THE COUNTRY NOT THE STATE

Georgia Arrests Man Who Tried To Sell Uranium In Tiny Bottle For $2 Million

By Eurasianet - May 05, 2023

Georgia's counterterrorism police have arrested a man who carried around uranium in a tiny glass bottle. Ilia Belkania, a 52-year-old living off social benefits, was planning to sell the little batch of nuclear material for $2 million, the State Security Service said on May 1. 

State security officials released a video of a little bottle with a bright, greenish-yellow substance being checked with a radiation detector. The video also showed officials in balaclavas arresting Belkania at an unspecified wooded location and retrieving the vial from him. The seized material "contains the radioactive substance uranium and belongs to the category of nuclear materials," said Davit Kutateladze, spokesperson for the State Security Service. 

The unemployed Belkania lived in a rural home in the western region of Samegrelo and was detained in the vicinity of the Black Sea port town of Poti. His elderly parents told news media that police raided their house shortly after the arrest. "I don't think my boy could have done such a thing," Belkania's ailing mother told reporters. 

Officials have not elaborated on the provenance of the uranium or its prospective buyers, but the nation has long grappled with the smuggling of radioactive materials. Three men were arrested last year for storing unspecified radioactive substances at two different locations. The year before, police interdicted an attempt to sell americium 241, a radioactive isotope, for 300,000 euros. 

Georgia uncovered a spate of radioactive smuggling cases in 2015 and 2016, including two attempts to sell uranium and one attempt to offload cesium-137, a by-product of nuclear fission. In none of these cases were the sources of radioactive materials ever publically disclosed. The region's only nuclear power plant, an aging Soviet-era facility, operates in next-door Armenia. 

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, branches of Soviet research institutions folded in Georgia, and the nation became strewn with orphaned radioactive leftovers. This offered rich picking grounds for smugglers. At that time all across the post-Soviet space "potatoes were guarded better" than nuclear fuel, to quote one Russian military prosecutor. 

With funding from the United States, Georgia recovered hundreds of radioactive materials from abandoned research facilities in the 1990s. Late in the decade, the US removed uranium fuel of Soviet origin from a research reactor in Mtskheta, just outside capital Tbilisi. The US Defense Department has been equipping Georgia's main transportation nodes with radioactive detection equipment and providing training for the police forces. 

Yet Georgia's borders remained porous to smugglers, not least because of the unstable situation around the boundaries of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Smuggling continued through the 2010s, with petty peddlers hustling around bits of expensive and dangerous materials in whatever packaging they found handy. For the most part, substances carried were small in quantity but huge in potential consequences. In 2006, a Russian smuggler was famously arrested for carrying 100 grams of bomb-grade uranium in a sandwich bag. 

With international, primarily American help, Georgia's defenses against nuclear materials peddling have improved significantly, but cases of smuggling persist suggesting that the nation is still part of a radioactive route.    

By Giorgo Lomsadze via Eurasianet.org

 

Singapore Says Ammonia Requires Study and 2023 Pilot is Not Realistic

Singapore skyline courtesy of Visit Singapore

PUBLISHED MAY 3, 2023 5:21 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is calling into question reports suggesting that the port is ready to conduct the first transfers of ammonia in a trial to support the development of bunkering processes for ammonia as a marine fuel. The agency, which oversees and regulates the port's operations including the world’s largest marine bunker market, says it does not view a timeline before the end of 2023 for the first pilot tests of ammonia as realistic.

“The MPA welcomes studies, pilots, and collaborations that contribute to the maritime sector’s decarbonization efforts,” they wrote in a statement released on May 1. “These efforts must, however, be accompanied by thorough validation of the studies, calibration of models to assess the impact of incidents, and rigorous procedures to ensure the safety of the port, port community, and ship crew.”

While only citing the media coverage and not the authors of the study in question, the MPA is calling out the statements that “the risks identified for conducting (ammonia-related) pilots in the Port of Singapore were found to be low or mitigable, thus paving the way for a pilot project.”

“These views do not represent the assessment of MPA and other government agencies – the timeline before end-2023 is not realistic,” the MPA said in response to the media coverage of the release of a report commissioned in January 2022 by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and its appointed consultant, DNV Maritime Advisory supported by management consulting firm Surbana Jurong and the Singapore Maritime Academy at the Singapore Polytechnic. The sponsors announced that they had completed their study identifying more than 400 potential risks and assessed the technically feasible of operational concepts. While acknowledging the toxicity and associated risks of green ammonia the study concluded the safety risks can be mitigated.

While reiterating its commitment to decarbonizing the maritime sector and international shipping, the MPA is saying the results of the newly announced study should not prejudge the outcomes of its independent efforts, including further assessments and standards development by the MPA and the relevant agencies. Pilots and trials they noted require comprehensive preparations, safety procedures, bunkering standards, operation and risk assessments, and safety audits.

Various ammonia-related studies the MPA notes were presented during Singapore Maritime Week. They highlighted that the Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence, a jointly funded program by the Singapore Maritime Institute and Nanyang Technological University, concluded in its presentation that more dispersion and release studies are needed to better understand the impact of a potential ammonia release under various environmental conditions and scenarios. That study contends that available mitigation and response measures will require further work.

Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, had said in presenting the findings of their study that their group is “aiming for the first transfer of ammonia to take place by end 2023, subject to obtaining the green light from the relevant regulatory agencies.”

The MPA concludes that additional ammonia research is required while noting that it is also proceeding with other decarbonization efforts. They highlighted preparations underway to conduct the first methanol bunkering operation in the port of Singapore. They expect the methanol pilot to start in the third quarter of 2023.

Europe's Ambitious Hydrogen Plans Face Challenges

By Tsvetana Paraskova - May 05, 2023

Europe is betting on hydrogen to cut the use of fossil fuels and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but the hydrogen industry faces challenges in making the sector a scalable and cost-effective replacement for natural gas.

The EU's renewables strategy includes the ambition to produce 10 million tons and import 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen in the EU by the end of this decade. The European Commission has outlined a 'hydrogen accelerator' concept to scale up the deployment of green hydrogen, which, the EC says, will contribute to accelerating the energy transition and decarbonizing the EU's energy system.   

In March, the Commission set out new plans to incentivize and support investment in sustainable hydrogen production through a European Hydrogen Bank (EHB), an initiative aimed at accelerating investment and bridging the investment gap for the EU to reach its ambitious hydrogen targets under the REPowerEU plan.  

Last month, the leaders of some of Europe's biggest economies pledged to turn the North Sea into an offshore wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture energy hub. 

But scaling up hydrogen production and imports would need the creation of an entirely new market, which could face challenges in offering and pricing, experts tell Energy Voice.

European ports could play a part in a future hydrogen economy, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges plans to capture a part of this new market, the port's hydrogen program manager Maxime Peeterst told Energy Voice.  

Industry officials believe that the EU needs to revise some provisions in the hydrogen regulation in the coming years to make Europe's hydrogen industry globally competitive. The complexity of EU regulations compared to other jurisdictions makes Europe less competitive in hydrogen project advancement, Daryl Wilson, executive director of industry body the Hydrogen Council, told Hydrogen Economist in an interview last month.

"In terms of the raw number of projects proposed and announcements, there are many more projects in the EU versus the US. But there are more projects moving to FID in the US," Wilson said.  

Moscow offers new subsidies for Arctic hydrogen

Natural gas company Novatek will get major tax relief for its projected hydrogen and ammonia project in the far northern Yamal Peninsula.

Natural gas production in Yamal Peninsula. Photo: Atle Staalesen


By Atle Staalesen
April 24, 2023

The natural gas that is spent on production of hydrogen and ammonia in the Arctic will be exempted tax, the Russian government decides.

The measure follows a request from Novatek, Kommersant reports. It could significantly benefit the company’s plans to build a hydrogen and ammonia plant in the region.

Novatek has long planned to develop its Ob project, but international sanctions introduced against Russia following its war against Ukraine has halted progress.

The company initially planned to produce up to 5 million tons of LNG in the project, but then instead decided to go for ammonia.

Contracts were signed with international companies Uniper, RWE and Mitsui in 2021. Few months later, the partners pulled out.

The Russian government now seeks to stimulate a resumption of plans. The bill that this week was sent from Government to the State Duma proposes to remove the production tax on natural gas used to generate hydrogen and ammonia.

The Ob project includes the annual production of 2,2 million tons of ammonia and 130,000 tons of hydrogen. The first part of the project was originally planned launched in 2026 and the second in 2027. It is all based on the natural gas resources of the Verkhnetiuteyskoye and Zapadno-Seyakhinskoye, and later also the Neytinskoye and Arkticheskoye, fields.

Included in the project plans are also the catch and storage of up to 4 million tons of CO2 per year, which was to make the ammonia and hydrogen attractive for the EU market.

There are currently several more Arctic projects on hydrogen and ammonia production.

In northern Norway, company Horisont Energi plans to use natural gas from the Snøhvit field for the production of up to 3,000 tons of blue ammonia per day. In the Norwegian town of Berlevåg, the company Varanger Kraft is in the process of building a plant on the production of green hydrogen based on its local wind power farm. Similar plans have also been discussed in Murmansk, at the Kola Wind Farm.

As international energy have markets increasingly turned towards new and renewable sources, Russian authorities have highlighted hydrogen as a priority area. On the 15th of October 2021, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin confirmed that 9 billion rubles (€110 million) over the next three years will be invested in new and domestically developed technology for production, transportation and storage of hydrogen.

The plan was based on Russia’a vast natural gas reserves, as well as nuclear power and renewable energy sources.

Nigeria To Finally Commission Huge 650,000 Bpd Oil Refinery

By Tsvetana Paraskova - May 08, 2023

After years of delays and massive cost overruns, Nigeria is set to finally see a 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil refinery commissioned later this month.

The Dangote Refinery, built by the group of the same name of Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, is expected to be inaugurated by Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, Nigerian outlet THISDAY reported on Sunday, quoting a source at the refinery.  

Construction at the refinery has been completed, and tests are being carried out, the source told THISDAY.

The Dangote Group has previously said that it aims to commission the refinery before President Buhari leaves office at the end of May after serving the maximum of two consecutive terms per the constitution.

It looks like this time the timeline will be kept, as a presidential spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday that the refinery near Lagos is set for inauguration on May 22.

The refinery has cost around $20 billion, up from initial cost estimates of between $12 billion and $14 billion.

The huge refinery will be able to meet domestic fuel demand and even have some part of the fuel left for exports.

The Dangote refinery expects to export diesel to customers in Europe, as well as gasoline to Latin American and African markets. 

Nigeria, OPEC’s top crude oil producer in Africa, has had to rely on fuel imports due to a lack of enough capacity at its refineries, some of which had to undergo refurbishment in recent years.

At the end of last year, the then oil minister Timipre Sylva said that the country expects to stop importing petroleum products starting in the third quarter of 2023. 

A refurbished refinery in Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta is expected to be producing 60,000 bpd of refined crude oil per day, and the new Dangote refinery is expected to come online in 2023, Sylva said at the end of November.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

ON APACHE LAND

Rio Tinto under ‘immense pressure’ to develop US copper project
Reuters | May 4, 2023 |

Image from Resolution Copper.

Rio Tinto Ltd is under “immense pressure” from the US government to develop its Resolution copper project in the United States, given the copper it holds accounts for a quarter of all US reserves, its chair Dominic Barton said on Thursday.


Copper is vital for the transition to green energy but the project in Arizona is opposed by all of the state’s tribal councils, including the San Carlos Apache because it would destroy a heritage site of religious significance.
Rio Tinto has pledged to follow United Nations principles that require full consent from Indigenous groups for mining on traditional lands in the wake of its destruction of significant rock shelters in Western Australia for an iron ore mine in 2020.

“We are getting immense pressure to proceed because of the copper reserves that are there,” Barton told shareholders at Rio Tinto’s Australian shareholders meeting.

Pressure was coming from “parts of the US government,” Barton clarified on a media call following the meeting, as US senators seek to get copper put on the US critical mineral list which would allow copper projects access to tax breaks.

“We are engaging and we are not (making) any conclusions but we are going through a process right now,” CEO Jakob Stausholm said.

“It’s not just a matter of government approvals, but it’s also a matter of us convincing ourselves it’s the right thing.”

The US Forest Service is set to approve a land swap between the US government and Rio Tinto that would allow the mining giant to develop Resolution but Indigenous groups object to the transfer and contest ownership of the land.

Rio Tinto has been under a “deep engagement” process with the groups for the past nine years. “Ultimately it’s societal choice,” Stausholm added.

The US consumes around 2 million tonnes of copper a year but produces less than 1 million tonnes, Stausholm noted, and US copper demand is only expected to grow sharply in coming years, he added.

(By Melanie Burton; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephern Coates)

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

After Accounting Scandal, Austal USA Hires Former Fraud Prosecutor

PUBLISHED MAY 2, 2023 10:38 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Austal USA has hired a former federal prosecutor with 10 years of experience on white collar crime cases to serve as its chief compliance officer. The new appointment may have relevance for Austal's current needs: the Justice Department recently indicted three former Austal USA executives on charges of accounting fraud during the early days of Austal's Littoral Combat Ship program. 

Austal USA's new vice president of legal affairs and chief compliance officer will be Adam Overstreet, a veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama. For 10 years, he served in the office's criminal division and handled fraud prosecutions.

Overstreet also has relevant experience in shipbuilding. Most recently, he served as Ingalls Shipbuilding’s senior counsel, where he led internal investigations for Ingalls and managed the litigation docket for HII’s Mission Technologies Division.

The appointment also sends a signal. “Austal USA takes compliance with all laws and government regulations seriously,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said in a statement. “Adam’s deep and diverse experience in compliance, investigations, litigation, and federal procurement makes him well-suited to place Austal in the best position for continued success as a top maritime defense contractor.”

Last month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicted three former executives of Austal USA on charges of accounting fraud, including one individual who was a current employee until the day of the indictment. 

The accused include the former director of Austal USA's Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, William Adams; former president Craig Perciavalle; and director of financial analysis Joseph Runkel. They have been charged with five counts of wire fraud and four related charges; if convicted, the maximum possible penalties for each charge are measured in decades. 

The three men stand accused of manipulating an accounting metric known as “estimate at completion” (EAC) for multiple LCS ships that Austal USA was building in 2013-2016. According to charging documents, reducing this metric inflated the reported earnings (EBIT) of Austal USA's publicly-listed Australian parent company, Austal Ltd., boosting the value of its stock. 

In mid-2016, Austal USA was forced to admit that its costs on LCS were higher than previously disclosed. This led to an unexpected full-year loss of $120 million, down from a profit of $86 million the year before. 

Alleged accounting scandal aside, Austal USA is at least as important to the U.S. defense industrial base now as it was in 2013. The Department of Defense has invested $50 million in infrastructure to add steel hull construction capability to Austal's all-aluminum lineup, and the shipbuilder is one of the main contenders for a follow-on yard contract for the new Constellation-class frigate (

Report: Lagging U.S. Offshore Wind Power Could Swell to 51 GW in Years

ACP sees rapid growth in the U.S. offshore wind capacity while cautioning of challenges

PUBLISHED MAY 5, 2023 6:26 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

While there has been a lot of attention on the emerging offshore wind sector, a new market analysis from the American Clear Power Association (ACP) illustrates how far behind the United States is in comparison to not only global economies but small countries including Vietnam and Taiwan. The trade group for the clean power industry illustrates that while the U.S. currently lags in the global offshore wind market, the pipeline for projects is growing rapidly with more than 51 GW already identified and the scoping process continuing.

According to the report, the United States currently ranks tenth based on global installed offshore wind capacity with a paltry 42 MW of offshore wind capacity online. That’s less than five percent of the capacity of Vietnam and 0.0013 percent of the capacity of world leader China. China has over 31 GW of installed wind capacity having flown past the UK which is at approximately 14 GW installed. Other leaders are Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium.

Yet, while the U.S. is far behind on installed capacity, the pipeline is swelling quickly according to ACP. They calculate the total capacity of identified projects that have completed at least initial leases is nearly 51.4 GW. The U.S. has 32 leases in active development with two projects with 948 MW of capacity under construction in federal waters, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ 816 MW Vineyard Wind 1 and Ørsted and Eversource’s 132 MW South Fork Wind Farm. 

Most of the U.S. pipeline remains in the development stage with 18 projects in advanced stages which include signing offtake agreements or proceeding with equipment orders. These projects will add more than 16.5 GW while there are an additional 18 projects with the capacity for nearly 33.9 GW in early-stage development. Those projects have completed leases and are starting the permitting and agreements process. 

”The rapid growth in the U.S. offshore wind pipeline reflects strong federal and state government commitment to clean energy expansion and the industry’s response to these goals,” said John Hensley, VP of Research & Analytics for ACP. 

Most of the current capacity in development the report says will start to come online in 2026 and beyond. They highlight the Biden Administration's goal of 30 GW of installed capacity by 2030 noting that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is continuing to pursue its Path Forward launched in 2021. The current timeline calls for lease auctions in the Gulf of Mexico, Central Atlantic, and off the coast of Oregon all in 2023, and the Gulf of Maine in 2024.

The trade group also highlights the broader economic benefits from the emerging industry. In total, they calculate that more than 30 new or refit vessels have been ordered or under construction at U.S. shipyards, with more in the pipeline. While Dominion Energy’s Charybdis wind turbine installation vessel is the sole installation vessel, orders have been placed for support vessels including a subsea rock installation vessel. ACP also highlights to meet the Jones Act requirements there are plans to build vessels for feeder installation strategies. 

The report calculates that there are at least 21 known crew transfer vessels that have been ordered or are already under construction in the U.S., with one existing vessel retrofit to serve as a CTV. Additionally, there are three service operation vessels (SOVs) ordered or under construction with three more existing vessels being retrofitted as SOVs to serve the U.S. offshore wind industry.  

In the components supply chain, there are currently two cable facilities and one offshore substation facility in operation. Fourteen additional facilities have been announced or are under construction. 

Hensley added, “While the U.S. offshore wind industry is making tremendous strides, it’s essential to address the challenges to ensure the long-term economic viability of these projects. A strong, collaborative approach between industry stakeholders and government bodies will help us tackle obstacles – like clarifying permitting processes – and realize the full potential of offshore wind as a key component of our clean energy future.”

The ACP highlights that project costs are rising due to supply chain disruptions, commodity price increases, macroeconomic inflationary pressures, and higher interest rates. Rising steel prices in particular pose challenges for offshore wind developers the group says highlighting that steel represents a significant portion of project material costs. Lengthy and unclear permitting and regulatory timelines make issues worse the report highlights. Resolution of these permitting and siting challenges, alongside improving economic conditions, would strengthen the economic viability of offshore wind projects concludes the ACP.

The report concludes that the industry is making strong progress and with its current pipeline has the potential to power more than 20 million homes. They also point to the strong economic contributions while cautioning that more has to be done to realize the potential that is in the pipeline and maintain the momentum.

 

The Cost of Crime and Corruption for Pacific Fisheries

Chinese maritime militia vessels at Whitsun Reef, March 2021 (Image courtesy Armed Forces of the Philippines)

PUBLISHED MAY 7, 2023 2:59 PM BY THE LOWY INTERPRETER

 

[By Jade Lindley]

The Pacific Ocean is the most abundant fishing region, however an uptick in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the islands means that might not always be true. Pacific tuna fisheries – a staple food and valuable economic source within and beyond the region – saw an estimated 192,186 tonnes, valued at $333.5 million fished illegally between 2017 and 2019, and the problem is growing. Worse, climate change further affects at least 41 per cent of already threatened marine species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the governing body for protected species.

Globally, estimates suggest that in 2020 we each consumed 20.2 kilograms of seafood. That number is expected to rise, acknowledging the health benefits, income growth, technological advancements, as well as seafood-dependent communities. Clearly, fisheries are a natural resource that requires protection from illegal activity.

Despite efforts to raise awareness of IUU fishing globally and regionally within the Pacific, and curb it, a solution remains elusive. The recent case involving alleged corruption in the mackerel fishing industry of Vanuatu highlights the need to continue conversation and limit the opportunity for illegal and unsustainable fishing practices.

Corruption within fisheries is no doubt a contributory factor in enabling private operators to exceed and undercut available fishing quotas. This also limits potential income for the state. A zero-tolerance approach to corruption among fisheries decisionmakers is central. What is alleged in the Vanuatu case is unlikely to be unique among other small island developing states, particularly those adjacent to rich fishing grounds. Indeed, corruption is an issue across the Pacific Islands region, according to Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perception Index.

There is a need to resist acceptance of a culture of corruption as the standard operating procedure, particularly within fisheries, and instead ensure transparent and sustainable contractual arrangements with private operators that benefit the government and people of today, and into the future. Tolerating corruption comes at a cost.

Fish know no sovereign boundaries and freely migrate across national and international borders. Therefore, the international role in responding to IUU fishing needs to be clarified and bolstered, rather than relying on optional recommendations which are clearly not having enough impact. Otherwise, the incentive to adopt and enforce obligations is unlikely to take hold.

Logical action for protecting species from overfishing rests with a collective, regional approach. Geographic and species-focused regional fisheries management organisations span about 90 per cent of all oceans and collaborate relating to specific fisheries stock management to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainability of these fisheries. However, greater collaboration between regional states is also relevant and necessary for monitoring and enforcement strategies aligning the specific states, particularly when fished in national borders.

A collective response directly aligns with the original intention of Article 1 of the UN Charter, while recognising state’s freedom to fish under Article 116 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. More recently, the UN sustainable development goals require IUU fishing to be addressed as a matter of urgency via goal 14, and encourages anti-corruption approaches and strengthened international collaborative responses via goal 16. The latest addition to the international legal landscape is the High Seas Treaty, agreed to in March this year, which promises to deliver greater protection over the high seas. This valuable addition will, however, take time to enter into force.

The UN Convention against Corruption has one of the highest number of parties of all international treaties, indicating global condemnation for corruption. International collaboration, particularly as it relates to corruption, is necessary in response to IUU fishing in international waters, in regions where there is an abundance of fish, corruption tolerance and limited law enforcement capacity to effectively monitor catches, and reliance on fishing to support GDP.

Regional collaboration supporting monitoring and enforcement efforts is critical, as highlighted in an AP4D report released in April 2023. Australia has an important role in strengthening collaboration across the Pacific region networks, which will no doubt impact on the Australian consumer. Advancements in monitoring technology, law enforcement training, and testing capabilities on landed catches will all limit the opportunity for IUU fishing to go unnoticed. The importance of competent and well-funded response to IUU fishing has never been greater.

Dr Jade Lindley is a criminologist based at The University of Western Australia Law School and Oceans Institute. Her research focuses on various transnational crimes and their intersection with international law. Jade is particularly interested in the criminal motivations to conduct transnational crimes, particularly in the environmental crime and maritime security space, and international responses to control these crimes.

This article appears courtesy of The Lowy Interpreter and may be found in its original form here. 

 

Video: USCG Medevacs Burn Victim From Bulker off North Carolina

Courtesy USCG

PUBLISHED MAY 3, 2023 10:24 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a bulker crewmember who had sustained serious burns in an onboard accident. 

The 60,000 dwt PRT Ace was drifting off the coast of North Carolina after a voyage from Cartagena, Colombia. On Wednesday, Watchstanders with Coast Guard 5th District received a request for help from the Ace's crew, who reported that a 29-year-old crewmember had been accidentally burned while using the ship’s incinerator. 

The PRT Ace was located about 150 nautical miles east of Morehead City, North Carolina. 5th District's watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City helicopter crew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew, and asked the crew of PRT Ace to change course and head for Morehead City.

The helicopter crew arrived on scene and safely hoisted aboard the injured crewmember. Video from the rescue suggests that the victim sustained burns to both arms. The aircrew took him to Norfolk Sentara Hospital for further medical care.

PRT Ace is a 2014-built bulker operated by a Japanese firm. In January, port state control inspectors in the Netherlands cited her for five deficiencies, including problems with a fixed firefighting installation and ISM-related issues, according to her Equasis record.