the current DM and even the reluctant Justin leading games ofFour Sherlock Holmes and a Vampire (Who Is Also One of the Aforementioned Sherlock Holmes). Getting a chance to see the different styles of the brothers and their dad, Clint, has brought a lot of joy and variety to the show. Still, it seems that -- just as the family has grown comfortable withDungeons & Dragons,they also appreciate the familiarity of Griffin's DM style.

Less is known about the setting of the fourth season. Griffin has mentioned in the podcastWonderful! that he's been researching deep sea exploration for a project he's working on, which could be this nextAdventure Zone campaign. In his interview with Mulligan,Griffin discussed add-on modules he's been working on to include ships in the next season, drawing from "The Dogfighter's Handbook,"Uncharted Worlds andother rule systems with modifications to be less rules-heavy. It seems likely that the McElroy family is looking at a high seas adventure, including ship mechanics and, probably some underwater monsters.

Related:The Adventure Zone: Sir Fitzroys Important Contribution to the Heist Is...a Job Interview?

One new feature Griffin has mentioned is the possibility of collaborative worldbuilding. Rather than coming to the beginning of the story with entirely pre-conceived worlds, Griffin mentioned using a game like Avery Alder'sThe Quiet Yearto create the world together with his family. Not only does this help give the other players agency in the creation of the world and, therefore, more investment in its stories,The Quiet Year is also just a great game and it would be a delight to see the McElroy family get to play it.

With a return to D&D and Griffin as DM, the fourth season ofThe Adventure Zone is shaping up to be a new take on the original version of the podcast. In addition to a new setting and worldbuilding style, Griffin mentioned leaning on random, video game-style random events. He talks excitedly about the challenge of playing a game with such stochastic elements, and why randomness may provide the way forward to moments ideal for an improv comedy podcast. Griffin knows the genre and tone of the season,but randomness and collaboration will make for a whole new experience for listeners.

Keep Reading:The Adventure Zone: The Thundermen Set Their Sights on Taking Down...Capitalism?

Tom and Jerry: When Tom Went Solo in the Golden Age, It Got Seriously Problematic

E.L. first saw the game Myst when she was in elementary school, and it has irrevocably changed her aesthetic, She is currently a graduate student in the history of the exact sciences in antiquity, and *has thoughts* about ancient math and modern astrology. She has shared these thoughts (and her writing) with digital venues like Eidolon, Lady Science, and the Journal of the History of Ideas blog, and if you sit still for long enough she'll probably try to share them with you, too. In her downtime, E.L. enjoys puzzle games and pet care, and is currently training in the circus arts.

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What the McElroys Have Revealed About the Adventure Zones Next Campaign - CBR - Comic Book Resources