September Sea News

Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago.“These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.As the amount of sea ice in the Arctic declines, thins and becomes more mobile…

Natural swings in the Arctic climate have caused up to half the precipitous losses of sea ice around the North Pole in recent decades, with the rest driven by man-made global warming, scientists said on Monday. The study indicates that an ice-free Arctic Ocean, often feared to be just years away, in one of the starkest signs of man-made global warming, could be delayed if nature swings back to a cooler mode. Natural variations in the Arctic climate "may be responsible for about 30–50 percent of the overall decline in September sea ice since 1979…

The increase of attacks within the past week is evidence that pirate activity can still take place during the South-West Monsoon and Masters should remain vigilant to this threat. On 18 Jun 2012 a merchant vessel was attacked by 3 skiffs at position 14 28 N 050 45 E. Each skiff had 5-6 persons on board. Small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) were used against the merchant vessel. Early morning 20 Jun 2012 a merchant vessel was attacked by 1 skiff with 5-6 persons aboard at position 20 50N 059 30E. The skiff fired upon the vessel with small arms at a distance of 1nm. Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) were also seen aboard the skiff. Due to the South-West monsoon between June and September, sea conditions in the HRA are expected to be generally unfavourable for small boats.

During the reporting period 7 – 13, June 2012, the number of piracy incidents in the High Risk Area (HRA) has remained low, with no incidents reported. Due to the South-West monsoon between June and September, sea conditions in the HRA are expected to be generally unfavourable for small boats. Pirate Activity Groups (PAG) will likely continue to focus their limited efforts in the Northern Arabian Sea (NAS), Gulf of Oman (GOO) as well as in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) and South Red Sea (SRS). There have been no significant changes over the past week. Masters are advised that fishing activity is expected to continue and likely increase in this area over the next few months. There have been no significant changes over last week in this region.

The sister ship to the recently delivered six New South Wales Water Police boats officially entered service on December 4 with the Bermuda Water Police. This follows a delivery trip from the West Australian shipyard that included shipping the 16 metre vessel to Savannah, Georgia before traveling under her own power on a 900 nautical mile final voyage to the island of Bermuda via Morehead City in North Carolina. Marking the occasion the Bermuda Police Service held a press conference outside its Marine Unit offices at Barr's Bay Park in the City of Hamilton to officially launch “Guardian”. Dignitaries present included H. E. The Governor, Sir John Vereker, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mrs. Roseanda Young, Chief Fire Officer Mr. Vincent Hollinsid as well as officials from H.

When the cold September sea reached out her icy fingers to claim fisherman John Roberts, a plastic boat in a cozy British pub came to his rescue. Just as Roberts began to think he would succumb to the Atlantic's numbing clutches, his spirits were buoyed by the sound of flares going off above the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in his home port of Sennen Cove. "When I heard those two bangs and knew what they were, then I knew somebody was coming for me," said the 53-year-old veteran of England's treacherous southwestern coastal waters. Roberts insists he owes a debt of gratitude to the RNLI and the Royal Navy helicopter that plucked him from the sea.