THE CONVERSATION 

Heavy Industries Need Carbon Capture - But It Has to be Done Right

CCS is an essential part of the transition for heavy industries, including shipping, but the details matter

An onboard carbon capture system prototype (DSME)

Published Oct 20, 2024 5:37 PM by Myles Allen

 

 

The UK government has given the go-ahead to carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) schemes worth £22 billion (US$28.6 billion). Critics are insisting that this technology – which involves capturing carbon as it is emitted or taking it back out of the atmosphere, then pumping it into rocks deep underground – is unsafe, unproven and unaffordable. Defenders are responding with painstaking rebuttals.

Could the whole debate be missing the point? I think it is better to focus on the big picture – why we need CCS to work – rather than playing whack-a-mole with every objection to individual projects.

The case for CCS boils down to waste disposal: we are going to make too much carbon dioxide (CO?), so we need to start getting rid of it.

By burning fossil fuels and producing cement alone, we will generate more CO? than we can afford to dump into the atmosphere to have any chance of limiting global warming to close to 1.5°C – even after accounting for the capacity of the biosphere and oceans to mop it up.

So, we need to start disposing of that CO?, safely and permanently, on a scale of billions of tonnes a year by mid-century. And the only proven way of doing this right now is to re-inject it back underground, through CCS.

Keep our options open

The world is not giving up fossil fuels any time soon, and the transition is going to be difficult enough without tying our hands by ruling out CCS.

The questions we should be asking are: will enough “green hydrogen” – produced from water using renewable electricity – be available to power all the industries that will need it, given all the other new demands on the electricity grid? Will we still need gas as a back-up to deal with the vagaries of the weather in a renewable-dominated grid? Can we get by entirely on recycled steel, and eliminate the use of conventional cement in construction (steel and cement are notoriously hard to produce without generating CO?)?

If the answer to any of these questions, anywhere in the world, turns out to be “no” – or even “not by 2050” – then we need CCS.

Would taking CCS off the table focus minds and make us abandon fossil fuels faster? It could equally make us abandon climate targets – ultimately, the most expensive option of all.

Nature is maxed out

What about offsetting continued fossil fuel use with nature-based solutions, such as restoring ecosystems and rewilding? Unfortunately, we are already planning on maxing out nature’s credit card.

In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) scenarios in which warming is kept close to 1.5°C, we eliminate deforestation almost immediately, and restore a cumulative total of some 250 billion tonnes of CO? to the biosphere by 2100 – by restoring forests and wetlands, for example.

Over the same period, we dispose of four times that amount of CO? back underground through various forms of CCS – as well as slashing fossil fuel use by 75%-80%.

We cannot bank on stuffing an additional trillion tonnes of CO? into the biosphere over the next 75 years – especially as carbon stored at the Earth’s surface is increasingly at risk of being re-released to the atmosphere as the world warms, forests burn, and peatlands dry out.

Invest, but invest wisely

The fact that we need CCS is no excuse for doing it badly. It makes little sense, for example, to manufacture “blue hydrogen” – produced from natural gas with CCS to limit emissions – from high-emission LNG. UK rules would prohibit this, and there are cleaner gas supplies available, but rules need to be enforced. Above all, we need to make sure the availability of CCS does not encourage yet more CO? production.

This is where critics of government policy may have a point. If CCS is widely available and heavily subsidized, could that just encourage individuals and companies to use more fossil fuels? The danger is real, but it doesn’t mean we should abandon CCS. We need to be smart about how it is implemented.

An injection of government money is, by now, essential to kickstart our CO? disposal industry. But this should not become an endless subsidy which allows private industry to keep profiting from selling the stuff that causes global warming, while taxpayers pay for the clean-up.

Fortunately, there is another way. The EU has shown, in its Net Zero Industry Act, how regulation can force the fossil fuel industry to contribute to the cost of CCS without relying on US-style subsidies.

The UK government could go further, making it clear that, by mid-century, anyone selling fossil fuels in the UK will be responsible for geological disposal of all CO? generated by their activities and the products they sell.

Pricing in permanent CO? disposal would make fossil fuels more expensive, potentially adding 5p per kWh to the cost of natural gas over the next 25 years. That’s cheap compared with the cost of just dumping that CO? into the atmosphere, and would encourage everyone to use fossil fuels more sparingly, which is precisely what needs to happen.

Building a global industry to dispose, safely and permanently, of every tonne of CO? still generated by any remaining fossil fuel use by 2050 will be hard. But if we want to meet our climate goals, we just have to get on with it.

Fortunately, the UK has the right geology, skills and expertise, as well as a history of innovation in climate policy. It also has a clear interest in getting involved in what should become one of the major industries of the second half of this century. And it has a moral obligation, having pioneered taking fossil carbon out of the Earth’s crust, to join the first wave of countries putting it back.

Myles Allen is Professor of Geosystem Science in the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment and Department of Physics, University of Oxford. His research focuses on how human and natural influences on climate contribute to observed climate change and risks of extreme weather and in quantifying their implications for long-range climate forecasts.

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

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Video: New STS Crane Topples Old STS Crane at Keelung

Image via Taiwanese social media

Published Oct 16, 2024 6:59 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Monday, a heavy lift vessel was delivering a new container crane to the port of Keelung when it hit and destroyed an existing crane. 

At about 1400 hours Monday afternoon, the heavy lift ship Yuzhou Qi Hang was arriving at Keelung with a brand new STS crane. As it pulled into its berth at the port's Pier 20, the top of the new gantry crane contacted and pressed up against the existing STS crane on the wharf. As the ship moved further towards the pier, the new crane pushed the old crane backwards until it was resting on one set of rail wheels, then toppled it over. Unlike most STS crane allisions, the old crane's structure did not buckle before it hit the ground: it was tipped over intact. 

Luckily, no one was injured by the falling crane, and physical damage to other port infrastructure was limited. An estimated four empty containers and one full container were hit, and operations were temporarily suspended in the terminal area. 

The estimated cost of replacement for the lost crane is over $40 million, according to Taiwanese outlet ET Today. The port operator and the vessel operator are in talks with their insurers about responsibility for the damage. 

Taiwan's transport regulators attended the scene of the crash, and the circumstances of the casualty are under investigation.  

Container crane allisions are a rare but recurring event for terminal operators. In March 2021, the container ship OOCL Durban hit an STS crane and a moored vessel as it approached its berth, collapsing the crane and injuring one port employee. The falling crane severely damaged a second, nearby crane as it fell, according to operator Taiwan International Ports.   

 

After Surviving Houthi Attack, Bulker Hits and Sinks Freighter at Dakar

Senegalese social media

Published Oct 20, 2024 10:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

A freighter at the port of Dakar, Senegal sank at the pier last week after it was hit by an arriving bulker, according to the local port authority. That bulker, named by Senegalese officials as the Zografia, appears to be a Greek-owned vessel that survived a Houthi missile attack in January.  

At about 2030 hours GMT on October 15, the Zografia approached the inner harbor at Dakar, Senegal. In circumstances that remain under investigation, Zografia struck the moored vessel Princesse Jessica, which was berthed at the port's Pier 2. The allision caused the Princesse Jessica to capsize and sink at the pier. 

In a statement, the Port Autonome de Dakar emphasized that there was no loss of life; that this form of casualty can occur in any port; and that the "accident has no impact on port activities, which are continuing normally." The port authority suggested that the Princesse Jessica would be refloated swiftly.

"The Port Autonome de Dakar has a robust operational system and is working closely with the relevant administrations to respond effectively and minimize the impacts," the agency said in a statement. 

Zografia herself survived a major incident earlier this year. On January 16, the 55,000 dwt bulker was hit by a Houthi ballistic missile while transiting the Red Sea. The missile penetrated her number two hold from above and exited out through the side of the hull, well below the boot top; Luckily the vessel was in ballast condition, and the penetration was above the waterline. No injuries were reported, and the bulker continued under her own power to Suez Shipyard, where the damage was repaired. 

 

Seven Killed in Dock Gangway Collapse at Sapelo Island, Georgia

Police divers search the area around the broken gangway, Oct. 19 (Camden County Sheriff's Office)

Published Oct 20, 2024 11:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

On Saturday, seven people were killed and three were seriously injured when an aluminum gangway suddenly collapsed at a ferry pier on Sapelo Island, Georgia. All of the victims were senior citizens, and they were on the island for a festival celebrating the culture and language of the Gullah Geechee, an African American ethnic group from the coastal Southeast.   

The event had ended and the attendees were headed back to Sapelo's ferry landing when the gangway connecting the shore to the floating pier gave way. Bystanders described a chaotic scene of families attempting to pull their loved ones from the water and survivors struggling to stay afloat. “A lot of people jumped in and did what they had to do,” attendee Maurice Bailey told the New York Times. 

The deceased have been named as Charles Houston, 77; Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; and Isaiah Thomas, 79; Queen Welch, 76, and William Johnson Jr., 73.

“It is a structural failure,” Georgia Department of Natural Resources chief Walter Rabon told reporters on Sunday. “There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that, but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds.”

The authorities have identified the contractor that built the dock, which was installed by the state of Georgia in 2020 at the request of island residents. The upgrade project was the product of a federal lawsuit accusing the state of operating outdated ferry infrastructure that could not accommodate people with disabilities. An estimated 40 attendees were on the new, accessible gangway when it collapsed, Rabon said.

The tragedy brought an outpouring of condolences from Georgia and beyond, including from President Joe Biden. The organizers of the festival, the Sapelo Island Cultural And Revitalization Society, thanked supporters for their good wishes.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones who lost their lives and who were injured," SICAR said in a statement. "The Sapelo Island community is grateful for the outpouring of love and support and we ask that you join us in praying for the families of those who were impacted by this tragedy."

 

Who Will Benefit From Senegal's Offshore Oil Development?

Woodside's Sangomar FPSO (Illustration courtesy Woodside)

Published Oct 21, 2024 12:31 AM by Dialogue Earth

 

[By Mustapha Manneh]

Senegal hopes a move into offshore oil will transform its struggling economy but questions remain about who will actually see the economic benefits.

Oil drilling can provide vital income for poor countries but it can adlso lead to social unrest and environmental damage when mismanaged – on top of the climate impact of burning the resulting fuel. In Senegal, the government’s plans have elicited mixed feelings in a population already struggling with climate change, degradation of traditional fishing grounds, and outbreaks of political violence.

Australian oil company Woodside announced in June that it had extracted the first oil from the deepwater Sangomar field, which sits around 100 kilometres south of Dakar and is the country’s first offshore oil project. Its CEO Meg O’Neill called it “an historic day for Senegal” and her company. The ship sent to harvest oil from Sangomar is named in honour of the country’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor.

Some are less happy, however.

Mor Mbengue, a fisher based in the important fishing port of Kayar, just north of Dakar, told Dialogue Earth he had concerns over the future of artisanal fishing.

“We are afraid of a negative impact with the decrease in fishing areas but also the risks of gas or oil leakage,” he says.

The situation in the Niger Delta serves as a cautionary tale. There, initial hopes of economic improvement through oil have been overshadowed by conflict over money and pollution from spills.

Ademola Henry Adigun, an oil and gas governance consultant based in Nigeria, says fossil fuel production can enhance a nation’s economy but will cause harm if not conducted responsibly. Poor management and lack of enforcement of regulations have led to oil spills in Africa in the past, he notes.

“It takes an average of 25 years to clean an oil spill and 15 years for the environment to be back to normal [in the Niger Delta region],” he says. “This all happens because people don’t pay attention to maintenance and core standards of operation.”

A Woodside spokesperson says the Sangomar project is “world-class” and “a circa USD 5 billion investment in Senegal’s energy future”.

They point out that the company has conducted an environmental and social impact assessment which was approved by Senegal’s government in 2019. This, the spokesperson says, “is underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of the marine and socio-economic environment”.

They add that “there will be appropriate mitigation measures adopted with the aim to minimise any impact on the environment and local communities”.

Woodside’s assessment specifies the company will ensure it has “a minimal impact” on fisheries. It also says spills are not predicted, although “there is an inherent risk of spills occurring”. The operation “will implement stringent industry standards and controls” to reduce that risk, and “appropriate management measures to prevent spills of any nature have been identified”.

Fishers fear repeat of the past

Before the “historic” oil drilling by Woodside, other companies were already exploring for gas off the northern coast of Senegal. There, a joint project between Kosmos and BP and the national oil companies of Mauritania and Senegal hopes to start producing liquified natural gas later this year.

Fishers in these waters claim the project has brought additional problems to their community, which was already hard hit by pressure from industrial fishing.

In Saint Louis, a northern city near the border with Mauritania, some fishers say the intrusion of large ships into their fishing grounds has led to their nets being damaged, causing financial losses, although it is difficult to assign such damage to particular vessels.

Lamine Diop, whose family has a long tradition of fishing in the region, says fishers are struggling, as nets are very expensive in Senegal.

“We were hopeful at first, thinking it [the arrival of oil companies] would end our poverty,” he says, adding that he believed the companies would bring revenue and create jobs for the area’s young people. But because of the damage to fishing equipment and disruption, their presence has meant “we are suffering more than before”, he says.

Thomas Golembeski, a spokesperson for Kosmos, says his company has engaged closely with local fishers and funded projects including healthcare, schools and micro-finance for fishers.

He adds that the pressures felt by the fishing community in the Saint Louis region pre-date the discovery of natural gas and Kosmos and BP’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim offshore gas project.

“Overfishing by foreign industrial trawlers, an influx of foreign-owned fishmeal factories, and licensing requirements to access historic fishing areas in Mauritanian waters are all well-documented issues,” he says.

A BP spokesperson said that “engaging with and supporting local communities” has been important throughout its work on the Senegal gas project. They said the company and its partners have launched a “multi-million-dollar, wide ranging, social investment programme” which has included support for fishing communities such as developing alternative income sources and education.

They added that the project’s environmental and social impact assessment had been approved by governments and regulators in both Mauritania and Senegal.

Woodside stresses that it neither operates nor conducts any activities near Saint Louis.

Senegal’s fossil fuels, Europe’s gain?

Though Senegal’s domestic gas could eventually supply local markets and potentially replace expensive imports of oil, questions remain over who will ultimately profit from the country’s current fossil fuel projects.

After taking office in April, Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced an audit of the oil, gas and mining sectors, but reassured fossil fuel investors they are welcome in the country. Other politicians and industry figures have touted economic benefits, and Woodside says it has already spent some USD 177 million with local suppliers and created 4,400 local jobs.

But the oil and gas itself has largely been earmarked for export. After breaking ties with Russia, many western countries have turned to African countries with gas and oil potential like Senegal for their energy needs.

“African countries mainly produce gas and oil for Western nations, to the detriment of their citizens, who receive limited benefits from the revenue,” says Amos Wemanya, a climate and energy activist based in Nairobi.

Australian-headquartered Woodside has an 82% interest in the Sangomar field, with state-owned Petrosen holding the remaining 18%. Other parts of the drilling area are divided 90/10 in favour of the former.

“This project illustrates the disproportionate control foreign entities have over Senegal’s natural resources,” says Wafa Misrar, an environmental chemist and policy officer at Climate Action Network Africa.

Prime minister Ousmane Sonko recently announced the establishment of a commission to review Senegal’s oil and gas contracts, and promised to “re-examine them and work to rebalance them, obviously in the national interest”.

To drill or not to drill?

Energy policy in Africa is at a critical juncture amid tension between climate challenges and the urgent need for both economic transformation and a solution its energy crisis.

Climate change brings multiple threats to Senegal, including sea level rise in its low-lying and highly populated coastal regions, droughts damaging agriculture, and negative changes to fisheries.

More than three quarters of the 774 million people living without access to electricity globally are in Africa. In Senegal, only 68% of the population have access to electricity.

Meanwhile, the African population is expected to grow from 1.5 billion today to 2.5 billion by 2050. With increasing incomes and urbanisation, energy demand is only going to soar.

Many have pinned their hopes on homegrown fossil fuel supplies as a way to deal with this crisis. Some also argue that, given the continent’s miniscule contribution to global emissions, African countries have a right to utilize their fossil fuel resources.

Alagie Jinkang, a researcher at the University of Bologna in Italy who studies overfishing and border violence in Senegal, says he is concerned about environmental and health impacts and the involvement of foreign companies. But, he adds: “We should utilize natural resources such as gas and oil as soon as possible because we can’t wait any longer. These resources offer significant benefits, including GDP growth, job creation, and opportunities for students to learn how to utilize these resources without relying on foreign capital.”

Misrar has a different take. She believes that, rather than investing in an unsustainable path of extraction, “Senegal has the opportunity to lead by fully committing to renewable energy”.

“This would not only bolster the country’s development but also set a powerful precedent for the continent,” she says.

Sources for renewable energy are abundant on the African continent, so it is seen as a potential solution to its energy crisis. Africa could use current renewable energy technologies to produce an estimated 1,000 times its projected energy needs by 2040, as well as exports, but faces challenges in accessing financing and technologies.

What is more, the African Union’s Energy Transition Program highlights that African oil and gas assets are more expensive to develop and operate than many global rivals, and more carbon intensive.

Senegal is also active in the UN climate process, which focuses on clean power, emissions reduction, and climate resilience. It presented an ambitious clean energy plan in 2020 and by 2023 had already met renewable energy targets.

It has also entered into a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), backed by France, Germany, the European Union, the UK, and Canada, through which $2.74 billion has been pledged to develop renewable energy and speed up its transition to a low-carbon economy.

The country’s previous president, Macky Sall, hoped that support from Europe and Canada would help the country generate 40% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. His successor has inherited a country that is now a fossil fuel producer, and all the tension that comes with that.

Mustapha Manneh is a researcher and investigator at The Outlaw Ocean Project and a former reporting fellow there. Previously, he was West Africa regional editor at Dialogue Earth based in The Gambia, was a local producer for a fishmeal documentary called Stolen Fish, and has served as a consultant for environmental NGOs.

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

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Canadian Rescue Ship Saves Drifting Tug From Grounding off Washington

MLB crewmembers at the scene with the drifting tug Luther (USCG)

Published Oct 20, 2024 1:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

On Friday, a combined U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard response team narrowly prevented a tug from going aground off La Push, Washington in rough weather.

At about 1600 hours on Friday, the 130-foot tug Luther was towing a concrete barge about 10 miles off the coast of La Push when it lost steering. The crew called the Coast Guard for help, and a motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, and the emergency response tug Lauren Foss were dispatched to assist. The surface conditions on scene included seas of 10–14 feet and 45 knots of wind. Lacking steerage, the crew of the Luther attempted to keep the bow of their vessel into the seas using their twin-screw propulsion. 

The situation aboard the Luther deteriorated in the rough weather, and the tug began taking on water. In order to save their vessel, the crew disconnected from their tow, and they were able to stabilize the situation while awaiting first responders. 

The Lauren Foss soon arrived and began to prepare to take the Luther in tow to a port of refuge - but as they were getting ready, the drifting barge came so close that the crew feared that there was a risk of collision. All crewmembers transferred over to the motor lifeboat for safety, but in the heavy swells, one person fell in the water while making the transfer. The motor lifeboat crew managed to retrieve them from the seas. 

The Luther was drifting towards shore, and to prevent a grounding, the motor lifeboat crew put a coastguardsman back aboard the tug to help attempt a tow. After making a connection, the Lauren Foss attempted to tow the disabled tug to safety - but a line fouled in one of Lauren Foss' props, forcing the tug to return to port. 

The Canadian Coast Guard emergency response tug Atlantic Raven was stationed nearby on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and it diverted to assist. The Raven arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning, along with additional U.S. Coast Guard assets from Neah Bay and Port Angeles. 

With the CCG's help, the U.S. Coast Guard crews set up a tow, and the Atlantic Raven kept the drifting Luther off the beach. They narrowly averted a grounding, as the tug had come within one mile of shore. 

The Luther was towed safely to Port Angeles, and the crew all returned to shore without injuries.

The barge remained missing, and the Coast Guard set up a unified command with the owner, the state department of ecology and the local Makah Tribe to manage the risk of a spill. The barge is carrying 10,000 tons of cement mix and 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel, and search crews hunted for it throughout Saturday in heavy seas, high winds and low visibility. The service announced that the barge had been found on Saturday evening, and the responders began operations to tow it to a safe harbor. 

Atlantic Raven is one of two anchor handling tugs that the Canadian Coast Guard chartered in 2018 to manage the risk of a major casualty off the seaward coast of Vancouver Island, where busy shipping lanes coincide with rough winter weather rolling in from the North Pacific. The Raven and sister ship Atlantic Eagle have about 160 tonnes of bollard pull, twice that of a typical harbor tug, and bring the heavy-weather capabilities of a 250-foot oceangoing AHTS design. 

Luther is a 49-year-old, 3000-horsepower twin screw tug operated by a firm in Seattle, and is among the youngest vessels in the owner's listed fleet. 

In July 2023, Coast Guard inspectors found a leaking steering ram in Luther's steering compartment and ordered it repaired. Five days later, the vessel "was unable to properly maneuver during underway drills." The vessel also reported a hairline crack in the rub rail, causing diesel fuel leakage. These and other deficiencies were corrected to the Coast Guard's satisfaction.

Resolve Marine Hired to Remove Oil From WWII Wreck in Grenville Channel

An oily sheen on the water at the wreck site in narrow Grenville Channel, September 2024 (CCG)

Published Oct 20, 2024 10:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The Canadian government has awarded a contract to Resolve Marine to remove oil fom the WWII-era shipwreck USAT Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski, which grounded and sank in Grenville Channel on B.C.'s Inside Passage almost 80 years ago. It is the latest of several attempts that environmental protection agencies have made to reduce the risk of a fuel leak from the Zalinski, which has been on the bottom since 1946 and is gradually deteriorating. 

The Zalinski was a freighter built in 1919, and was acquired by the War Department at the outset of World War II. After the war ended, she continued serving the military as a cargo vessel on the West Coast. On September 29, 1946, the Zalinski was headed from Seattle to Whittier with a cargo of ammunition and fuel oil when she hit a rock in Grenville Channel, the deep and narrow strait between Pitt Island and mainland British Columbia. Miraculously, all 48 members of her crew were rescued by good Samaritan vessels. 

The wreck was largely forgotten until 2003, when a U.S. Coast Guard cutter spotted a slick on the surface near Lowe Inlet, a small provincial park about halfway up the channel. After a month-long search, a Canadian Coast Guard ROV survey found a wreck site located south of the inlet in about 100 feet of water. The hull was identified as the Zalinski. 

The ship's fuel oil and explosive cargo were not immediately addressed, and the vessel repeatedly released fuel as it continued to deteriorate. In 2013, the Canadian Coast Guard hired a remediation team to remove 600 tonnes of oil from the Zalinski, with a budget of CA$50 million and a 100-person crew.

Commercial divers at work at the Zalinski wreck site, 2013 (CCG)

The work site is difficult, with five-knot tidal currents that interfere with dive operations, and the shipwreck is upside down and perched on the edge of a steep underwater cliff. Ultimately, the salvors only managed to recover a fraction of the fuel on board because the tanks had collapsed internally, allowing the oil to migrate within the vessel's hull and accumulate in pockets. Return visits in 2015 and 2018 recovered small additional amounts, but pockets remained in inaccessible locations. 

The Zalinski's wreck is upside down, perched on a sloping underwater shelf on the steep channel edge (CCG)

In recent years, the ship’s structure has continued to deteriorate, and some of the remaining fuel tanks have collapsed. According to the Canadian Coast Guard, the deterioration poses a substantial risk of releasing a large amount of oil. At present, only a "minimal" amount of fuel is leaking out from the vessel, and the CCG's concern is for preventing a future spill. 

For this round of cleanup, Resolve Marine has been contracted for a CA$4.9 million remediation project using hot tapping. The objective is to recover as much remaining oil as possible while minimizing the risk of leakage, and CCG spill-control assets are staged nearby as a precautionary measure given the small but possible risk of a release during operations. The work is scheduled to begin in mid-October and is expected to take several weeks; in comments to CBC, the Canadian Coast Guard acknowledged that it may be necessary to return again in future years.   

ZIONIST WAR ON THE UN

Israel blasted by UNIFIL for bulldozing observation tower

United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) vehicles patrol in Wazzani village, southern Lebanon, on Sept. 15, 2024. File Photo by EPA-EFE/STR


Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Israel has once again been scolded by the United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which accused Israeli fighters of bulldozing one of its observation towers near Marwahin.

"Yet again, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of U.N. premises at all times," the peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement.

"Yet again, we note that breaching a UN position and damaging UN assets is a flagrant violation of international law and Security Council resolution 1701."

The peacekeeping force noted that Israeli fighters have repeatedly demanded that UNIFIL vacate its positions along the Blue Line, a demarcation drawn by the United Nations in 2000 to confirm Israel's withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon after years of occupation.

Last week, UNIFIL warned Israel for the fourth time in as many days against "further flagrant violation of international law" after peacekeepers were injured by smoke caused by the IDF.

At the time, UNIFIL added that three platoons of Israeli fighters breached the main gate of its camp with tanks and forcibly entered to demand that the peacekeepers leave to aid Israel in its assault on Lebanon.

The head of the peacekeeping force has since vowed that the blue helmets would stay put, despite Israel's demands.

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said: "the decision was made that UNIFIL would currently stay in all its positions, in spite of the calls that were made by the IDF to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line."

Israel is known for bulldozing the buildings of its enemies, often demolishing the homes of Palestinians living in the West Bank.

Turkish cleric, longtime Erdogan rival Fethullah Gulen dies in US aged 83

Turkish Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen has died in the United States, where he lived since 1999. Gulen was a one-time ally of Turkey’s powerful leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan but they fell out badly, and Erdogan accused him of being behind an attempt to seize power in a 2016 coup.


Issued on: 21/10/2024 - 
File photo: Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen speaks to members of the media at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in July 2016. © Chris Post, AP


The U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkey and beyond but spent his later years mired in accusations of orchestrating an attempted coup against Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, has died. He was 83.

Herkul, a website which publishes Gulen’s sermons, said on its X account that Gulen had died on Sunday evening in the U.S. hospital where he was being treated.

Gulen was a one-time ally of Erdogan but they fell out spectacularly, and Erdogan held him responsible for the 2016 attempted coup in which rogue soldiers commandeered warplanes, tanks and helicopters. Some 250 people were killed in the bid to seize power.

Gulen, who had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, denied involvement in the putsch.


According to its followers, Gulen’s movement - known as “Hizmet” which means “service” in Turkish - seeks to spread a moderate brand of Islam that promotes Western-style education, free markets and interfaith communication.

Since the failed coup, his movement has been systematically dismantled in Turkey and its influence has declined internationally.

Known to his supporters as Hodjaefendi, or respected teacher, Gulen was born in a village in the eastern Turkish province of Erzurum in 1941. The son of an imam, or Islamic preacher, he studied the Koran from infancy.

In 1959, Gulen was appointed as a mosque imam in the northwestern city of Edirne and began to come to prominence as a preacher in the 1960s in the western province of Izmir, where he set up student dormitories and would go to tea houses to preach.

These student houses marked the start of an informal network which would spread over the following decades through education, business, media and state institutions, giving his supporters extensive influence.

This influence also spread beyond Turkey’s borders to the Turkic republics of Central Asia, the Balkans, Africa and the West through a network of schools.
Former Erdogan ally

Gulen had been a close ally of Erdogan and his AK Party, but growing tensions in their relationship exploded in December 2013 when corruption investigations targeting ministers and officials close to Erdogan came to light.

Prosecutors and police from Gulen’s Hizmet movement were widely believed to be behind the investigations and an arrest warrant was issued for Gulen in 2014, with his movement designated as a terrorist group two years later.

Soon after the 2016 coup, Erdogan described Gulen’s network as traitors and “like a cancer”, vowing to root them out wherever they are. Hundreds of schools, companies, media outlets and associations linked to him were shut down and assets seized.

Gulen condemned the coup attempt “in the strongest terms”.

“As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt,” he said in a statement.

In a crackdown after the failed putsch, which the government said targeted Gulen’s followers, at least 77,000 people were arrested and 150,000 state workers including teachers, judges and soldiers suspended under emergency rule.

Companies and media outlets regarded as linked to Gulen were seized by the state or closed down. The Turkish government said its actions were justified by the gravity of the threat posed to the state by the coup.

Gulen also became an isolated figure within Turkey, reviled by Erdogan’s supporters and shunned by the opposition which saw his network as having conspired over decades to undermine the secular foundations of the republic.

Ankara long sought to have him extradited from the United States.

Read moreWhite House studying Turkey’s demands to expel Gulen, says US report

Speaking in his gated compound in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, Gulen said in a 2017 Reuters interview he had no plans to flee the United States to avoid extradition. Even then, he appeared frail, walking with a shuffle and keeping his longtime doctor close at hand.

Gulen had travelled to the United States for medical treatment but remained there as he faced a criminal investigation in Turkey.

(Reuters)

On Trump's penis envy

Robert Reich
October 21, 2024

Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump smiles as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gestures during a town hall campaign event in Oaks, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 14, 2024. REUTERS/David Muse TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

On Saturday, Trump opened his speech at the airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, with 12 minutes of reminiscences about the golfer Arnold Palmer, who grew up in Latrobe and for whom its airport is named.

As The New York Times reported, “His monologue culminated in lewd remarks about the size of Mr. Palmer’s penis.”

What historians may term Trump’s “penis speech” — the climax, as it were, of his final days seeking the votes of Americans to put him back in the Oval Office — was actually far more revealing about Trump than were his “lewd remarks.”

Trump began his 12-minute encomium by extolling Palmer’s talent and physical prowess. “He had no money, just had a lot of talent and a lot of muscle — he was a strong guy.”

Trump spoke of Palmer’s father carrying sod at the local golf club, which led to the father and son borrowing members’ clubs and playing golf together late at night. “And then his son got older, and stronger, and then he got stronger, and stronger,” Trump said.

Trump’s narcissism is so malignant that he’s unaware of revealing his deep insecurities. In talking about Arnold Palmer becoming stronger and stronger relative to Arnold’s father, Trump was talking about himself gaining strength over his own father, Fred — a disciplinarian who spent hundreds of millions of dollars financing his son’s career and taught him that his choice was to dominate those around him or lose.

“The only thing that Trump ever cared about was he had this thing: ‘I’ve got to win. Teach me how to win,’” George White, a former classmate of Trump’s at the New York Military Academy who spent years around both father and son, said in an interview.

On Saturday in Latrobe, Trump recounted that the Palmers — father and son — were finally able to save enough money for Arnold to buy his own golf clubs, but the clubs “weren’t strong enough. Arnold was breaking them. He’d swing a regular club, and it’d break the hell out of it, because he was so powerful.” According to Trump, this required that the father and son continue borrowing golf clubs from other people.


That’s pretty much what Fred and Donald did in the 1970s, except they didn’t borrow; they stole.

In 1973, the Justice Department alleged that Trump Management, Inc. — including its 27-year-old president, Donald, and chairman, Fred — violated the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in 39 of its properties. The company quoted different rental terms and conditions to prospective tenants based on their race and made false “no vacancy” statements to Black people seeking to rent. Trump employees secretly marked the applications of Black people with codes, such as “C” for “colored,” according to documents filed in federal court. The employees directed Black people away from buildings with mostly white tenants, steering them toward properties that had many Black tenants.

Trump settled out of court in 1975, but three years later the Trump Organization was back in court for violating the terms of the settlement.


At Saturday’s rally in Latrobe, Trump noted that Arnold Palmer would “use very stiff-shafted clubs, very strong — for those of you that aren’t golfers, that’s for like good golfers, with power. Very stiff-shafted.”

Oh, please.

What did the younger Palmer do with those very strong, stiff-shafted clubs? According to Trump, he went on to win high school championships. “He’d beat them so badly. He loved beating them, even though he was a nice guy, but he was tough.”


For Trump, it’s always been about beating them. Everything in his life has been a zero-sum game in which either he wins or his opponents win. He cannot abide losing; losing would threaten his masculinity.

“Arnold Palmer was all man,” Trump said. “And I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women. But this guy, this guy, this is a guy that was all man. This man was strong and tough.”

For Trump, to be a man means to be strong and tough, and win battles.


What’s the tell that predicts whether these male warriors will win?

“I refuse to say it,” Trump continued on Saturday in Latrobe, teasing his audience with what he seemed to be helpless to avoid saying, “but when [Arnold Palmer] took showers with the other pros, they came out of there — they said ‘Oh my god, that’s unbelievable.’”

Arnold Palmer’s daughter told The Sporting News in 2018 that the golf legend was so incensed by what he saw as Trump’s lack of civility that he made noises of disgust when Trump appeared on the television “like he couldn’t believe the arrogance and crudeness of this man who was the nominee of the political party that he believed in.” She added, “My dad had no patience for people who demean other people in public. He was appalled by Trump’s lack of civility and what he began to see as Trump’s lack of character.”

Trump’s obsession with penis size is rooted in insecurity about his virility.

In 2016, he defended his penis size after Senator Marco Rubio, an opponent in that year’s Republican primary, commented on Trump’s supposedly small hands, saying “you know what they say about men with small hands?” leading Trump to publicly “guarantee” there was “no problem” with his penis.

While in office, Trump reportedly phoned then White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham to insist that his penis was not small or toadstool-shaped, as alleged by porn star Stormy Daniels.

For Trump, penis size is a symbol masculinity — which expresses itself in the ability to dominate and subjugate others, as Fred Trump did to him.

Trump has been haunted by fears of being insufficiently masculine and virile. This is the source of his anger. It’s key to understanding his misogyny. It’s at the core of Trumpism. It’s why winning the presidency is more important to him than preserving democracy.

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.