Indian Oceans News

When China sailed one of its two active aircraft carriers, the Shandong, east of Taiwan last month as part of military drills surrounding the island, it was showcasing a capability that it has yet to master and could take years to perfect.As Beijing modernizes its military, its formidable missile forces and other naval vessels, such as cutting-edge cruisers, are posing a concern for the U.S. and its allies. But it could be more than a decade before China can mount a credible carrier threat far from its shores…

As companies race to expand renewable energy and the batteries to store it, finding sufficient amounts of rare earth metals to build the technology is no easy feat. That’s leading mining companies to take a closer look at a largely unexplored frontier – the deep ocean seabed.A wealth of these metals can be found in manganese nodules that look like cobblestones scattered across wide areas of deep ocean seabed. But the fragile ecosystems deep in the oceans are little understood…

In 80% of the world, we don’t really know.Across much of the world’s oceans, waves are getting bigger. In the Southern Ocean, where storm-driven swell can propagate halfway across the world to California, the average wave has grown about 20cm in the past 30 years.These changes are part of climate change, and are likely to continue well into the future. If you’re making long-term plans near the sea – like building ships, or constructing flood defenses in coastal cities – you need more detail about how big those waves are going to get.In a study published this week in Science Advances…

President Vladimir Putin sent a frigate to the Atlantic Ocean armed with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles on Wednesday, a signal to the West that Russia will not back down over the war in Ukraine.Russia, China, and the United States are in a race to develop hypersonic weapons, which are seen as a way to gain an edge over any adversary because of their speeds - above five times the speed of sound - and maneuverability.In a video conference with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal…

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) and COSCO Shipping  'Hainan-ASEAN (Singapore)' Liner Route, co-hosted by Hainan Provincial People’s Government and COSCO Shipping, was launched at Hainan Yangpu Xiaochantan Terminal owned by Hainan Harbor & Shipping Holding.Hainan Governor Shen Xiaoming announced the launch of the maiden voyage.The “Hainan-ASEAN (Singapore)” Liner Route opens a direct passage through which goods from China’s western regions can be shipped southward to Singapore via Yangpu Port, as well as a new channel for transferring cargo from China’s coastal ports to Southeast Asia via Yangpu.It declares that Yangpu Port in Hainan has turned to a new pivot of ILSTC and marks that ILSTC…

Several ships carrying cargoes of sorghum from the United States to China have changed course since Beijing slapped hefty anti-dumping deposits on U.S. imports of the grain, trade sources and a Reuters analysis of export and shipping data showed.Sorghum is a niche animal feed and a tiny slice of the billions of dollars in exports at stake in the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies, which threatens to disrupt the flow of everything from steel to electronics.The supply-chain pain felt by sorghum suppliers on the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans underscores how quickly the mounting trade tensions between the U.S.

Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company outside oil and gas, has signed a long-term port facility agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports to use some of the world’s largest bulk cargo vessels to import raw materials through Khalifa Port. With this agreement, Abu Dhabi Ports will be able to develop the port to become the first in the Gulf capable of directly handling these massive ships. Abu Dhabi Ports will fund and complete dredging and widening works to the Khalifa Port approach channel and basin including EGA’s berth. The dredging will deepen the channel to 18.5 metres and basin to 18.0 metres basis zero tide. EGA plans to use large dry bulk ships to import raw materials without the need to transfer all or some of the cargo to smaller vessels outside the port…

The probability of El Nino, a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, developing this year has been downgraded by U.S. government forecasters as sea surface temperatures and wind speeds in the area remain close to their long-term averages. The Pacific saw a relatively rapid swing in late October from La Nina conditions - characterised as unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean - to neutral or even slightly El Nino-leaning conditions by March. Since then, however, the oceanic and atmospheric signals pointing to a possible El Nino have all weakened. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week downgraded the probability of El Nino conditions being present in the fourth quarter of 2017, to just 36 percent.

Oil tankers carrying around 10 million barrels of U.S. crude are en route to Asia, according to shipping data and trade sources, as U.S. producers take advantage of favorable prices to ship to the region while OPEC ponders further supply cuts next week. At least eight tankers are in transit, sources said and the shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon showed, with one of them carrying the first ever cargo of Southern Green Canyon crude purchased by Japanese refiner Cosmo Energy. Another contains the first Alaskan North Slope cargo to arrive in Asia in eight months.

Four out of five lighthouses planned for use in the South China Sea have been activated  to boost navigation and the fifth lighthouse will be completed and put into use soon. China started to build lighthouses in the South China Sea in May last year, with four now in use on Huayang, Chigua, Zhubi and Yongshu reefs. The most recent project went into operation on Yongshu Reef on June 25. "The five lighthouses are important public service facilities in the South China Sea. Construction and operation of the lighthouses reflects China's dedication to its responsibility of boosting navigational safety in the South China Sea, a critical maritime and trade corridor linking the Pacific and Indian oceans…

The US is keen in exploring great opportunities for co-operation on maritime issues with India, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations told members of the House Committee on Appropriations during a hearing, says a report by PTI. Great opportunity has emerged after the bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama, he said. Analysts pointed out that Both India and the United States will gain extra leverage against China from a strategic partnership. The US navy will be able to exercise its power to wield ‘broader’ influence in the Indian Ocean and enable the Indian naval fleet to reign supreme in the region.

The guided missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) departed Naval Base San Diego Oct. 20 on an independent deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The ship and crew of more than 300 Sailors, assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, will conduct presence operations and goodwill activities with partner nations. Prior to deploying to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, Milius will participate in a Task Group Exercise off the coast of Southern California, Oct. 20-31, along with other units from the U.S and Canadian navies and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. U.S. 3rd Fleet will lead the exercise that serves to train independently-deploying units in air defense…

NOAA-led research results indicate that the average latitude where tropical cyclones achieve maximum intensity has been shifting poleward since 1980, briefs the NOAA. Over the past 30 years, the location where tropical cyclones reach maximum intensity has been shifting toward the poles in both the northern and southern hemispheres at a rate of about 35 miles, or one-half a degree of latitude, per decade according to a new study, 'The Poleward Migration of the Location of Tropical Cyclone Maximum Intensity', that NOAA inform is to be published in Nature. As tropical cyclones move into higher latitudes, some regions closer to the equator may experience reduced risk, while coastal populations and infrastructure poleward of the tropics may experience increased risk.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus delivered the keynote address at the christening ceremony of the future USS Jackson (LCS 6) March 22 at Austal in Mobile, Ala. Dr. Katherine Holmes Cochran, daughter of Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, sponsors Jackson, the third Austal-constructed littoral combat ship to be christened. "Kate now becomes an honorary member of the Jackson's first crew," said Mabus. Mabus went on to discuss not only Cochran's role in the future of the ship, but Jackson's future as well. Jackson will be a key enabler of the U.S. Navy's ability to maintain a worldwide presence.

Veteran Salvage Master Shelby Harris has been named Titan Salvage’s new director of marine operations in Asia, where he will bring more than 15 years of experience responding to large-scale domestic and international salvage and wreck removal projects. He will be based out of the company’s Singapore office and equipment depot, a 45,000-square-foot site west of the city, and report to Titan’s Director of Operations Patrick Keenan. Harris will be in charge of spearheading operational efforts and continuing to strengthen the team in the region…

Veteran Salvage Master Shelby Harris has been named Titan Salvage’s new director of marine operations in Asia. Shelby will bring more than 15 years of experience responding to large-scale domestic and international salvage and wreck removal projects. He will be based out of the company’s Singapore office and equipment depot, a 45,000-square-foot site west of the city, and report to Titan’s Director of Operations Patrick Keenan. “Shelby is one of the most experienced, innovative and successful salvage masters in our industry,” said Keenan.

OceanGate Inc. to host a 3-day event to promote awareness and gauge impact of Lionfish on ocean habitat and economy. The global provider of deep-sea manned submersible solutions, OceanGate, is helping to raise awareness of the widespread invasion of lionfish, a non-native predator known for its venomous spines and increased numbers in the waters of Florida, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. From June 27 to 29, 2013, the five-person manned submersible Antipodes will take scientists on a series of dives off the Florida coast to study the growing lionfish population.

Partners and customers to benefit from extensive multi-technology service portfolio by provider of global satellite-based mobility services. Astrium Services will showcase their latest innovations in maritime communications at the upcoming Seatrade Middle East 2012 from 27 to 29 Nov in Dubai. The new Astrium Services Business Communications entity will host all commercial satcom activities of Astrium Services, serving three main markets: Maritime, Enterprises and Aero. In the maritime market, the company will continue providing services in the same successful structure as today: indirect through the existing, well-established service provider channel whereas Marlink will remain an independent commercial organisation focusing on maritime end customers.

The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, has expressed his profound sadness for the loss of life in the sinking of the ro-ro ferry Spice Islander I off the coast of the United Republic of Tanzania on 10 September. “We are shocked at the number of lives lost and have offered any help and technical assistance which may be required,” Mr. Mitropoulos said, adding that IMO was willing to provide assistance in investigating the cause of the accident and…

Imtech N.V. (technical services provider in Europe) is acting as technology partner of PlanetSolar, a solar energy powered ship. In 2011, PlanetSolar will set sail on a world cruise of approximately 50,000 km, with the aim of promoting solar energy and the use of environmentally-conscious alternative fuel for sailing. PlanetSolar is a high-tech 85 ton, 31 meters (101.7 ft) long and 15 meters (49.2 ft) wide catamaran, covered by 537 m2 of solar panels. The futuristic-looking ship is powered by two 10 kW electric motors.

Navy Capt. Charles Denman speaks during a change of command ceremony March 26 in Singapore. Denman took command of Sealift Logistics Command, Far East from Navy Capt. Jim Romano who will move on to MSC headquarters in Washington, D.C. Military Sealift Command’s leadership in the Far East changed hands March 26 when Navy Capt. Charles C. “Chip” Denman relieved Navy Capt. Jim O. Romano as commander of Singapore-based Sealift Logistics Command, Far East. SEALOGFE, whose mission is to safely and efficiently operate MSC-controlled ships to provide services in support of U.S.

Further key links in the plan to provide effective search and rescue (SAR) coverage off the coast of Africa have been established, with the commissioning of two search and rescue sub-centres that will operate in conjunction with the existing regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mombasa, Kenya. The two sub-centres, in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania and Victoria, Seychelles, were commissioned on 25 and 27 March, respectively, by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, and the Transport Ministers of the respective countries. The inauguration of the…

The crew of USS Denver (LPD 9) celebrated the ship's 40th birthday Oct. 26 during the annual Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) off the coast of the Philippines. The entire crew gathered on the mess decks to celebrate the 40 years since Denver's commissioning as a U.S. Navy warship in 1968. Current USS Denver commanding officer, Capt. Kent D. Whalen offered some historical prospective. "There's a lot of history associated with the two previous hulls that carried the name Denver and with the current one we are on," said Whalen. "It is a great honor to be the commanding officer.