Smithsonian News

The El Nino climate phenomenon, not climate change, drove lower rainfall last year that reduced the Panama Canal's water levels and contributed to shipping restrictions that disrupted global trade, a study released on Wednesday found.Prioritizing water for human consumption rather than for the canal also played a role in shipping restrictions, according to the study by research consortium World Weather Attribution.Panama experienced its third-driest year on record in 2023, leading…

Before the Ever Max ship carrying lava lamps, sofas, Halloween costumes and artificial Christmas trees could make its inaugural Panama Canal voyage this month, a historic drought forced it to drop weight by offloading hundreds of containers.Weather-related disruptions denied the vessel, owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine, a chance on Aug. 1 to set a record for carrying the most containers through the vital maritime shortcut that connects the Pacific and Atlantic…

The hard-fought passage of VIDA promises a simpler, more unified and logical set of environmental standards related to the discharge of myriad vessel streams. Industry wanted it, and now it is here. Will it deliver, and if so, when? That depends on who you talk to.As most commercial maritime operators know, US ballast water regulations made a sharp turn last December. That’s when President Trump signed the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018.That legislation contained Title IX – the “Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA)…

On the night of March 23, 2008, most of the crew sleeps while fishing vessel Alaska Ranger makes her way to the rich fishing grounds off the coast of Alaska. As the Engineer makes his nightly rounds, he discovers a serious flood in the rudder room. He raises the alarm and the captain issues a Mayday call. But before the crew can investigate the source of the leak, the rising water reaches their electrical systems and the ship loses power. With the ship listing and in danger of sinking, the captain orders the crew to abandon ship.

DISASTERS AT SEA is an original new docuseries that premiered last week on Discovery Canada (US viewers can check out Smithsonian Channel).Each episode tells the unimaginable true story of a maritime disaster, combining harrowing reenactments with expert analysis from marine investigators. Whether it’s survivor testimony about a sudden sound, GPS data about the ship’s speed, or the scatter pattern of wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, each piece of evidence helps investigators…

The Coast Guard rescued three people aboard a disabled boat approximately 12 miles east of Port of St. Lucie, Sunday. At approximately, 5 a.m., the crew of the tug McAllister Sister notified Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders of a red meteor flare from a 23-foot center console. The watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce 45-foot Response Boat—Medium crew to assist The Coast Guard boatcrew arrived on scene and towed the center console to the Smithsonian Marine Station.

When the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) decided to repower their 11-year-old launch Morpho, as good scientists the team researched the alternatives thoroughly before selecting a triple Volvo Penta diesel sterndrive rig for the boat. Constructed in 2005, the 48-ft. Morpho makes daily runs for scientists and visitors between the STRI laboratory facility in Gamboa and the Barro Colorado Island nature sanctuary in the Panama Canal waterway. The boat was recently repowered with three Volvo Penta D6 330-horsepower diesel Aquamatic engines with DPH Duoprop drives.

The Maritime Alliance promotes the 6th Annual event Novemeber 12-13, 2014 at the McMillin Companies Event Center in San Diego, CA  as a unique opportunity to understand trends, network with leaders from the public and private sector, see innovative technologies by the exhibitors, and identify possible partners. Recent studies are helping us understand the size and dynamic nature of the Blue Economy and particularly the BlueTech sector that is enabling us to explore, measure and develop ocean industries like never before. And financial and strategic investors are recognizing the opportunity evidenced by an increasing number of M&A and financing transactions - four sizeable transactions announced in the San Diego BlueTech community in the last 120 days alone. Leaders from the U.S.

For the first time in roughly 2 million years, melting Arctic sea ice is connecting the north Pacific and north Atlantic oceans. The newly opened passages leave both coasts and Arctic waters vulnerable to a large wave of invasive species, biologists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center assert in a commentary published in 'Nature Climate Change' and excerpted here. Two new shipping routes have opened in the Arctic: the Northwest Passage through Canada, and the Northern Sea Route, a 3000-mile stretch along the coasts of Russia and Norway connecting the Barents and Bering seas. While new opportunities for tapping Arctic natural resources and interoceanic trade are high, commercial ships often inadvertently carry invasive species.

Several recent media reports state that the existence of the Big Bang allegedly has been proven by BICEP, a telescope stationed at the South Pole. In 2011, Mammoet replaced the bearing of this monumental instrument, which now appears to have found ‘waves of gravity’ that were rippling through space right after the Big Bang. The waves were predicted by Albert Einstein nearly a hundred years ago, but never found until now. According to scientists, this is a landmark discovery that adds to our understanding of how the universe was born.

OceanGate Inc. discovers Grumman F6F Hellcat off the coast of Miami using manned submersible, 2D and 3D sonar technologies. OceanGate discovered a World War II-era Grumman F6F Hellcat plane off the coast of Miami Beach. The plane was found during one of an ongoing series of dives in which OceanGate has been using its Teledyne BlueView high-frequency sonar and high-definition photo and video equipment to gather data pertaining to the artificial reefs in Miami-Dade County waters.

Following the hubbub created in 2009-2010 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) proposed modification and revocation of certain Jones Act ruling letters pertaining to offshore operations, all was relatively quiet in 2011-2012 with respect to Jones Act offshore issues. Indeed, in the aftermath of the tragic Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010, which included the implementation of more prescriptive regulatory and environmental requirements and a deepwater drilling moratorium…

OceanGate Inc. OceanGate announced it has discovered a World War II-era Grumman F6F Hellcat plane off the coast of Miami Beach. The plane was found during one of an ongoing series of dives in which OceanGate has been using its Teledyne BlueView high-frequency sonar and high-definition photo and video equipment to gather data pertaining to the artificial reefs in Miami-Dade County waters. Recognizing the potential historical and military significance of the find, OceanGate contacted officials at both the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S.

Underwater metal detector is successfully used for the African Slave Wrecks Project. In October 1619 the naval warship Warwick sailed into the King’s Castle Harbour in Bermuda with an important cargo from England; the colony’s new governor, Captain Nathaniel Butler. After taking on provisions the Warwick was to travel onto the struggling colony at Jamestown, Virginia, but it never made the voyage. Before the ship could sail, Bermuda was hit by a fierce hurricane. Battered by strong winds the Warwick broke free from her anchors…

Miami River Compnay Sen tenced to Five Years Probation and $1,000,000 Fine for Oil Pollution and Ballast Water Crimes. Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral William D. Baumgartner, Commander, 7th Coast Guard District, and John Sall, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, announced the sentencing of defendant Americas Marine Management Services, Inc., d/b/a Antillean Marine, a Florida corporation, for oil pollution and ballast water crimes.

Invasive species have hitchhiked to the U.S. on cargo ships for centuries, but the method U.S. regulators most rely on to keep them out is not equally effective across coasts. Ecologists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have found that ports on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico are significantly less protected than ports on the West Coast. Invaders are frequently introduced across oceans and along coastlines through the ballast water in ship hulls, water that often includes plankton and larval stages of marine and estuarine species.

One of the oldest and most important marine archaeological finds of the late 20th century was unveiled to the public February 19, 2011, when the much-anticipated Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds exhibition opens in Singapore, at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (Smithsonian), the Asian , ; the National Heritage Board (NHB), and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Shipwrecked relates the story of an astonishing cargo of some 60,000 objects carried from China by a ninth-century Arab dhow, presenting a dynamic tale of trade between China and West Asia along the maritime silk route. The cargo had lain undisturbed on the ocean floor for more than 1,000 years before its discovery near 's in 1998.

At its Annual General Meeting in Washington, DC in early April, more than 70 WISTA USA members and guests gathered to discuss issues of concern to the maritime community. Leading authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Justice, regulatory and trade associations, and the U.S. Congress met with shipping professionals to discuss and debate the current status of environmental and enforcement issues and the impact of the 112th Congress on the industry, and to examine strategies for moving forward.

The Postal Service will salute the U.S. Merchant Marine on four forever stamps July 28 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend the 11:30 a.m. dedication ceremony that takes place in the Ackerman Auditorium, 300 Steamboat Rd. Since the founding of the republic, the United States has looked to the commercial maritime industry for much of its growth and security. This issuance pays tribute to the U.S. Merchant Marine, the modern name for the maritime fleet that has played this vital role.

HRH The Prince Consort of Denmark visited the North American headquarters of Maersk in Madison, NJ, today. The Prince Consort met with Chairman and CEO of Maersk Inc. J. Russell Bruner, Chief Financial Officer Maersk North America Morten K. Nicolaisen, President of Maersk Line North America Michael J. White, and President of Damco North America, Jeremy T. Haycock to discuss the history and current activities of A.P. Moller Maersk companies in the U.S. The Prince Consort was escorted by the Deputy Consul General and Head of Trade Thomas Rizk. The purpose of the U.S. visit was to increase focus on trade relations between Denmark and the U.S. and recognition of the importance of the internationally operating Danish companies for the continued development of Denmark.

M.E.B.A. Announces Appointment of Captain Lee A. Kincaid as President and James E. Caponiti as Executive Director of the AMC. Together they bring over 60 years of Maritime and Political Experience to the American Maritime Congress. The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (M.E.B.A.) and the American Maritime Congress (AMC) are pleased to announce the permaent appointment of Captain Lee A. Kincaid as President of the AMC, and James E. Caponiti as Executive Director. “I am very excited to permanently welcome Captain Kincaid as AMC President…

Polembros Shipping Ltd., a ship management company headquartered in Greece, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 in federal court in New Orleans for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos, the Justice Department announced. According to the plea agreement, Polembros will pay a $2.7m criminal fine and a separate $100,000 community service payment to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, a subunit of Smithsonian Institute. The money will be used to research and mitigate the effects of marine invasive species suspected to be transported in ballast waters of ocean-going vessels. Invasive species can threaten native species and damage the ecosystems of the United States.

Polembros Shipping LTD., a ship management company headquartered in Greece, was sentenced on Dec. 9 in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2.7m criminal fine for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos, the Justice Department announced. Additionally, Polembros was ordered to pay a separate $100,000 community service payment to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, a subunit of Smithsonian Institute. The money will be used to research and mitigate the effects of marine invasive species suspected to be transported in ballast waters of ocean-going vessels. Invasive species can threaten native species and damage the ecosystems of the United States.