22 JAN 2022 Authorities in Ghana have been forced to withdraw a mandatory vaccination policy for seafarers entering the country over concerns that shipping lines will skip its ports, which would have potentially undermined its position as a shipping gateway for West Africa. Ghana, which has managed to vaccinate 16 …
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27 JAN 2022 On Jan. 15, 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga erupted, sending a tsunami racing across the Pacific Ocean in all directions. As word of the eruption spread, government agencies on surrounding islands and in places as far away as New Zealand, Japan and even the …
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26 JAN 2022 Somalia is embroiled in a political crisis as tensions soar between its president and prime minister. With parliamentary elections slated to end on February 25, the political environment remains uncertain. This has led to concern in the EU about the future of anti-piracy operations off the Coast …
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25 JAN 2022 The U.S. State Department’s ocean boundaries department has issued a comprehensive outline of the U.S. government’s views of China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is a large, semi-enclosed sea surrounded by Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. …
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24 JAN 2022 The ocean is becoming ever more central to our economies. Around 80 percent of internationally traded goods are transported by sea, and even brief blockages cause panic in global markets. Fishing remains big business, but in the 21st-century fish farming is even bigger. Most fossil fuel discoveries this century have happened …
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23 JAN 2022 Wherever there is sand and an atmosphere, prevailing winds may whip the grains into undulating shapes, pleasing to the eye with their calming repetition. Certain sand waves, with wavelengths between 30 centimeters (almost 12 inches) and several meters (around 30 feet), are known as megaripples: they’re between ordinary …
Read More »22 JAN 2022 The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) has published its report on the grounding of the coastal freighter Beaumaiden just off the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm last year. The vessel missed a waypoint and headed straight into harm’s way because the captain left the bridge and fell asleep …
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21 JAN 2022 Over the weekend, a subsea volcano in two uninhabited islands of the Kingdom of Tonga, forced countries sharing the Pacific coastline to pay attention. The volcano named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has reportedly been having a modest eruption for several weeks. However, on Saturday, it erupted in a …
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21 JAN 2022 It’s a common misconception that evolution has a sense of direction – a notion that biology nerds around the world are constantly trying to correct. But new research reveals there may be a semblance of truth to this misconception, at least more than we ever realized. While …
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20 JAN 2022 Ocean temperatures the world over are building at a relentless rate as humans continue to alter the atmosphere around them. In 2021, according to a new summary of two international datasets, the wave of warmth in our oceans hit a new peak, eclipsing the influence of cooler …
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