Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Pickering units' operation assured as OPG plans for refurb

Monday, 14 October 2024

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved Ontario Power Generation's request to continue operating Pickering units 5-8 to the end of 2026, ensuring the units can continue in operation until they are taken offline for refurbishment. Unit 1 ceased commercial operations on 30 September and unit 4 will close by the end of this year.

Pickering units' operation assured as OPG plans for refurb

Submissions from Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) staff and 54 intervenors during a public hearing in Pickering in June 2024 were considered by CNSC before authorising the units to operate until 31 December 2026, up to a maximum of 305,000 equivalent full power hours (EFPH). OPG was previously authorised to operate the units until 31 December this year, up to a maximum of 295,000 EFPH. The amended licence includes a new condition requiring OPG to implement and maintain an enhanced fitness-for-service programme, the CNSC said.

OPG's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station comprises two reactor facilities with a total of eight Candu reactor units. Units 5-8 - sometimes referred to as Pickering B - began operating between 1983 and 1986. Units 1 and 4 - part of the four-unit Pickering A plant which began operations in the early 1970s and was laid up in 1997 - underwent refurbishment before returning to service in the 2003 (unit 4) and 2005 (unit 1).

Pickering unit 1 was taken offline and out of service on 30 September as planned, and will now be dewatered and placed in safe storage. Unit 4 will be taken out of service at the end of December, as OPG continues to plan for the refurbishment of units 5-8.

The CNSC's decision will help meet Ontario’s rising need for electricity, particularly as the province's other nuclear stations undergo refurbishment, OPG said.

"This is another great milestone for Pickering Nuclear and all our station staff, who have worked hard to help Pickering achieve some of its best performance in its history in recent years," OPG Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Gregoris said.

Plans to refurbish units 5-8 were formalised at the start of this year, when the provincial government announced its support for the project. OPG's timeline envisages putting the entire station into a "layup state" in 2026 so that refurbishment activities can begin. All four refurbished reactors will be back in service by the mid-2030s.

OPG is currently refurbishing four Candu units at its Darlington site, aiming to complete the project in 2026, and is also planning to build up to four BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Darlington New Nuclear project.

At least 20 killed in armed attack on miners in Pakistan

Staff Writer | October 11, 2024 |

Authorities have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the attack. (Reference US Army photo by Pfc. Joshua Kruger | Flickr Commons.)

At least 20 miners were killed, and seven others injured, after unidentified gunmen attacked a coal mine in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, according to police reports quoted by local media.

The attack took place in the mineral-rich Duki district of Balochistan, a region that borders both Afghanistan and Iran.

The attackers stormed the miners’ accommodations late Thursday night, rounded up the workers, and opened fire, police official Hamayun Khan Nasir said, according to The Express Tribune. They also fired rockets and grenades, damaging mining equipment before fleeing the scene.

The assault has sparked widespread condemnation, with authorities launching a manhunt for the perpetrators.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the deadliest in weeks.

The violence comes just days before a major security summit in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and as the country hosts a Saudi delegation interested in mining investments.

It also coincides with the signing of $2 billion worth of agreements between Saudi and Pakistani businessmen for investments in various sectors, including mining.

Balochistan, rich in oil and minerals, has long been a hotbed of separatists. These groups accuse the federal government of exploiting the province’s resources without benefiting local communities.

Several of their attacks have been directed at migrant workers, many of whom are employed by smaller, privately run mines.

Noel Tata takes the reins at powerful charity arm of India’s Tata group

Reuters | October 11, 2024 |

Ratan Tata in 2011. (Image: Wmgwarwick | Wikimedia Commons.)

The half-brother of Ratan Tata was appointed on Friday as the head of the powerful and influential philanthropic arm of India’s Tata group, giving him indirect control of the $165 billion conglomerate.

Tata Trusts said Noel Tata, 67, will be its new chairman after the death this week of Ratan Tata, one of India’s best-known corporate titans. The decision followed “many old-timers” in the group wanting him to lead the venture, said one Tata executive.

The parent company, Tata Sons, oversees 30 firms across consumer goods, hotels, automobiles and airlines and has become a global juggernaut over the years, with brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea in its stable.

It owns Tata Consultancy Services, Taj Hotels and Air India, and counts Starbucks and Airbus as partners in India.

Tata Trusts has a 66% ownership of Tata Sons, giving it power over big investment, philanthropic and strategic decisions by the conglomerate, company executives say.

Noel Tata, who is half-French, was already among the many trustees of the philanthropic arm, and also vice chairman of Tata Steel and chairman of Tata’s popular retail fashion brand Trent.

“Noel is well versed with how Tata businesses are run. In retail, many people thought how will Tata compete with the big retailers. Noel has shown it,” said Sanjay Singh, a former Tata Sons executive who retired in 2019.

“He has kept a low profile so the outer world doesn’t know him well, but he is quintessential Tata.”

The trust earns dividends from Tata Sons but has no direct say over its operations. However, it appoints a third of the directors to Tata Sons who have veto power over board decisions.

The chairman of Tata Trusts “is powerful enough to decide board and key personnel” appointments at Tata Sons, a second senior company executive said.

While Tata Sons is not compelled to seek advice or guidance from the philanthropic arm, it’s an “unsaid understanding” that there is consultation between leadership on both sides, the first executive added.

Noel’s journey

The Tata group was set up in 1868 by Ratan’s great grandfather, Jamsetji Tata.

A few years later, Jamsetji started charity work that has since expanded to sectors such as healthcare and sports, through many of the trusts in the philanthropic arm.

Ratan Tata started working at the family firm in 1962 and became the chairman of Tata Sons in 1991, taking the group to new heights while gaining a reputation as an extremely shy, soft-spoken executive with sharp business acumen.

Noel Tata is a graduate of Sussex University who has been associated with the group for more than 40 years. He serves on the board of various Tata companies.

As a previous managing director of Tata International, Noel grew the turnover of the trading arm to more than $3 billion from $500 million, a Tata Group website said.

The Tatas belong to the tiny Parsi community, which has included some of India’s biggest business names, top nuclear scientists, world-class musicians and senior military officers.

Parsis follow the Zoroastrian faith, an ancient pre-Islamic religion of Iran. Some of its tenets, such as charity and doing good to others, have long been woven into the Tata heritage and business ethos.

Much of the dividend paid out by Tata Sons gets funneled into charitable trusts involved in philanthropic work.

Although the trusts’ influence over the group is not often on display, the starkest such example was in 2016, when Ratan Tata had a falling out with Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry that led to the latter’s ouster.

Mistry, another Parsi billionaire whose family owns a stake of about 18% in Tata Sons, died in a car accident in 2022.

One of his former advisers told Reuters this week that the Tata Trusts “without a doubt” exert unparalleled power over Tata Sons’ functions, adding that they “work behind a veil.”

Noel is an Irish citizen married to Mistry’s sister.

(By Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, Krishn Kaushik and Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Frances Kerry)

Orano boosts uranium mining and enrichment capacities as market tightens

Bloomberg News | October 11, 2024 |

External view of the Somair plant. Credit: Orano

France’s Orano SA is boosting uranium mining and processing capacity as supplies of the nuclear fuel tighten on stronger demand and moves to reduce the world’s reliance on Russia.

The state-controlled company is investing to prolong the life of mines in Canada and Kazakhstan, while exploring adjacent and remoter areas in those countries, chief executive officer Nicolas Maes told reporters Thursday. Orano is also developing new projects in Mongolia and Uzbekistan, while remaining “in monitoring mode” for potential acquisitions, he said.

“We have interest in diversifying our projects as there are some tensions in the East and in Africa,” Maes said at the company’s uranium enrichment plant in central France. “Questions over where uranium will come from in the next decade are pulling prices higher.”

Uranium has soared over the past three years as investors piled into the commodity and governments from China to Europe plan more nuclear power plants, partly to curb carbon emissions. At the same time, production issues in Kazakhstan and a military coup in Niger have impacted uranium output.

In Niger, where the military junta revoked one of Orano’s mining permits earlier this year, the company’s other uranium mine will produce just 40% of its capacity this year, Maes said. That production can’t be exported out of the landlocked African nation due to persisting geopolitical issues, he added.

The cost of enriching uranium — a key step to transform the radioactive metal into fuel — has also jumped since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as some western utilities seek to replace Kremlin-controlled Rosatom for their processing requirements.

To help fill that gap, Orano broke ground on the expansion of its French enrichment facility this year. It expects to boost its global market share of enrichment services to 16% from 12%, when the project is completed by the end of the decade, the CEO said.

Rosatom is the world’s largest enricher of uranium, with 43% of total production capacity, according to Orano. That’s followed by Urenco Ltd., a UK-Dutch-German group with a 31% share, and China National Nuclear Corp. with 13%.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a ban on imports of enriched uranium from Russia, which provides about a quarter of the reactor fuel in the US. The country has just one commercial enrichment facility in New Mexico, owned by Urenco.

Orano may seek to further displace Russian supplies by building an enrichment plant in the US if it secures Federal government support, regulatory approval, and enough customer commitments, Maes said. The multi-billion-dollar facility could be built in Tennessee, Orano has said.

(By Francois de Beaupuy)

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Israeli mining magnate Steinmetz awaits Greek court ruling on arrest warrant

Reuters | October 14, 2024 |

Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz has been at the centre of an international investigation into alleged bribery to win mining rights in Guinea.

(Image from Beny Steinmetz’s website)

Israeli mining magnate Beny Steinmetz has been freed from custody in Greece but banned from travelling outside the country as he awaits a court ruling on a Romanian-issued arrest warrant, police and legal sources said Monday.

Steinmetz was detained by Greek police on Sunday evening, hours after arriving on a private aircraft at Athens International Airport, police sources said.

A European arrest warrant has been issued against him on behalf of Romania on accusations related to participation in a criminal organization, a police official said on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, the 68-year-old appeared before a prosecutor who decided that he should be freed on bail, with restrictions including a travel ban, as he awaits a judicial panel’s decision on his arrest and extradition.

In 2022, a Greek court which examined his case based on a Romanian-issued arrest warrant against him, had ruled against his extradition.

Steinmetz’s legal advisors have dismissed the Romanian authorities’ accusations as “unfounded” and called the extradition requests by Romania “abusive”, arguing that he has the right to travel freely.

His lawyer in Greece, Stavros Togias, said that Greek judicial authorities have ruled irrevocably against his extradition to Romania.

“It is unprecedented for the rule of law in Greece, or any other respected country, for such an administrative act to overturn a decision of the Greek judiciary, which had definitively and irrevocably ruled against his extradition to Romania, recognizing his right to travel freely,” Togias said in a statement, commenting on his arrest.

In November 2023, Cyprus’ Court of Appeal ruled against Steinmetz’s extradition to Romania, overturning a lower court ruling. A court in Italy has also rejected a similar extradition request by Romania against Steinmetz.

(By Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Christina Fincher)

FOSSIL FOOLS

Philippines’ top coal producer plans $5 billion mine expansion

Bloomberg News | October 14, 2024 |

Miners in an underground coal mine. AI- generated Stock image.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp., the Philippines’ largest coal producer, said it’s looking to spend 291.4 billion pesos ($5.07 billion) to expand its mines.

The company has proposed to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources a five-year spending plan that includes capital expenditures, production costs, and operating expense, it told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday, confirming news reports.

Semirara’s expansion plan comes as the Philippines continues to rely on coal for its power needs even as it has mapped out plans to boost the share of renewables in its energy mix. Nations around the world are advancing the phaseout of coal-fired power capacity while banks have pledged to stop funding coal projects to curb the impact of climate change.

Semirara has mining operations in the province of Antique in central Philippines. Its coal revenue fell by 20% to 23.9 billion pesos in the first half as prices fell. The company exports coal to China, South Korea and Brunei.

(By Cliff Venzon)

Dongfang Unveils Record-Smashing 26 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

China Rolls Out World’s First 26MW Offshore Wind Turbine

China has taken production of super-sized wind turbines a giant step further with a new 26-megawatt turbine. In a statement over the weekend, China’s Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) announced the rollout of the mega-turbine from the production line in Fuzhou. This giant turbine sets a new record for the world’s largest wind turbine by capacity and size, surpassing Dongfang’s previous world record of 18 MW by 31 percent. Just four months ago, Dongfang installed the 18 MW turbine at a coastal test base in Shantou, Guangdong province.

The new 26 MW model is suitable for medium to high wind speed areas, with speeds above eight meters per second (m/s). The turbine boasts a blade wheel diameter of more than 310 meters, with a swept area equivalent to 10.5 standard football fields. The turbine’s hub center is 185 meters high, which is almost the height of a 63-story residential building.

At an average wind speed of 10 meters per second, the turbine can produce 100 GWh of clean electricity annually. This is sufficient to meet the annual electricity needs of 55,000 households, reducing more than 80,000 tons of CO2 emissions, according to Dongfang.

The energy research firm Rystad has termed the shift in sizes of wind turbines as a “growth spurt”, with the average size rising from 3MW in 2010 to the current 26 MW. This shift is likely to be sustained as future wind farms are likely to install larger turbines. Rystad estimates that turbines larger than eight megawatts accounted for just three percent of global installations between 2010 and 2021. However, this percentage is forecast to surge to 53 percent by 2030.

Jones Act Tankers Resupply Tampa's Fuel Terminals After Hurricane Milton

After a thorough assessment of Port of Tampa Bay's shipping channel, the U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the strategic seaport to marine traffic, subject to a daylight hour restriction and one-way travel. The reopening is essential to keep Florida supplied with fuel, as Tampa handles more than 40 percent of the state's in bound petroleum products. About three quarters of the Tampa region's gas stations have run dry, and about a third are out of fuel statewide.

Port Tampa Bay said in a statement that its petroleum terminals' fuel supply remains adequate for now, and that more tankers are on the way. Most of the tank farm terminals are already back online and distributing fuel via tank truck to resupply gas stations around the region.

Following Hurricane Milton, all of Tampa's seven private fuel terminals lost power, forcing them to wait before restarting distribution. On Friday, power was restored to all seven, and the operators began their startup safety tests. As of Saturday, a majority of the fuel terminal operators had begun filling up fuel trucks, and the port said that all of them would be fully online over the weekend.

Jones Act tanker companies have quickly stepped in to make sure that the terminals in Tampa (and the rest of the state) stay full. Overall, nearly 50 million gallons of fuel will be delivered to Tampa within the first three days, with more to follow quickly.

"At least 18 large domestic vessels are scheduled to arrive in the coming days. One American maritime operator alone has the capacity to deliver more than 100 million gallons of gasoline starting before the end of the week depending on access to the ports," said Jennifer Carpenter, President of the American Maritime Partnership.

OSG has seven vessels lined up to deliver almost immediately. On Saturday alone, Overseas Anacortes was on schedule to deliver 13 million gallons of petroleum products, and Overseas Nikiski was scheduled to deliver more than 12 million gallons. Overseas Tampa was scheduled to deliver another 13 million gallons on Sunday.

Now that the water-side and port-side parts of the fuel supply chain are restored, attention has turned to final-mile distribution. “We have right now 25 Florida Highway Patrol escorts to rush in the fuel tankers from the port, and so those are being brought in to fill out the stations,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday. The state has set up three free gasoline stations around the Tampa Bay area (with a 10 gallon per person limit) and is setting up more in the days ahead to speed up distribution.

BERG Propulsion OpWind® to Optimize Operations for Sail & Engine Combustion

[By: BERG Propulsion]

BERG Propulsion has unveiled the OpWind® software system to help crews combine the operation of sails and propellers in the most efficient way in all sea conditions.

OpWind automatically ensures that engine efficiency can be optimized with respect to propeller rpm and blade pitch angle when wind propulsion is also used to propel a vessel. The approach saves even more fuel than would otherwise be the case.

The system automatically senses any sail contribution to propulsion based on a vessel’s operation data and measured parameters, continuously and automatically adjusting propeller pitch and speed to maximize the efficiency of the combined operation of propeller and sails.

The BERG Propulsion OpWind system has been developed from the Swedish company’s existing Dynamic Drive technology to compare detailed theoretical information and calculations about operating with propellers and sails against measured values on-board the vessel, said Chief Technology Officer Emil Cerdier.

“OpWind is a more advanced system than Dynamic Drive and can be implemented on any ocean-going vessel fitted with any type of sails to identify optimal operating actions,” said Cerdier.

“Savings from reduced fuel consumption will depend on the vessel configuration and its operating profile, as well as on how large the sails are, but they will be considerable,” he added. “Efficiency gains will be available whether it is a newbuilding or retrofit project.”

The system can be run in several modes with settings either to keep a desired maximum speed, maximum fuel consumption or a constant propeller thrust. It is also possible to use the propeller for onboard power generation while in sailing mode.

BERG can also provide a Marine Information Display to visualize performance as part of the system. A constant vessel speed setting will automatically reduce engine propulsion power when sails contribute to forward thrust. With a feathering propeller design it is also possible to shut down one or two main engines depending on vessel configuration, to further reduce fuel and maintenance costs.

BERG Propulsion has received an initial order for systems to be used in sail/engine combined operation from a major vessel operator.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

Rijeka Gateway Will Be Fully Powered by Electricity from Renewable Sources

A.P. Moller - Maersk group — Rijeka Terminal

[By: Maersk]

Rijeka Gateway, the largest project in the logistics sector in Croatia, has secured electricity from renewable energy sources for the operation of its container terminal, which will reduce CO2 and other harmful gas emissions significantly. The terminal in Rijeka, which is a joint venture between APM Terminals and ENNA Group, will be the most advanced in the Adriatic region, with most of the equipment being electrified and largely remotely operated. When fully operational, the terminal will directly create 300 jobs for professionals of various profiles.

The contract for the use of renewable electricity has been active since the beginning of construction and will continue during the terminal’s operational phase. Renewable energy is sourced from solar and wind power, and ENNA Next, also a supplier of electricity, issues green certificates to ensure that the entire supply comes from renewable sources.

"ENNA Next is pleased to begin cooperation with Rijeka Gateway in supplying renewable energy. As one of the leading energy suppliers in Croatia, we purchase renewable electricity from over 800 producers in Croatia and Germany. In addition to standard electricity and gas products, we pay special attention to developing renewable energy sources for our customers," says Nenad Ukropina, board member of ENNA Next.

We have launched several initiatives that can help us become one of the most sustainable terminals in this part of the world. One of these initiatives is the use of renewable energy sources. As a large consumer of electricity, we believe that using sustainable energy sources is a vital step in achieving the terminal's long-term sustainability," says Peter Corfitsen, CEO of Rijeka Gateway.

Reducing light, noise and marine pollution
The terminal will be equipped with a highly efficient water management and drainage system that eliminates the possibility of marine pollution. Light pollution will also be reduced, with automated lighting systems ensuring that inactive parts of the terminal will not be illuminated when not in use. Additionally, several measures will be introduced to reduce noise levels below legally permitted limits, such as a system that supplies ships with electricity from shore, reducing the need to run ship engines. All cranes at the terminal will use soft landing technology to reduce container loading noise, and new types of sound signals will be used throughout the terminal, replacing traditional beeping with less intrusive white noise.

"From the inception of this project, we wanted Rijeka Gateway to be more than just a generator of economic prosperity for Rijeka, the region, and the rest of Croatia. We want to be a good neighbor, doing everything we can to minimize the terminal's negative impact on the environment and the local community as well as create jobs and sustainable growth opportunities, says Peter Corfitsen, CEO of Rijeka Gateway.

APM Terminals is the largest consumer of electricity within the A.P. Moller – Maersk group, making terminal operations based on renewable electricity a crucial element in the decarbonisation efforts. Additionally, APM Terminals is continuously electrifying its terminals as part of the industry leading target to reach net zero by 2040 which makes the transition to renewable energy ressources vital. Operating Rijeka Gateway on renewable energy supports A.P. Moller – Maersk in the ambition of using 100% renewable electricity by 2030 to decrease scope two emissions.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

Sexual Assault in the US Coast Guard

A Five-Decade Retrospective on Coast Guard SASH Reform

To better understand the history of sexual assault in the Coast Guard, I’ve spent the past couple of months creating a chronology. Using publicly available information from newspapers, an obituary, the Congressional Record, Good Order and Discipline Reports, Congressional testimony, and social media, I’ve created a 200-page document with 300 references and I’m still compiling information. My goal is for Coast Guard leaders and Congress to use this document to set a new course for the service.

Women were first admitted into the Coast Guard in 1976, and at the 1979 US Coast Guard Academy graduation, then-Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams made reference to the LCWB (Last Class With B__). Myrna Rottman, a USCGA faculty member, sent Adams a letter critiquing him for his speech. Per her obituary, Rottman then filed suit in the US District Court of Connecticut against the Academy's Superintendent and Commandant and the US Secretary of Transportation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As shared in her obituary, the case resulted in the USCGA being required to offer mandatory sex discrimination training to all cadets and faculty. By including all of this information in her obituary, Rottman made sure that no one forgot her advocacy efforts and what triggered them.

According to newspaper reports, there were at least two rapes at the US Coast Guard Academy in the 1980s. One involved a foreign cadet who raped a female student in the fall of 1984. Per Academy officials, he was “quickly deported”. The second rape was referenced in a sex discrimination hearing wherein a witness testified that the female student was raped and then got an abortion paid for by the government. The 1980s ended with the Coast Guard chartering a study group to examine issues facing women in the Coast Guard.

The 1990s started with the release of the Women in the Coast Guard Study. Some individuals who participated in the study shared that women who filed formal grievances did not get promoted. Others shared that victims would be breaking the “code of silence” if they complained about sexual harassment or sexual assault.

Two years later, in 1992, the Culture and Climate Assessment of the US Coast Guard Academy was released. According to the study, 85% of the women at the school reported being sexually harassed.

Cadet Caitin Stopper Maro left the US Coast Guard Academy in February 2005 after accusing another cadet of sexual assault. Maro spoke with Congress in 2006 and then testified about the problems at the school in December 2023. The individual accused in the Stopper Maro case was not prosecuted.

School officials were notified of a rape in October 2005. The survivor was taken to civilian hospital and a rape kit was conducted. The individual accused of this rape was not prosecuted.

School officials prosecuted Webster Smith in the spring of 2006 and he was convicted of indecent assault. He was the first student at the US Coast Guard Academy to be court-martialed, and questions have been repeatedly raised about why earlier cases didn’t go to trial.

In the fall of 2006, Admiral Papp chartered a Coast Guard Academy study, Congress asked the GAO to study the progress made at the Coast Guard Academy in response to sexual harassment claims. Congress also directed the Coast Guard to develop policies on sexual harassment and violence at the school.

The next decade started with a mandated Congressional report. Per the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, signed into law on October 15, 2010, the service was required to provide yearly updates to Congress on sexual assault. Admiral Papp launched a service-wide “Campaign to Eliminate Sexual Assault from Our Coast Guard” on March 26, 2013. Papp testified at a Senate hearing in June 2013 stating that “(w)e will insist that all of our Shipmates live by our Core Values. And let me be clear, there are no bystanders in the Coast Guard. Respect for our Shipmates demands that each of us have the courage to take immediate action…”

Admiral Zukunft started Operation Fouled Anchor in September 2014 and for the next five years the service investigated past crimes dating back to the 1980s. Zukunft told CNN that he had intended for the service to brief Congress on the investigation, but those briefings didn’t occur until CNN reported on OFA in June 2023.

It’s hard to condense fifty years into a brief essay, so my plan is to share the final chronology with Coast Guard leaders and Congress. I’m a Coast Guard veteran who wants her service to be successful, and a successful service is one that knows its history. My journey to collect and compile the history was supported by survivors and advocates, and I’m grateful for their support. Semper Paratus.

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

Bulker Struggles to Stay Off the Rocks Near Dutch Harbor

Pan Viva's trackline, Oct. 11-12 (Pole Star)

The U.S. Coast Guard has begun evacuating personnel from the distressed bulker Pan Viva, which is fully functional but still at risk of potential grounding near Dutch Harbor.

On Saturday, a large winter storm (mid-latitude cyclone) swept over the Aleutians, bringing winds of 60 knots and waves of up to 30 feet. Severe weather is a regular occurrence in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea in the colder months.

Late last month, the Korean-owned bulker Pan Viva got under way on a voyage from from Dandong to the U.S. West Coast. The vessel was in ballast and drawing just 7.5 meters, with more hull area above the waterline and more windage.

On October 11, as Pan Viva was nearing Unimak Pass in severe wind and seas, the vessel began to deviate from her eastward course. She reduced speed to 2-4 knots on an irregular heading, then reversed course and made an erratic track towards the north side of Unalaska, ending up in Unalaska Bay on Saturday morning (top, courtesy Pole Star).

The vessel dropped anchor at a position about one to two miles offshore, and the crew informed the Coast Guard that they were having difficulty maintaining position - even though the anchor was deployed and engine fully functional. Conditions on scene included winds of up to 58 knots and waves of 26-29 feet.

By the afternoon, the developing situation was serious enough that the Coast Guard decided to evacuate four crewmembers - two cadets and two galley staff - as a precautionary step. Additionally, a harbor tug and a Coast Guard cutter were assigned to wait on standby in case Pan Viva needed assistance.

Beyond the safety of the crew, Pan Viva is carrying an estimated 300,000 gallons of fuel oil, and a grounding would create a serious pollution risk.

Severe northerly winds from the storm will continue through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Until then, Unalaska's mayor suggested to local KUCB, the best thing to do is to "hope the anchor holds." According to the Coast Guard, Pan Viva was still maintaining position as of Sunday.

China Protests Taiwanese Leader's Remarks With Mass Naval Drill

On Monday, the Chinese military launched a massive one-day drill off the coast of Taiwan, demonstrating its displeasure with recent remarks by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te.

According to the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, 17 Chinese PLA Navy warships and 17 China Coast Guard vessels approached Taiwan, with some operating close in to the island's shores. In addition, the PLA Navy carrier Liaoning was operating to the east of Taiwan, conducting aircraft launch and recovery operations.

The PLA's movements were a response to a speech that Taiwan's President Lai made last Thursday. "On this land, democracy and freedom are growing and thriving. The People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan," said Lai in an annual keynote address. "I will . . . uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty."

China claims the island of Taiwan as its own, and the administration of Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged to reunify it with the mainland - potentially by force.

Li Xi, a spokesperson for the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, made clear that the Chinese exercise was aimed squarely at Taiwan.

"Always on high alert, troops of the theater command keep strengthening combat readiness with arduous training, and will foil the 'Taiwan independence' separatist attempts," Li said in a statement.

China's Ministry of Commerce added pressure of its own, threatening trade restrictions. The ministry announced Saturday that it is "studying further measures based on the conclusions of the investigation into trade barriers from Taiwan."

Divers Raise the White Ensign Over Wreck of WWII Destroyer HMS Exmouth

White ensign raised over wreckage of HMS Exmouth — Courtesy Royal Navy

The iconic Royal Navy flag will now fly on the wreckage of a World War II warship at its resting place on the seafloor after it was surveyed by divers for the first time.

The White Ensign, which has been flown on Royal Navy ships for centuries, has been placed on the wreck HMS Exmouth after more than 80 years, part of a plan to honor the lives of 190 crew lost with the ship.

The Exmouth was an E-class destroyer launched in 1934. The warship spent her early years in the Mediterranean carrying out operations connected with the Italian invasion of Abyssinia (today Ethiopia) and the Spanish Civil War. Her main tasks were enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict.

At the start of WWII in September 1939, Exmouth found herself at the forefront. She was assigned escort duties accompanying major warships such as flagship HMS Hood on sorties or on convoy duties in home waters.

Five months into the war, the destroyer met her fate while escorting the steamer Cyprian Prince, ferrying supplies from Aberdeen to the Royal Navy’s wartime base at Scapa Flow in Orkney. The warship was targeted by the German submarine U-22, which launched a torpedo that struck her starboard bow and caused one of the forward ammunition magazines to explode. Historical accounts show that Exmouth sank within two minutes, with the loss of all 190 members of her crew. Only 18 bodies were later recovered ashore.

In 2001, divers on a private expedition discovered the wreck of Exmouth off the Scottish coast. Due to its depth and isolated location, the wreck has rarely been visited by underwater explorers.

The Royal Navy is now moving to ensure the wreck stays preserved and remembered, part of a wider project to preserve naval heritage and keep wartime sacrifices in the public memory. Divers plunged more than 50 meters into the depths of the North Sea some 20 miles off Wick, Scotland to conduct a comprehensive survey of the remains of the warship. Using the dive boat MV Clasina, the team sought to record Exmouth’s remains in detail while observing a strict ‘look, do not touch’ rule, since the wreck is a protected war grave.

The divers found that the bow of the wreck is almost non-existent, with only a single anchor and cable remaining. The engine room area is also heavily damaged, which was likely caused by the second explosion. The stern sits intact and upright, albeit at a right angle to the rest of the ship.

During the survey of the wreck, no artifacts were recovered, but a White Ensign was ‘raised’ over the Exmouth for the first time in more than 80 years.

“The Ensign just ‘fluttered’ there as if it was flying in the breeze,” said Lieutenant Commander Jen Smith. “I paused to pay my respects and it occurred to me that the last time a White Ensign would have been there was in January 1940; and that Ensign would never have been hauled down – it would have been in place as the ship sank. That was a really moving moment for me.”

Greece Embarks on its Inaugural Antarctic Expedition

This fall, Greece will participate in a mission to Antarctica for the first time ever. The expedition is a joint study tour to the South Pole with Bulgarian researchers, and it was finalized last week during an international polar conference held in the Bulgarian resort town of Aheloy. The researchers will be aboard the Bulgarian military research vessel St. Cyril and Methodius.

“This is a big step for us because it is the first Greece will send its scientists,” said Simeon Konstantinidis, President of the NGO Hellenic Polar Zones Society. Konstantinidis attended the conference in Bulgaria, which was held under the auspices of the EU programs EUPolarNet-2 and POLARIN.

Konstantinidis also added that his organization is also planning to build a weather station in Antarctica, possibly from next year.

Meanwhile, the 27 member countries that form the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), are holding an annual meeting this week in Hobart, Australia. Expectations are high with members expected to agree on approving the proposed four marine protected areas (MPAs) in Southern Ocean. Previous attempts have failed, leaving the fragile ecosystem open to human-linked environmental stressors such as whaling and overfishing.

However, progress was made at a July symposium in South Korea, where CCAMLR members advanced efforts to develop a marine protected area (MPA) along the western Antarctic peninsula. This became the first time in years that all CCAMLR members showed a willingness to adopt additional protections in Antarctica.

CCAMLR operates through consensus, meaning decisions must be unanimous. Since 2016, China and Russia have opposed plans to develop new Antarctic MPAs despite the majority of members supporting it.

It remains to be seen if CCAMLR will reach consensus on the four proposed MPAs this year. These include Weddell Sea Phase 1 MPA, East Antarctic MPA, Antarctic Peninsula MPA and Weddell Sea Phase 2 MPA. Along the existing Ross Sea region MPA, the four proposed areas would protect 26 percent of the Southern Sea and nearly 3 percent of the global ocean.

Lloyd's: A Geopolitical Conflict Could Cost Global Trade $50 Trillion

Shipping interests have grown used to serious geopolitical disruption over the past few years, from the invasion of Ukraine and Russian attacks on shipping to the Houthi blockade on Red Sea traffic. The possibility of large-scale conflict is baked into industry assumptions at this point, but without a firm metric for the cost. Insurer Lloyd's has put a number on the maximum potential impact of a hypothetical geopolitical conflict, and it is unfathomably large.

In the latest edition of Lloyd's systemic risk series, the insurer focused on a hypothetical regional conflict causing widespread disruption to global trade patterns. Since about 80 percent of the world's imports and exports are at sea at any given moment, the disruption of global shipping lanes would be among the greatest economic threats from an escalating regional-scale confrontation.

Lloyd's considered a scenario very much like the invasion of Ukraine or a hypothetical Chinese takeover of Taiwan: a superpower invades a major economy, disrupting global trade patterns and supply chains. The invasion strategy includes an internet blackout, cyberattacks on infrastructure, and a physical blockade of trade in and out of the country. Beyond strikes on military targets, the invading force hits power generation, transport and communications.

Meanwhile, another superpower and its allies respond to the invasion and provide support to the smaller country, creating an escalating conflict and a tit-for-tat sanctions regime. Opposing forces square off in the affected region, and the invading force declares a naval blockade of the nearby shipping lanes. Vessel operators have to reroute around the area of conflict, and trade volumes are affected by sanctions and transport difficulties.

The disagreement eventually devolves into military action between the two sides, shutting down nearby shipping lanes and other alternative routes. This affects supply chains for raw materials, foodstuffs, microchips and equipment, causing shortages and driving up inflation around the world.

"Industries dependent on critical materials such as semiconductors and rare minerals – healthcare (medical devices), technology, automotive and many more – would likely face chronic shortages and delays," Lloyd's concluded. "The cascading effects of global trade disruptions, combined with escalating sanctions and closed shipping lines, is likely to drive inflation or food shortages in some states."

Lloyd's estimates that the five-year economic loss from this scenario would be somewhere between $8 and $50 trillion, equating to a global GDP loss of about one to seven percent. The most likely level of loss would be about $15 trillion; Lloyd's predicts that the probability of the most extreme $50 trillion scenario is about half of one percentage point.

Given its preeminent role in the global economy, China would be the nation most affected in all cases because it is deeply interconnected with trade, Lloyd's suggests. Europe and the Asia Pacific would suffer significant economic losses as well; North America would be substantially less affected on a dollar basis, sustaining only $5 trillion in losses over five years in the worst case scenario (10 percent of the global impact).

Russian Ballistic Missile Strike Damages Two Ships at Port of Odesa

Damage from a previous Russian strike aboard the Paresa, September 2024 (Ukrainian Ministry of Development)

On Monday, another Russian missile attack hit the Black Sea port of Odesa, damaging two merchant ships, including one that had already been hit in an earlier attack. The strike brings the tally of foreign vessels that have been damaged in the last few weeks to a total of four ships.

"Russian terrorists attacked Odesa with a ballistic missile. One person was killed and eight wounded," said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. "The victims are in the hospital, and two of them are in serious condition."

Two civilian vessels were damaged in the latest attack - the Belize-flagged bulker NS Moon and the Palau-flagged Optima. Just last week, Optima was damaged in a previous Russian ballistic missile strike.

Kiper reported that there was also damage to port infrastructure, including a grain storage facility. Images and video from the scene show additional damage to a port administrative building, including blown-out windows.

Insurers have warned that the new, intensified wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine's grain trade are likely to raise war risk rates again. An excessive increase in rates could make Ukraine's seaborne food exports uneconomical, and the risk of business disruption and seafarer safety from Russian attacks could also deter vessel operators from serving the route.

Kiper has previously warned that the Odesa port region - which includes multiple nearby port complexes - is too large to successfully defend against Russian ballistic missile strikes.

The Russian military recently gained access to Iran's deep inventory of ballistic missiles, giving it flexibility to strike a broader range of civilian and military targets. The government in Tehran has agreed to export Fath-360 (BM-120) missiles for Russian use in the war on Ukraine, and the U.S. government has confirmed that the Iranian military is shipping these short-range munitions to Russia via sea and air. On Monday, the EU sanctioned seven organizations - including Iran Air, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air - for transporting ballistic missiles to Russia. Newly-installed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denies any weapons transfers have taken place since he took over leadership in August.