It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
The Disputed Chagos Islands Have an Illegal Fishing Problem
HMS Tamar's crew help sort and weigh an abundance of illegally-caught fish at Diego Garcia (Royal Navy)
Despite an ongoing dispute with Mauritius over the ownership of the Chagos Islands, the British government is still the de facto administrator of the Indian Ocean archipelago for now, and it has a serious illegal-fishing problem to deal with.
The remote Chagos archipelago is known best for the UK-administered, U.S.-operated facility on Diego Garcia, a strategic airbase and naval station located some 1,000 nautical miles south of India's southernmost tip. Since 1814, the 60 atolls and islands in the chain have been under British administration, and the area has been known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) since the 1960s. Mauritius also claims the area, citing pre-colonial ties, and under UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the two sides have entered in negotiations over the future of the archipelago.
In the meantime, the Royal Navy is helping the regional British administration to deal with an illegal fishing problem. The entire territory is within a marine protected area, but that hasn't deterred ambitious fishermen. The administration has a chartered offshore vessel, the Grampian Endurance, to patrol an area the size of Texas. The Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tamar recently visited the area to lend a hand.
"Over the past two years there has been a major increase in illegal fishing," said George Balcombe, Strategic Environmental Officer for the BIOT Administration. "Researchers who have been working in the territory for years have observed a significant decline in several keystone species, notably sharks. The levels of fishing are unprecedented."
While in port, Tamar's crew helped offload the catch of a trawler that Grampian Endurance had caught fishing illegally in restricted waters. The authorities confiscated sting rays, sharks and other protected species from the vessel's nets, and the incident earned the fishermen a heavy financial penalty.
Before departing, Tamar's crew donned civvies and carried out a beach cleanup on a remote stretch of white-sand paradise. The area is used by a critically-endangered hawksbill turtle population for nesting, and the removal of plastic trash and other waste from the beaches helped support conservation efforts, according to Royal Navy reservist and ocean plastics researcher Dr. Imogen Napper.
2023 FORTY YEARS LATE
First CO2 Stored in World’s First Demonstration of CCS Process
During the demonstration event carbon transported aboard a specially outfitted offshore vessel was pumped with the jack up vessel for storage below the seafloor (INEOS)
The first successful demonstration of carbon capture and storage below the sea floor was completed yesterday by Denmark’s pioneering Project Greensand in what is being hailed as a watershed moment in the fight against climate change. After having been granted a demonstration license, the project which consists of a consortium of 23 organizations successfully for the first time in the world captured carbon emissions from an industrial plant in Belgium, transported it across international boundaries, and successfully injected it for permanent storage under the Danish North Sea.
“This is a big moment for Europe’s green transition, and for our clean tech industry,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission addressing the launch event. She acknowledged the project as, “The first-ever full value chain, for carbon capture and storage in Europe.”
Project Greensand ranks among the most advanced CCS projects in the EU and was the first full demonstration of the process. Carbon emissions from a plant in Belgium operated by INEOS, a petrochemicals manufacturer, were captured and liquified. They were transported from Belgium and Denmark under a bilateral agreement that the two countries concluded last year.
The captured CO2 was loaded into canisters which were transported to a special outfitted offshore vessel, the Aurora Storm. Arriving at the depleted Nini West oil field in the Danish North Sea, a special pumping system transferred the liquified CO2 to the jack-up rig Noble Resolve which completed the injection process into the subsea bedrock. The CO23 is stored at a depth of about 1,800 meters (more than one mile) below the seabed and will be closely monitored.
“Project Greensand marks a leap forward for the development of a Europe-wide CCS infrastructure and therefore for climate protection,” said Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall, which along with INEOS is leading the project. “We are showing that it is possible to capture, transport, and store CO2 safely and reliably across national borders and the CCS technology will be able to contribute to a decarbonized tomorrow in the near future.”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark initiated the first CO2 injection in Denmark in an event that was also attended by Lars Aagaard, the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities. Addressing the attendees, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of INOES said, “This is a breakthrough for Carbon Capture and Storage. This important milestone firmly demonstrates that CCS is a technology that can deliver on a global scale.”
The demonstration phase will continue as the partners work to develop the full infrastructure and processes to scale up the operation. By early April, residual emissions from the Belgian industrial plant, collectively representing up to 15,000 tonnes of CO2, will be stored during the ongoing demonstration phase.
By 2025/2026, the partners plan to be storing up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year as part of Project Greensand. In the final expansion phase, scheduled to begin in 2030, plans call for storing up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 each year. This would represent more than 13 percent of the total annual emissions of Denmark.
The main goal is to store the industrial emissions that it will not be possible to avoid in the future. The European Commission has estimated that the EU will need to store up to 300 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050 to its climate goals.
UK Launches Market Study on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage
UK's offshore oil platforms could play a role in the development of the carbon storage industry (Crown Estate photo)
After having moved aggressively in the development of offshore wind and becoming one of the countries with the largest offshore industries, the UK is now working to build its carbon utilization and storage industry. The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland today started the first round of formal engagement with developers on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), launching a joint survey to explore and understand market requirements for future seabed and subsurface carbon store development.
The UK Government has announced its target to have four active carbon stores in its waters by 2030. These sites would be in the areas managed by the two branches of the Crown Estate and as such the organizations are working to understand the emerging industry. They seek to develop best practices to facilitate the development of the industry while collaborating with the many users of the seabed, and taking a coordinated approach to its management.
“The UK is at a critical juncture for CCUS development, and we must continue the momentum toward our goals for 2030,” said Nicola Clay, Head of The Crown Estate New Ventures for Marine. “CCUS development is key to how we unlock the full potential of the UK seabed and its contribution to building a net zero future.”
The two divisions of the Crown Estate called today’s step an important milestone in the UK’s CCUS journey, with the results expected to shape future strategy for carbon store leasing. The survey will seek input on the number of stores, capacity levels, and annual injection rates that developers might seek to have in place by 2035 and by 2050. They are also seeking input on the opportunities and challenges to meeting the goals for CCS.
“We are already enabling the decarbonization of the UK’s energy network by supporting the leasing of offshore wind,” said Philippa Parmiter, Gas Storage Development Manager for Crown Estate Scotland. “CCUS is another key ingredient in helping to achieve a net-zero future, and this engagement program will help bring that ambition closer.”
They said the joint exercise is designed to help reduce the number of market engagement responses for developers and drive momentum toward setting leasing round requirements. Feedback will be shared with the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which is responsible for carbon capture licensing, and The Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland will publish a summary of the main findings of these engagements.
Both organizations are working to understand market expectations on CO2 storage, and to support the Scottish and UK Governments' target dates of 2045 and 2050 to meet net-zero carbon emissions. Combined with other renewable technologies, such as fixed and floating offshore wind, they believe CCUS will play a key role in decarbonizing the UK economy by supporting power generation and heavy industry with hard-to-abate emissions, mitigating the effects of CO2 on the atmosphere.
Climate crisis: New carbon capture method revealed by scientists
A new method of removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it in the sea has been outlined by scientists. The new technique captures CO2 from the atmosphere up to three times more efficiently than current methods, according to researchers. The idea sees the planet-warming gas transformed into bicarbonate of soda and stored safely and cheaply in seawater. Experts say widespread use of carbon capture technology will be required if the world is to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.
A video that shows a POST-PANAMAX containership crowding a tugboat towards a closed lock gate on March 5 has reignited the debate over safety on the Panama Canal. Voices in the background express shock as the tug, which carries a five-person crew, comes perilously close to being crushed under the bow of the massive vessel. The video was posted anonymously to social media shortly after the incident took place.
“The locks were not ready, the chamber was not full, and the gates were closed, but the pilot went ahead anyway,” said a tugboat captain who asked that his name not be used. “A tug at the stern is a requirement to go through the locks, but there was no stern tug because the pilot did not want to wait for the second tug, which was with another vessel.”
The MM&P affiliate Unión de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta (UCOC) represents tug captains and associated vessel personnel on the Canal.
The tug captains say the March 5 close call was a consequence of the Panama Canal Authority’s decision to loosen safety procedures.
“Nothing is written down,” one said. “There are no safety procedures so pilots can do whatever they want. Two weeks ago, a pilot decided to enter the locks without a deckhand crew. Some of the pilots appear to think that they have the prerogative to enter the locks without stern tugs or line handlers and to travel at unsafe speeds through the Canal. We live in anarchy here.” Panama Canal workers are being forced to perform their jobs under increasingly hazardous conditions, and the situation puts the world’s supply chains at growing risk, MM&P and UCOC have warned. The most recent incident could have been fatal to the tug crew and seriously damaged the lock gate.
The hazards stem mostly from the poor design of the expanded Canal, which has given rise to a much more labor-intensive process of vessel transit. In the old locks, electric-powered locomotive “mules” run on tracks along the sidewalls, using mooring wires and tension winches to maintain the position of transiting ships.
In the new locks, tugboats are required to continuously position vessels in transit. This puts great strain on the tugboat operators who are at the controls of their tugs throughout the entire transit, often for many hours without relief. Internationally recognized hours-of-rest standards are being routinely ignored by Canal management.
And there is no room for error. The lock chambers are 1400 feet long. Ships of up to 1215 feet in length are approved for transit in the new Canal. Each of the two tugs averages 90 feet in length.
Equipment shortages and cost-cutting are sharply increasing the danger. The Canal Authority says it has 46 tugs, but many are so old that spare parts are no longer available, and they are no longer maintained.
The risks to safety are severe and growing. A fire broke out aboard the tugboat Dolega in the vicinity of the city of Paraiso on Feb. 14.
A video filmed in August 2022 shows an aging tug lose steering and propulsion in the Miraflores locks and strike one of the locomotives that run on tracks along the walls of the chambers. “The Panama Canal Authority has allowed conditions to deteriorate to the point that it is only a question of time until disaster strikes,” says MM&P President Don Marcus, “and a crisis has the potential to impact international trade to an extent far greater than the grounding of the M/V Ever Given in the Suez Canal in March of 2021.”
"Unlike the situation in the Suez Canal, which is simply a ditch, if a single Panama Canal lock gate were to be breached, it would take months to repair and, in the meantime, the Canal would be closed to all NEOPANAMAX vessels.” “Immediate action is required.”
Plans for the first floating wind farm in the Celtic Sea cleared key hurdles with permissions from the Welsh government. The project is viewed as a demonstration that would help to unlock the potential for offshore wind power generation in the region and play a critical step in the UK’s target of over 100 GW of power from offshore resources.
The Erebus project is being jointly developed by TotalEnergies and the Simply Blue Group. Planning began in 2019 when they first identified the location. They point to the potential for wind power generation in the Celtic Sea citing independent studies that report there are 150 to 250 GW of wind resources in the region. They believe that 50 GW is an attainable target for the Celtic Sea.
“The Erebus project has the potential to show the world that Wales and the Celtic Sea can deliver renewable energy alongside the sustainable management of our marine resources,” said First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford. “In determining the marine license and the planning consents, the Welsh Government and our partners in Natural Resources Wales have enabled this project to move forward to apply for subsidy support from the UK Government.”
Welsh Ministers have granted consent with planning permission for the Erebus project to proceed. This comes weeks after the project secured its marine license from Wales. The license was granted after a comprehensive environmental impact assessment process was completed and the planning permission marked a key step forward for the project. The project still needs to complete contracts with the UK government.
“We welcome the decision from Welsh Ministers to grant the necessary planning consents for project Erebus and have been working with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales and other key stakeholders since 2019 to develop a project that is sympathetic to the natural environment and minimizes impacts to local communities and stakeholders,” said Mike Scott, Project Managing Director at Blue Gem Wind.
Erebus would be located nearly 25 miles off the Southwest coast of Pembrokeshire between the Bristol and St. George’s channels. The challenge for the area is that it will encounter depths of up to approximately 250 feet.
They expect when completed it will be among the largest floating offshore wind projects in the world. The group is working with Principle Power on the development of the floating platforms. They anticipate that the demonstration project would have between seven and ten platforms each with a 14 MW turbine.
The plan calls for starting construction in January 2025 and having the project operational by December 2026. In the first phase, they would have a capacity of 100 MW and they look at this as a steppingstone toward the goal of 4 GW of offshore wind power from the Celtic Sea.
Shell Funds Offshore Wind Research at Former Avondale Shipyard Site
The former Avondale Shipyard site, now used as a breakbulk pier and industrial hub (T Parker Host)
Louisiana-based company Gulf Wind Technology has secured funding from Shell to set up a wind power research and training facility at the former Avondale Shipyard site, a storied location which is ready for redevelopment.
With $10 million in backing from Shell, Gulf Wind plans to hire 30 people and found a new hub for offshore wind R&D in the region.
Gulf Wind has experience in improving the economic performance of operational wind farms and conducting research on rotor technology, primarily for onshore applications. It is headquartered at Avondale, with 30,000 square feet of workspace and access to 1.5 million additional square feet for fabrication. The new R&D program will be an expansion of its activities.
The company says that an investment in R&D for designing custom rotors - its primary area off experience - will be useful when it comes to adapting offshore turbines to the unique conditions in the Gulf.
“Wind resources in the Gulf region are more variable than what you find on the east coast where most of U.S. offshore wind development activity is currently happening,” said James Martin, GWT's CEO. “Seasonal hurricane conditions and moderate average wind speeds create a situation that requires a novel approach to the application of technology and the framework in which it is both developed and demonstrated. The Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator program has been specifically created to address and fulfill this need."
The first demonstrator turbine at the site is expected to be ready as early as next year. In addition to its R&D work, the program weill also house an offshore wind workforce education and training initiative.
To get the project built in Avondale, the state of Louisiana offered Gulf Wind Technology a workforce development incentive package, including a $375,000 award to support site infrastructure improvements. The company is also expected to participate in two state tax exemption programs.
The news is a big boost for the former Avondale Shipyard, renamed Avondale Global Gateway under the ownership of terminal operator and stevedoring company T. Parker Host.
"When we took the risk of transforming Avondale shipyards, this is exactly the type of progress and partnership we envisioned. With hundreds of acres of laydown space for equipment like offshore wind blades, our site is the ideal location for this type of groundbreaking investment," said T. Parker Host CEO and President Adam Anderson. "We had a vision of Avondale Global Gateway becoming the first offshore wind hub on the Gulf Coast and with the launch of this partnership, we are quickly making this a reality."
Last month, the Port of South Louisiana agreed to buy and further redevelop the Avondale site, and the port's management welcomed the news that Gulf Wind will be expanding.
"Today’s announcement from Gulf Wind Technology and Shell is confirmation that Avondale is open for business and attracting commerce and investment from the world’s most recognizable organizations," said Port of South Louisiana CEO Paul Matthews. "This is just the beginning. We look forward to fostering more development and job creation as Avondale Global Gateway’s new owner."
T. Parker Host purchased Avondale from Huntington Ingalls in 2018 for $60 million and invested over $100 million more in its redevelopment. It has agreed to sell the site to the Port of South Louisiana for $445 million, reflecting upgraded expectations of the complex's future business opportunities.
Marshall Unveils Robotic Drone System for Offshore Wind Inspections
As more countries increasingly exploit offshore wind energy, the demand for new technologies to inspect and maintain wind turbines is going to skyrocket. To solve this challenge, Marshall Futureworx, the venture building and advanced technologies arm of Cambridge-based Marshall Group, has unveiled a “resident robotic ecosystem” to provide offshore wind farm inspection services.
The ground-breaking new system, dubbed Lilypad, is an ecosystem of multiple autonomous over-the-horizon UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), which utilize artificial intelligence and navigational sensors. This revolutionizes the way operators are able to monitor real-time performance of their wind farms.
The UAVs are deployed from dedicated offshore charging stations and monitored by a single remote pilot stationed in an onshore command and control center. Vital inspection data and reports are then transmitted back to the wind operators, enabling faster and predictive maintenance scheduling.
According to Marshall Futureworx, Lilypad reduces the requirement for offshore personnel undertaking inspections, minimizing both cost and impact to the environment. At the same time, the higher frequency of revisits and the improved intelligence operators gain through Lilypad’s remote inspections will enable an offshore wind farm operator to increase wind turbine uptime.
As a UK based company, Marshall Futureworx hopes Lilypad will gain traction from the country’s booming offshore wind market. The UK has the world’s second largest installed offshore wind capacity at around 12 GW. It forms a key component of the UK government’s net zero strategy, including its ambitious target to achieve 50GW offshore wind installed capacity by 2030 and potentially more than 100 GW by 2050.
“The ever increasing demand for secure and renewable energy to power our communities has resulted in the surging need for innovative solutions to enable the installation and support of offshore wind infrastructure, right from initial construction and through the life of projects,” said Kieren Paterson, the Managing Director of Marshall Futureworx.
The Lilypad’s announcement follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2022 between Futureworx and ISS Aerospace, who offer industrial UAVs and leading AI drone guidance and control software.
NASSCO, Navantia Partner Up for West Coast Offshore Wind Projects
California's offshore wind farms will require construction of floating foundations, like those used by CIP for the Pentland project (above)
General Dynamics NASSCO is joining forces with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to compete for future offshore wind contracts on the U.S. West Coast.
Last year the Biden administration has auctioned five offshore wind lease areas off the coast of California, securing bids from five different experienced developers. The sites are all in deep water, and will require floating platform technology to develop. This is a costlier and more infrastructure-intensive method of construction, and has never been done before in the 800-1000 meter water depths of the California shelf. It will require building floating steel structures on a scale ordinarily found in the oil and gas industry, and that means new opportunities for shipbuilders.
Developers will also need to charter some quantity of Jones Act-qualified tonnage to install and service the towers, and these specialized ships will have to be built in America. As the West Coast's sole deep-sea shipbuilder, General Dynamics NASSCO is well positioned to compete for those contracts. As an additional financial incentive, local supply chain partners like the San Diego-based yard could potentially benefit from a pool of $117 million in U.S.-content investment commitments, which the leaseholders offered during the federal bidding round.
General Dynamics NASSCO's agreement with Navantia centers on the prospect of building components and assembling floating foundations. It leverages Navantia's years of experience in the European offshore wind sector, including localization projects deploying Navantia technology, alongside NASSCO's local infrastructure and capabilities in the United States. If successful, the business opportunity is larger than just the first five lease auctions. California wants to install at least 25 gigawatts worth of capacity by 2045, and the U.S. East Coast market holds potential opportunities too. This could help keep NASSCO's drydocks busy in between contracts for support ships for the U.S. Navy, its primary business line.
"We’re always looking for commercial work to complement our government work because it keeps labor level in the yard,” explained Brett Hershman, director of government relations and business development at NASSCO, speaking to the Union-Tribune.
Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Potential Highlighted in DNV Study
Researchers in Maine demonstrated a prototype for floating offshore wind turbines (New England Aqua Ventus)
DNV recently completed a series of studies designed to help the state of Maine develop the critical pathways for its offshore wind industry. The initiative was launched in June 2019 to outline a clear roadmap to develop floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, while ensuring balance with Maine’s maritime industries and environment.
The U.S. Department of the Interior through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has been actively targeting the Gulf of Maine as one of the future areas for the development of the offshore wind industry. According to BOEM’s leasing strategy announced in 2021, they are targeting the first lease auctions for the Gulf of Maine in 2024.
Maine has an abundant coastline and some of the highest average wind speeds in the United States, which makes it a strong candidate for offshore wind development. However, according to DNV, project development is more complex than other areas already underway on the East Coast, because of the Gulf of Maine’s water depths and its status as a primary economic driver for the state. State officials, including the governor, have expressed concern over the potential impact on the fishing industry and tourism, which are two of the state’s largest industries.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $2.166 million grant in 2020 to the State of Maine’s Governor’s Energy Office to advance the offshore wind industry through the development of a comprehensive industry roadmap. DNV was selected through a competitive bidding process to develop a series of technical, socio-economic, and strategy advisory studies to inform the state’s roadmap.
Broadly, DNV projects that offshore wind will rise from eight percent of total wind production in 2020 to 34 percent in 2050, totaling almost 2000 GW. Floating wind, which is expected to be the primary resource for the Gulf of Maine, is expected to represent about six percent of the power generated globally from the offshore wind industry with a total installed capacity potential for 300 GW.
“Offshore wind is an important component to transition to a decarbonized energy industry, and the roadmap prepared by DNV and others will help the State of Maine to build a dynamic and equitable offshore wind industry,” said Richard S. Barnes, region president, Energy Systems North America for DNV. “Floating wind is in its earliest stages and has not yet reached commercialization. This initiative provides the State of Maine, as well as other areas where fixed-bottom wind turbines are not feasible, an opportunity to be a global leader in the development of the market and the technology.”
DNV’s analysis of the industry’s potential in Maine revealed that the benefits of the offshore wind industry to the state are substantial. However, they anticipate that no large-scale wind farms will be operational in the near term. In the majority of DNV’s scenarios, offshore wind capacity in the Gulf of Maine will accelerate only after 2040.
In addition to the potential to generate significant amounts of electric power from offshore wind, DNV identifies the potential for a strong economic benefit to the state. They project the potential to create up to 33,000 jobs during the construction phase and up to 13,000 long-term jobs from the ongoing operation of the wind farms. They estimate the potential for $2 billion in wages to be generated from the offshore wind industry.
“While the development of offshore wind in the State of Maine demonstrates a potential for clear benefits such as job development and health, stakeholders are concerned about negative consequences to the industries and communities that rely on the ocean,” DNV writes. “There is a risk of displacement from harvest areas for fishermen and lobstermen, which can be problematic due to the strong social convention of harvesting only in specific areas that have often been negotiated over generations. The tourism industry could be affected by the perception that visible wind turbines would mar the scenery and ‘untouched’ feel of the coast.”
The roadmap set forth by DNV and other organizations identifies some solutions, including continued proactive communication with affected communities, and also recommends further research as lease areas and project development is more certain.
BOEM has been moving forward with the early stages of its planning efforts for the Gulf of Maine. In the spring of 2022, they released an initial report broadly defining a planning area consisting of 13.7 million acres in the Gulf of Maine and released an initial request for interest that ran to October 2022. Through consultations and a review of comments it is anticipated that the areas will be significantly reduced as the process moves forward.
A university-led project is already studying the Gulf of Maine’s offshore wind potential and developed a design for floating wind turbines. After testing near shore, the project filed for a research permit. BOEM in January reported that it has determined that there was no competitive interest for the research lease and as a next step toward awarding the license would be initiating an environmental review of potential impacts from offshore wind leasing activities associated with the research lease.
American Ports Dismiss “Chinese Spy Cranes” as Media Sensationalism
Chinese-manufactured cranes are shipped to the U.S. fully assembled on heavy lift ships (Port of Seattle)
The American Association of Port Authorities issued a statement responding to the media reports circulating over the past week that suggested Chinese-manufactured cranes used to move containers and other heavy cargo in ports might compromise U.S. security. The organization which represents more than 130 public port authorities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America, called the media reports “alarmist,” and “sensationalized,” while saying it would use the attention on the industry to launch a legislative effort to restore the U.S.’s manufacturing capabilities for cranes and other heavy port equipment.
The issues made headlines after The Wall Street Journal published a report saying that unnamed “national-security and Pentagon officials” were comparing the cranes manufactured by China’s ZPMC to a Trojan horse. The report said that there was “a growing concern” that the cranes which are widely deployed any many major American ports “could be giving Beijing a possible spying tool hiding in plain sight.”
These unnamed sources highlighted the sophisticated electronics built into modern cranes saying that they feared China could capture information about materials being shipped. Questions were also raised that if the technology could provide China with remote access to the ports or even the ability to disrupt operations.
“Modern cranes are very fast and sophisticated but even they can’t track the origin, destination, or nature of the cargo,” wrote AAPA in its response to this week’s media frenzy.
The Chinese Embassy responded to The Wall Street Journal calling the reports “paranoia-driven” and efforts to further disrupt trade and economic cooperation. Reports in the government-controlled media in China went further calling this the latest example of the “delusion of persecution” among the Americans. One media report was entitled, “Hysterically laughable to think giant Chinese-made cranes could be spying tools.”
The origin of the report seems linked to a little-known clause inserted by U.S. lawmakers into the December 2022 defense authorization act. According to The Wall Street Journal, lawmakers added a requirement for the Transportation Department to consult with the defense secretary to produce a study on the issue. Specifically, they required an unclassified report “on whether foreign-manufactured cranes pose cybersecurity or national-security threats at American ports.”
AAPA highlights that it has a technical committee and a strong focus on security and safety at all ports. They cited efforts to identify and protect against any potential threats. The Association’s General Counsel said, “I like a good spy movie, but you need a smoking gun to make it a blockbuster, and there’s no smoke in this story.”
Even The Wall Street Journal admitted, “National-security officials haven’t detailed any instances of cranes being used to nefarious ends.”
Many observers are citing this as the latest wave of anti-China sentiment which has led to repeated accusations against a wave of Chinese companies. Social media platform TikTok continues to be under scrutiny with the military and many states banning the use of the app. The U.S. previously also banned the Chinese telecom company Huawei and now the efforts are targeting ZPMC, which by the company’s estimates controls 70 to 80 percent of the world market for ship-to-shore cranes. Emerging as a lower-cost alternative, and in many cases, the only viable supplier, the company’s cranes are deployed in over 100 countries.
With the backlash growing against Chinese companies, including now ZPMC, the association writes in its response to the latest issue, “Without reshoring, our domestic manufacturing capacity, legislative proposals to hastily remove cranes from U.S. ports without immediate replacements would harm U.S. supply chains, jack up prices for everyone, and exacerbate inflation even further.”
AAPA announced it would be supporting the introduction of the “Crane Reshoring and National Enforcement of Supply Chain Security Act.” They said more details on the effort which is designed to jump-start American production of port equipment would be announced at a legislative summit the association is sponsoring at the end of March.
Sunken Philippine Tanker May Have Sailed Without Required License
Officials warn that noncompliance on the casualty voyage could affect any insurance payout
Philippine Coast Guard servicemembers clean the shoreline at Pola, Oriental Mindoro (PCG)
The small tanker that sank off Oriental Mindoro on February 28 lacked the proper paperwork to sail, according to Philippine maritime administration MARINA.
In a hearing Tuesday, members of the Philippine Senate's environment committee criticized the shipowner and the Philippine Coast Guard for allowing the vessel Princess Empress to operate without proper permitting. The newly-built tanker was delivered in late 2022, and at the time of her loss in February, she was sailing without a required amendment to the operator's Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC), according to MARINA. Shipwoner RDC Reield Marine Services held a valid CPC for its overall business, but had allegedly not submitted all of the required paperwork to secure an amendment for the new vessel.
In testimony, RDC VP Fritzie Tee told the committee that the firm had completed the application in November; MARINA administrator Hernani Fabia countered that the application was missing needed documents - specifically financial information. A missing CPC would mean that Princess Empress could not legally sail on domestic voyages under Philippine law.
Two members of the senate committee predicted that the lack of complete paperwork for the casualty voyage could allow the vessel's insurer to deny coverage for the effects of the spill. The vessel had up to $1 billion in coverage for marine casualties, but the operator's alleged noncompliance could affect payout. "The insurance company will find a basis to not pay,” Sen. Cynthia Villar warned. "We should plan accordingly that we will not get that [payment]."
Given that any incomplete paperwork should have caused the vessel to fail a pre-voyage inspection, members of the panel excoriated the Philippine Coast Guard for allowing Princess Empress to leave the pier at all. “If you did your jobs, we would not be all here,” Sen. Raffy Tulfo told PCG officials.
Later Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard released documents appearing to show that MARINA had approved the tanker's CPC permit on November 16, contrary to testimony at the hearing.
Growing impact
An unknown amount of Princess Empress' 210,000 gallons of fuel oil has been released into the marine environment, and the contamination has spread along the length of Mindoro's eastern coastline, along with sections of the Caluya Islands. Nine communities have sustained varying levels of waterfront pollution, more than 120 people have fallen ill from petroleum fumes, thousands of fishermen are out of work, and the impact on the local tourism industry has yet to be quantified.
RDC's ability to provide compensation on its own is not known. The firm describes itself as a small corporation, and it operates out of a modest concrete office building on the outskirts of Manila. Though the firm's internal resources may be limited, the government of Oriental Mindoro has urged RDC to donate what it can in order to support affected fishermen and citizens. "We who caused the problem, it is incumbent upon us to extend whatever assistance we can," said Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor on Tuesday.
Spill containment and cleanup efforts continue, and the Philippine government has appealed to the United States for technical assistance. The wreck lies in about 1,200 feet of water, too deep for divers to access, and any intervention to prevent further oil releases will require ROV technology.
As Oil Spill Spreads off Mindoro, Communities Weigh Legal Action
Philippine Coast Guard personnel and cadets from the Philippines' Norwegian Training Center clean oil off the rocks at the town of Pola (PCG)
The local government of Pola, Oriental Mindoro is considering a lawsuit against the owner of the sunken product tanker Princess Empress, which went down with a cargo of fuel oil off the town's coast on February 28. The resulting petroleum release has polluted miles of beachfront on Mindoro's eastern shore, along with sensitive environmentally-protected areas and fishing grounds. More than a dozen people have reported symptoms of VOC inhalation, and thousands of local fishermen are out of work due to a fishing ban.
According to Jennifer Cruz, mayor of Pola, the shipowner first got in contact with local authorities on March 8, more than a week after the tanker went down. "They should, I told them, should in such an emergency, the immediate thing is that they go to the place where they should talk properly. It's not that they will turn off the phone or they won't really reply," she said, according to ABS CBN. "I told them not to be afraid to come forward, because they have to face their negligence."
The owner offered assistance, she said, but the aid duplicates existing provisions from government agencies, and she declined to accept it until after consultation with the provincial government.
In a forum convened Thursday by a consortium of environmental organizations, Liza Osorio, legal and policy director for Oceana, urged the Philippine government to hold the shipowner accountable through the courts. Philippine law contains antipollution statutes based on the "polluter pays" principle, and these rules should be used to pursue compensation for the affected communities, she said.
According to Ivan Andres, program lead at the think tank Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED), the spill is having a substantial effect on the local economy, beyond its impact on fishing. "Livelihood impacts are being felt by businesses and workers alike," he said. "The no-fishing order and the prevention of tourism are a major hit to these businesses."
Meanwhile, the spill continues to drift to the south, and containment efforts have had limited success. The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed booms around the wreck site and is applying dispersant in an attempt to minimize the impact of the spill, but nine out of 15 communities in Oriental Mindoro have already been affected, along with areas in the Caluya Islands.
"Unfortunately, because of the prevailing wind condition brought by the [monsoon], the oil slick continues to spread," Dr. Irene Rodriguez of the the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute told The Manila Times. "It will continue to follow this trajectory if the prevailing winds will continue in the next days."
