Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Montrose is Scotland’s First Port with Shore Power for Energy Sector's OSVs

offshore power — Offshore supply vessel Magne Viking was the first to test the new power connection (Montrose Port Authority)

The port of Montrose, located on Scotland’s eastern coast north of Edinburgh and Dundee, became the first Scottish port to provide shore power service for offshore energy supply vessels. The Montrose Port Authority used a self-funded joint venture with Plug Shore Power to achieve this milestone in its ambition of becoming Scotland’s first carbon-neutral port.

The port authority highlights the importance of reducing emissions from vessels and specifically at dock ships. They cite data from the UK’s Department of Transport that says 72 percent of a port’s emissions from vessels at berth while vessels maneuvering contribute another 16 percent of the total. Vessels created as much as 90 percent of a port’s overall emissions.

The joint venture estimates it invested £1 million (US$1.25 million) as part of its collaboration with Plug Shore Power to develop the capability. Plug’s Norwegian parent company has been involved in the sector since its first installation in Bergen, Norway in 2018. They had previously collaborated with several ports in Norway to develop shore power and contributed that experience to achieve the installation at Montrose.

The project required significant upgrades to the port’s substation and quayside infrastructure. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks carried out the upgrades.

The authority highlights that Montrose is one of the largest “chain and anchor ports” globally. The port is strategically placed to work with supply vessels servicing wind farms, oil rigs, and other destinations in the North Sea and beyond.

Two berths were outfitted with the shore power capability

The shore power facility is now operating on berths 1 and 2 at Montrose Port. Each supply pit has a maximum capacity of 800 kVA, offering both 400V, 440V and 690V at 50 or 60 Hz.

The first vessel to make a connection during the testing phase fittingly was an offshore supply ship that is a frequent visitor in Montrose. The Magne Viking, a 2011-built anchor handler and offshore supply ship, is operated by Viking Supply Ships. She sails between Montrose and the offshore oil fields and inaugurated the connection capability.

“The launch of shore power at berths 1 and 2 represents a transformative moment for us at Montrose Port Authority and the wider Scottish maritime industry,” said Captain Tom Hutchison, Chief Executive of Montrose Port Authority. “By embracing innovative solutions like shore power, we are not only reducing our environmental footprint but also positioning Montrose Port as a leader in sustainable port operations.”

The Forward Bridge in Future Container Shipping

Shipping company Maersk recently introduced a new 16,000-TEU, methanol-powered ship named Ane Maersk with a bridge installed near the bow. The ship is designed for maximum efficiency on the Asia-Europe trade lane. Because of its cargo capacity advantages, the house-forward design has future potential in international container ship operations between Europe and Asia as well as in trans-North Atlantic service.

Introduction

A container ship built with a forward bridge was mentioned in an article* published early in 2021 when Ulstein introduced the X-bow to ocean shipping. While unusual in layout, the X-bow promised gentler response when the bow sails directly into severe wave conditions. The 342-ft length ocean cruise ship Greg Mortimer is built with the X-bow and carries passengers on cruises in the Antarctic region. Despite being one-third the length of Ane Maersk, passengers have remarked on the gentle motion of the ship when sailing through waves.

While not the X-bow configuration, the bow above the water line of the 1145-ft length Ane Maersk is very different to the traditional bow configuration of Emma Maersk. Actual sailing experience of the X-bow in rough seas suggests that the bow of Ane Maersk would react more gently to severe waves than traditional ship bows. As a result, crew housed in the forward bridge of Ane Maersk would likely experience the motion characteristics of a ship of 500-feet in length built with a traditional bow and a bridge closer to the stern.

Suezmax Variant

The bridge across the Suez Canal restricts the maximum height of vessels that transit the waterway to 225-feet. A forward-bridge allows the vessel to be designed to carry an additional level of containers to that height behind the ship’s bridge, which could involve up to 800-additional TEU. The vessel would have a slight competitive edge sailing between major ports in Europe and Asia.

The forward bridge configuration would allow future mega-size container ships to carry in excess of 24,000-TEU, achieved by combining an additional level of containers with the ship designed and built to carry the additional width of 1-container. Fuel consumption per container would be comparable to smaller containers ship. The combination of ship length over 1000 feet and non-traditional bow design would enhance future prospects for further development of large container ships built with a forward bridge and assigned to other routes.

North Atlantic Variant

Container ships built with a low-level forward bridge could sail the North Atlantic between European as well as Western Asian ports and U.S. East Coast ports. Roadway bridges cross over shipping channels that connect to several ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard while tunnels pass under several channels. Westbound ships carrying over 20,000 TEU would partially offload up to five levels of containers at an east coast Canadian port, where the cargo would be transferred to ships assigned to domestic service. The projected volume of container traffic crossing the North Atlantic would justify construction of a small fleet of forward-bridge container ships for North American service.

When partially laden, the large ship would be designed to sail with a 46 foot draft as well as maximum height of 175 feet above water to American ports such as Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville. Bridge clearance (air draft) at major U.S. East Coast ports varies between 180 feet to 215 feet at the Bayonne Bridge, near Newark. Partial offloading of westbound ships sailing to Port of Newark would likely involve transfer of three levels of containers to sufficiently reduce ship water draft to clear the channel and port terminal at Newark.

Smaller-scale variant

A smaller-scale version of the aforementioned North Atlantic variant could in the future, be designed to operate the Europe – Montreal service in response to projected increased future container trade. The concept ship could be built with a 130-foot beam by 1,000-feet length, carry three additional widths of containers and up to three additional levels of containers compared to earlier Panamax size container ships. When fully-laden, the ship would sail an ocean draft of 37 feet (38 feet in fresh water) as it approached the Port of Quebec City.

The ship would undergo a partial offloading of containers at Port of Quebec City to decrease fresh water sailing draft to 33 feet and height of forward bridge above water to 140 feet. It would sail partially laden to Port of Montreal while a tug-barge would carry the off-laden containers to Montreal. Introduction of the larger ship would require that cranes at both Ports of Montreal and Quebec extend an additional three container widths across a ship. On eastbound voyages, the vessel would load additional containers at Ports of Quebec and/or Halifax.

Variable Draft Innovations

Forward-bridge container ships intended for trans-North Atlantic sailing would need to designed from the outset to operate as variable draft vessels. The design objective would be the development of a large vessel that sails at 56-feet draft when fully laden at mid-ocean and also at 46-feet draft when partially laden. Likewise, a smaller version of the same concept would sail at 38-feet draft when fully laden at mid-ocean and at just under 33-feet draft when partially laden along the Lower St. Lawrence River. Further research would determine any need for ballast tanks when the ships sail partially laden.

Transshipment

A larger future container ship sailing to Port of Montreal would allow for transshipment of containers to smaller vessels that will sail the St. Lawrence Seaway to American ports such as Duluth and Cleveland, located around the Upper Great Lakes. For reasons of economy, a tug-barge combination could carry containers from Port of Montreal to Port of Hamilton on Lake Ontario. For eastbound sailing, the American ports would provide freight such as such as potash, oats, barley and wheat from both American and Western Canadian producers, carried to the ports inside containers by rail.

Large-scale versions of the ship sailing serving U.S. East Coast ports would stop at either Halifax or at the proposed Melford terminal, which offers 20 m channel depth and 18 m quayside depth while remaining free from ice during winter. While Halifax has restricted terminal area, the use of game changing container-transfer technology could rapidly and continuously transfer containers being unloaded at the south terminal to being loaded aboard interline transshipment vessels at the north terminal. The interline vessels could sail to such ports as Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia or to ports located along the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes.

Conclusions

The initiative by Maersk in commissioning the construction of a house-forward container ship that carries 16,000-TEU sets a precedent for the development future container ships that could be built to carry in excess of 24,000 TEU. Such ships could be assigned to the Asia-Europe service as well as trans-North Atlantic service.

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

Salvors Move Carefully Towards Big Lift to Refloat Boxship Dali

Salvage contractors cut a massive girder free from Dali's starboard bow (USACE)

Salvors are still preparing for the operation to remove wreckage of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge from the bow of the container ship Dali, which struck a bridge pier and collapsed the main span of the structure on March 26.

Salvage crews have a difficult task ahead. Masses of steel and concrete are embedded in the deck towards the forepeak, and a twisted but intact stretch of the bridge span - dubbed "section four" in the response plan - is propped up on the Dali's port bow. The weight of that wreckage is pressing Dali's bow into the bottom, and it will have to be lifted off in order to refloat and remove the ship.

To get ready for the big lift, the salvage teams have to make careful plans for all of the side effects. Removing the weight of the bridge piece will affect the vessel and the wreckage on deck, potentially causing shifting of damaged containers and debris. Some of the bridge's steel girders have penetrated the Dali's deck, so the operation will have to be planned to prevent any unnecessary damage that the lift might do to the ship. To keep an eye on the complex conditions on scene, the team is using equally complex instrumentation.

“We’ve got a total of six . . . inclinometers that measure tilt on key locations of the span and key locations of the ship so we can watch how it’s pitching and rolling with tide, and wind,” said contractor Rob Ruthledge, a contractor working for the Key Bridge Unified Command. “We have a sensor measuring the relative position of the span on the ship so we can see, if for some reason, it starts to slip. We also have what are called string gauges, which can measure, in real-time, the stress, while they are performing operations.”

Smaller-scale cutting and hoisting operations have been making progress on Dali's starboard bow and main deck level for some time. The team has lifted off more than 180 intact containers to make more room for the operation, and contractors have been removing steel wreckage one piece at a time. Videos released by the joint multi-agency / commercial salvage operations center (the unified command) showed workers cutting off sections of the bridge wreckage that were dangling over the starboard side and letting them drop safely into the water.

The task force has signaled that it wants to refloat Dali and reopen a 45-foot shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore by May 10, subject to the uncertainties of marine salvage operations and the suitability of weather conditions. The ultimate objective is to fully reopen the channel at its nominal 50-foot control depth by the end of the month.

Rebuilding the bridge will take years longer, and will cost at least $1.9 billion, according to Maryland's transportation department. On Monday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore joined members of the House Appropriations Committee for a tour of the site and a discussion of the funding needed to restore the bridge to its former state. Gov. Moore and President Joe Biden have asked Congress to fully fund the bridge's reconstruction now, while awaiting the outcome of litigation against the Dali's owner, which is expected to take years to work its way through the court system. Legislation for funding the new bridge has been introduced in the Senate and the House, but faces skepticism from the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.

Ireland Releases Draft Plan for South Coast Offshore Wind Farms

Ireland released a draft of its plan to designate four areas off the south coast for offshore wind projects and proceed to auctions. It follows the successful first offshore auction in May 2023 where over 3 GW of capacity was procured from four offshore projects.

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, released the plan on May 3 highlighting that it is Ireland’s first-ever spatial plan for renewable energy at sea. The draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) identifies four maritime areas off the south coast in which development of offshore renewable energy is proposed to take place over the next decade.

The four maritime areas proposed for offshore energy projects were identified according to the minister following a comprehensive environmental assessment process and an almost year-long engagement process with coastal communities and stakeholders. He said that protecting the marine environment and biodiversity and supporting citizens reliant on the sea for their livelihood are central to the sustainable development of the south coast’s offshore energy potential.

The draft plan proposes that a first offshore wind project with a capacity of approximately 900 MW will take place in “Tonn Nua,” off the coast of County Waterford, and will aim for deployment by 2030. The area is more than 120 square miles located at least nearly eight miles from shore. It has a mean water depth of 187 feet.

Over the next decade, the plan also proposes further offshore wind projects will be developed off the coast of Country Waterford as well as two sites off the south coast of County Wexford. They include “Li Ban” which would be at least 18 miles from Country Waterford at its nearest point. The “Manannan” site would be nearly 17 miles from Country Wexford while the “Danu” site would be a similar distance also from Country Wexford.

The draft design for the auction is now available for public comments running through June 7, 2024. The ministry notes that it may choose to revise the plan based on feedback, The auction is planned to commence before the end of 2024.

The first auction in May 2023 created the potential for the delivery of over 12 Terawatt hours of renewable electricity per year. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2024 commits to achieving at least 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. A further 2 GW is designated for the production of green hydrogen and other non-grid uses.

BOEM Completes Review for Alternative Foundation Test at BP’s Beacon Wind

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its environmental review clearing the way for testing of an alternative foundation for the Beacon Win site located south of Nantucket. The site now controlled by BP proposed additional site testing for a lesser-used technology called suction bucket foundations which allows for the installation of turbines without the need for pile driving.

Deployed for the first time a decade ago, the suction bucket has been used several times in European offshore wind farms, including projects led by Ørsted. The application by BP highlighted advantages including less noise by not having to pile drive and less disturbance of underwater life. BP and its partners have also been exploring the use of the foundation system for their developments in Europe.

The technology has been used in various forms since the 1980s in the offshore oil and gas industry. Ørsted explains that one of the key considerations is soil type and soil strength as well as issues such as the composition of the sea bed if boulders or other obstacles exist. They require a larger footprint and scour protection.

Beacon Wind proposed to conduct 35 deployments and removals of a single suction bucket foundation at 26 locations on its site. Beacon Wind’s objective is to gather information to support the engineering design of the turbine and substation foundation. Among the other advantages, Beacon Wind says suction bucket foundations would allow more flexibility around supply chain constraints.

The proposal explains that the suction bucket used in the test will have a diameter of 30 to 39 feet (9 to 12 meters), a height of 36 to 39 feet (11 to 12 meters), and total weight of approximately 200 tons. The suction bucket will be designed to penetrate the seafloor to a maximum of between 33 and 39 feet (10 and 12 meters), versus a monopile which they pile drive to three times that depth. A low-flow suction pump is mounted to the top of the suction bucket approximately 19 feet (6 meters) above the seabed and slowly removes water from within the bucket to create an area of reduced pressure, which would assist in completing penetration to the target depth and affixing the structure to the seabed for the mounting of the topside turbine or substation.

BOEM concluded that the proposed test will not cause significant impacts to the environment. Beacon Wind’s review with the BOEM began nearly a year ago. It calls for two phases, with the first project for 1,230 MW located 17 nautical miles south of Nantucket and 52 nautical miles east of Montauk and supplying power to New York State. A second phase of a similar size is also contemplated on the lease area which totals 128,000 acres in federal waters.

In April, BP took full ownership of Beacon Wind after splitting its partnership with Equinor. They took over the 50 percent interest in the project. while Equinor took ownership of BP’s 50 percent stake in the Empire Wind 1 and 2 projects.

Smugglers Toss 2.5 Tons of Cocaine Overboard to Escape Royal Navy Pursuit

The latest interdiction in the Caribbean by the Royal Navy’s patrol ship HMS Trent sounds like a scene from a motion picture. The vessel, which was commissioned in 2020 and was on a regular patrol of the Caribbean, reported that as night was falling, they conducted a high-speed chase with its seaboats to pounce on smugglers in a go-fast boat.

They reported that the go-fast boat with the smugglers was hopelessly weighted down and, to evade capture, the smugglers were jettisoning bale after bale of cocaine from the boat. The boat accelerated to nearly 50 mph with the Royal Navy reporting the “sheer amount of cargo left behind became apparent.”

The smugglers must have ditched all their cargo the interdiction team believes in its effort to escape. While they got away, the sheer amount of cocaine left behind was staggering to the Royal Navy crew.

“Every direction we looked in, there were cocaine bales, we knew this was a big haul,” said one of the Royal Marines on the team. The vessel has 47 Commando coxswains aboard working with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment.

HMS Trent had been alerted to the potential smugglers by the United States maritime patrol aircraft. The Royal Navy vessel used its radar to track down a go-fast boat matching the determined course and speed of smugglers.

“Considering the time-lapse from the previous night’s chase, we were able to factor in the drift and calculate the area where the bales should be,” explained HMS Trent’s First Lieutenant. “We calculated right, the lookouts did a superb job picking out the bales against the wider ocean.”

The recovery operation went on through the night and eventually 2,548 kg of cocaine was recovered back to the Trent. The Royal Navy calculates it stopped £204 million ($256 million) of cocaine during the night-time pursuit in the Caribbean.

HMS Trent is deployed as part of a multinational effort to stem the flow of drugs being smuggled to Europe and America. Across five months of operations, the Royal Navy reports the ship has seized 6,390 kg of drugs worth £511 million ($640 million).

Japan's New Whaling Ship Raises Concerns for Conservationists

Kangei Maru's predecessor, Nisshin Maru (File image courtesy Australian Customs and Border Protection Service)

Japanese whaling industry has gained more capacity with the launch of Kangei Maru, a new whaling mother ship that can process tons of whale meat at sea. The vessel is now the world’s only whaling fleet mother ship, owned by Tokyo-based seafood company Kyodo Senpaku.

The ship is replacing Nisshin Maru, which Kyodo Senpaku retired in November after decades of whaling operations. The vessel became infamous for its whale hunting expeditions in the Antarctic Ocean, which led to frequent clashes with environmental groups.

With the launch of the more sophisticated Kangei Maru, some environmental campaigners have said this could be a hint to Japan’s commitment in expanding whaling in its waters and probably beyond in the Southern Ocean. Built at a cost of $47 million, the 9,300-ton Kangei Maru has a slipway to haul up to 70- ton fin whales, and can store up to 600 tons of meat. This is almost double that of its predecessor and thus, the vessel could remain at sea for longer periods. According to Kyodo Senpaku, the vessel can sail for a range of over 8000 miles.

During this month, Kangei Maru is scheduled to leave its home port of Shimonoseki for an eight-month maiden voyage off the north-east coast of Japan. However, the government has set a catch limit of 379 whales for this year within Japan’s EEZ, including a cap of 167 for minke whales, 187 for Bryde’s and 25 for Sei whales. According to some analysts, this is a relatively small quota for a large vessel such as Kangei Maru, fueling concerns that it might be forced to expand the scope of operation into Antarctica.

Japanese government maintains that it only allows commercial whaling within the territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The launch of the new mothership coincides with Kyodo Senpaku’s campaign to boost whale consumption in Japan. Early this year, the company opened two whale meat stores in Tokyo, a move aimed at reviving the shrinking market for whale-related foods. Whale meat was once a staple source of protein in Japanese culture, but consumption began to decline with increased imports of pork, chicken and beef.

As of 2021, only 1,000 tons of whale meat was consumed in Japan from a high of over 200,000 tons in 1962, according to data by Japan’s ministry of fisheries and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the ocean conservation group Captain Paul Watson Foundation has announced that it is acquiring a new vessel, the Bandero, aimed at combating illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean. The organization said that it is responding to the launch of Kangei Maru, and asserted that the new Japanese ship was designed with ability to reach Antarctica.

“If Japan cancels their plans to return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, our foundation will target the destructive Krill fishery in the Southern Ocean,” said Omar Todd, CEO of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

Japan ended its Antarctica whaling program in 2018 following an order from the international court of justice. In the same year, Japan also withdrew its membership from the International Whaling Commission, the global body that regulates whaling.

Survey: Tanker Officers Report High Satisfaction, But Heavy Workload

Tanker owners' association Intertanko has released the results of its latest online survey of crewmembers across the global fleet, based on responses from more than 5,400 seafarers. The snapshot of mariner sentiment revealed areas where satisfaction is high, as well as common concerns that will need to be addressed.

"Whilst there are some issues revolving around harassment, working hours and workload . . . in the main, seafarers are content with their career, wished to pursue the highest professional qualifications and continue their careers ashore," the authors found.

The survey was aimed primarily at junior officers on tank vessels, who made up about 70 percent of all respondents. The majority were Filipino, Indian and Greek, representing the leading seafaring nations, and the largest share serve aboard crude tankers. About two percent were female.

Workload emerged as the biggest issue, consistent with reports from every corner of the seafaring profession. About 76 percent reported that they are overwhelmed by the tasks and responsibilities assigned to them. The spread between nationalities was substantial, with Filipinos most likely to report being overwhelmed. Filipinos also reported the highest motivation and happiness, and the highest satisfaction with their employment contracts, work-life balance and shipboard conditions. They are also the likeliest nationality to recommend a seafaring career to others.

"Given that all respondents are undertaking comparable tasks, the question of resilience among Filipino seafarers may require investigation at a company level," Intertanko's authors recommended.

Perhaps the most concerning trend was the high percentage of female officers who reported misconduct on board on the basis of gender (44 percent). This is a systemic concern that has captured attention at IMO and beyond, and is consistent with other reports.

Overall, respondents reported that nationality was the biggest source of discrimination and misconduct aboard ship (19 percent), followed by appearance (11 percent).

The survey also examined recruitment, training and retention. On the front end of the cycle, getting sufficient sea time was a sticking point for many young officers. About half rated the challenge of getting 12 months of sea time as "difficult" or "very difficult."

On the back end of the career cycle, most respondents (60 percent) said that they want to leave seafaring and work on shore once they attain a high enough rank. Family reasons, excessive workload and the availability of better opportunities in shoreside employment were the leading factors in this decision. The rising trend of seafarer criminalization (the tendency to arrest the crew after a major marine casualty) was a lesser but still present motivation for leaving the sea, along with the outside risk of abandonment.

“It is clear we need to ensure that seafarers are looked after through high-quality employment conditions and really focus upon their welfare and development. Young seafarers today want to get on, be mentored by seniors and make the very best of their chosen career," said Dimitris Fokas, Training Manager at Maran Tankers Management and Chair of INTERTANKO’s Human Element Committee.

ITF Calls Out "Worst Case of Seafarer Abandonment Ever Seen"

The International Transport Workers' Federation has identified another Mideast vessel operator that has allegedly abandoned multiple ships and their crews, without supplies or wages. According to ITF, the parties that would ordinarily take responsibility - the owner, flag state, or the nation of ownership - have not stepped forward to help.

According to ITF, the UAE-based shipowner Middle East Marine LLCd has had 17 abandonment cases since late 2022, in locations across South Asia. The agency says that it has responded to abandonment claims aboard 18 of the firm's ships from Bangladesh to India to Sri Lanka. The majority of the seafarers involved are from Myanmar, Indonesia and India.

The affected crewmembers have reported non-payment of wages, lack of food, dirty water, refusal of access to health care, and withholding of passports and medication. These are abuses associated with forced labor, routinely found in corners of the fishing industry but less often encountered in commercial shipping. ITF - which handles dozens of abandonment cases every year - called it the "worst case of serial seafarer abandonment ever seen."

Middle East Marine is an established firm based in the UAE. It says that it provides a wide diversity of commercial services, including chartering, project cargo, container repositioning, salvage & towage, bunkering, armed private security, crewing, shipmanagement, and small craft chartering. It has four locations in the UAE and India.

"My salary hasn’t been paid for more than three months – but there are some crew members unpaid for as long as seven months," one crewmember told ITF. "The company did not supply provisions and fresh water – sometimes we were just fishing for survival. All crew members are getting depressed, and our families are getting in debt to survive."

The Maritime Labor Convention requires twice-monthly payment of wages. After non-payment for two months or deprivation of food and water, a vessel is considered abandoned. This internationally-recognized category for serious mistreatment of seafarers - who often earn no more than a few dollars an hour, even when paid - should trigger action by the flag state and the insurer, according to ITF.

In this case, however, this system appears to have hit a dead end. ITF says that authorities in the UAE have not taken action on this crew abandonment case, though the company in question is headquartered in their jurisdiction. "It’s hard to comprehend how a company registered in the UAE can behave like this with impunity. Middle East Marine is a stain on the global maritime industry," said Steve Trowsdale, ITF's Inspectorate Coordinator.

According to ITF, Middle East's flag registry of choice - a Greek-administered flag that markets a customer-centric digitalized service model - has not responded once to inquiries about the years-long list of human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by its client.

"It's been shocking to see seafarers facing such extreme exploitation, dangerous working conditions and limited rights. No pay, inadequate living conditions, lack of legal protections, and restricted freedom of movement – it's akin to modern-day indentured servitude," said Sandra Bernal, ITF's Network Coordinator Asia Pacific Region.

The same flag state has previously been identified as a registry of choice for sanctioned North Korean operators, who need to switch flags often in order to mask sanctions evasion. "Put simply, North Korean smuggling networks know that these registries are not monitoring the vessels which sail under their flag," former UN sanctions enforcement expert Hugh Griffiths told AFP last year. The registry says that it has recently increased its sanctions-enforcement efforts, with help from a third-party contractor.

Scotland's most famous bird of prey found dead as police appeal for help over osprey Laddie

Police have appealed for information after Scotland's most famous bird of prey, the osprey known as Laddie, was found dead five days after going missing from its nest near Dunkeld, in Perthshire.

By George Mair
Published 5th May 2024

Laddie, one of the breeding pair of ospreys at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's (SWT) Loch of the Lowes reserve, had gained fans around the world after first appearing on the nest in 2012 and pairing up with the legendary osprey known as Lady.

The raptor, also known as LM12, returned on March 27 for the 13th consecutive year and reunited with his current mate, known as NC0, to the delight of staff at the reserve and thousands of enthusiasts monitoring the nest via the reserve's live webcam.

Famous osprey Laddie had delighted viewers while captured on webcam at his nest near Dunkeld. Picture: Scottish Wildlife Trust

Police Scotland said the remains of an osprey were found near Dunkeld on Friday, adding: "The protected species is believed to have been nesting at Loch of the Lowes, close to where it was found."

Inspector James Longden said: "It is illegal to kill any protected species and we are working closely alongside partner agencies to confirm what has happened here and whether there is any criminality involved. Information from the local community could prove vital and it is important we speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area, or who may know something which could assist our investigation."

Laddie – or LM12, short for Lowes Male 2012 – arrived in Dunkeld in March 2012 as the fourth partner of wildlife phenomenon Lady, the oldest breeding female osprey ever recorded in the UK, and six times his age.

He then fledged 12 chicks over five years with Lady's successor, which quickly became known as Lassie.

When Lassie failed to return from her migration in March 2020, she was replaced by NC0, a female ringed at a nest near Loch Ness in 2016. Laddie and NC0 produced a full clutch of three eggs last month and Laddie was providing a daily supply of fish to the nest when he went missing on April 28.

SWT staff posted about the "rapidly developing situation" in a blog, saying: "He took off after a period of incubation, on what looked to be a fishing trip. Sadly, there have been no sightings of him since. For a breeding osprey to have been absent from the nest for this long is highly unusual, so it is likely that something has happened to LM12 preventing him from returning."Laddie's death is likely to have grave consequences for this year's clutch of eggs. Facing starvation after nearly six days without feeding, the female NC0 has already been forced to leave the nest unattended to hunt for fish, putting the eggs at risk.Ospreys were extinct in Britain for much of the 20th century. They began to recover in the 1960s and now an estimated 300 pairs breed in the UK each summer.

SCOTLAND

Poll hands Labour biggest lead over SNP in more than a decade

A new poll has put Labour ahead of the SNP at Holyrood and Westminster.

By David Bol
Published 5th May 2024

Scottish Labour has its biggest lead over the SNP in almost a decade and is set to overtake the party of government at both Westminster and Holyrood, a new poll has found.

The poll by Norstat, formerly Panelbase, for the Sunday Times shows the number SNP seats at Westminster is expected to be cut by around two thirds, with the vote share of Humza Yousaf’s party expected to drop to its lowest level since the 2014 independence referendum.

According to the poll, the SNP would hold onto just 15 of its 43 Westminster seats, with Labour returning 28 MPs north of the Border.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Picture Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The poll comes after Mr Yousaf said he would resign as party leader and first minister after his power move to remove the Greens from his government backfired.

Sir John Curtice, who compiled seat projections from the poll, said the “question that now arises is whether the coronation of John Swinney will enable the SNP to turn the page”.

He said: “Even among those who said they would vote Yes in another independence referendum, only 56 per cent said they were now willing to back the SNP for Westminster, as would only two thirds who voted for the party in 2019.”

According to the poll, the SNP would attract support from 29 per cent of voters — a fall of three points in the space of a month — while Labour’s share increased by two points to 34 per cent. According to this, the SNP would return 15 MPs in what would be the party’s poorest Westminster performance since 2010.

In an additional blow to the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives, whose vote share remained at 16 per cent in the poll, would add three seats to return nine MPs. The LibDems, on 8 per cent, would increase their tally of MPs to five, according to the poll.

According to the survey, support for independence remains split, with 48 per cent in favour of Scotland leaving the UK and 52 per cent backing the Union.

Analysis of polling for Holyrood indicates Labour would be the largest party, with 40 MSPs, with 38 for the SNP, 24 for the Tories, ten Greens, nine Lib Dems and eight from Reform.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment