Dezeen Magazine

Amanda Levete designs world's first magnetised fusion power station for the UK

Lizzie Crook | 2 August 2021 

A prototype power plant designed by architect Amanda Levete's firm AL_A with a nuclear fusion reactor is set to be built in Oxfordshire, England.

Located on the UK Atomic Energy Authority's (UKAEA) campus in Culham, the Fusion Demonstration Plant will be used to prove the viability of Canadian energy company General Fusion's nuclear fusion technology as a carbon-free energy source.

AL_A is set to build the pioneering Fusion Demonstration Plant in Oxfordshire

A_LA said it will be the world's first nuclear power plant of its kind upon completion in 2025.

"We have really enjoyed working with General Fusion and their team of scientists on the design of the Fusion Demonstration Plant, and are particularly excited that the first of its kind will be built in the UK," the studio told Dezeen.

"This is a real statement of confidence in science and technology and its role in building our future. We look forward to continuing our work with General Fusion and UKAEA."

Nuclear fusion mimics how stars creates energy

In new visuals released by A_LA, the Fusion Demonstration Plant is shown as a circular building with a reactor wrapped by a viewing gallery at its centre.

Alongside it will be meeting rooms and educational spaces to cater to visits from scientists, politicians, investors and the public.

The plant will feature a panoramic viewing platform

The fusion technology in its reactor will be used to combine atoms to generate heat, mimicking the way that the sun and stars create energy. This is different to traditional nuclear power stations in which atoms are split in two – a process called fission.

General Fusion specifically uses magnetised target fusion (MTF). This involves the injection of hydrogen plasma into a sphere of molten lead-lithium surrounded by pistons. The pistons compress the hydrogen until its atoms slam together and fuse to form helium.


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This process creates a huge amount of heat that is transferred by the liquid metal to boil water, make steam and spin a turbine to generate electricity.

However, as the plant will be 70 per cent of the size needed for a commercial power plant, it will not actually be used to generate power.

MTF could help decarbonise power grids

As MTF only requires hydrogen as a fuel and its main waste product is helium, the Fusion Demonstration Plant demonstrates a carbon-free way to create electricity.

This means that if it proves to be viable, it could help play a key role in decarbonising the UK's power grid, which remains heavily reliant on burning fossil fuels.

Another benefit of using nuclear fusion to create electricity is that it creates very little radioactive waste when compared to traditional nuclear power plants that rely on fission.

A nuclear fusion reactor will be positioned at its heart

"Fusion energy is inherently safe, with zero possibility of a meltdown scenario," explained General Fusion when the Fusion Demonstration Plant proposal was first revealed in 2020.

Fusion is a "limitless, low-carbon energy" source

The UK government has been investing in fusion technology over the past decade in the hope it could play a part in making the UK net-zero by 2050.

"This new plant by General Fusion is a huge boost for our plans to develop a fusion industry in the UK, and I'm thrilled that Culham will be home to such a cutting-edge and potentially transformative project," said science minister Amanda Solloway.

"Fusion energy has great potential as a source of limitless, low-carbon energy, and today's announcement is a clear vote of confidence in the region and the UK's status as a global science superpower."

However, the International Energy Agency recently said achieving net-zero by 2050 will be the "greatest challenge humankind has ever faced" and that many government pledges "fall well short" of what is required.


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Another groundbreaking power plant proposal that was recently in the spotlight is the world's first solar power station in space, which China is developing to provide "inexhaustible clean energy".

Elsewhere, BIG recently completed the "cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world", which is topped by an artificial ski slope. It is capable of converting 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy annually.

The visuals are by AL_A.

 

First LNG-Fueled Exploration Cruise Ship with Battery System Delivered

The strcuture of the Commandant Charcot arriving in Norway in April 2021 for outfitting (Ponant)

PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2021 5:18 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

French cruise line Ponant and Norwegian shipbuilder VARD confirmed the completion and delivery of the first hybrid exploration cruise ship. The luxury vessel, which was handed over on July 29, is the first exploration cruise ship capable of operating on liquified natural gas.

According to VARD, the 30,000 gross ton Le Commandant Charcot, is the first hybrid-powered polar exploration vessel propelled with LNG and one of the small but growing group of passenger ships using LNG as their fuel. Developed by Ponant, Stirling Design International, Aker Arctic, and VARD, the vessel is an electric hybrid cruise vessel with ice-breaking technology and dual fuel propulsion, featuring high-capacity batteries and LNG storage onboard. 

Ponant noted that the delivery culminates six years of work to bring about the unique design. The vessel is classified as Polar Class 2, designed to sail in some of the most demand areas of the globe, including the geographic North Pole (90 degrees North Latitude), the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea, Northeast Greenland National Park, a circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago, the Bellingshausen Sea, and the Larsen Ice Shelf. Because of the environmentally sensitive nature of its destinations, the vessel also is equipped to handle all waste onboard.

“Delivery of Le Commandant Charcot is both a culmination and the beginning of a new kind of odyssey for the company,” said Chief executive of Ponant Hervé Gastinel. “The construction of this prototype ship demanded extremely high standards in terms of quality. I am proud of the work that our teams have accomplished.”

The construction of the hull and superstructure of the vessel was done in Romania and then in the spring of 2021, with the steelwork completed, the hull was towed to VARD’s yard in Norway for technical work and outfitting. Le Commandant Charcot is due to enter service at the end of October, sailing from Puerto Mott, Chile to Antarctica.  

The vessel measures 492 feet in length and can accommodate 245 passengers along with a crew of 235. Outfitted as an exploration cruise ship, the company promotes her as “a platform for observation, research, and analysis to study water, air, ice and biodiversity in extreme polar regions.” Passengers will have the opportunity to participate in scientific programs and lectures, while activities will include kayaking, hovercraft rides, hiking, and ice fishing.

The 13th ship in Ponant’s fleet, she also offers luxury accommodations for the passengers. In addition to the 135 staterooms, passenger facilities include an indoor swimming pool, conservatory, panoramic restaurant, outdoor restaurant, main lounge, and an observation lounge.

 

Meyer Werft and Unions Agree to 10 Percent Workforce Cuts

Meyer Werft recently floated out its newest cruise ship being built for AIDA (Meyer Werft)

PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2021 5:10 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Shipbuilder Meyer Werft hard hit by the downturn in the global cruise industry reached an agreement with its union for a better than 10 percent reduction in the workforce. The move is the first of several potential efforts by the company to reduce costs and improve productivity. The depth of the cuts would have been more severe except for new orders, including a newly announced win to build the Ocean Residences condominium cruise ship.

The latest agreement covers the shipyard at Papenburg, Germany, and follows similar efforts at the company’s Neptune Shipyard in Rostock, Germany, and a shipyard at Turku, Finland. Before the pandemic, Meyer’s operations were focused on the cruise ship industry with the Papenburg yard organized to produce two large cruise ships annually with additional capabilities for a smaller cruise ship. Turku was expanding its capabilities to build two large cruise ships and the Neptune yard was building river cruise ships and modules including the engine room blocks for the ships being assembled in Papenburg.  

Meyer has a strong order book with ships under construction for P&O, AIDA, and Costa, in the Carnival group, as well as Disney Cruise Line, and the Royal Caribbean Group. Meyer was successful in rescheduling deliveries while scaling back operations to one large ship annually from both Papenburg and Turku.

"Now we are fully focused on the transformation of the group, further digitalization, and on developing climate-neutral solutions for our ships and maritime applications as quickly as possible," says Jan Meyer, Managing Director.

Negotiations with the IG Metall Kuste and the shipyard’s works council began months ago with reports suggesting that Meyer was seeking to reduce the workforce of 3,00 at Papenburg by as many as 1,000 people. Later the figure was scaled back to 660 positions.

Union officials announced last evening that 62 percent of the yard’s employees are in favor of the agreement. Under the terms reached between the yard and its unions, the company is targeted 350 voluntary reductions at the shipyard and an additional 100 positions as its EMS Maritime Services group. It is a three-stage program starting with the voluntary program and a transfer company, a common approach in Germany that helps employees retrain and find new positions. The aim is to avoid or minimize compulsory layoffs and reduce as many jobs as possible by mutual agreement. 

German media reports suggest that Meyer is targeting a financial saving of $1.4 billion and the unions have also agreed to steps to seek a consistent improvement in productivity. As part of the agreement, each worker will contribute 100 hours annually to the yard either by working uncompensated overtime or waving special payments. Employees at the service company will contribute 25 hours each year. In addition, Meyer and the unions are still negotiating the details of a change to a two-shift model.

Meyer cited competitive and pricing pressures in the shipbuilding industry saying that these factors have increased significantly in the past year. Further, the revised delivery schedules have slowed contract installment payments to the yard and in 2020 the cruise companies delayed deliveries of completed cruise ships.

"The current agreement with the works council and IG Metall is an important step towards securing the Papenburg shipyard site, even though the staff reductions are very painful,” says Managing Director Bernard Meyer. “The adopted socially responsible package for the future only works on the basis of further orders for the years 2024 and 2025. We are continuing on the path of developing new business areas. It's a good chance for a fresh start for cooperation with the works council and the union."

The shipyard said it is currently in danger of having its utilization rates falling below 40 percent in the coming years. Helping to alleviate the future pressure, Meyer won the only new contract for a cruise shipyard awarded in the past year. The company will build a mid-size cruise ship for Japan’s NYK Group. In addition, in its first significant assignment outside the cruise industry, Meyer Neptune is participating in a German navy project to build two tankers.

Meyer also announced that it has reached an agreement with the Ocean Residences apartment cruise ship concept. The project will be with the DIV Group of Croatia, according to the reports in the German NDR news outlet. The project is for a 950-foot cruise ship which will consist of 130 apartment residences. The contract, which is subject to financing, calls for the ship to be delivered in 2025. 

 

Japan’s K Line Invests in Canadian Tidal Energy Project

The three turbines would be fixed to the sea bed (DP Energy)

PUBLISHED AUG 4, 2021 6:03 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

In a first-of-its-kind project for Japanese companies, shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (”K” LINE) and Chubu Electric Power Co. are investing in a renewable energy project planned for Nova Scotia, Canada. It will mark the first time a Japanese company has participated in an overseas tidal energy project, and it is seen as an opportunity for the companies to diversify, building their operations in the renewable energy segment.

Known as Uisce Tapa (Gaelic for “fast water”), the tidal energy project is under development by DP Energy, a renewable energy company headquartered in Ireland. Study work has been ongoing and this summer a monitoring platform will be deployed. Subject to regulatory approval and a final investment decision, the first of the turbines is scheduled to be installed and commissioned in 2023. The second and third turbines would be installed in 2026.

 

 

The location for the project is in the northeastern area of the Bay of Fundy. The bay is home to some of the highest tides in the world, with tidal currents capable of exceeding 10 knots (5 m/s) at peak surface speed. The project design calls for the installation of three turbines fixed to the seabed. Each turbine has an 18.4-meter diameter rotor and rated power of 1.5 MW. The turbine is a horizontal axis, three-bladed tidal turbine, similar to turbines the company installed at a site developed in Scotland. The design represents the next generation in seabed mounted tidal turbine development, incorporating a number of new features to customize elements of the device for operation in the Bay of Fundy. According to DP energy, the turbines will deliver predictable renewable power with an operational design life of 25 years.

“Through this project, “K” LINE aims to contribute to the business that supports the decarbonization of society while utilizing our experiences accumulated in the field of international marine transportation together with partner companies,” said Satoshi Kanamori, Executive Officer, in charge of LNG, Carbon-Neutral Promotion at “K” LINE.

The current agreement is for the development cost of the project. After the completion of the current studies, a final investment decision is expected from the companies. 

The project at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) site is already well advanced and testing is underway for the project’s environmental monitoring platform

 

Protesters Call for Justice on Anniversary of Port of Beirut Blast

Image courtesy UNIFL

PUBLISHED AUG 4, 2021 7:34 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

On the first anniversary of the massive blast that rocked the Port of Beirut last year, thousands of citizens marched to the waterfront to demand accountability for the senior officials who are widely believed to bear responsibility for the explosion. 

The cxplosion of a poorly-stored cargo of ammonium nitrate killed more than 200 people and injured more than 7,000, leaving tens of thousands more without housing or work. Documents and testimony collected by Human Rights Watch suggest that "port, customs, and army officials ignored steps they could have taken to secure or destroy the material," many years before the blast. According to HRW, Ministry of Public Works and Transport officials were negligent in handling the cargo, and "knowingly stored the ammonium nitrate in Beirut’s port alongside flammable or explosive materials for nearly six years in a poorly secured and ventilated hangar in the middle of a densely populated commercial and residential area." 

Further, Lebanon's security apparatus - including Military Intelligence, which was responsible for the security of munitions at the port - was allegedly aware of the cargo's danger but took little action, despite repeated warnings. Even after members of Lebanon's Higher Defense Council were appraised - including the interior minister, the director of general security, the prime minister and the president - little timely intervention occurred. Prime Minister Hassan Diab was allegedly informed of the risk as early as June 3, 2020, but he canceled a personal inspection of the port after an advisor told him that the cargo wasn't that dangerous, according to HRW. In an interview, Diab told Human Rights Watch, "I then forgot about it, and nobody followed up. There are disasters every day."

In a lucky twist of fate, theft and diversion may have reduced the impact of the massive blast. The cargo was stored unguarded in a hangar with a broken door, adjacent to the port's grain silo. Photos obtained by HRW and Lebanese investigators appear to show that some of the one-tonne bags of ammonium nitrate in the hangar were partially empty, and others were spilled, indicating the possibility of pilferage. 

A recently-revealed FBI assessment of the blast estimated that 550 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - not 2,750 tonnes, the amount delivered and stored - had exploded on August 4, 2020. The FBI assessed that "it is not logical that all of [the one-tonne cargo bags] were present at the time of the explosion," suggesting that some of the cargo had gone missing and could not contribute to the strength of the explosion. 

The investigation into the cause of the blast has slowed, and investigating judge Tarek Bitar's efforts to question high-level officials and politicians have run into resistance from the political establishment. The previous judge on the case, Fadi Sawan, faced accusations of political bias for attempting to question high-ranking officials, and he was ultimately removed from the case by two of the politicians he was investigating. 

Bitar is finding traction in some parts of his investigation: on Friday, for the first time, Lebanese President Michel Aoun informed Lebanon's public prosecutor that he would be willing to give a statement to investigators about the circumstances behind the explosion.

 

IMB: Piracy and Armed Robbery at 27 Year Low in 2021

(file photo)

PUBLISHED JUL 12, 2021 3:03 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that the incidents of piracy and armed robbery are at their lowest levels in 27 years. The organization, which was founded in 1991, said that during the first half of 2021, it received the lowest number of reported incidents for the first half of any year since 1994. They, however, cautioned, that the risks remain for seafarers and especially in certain regions of the world.

IMB’s latest global piracy report details 68 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships during the first six months of 2021 compared to 98 incidents during the same period last year. The IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) highlighted that in 91 percent of the incidents, 61 vessels, the ships were boarded. In addition, four attacks were attempted, two vessels were fired upon, and one vessel was hijacked since January 2021. Despite the overall decline in reported incidents, violence against crews continued with 50 crew kidnapped, incidents where crew were threatened, taken hostage, or assaulted, and one crew member was killed and another injured.

The Gulf of Guinea continues to be particularly dangerous for seafarers, with 32 percent of all reported incidents taking place in the region, according to IMB. The region accounted for all 50 kidnapped crew and the single crew fatality during the first half of 2021.

The number of kidnappings recorded in the Gulf of Guinea, however, during the most recent quarter was the lowest since the second quarter of 2019. IMB warns that the pirates continue to target all types of vessels operating in the region and that fishing vessels have been hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea and later used as mother ships to target other merchant vessels.

“Whilst IMB welcomes reduced piracy and armed robbery activity in the Gulf of Guinea, the risk to seafarers still remains,” said IMB Director Michael Howlett. “By reporting all incidents to the Regional Authorities and IMB PRC, seafarers can maintain pressure against pirates. Bringing together maritime response authorities through initiatives – like Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project and Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum – will continue and strengthen knowledge sharing channels and reduce risk to seafarers in the region.”

As with other security organizations, the IMB is also warning that the pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are carrying out attacks further from the coast. For example, in early June, a bulk carrier was approached by a skiff with six pirates while approximately 210 nautical miles off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria. In that instance, the vessel was able to prevent the armed pirates from coming onboard, but it illustrates the distances at which the pirates are threatening vessels.

IMB also highlights the dangers of operating in the Singapore Strait, similar to the numerous reports of boardings and thefts from ReCAAP. Sixteen incidents were reported to the IMB center in the first six months of 2021. This was up from 11 reported incidents during the same period in 2020 in the Singapore Strait. According to IMB, these attacks are considered opportunistic, but in seven of the incidents, the perpetrators were armed with knives. In three separate incidents, seafarers were reported to have been either threatened, assaulted, or injured.

The report also highlights an increase in incidents in Peru’s Callao Anchorage. There were four reports in the second quarter of 2021 with knives reported in three of these attacks. In comparison to the first half of 2019 and 2020, IMB reports that this represents a two-fold increase in the number of incidents, with nine incidents reported in total for 2021. Perpetrators in the region possess the capacity to carry out violent attacks, with two separate incidents of crew being taken hostage and assaulted occurring in the first six months of 2021.

Vessels are also advised to take precautionary measures while anchored in Manila Bay, Philippines. IMB recorded four incidents during the second quarter of 2021. 

 

Robbery and Piracy Declines in 2021 Except in the Singapore Strait

Robberies are down in Asa except in the Singapore Strait (file photo)

PUBLISHED JUL 19, 2021 6:07 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The regional organization that coordinates efforts to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, ReCAAP, has once again issued a warning about the level of activity in the Singapore Strait and in particular in one zone near Bintan Island, Indonesia. ReCAAP reported two additional incidents on July 17, while the organization reported a decline in overall activity during the first half of 2021.

The latest incident alert reports that there were two unauthorized boardings both on July 17 while each ship was underway off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia. The two incidents occurred approximately 30 minutes apart and in the same area of the Singapore Strait in the eastbound traffic lane. In both cases, the boarders were spotted by the crew members that reported that the boarders were armed with knives. In one incident they were seen in the engine room and the other in the steering gear room. In both cases, they fled once they were discovered and both ships reported that their crew was unharmed and nothing had been stolen.

“The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the persistent occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait, particularly a cluster of incidents off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia,” the alert said. “Since January 2021, a total of 22 incidents occurred in the Singapore Strait, with 18 incidents occurred off Tanjung Pergam.”

 

 

ReCAAP is again warning ships to increase their safety efforts and lookouts, especially at night when most of the boardings have occurred. In half of the incidents, the boarders were armed with knives and in six cases engine spare parts were stolen. In two of the incidents, the crew was also assaulted.

News of the latest boardings came just after ReCAAP issued its six-month report during which time it says armed robbery against ships in the region declined by more than a third versus 2020. While there were 35 incidents and two attempts, there were no reports of piracy, only pretty crimes, and 20 of the incidents detailed in the six-month report were in the area of the Singapore Strait. That represented a 25 percent increase in reported incidents over 2020 in the Strait. 

Overall, the severity of the incidents also declined during 2021. In more than two-thirds of the reports, the perpetrators were not armed, and no crew was harmed. In addition, there were no abductions of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and the waters off Eastern Saba, with the last incident in January 2020. Further, the four crew members abducted in January 2020 were rescued in March 2021 by the Philippine authorities. 

While incidents are down overall in the region, ReCAAP highlights that there have also not been arrests to disrupt the gangs that have carried out some recent boardings of ships. As such, they repeated the call for cooperation and reporting warning ships to remain on guard at all times. 

WHO INVITED YOU

LOOKS LIKE NATO IN THE PACIFIC 

Royal Navy Carrier Enters the Pacific for the First Time in Decades

HMS Queen Elizabeth passes through the Strait of Malacca, accompanied by the Malaysian Navy (Royal Navy)

PUBLISHED AUG 5, 2021 5:15 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The UK Royal Navy's first full-scale aircraft carrier in a generation has entered the Pacific, marking Great Britain's new commitment to maritime security in the Far East in an era of great power competition. Independent reports suggest that carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has been operating in the South China Sea since last week. 

"The arrival of the Carrier Strike Group in Southeast Asia is a clear sign that the UK is ready to work with friends and partners, new and old, to strengthen the security and freedoms upon which we mutually depend," said Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, in a statement Thursday. 

The task group, led by Queen Elizabeth, passed through the Strait of Malacca and met up with vessels of the Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean navies for passing exercises and maneuvers along the way. Meanwhile, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tidespring made a port call in Singapore to take on supplies.

"The Indo-Pacific is critical to the UK’s economy and security, and HMS Richmond is proud to be playing our part in building regional partnerships, particularly as the UK seeks to become an ASEAN dialogue partner in the future," said Cdr. Hugh Botterill, the commanding officer of HMS Richmond. "Though any direct engagement was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we enjoyed this brief professional collaboration.”

HMS Queen Elizabeth passed through the Strait of Malacca with Malaysian frigate KD Lekiu before meeting up with Singapore frigate RSS Intrepid, corvette Unity and landing platform dock Resolution.

Queen Elizabeth is now headed north, accompanied by HMS Defender, according to the Royal Navy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has reported that the carrier strike group kept its distance from Chinese-occupied islands while it was in the South China Sea; Beijing held up this decision as an endorsement of its disputed territorial claims and an example for others to follow. 

“China hopes navy vessels of other nations abide by international law when sailing across the South China Sea, respect the rights and sovereignty of the coastal nations, and avoid actions that damage regional peace,” the ministry said.

German Frigate Departs for the South China Sea

The German frigate Bayern (BMVg)

PUBLISHED AUG 3, 2021 8:39 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

On Monday, the German Navy dispatched the frigate Bayern on a long voyage to the South China Sea, showing its support for the multinational effort to offset Chinese expansionism in the region.

The trip will take seven months, and it will see Bayern joining a NATO exercise in the Mediterranean and the EUNAVOR anti-piracy mission off Somalia on her way east. She will call in Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and Australia in addition to transiting the South China Sea. China is not currently on Bayern's itinerary, and Chinese officials have said that they will not host the vessel unless Germany clarifies the frigate's mission.

Unlike U.S. Navy vessels, which periodically challenge Chinese maritime claims by passing close to Chinese-occupied islands, the Bayern is expected to stay near established shipping lanes. It is also expected to steer clear of the Taiwan Strait; U.S. Navy transits of the strait are widely interpreted as a message of support for an independent Taiwan, and they routinely draw criticism from Beijing. 

"It's good to talk about our values, but it's even better to [show] it," said German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in a statement. "Today the frigate Bayern is heading towards the Indo-Pacific - a sign of stability, prosperity and a rule-based, multilateral order . . .  Together with our valued partners in the region, Germany is showing [its] presence in the Indo-Pacific and sets an example of solidarity."

While Bayern's mission is to send a message of opposition to China's sweeping maritime claims, some defense observers have expressed concern that the deployment could end up having the opposite effect. If Bayern should call in Shanghai before transiting the South China Sea - as has been previously discussed - it could be interpreted as a sign that Germany was asking Beijing's permission before entering contested waters.

"It illustrates [that] European naval deployments can actively undermine rather than help uphold international law or support a strategy of deterrence against China – in fact, they can even go so far as to strengthen Chinese territorial claims in Asia. Everything depends on the detail," wrote Chatham House senior fellow Hans Kundnani and Prof. Michito Tsuruoka of Keio University in a recent editorial. 

 

Golden Ray Wreck Continues to Spill Fuel Oil

Oily sheen within and outside of the containment barrier, August 4 (St. Simons Sound Incident Response)

PUBLISHED AUG 5, 2021 3:04 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Salvage teams on the Golden Ray wreck removal project continue to deal with fuel oil spills as they gradually raise the latest section of the vessel's hull out of the water. 

Spillage began Saturday when the team began hoisting, which is usually accompanied by responders washing sediment out of the hull section to shed weight. It was the largest spill yet experienced during the salvage project, and tidal flows flushed an unknown quantity of oil out of the work site containment barrier and into St. Simons Sound. Significant oiling was observed on beaches and marshland on St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, and additional cleanup personnel were called in to remove pollution from the shoreline. 

Mitigation efforts near section six after spillage on Wednesday (St. Simons Sound Incident Response)

On Wednesday morning, wreck removal personnel once again partially raised the sixth section. An oil discharge began to pool inside of retention boom around the section, and the salvage master paused the lifting operation to allow oil skimmers in with a floating vacuum system to pump out fuel oil floating on the surface. Some oil escaped beyond the perimeter barrier, and about 30 pollution control vessels were on hand to respond.  

“We are executing very controlled lifts of Section Six in order to recover any oil that discharges from the section without overwhelming our multi-layered mitigation system,” said Incident Commander Chris Graff of Gallagher Marine Systems. “Removing this section will take time and we appreciate the patience and support of the community as we move forward.”

The salvage command said that lifting operations will be limited to conditions that are favorable for safety and spill control. 

About 80 people have been assigned to cleanup duty along the beaches of St. Simons Island, including popular swimming and sunbathing spots. The beaches remain open to the public, and Georgia's Department of Health has recommended that beach-goers remain vigilant. To control the damage, the teams are collecting up oiled sand and applying sphagnum moss and sorbent pads to oiled marsh grasses. 

Response teams apply sphagnum moss to oiled marsh grasses, St. Simons Island (St. Simons Sound Incident Response)

A wildlife assessment team from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources spotted a small number of oiled juvenile Royal terns on Bird Island on Wednesday, but did not attempt to recover them. The team will keep monitoring for wildlife impacts.

Fletcher Sams, the executive director of environmental group Altamaha Riverkeeper, told AP that he would like to see a Natural Resources Damage Assessment (a federal study typically performed by NOAA) to determine the cumulative impact of the Golden Ray grounding. "The natural resources of the area have been continuously damaged for two years almost," he told AP. 

 

Video: Archaeologists Discover Roman Wreck Laden With Amphorae

Image courtesy ARPA Sicilia

PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2021 10:33 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Italian archaeologists have discovered a Roman wreck from the second century B.C. off the coast of Sicily. The sunken vessel was located in about 300 feet of water off Isola delle Femmine, near Palermo, and it was heavily laden with amphorae - likely of the type used to carry wine. 

The discovery was part of an underwater reconnaissance campaign conducted by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Sicilia) and the province's superintendent of the sea (SopMare) to verify archaeological finds in deep waters. The first images of the find were detected and acquired by Arpa technicians using an ROV from the deck of the oceanograpic vessel Calypso South.

"The Mediterranean continually gives us precious elements for the reconstruction of our history linked to maritime trade, the types of boats, the transports carried out, the thalassocracies, but also data relating to life on board and the relationships between coastal populations," said Sicily's Superintendent of the Sea, Valeria Li Vigni. "The discovery confirms the presence of numerous archaeological remains in the bathymetric bands over 50/80 meters, which stimulates us to continue our research in the deep sea."

The activity is a bit out of the normal scope of ARPA Sicilia's mission, as it is not strictly focused on environmental protection, but director Vincenzo Infantino said that it is a valuable way in which the agency can contribute to Sicilian heritage. "The study and monitoring of the marine environment, constantly operated by Arpa Sicilia continues to enrich the picture of the precious beauties present in the Sicilian sea . . . whose protection is an essential imperative for our community," he said. 

It was the mission's second find in a matter of months, following on the heels of the discovery of another Roman wreck off the coast of Ustica - also laden with amphorae and likely dating to the second century B.C.

Amphorae were the shipping containers of their day, widely used to transport wine, olive oil and food on board merchant vessels in the Mediterranean basin. They were employed by the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans alike; as many of these ceramic vessels have survived through the ages, they provide archaeologists with valuable clues about the trading patterns of the era. 

 

Dams and Dredging Mean Bad News for Vietnam's Mekong Delta

Rice paddies in the Mekong River Delta (Thomas Schoch / CC BY SA 3.0

PUBLISHED AUG 1, 2021 9:39 PM BY THE LOWY INTERPRETER

 

[By Milton Osborne]

The release of recent research from the Netherlands adds an additional insight into what is happening in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the country’s all-important food producing region that contributes some fifty per cent to its agricultural GDP. In a stark conclusion the research cites 2050 as the Tipping Point when the delta will no longer be able to cope with salt water intrusions, a phenomenon that is already causing the los of productive land.

What is of particular interest in the research that has been pursued for more than a decade is the conclusion that to date climate change is responsible for only about five per cent of the delta’s current problems. Rather, it argues that until now the chief culprits are the dams that have been built on the Mekong’s mainstream in China and Laos—11 in China and two so far in Laos—plus the upwards of 300 dams that have been constructed on the tributaries that flow into the Mekong. This multiplicity of barriers has led to a sharp decline in the flow of sediment down the Mekong as it reaches the delta, robbing the region of vital nutrients, and no longer adding new topsoil to the land while playing a part in ridding the delta of damaging insect pests.

Without the added topsoil that once accompanied the flood flows the delta has become increasingly vulnerable to salt water incursions that have accompanied water level rises. But for the moment these rises in sea levels are less immediately important than the effects that have followed large-scale sand mining, most importantly in Cambodia but also in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam itself. With a building boom over the past decade in those countries supply of sand is vital for construction, but removing sand from the Mekong means that the riverbed becomes deeper, water flows more quickly and scours the regions that are then exposed to salt water incursions in the dry season.

None of the conclusions just summarised should be taken as minimising the longer-term threats associated with climate change. Rather the effects of the dams on the Mekong and its tributaries plus the impact of sand mining are setting up a situation in which climate change will be even more likely to wreak its damaging effects in 2050.

Dr Milton Osborne was a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. He has been associated with Southeast Asia for nearly sixty years since being posted to the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh in 1959. A graduate of Sydney and Cornell Universities (University Medallist and Fulbright Scholar, respectively), he has held academic positions in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.

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

Top image: Rice paddies in the Mekong River Delta (Thomas Schoch / CC BY SA 3.0)