Nautical News

[GordMay]

Port Credit Redevelopment

While other famous oceanfront cities like San Francisco, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Sydney, serve as international beacons for commerce and culture, Canadian freshwater cities have never been held in quite the same regard. Vancouver may be Canada's closest nominee, albeit with its place on the saltwater Pacific coast, and proximity to major international trade routes, but an inland freshwater city has rarely achieved international status.

That may be set to change, with the announcement that the city of Toronto has has approved a $75 million waterfront expansion, to the Port Credit Harbour Marina in Mississauga. Details of the announcement were covered by Insauga.com. [1]

The lease on the existing marina, which does not currently have public access, is set to expire in 2023. The redevelopment is intended to open the waterfront to the public while also maintaining the existing boating culture. One of the unknowns, however, is that commercial vessels are currently not allowed in the harbour. It remains to be seen whether plans will eventually include commercial tourist vessels or industrial traffic, or if it will remain strictly for recreational boaters.

Another change will be the removal of a major landmark, the Ridgetown (previously known as the SS William E. Corey) a retired commercial freighter that has served as a breakwater at the entrance to the harbour. It is also a well-known navigational aid for boats traveling along the waterfront. Current plans show that the Ridgetown will be cut up and removed.

The existing Port Credit Harbour Marina will see its lease expire in 2023. In its place, a mixed-use neighbourhood is proposed on the wharf with the new marina being built on the eastern portion of the site between Elizabeth and Helene streets. Shopping, dining, and housing developments are also planned for later stages of the development.

[1] “New $75-million Port Credit marina will bring big economic benefits to Mississauga”
➥ https://www.insauga.com/new-port-cre...uga-city-says/

[GordMay]

World Ocean Day 2021 Annual Report recently released
“One ocean, one climate, and one future – together!”
World Ocean Day 2021 helped to unite and rally the world in June, with personal, community, and societal action!
With a special focus on youth-led efforts and protecting 30% of our blue
planet by 2030 for a healthy ocean and climate, World Ocean Day 2021 involved hundreds of organizations, from all sectors, in 150 countries, and millions of people.

2021 Report ➥ https://worldoceanday.org/wp-content...ual-Report.pdf

Sign Up for Updates from World Ocean Day (you will receive no more than one email each month)
➥ https://worldoceanday.org/take-action/subscribe/

[GordMay]

National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Applauds Establishment of Bipartisan Congressional National Marine Sanctuary Caucus

Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), who heads the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, and Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) have joined forces to create a bipartisan National Marine Sanctuary Caucus to promote the preservation of marine and freshwater habitats. The caucus co-chairs indicated that they have secured 32 other House members, including 27 Democrats and five Republicans, to join the effort. According to the co-chairs, the caucus will lead efforts “to raise congressional awareness and understanding of national marine sanctuaries and their role in sustaining healthy oceans.”

More reporting about ➥ https://marinesanctuary.org/news/nat...uaries-caucus/

Congressional National Marine Sanctuary Caucus
Established in the US House of Representatives in 2006, and re-launched in 2021, the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus is a bipartisan coalition of Members dedicated to increasing awareness of and strengthening commitment to America’s national marine sanctuaries. The caucus serves as a strong voice to raise awareness of sanctuaries and prioritize sanctuary issues on behalf of communities and our nation. These Members recognize the value of sanctuaries as models for marine conservation worldwide—promoting ocean health, honoring heritage, bolstering local economies and jobs, supporting public access to recreation, and advancing education and community-building.
➥ https://marinesanctuary.org/caucus/

[GordMay]

SHIPPING CONTAINERS OVERBOARD

The World Shipping Council [WSC] reported [1] that an average 1,382 containers were lost at sea, between 2018 and 2019.

The worst year occurred in 2013, when the MOL “Comfort” sank in the Indian Ocean, with a loss of 4,293 containers. Another spike happened between Nov. 2020 and April 2021, when it is estimated that nearly 3,000 containers were lost in the North Pacific, in five separate incidents. That’s double the annual average in a matter of weeks.

There is a range of explanations of why containers fall off ships. Prior to the losses of 2020/21 the WSC issued a report [1] that reviewed the scope of the problem. In the more recent losses, the WSC, International Chamber of Shipping and the Baltic and International Maritime Council told the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 103) that it believed no single factor caused the incidents, but rather that there might have been several causes. This included stormy weather, ship design, propulsion issues, and how containers are lashed together, including varying regulations around the latter. The degradation of containers, and resulting metal fatigue, could also be considerations. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty estimates [3] that human error contributes to at least three-quarters of shipping industry accidents and fatalities.

There are no international conventions, specifically covering the loss of shipping containers. If contents contain dangerous materials, their loss must be reported. But if there is nothing harmful in the container, there is no obligation to report its loss. In a 2019 interview [2], with Ship Technology, Antidia Citores, international spokesperson for Surfrider Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to ocean and coastal protection, which has studied the issue, noted that: “We’ve found that on some occasions, the team on the boat said they only realized containers had been lost at sea once they had reached the port and had to make the inventory.”

New regulations, stronger enforcement, and improved safety, should prevent many of these incidents from happening. But even then, the legacy of a few broken shipping containers can be destructive and costly, and the salvage bogged down by confusion, within different jurisdictions, as to who’s actually responsible for cleaning it up.

[1]“Containers Lost At Sea – 2020 Update” ~ World Shipping Council [WSC]
➥ https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...ate_FINAL_.pdf

[2] “Lost at sea: how shipping container pollution affects the environment”
➥ https://www.ship-technology.com/feat...s-lost-at-sea/

[3] “Safety and Shipping Review 2021" ~ Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS)
➥ https://www.agcs.allianz.com/content...eview-2021.pdf

See also:
“Shipping Containers Plunge Overboard as Supply Race Raises Risks”
The shipping industry is seeing the biggest spike in lost containers in seven years. More than 3,000 boxes dropped into the sea last year, and more than 1,000 have fallen overboard so far in 2021. The accidents are disrupting supply chains for hundreds of U.S. retailers and manufacturers such as Amazon and Tesla.
More ➥ https://www.insurancejournal.com/new.../27/611630.htm

[GordMay]

595 people died, due to extreme temperatures, in British Columbia, over the summer, according to new data from the provincial coroners' service [1].

New figures [1], released Monday, said the deaths of 595 people, between June 18 and Aug. 12 were related to the heat. The majority of those deaths [526] happened during the "heat dome", that created temperatures above 40 C, from late June to early July.

The service said 231 people died in a single day on June 29; nearly 10 people every hour.

Lytton, B.C., a small village in the Fraser Canyon, broke record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada three days in a row during the heat wave, eventually hitting 49.6 C, on June 29. The following day, the village burned down*.

[1] BC Coroners Service (BCCS) Heat-Related Deaths – Knowledge Update
➥ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/bi...dge_update.pdf

[2] “Almost 600 lives lost to extreme heat in summer 2021" ~ BC Coroners Service NEWS RELEASE
➥ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/bi...ath-update.pdf


* Rebuilding Lytton, B.C., begins months after getting destroyed by fire
➥ https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...ire/vi-AAQcPIR

See also:

“Western North American extreme heat virtually impossible without human-caused climate change”
➥ https://www.worldweatherattribution....limate-change/

[GordMay]

New emission-free propulsion system for commercial vessels

Torqeedo and Italdraghe have announced [1] the joint development of a retractable electric propulsion system for commercial vessels in inland and urban waters.

The system combines Torqeedo’s Deep Blue high-voltage electric propulsion system with Italdraghe’s Azimuth thrusters. It is designed to “provide emission-free propulsion and directional thrust for manoeuvring on environmentally sensitive waterways”.

Torqeedo’s Deep Blue system, integrated with Italdraghe’s Azimuth Thrusters, delivers 50 kW [< 60 HP] of continuous power and 65 kW of peak power. The propellers are said to be able to rotate up to 360 degrees. “The drive units have a depth adjustment of 600 mm [< 2 Ft] for operation in shallow water and can be tilted up to 60 degrees for maintenance without having to be dismantled from the boat'” it says.

In addition, the Torqeedo system includes one or more “high capacity” lithium-ion batteries. The battery packs can have a capacity of 80 kWh to 1 MWh, depending on the number of batteries installed. It also includes “a shore power charger, a system management unit for energy and power management, as well as a touchscreen display and throttle”.

The new electric propulsion package will be on display at Europort 2021 in Rotterdam from 2 to 5 November on stand 4214.

[1] ➥ https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us/ne...2021-11-1.html

[GordMay]

Ecuador to expand marine reserve around Galapagos

Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, has announced plans to expand the marine-protected area, around the Galapagos Islands,

The Galapagos Marine Reserve is already one of the largest in the world, at 133,000 square kilometres, but it will be expanded to include an additional 60,000 sq km.

The expansion will add the Cocos Ridge, which extends towards Costa Rica, and is a feeding and migration area for endangered species.
The new reserve will be divided into two equal areas. In one, fishing will be totally banned, while in the other, only fishing without long lines will be allowed.

Lasso told delegates, at Glasgow’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), that the expanded protected area will be financed, by trading debt for conservation, in a bid to create a trust fund.

More ➥ https://www.oceanographicmagazine.co...-cop26-summit/

And ➥ https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2021-11...hoI/index.html

[GordMay]

Ivermectin-COVID-19 study retracted [26 October 2021]

The authors of a study [1], in Lebanon, purportedly showing that ivermectin could treat patients with SARS-CoV-2, have retracted their paper, after acknowledging that their data were garbled.

The retraction marks the 189th, for papers on Covid-19, by our [Retraction Watch] count.

More ➥ https://retractionwatch.com/2021/11/...me-file-mixup/

And ➥ https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58170809

[1] “Effects of a Single Dose of Ivermectin on Viral and Clinical Outcomes in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infected Subjects: A Pilot Clinical Trial in Lebanon” ~ by Ali A. Samaha et al
RETRACTED ➥ https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/11/2154/htm

[GordMay]

Denmark, US and 12 Other Nations Back Tougher Climate Goal for Shipping
More about ➥ https://www.reuters.com/business/sus...ng-2021-11-01/
Or ➥ https://www.marinelink.com/news/denm...climate-491746

[GordMay]

Boeing Wins FCC Approval for Satellite Internet

SpaceX’s Starlink will eventually have more competition in the satellite broadband business.

The FCC, on Wednesday, gave Boeing the go-ahead to launch its own satellites, which SpaceX complained would cause interference with its network. [1]

With the approval [1], Boeing can now start building out its satellite infrastructure, beginning with 147 satellites.

Boeing will deploy 132 low-Earth satellites orbiting at an altitude of 1,056 kilometers.

The other 15 will be non-geostationary, which means they follow the rotation of the Earth. Those types of satellites orbit at a much higher altitude—between 27,355 and 44,221 kilometers, according to the FCC filing.

Boeing will offer broadband to the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as it’s building out its network, then plans to expand its satellite internet service globally. The company has six years to launch half of its satellite constellation and nine years to build out the rest of the network. Boeing had asked for a waiver to extend the build-out to 12 years, but the commission denied it.

Boeing has a bit of an advantage over SpaceX’s Starlink network, at least in terms of faster data transfer rates. Boeing’s 147 satellites can broadcast in the V-band, which is a high-frequency wireless spectrum. Starlink uses Ka- and Ku- bands, which commercial airlines utilize for in-flight internet access.

[1] “FCC Authorizes Boeing Broadband Satellite Constellation”
FCC News Release ➥ https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachme...C-377518A1.pdf
Order & Authorization ➥ https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachme...C-21-115A1.pdf

[GordMay]

Swimmer missing after shark attack at Perth beach
Police are searching for a 57-year-old man, after a shark attack, off a popular Western Australian beach.
Witnesses believe he was attacked by two sharks, a 4.5-metre great white, and a tiger.
There have been 17 shark attacks in Australia, this year, and two deaths, according to data from the Taronga Conservation Society, an Australian government agency in charge of several zoological parks.
More ➥ https://www.theguardian.com/australi...off-port-beach
And ➥ https://news.sky.com/story/swimmer-m...water-12461513

[GordMay]

"Electric vehicle maker Rivian rides Tesla hype train to $100B valuation despite almost no sales"

Rivian Automotive, an electric vehicle company that has so far delivered only about 150 electric pickup trucks mostly to its own employees, surpassed General Motors Thursday to become the second most valuable U.S. car company behind Tesla.

The California company went public Wednesday in an initial public offering (IPO) that priced shares at $78 each. By the end of its first day as a public company, those shares were worth more than $100, enough to value the company at $88 billion. That's more than Ford is worth.

More about ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/riv...-car-1.6245695



Meanwhile:
“Tesla shares rise after Elon Musk's $5B US stock sale”
In late-morning trading, the electric-car maker's shares were up by 0.5 per cent to $1,072.75 US., recouping some of the heavy losses suffered earlier in the week.
More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/elo...tock-1.6245178


Some people in rural areas may see electric vehicles as transportation for city dwellers. But in some ways, rural drivers could benefit more from electric vehicles than their urban counterparts, one vehicle engineer argues.

“5 Ways Rural Drivers Benefit from Electric Vehicles” ~ by Maria Cecilia Pinto de Moura

“An electric lifestyle would be a boon to our rural heartland. Rural drivers stand to benefit the most from switching to an electric vehicle (EV), regardless of the state they live in or the type of vehicle they drive. Rural communities across the country have their own distinguishing characteristics, but certain shared characteristics such as driving distances, the type of vehicles driven, and socio-economics are factors which contribute to this larger potential to benefit from vehicle electrification.

Here are five reasons why rural drivers stand to benefit the most from switching to an EV: ...”

More ➥ https://blog.ucsusa.org/cecilia-mour...tric-vehicles/
https://blog.ucsusa.org/cecilia-mour...tric-vehicles/

[GordMay]

GoM Oil/Gas Drilling Rights Auction

On the heels of his stirring plea, at the just-completed Glasgow Climate Conference, for "every nation to do its part" to solve the climate crisis, President Joe Biden's administration is preparing to hold an auction for drilling rights, in the Gulf of Mexico this week.

The auction, set for Wednesday, will grant oil companies the opportunity to bid on nearly 80 million acres of lucrative federal waters, which would produce an estimated 1.12 billion barrels of oil, and 4.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, over the next 50 years.

The winning bidder will have the right to build platform rigs up to 231 miles from shore, and drill for oil at underwater depths of up to 11,000 feet.

Biden promised to end new drilling on federal lands, during his presidential campaign, and issued an executive order pausing the lease sales, during his first week in office, pending a review of their environmental impact.
In June, however, a federal judge ordered the resumption of those lease sales, siding with 13 states that sued the administration for overstepping its authority.
The administration has appealed the judge's ruling, but agreed to go forward with the leases while the matter works its way through the courts.

[GordMay]

Pfizer and The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) Sign Licensing Agreement for COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Treatment Candidate to Expand Access in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In a statement [1] issued Tuesday, Pfizer said it would grant a license for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Pool, which would let generic drug companies produce the pill for use in 95 countries, making up about 53% of the world’s population.

[1] ➥ https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-re...sign-licensing

Reporting About ➥ https://apnews.com/article/coronavir...73526e680c07f8

[GordMay]

The catastrophic damage that severed B.C. from the rest of Canada

For one of the only times since the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1885, every single Canadian land route to the Pacific has been cut. Extreme rains brought a series of devastating floods and landslides that have severed the Trans Canada Highway, the Coquihalla Highway and both major rail lines over the Rocky Mountains. Unstable conditions have also forced the closure of the Trans Mountain pipeline and critical gas pipelines serving the City of Vancouver.

More [lots of photos] ➥ https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...gkO?li=AAggNb9


Boat-riding cowboy wrangles horses to safety through B.C. floodwaters
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens...ters-1.6250928

Video ➥ https://www.facebook.com/10005006007...8302763750765/