Wanted: A Sea-change in Climate Finance for Oceans
The oceans are inextricably connected to the health of the planet, and of humans: they absorb up to 30% of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 90% of excess heat, and over 3 billion people — almost half the global population — depend directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.Healthy coastal ecosystems are also critical to the world’s ability to withstand the impact of climate change. Not only do mangrove forests, for example, hold four times the amount of carbon per hectare as tropical forests…
Sailing Beyond Coronavirus
A new reality demands a new approach. Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch, argues that we can’t afford to let the greatest opportunity within the current crisis slip away.We can’t celebrate a pandemic. People are dying. Economies are crashing. Unemployment rates are rocketing. We are distanced – from those we love, but also from our immediate past. Life as we know it has been turned upside down. So, we can’t celebrate. But nature can.Instant impactAs we have retreated into our homes, the natural world has come out to play.
Bee Paradise in the Rotterdam Port Area
The Port of Rotterdam Authority has had a swarm of bees placed on the Maasvlakte in the verge next to the Stenen Baakplein. In this section of the Honey Highway, ten thousand bees will soon be collecting pollen and nectar. The goal of this initiative is the conservation of the original Dutch honey bee by reintroducing it to this region. The Honey Highway is now in full bloom. The flowers - planted last year by primary school children from Brielle - can be admired by motorists driving past on the A15. If they look in the other direction, they can enjoy a view of a flower bed several kilometres long. The flower bed features flowers such as the Evening Primrose and Viper’s Bugloss that sprouted up spontaneously along the pipeline corridors.
Human Element Key to Digital Formula
In all the excitement surrounding the digitalization of shipping it is easy to overlook the human element. Failing to appreciate and understand properly how people – and by extension organizations – interface with new technology can lead to poor implementation and unnecessary exposure to risk. Technology has sometimes been described as an ecosystem. This analogy from the natural world is rather apt in a shipping environment struggling to adapt to digitalization, where at least three species are thriving.
CMA CGM Organized Towing Exercise
The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea, in liaison with the CMA CGM Group and Les Abeilles (Bourbon Group), organized a towing exercise between a large container ship, the CMA CGM Marco Polo, and the Abeille Languedoc, including an ‘intervention’, ‘assistance’ and ‘rescue tug’ (RIAS), off the coast of Le Havre. Thus on y, July 21, 2017 from 1:00 pm to 4:40 pm off Le Havre, the CMA CGM MARCO POLO simulated engine damage to enable the crew of L’Abeille Languedoc, the assessment and intervention teams (IEE) and the Maritime Operations Center (COM) of the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea to train at sea, in real conditions, with a large platform.
Roanwell Enters Marine Market: Acquires Bees Manufacturing
US-based Roanwell Corp. purchases Bees Manufacturing LLC gains entry to marine market. Roanwell, a maker of rugged communications equipment and contract manufacturer of high precision close tolerance machined parts, will be able to enter the marine marketplace through the acquisition. Bees Manufacturing, LLC, ("Bees"), est. 1929, of Weymouth, MA, is a contract manufacturer of various alloy and plastic precision machined components for OEMs in the deep sea marine, medical, and industrial markets. Bees manufacturing operations will merge into Roanwell Corporation's Absolute Manufacturing Division, located in Pepperell, MA. The name "Bees" will be discontinued as products will be shipped under the Absolute Manufacturing name.
Coatings & Corrosion Control: Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
Recently, the use of certain environmental-friendly waxes or "semi-hard coatings", used by barge fabricators to protect the internal void walls and floors of marine double-hulled steel barges from corrosion, have fallen under scrutiny by some barge owners/operators. It is believed that certain paraffin wax coatings act as a food source for certain living corrosive microorganisms. These single-celled organisms are associated with a phenomenon known as Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) that can cause localized pitting and eventually leaks in steel barge voids. This following examines the biological and chemical research that has recently been performed on the Jotun Paints, Inc, "beeswax" coating by two independent laboratories.
Card-Carrying Members Only
Imagine having your picture taken as soon as you board any cruise vessel. While cruise lines have been observing this practice for many years for entertainment purposes, a new kind of photo has since come into play – the high speed interactive photo I.D. Developed by Security Identification Systems Corporation (SISCO), A-Pass (Automated Personnel Assisted Security Screening), provides a picture of each guest – even before boarding the ship – via a kiosk that stores each passengers photo upon insertion of their boarding card. Everyone who boards, even ships’ officers are required to observe this practice, which was presented before a Senate Subcommittee on Capitol Hill on January 9.
