Robots Tarzan and Jane, aided by AI, take over repetitive tasks at B.C. hospital lab

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

Far from the jungle, Tarzan and Jane swing quietly into action in a sterile laboratory at St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver.

They are robots that work with artificial intelligence to handle and process up to 70 per cent of the hospital's microbiology samples.

The pair unscrew specimen tubes and streak the samples onto bacterial culture plates in the new $1-million automated WASPLab, short for "walk-away specimen processor."

It's not glamorous work, but it's a big job — the St. Paul's lab handles more than 145,000 microbiological samples each year from B.C. and Yukon.

Lab automation is not new, but the hospital says WASPLab's use of AI is a first for Western Canada, assessing and sorting culture plates, separating bacterial cultures and letting staff know if something needs more analysis.

Dr. Marc Romney, head of medical microbiology and virology at St. Paul's, said the new level of automation made doctors' and lab technologists' lives easier by freeing them from repetitive manual work.

Tarzan and Jane have been working at the lab for two months. Romney said they are "great workers," willing to work early morning and late shifts and able to deal with a large batch of samples all at once. 

“We appreciate the fact that they are allowing the lab staff to perform more complex work .… So, the more routine work which is sometimes very manual is being replaced by a robot,” said Romney. 

"It gives us a lot more flexibility in our workflow," he added. 

When the robot duo first arrived, there was a lot of excitement, said Romney, as well as a little bit of apprehension from lab staff. 

"Because people think, (is) this machine going to take over my job? But ultimately, they realize no, it's going to make my life easier," said Romney. 

Tarzan and Jane each have their special skills. 

Tarzan is good at the "heavy lifting" of preparing specimens for the next stage of bacterial culture, said Romney. 

The robot picks up the specimen — it could be either a urine culture or wound swab — and scans the bar code to determine what needs to be done with it.

Then Jane does the finer work of applying a precise volume of the specimen onto the surface of the bacterial culture plates. 

The plates are placed on a conveyor belt, labelled, then stored in an incubator, allowing the bacterial colonies to grow. 

Romney said it's after incubation that the WASPLab's artificial intelligence comes into play, discarding negative culture plates while reporting the positive ones.

"This used to be all manual, and now it's automated by these two robots, Tarzan and Jane. It would have taken much longer for humans to do it," said Romney. 

The robots were created and named by Italy-based lab automation manufacturer Copan. 

The hospital said in a statement that doctors and laboratory staff spent months collaborating with Copan to customize the WASPLab to ensure it met the hospital's needs. It was funded by a donor to the St. Paul’s Foundation.

The system is not infallible. Romney said the robots occasionally make errors, and Tarzan has been known to drop tubes. 

"In real life, we know that complicated technology sometimes goes wrong, and we need to supervise it … and even Tarzan and Jane sometimes make mistakes, and so we have to have humans there to correct those mistakes when they occur," said Romney. 

Another WASPLab will be set up when the new St. Paul’s Hospital opens its doors in 2027, said Romney. 

Could robots and AI completely replace human staff in hospitals of the future?

Romney said both would play a role in health-care settings but would never completely replace medical professionals.

"If I were a patient, I'm not sure I would have total confidence in robots to provide my entire care," he said, admitting he "might be biased."

The vast majority of the time, automated systems "work really well." Romney said.

"But sometimes, it does make some errors … AI is a big part of the future in health care, a big part of the future for hospital acute care. But it's not the be-all and end-all."

He predicted that AI would instead free the next generation of physicians from "simpler work."

"But what's happening in health care is that the level of acuity and complexity in our patients is going up significantly … and I think it makes it harder for AI to make a definitive answer," said Romney.

"It's not impossible. But it requires, I think, some human intervention."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2024. 

 

U.S. FTC queries AI deals by Amazon, OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic

Leah Nylen, Bloomberg News

Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. must provide information to the US Federal Trade Commission on their investments and partnerships with artificial intelligence startups Anthropic PBC and OpenAI Inc. as part of an agency study announced Thursday.

The antitrust and consumer protection agency said it sent subpoenas to the companies to gather information on how the development of AI is impacting the competitive landscape. The inquiry focuses on more than US$19 billion in investments by Microsoft, Amazon and Google, in a series of transactions that cemented alliances between the world’s cloud services giants with the leading providers of artificial intelligence software.

Antitrust enforcers across the world have become concerned as many of the most promising AI startups now depend heavily on the old guard of dominant tech companies for their financing and infrastructure needs.

In comments during a public workshop Thursday, FTC Chair Lina Khan said the agency is closely monitoring the industry and warned that AI companies “cannot use claims of innovation as cover for law breaking.”

“There is no AI exemption from the laws on the books,” she said.

Google and Anthropic declined to comment. Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The inquiry comes as technology giants take a bigger role in backing nimble AI startups in a bid to claim a stake in the booming sector. Over the past year, Microsoft has revamped nearly all of its products around AI tools powered by OpenAI’s AI mode, while Google has said it has plans to embed its most powerful large language model, Gemini, into its experimental search tool sometime this year.

Microsoft has invested more than $13 billion in the ChatGPT maker OpenAI and the ouster of its CEO Sam Altman in November exposed how inextricably linked Microsoft and the company have become. Those ties have spurred antitrust reviews in both the UK and the European Union.

Meanwhile, Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, who left the company amid differences over the direction of the business. Alphabet’s Google in October committed to back it with $2 billion, and earlier this year Amazon agreed to an investment of as much as $4 billion.

The FTC is conducting the inquiry under its so-called 6(b) authority that allows it to issue subpoenas to conduct market studies. The agency generally issues a report on its findings after analyzing the information from companies, though that process can take years to complete. The agency is still finalizing the results of studies on pharmaceutical middlemen and supply chains that it started in 2021 and 2022.  

Although the information is collected for research purposes, the FTC can use any details it gleans to open official investigations or aid in existing probes. Last summer, the agency opened an investigation into whether OpenAI has violated consumer protection laws with its popular ChatGPT conversational AI bot.

The FTC and its sister agency, the Justice Department, share jurisdiction over antitrust probes and have been debating internally which should take the lead on the AI. The Justice Department has generally handled antitrust issues related to Microsoft since its blockbuster monopolization case against the Windows maker in the late 1990s. The FTC, however, recently handled Microsoft’s acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard Inc.

In addition, the European Commission is looking into some of the agreements that have been concluded between large digital market players and generative AI developers and providers. The European Commission is investigating the impact of these partnerships on market dynamics.

With assistance from Shirin Ghaffary, Julia Love, Matt Day and Jackie Davalos.

Microsoft cuts 1,900 jobs in gaming, including at Activision

Jason Schreier, Bloomberg

Microsoft Corp. will lay off 1,900 people across its video-game divisions including at Activision Blizzard, which it purchased for US$69 billion in an acquisition that closed late last year.

In an email to staff reviewed by Bloomberg, Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer wrote that the cuts represented about eight per cent of Microsoft’s 22,000 gaming workers. The Verge first reported the news. Other video game companies, including Riot Games, have also enacted mass layoffs.

“Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth,” Spencer wrote.

Blizzard Entertainment is also making big changes as part of the cuts, cancelling a survival game codenamed Odyssey and parting ways with President Mike Ybarra and Chief Design Officer Allen Adham, the company’s co-founder.

In a note to staff, Microsoft Studios President Matt Booty said that Ybarra “has decided to leave the company.” At the BlizzCon convention in November, Ybarra said in an interview that he wanted to stay at the company for the long haul. “Someone will drag me out of Blizzard,” he said. “That’s how long I will be here.”

On Thursday, Ybarra announced his departure in a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “Having already spent 20+ years at Microsoft and with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard behind us, it’s time for me to (once again) become Blizzard’s biggest fan from the outside,” Ybarra wrote. 

The moves arrived just three months after Microsoft finalized the Activision Blizzard acquisition. In an email to staff reviewed by Bloomberg, Activision Publishing chief Rob Kostich wrote that the cuts were made “to reset and re-align our resources for the future.”

ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

Masks made by Canadian-owned firm to be used in U.S. prisoner execution, groups say

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

Advocates say masks made by the subsidiary of a Quebec-based company are being used for execution in the United States. Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured on Oct. 7, 2002. Kenneth Smith, 58, is scheduled to be executed Jan. 25, 2024, at a south Alabama prison by nitrogen gas, a method that has never been used to put a person to death. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP)

Masks made by the subsidiary of a Quebec-based company are being used for executions in the United States, justice advocacy groups say.

Alabama plans to execute inmate Kenneth Smith on Thursday by nitrogen hypoxia, in which breathable air is replaced with nitrogen gas, depriving the body of oxygen.

The mask and hose to be used, which typically function as a respirator, are made by Allegro Industries, according to U.S.-based non-profits Worth Rises and the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice. Allegro, located in South Carolina, is a subsidiary of Quebec-based Walter Surface Technologies, which in turn is partly owned by Toronto private equity firm Onex Corp.

“We don’t believe that anyone, any corporation, should be profiting off of death dealing," said Dana Floberg, director of corporate campaigns at Worth Rises.

“There’s an argument to be made that this is also inhumane because it qualifies as doing experimental testing on a human being.”

Smith, 58, would be the first inmate in the U.S. to face the untested method of capital punishment.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Human Rights Office said the method may cause serious suffering and warned that it "will likely violate the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment."

“We are concerned that nitrogen hypoxia would result in a painful and humiliating death,” UN experts said in a statement on Jan. 3. They comprise four special rapporteurs on execution, torture, mental health and the justice system: Morris Tidball-Binz, Alice Jill Edwards, Tlaeng Mofokeng and Margaret Satterthwaite, respectively.

As a mode of mammal euthanasia, nitrogen asphyxiation is acceptable only for pigs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Other species should first be rendered unconscious "via an acceptable method," the 2020 guidelines state.

Alabama's approach includes no initial sedatives.

The companies have not responded to requests for comment.

Correctional authorities have found it increasingly difficult to obtain the chemicals needed for lethal injection due to pharmaceutical companies banning the use of their products for that purpose, prompting several states including Oklahoma and Mississippi to authorize nitrogen gas as a way to execute inmates on death row — though Thursday would be the first instance.

In 1989, Smith and another man were convicted in the murder-for-hire killing of a woman in northwestern Alabama.

Smith and John Forrest Parker were each paid US$1,000 to kill Elizabeth Sennett on behalf of her preacher husband, Charles Sennett, who was deeply in debt and aimed to collect the life insurance, prosecutors said.

After a 1996 retrial, Smith was again convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by electrocution.

Parker was executed by lethal injection in 2010. Sennett died by suicide during the course of the murder investigation.

Smith has languished on death row for more than three decades. In 2022, prison officials with Alabama’s department of corrections botched a lethal injection, puncturing his body repeatedly over the course of several hours but failing to find a vein before the execution was called off.

On Jan. 10, a federal judge approved Smith’s execution by nitrogen hypoxia.

Last week, the state attorney general's office told federal appeals court judges that it is "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man."

But what exactly Smith will experience after the warden switches on the gas is unknown, some doctors and critics say.

“What effect the condemned person will feel from the nitrogen gas itself, no one knows,” Dr. Jeffrey Keller, president of the American College of Correctional Physicians, wrote in an email. “This has never been done before. It is an experimental procedure.”

Canada effectively abolished the death penalty in 1963, when governments began to commute all death sentences. Capital punishment for murder was banned via legislation in 1976, and the death penalty for any offence — spying for the enemy, for example — was outlawed in 1999.

The last execution in Canada occurred by hanging at Toronto’s Don Jail in December 1962.

With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.

 

Quebec environmental group seeks court injunction against EV giant Northvolt

BNN Bloomberg

A Quebec environmental group is in court today against Swedish manufacturer Northvolt, arguing that work on its future electric vehicle battery plant was allowed to begin without proper analysis of the impact on the area's biodiversity.

The Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement began presenting its case in Quebec Superior Court, where it's seeking two injunctions to suspend work on the site of the future $7-billion facility southeast of Montreal.

The group's lawyer presented a number of documents, including one that she described as an assessment from a government biologist who said the information provided by Northvolt was insufficient to evaluate the impact on wildlife on the site.

Lawyer Jessica Leblanc says it was "unreasonable" for the province's Environment Department to have authorized Northvolt to begin work on the site because it didn't have enough information on the environmental impacts.

She said the authorization was also given on the condition that Northvolt propose a compensation plan to mitigate the impacts of the biodiversity loss, but that it was given three years to do so.

The company started felling trees on its 170-hectare site, which straddles the municipalities of McMasterville and St-Basile-le-Grand, but stopped late last week after the injunction request was filed by the environmental group and three citizens.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.

 

Union warns of new 72-hour Metro Vancouver bus strike if deal isn't reached next week

The Canadian Press

The union representing transit supervisors for Coast Mountain Bus Company says it will launch a new 72-hour strike stopping Metro Vancouver buses from operating if a tentative deal isn't reached by next week.

The warning comes after the B.C. government appointed a special mediator in a bid to end the dispute that prompted a two-day shutdown of bus services that ended this morning.

CUPE Local 4500 says in a statement that it welcomes the appointment of Vince Ready, but if a tentative agreement on a new contract for about 180 supervisors isn't reached by 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 3, they will withdraw services for three days.

It also says that if the Labour Relations Board allows it, picketing will be expanded to SkyTrain stations.

The union says this would effectively shut down buses, the SeaBus, and all SkyTrain services.

A different union that represents SkyTrain workers has previously said its members wouldn't cross pickets.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024.

 

Transport Canada Gears Up to Remove Derelict Vessels

File image courtesy Jason Drury / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

PUBLISHED JAN 21, 2024 11:37 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Hundreds of abandoned vessels in Canadian waters are becoming a threat to the environment, health, safety and coastal economies, according to Transport Canada, and the government is now taking action to deal with the problem. The agency has committed US$1.1 million to remove 34 abandoned vessels in British Columbia waters. 

Transport Canada announced that the funds will be channeled to private firms, which will assess, remove and dispose of the abandoned and wrecked vessels as part of measures aimed at protecting its coasts and waterways. The abandoned boats targeted for removal include recreational and small commercial fishing vessels. B.C. is the epicenter of the problem and has by far the largest number of abandoned vessels. 

The government says that apart from being an eyesore, the vessels have negative economic and environmental impacts. They can pollute the marine ecosystem, damage infrastructure, interfere with navigation and pose a safety risk.

“This investment into the Abandoned Boats Program will help further reduce the number of legacy problem vessels in Canadian waters. Every vessel removed is another step towards protecting and nurturing the delicate marine environment, which is one of our main priorities under the Oceans Protection Plan,” said Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Canada's Oceans Protection Plan makes vessel abandonment illegal, but the country is recording a significant increase in the problem. Since 2017, funding has been approved for the removal of 223 boats, but this will only make a dent in the problem. The Canadian Coast Guard's inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels show the country’s waters are littered with about 1,500 abandoned vessels.

Since the passage of the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act in 2019, individuals and firms found guilty of abandoning vessels face stiff penalties. Last year, the owner of the sunken Spirit of Kelowna located in Shuswap Lake, British Columbia, was slapped with a US$19,800 fine for failing to comply with the law.

Top image: Abandoned fishing boat, Masset Inlet, Haida Gwai (File image courtesy Jason Drury / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

 

U.S.’s First Fully Electric Tug Delivered to Crowley

eWolf was delivered to Crowley ahead of its entry into service this spring (Crowley)

PUBLISHED JAN 24, 2024 3:22 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Crowley reports it has accepted delivery of the first fully electric tugboat built in the United States. The vessel which was called a “game changer” by San Diego port officials when it was ordered in 2021 will now complete final demonstration trials and be transported to California when it is expected to enter service in the spring.

Named eWolf, the vessel was built in a collaboration involving Crowley, which will own and operate the vessel, along with federal, state, and local government partners. The vessel was designed by Crowley and uses ABB’s integrated electrical propulsion system. The tug was constructed by Master Boat Builders at its shipyard in Coden, Alabama with on-site construction management by Crowley Engineering Services. 

Croley highlighted when the vessel was ordered in July 2021 that it would feature a design that allows it to operate fully electric with full performance capabilities and zero emissions. The eWolf has six megawatt-hours of energy storage, enough for the vessel to operate for a full day. For backup and longer transits, it has two generators on board. It is expected to reduce NOx emissions by 178 tons and CO2 emissions by 3,100 metric tons during its first 10 years of service. It replaces a conventional tug that consumes more than 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.

eWolf is 82 feet long with 70 tons of bollard pull. It also employs ABB’s artificial intelligence technology to increase safety and has a unique 360-degree visibility capability. The vessel began sea trials late last year.

"The eWolf demonstrates where the maritime industry can go, in terms of both innovation and sustainability, with solid partnerships between owners, designers, suppliers, and shipyards," said Garrett Rice, president of Master Boat Builders. "We are proud to have partnered with Crowley in the construction of the eWolf and look forward to seeing her at work in San Diego very soon."

Crowley reports work is also underway to complete the microgrid shoreside charging station at the Port of San Diego to support the vessel’s operations. 

The new tug joins the growing trend of using batteries and electric propulsion for harbor craft and inland shipping. Last year, Kirby Inland Marine commissioned the first inland towing vessel in the U.S. which is a plug-in hybrid electric inland towing vessel. New Zealand, Canada, and China have deployed electric tugs and Turkish shipyards have begun their construction for multiple customers. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges reported last October that it had ordered a vessel that was likely to become Europe’s first all-electric tugboat.

 

Japanese Order First Mid-Sized Ammonia-Fueled Ammonia Carrier

Japanese project signed construction contracts for a medium-sized ammonia dual-fuel ammonia carrier

PUBLISHED JAN 25, 2024 2:38 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

A Japanese consortium of companies working on a project sponsored by the government to develop ammonia shipping reports it has reached the point where it can now begin to build one of the first ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers in the world. The group, which includes NYK, Japan Engine, IHI Power Systems, and Nihon Shipyard, reports it signed construction contacts last month for a vessel which they expect to complete by November 2026.

The new vessel is being reported as “the world’s first ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier.” It will have a transportation capacity of 40,000 cbm of ammonia fuel and be powered by an ammonia dual-fuel two-stroke engine produced by Japan Engine. The goal is to achieve a 95 percent combustion rate on the ammonia fuel mix. In addition, IHI will provide the auxiliary ammonia-fuel auxiliary engine with a mixed combustion rate of 80 percent or higher. The vessel will be built by Japan Marine United Corporation at its Ariake Shipyard.

The consortium was launched in October 2021 as part of a program sponsored by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) with ClassNK joining to provide the risk assessments. The effort developed a prototype that overcame the key challenges associated with ammonia and received an Approval in Principle in September 2022. After further research and development, they have agreed to proceed with the construction of the ship, which they believe will contribute to the practical application of ammonia-fueled ships.

They highlight key challenges including the need to manage the toxicity and reduce risk for the crew and the ship. The design they said must prevent leakage from the pipes and tanks. Also, because ammonia is a flame retardant, they have to achieve stable combustion. The vessel also has to treat the potential of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions which may be generated during ammonia combustion and are a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.

The effort has already reached key milestones including IHI Power Systems achieved the first stable combustion for ammonia fuel at an 80 percent co-firing rate in a four-stroke engine. The design of the vessel will optimize the hull for ammonia transport. NYK engineers have been consulting to provide proposals on the safety measures for the ship.

They expect that the project as one of the first for ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers will contribute to understanding and knowledge as well as help to shape the regulatory environment. They note that the International Maritime Organization is still studying potential rules for ammonia as there are no international rules in place today for ammonia as a fuel. They note that the consortium has already proposed draft safety requirements and expects to contribute to international rule-making. 

The next steps in the project include detailed studies for the vessel’s construction. They will also produce an operating manual for the ship.

The Japanese effort is in addition to programs underway in South Korea. The three major shipyards have each recently begun accepting orders for large ammonia carriers. They anticipate that these vessels will transition to ammonia-fueled propulsion as the technology and regulatory environment is completed.

Japan highlights the critical nature of developing the ammonia value chain. They anticipate a strong demand for transportation capabilities as ammonia emerges as a fuel. They also anticipate that it will be used for co-firing of thermal power plants and as a hydrogen carrier.

Rising to the Challenges of CO2 Shipping

CO2 carrier concept developed by MOL and Petronas (illustration MOL / Petronas)

PUBLISHED JAN 22, 2024 12:44 PM BY SEAN MCLAUGHLIN

 

Somewhat paradoxically, CO2 will be required to help decarbonize the shipping industry, and that CO2 must often be shipped around the world. From ship design to containment systems, we must view these vessels as part of the wider supply chain says Sean McLaughlin, Strategy Consultant at design and engineering consultancy Houlder.

While CO2 has been transported by sea for nearly fifty years, we will soon see a fast-growing demand to move larger volumes of CO2 in order to support efforts to decarbonize shipping and heavy industry. Forecasts for growth in demand for CO2 shipping are largely based on the expanding network of sequestration routes for CO2 captured from industry.

There is also a potential new demand from within the maritime industry. Captured or biogenic CO2 is needed to produce some net-zero emission e-fuels – specifically e-methanol and e-methane (e-LNG). This will be sourced from a combination of carbon captured from land-based industry and from capture equipment onboard ships. In addition, there is an expectation that significant quantities of CO2 will be captured directly from the air.

Changing CO2 carrier designs

The growth in reuse opportunities is expected to give rise to new routes and potentially different CO2 carrier designs. Shipowners cannot rely on a repeat of previous designs that fail to recognise the number of variables for key areas such as cargo containment.

It is not just those who plan to build dedicated CO2 carriers that need to be aware of the challenges. As onboard carbon capture becomes more commonplace, almost every ocean-going ship type has the potential to become a CO2  carrier and will need to contain the captured carbon onboard.

CO2 purity

One of the key challenges when it comes to CO2 shipping is that not all CO2 is the same. CO2 purity is primarily dictated by the method of its capture and the source of the CO2 – for example exhaust gases or an industrial or chemical process.

It’s not just a percentage game, as the nature of the impurity is often as relevant as its quantity. The level and type of impurity will have implications for the sizing and type of the onboard containment, the liquefaction plant and it is even relevant to the sequestration processes. This will impact on both CAPEX and OPEX decisions.

Carbon capture technologiess

There are several types of carbon capture technology with a large number of companies developing equipment that can be installed onboard. Even though carbon capture itself is not a new activity, it has historically been done as part of an industrial process, and capturing CO2 from an exhaust gas stream has only been a focus for the last ten to fifteen years. The challenges of capture in a marine environment have only been tackled in more recent years. The shipping industry must engage with carbon capture technology providers if the challenge of moving this process onboard is to be overcome. It’s also of equal importance that the industry understands the challenges of the whole logistics chain if the opportunities of onboard capture and bulk LCO2 transport are to be grasped.

Misconceptions or misunderstandings could result in significant over-specification of storage tanks or liquefaction plants resulting in unnecessary CAPEX or constraints on the vessel's operations. There is also the potential of a ‘baked-in’ OPEX problem resulting from significant and potentially unnecessary increases in non-revenue earning cargo weight and energy consumption in the associated containment plant.

The macro view

Zooming out, we must also remember that it is not enough to simply capture CO2 – we must effectively sequester or reuse it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This requires alignment between the ship and onshore infrastructure. CO2 shipping (as a primary cargo or as a consequence of onboard capture) is a clear example of how we must view the ship as part of the whole logistics chain, rather than in isolation.

We cannot expect coordinated end-to-end CO2 supply chains to “just happen” either – proactive cross-industry collaboration is seen as vital. This was one of the key findings of the Houlder Navigator decarbonization whitepaper developed one year ago by interviewing shipowners who own or operate vessels in various segments.

Rising to the challenges of the decarbonization transition means embracing new paradigms and ways of operating, rather than the gradual evolution that shipping has previously been used to. Being bold, challenging assumptions and avoiding being stifled by traditional ways of working are all highly relevant when developing new CO2 supply chains and rising to the challenges of CO2 shipping. If we take this onboard, the nascent onboard capture and CO2 shipping sectors present exciting opportunities.

Sean McLaughlin is a strategy consultant with Houlder. 

 

Indonesia Struggles to Implement Illegal-Fishing Rules

Indonesian authorities intentionally sinking foreign-flag fishing vessels during the administration of Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti (Indonesian Ministry of Fisheries file image)

PUBLISHED JAN 21, 2024 9:35 PM BY CHINA DIALOGUE OCEAN

 

 

[By Ari Syamsudin]

Seven years after ratifying the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), Indonesia has just four compliant fishing ports. It is facing challenges implementing the agreement at these ports, as well as in raising the number of compliant ports, according to the government.

The PSMA helps countries take measures in their fishing ports to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) catch from entering supply chains. Ports can inspect foreign fishing vessels and deny entry or services to vessels involved in IUU fishing.

So far, 68 countries have ratified the agreement. Indonesia ratfied it in 2016.

There’s no official data from the Indonesian government on economic losses resulting from IUU fishing. However, Rokhmin Dahuri, former marine and fisheries minister and current advisor to the government, told a meeting in September 2020 that he believes it averages one million tonnes per year, or US$3 billion.

The four ports compliant with the PSMA comprise three ocean fishing ports – Nizam Zachman in Jakarta, Bungus in Padang, Bitung in North Sulawesi – as well as Benoa, a regular port in Bali that also services tuna vessels. These were selected by the government because they are accessible to foreign reefer ships, which have a draft exceeding nine meters.

The fisheries ministry has acknowledged operational challenges with implementing the PSMA at these ports.      

Tri Aris Wibowo, fisheries port director at the ministry, said a lack of officers working in the ports and inadequate port facilities, such as a lack of deep berths, were key challenges in complying with the PSMA.

Three other ports are under consideration for PSMA implementation: Marunda in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, and Tanjung Wangi in Banyuwangi. While not considered ocean fishing ports, these can all accommodate foreign vessels with nine-metre drafts.

However, there is a debate about the focus of the PSMA implementation, with some arguing it should target all of the country’s 578 fishing ports. Most of these are in the west of the country and serve far fewer, and smaller, ships than the ocean fishing ports.

Sri Yanti, acting director of marine and fisheries affairs at the national development ministry, said “eastern Indonesia is still limited” in terms of the development of its fishing port infrastructure.

Ports in the west tend to be better equipped with the necessary infrastructure and resources to manage larger foreign vessels and enforce the PSMA.

“We are limited in human resources, facilities, and port conditions are still below requirements. That’s our challenge,” said Sri Yanti.

To implement the PSMA, Indonesia had to ensure it had the right legal and regulatory framework in place, and to develop its institutional capacity to carry out inspections and monitor compliance. Minimum port service standards encompass elements such as speed in document checking and inspection accuracy.

Zulficar Mochtar, CEO of Ocean Solutions Indonesia (OSI), an NGO, noted that Benoa port has been inspecting foreign-flagged ships on issues like crew changes and fuel consumption, which can indicate involvement in unreported fishing.

The overall number of ports ready for PSMA implementation in Indonesia remains small when compared to countries like Thailand, which has at least 23 PSMA-compliant ports.

Mochtar says the PSMA plays a vital role, similar to border control, for foreign vessels, encompassing checks on purpose of visit, documents, travel tracking, and IUU fishing history.

He highlighted the national and global challenge of insufficient data in addressing IUU fishing. Global data sharing on IUU is needed among all ports, he stressed, while advocating for more comprehensive monitoring of the movement of fishing vessels worldwide.

Weak data, Mochtar argued, is undermining the effectiveness of policies and strategies. Data for boats, production, fishers, and productivity are still limited, he said.

“It is easy to monitor, inspect and block through the PSMA mechanism. But, if there is no traffic data and indications from those violators, it will be hard to implement.”

He said that challenges for the PSMA include the sharing of vessel records, which can indicate IUU violations, implementing the protocol and standards of the PSMA, and capacity building. “Without these three, PSMA will not be optimal,” he said.

Moh Abdi Suhufan, the national coordinator of Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia, an NGO focusing on sustainable fisheries issues, underscored the need for integrated monitoring and law enforcement under the PSMA.

In addition to deterring illegal fishing, he stressed the importance of ensuring that crews on ships transiting or landing in the PSMA-compliant ports are not subject to forced labor or human trafficking. Currently, there is a lack of mechanisms and tools to monitor crews in PSMA ports in Indonesia, said Suhufan.

Ari Syamsudin is a freelance journalist based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

This article appears courtesy of China Dialogue Ocean and may be found in its original form here.