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Ocean Policy News

26 Dec 2023

Maritime Innovation: Fostering Creativity and Working to Make Bright Ideas Work

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 – across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime – AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBM’s programming advances in the 1940s.

30 Oct 2023

World Maritime University Graduates Class of '23

Photo credit: World Maritime University

On 28 October, the maritime leaders of tomorrow - World Maritime University (WMU) class of 2023 - graduated. The WMU 2023 graduating class includes 283 graduates from 71 countries, including a record of 99 women graduates.WMU President, Professor Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., delivered welcome remarks. As a WMU graduate himself, President Mejia reflected on the power of the WMU experience and how it affects the way one thinks, works, plans, and interacts. “You have acquired information that you did not possess before you enrolled here," he said.

26 Nov 2021

Hareide Named Norway's Director General of Navigation and Shipping

Knut Arild Hareide (Photo: Norwegian Maritime Authority)

Knut Arild Hareide has been appointed by the King in the Council of State as Director General of Navigation and Shipping for the Norwegian Maritime Authority for a period of six years. Hareide will take up the role on January 1, 2022."We are delighted to congratulate Knut Arild Hareide on his appointment and look forward to working with him in the years to come," says Acting Director General of Navigation and Shipping, Lars Alvestad.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries…

19 Nov 2021

Maiden Voyage For World’s First Electric & Autonomous Container Ship - Yara Birkeland

Credit: Kongsberg Maritime

Yara Birkeland, the world's first electric and self-propelled container ship has set off for its maiden voyage in the Oslo fjord in Norway.No Friday, today, the Norwegian Prime Minister was given a tour by the CEO of Yara, Svein Tore Holsether.Holsether said: "We are proud to be able to showcase the world's first fully electric and self-propelled container ship. It will cut 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40,000 trips by diesel-powered trucks a year."Friday morning, Holsether welcomed Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Bjørnar Skjæran on Yara Birkeland…

16 Sep 2021

Ocean Cleanup Struggles to Fulfill Promise to Scoop Up Plastic at Sea

Credit: Maersk Supply Service (File Photo)

Docked at a Canadian port, crew members returned from a test run of the Ocean Cleanup's system to rid the Pacific of plastic trash were thrilled by the meager results — even as marine scientists and other ocean experts doubted the effort could succeed.The non-profit, launched in 2013 amid buoyant media coverage, hopes to clear 90% of floating plastic from the world's oceans by 2040. But the group's own best-case scenario — still likely years away — envisions removing 20,000 tonnes a year from the North Pacific…

19 Aug 2020

Subsea Mining: The Race is On, But Effects are Unclear

Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. (Photo: NOAA)

Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to everyone, according to international law.Seabed mining for valuable materials like copper, zinc and lithium already takes place within countries’ marine territories. As soon as 2025, larger projects could start in international waters – areas more than 200 nautical miles from shore, beyond national jurisdictions.We study ocean policy…

17 Oct 2019

Chile Develops Maritime Transport Policy

Developing a national maritime transport policy is key for a country’s sustainable development, especially those with a significant maritime sector.The latest International Maritime Organization (IMO)  national workshop to familiarize government ministries and agencies with the formulation process and contents of national maritime transport policies has been held in Santiago, Chile (14-16 October).The workshop aimed to raise awareness of the importance of a national maritime transport policy, as outlined in an IMO video and IMO/WMU training package.The development of such a policy for Chile would complement the country’s national ocean policy…

26 Jun 2019

IMLI Celebrates 30 Years of Legal Training

Malta-based IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) informed that 2019 academic year marks its 30th anniversary.According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), a special to celebrate the occasion was held at IMO Headquarters (25 June).Malta's Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, spoke of his country's continuing commitment to hosting such an important global institution, while IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted IMLI's firm commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.IMLI's overall mission is to help build the legal capacity among IMO member states, particularly developing states, to fulfill their obligations under IMO treaties.

01 Apr 2019

Ocean Geo-Frontier Tallies Survey Contract

(Photo: PGS)

New joint venture company Ocean Geo-Frontier (OGF) on Monday signed a consignment service agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for geophysical surveys to be conducted by a three-dimensional geophysical survey vessel.OGF was established in December 2018 to meet an expected demand increase for offshore surveys after Japan’s Cabinet Office approved the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the development of domestic resources, including oil and gas…

05 Dec 2018

Interview: Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard

Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard. Photo: JCG

As the Japan Coast Guard celebrates its 70th anniversary, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News offers insights on the current status and future direction of the JCG courtesy of an interview with Shuichi Iwanami, Commandant, Japan Coast Guard.*Note: At the time this interview was conducted, Shuichi Iwanami was still Vice Commandant for Operations.Could you please tell us the history and future development of the Japan Coast Guard (JCG)?The JCG, in 2018 celebrates the 70th anniversary of its foundation. When it was founded, the Japanese waters were in an eclipse period.

09 May 2018

New Global Ocean Institute Inaugurated

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim attended the inauguration of the new maritime and ocean policy research institute at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden (8 May). Lim, who is also Chancellor of WMU, said that the establishment of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute was of great strategic importance for IMO and, indeed, for all those who seek to advance the global ocean agenda. “The Global Ocean Institute will further WMU’s distinguished legacy of educating maritime and oceans leaders who have the knowledge and responsibility to affect change in their home countries and who will contribute to the global conservation and sustainable use of the ocean,” Lim said.

13 Jun 2016

NYK to Buy Into Emas Chiyoda

Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has agreed to invest in EMAS Chiyoda, a subsea services joint venture between oilfield services firm Ezra Holdings Ltd and Chiyoda Corp. NYK has reached an agreement with Ezra Holdings Limited (Ezra) and Chiyoda Corporation (Chiyoda) to acquire a 25 percent share of EMAS Chiyoda Subsea Limited (ECS). After NYK’s participation, the shareholding structure of ECS will change to Ezra 40%, Chiyoda 35%, and NYK 25%. ECS is a global player in the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of subsea facilities — essential components in offshore oil and gas field development.

18 Nov 2015

Celata Heads BOEM's Gulf of Mexico Office

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper today announced Mike Celata as the Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region. Celata, who starts his position immediately, has been with BOEM and its predecessors since 1988. He has been acting Regional Director since March. The Gulf of Mexico Region is responsible for managing more than 4,600 active leases over 25 million acres of land on the OCS. “Mike has many years of service with the agency, working on aspects of the OCS energy program and on regional and national ocean policy initiatives,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. After receiving a B.A.

22 Oct 2015

The Sustainable Ocean Summit set for Singapore

(© Silke Stuckenbrock/Silke Photo 2008/Marine Photobank.)

“Sustainable development” has gone from buzz word to business imperative in the two decades since the initial Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Companies are increasingly evaluated on how well they address sustainability as a critical measure of their commitment to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. Stakeholders expect companies to develop sustainability and corporate responsibility programs and reporting as part of efforts to take up civil society concerns and maintain the social license to operate.

28 Sep 2015

'Blue' Economy Ocean Industries & the Next 50 Years

Chemical tanker leaving  Cape Town.

“Sustainable development” has gone from buzz word to business imperative in the two decades since the initial Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Companies are increasingly evaluated on how well they address sustainability as a critical measure of their commitment to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. Stakeholders expect companies to develop sustainability and corporate responsibility programs and reporting as part of efforts to take up civil society concerns and maintain the social license to operate.

29 Jun 2015

WOC Provides Industry Comments on U.S. NOP

The World Ocean Council (WOC) has submitted a paper synthesizing the common themes from industry comments on the U.S. National Ocean Policy (NOP). Initiated in 2010, the NOP calls for the protection, maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources. To translate the NOP into substantive actions, the National Ocean Council (NOC) released nine strategic action plan outlines for public review including: ecosystem based management, coastal and marine spatial planning, and coordination among governmental agencies. The NOC received comments from many stakeholders, including industry, on the strategic plan outlines in 2011 and on the NOC draft Implementation Plan in 2012.

26 Jun 2015

'Corporate Ocean Responsibility'

Paul Holthus

Recently in its New York City office Maritime Reporter sat with Paul Holthus, CEO of the World Ocean Council, for a discussion of the trend toward corporate ocean responsibility and his organization’s contribution to that end. Can you tell us a bit about your meeting at the United Nations? The U.N. has an annual briefing for governments on ocean issues that has been going for 16 years,  but industry hasn’t usually  been well represented. As the World Ocean Council has become recognized…

20 May 2015

Expanded World Maritime University Campus Inaugurated

Photo: IMO

Expanded premises for the World Maritime University (WMU) were inaugurated on Monday, May 19, 2015 in Malmö, Sweden, by IMO Secretary-General and WMU Chancellor Koji Sekimizu. WMU is an international educational institute for the maritime community, operating under the auspices of IMO. At close to 6,000m2, WMU’s new facility is nearly double the size of the previous Malmö campus. It provides a new auditorium, multiple research laboratories, seminar rooms and video-conferencing capabilities for hosting international conferences.

15 Mar 2015

Modi Makes Waves in Indian Ocean

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived back home after five days tour of three Indian Ocean countries. His tour has served to reclaim some of New Delhi’s lost footing in the area. New Delhi accepts that India can less afford its past passivity regarding its maritime backyard. Tangible evidence is Narendra Modi's three-nation Indian Ocean tour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian Ocean sojourn -which took him to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, last week, infused fresh energy into India's mantle as the fulcrum of stability in the Indian Ocean. It signaled India's intent and capacity to ward off extra-regional challengers and emerge as a 'net security provider' in strategically crucial sea lanes for global commerce and geopolitics.

08 Jan 2015

WOC Sustainable Ocean Summit in Singapore

The World Ocean Council (WOC) has announced its 3rd Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) to be held on 9-11 November, 2015 in Singapore. The SOS is the only international, multi-sector, business event dedicated to “Corporate Ocean Responsibility”. This first SOS to be held in Asia, the 2015 event is being developed in collaboration with stakeholders in Singapore, Hong Kong and responsible business leadership companies from around the world. SOS 2015 is uniquely designed to bring together leadership companies from the diverse Ocean Business Community: shipping, oil and gas, seabed mining, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, offshore renewable energy…

06 Jan 2015

Paxton Joins Adams and Reese

Adams and Reese partner Paxton, who also serves as President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA)

Adams and Reese Adds Four to Bolster Federal Governmental Relations Practice. Adams and Reese is proud to announce the addition of Partner Matt Paxton and Governmental Affairs Advisors Joe Carnevale, Ian Bennitt and Ashley Godwin, who join our firm in our Washington DC Office from the law firm of Ball Janik LLP. “We are very excited about adding Matt, Joe, Ian and Ashley, to our Firm and our Federal Governmental Relations practice,” said B. Jeffrey Brooks, Adams and Reese Executive Committee Chairman and DC Office Partner in Charge.

07 Oct 2014

NOAA, NASA & BOEM to Monitor Biodiversity

NOAA, NASA and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have joined together to support three demonstration projects that will lay the foundation for the first national network to monitor marine biodiversity at scales ranging from microbes to whales. The projects, to be funded at approximately $17 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds, will demonstrate how a national operational marine biodiversity observation network could be developed. Such a network would serve as a marine resource management tool to conserve existing biodiversity and enhance U.S. biosecurity against threats such as invasive species and infectious agents.

18 Jun 2014

Obama Plans to Create World's Largest Marine Protected Area

The proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where the White House intends to extend an existing protected area, known as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, where fishing and drilling would be banned over an area of about 2-million sq. km. The Pacific Remote Islands Area is controlled by the US and consists of seven scattered islands, atolls and reefs that lie between Hawaii and American Samoa. In the main uninhabited, the waters that surround these remote islands are home to a wide range of species including corals, seabirds, sharks and vegetation not found anywhere else in the world.

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